BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 Qatar in discussion

INDEX to host Club DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2-10, 28 COMMENT 26, 27 Commercial Bank EGM REGION 11 BUSINESS 1-6, 12-16 approves capital hike World Cup 20,682.36 10,391.70 51.04 ARAB WORLD 11, 12 CLASSIFIED 7-12 +32.15 +47.62 +0.80 INTERNATIONAL 13-25 SPORTS 1 - 8 by 5% to QR4.047bn +0.16% +0.46% +1.59% Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978

WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10414 April 5, 2017 Rajab 8, 1438 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals PM arrives in Tunisia Over QR1.4bn In brief in opportunities QATAR | Health Nationals urged not HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa to travel to Sri Lanka al-Thani arrived in Tunisia yesterday to participate in the 34th session of the Arab The Ministry of Foreign Aff airs Interior Ministers Council. He was received at the presidential airport among others on off er for 2022 (MoFA) has urged Qatari nationals by Interior Minister Hedi Majdoub and Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui. not to travel to Sri Lanka due to ver QR1.4bn in business op- “The main contractors build- Construction Corporation Limited health reasons. The ministry issued portunities related to the 2022 ing fi ve of our stadiums are looking (CRCC), also a joint-venture build- a statement in this regard yesterday. FM meets EU official OFIFA World Cup will be on of- for local partners, with projects that ing the iconic Lusail Stadium, the In the statement, an off icial source fer to local small and medium-sized have an added value of QR1.4bn. In proposed opening and fi nal venue at the Department of Consular enterprises (SMEs) at the upcoming line with the Qatar National Vision in 2022, will also participate in the Aff airs, MoFA, said the Sri Lankan ‘Moushtarayat 2017’ slated for April 2030 and the National Development event. off icial authorities confirmed the 6-8 at the Doha Exhibition and Con- Strategy, we want to help transform Qatari contractor Al Balagh Trad- spread of swine flu (H1N1) in Sri vention Centre. Qatar’s economy by off ering tangible ing & Contracting and India’s biggest Lanka, and reported the infection of Hosted by Qatar Development Bank opportunities to local businesses who construction fi rm, Larsen & Toubro a number of people with the disease (QDB) and the Ministry of Finance, can contribute to the signifi cant con- Limited, main contractor for Al Rayy- and the death of some of them. The the three-day event will include par- struction this year and over the com- an Stadium; Salini Impregilo; Galfar; source urged Qatari nationals not to ticipation from the main contractors ing years,” he stressed. Cimolai, the Italian main contractor travel to Sri Lanka except in cases building fi ve of the proposed host ven- Eight of the proposed host venues for Al Bayt Stadium; and J&P Qatar, of extreme necessity until health ues for the fi rst FIFA World Cup in the are currently in different stages of Conspel Qatar, J&P Avax, and J&P conditions improved. Qatar’s Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met Middle East, under the umbrella of the construction, with works advancing (Overseas), the joint venture building yesterday with EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini on the sidelines of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & rapidly across the different sites and Qatar Foundation, will also be at the International Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, being Legacy (SC). the first stadium set for completion conference. held in Brussels. The meeting discussed developments in Syria. Referring to the gas In its website, the SC said main in 2017 at Khalifa International Sta- attack on Idlib province, northwest Syria, the foreign minister stressed that all those contractors working on the con- dium. responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Syria should struction of Al Wakrah Stadium, Al The stadiums, which have been de- be brought to justice. Page 12 Bayt Stadium – Al Khor City, Qatar signed by some of the world’s leading Foundation Stadium, Al Rayyan Sta- architects, as well as renowned Qatari Qatar condemns gas attack in Syria’s Idlib province dium, and Lusail Stadium will attend architects from the Arab Engineer- ‘Moushtarayat 2017’ to fi nd partners ing Bureau, are creating opportunities Qatar condemned yesterday a gas attack causing a further rise in violations and for the ambitious sports infrastruc- for local, regional, and international in Syria’s Idlib province that killed many crimes in Syria. ture project. companies. people, including children. A US intelligence offi cial said yesterday Ghanim al-Kuwari, Competition Companies working on projects for In a statement, the Foreign Ministry called that the gas attack “has the fi ngerprints” of Venues executive director at the SC, the 2022 FIFA World Cup that will for an international investigation and for an assault by the government of Syrian said: “As progress continues across attend ‘Moushtarayat 2017’ include taking immediate measures to protect President Bashar al-Assad. Qatar to deliver the necessary infra- MIDMAC, which is in a joint venture the Syrian people. It also renewed Qatar’s “If the Assad regime was indeed responsible structure for the 2022 FIFA World with PORR Qatar for building Al Wak- demand to bring to justice all offi cials for perpetrating this attack, the reported Cup, we’re very happy to off er local rah Stadium, a 40,000-seater venue responsible for war crimes and crimes casualty fi gures would make it the biggest SMEs the opportunity to take part that will host matches up to the quar- Workers elevate the first steel structure against humanity committed in Syria. incident like this since the Syrian regime’s in these exciting projects, which will ter-fi nal stage. for the upper tier of Al Bayt stadium It stressed that letting the perpetrators go August 2013 sarin attack against the leave a lasting legacy for the sur- Qatari contractor HBK Contract- in Al Khor. PICTURE: Konstantinos unpunished could have severe implications Damascus suburbs,” the offi cial said. Page 11 rounding communities.” ing Co (HBK) and China Railway Zagkas

Gulf Times 4 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 QATAR

Symposium highlights Qatar-South Africa ties In brief The Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic Institute Doha in 2003. He also outlined the important held a symposium on the relations between two-way visits between the two countries Qatar and South Africa, during which South since the beginning of the relations, as Africa’s ambassador to Qatar Shirish Soni three South African presidents visited Qatar, delivered a lecture. namely Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and The South African ambassador touched on Jacob Zuma. As for visits by the Qatari side, the history and future of relations between he said HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad Qatar and South Africa, pointing out that their bin Khalifa al-Thani and HE Dr Khalid bin Emir sends ties dated back to 1994, and culminated in Mohamed al-Attiyah, former foreign minister, the opening of the South African embassy in paid visits to South Africa. National Day greetings

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday sent cables of congratulations to President of Senegal Macky Sall on his country’s National Day. Interfaith dialogue

Some PHCC off icials at an autism awareness event. centre holds forum for students

The Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue held a forum for students from diff erent PHCC holds events to raise nationalities and religions who are studying in the country’s universities. The forum was under the theme of cultural dialogue. The event included awareness about autism a number of cultural and recreational events. Chairman of Doha International Centre for he Primary Health laborative leadership to goals and add great value to suff ering from Autism. Interfaith Dialogue Dr Ibrahim Care Corporation develop and implement a patient care across Qatar,” At Qatar autism event, al-Naimi said that the goal of T(PHCC) is continu- national strategy for high she added. held at Al Shaqab Arena, the event was to encourage the ously supporting develop- standard services targeting In addition, PHCC recently PHCC profes- exchange of ideas and getting ing integrated pathways people with autism spec- works very closely with sionals were at hand shar- to know diff erent cultures, which for people suff ering from trum disorder in Qatar. Hamad Medical Corpora- ing useful information and is at the core of the centre’s Autism Spectrum Disorder This will be done through tion for the early diagno- consultative advice about mission. (ASD). raising awareness, pro- sis and detection of ASD. autism and autism-spe- Since 2012, PHCC has moting the utilisation of Children identifi ed as ‘at cialised services to advise Real estate been fully involved in the screening and early iden- risk’ of developing ASD at the community about re- transactions screening for ASD. PHCC tifi cation services, refer- PHCC Level are referred sources available to indi- has developed two cycles ral to appropriate care and to the Child Development viduals and families living The Ministry of Justice of screenings for ASD to be high quality research for Centre at Rumailah hos- with ASD. announced that the trading done for all babies that vis- achieving optimal health pital. PHCC will hold lectures volume of registered real estates it PHCC Well-Baby Clinic outcomes across the During National Autism on autism awareness at Al between 26th-30th March by the age of 18 months and lifespan,” said Dr Sadriya Awareness Month, PHCC Thumama and Rawdat Al at its real estate registration the 30 months. al-Kohji, head, Child and is hosting a series of activ- Khail health centres led by department was worth QR In Qatar, and world- Adolescent Department, ities to engage the public Dr Madeeha Kamal, a sen- 464,395,322mn. wide, awareness of ASD is PHCC. in taking action to support ior paediatric consultant. The department’s weekly report increasing, and so are the “PHCC will provide people on the spectrum. Through its school health stated that the trading included numbers of children and community based serv- This year, PHCC wishes programme initiative, empty lands; residential units, adults being diagnosed. ices which are individual – to expand awareness to- PHCC will take the oppor- buildings and compounds; “We are honoured to be centred, safe and effi cient wards a full acceptance tunity to educate students buildings and multipurpose a part of this national col- toward achieving national and inclusion of people about autism. empty lands.

Gulf Times 6 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 QATAR

Minister meets Mexican ambassador HE the Minister of Economy QU extends graduate programme deadline and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed al-Thani met atar University (QU) has er with a cumulative GPA of at “Professional Master’s degree higher with a cumulative GPA of the Mexican ambassador announced the exten- least 3.0. and PharmD degree applicants at least 2.0. to Qatar Francisco Javier Qsion of the deadline for “All PhD programmes of- are required to hold a Bachelor’s Al-Kuwari added that appli- Niembro Cibrian yesterday. graduate students’ admission fered in English require stand- degree or higher received with a cants who have earned a Bach- During the meeting, they until April 10. ardised test scores, e.g. GRE, cumulative GPA of at least 2.5,” elor’s or graduate degree from discussed the bilateral The extension provides stu- GMAT. Applicants who have al-Kuwari added. an accredited institution of economy agenda. During dents with more time to enrol completed a professional master Students must register for a higher education or recognised the meeting with Cibrian, HE in one of the 34 graduate pro- with a GPA of 3.0 or higher must minimum of two regular courses by the ministry of higher edu- Sheikh Ahmed was handed grammes off ered by the univer- satisfy additional college/pro- in the fi eld of study in the fi rst cation of the applicant’s home a message from his Mexican sity. gramme specifi c admission re- semester. country and that of the State of counterpart Ildefonso “All graduate applicants to quirements,” al-Kuwari added. They must attain a GPA of 3.0 Qatar are eligible for admission Guajardo Villarreal related QU are required to apply to their For Master’s degree appli- or higher in the fi rst semester. to a graduate degree programme to the bilateral relations intended programme of study cants, al-Kuwari said it is man- If a student fails to attain 3.0 at QU. especially in economic, trade, using the QU online admission datory to hold a Bachelor’s de- or higher in the fi rst semester, For more information on QU and investment fields. The application,” QU Admissions gree or higher with a cumulative he or she will automatically be graduate programmes and the trade volume between Qatar Department director Nouf al- GPA of at least 2.8. dismissed from the graduate admission requirements, online and Mexico was valued at Kuwari said. Students must satisfy addi- programme. application and tuition fees, QR883mn in 2016. PhD degree applicants must tional college/programme spe- Diploma degree applicants visit http://www.qu.edu.qa/ hold a Master’s degree or high- cifi c admission requirements. must hold a Bachelor’s degree or students/admission/graduate

Fatafeat and beIN Instagram celebs to lead Day to ‘light up’ tours for aspiring artists QIFF on atering to the rising popu- In his session, he will focus on photographers,” he added. two, courtesy of the Ritz Carlton. Thursday larity of food art, the Qatar teaching local food and beverage Al-Ansari’s fi rst tour at QIFF took On the concluding day of QIFF, CInternational Food Festival business owners the best food pho- place last Thursday. Qatar Phone Art (@phoneartqatar) (QIFF) is organising free photo tours tography techniques. The celebrity said: “Photography will also lead a photo walk around the atafeat, the popular Ara- and food styling sessions for the fi rst The tour will be featured on his for me is about telling a story in an festival grounds between 2pm and bic food channel in the time. personal Instagram account, @mo- image. I fi rst started photography as 6pm. FMiddle East, will feature a The festival, organised by the Qa- hadalansari and can be followed on a hobby and learned many tricks with The recently formed group of local star-studded line-up of its chefs tar Tourism Authority (QTA) and the hashtags #QIFFPIC. hours of experimenting and persist- artists and photographers will cap- at the Qatar International Food Katara Hospitality, invites aspiring “QIFF is an annual event that ence.” ture QIFF’s fi nal day and post photo Festival (QIFF) 2017 tomorrow. artists to feast their eyes and camera celebrates Qatar’s vibrant food and “Through these sessions at QIFF, stories on their individual Instagram Chefs Mohamed Orfali, Ka- lenses on the colourful and varied culture scene. We are always look- I would like to encourage aspiring account. rim Haidar, Salma Suleiman, food displays found throughout the ing for new ways to create engaging photographers to come out and ex- The festival’s signature Cooking and Wafi k Belaid, will entertain 11-day festival. experiences for festival-goers,” QTA press themselves artistically while Theatre previously featured a special guests and showcase some of the Festival-goers interested in honing festivals and tourism events director sharing tips that can enhance their session with Doha-based Instagram world’s best Arabic cuisines at their food styling and photography Mashal Shahbik said. skills and give them more confi dence celebrity Majdouline al-Deweik, an exclusive Fatafeat and beIN skills can join Mohamed al-Ansari, “The growing popularity of photo in their craft,” he pointed out. who prides herself in taking collec- Day at the Hotel Park. a Qatari food stylist with close to sharing applications renders QIFF He added that followers can use the tive food experiences seriously and Visitors can look forward to 50,000 followers, who will lead a a fertile ground for cultivating local hashtags to enter a QIFF food pho- has garnered more than 20,000 fol- live cooking demonstrations fol- second tour around the QIFF grounds creative talents by working with the tography competition for a chance lowers on her Instagram account @ lowed by special question-and- QIFF has organised a food photography competition. tomorrow between 4pm and 6pm. growing community of smartphone to win an inclusive overnight stay for thesquaretable. answer and meet-and-greet sessions with their favourite Fa- tafeat celebrities. Chef Orfali will open the Fa- tafeat and beIN Day with a live cooking demonstration at 4pm. “We are always looking for opportunities that give our loyal viewers the chance to meet and be inspired by their favourite team of talented Fatafeat chefs, and we look forward to bringing an expanded Fatafeat experi- ence to fans across Doha,” Nancy Hanna, head of brand, Discovery Networks MENA region, said. QIFF, organised by the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), has grown in recent years to become one of the region’s most antici- pated culinary events, receiving German musicians to continue performing at QIFF. a record-breaking 200,000 visi- tors in its previous edition. Running until Saturday, the festival grew even bigger this year with a 20% increase in the number of participants com- Tätärä to perform pared to 2016. “The QIFF Cooking Theatre is a long-standing feature of the festival that brings a slew of in- ternational food celebrities to at the food festival share tips and tricks with their fans in Qatar,” QTA festivals and tourism events director Mashal ätärä, featuring German musi- ‘Curry Wurst’ at the German ‘Wurst- Shahbik said. cians and entertainers, will per- bude’ this weekend,” he added. “We are particularly excited Tform at the Qatar International Tätärä considers itself the most mobile to be partnering with Fatafeat Food Festival (QIFF) 2017 from Thursday band of the world and they will jam at again this year to host some of to Saturday at the Hotel Park. the festival daily in the evenings for three the Arab world’s most popular Brought by the German embassy in days. chefs,” she added. Doha and the Goethe-Institut Gulf Re- Its trademark is handmade and funky Shahbik noted that the out- gion, the performances are part of the brass music. door kitchen off ers a welcoming Qatar Germany 2017 Year of Culture. “The prominent presence of German space for fans to enjoy the pleas- “After the fi rst weekend with German musicians, artists and performers in the ant weather while watching their folk music from the south of Germany, festival’s lively entertainment sched- favourite TV celebrities live. we bring you this weekend a German ule has undoubtedly enhanced festival- In response to the astounding brass band from the North – Tätärä from goers’ experiences,” the Qatar Tourism popularity of the festival, QTA Hamburg, a true sensation of funky brass Authority’s chief tourism development announced that the opening and handmade music,” German ambas- offi cer Hassan al-Ibrahim said. hours have been extended from sador Hans-Udo Muzel said in a state- Meanwhile, German illusionist Werner 2pm to 11pm during weekdays ment. Link will continue enthralling QIFF visi- and from 2pm to 1am during “And of course you can also enjoy the tors with his tricks until Saturday. weekends. QCS taking part as well

he Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) is raising public awareness on Tthe need for a healthy diet and exercises to prevent diseases, espe- cially cancer, at the ongoing Qatar In- ternational Food Festival 2017 (QIFF 2017) at the Hotel Park. QCS Health Education supervisor Dr Hadi Abu Rasheed stressed on the The QCS booth at the food festival. importance of participating in such activities to promote a healthy lifestyle a healthy diet, not smoking, and not the rectum. The lifetime risk of being through exercise and healthy food to drinking alcohol.” he said. diagnosed with cancer of the colon or prevent diseases. “Colorectal cancer is the third most rectum is about 5% for both men and “You can reduce the risk of devel- commonly diagnosed cancer and the women.” oping colorectal cancer by adopt- third leading cause of cancer death in He noted that colorectal cancer can ing a healthy lifestyle: maintaining a both men and women worldwide,” Dr be detected early through a high-sen- healthy weight, being physically ac- Rasheed said. “About 72% of cases sitivity stool test, fl exible sigmoidos- tive at least 30 minutes per day, eating arise in the colon and about 28% in copy and colonoscopy. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 7 QATAR

Good response to Ooredoo ‘Endless Qatar, Sweden discuss Internet Packs’

oredoo has seen a high demand from its cus- Otomers and growing in- terest from Qatar’s businesses new tie-ups in education since the launch of its ‘Endless Internet Packs’, the telecommu- edicine, life sciences and nications provider said. knowledge-sharing in the ar- The company’s ‘Endless In- Meas of innovation and entre- ternet Packs’ have a host of preneurship were among the key focus business-friendly features such areas of a visit to Sweden by a Qatar del- as full bill protection and lower egation led by HE the Minister of Edu- prices. cation and Higher Education Dr Mo- The Ooredoo ‘Endless Inter- hamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi. net Packs’ work by allowing sub- HE Dr al-Hammadi travelled to Swe- scribers to enjoy a high-speed den on April 2 with the delegation for connection as long as their se- meetings on April 3 and yesterday with lected data allowance lasts. Swedish ministers and representa- Once the allowance is con- tives from Swedish universities and sumed it will be followed by research institutes in order to explore unlimited Internet at a reduced and strengthen collaboration between speed at no additional cost until Qatari and Swedish education and re- the users next month’s allow- search institutions, according to a press ance begins and full-speed usage statement from the Swedish embassy in is renewed. Doha. To ensure businesses that Following the visit of Swedish Min- need a high-speed connection ister of Higher Education and Research at all times are catered for, Oore- Helene Hellmark Knutsson to Qatar in doo has also launched daily and February 2016, Sweden has — through weekly ‘speed boosters’, as well the embassy and various bilateral vis- as the option to simply use data its from Sweden — worked towards in- recharge cards to regain a normal creased co-operation in research and high-speed connection. higher education. HE Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi with Helene Hellmark Knutsson ‘Endless Internet Packs’ are A “milestone” in this area is being during the visit. available for businesses too. passed this week with the offi cial visit Customers can choose of HE Dr al-Hammadi, made upon the ucation and Higher Education (MoE); Ali During a visit to the Royal Institute from one of eight ‘Endless invitation of Knutsson. Marafi , director of the International Co- of Technology, a special presentation Internet Packs’ ranging A memorandum of understanding operation Aff airs Department at the min- was given to the Qatar delegation on from 250MB as an add-on for designed to encourage increased co- istry; and other members of Qatar’s MoE. translating academic and research QR20 to the unlimited pack for operation in all educational and scien- A major focus during the trip was on results into entrepreneurial business QR500. tifi c areas is in process, based upon the medicine and life sciences, with an im- ideas. Other denominations principles of equality and mutual re- portant visit being made to Karolinska In- Dr al-Hammadi also got the chance include 6GB, 10GB, 14GB, 20GB, spect for the two countries’ legal envi- stitute (KI) — a leading medical research to visit the Swedish Institute, the gov- 30GB, and 45GB packs to be used ronments, as well as the mutual protec- institution and university hospital. ernment of Sweden’s cultural promo- on top of Shahry Smart sub- tion of intellectual property rights, and While at KI, the minister and his del- tion agency, at an “opportune time for scriptions or as a separate In- expected to be signed in the near future, egation got the opportunity to study all both parties”. ternet SIM for tablet and laptop the statement noted. of its educational programmes, paying Over the last few months, the Swed- use. Accompanying the minister were Dr special attention to KI’s focus on clini- ish Institute, together with the Swedish To activate an ‘Endless Hassan Rashid al-Derham, president of cal research, and gave a presentation on private sector and Lund University, has Internet Pack’ as an add-on Qatar University; Dr Ahmad Hasnah, higher education in Qatar. been developing a tailor-made Master’s HE Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi with Anna Ekström. to a business’s existing president of Hamad Bin Khalifa Univer- Additionally, emphasis was laid on programme for young Qataris, focusing Shahry Smart Pack or as a sity; Dr Egon Toft, dean of Qatar Uni- knowledge-sharing in the areas of in- on innovation and entrepreneurship in The trip also included a visit to Åva with Knutsson and Anna Standalone Data SIM, custom- versity’s College of Medicine; Fawzia novation and entrepreneurship, where the STEM fi elds. Gymnasium, an upper-secondary Ekström, Minister for Upper Second- ers can speak to their Ooredoo al-Khater, assistant undersecretary for Sweden is consistently top-ranked in- The initiative was presented to and school. ary School and Adult Education and account manager or call 800- Educational Aff airs at the Ministry of Ed- ternationally. discussed with Dr al-Hammadi. Dr al-Hammadi also held meetings Training. 8000. Gulf Times 8 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 QATAR

Registration opens for VCUQatar community education programme

irginia Commonwealth tern construction, and Arabic University in Qatar’s calligraphy. V(VCUQatar) Commu- The six-week programme nity Education Programme has will run from April 9 to May 20. opened registration for its late Unless otherwise noted, all the spring community education community classes are open to programme and summer camp. both women and men aged 15 Courses are taught by ac- and above, and are taught in complished local and interna- English at VCUQatar’s build- tional instructors and are open ing. to the general public who are The 2017 summer camp for interested in expanding their children and high school stu- knowledge of art, design and dents includes 16 diff erent art craft. and design courses. The pro- The current set of over 45 grammes vary in length : one courses include photography, week for the smaller children, fi lming and digital fi lm edit- and two weeks for teenagers. ing, sketching, drawing, paint- The “Design Intensive” course ing and printmaking, marbling has been specifi cally developed and ebru, silver jewellery mak- for high school seniors who are ing, hat making, fashion design considering a creative career. and illustration, fashion dress Classes are held in the morn- and abaya making, interior de- ings from Sunday to Thursday sign, event design, graphic and at VCUQatar, starting from July computer design, Islamic pat- 9 to August 3.

QTA and Design Creationz officials, and fashion designers after announcing the upcoming edition of Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition yesterday. 11th Heya to feature more than 250 brands VCUQatar to host six weeks long community education programme. from 15 countries Jupiter will be ‘at By Joey Aguilar Qatar Tourism Author- as part of our strategy to enhance discussions at the event, Qatari ety of Qatari design participa- Staff Reporter ity’s (QTA) festivals and tourism the Business Events sector and fashion designer Fahd al-Obaidly tion,” a spokesperson for Design events director Mashal Shahbik attract more business events will also welcome guests to the Creationz, the company which opposition’ on April 7 told a press conference yester- tourists,” Shahbik noted. daily red carpet events. has been delivering Heya for n eclectic mix of more day that four international del- “We are particularly proud of Acclaimed fashion school Es- three years, said. than 250 brands from 15 egations will take part for the this exhibition as it celebrates mod, rated number fi ve world- “Heya is now well established he planet Jupiter will be cal telescopes as well as with Acountries across the GCC, fi rst time in the bi-annual event, our deep cultural roots and Qa- wide, will host four fashion as a fashion platform. Our re- opposite the sun on Fri- the naked eye, according to Levant, and beyond will take welcoming designers from Ja- tar’s local talents in the context workshops that will give visitors search shows designers exhibit Tday (April 7) at 11:58pm noted astronomer Dr Beshir centre stage at the 11th edition pan, Spain, Portugal, and Ger- of the country’s modern and cut- an opportunity to learn about not only for sales, but also to local time in Doha, Qatar Cal- Marzouk. They can see Jupiter of Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibi- many. ting-edge exhibition facilities,” designing creative modest fash- promote themselves and take endar House has said. from around 6.19pm local time, tion, scheduled from April 28 to She said that Heya 2017, in she added. ionwear. advantage of the many market- In a statement yesterday, when it rises above the eastern May 2 at the Doha Exhibition and a joint project with the Ger- Heya 2017 will display the For the fi rst time, the exhibi- ing opportunities Heya provides the organisation said the horizon before reaching its Convention Centre. man Embassy and the Goethe- collections of Qatari designers tion will open its doors to hus- them with,” she noted. “Thus, phenomenon is important as highest point in the sky around Held under the patronage of Institut Gulf Region (as part of in 93 booths aimed at promoting bands, who can accompany their more and more brands are par- the planet will be at its near- midnight above the southern HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Ha- the Qatar-Germany 2017 Year of and supporting local talent and daughters and wives with chil- ticipating.” est point from Earth during horizon. mad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Culture), will feature some of the entrepreneurship. It will also dren over the age of 13. According to QTA, Heya pro- this phenomenon – known During opposition, Jupiter fi ve-day exhibition will showcase fashion collections of two Ger- feature kimonos from one of Ja- “We continually look at new vides a high-profi le platform and as ‘Jupiter at opposition’. As a will be almost directly oppo- a variety of designs, from couture man designers. pan’s oldest textile manufactur- and innovative ways to build on launch pad for established and result, people can see it with site the Sun in the sky; rising modest fashion collections to “The growth witnessed by ers, Tsukamoto Group; and the the show’s success, presenting up-and-coming local and Kha- their naked eye for a long time around sunset time on April 7 evening gowns and everyday ac- Heya over the past several edi- latest abaya collection ‘Jeywn’ the highest quantity of emerg- liji designers to tap into the vast and astronomers can observe and setting at approximately cessories such as abayas, kaftans, tions refl ects the ongoing eff orts by popular Japanese designer ing and established design talent economic potential present in more details of Jupiter’s sur- sunrise time the next day. jalabiyas, veils, gowns, and other QTA and its partners have under- Eriko. from more than 15 countries. We the growing global modest and face with telescopes as well as The ‘Jupiter at opposition’ fashion pieces. taken to develop this exhibition, Apart from the workshops and are extremely proud of the vari- Islamic fashion market. some of its moons. phenomenon occurs every 13 People living in Qatar and months. The last time it hap- other parts of the region can pened was on March 8, 2016, see and observe ‘Jupiter at op- and the next one takes place on position’ through astronomi- May 9, 2018. Strong winds expected: Met Dept 2017 Renault Dokker recalled The Ministry of Economy the maintenance and repair trong winds are expected a drop in visibility in many plac- blowing dust in some places at A minimum temperature of for this month, the Met depart- and Commerce (MEC), in works and communicate in parts of the country es. The northwesterly winds have times, along with cloudy condi- 21C is likely today in Ruwais ment said the “Indian monsoon collaboration with Saleh Al with customers to ensure Sduring the daytime today, also led to a drop in temperature tions. The wind (northwesterly) and 22C in Doha. The maxi- low starts getting established in Hamad Al Mana Company, that the necessary repairs the Qatar Met department has around the country. speed may go up to 28 knots in mum, on the other hand, will the second half of April and in- has announced the recall of are carried out. The MEC said. For instance, the Met depart- some of these areas before de- range from 25C in Ruwais to fl uences low-level circulation in Renault Dokker 2017 model has urged all customers to The weather offi ce has also ment tweeted late last evening creasing by night. 30C in Doha. our region”. The prevailing winds over a potential defect in the report any violations to its forecast strong winds and high that pleasant weather was pre- Slightly dusty conditions are Yesterday, a minimum tem- during April are mostly north- sliding side door. The MEC said Consumer Protection and seas in off shore areas. vailing in the country and the also likely in off shore areas at perature of 21C was recorded erly, it added. the recall campaign comes Anti-Commercial Fraud The department urged peo- temperature was hovering times, with the sea level rising to in Batna, Karana and Turayna, The department also informed within the framework of its Department through the ple to avoid going into the sea as around the early 20C levels due about 10ft in the early hours of while in Doha (airport area) it that the mean temperature in ongoing eff orts to protect following channels: Hotline: warnings would be in eff ect until to fresh northwesterly winds. the day. The wind (northwest- was 24C. The maximum ranged Doha during April is 33C, while consumers and ensure that car 16001, e-mail: [email protected]. the end of today. Today’s detailed forecast for erly) speed, meanwhile, will be from 24C in Dukhan and Ru- the lowest and highest recorded dealers follow up on vehicle qa, Twitter: @MEC_Qatar, Qatar has been experiencing inshore areas says moderate tem- 18-25 knots, reaching a high of wais to 30C in the Doha airport temperatures for the month are defects and repairs. Instagram: MEC_Qatar, MEC windy and dusty conditions over perature is expected during the 30 knots at fi rst before decreas- area. 10.5C (1967) and 46C (1973), re- The MEC will co-ordinate with mobile app for Android and the past couple of days, leading to day and there could be slight to ing later. Providing climate information spectively. the dealer to follow up on IOS: MEC_Qatar

Abandoned boats removed

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment’s Public Cleaning Department has removed two abandoned motorised boats at Al Wakrah Port, which were obstructing navigation. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 9 QATAR Turkish Airlines introduces Tulip Festival to Mena urkish Airlines, for the third time in a row, invited Ta group of more than 250 participants from across the Mid- dle East and North Africa (Mena) to celebrate the 12th edition of the Istanbul Tulip Festival. The event was organised be- tween March 29 and April 1 to “empower Istanbul’s tour- ism sector”, the airline said in a statement. Rumeli Castle Agencies, media members and social media infl uencers were dle East and North Africa region, ticipant in the programme be as colourful as the opening invited from the Mena region, we at Turkish Airlines will con- organised by Turkish Airlines of tulips.” and were able to participate in a tinue to support Turkish tour- and Adonis, sponsored by the In 2005, the fi rst international commercial workshop at the end ism with chartered and sched- Pullman, Hilton, Conrad and Istanbul Tulip Festival was or- of the promotional tour. uled direct fl ights to cities such Fairmont hotels, said: “Istan- ganised and for the 12th time this Guests who attended the as Istanbul, Trabzon, Antalya, bul is a perfect city in every year, participants at the event had event were from Qatar, Sau- Bodrum, Izmir and Bursa. aspect; it is like a diamond on the chance to view millions of tu- di Arabia, Kuwait, Palestine, “When our guests return to the crown of the world of tour- lips – in over 120 varieties - across Bahrain, Iraq, the UAE, Tuni- Bosphorus Bridge their countries, they will make ism. Lately, global incidents parks, plazas and gardens. “The Is- sia, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon an eff ort to gain every potential have aff ected places such as tanbul Tulip Festival has delivered and Morocco. As part of the A gala dinner was organised Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi. ticipating countries contributing traveller by sharing the beauty Brussels, Paris, London and a successful message at the event event, workshops were held by at the end of the programme, Speaking on the occasion, Eksi to the Turkish tourism sector. In of Istanbul, and its touristic Istanbul, but now, as per my that the tulip is native to Istanbul, 25 hotels from Istanbul, which which hosted all participants said: “We are pleased to have or- order to increase the number of richness.” observation, I can say that the Turkey, and not Netherlands or resulted in over 2,250 meetings. and included the presence of ganised this event with 12 par- passengers coming from the Mid- Sheetal Vijaykumar, a par- future of Istanbul tourism will Europe,” the statement noted. Doha’s Marsa Malaz Woqod opens service station Kempinski wins 10 in Umm Ghuwailina area

atar Fuel (Woqod) has opened a new petrol sta- awards in Dubai Qtion in Umm Ghuwailina east of Doha, making it the second petrol station the company inau- arsa Malaz Kempin- gurated this year after Abu Na- ski, The Pearl-Doha khlah petrol station in February. Mreceived 10 awards at The Umm Ghuwailina service the recent Food and Travel 2017 station brings the total number GCC Awards. of petrol stations owned by The accolades include Best Woqod to 57 stations, including Resort Hotel in the GCC for the mobile stations, the company second year in a row, with Marsa said in a statement. Malaz Kempinski competing with The petrol station is spread three other prestigious hotels. over an 8,500sq m area and has The ceremony was held six lanes with three fi lling points in Dubai recently, bringing a each. The station will off er basic number of major industry pro- services, including petroleum fessionals together to acknowl- products in addition to Sidra edge the GCC’s hospitality convenience store, oil change, industry. “Doha’s premier des- tyre repair service, and sale of tination continues to win inter- LPG cylinders. national praise for its palatial Off icials at the awards ceremony. The station is also equipped luxury, quality of service and with the electronic payment Woqod’s 57th petrol station located in Umm Ghuwailina. culinary artistry,” according to Al Sufra was selected for having the region’s hotels and restaurants. service, WOQODe, for individ- a statement from Marsa Malaz Best Middle Eastern for the sec- The initial call for nominations uals and companies. The service the manipulation of invoices by to open this station in the area of certainly contribute to reducing Kempinski. ond year running. Antica Pesa was was sent out in February last has many benefi ts such as short- drivers. Umm Ghuwailina, which is wit- congestion and providing basic Marsa Malaz Kempinski awarded for Best Casual Chic with- year, with the winners selected ening fi lling time, control cus- Woqod CEO Saad Rashid al- nessing heavy traffi c because of services to the community in the prides itself on “not just being in Qatar and Illusion was selected by a team from Food and Travel, tomer purchases, and prevent Mohannadi said: “We are pleased its distinctive location and it will area around the clock.” a culinary destination, but also as the Best on the Town following along with expert panellists, who an iconic landmark in Qatar”. its fi rst anniversary. also incorporated public opinion Following this, Marsa Malaz Rounding up the awards for by way of over 263,000 votes. HMC to host Kempinski accepted a number Marsa Malaz Kempinski within Wissam Suleiman, general of culinary and recreational Qatar, Spa by Clarins was se- manager, Marsa Malaz Kempin- top orthopaedic awards, with Nozomi being se- lected as the Best Spa. ski, The Pearl-Doha, said: “We surgeons lected as the Best Contempo- “All the awards are signifi - are honoured to be recognised Al Khaliji holds event rary Asian Restaurant, Antica cant achievements, consider- by such a prestigious publica- The Bone and Joint Center Pesa as the Best Italian Res- ing the hotel as a culinary des- tion as Food and Travel Arabia (BJC) at Hamad Medical taurant and Toro Toro as Best tination and that a number of magazine. Our management Corporation (HMC) will Americas, all within the GCC, awards were given within their team and staff have contributed host two top international the statement noted. categories two years in a row,” signifi cantly to the hotel’s ac- to raise awareness orthopaedic surgeons this Within Qatar, Café Murano was the statement added. complishments and we are all month. They are Prof Michel awarded for Best Afternoon Tea as The Food & Travel Awards very appreciative of the support Onimus from France, who well as Best All Day Casual, while highlight the excellence of the from our valued guests.” specialises in scoliosis and spine surgery, and Dr Duncan about autism Whitwell, a knee surgeon from the UK. Dr Whitwell, visiting Doha Garden upgrade l Khalij Commercial from April 13 to 17, will see Bank (Al Khaliji) re- patients at BJC’s outpatient Acently organised a spe- clinics from 8am to 3pm cial event for its staff to raise on April 13 and 16. He will awareness about autism in conduct surgeries during the society, in collaboration with rest of his stay in Doha. Shafallah Centre and Qatar Prof Onimus, in Doha from Autism Families Association. April 19 to 24, will attend With the incurable neuro- to patients at the BJC’s developmental disorder aff ect- outpatient clinic on April 19, ing one out of every 45 chil- 20 and 24. He will conduct dren, the event introduced the surgeries on April 21 and 22. bank’s employees to autism, The expert professor will also its early signs, prevalence, and do patient rounds and hold how they can help raise general educational activities at the know-how about the social- BJC on April 24. ly-impairing condition in the The surgeons’ visit is in community. line with HMC’s drive to During an afternoon spent exchange expertise and share at the bank headquarters in innovative medical treatment the Al Jazi Tower with Shafal- techniques with international lah’s representatives, who have A speaker enlightening the gathering about autism at the event. experts in various medical fi rsthand experience in sup- specialities. porting those with the disorder, individual, when autism is Qatar National Vision 2030 Patients who wish to see the Al Khaliji staff learned more diagnosed at an early stage. and revolves around balanc- visiting consultants can book about this important health The initiative was held in ing economic, social and envi- appointments at the Bone Al Daayan gardens’ section has beautified the entrance of Qatar University by placing four issue, as well as how modifi - the framework of Al Khaliji’s ronmental obligations towards and Joint Center during work basins of flowers and covered a space of 1,500sq m with green grass, in addition to upgrading cations and remedial support corporate social responsibil- the realisation of the commu- hours from 7am to 3pm. More the irrigation network. can be provided to improve the ity programme, which has been nity’s aspirations and general information could be had quality of life of the aff ected designed in alignment with welfare. from 40411141 or 40411155. Gulf Times 10 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 QATAR Qatar’s largest gym opens at The Pearl more than 150 group classes, including yoga, pilates and tai- chi inspired ones. “It is not only about the facilities, but also the education for people to stay and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. This is not just a three month weight loss programme, instead it will become a life changer where fi t- ness will become a part of their life,” Jones pointed out. Fitness enthusiasts who have been using the facility already have given Gymmito a fi ve-star rating for of its high-end equip- ment, welcoming staff , variety of classes and excellent fi tness in- structors. With personal trainers, the workout routines can also be customised to individual needs, which make it even more attrac- tive. In addition, Gymmito off ers a host of membership options for individuals, couples and ladies Hussain Alfardan leads Gymmito’s ribbon-cutting ceremony as Fahad Hussain Alfardan, Fardan Fahad Hussain Alfardan and other dignitaries that can help every fi tness goal look on (supplied picture). and pocket. Gymmito off ers an array of fitness activities and classes.

By Joey Agular to 6pm for an exclusive visit and ing towards a fi tter and healthier people. You can run on a tread- Staff Reporter tour to help familiarise people future. “The steady growth in mill anywhere in the world, that with the state-of-the-art facil- the wellness market has driven does not make it special, what ity. “Our family has always been fi tness centres to vie for the top makes it special is the experience atar’s wellness scale got known for bringing innovations position by off ering the most you share with others,” Jones a new boost with the in- to the country. The leadership talented trainers from across the stressed. Qauguration of Alfardan’s of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim globe alongside state-of-the- According to Jones, Alfardan 2,000 sq m Gymmito Fitness bin Hamad al-Thani has further art exercise machines to ensure has been in the news for the last Club, considered as the largest helped conglomerates like us to a complete body workout,” it 60 years as one of the leading and most technologically ad- provide the best environment for added. family companies, bringing ex- vanced fi tness club in the coun- our residents to thrive in,” Gym- Speaking to Gulf Times, Gym- clusive products and services to try. mito owner Fardan Fahad Hus- mito general manager Dave the country. He said Gymmito Alfardan Group chairman sain Alfardan said. Jones noted that they have more is ready to establish strong ex- Hussain Alfardan attended the The Alfardan Group has always than 200 members prior to their amples and fi tness standards by VIP event, which featured a rib- been synonymous with luxury opening on Saturday. building awareness about the bon-cutting ceremony at The and unique lifestyle products “Gymmito is an Alfardan importance of physical exercise Pearl-Qatar’s Qanat Quartier. It and services, and the new fi tness Group venture aimed towards in today’s fast moving life. was followed by gym tours and facility has added yet another fi tness and health. It is accessi- The gym features an array of mini group fi tness classes for feather to its cap. ble, aff ordable and a great place fi tness machines such as the guests. The new fi tness facility In a statement, Gymmito not- for community members to get Milon Circuit, cardiovascular will be open to the public (grand ed that it entered the country at a to know each other,” he said. equipment, and free-weights for opening) on April 8 from 10am time when the citizens are mov- “What makes it special? It is the resistance training. It also holds A diverse team of fitness trainers entertains guests. PICTURES: Jayan Orma Trip down memory lane at Msheireb exhibition

n exhibition that inter- Rooted in history, these recon- prets the vibrancy of Qa- structed buildings and gallery Atar’s historic Msheireb spaces allow the community to district as a centre of commerce engage with the signifi cant as- opened yesterday at Msheireb pects of Qatar’s past and memo- Museums in Msheireb Down- ries of life before the country’s town Doha. rapid economic development. Entitled ‘Back to Msheireb: Hafi z Ali, director of Msheireb Shared Streets — Shared Sto- Museums said: “We are delighted ries’, the exhibition is organised to include such a carefully curat- by students of UCL Qatar, as part ed exhibition which documents of their yearly UCL Qurates ini- the city’s history and progres- tiative of the Masters in Museum sion, and allows us to preserve and Gallery Practice programme. and share these stories with the The exhibition will remain open community.” until July 27 at Mohammed Bin In a joint statement from Jassim House in Msheireb Mu- Msherieb Properties and UCL seums. Qatar, it was recalled that “the “This student-led project is a increase in economic wealth and crucial, assessed component of employment opportunities in the master’s programme, which Qatar led to a growth in foreign Officials, experts and guests at the opening of the exhibition yesterday. PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil seeks to bridge the gap between populations from countries such museum theory and practice,” as India, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, culture” spread throughout the neighbourhood through an in- other Museum Studies faculty, livered an exhibition of profes- exhibitions. Visitors are encour- said Dr Sam Evans, director of Syria, and the Philippines from country – and allowed the meet- stallation of pop-up stores in- Dr Catharina Hendrick, I have sional standards.” Since the in- aged to share their photos of the UCL Qatar. the 1970s. ing of diverse cultures, tastes, spired by the eclectic and often had the pleasure of seeing a par- ception of UCL Qatar in 2012, the exhibition on social media using Located within the Herit- “Msheireb became the popu- languages, and traditions.” quirky character of this part of ticularly skilful group of stu- students of Masters in Museum #UCLQurates #BacktoMsheireb. age Quarter, a historic area of lar destination for shopping and ‘Back to Msheireb’ presents Doha. dents blossoming throughout and Gallery Practice programme Museum hours and more infor- Msheireb Downtown Doha, Mo- a hub for small local community a selection of found objects and Dr Serena Iervolino, pro- the project. Working in a mature have collaborated with Qatari mation could be had from www. hammed Bin Jassim House is one between the 1980s and 2000s oral histories of personal memo- gramme co-ordinator at UCL and collaborative manner, the cultural institutions to create uclqurates.squarespace.com and of four restored heritage houses. – long before the wider “mall ries of this former commercial Qatar said: “Together with the students have developed and de- and develop temporary creative @UCLQurates on Facebook. Babyshop hosts drawing contest

abyshop, a leading one-stop ess was managed through the Shukran sions — one of the biggest events we destination for children’s prod- Facebook page with the link http://bit. have organised in Qatar so far. This Bucts in the region, has held the ly/bsexpressions “The event, too, was competition provided an excellent second season of Expressions, a draw- well managed by the team at Land- platform for kids to explore and pursue ing competition for children aged be- mark Group. Kids and parents came in their creativity and I would specially tween fi ve and 14 years. together and had a great day out,” the like to thank all the parents who made Presented by Babyshop Qatar, the statement noted. the eff orts and encouraged their kids event saw the participants being divid- An entertainment area was set up to participate in this. This year, the re- ed into three age categories and covered with surprises and gifts, and children sponse has been overwhelming.” a range of themes, from ‘My family’ and also enjoyed healthy snacks and re- The event will be concluded with the ‘Save water’ to ‘Global warming’. ceived free shopping vouchers as part announcement of results on April 7 at It was conducted over three sessions of the event. Al Asmakh Mall, Al Sadd. In each cat- and received more than 4,000 entries, Santosh Pai, COO of Landmark egory, the fi rst three place winners will according to a press statement from Group, Qatar, said: “We are truly de- be awarded while all other participants the organisers. The registration proc- lighted with the response to Expres- will receive a participation certifi cate. The competition in progress. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 11 REGION/ARAB WORLD

An unconscious Syrian child receives treatment at a hospital in Khan Sheikhun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Syrian Idlib A Syrian mourns as members of the civil defence volunteers, also known as the White Helmets, and people search for province, following a suspected toxic gas attack yesterday. survivors from the rubble following reported air strikes on the rebel-held town of Saqba, in Eastern Ghouta. Outrage as Syria ‘chemical attack’ kills dozens in rebel-held town UN Security Council to hold Sheikhun came early yesterday circled overhead, striking fi rst tion.That agreement came after have failed to produce a politi- an emergency meeting today morning, when a warplane car- near the facility and then hitting hundreds of people — up to 1,429 cal breakthrough. Yesterday’s ried out strikes that released it twice, infl icting severe damage according to a US intelligence attack cast new doubt on the AFP “toxic gas”. and prompting nearly a dozen report — were killed in chemical peace process, said the opposi- Khan Sheikhun As well as those killed, at least medical staff to ee.fl weapons strikes allegedly car- tion’s chief negotiator Mohamad 160 people were injured, it said, Speaking to AFP, medic ried out by government troops Sabra. and many were dying even after Hazem Shehwan said victims east and southwest of Damascus. “If the United Nations can- suspected chemical at- arriving at medical facilities. were suff ering from symptoms But there have been repeated not deter the regime from car- tack in rebel-held north- The monitor could not con- including “pinpoint pupils, con- allegations of chemical weapons rying out such crimes, how can Awestern Syria killed fi rm the nature of the gas, but vulsions, foaming at the mouth use since, with a UN-led investi- it achieve a process that leads dozens of civilians including said the attack was likely carried and rapid pulses”. gation pointing the fi nger at the to political transition in Syria?” children and left many more sick out by government warplanes. Khan Sheikhun is in Idlib regime for at least three chlorine he said and gasping yesterday, causing “We heard strikes this morn- province, which is largely con- attacks in 2014 and 2015. A senior Syrian security widespread outrage. ing...We ran inside the houses trolled by an alliance of rebels The army again denied using source said that opposition The attack on the town of and saw whole families just dead including former Al Qaeda affi li- chemical weapons yesterday, in- forces were trying to “achieve Khan Sheikhun killed at least 58 in their beds. Children, women, ate Fateh al-Sham Front. sisting “it has never used them, in the media what they could civilians and saw dozens suf- old people dead in the streets,” The province is regularly tar- any time, anywhere, and will not not achieve on the ground” by fering respiratory problems and resident Abu Mustafa said. geted in government and Rus- do so in the future”. The global spreading images from the al- symptoms including vomit- A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what Russia’s military, which has sian air strikes, and has also been chemical arms watchdog said it leged attack site. ing, fainting and foaming at the rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of been fi ghting in support of As- hit by the US-led coalition fi ght- was “seriously concerned” by The UN Security Council is mouth, the Syrian Observatory Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib. sad’s government since Septem- ing the Islamic State group, usu- reports of the attack. to hold an emergency meet- for Human Rights monitoring ber 2015, denied carrying out any ally targeting militants. The Organisation for the Pro- ing today to discuss the attack group said. tors. If confi rmed, it would be been briefed extensively on the strikes near the town. Syria’s leading opposition hibition of Chemical Weapons following calls from France and Syria’s opposition blamed one of the worst chemical at- incident, adding that the US was Hours after the initial attack, group, the National Coalition, (OPCW) said it was “gathering Britain. President Bashar al-Assad’s tacks since the start of Syria’s “confi dent in its assessment” air strikes also hit a hospital in blamed Assad for the attack and and analysing information from “I’ve seen the reports about forces, saying the attack cast civil war six years ago. that Damascus was to blame. the town where doctors were demanded the UN “open an im- all available sources”. the use of sarin and as far as I doubt on the future of peace The incident brought swift in- Spicer also suggested it was in treating victims, the AFP cor- mediate investigation” and hold The UN’s Commission of In- know they have not been con- talks. ternational condemnation, with the “best interest” of Syrians for respondent said, bringing down those responsible to account. quiry for Syria said it had begun firmed,” the British ambassa- The army denied any involve- the United States, France and Assad not to lead the country. rubble on top of medics as they “Failure to do so will be un- investigating the “alleged use of dor to the UN Matthew Rycroft ment however, issuing a state- Britain all pointing the fi nger at UN envoy Staff an de Mistura worked. derstood as a message of bless- chemical weapons”. said. ment blaming “terrorist groups” Assad. said the attack was believed to be He saw a young girl, a woman ing to the regime for its actions,” More than 320,000 people “This is clearly a war for using “chemical and toxic The White House condemned chemical and launched from the and two elderly people dead at a it said. have been killed in Syria since crime,” Rycroft told reporters. substances”. At least 11 children what it said was a “reprehensi- air, adding that there should be a hospital. Damascus offi cially joined the the confl ict began in March 2011 “I call on the Security Council were among the dead, the Ob- ble” attack carried out by As- “clear identifi cation of respon- A father carried his dead little Chemical Weapons Conven- with anti-government protests. members who have previously servatory said, and an AFP cor- sad’s forces. sibilities and accountability”. girl, her lips blueish and her dark tion and turned over its declared Successive rounds of peace used their vetoes to defend respondent in Khan Sheikhun Spokesman Sean Spicer said The Observatory said the at- curls visible, wrapped in a sheet. chemical arsenal in 2013, as part talks, including a UN-sponsored the indefensible to change saw many attached to respira- President Donald Trump had tack on a residential part of Khan As doctors worked, a warplane of a deal to avert US military ac- meeting in Geneva last week, their course.” Page 12

OPINION Cleric says bad driving a sin Yemen forces prepare May seeks deals in Saudi Some 700 people were killed over the Persian new year on roads in to move on main port Iran, which are among the deadli- AFP est in the world despite religious Riyadh leaders declaring bad driving a sin. Reuters the city.Government forces The two-week break for Nowruz Dubai will have to cross large ar- that ended at the weekend actu- eas of Houthi-held territory ritish Prime Minister Theresa May held ally saw a 12-percent improvement from both sides as the move- talks with Saudi offi cials yesterday, on last year’s death toll, police emeni government ment still controls the most Bhoping to tap the kingdom’s “immense chief Taghi Mehri said yesterday. forces and their allies populated areas in Western potential” as she looks to secure post-Brexit But the horrific loss of life — with Yare massing north and Yemen, including the capital investment and trade. more than half a million killed over south of the Houthi-held Sanaa, and the regions sur- The visit also comes less than a week after the past two decades — has led Red Sea port of Hodeidah rounding the port city. Britain offi cially started a two-year count- religious leaders to step in. despite United Nations and Mohsen Khasrof, a senior down for quitting the European Union. “Violating traff ic laws is a sin, and aid groups warnings that military offi cial in President May has said that economic issues were a following these rules is a religious a military operation there Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s priority on her trip, but maintains she will duty,” said Grand Ayatollah would put millions of civil- Aden-based government, not shy away from addressing “hard issues” Makarem Shirazi last week. ians at risk. said it was only a matter of on foreign visits. He was repeating a declaration he Hodeidah port and prov- time for an attack on Hodei- The British premier yesterday met Crown made in 2014, when he said: “Driv- ince is controlled by the dah to start after the United Prince Mohamed bin Nayef, the country’s in- ing while tired and sleepy, illegally Houthis and has been the Nations rejected coalition terior minister and fi rst in line to the throne, passing other cars and running entry point for 70% of Yem- demands that it take steps and discussed “joint co-operation in com- red lights are haram (forbidden).” en’s food supplies as well as to ensure that no weapons bating extremism and fi ghting terrorism”, humanitarian aid. reach the Houthis through it. state news agency SPA said. The country has been torn “The political decision of She is scheduled to meet King Salman to- HEALTH by more than two years of liberating Hodeidah has been day. Mers in fresh civil war that pits the armed taken and military prepara- May began her three-day Middle East tour Houthi group against the tions have been completed, on Monday in Amman, where she touted hospital outbreak government of President only the timing remains to be co-operation in the fi ght against the Islamic Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohamed bin Nayef welcomes British Prime Minister Theresa May in Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, decided,” he told Reuters by State group. Riyadh yesterday. Ten people have caught the Mers which is backed by an alli- telephone. Jordan and Britain are part of the US- coronavirus after an outbreak in ance. The Houthis have also been led coalition that has been carrying out air services to the country in 2015. Riyadh is leader, will see what women can achieve a haemodialysis unit in a hospital More than 10,000 peo- preparing their defences. strikes and supporting local forces against also looking at boosting its foreign invest- and how women can be in significant posi- in Saudi Arabia, the World Health ple have been killed in the “Tens of thousands of IS in Syria and Iraq since mid-2014. ments as part of a long-term plan known tions,” May told the BBC ahead of her trip. Organisation said yesterday, without confl ict and hunger is wide- our fi ghters from the tribes May has said she would be looking to as “Vision 2030”, which aims to diversify May yesterday met Sarah al-Suhaimi, giving details of how the virus was spread. have answered the call of use the “immense potential for Saudi in- the economy and reduce dependence on oil head of the Saudi stock exchange Tadawul. able to spread within the hospital. Local offi cials said that (the Houthi leader) Abdel- vestment to provide a boost to the British revenues. Suhaimi, also CEO of NCB Capital, is the The potentially fatal Middle East Hadi’s government, building Malek al-Houthi,” deputy economy” during her trip to the region. Saudi Arabia has bought more than $5bn first woman to head a Saudi investment Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) is on recent gains that included spokesman of forces fi ghting Britain is looking to strike new trade (4.7bn euros) worth of arms from the US bank. thought to be carried by camels capturing the coff ee export alongside the Houthis, Aziz deals as it prepares to leave the EU, with a and Britain, according to the Stockholm Today, May is slated to meet Princess and comes from the same family as hub of Al-Mokha in Febru- Rached, told Yemeni news major focus on longtime partners such as International Peace Research Institute Reema bint Bandar, head of the women’s the coronavirus that caused China’s ary, has amassed two recent- agency Khabar on Tuesday. the energy-rich Gulf states. think tank. section at the General Authority for Sports. deadly Severe Acute Respiratory ly-trained brigades — one in Food deliveries have been Qatar, a longtime investor in Britain, an- May eschewed the local custom of wom- Saudi Arabia recently announced it Syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003. Midi about 230km north of cut by more than half with nounced plans last month to invest £5bn en wearing headscarves in public upon ar- planned to increase women’s participation Since Mers emerged in September Hodeidah near the border nearly 3.3mn people — in- ($6.23bn) within five years. riving in Riyadh. in the workforce from 22 to 28% by 2020. 2012, 1,935 cases have been con- with Saudi Arabia, and an- cluding 2.1mn children — Saudi Arabia is Britain’s largest trading She has said she hopes to be an example Local media outlets have also reported firmed and there have been at least other outside Al-Khoukha acutely malnourished, the partner in the Middle East, with exports of the role women could play in any society. that the kingdom will open women-only 690 related deaths, WHO said. region, some 130km south of United Nations says. of more than £6.5bn in British goods and “I hope that people see me as a woman gyms. Gulf Times 12 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 ARAB WORLD

Israel govt’s demolition policy slammed

Reuters Jerusalem

he European Union has expressed frustration with TIsrael over its demolition of Palestinian homes in the occu- pied West Bank, with the EU am- bassador taking the unusual step of reading out a joint statement denouncing the practice. At a meeting last week with the Israeli foreign ministry’s newly appointed director-gen- eral, the ambassador delivered a stern diplomatic message, say- ing Israel was failing in its in- ternational legal obligations and An Iraqi Federal Police member fires towards Islamic State militants during a battle in Mosul yesterday. Iraqis walk past a damaged building as they leave Mosul’s Old City. needed to change policy. The issue came to a head after Israel issued demolition orders last month against 42 homes in the Bedouin village of Khan al- Ahmar, east of Jerusalem, where EU member states Belgium and Italy have funded a school and helped build structures for the UN expands civilian camps local population of around 150. “The practice of enforcement measures such as forced trans- fers, evictions, demolitions and confi scations of homes and hu- manitarian assets (including EU-funded) and the obstruction as strikes resume on Mosul of delivery of humanitarian as- sistance are contrary to Israel’s Reuters phase to take the western side, when they aired comments from and there is no food, no water, obligations under international Mosul/Erbil with air and ground support Kushner meets Iraq Kurd leaders Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer, who no electricity,” said Hamda Ba- law,” ambassador Lars Faaborg- from a US-led coalition. took over the role of spokesman kheet, a woman in her mid-60s Andersen said, with envoys from They are now battling to take President Donald Trump’s son- also plays a key role in advising after the death last year of the from the Nablus district, adding all EU member states present. he United Nations said the northwestern part, but the in-law and the US’ top military her father — accompanied group’s notorious media head, that the militants were fi ring on “We therefore call on Israel, as yesterday it was expand- civilian death toll has mounted off icer met with Kurdish leaders General Joseph Dunford, the Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, in an people who leave the city. the occupying power, to meet its Ting camps for people in the old city, where the mili- in Arbil yesterday, the second chairman of the Joint Chiefs of air strike. Bakheet said one of her sons obligations vis-a-vis the Pales- fl eeing Mosul, as air strikes re- tants are dug in amongst resi- day of their visit to Iraq. Staff , on a visit to Baghdad be- “O soldiers of the caliphate, was killed when the militants tinian population...completely sumed on Islamic State posi- dents. His inclusion in the US delega- fore heading to Arbil, the capital beware not to withdraw from fi rst overran Mosul and the oth- stop these demolitions and con- tions in Iraq’s second largest More people are expected to tion is a sign of the influence of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish any inch before turning it into er was accused of being a “ren- fi scations and allow full access of city. fl ee the fi ghting and camps for wielded by Jared Kushner, region. hell,” he said in an audio record- egade” and jailed a year ago. humanitarian assistance.” More than 300,000 people the displaced north and east of a 36-year-old with no prior Kushner and Dunford met with ing on Telegram, echoing a sim- “I hope the army will free him Faaborg-Andersen’s interven- have fl ed Mosul since the start Mosul are expanding, the UN government experience who off icials including Kurdish leader ilar call made by Islamic State soon.” tion was fi rst reported by Israel’s of the US-backed campaign in statement said. has become one of the most Massud Barzani and the re- leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi The improved weather should Haaretz newspaper. October, the offi ce of the UN Air strikes on the city by the powerful men in Washington by gion’s prime minister Nechirvan when the campaign on Mosul also allow ground forces to The Israeli foreign ministry Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Iraqi air force resumed yes- virtue of his family connection Barzani in Arbil, but journalists started. resume their advance toward the summoned Faaborg-Andersen’s Iraq said in a statement. terday as the sky cleared after to Trump. were ushered out before the “Ambush them in the houses, Grand al-Nuri Mosque, where deputy on Monday, a ministry Before the operation to drive several days of bad weather, the Kushner — whose wife Ivanka talks got underway. the alleyways and the streets, Baghdadi, declared a “caliphate” spokesman said. Mark Gallagher Islamic State from the city be- Iraqi military said. mine the arcades and carry out nearly three years ago over parts was told that illegal construc- gan, Mosul had a population of The Iraqi air force carried raid after raid,” he said. of Iraq and Syria. tion was dealt with according to about a million and half, split out at least three air strikes in air strike on a position in Hay ment added, without identify- A Reuters TV crew saw doz- Heavy fi ghting with machine the law and that Israel was “per- about evenly between the areas western Mosul, killing several al-Tanak, a stronghold of the ing them by name. ens of people fl eeing their guns, rocket propelled grenade plexed by the EU’s obsessive in- east and west of the Tigris river dozens of Islamic State fi ght- group, they said. The two other strikes killed homes near or across the front- launchers and mortars was heard volvement in the matter”. that runs through the middle. ers, according to Iraqi military Among those killed were militants and destroyed weap- line, braving sniper and mortar by the Reuters TV crew coming The clampdown against Khan Iraqi forces captured the statements yesterday. commanders in charge of booby ons and vehicles. fi re, while a helicopter strafed from the area around the mosque, al-Ahmar, located in a sensi- eastern side in January and in A number of Islamic State traps, of suicide fi ghters and Islamic State’s media out- positions further north. located in the old city and famous tive area of the West Bank that February launched a second commanders were killed in an child recruitment, the state- lets did not mention the strikes “Shells were falling on us for its leaning minaret. Israel has earmarked for settle- ment expansion, is the latest in a series of demolitions that have been roundly condemned by the EU and the United Nations. Israel says the demolitions are necessary because the building Spanish police raid was carried out without a per- mit in an area of the West Bank, known as Area C, where Israel retains full control. Assad family’s assets

IS says US ‘being AFP “Judge Jose de la Mata is the case and Spain opened an run by an idiot’ Madrid co-ordinating the judicial op- investigation on the back of the eration against Rifaat al-Assad, one in France, where authori- Islamic State said yesterday the uncle of the current president ties suspect Rifaat al-Assad of US was drowning and “being run olice in southern Spain of Syria, for money laundering misuse of Syrian public funds by an idiot”. In the first off icial yesterday staged raids in Puerto Banus and Marbella,” and money laundering. remarks by the group referring Ptargeting assets of the the source said. In a statement, Rifaat al-As- to President Donald Trump since family of Syrian leader Bashar In 1984, Rifaat al-Assad was sad, now aged 79, and his fami- A member of the Spanish Guardia civil carries a cardboard box during a raid targeting assets of the family he assumed off ice, spokesman al-Assad, a judicial source said. forced into exile for trying to ly retorted that they had “never of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in the Puerto Banus marina area of the plush resort of Marbella yesterday. Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer said: The raids, in the Puerto Ba- overthrow his older brother, benefi ted from fi nancing that “You (the US) are bankrupt and nus marina area of the plush the late Syrian dictator Hafez in any way wronged the Syrian the Syrian conflict,” it read. bella is worth an estimated 60mn property assets in France, in- the signs of your demise are resort of Marbella, are the re- al-Assad. state and its people.” Madrid authorities say the euros. cluding an office block in the evident to every eye....There is sult of a corruption investiga- He had received $300mn of “They question the timing Spanish probe established that The investigating magistrate east-central city of Lyon, in- no more evidence than (that) tion launched in France against state cash which he used to buy of these co-ordinated judi- Rifaat al-Assad and his family has frozen 16 people’s bank ac- vestigators say. you being run by an idiot who Assad’s uncle, Rifaat al-Assad. real estate in France, Liechten- cial actions, 33 years later, at had 503 properties in their port- counts and a further 76 accounts He has previously said that does not know what Syria or The assets of Rifaat al-Assad stein, Luxembourg and Cura- a time when their country is folio, ranging from holiday villas in connection with the case, the much of his wealth stems from Iraq is,” he said in a recording and his family in Spain are valued cao, according to Spanish jus- suffering more than ever and to plush hotel apartments — al- judicial source said. gifts bestowed by a Middle East released yesterday on messag- at 691mn euros ($736mn), the tice. where Rifaat al-Assad’s voice most all in and around Marbella. First charged in France last royal family, which he says gave ing network Telegram. source said, adding that “all these French and Spanish authori- should be heard to contribute One residence, “La Maquina” June, Rifaat al-Assad holds him political backing in the properties have been seized.” ties have been co-operating on to find a peaceful solution to at Benahavis just outside Mar- some 90mn euros worth of 1980s.

Conference overshadowed by chemical attack

Reuters of war crimes,” she said. The Brus- following conferences in Berlin, Lon- Brussels sels conference comes as Syria’s civil don and Helsinki to raise funds. war enters its seventh year, raging on The European Union has already in large part due to the inability of re- pledged 1.2bn euros ($1.28bn) for 2017. he European Union’s aid chief gional and global powers to agree on Other governments will come un- called for more humanitarian how to end it. der pressure to make good on promises Taccess in Syria yesterday at an “Humanitarian access is at a new made in February 2016 at the London international conference meant to sup- low due to continued deliberate ob- conference, which raised port the country’s ailing peace pros- struction by all parties to the confl ict,” $11bn over four years. pects, but one that quickly got over- Stylianides told the two-day confer- Speaking on the sidelines of the con- shadowed by a chemical attack inside ence. ference, Nancy Wilson, the head of Re- Syria. “You remember east Aleppo, where lief International, said problems get- As Christos Stylianides spoke at the no aid could enter for months despite ting access and providing supplies were gathering in Brussels, a suspected gas our collective calls,” he said, referring chief obstacles on the ground. attack hit the rebel-held Idlib prov- to the government siege of rebel-held “You can’t run a health clinic if you ince, killing at least 58 people, includ- areas last year.”More Aleppos are eve- don’t have clean water and medical ing children. rywhere in Syria.” supplies,” she said. “Some kind of po- The United Nations’ Syria envoy The United Nations has appealed litical solution that would cease the said the ‘horrifi c’ attack came from the for $8bn this year to deal with one of fi ghting would be the biggest chal- air and that the UN Security Council the world’s worst humanitarian crises, lenge.” would meet to demand accountability. with millions of people displaced in- The EU called the conference to The EU’s top diplomat Federica side Syria and in neighbouring coun- show support for the peace process by Mogherini said Syrian President Bashar tries. Qatar and Kuwait joined the EU, bringing together prime ministers, for- al-Assad held “primary responsibility”. Norway and the United Nations to or- eign ministers and ambassadors from “Chemical weapons are the worst ganise the latest international eff ort some 70 countries. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 13 AFRICA Boko video denies starvation claims

Reuters Nigeria’s army said in December Kaduna that it had pushed Boko Haram out of the Sambisa forest, a vast former colonial game reserve that was the he faction of the Islamist mili- group’s stronghold, in an operation to tant group Boko Haram led by reclaim territory lost to the Islamist TAbubakar Shekau yesterday insurgency since 2009. released a video denying that fi ghters Boko Haram split last year, with are dying of hunger in its northeast one faction led by Shekau operating Nigerian forest base. from the forest and the other, allied Nigeria’s military last week said it to Islamic State and led by Abu Musab was “ransacking” territory it said it al-Barnawi, based in the Lake Chad had recaptured from Boko Haram in region. the hunt for Shekau, who leads one of “We urge all members to be 100% two main branches of the extremist loyal to him,” said the man in the vid- group. It also said he might be hiding eo. in the Sambisa forest. “It is not true that you killed Shek- Large parts of northeast Nigeria, au,” he said, referring to previous particularly in Borno state, remain claims by the Nigerian military that under threat from Boko Haram as sui- he had been fatally wounded. cide bombings and gun attacks have Shekau did not appear in the video, increased in the region since the end which was circulated on social media of the rainy season late last year. yesterday. “There is no food that we lack in Boko Haram has killed more than this forest of Sambisa. It is not true 15,000 people and forced more than that we have run out of food supply two million to fl ee their homes during Protesters hold up placards reading ‘Fire Zuma’ during a demonstration of the Save South Africa campaign in Port Elizabeth yesterday. and that we are being killed by hun- its insurgency aimed at creating an ger,” said an unidentifi ed man with a Islamic state governed by a strict in- rifl e, fl anked by others carrying guns, terpretation of Shariah law in Africa’s in the fi ve-minute video. most populous nation. ANC-allied union urges Zuma to quit Former US president George W Bush and his wife Laura pose for photographs Reuters he expected the addition of “many disagreements within the government political pressure from a faction allied with pupils at the Theresanyo Primary school in Gaborone yesterday. Pretoria young ministers” to “add renewed en- “demoralise our people and create to Zuma, threatens to split the upper ergy into Cabinet and the executive”. confusion”. echelons of the ruling ANC. “With regards to the fi nance portfo- South Africa’s Communist Party, The sacking has been publicly criti- outh Africa’s biggest trade un- lio, we reiterate that while the political another long-time ally of the ANC, de- cised by half the party’s “Top Six” offi - ion yesterday called on President leadership has changed, government’s manded on Friday that Zuma step down. cials, including Deputy President Cyril Bush touts Africa Aids SJacob Zuma to quit after his cabi- overall policy orientation remains the Both it and Cosatu said they would Ramaphosa and ANC secretary general net reshuffl e cost the country one of its same,” Zuma said. preserve ties with the party. Gwede Mantashe. investment-grade credit ratings and Gigaba later told a news briefi ng “Cosatu’s now the second core alli- Zuma, who is also part of the group programme in Botswana deepened splits within the ruling Afri- the rating cut, which is set to push up ance partner to call on President Zuma of six leaders, has his vote and support can National Congress (ANC). South Africa’s borrowing costs, would to resign,” said political analyst Daniel from the other two members and some The call from Cosatu came moments force even greater government focus Silke. “It’s a deep dagger.” groups within the ANC, sources said. Reuters “I hope our government when they after Zuma made his fi rst public re- on growing the economy. Gigaba acknowledged that S&P’s The ANC’s National Working Com- Gabrone analyse what works around the world marks about Thursday’s sacking of re- He said he would address issues downgrade to BB+ was a setback but mittee met yesterday after the “Top will understand that PEPFAR has spected fi nance minister Pravin Gord- raised by S&P. joked that he did not take it personally. Six’s” meeting on Monday, aiming saved over 11mn lives,” he said. han, which rating agency Standard & Gordhan’s sacking has outraged op- “Despite our current challenges, to reach a decision on how to handle ormer US president George W “And while progress has been made Poor’s cited as a reason for its down- ponents and some political allies of now is not a time for despondency,” he Zuma over the Gordhan fallout. Bush yesterday touted his sig- we’ve got to continue to stay in this grade of South Africa to “junk”. Zuma, undermining his authority as said, noting that local currency debt, Nomura analyst Peter Attard Mon- Fnature aid project for Africa battle in order to save lives. Every In remarks echoed by new fi nance president and threatening to split the which makes up about 90 % of 2.2tn talto said Zuma would survive the during a visit to Botswana, saying he human life matters. And I hope the minister Malusi Gigaba, Zuma said fi s- ANC, which has governed South Africa rand ($161bn) South Africa owes, is still showdown talks going on for a second hoped Washington would recognise people of America understand that cal policies would not change and that since the end of apartheid in 1994. rated investment-grade. day at the ANC’s headquarters, say- its importance in saving lives threat- through their generosity millions now people should remain calm after the The rand, which fell as much as 1.9% Gigaba reiterated plans to transform ing although political fi gures were de- ened by Aids. live.” rating cut. at the start of trading yesterday, turned the economy to improve the fortunes manding Zuma resign, his support in Launched in 2003 during the fi rst Bush said cervical cancer was now He also urged his cabinet to reach 1% fi rmer over mounting calls for of black people. the party was solid. Bush administration, PEPFAR, the Pres- the leading cause of death among out and reassure international inves- Zuma to step down. More than two decades after the “Ultimately, they are not respected by ident’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, women in Botswana, a sparsely-pop- tors following the dismissal of Gord- After reaching a 20-month high, the ANC ended white-minority rule with the Zuma faction and their call that he is the world’s largest provider of Aids- ulated southern African nation where han, a totem of policymaking stability currency has fallen about 13 % against Nelson Mandela at its helm, inequality resign is therefore largely irrelevant. The fi ghting medicine and has branched one in fi ve adults is infected with HIV, for many, whose departure has rocked the dollar since Monday last week, festers. same goes for the SACP and Cosatu. Fac- out over the years to include provision according to the United Nations. the rand currency and other local as- when Zuma ordered Gordhan to return Black people make up 80% of the tions are already set and it’s unlikely there of services for cervical cancer, which is Bush, a Republican, had historically sets. home “immediately” from an investor 54mn population, yet the lion’s share will be a swing against Zuma,” he said. linked to HIV infections in women. low popularity ratings — about 33% — But the union, allied to Zuma’s ANC, roadshow abroad. of the economy in terms of ownership South Africa’s main opposition party US President Donald Trump has when he left offi ce. said it no longer believed in his ability After thanking the ex-fi nance min- of land and companies remains in the yesterday called for parliament to re- proposed steep cuts in the budget But the Obama ministration main- to lead, and that it wanted to restruc- ister for his service, Zuma said the hands of white people, who account for turn from recess to debate the “crisis” for diplomacy and foreign aid but his tained PEPFAR and the programme ture its alliance with the party. government remained committed to around 8% of the population. triggered by Zuma’s cabinet reshuffl e. administration has so far said it will enjoys bipartisan support — a rarity in “The time has arrived for him (Zuma) measured fi scal consolidation that sta- Rating agency Moody’s has said it is Previous no-confi dence motions “maintain current commitments and Washington’s polarised atmosphere. to step down and allow the country to bilises rising public debt. reviewing the Baa2 credit rating it as- against Zuma have failed as the ANC all current patient levels on HIV/Aids Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, an initia- be led forward by a new collective at a But it also aims to radically trans- signs South Africa, two notches above has a commanding majority, but there treatment” under PEPFAR. tive of the George W Bush Institute, government level. We no longer believe form the economy “to include the junk, a process that could take 30 to 90 is a growing backlash against him from Bush, visiting a clinic with his wife works with PEPFAR on programmes in his leadership abilities,” Cosatu said black majority in the ownership and days. within his own party and its allies af- Laura that provides screening and treat- to reduce mortality rates among in a statement. control”. The dismissal of Gordhan, seen for ter a string of missteps leading up to ment for cervical cancer, said he hoped women from cervical and breast can- Defending the reshuffl e, Zuma said Zuma urged calm, saying public some time by pundits as the target of Gordhan’s sacking. such commitments would remain. cer in developing countries. West Africa seeks to bring order to troubled, lawless waters

By Joe Bavier, Reuters Seized Indian vessel taken to El Hur in Somalia 33m French-built patrol vessels. Assinie, Ivory Coast Ghana, Benin and Togo have Pirates who seized an Indian car- The identity and origin of the expanded their fl eets. go dhow with 11 crew members in hijackers was disputed, however. And Cameroon, Senegal and he outline of a ship slowly waters off the Somali coast have A Galmudug state off icial said Nigeria, which already main- emerged from the haze, taken the vessel to El Hur, near the pirates came from northern tained larger navies, are continu- Tand the crew of the Ivory the port of Hobyo in Somalia’s Somalia’s semi-autonomous state ing to invest. Coast’s naval patroller Le Bou- semi-autonomous Galmudug of Puntland while Kombe, a Punt- “The capacities have cer- clier said it was a Colombian ves- state, a pirate leader told Reuters land pirate leader, put the blame tainly increased over the past sel suspected of smuggling drugs yesterday. on “our friends from Galmudug 10 years but at diff erent speeds. that they had been hunting for Aw Kombe also said the pirates state”. Some countries have started several hours. were in touch with businessmen The Al Kausar was comman- from practically zero,” said Com- As Le Bouclier closed in, seek- in Kismayu over releasing the deered in the vicinity of Socotra mander Dirk Steff an, the German ing to hail the suspect ship over the vessel, Al Kausar. Island while en route from Dubai navy’s liaison offi cer for Oban- radio, elite troops readied compact “The traders want the dhow be to Puntland’s port of Bosasso, game Express. assault rifl es designed especially released without ransom but my according to United Kingdom However, the criminal gangs for close-quarter combat. friends say they may not release Maritime Trade Operations, which are skilled at exploiting weak The hot pursuit was, in real- without at least some cash,” he coordinates shipping in the Gulf links, said Barthelemy Blede, ity, a training run — part of a added. “They are still discussing.” of Aden area. maritime security senior re- US-sponsored exercise meant to searcher at the Institute for Se- mirror the reality of the Gulf of curity Studies. Guinea, some of the world’s most And Nigeria’s navy confi scated ised the training exercise called “So it’s better to have a homo- under-policed waters, where 420bn naira ($1.34bn) worth of Obangame Express. geneous system rather than one maritime criminals smuggle stolen crude oil and illegally re- Like many of its neighbours, country that is secured just next drugs, hijack vessels, illegally fi sh fi ned diesel last year alone. Ivory Coast had virtually no door to another country that and sell stolen oil from Nigeria. But regional eff orts to boost means of patrolling its territorial isn’t,” he said. A decline in Somali piracy left naval capacity, cross-border co- waters until just a few years ago. During a meeting in Cameroon the gulf the world’s centre for at- operation and training may fi - “When I came into the navy, I in 2013, regional governments Members of the Ivory Coast Navy take part in a multinational naval exercise off the coast of Abidjan. tacks at sea. nally be bringing some order to was appointed to a warship,” re- agreed on the terms of interven- More than half of all maritime the chaos. calls Lieutenant Ghislain Guie, tion and how to share responsi- mainly off Nigeria and linked to navies worked together to track it the pirates and freeing 16 of the kidnapping victims in 2016 were “It’s exceedingly important skipper of Le Bouclier, which bilities in the fi ght against mari- resurgent militancy in the Niger over 800 nautical miles through crew members. captured off West Africa, accord- for the citizens of this continent means “shield” in French. time crime. Delta. the waters of Ivory Coast, Ghana, “It’s not only about (military) ing to International Maritime to own the resources that the But the navy’s ships were of- It may be too early to judge the But there is cause for opti- Togo and Benin. assets,” said Lieutenant Guie. Bureau statistics. sea provides,” said Vice Admi- ten derelict or lacked fuel, and he impact of the increased coop- mism. When pirates seized the Nigerian forces fi nally re- “(Countries) want to tackle the West African nations may be ral Michael Franken, deputy for rarely put to sea. eration. After a 2015 lull, piracy MT Maximus, a Panamanian- took the ship in a nighttime raid transnational threats together. losing up to $1.3bn each year to operations at the US military’s Since 2014, though, Ivory surged again last year. And so far fl agged tanker, off the coast of off the islands of Sao Tome and They have the will...and that’s illegal fi shing. Africa Command, which organ- Coast has acquired three new 2017 has seen a spate of attacks, Ivory Coast last year, regional Principe, apprehending some of what’s most important.” Gulf Times 14 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 AMERICAS

MEDIA ENTOMOLOGY GLOBAL TERROR CRIME 1984 back in stand against Cave contains oldest-known Citizens concerned about Teen pleads guilty in plot Canada suspects caught in ‘alternative facts’ bed bug remains China, but views improving to assassinate the Pope live-streamed robbery

Nearly 200 independent movie theatres across The oldest known remains of bed bugs have been found The views of US citizens about China have A New Jersey teen pleaded guilty to attempting Police in Canada’s western plains region the United States yesterday will screen the film in a US cave, but these ancient critters did not feed on become more positive even as US President to provide material support to terrorists in arrested a trio of suspects who live-streamed of George Orwell’s 1984 novel about a dystopian human blood like the modern insects, researchers said Trump has blasted Beijing for unfair economic what media called an ISIS-inspired eff ort to their alleged assault and robbery of a man they future in what organisers say is a stand against US yesterday. Rather, the species found in the Paisley Five practices, according to a poll released ahead kill Pope Francis in 2015 during a public Mass lured online, according to a statement released President Donald Trump’s administration. Mile Point Caves in southern Oregon — Cimex pilosellus, of a meeting between Trump and Chinese in Philadelphia, according to a statement by yesterday. The victim had driven to a home in The 1949 book, which returned to the US best- Cimex latipennis, and Cimex antennatus — are all President Xi. Some 47% of US citizens have federal prosecutors. Santos Colon, 17, admitted Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he believed he was seller list in January, features a Big Brother parasites of bats, said the study in the Entomological unfavourable views of China, down from 55% a on Monday in a federal court in Camden, New to meet a woman for a date on April 1. Instead, government that spies on its citizens and forces Society of America’s Journal of Medical Entomology. year ago, a Pew Research Center poll released Jersey, that he attempted to conspire with a police say he was confronted by a man and two them into “doublethink”, or simultaneously They range in age from 5,100 to 11,000 years old. yesterday shows. Many people remain worried sniper to shoot the Pope during his visit in women who beat and stabbed him, and stole accepting contradictory versions of the truth. Previously, the oldest known bed bugs — or cimicids — about the economic threat from China — but are Philadelphia and set off explosive devices in his wallet and car keys. For reasons that remain Organisers the United State of Cinema said the were 3,500 years old, and were uncovered in Egypt in less concerned — and Republicans expressed the surrounding areas. Colon engaged with unexplained, “the incident was live streamed (by screenings were arranged to “take a stand for our 1999. The US specimens were identified as relatives of more concern than Democrats, Pew said. More someone he thought would be the sniper from the suspects) over social media and someone most basic values: freedom of speech, respect for the present-day bed bug, Cimex lectularius, but are “not than 80% of US citizens describe the amount of June 30 to August 14, 2015, but the person was watching the attack notified Winnipeg police”, our fellow human beings, and the simple truth that the bed bug we all know and love from hotel rooms”, US debt held by China, Chinese cyberattacks, actually an undercover FBI employee, according authorities said. “Off icers immediately attended there are no such things as ‘alternative facts.’” said co-author Martin Adams. China’s environmental impact. to prosecutors. to the location of the assault.” Infrastructure overhaul may top $1tn: Trump The president has plans to Trump said building a highway Cohn touted an idea of electric on America’s highest judicial truly detrimental to this body spend $1tn on infrastructure can require dozens of approvals car maker Tesla Inc CEO Elon body even as he regularly criti- and to our country,” McConnell and take 10 to 20 years, a proc- Musk to use tunnels to speed rail cises the federal judiciary. said on the Senate fl oor.”They Reuters ess he vowed to speed up. Trump transit on the densely populated McConnell lacks the numbers seem to be hurtling toward the Washington said he would not fund projects east coast and also to cut traffi c to kill the Democratic fi libuster. abyss this time, and trying to take that cannot be started within 90 congestion in Los Angeles. But he is expected to move the Senate with them. days. A Tesla spokesman declined immediately after that vote to They need to reconsider.” resident Donald Trump The administration wants to comment. another one to change long- Top Senate Democrat Chuck vowed yesterday to cut red improve the electrical grid and Accusing Democrats of “hur- standing Senate rules by a simple Schumer, leading the fi libuster Ptape to speed up approval water systems, rebuild airports, tling toward the abyss,” the US majority to bar fi libusters against eff ort, said it was the Republi- of infrastructure projects and bridges, roads and potentially Senate’s top Republican said yes- Supreme Court nominees. cans who bear responsibility for said his overhaul could top $1tn hospitals for military veterans terday he would start the clock Republicans have said regard- the crisis. on roads, tunnels and bridges, and broadband. ticking toward a vote to thwart less of what the Democrats do, He noted that the Senate, under Ivanka Trump delivers remarks during an event at the Eisenhower one of his 2016 election cam- National Economic Council their bid to block confi rmation of Gorsuch will be confi rmed on McConnell’s guidance, refused Executive Off ice Building. paign promises. director Gary Cohn told execu- President Donald Trump’s con- Friday. Republicans hold a 52-48 last year to consider Democratic Trump, a real estate business- tives that privatising air traffi c servative Supreme Court nomi- Senate majority. former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Trump fi ed for the job and is one of the man before he was elected, did control, which the administra- nee. The nation’s biggest business nomination of appellate judge in January nominated Gorsuch, a most distinguished federal judg- not provide further details on tion proposed in its budget out- Democrats plan to use a pro- lobbying group, the US Chamber Merrick Garland to fi ll the same conservative appeals court judge es on the bench. the amount or where the money line in March, “is probably the cedural hurdle called a fi libuster of Commerce, said it had sent high court vacancy that Trump from Colorado. Both Garland and Democrats have said he is so would come from when he spoke single most exciting thing we can requiring a super-majority of letters to all 100 senators urging has selected Gorsuch to fi ll. Gorsuch were nominated to fi ll a conservative as to be outside the to a White House meeting of 50 do.” 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate Gorsuch’s confi rmation, calling “What the majority leader vacancy created by the February judicial mainstream. chief executives and other busi- Cohn, an investment banker to end debate on Neil Gorsuch’s it a vote of high importance to did to Merrick Garland by de- 2016 death of conservative Jus- “First, he has instinctively fa- ness leaders. with Goldman Sachs before he nomination and move to a fi nal the organisation.Conservative nying him even a hearing and a tice Antonin Scalia. voured corporate interests over US Transportation Secretary became Trump’s top economic confi rmation vote by a simple advocacy groups separately have vote is even worse than a fi libus- Democrats have accused the average Americans,” Schumer Elaine Chao said at the forum adviser, said it could help speed majority. pursued a multimillion-dollar ter,” Schumer said on the Senate Republicans of “stealing” a Su- said. “Second, he hasn’t shown that the administration plans to fl ight times and reduce fuel use. Majority Leader Mitch Mc- campaign backing Gorsuch. fl oor.”For him to accuse Demo- preme Court seat by stonewall- a scintilla of independence from release a legislative package in Cohn said if cities “sell off ” or Connell’s motion would lead to a The proposed Senate rule crats of the fi rst partisan fi libus- ing Garland. President Trump. And third...he May. privatise infrastructure assets, vote, duetomottoe, to try to end change has been dubbed the “nu- ter on the Supreme Court belies Had Garland been confi rmed, was hand-picked by hard-right Investors have become more the administration could provide the fi libuster against Gorsuch. clear option”, and the Republican the facts, belies the history, belies the court would have tilted to the special interest groups.” sceptical that the plan would win fi nancial support. Senate confi rmation of Gor- president has urged McConnell the basic truth.” left for the fi rst time in decades. Democrats in 2013 changed approval this year in Congress, “We’re not on the cutting edge such, 49, to the lifetime post to do it. Restoring the nine-seat high As it stands, the court is split Senate rules to bar fi libusters for which is controlled by Republi- of this,” Cohn said. “We’ve got to would restore the court’s con- “Democrats are now be- court’s conservative major- with four conservative justices executive branch nominees and cans who are traditionally wary get a little more comfortable with servative majority and enable ing pushed by far-left interest ity would fulfi ll one of Trump’s and four liberals. Republicans federal judges aside from Su- of big spending. public-private partnerships.” Trump to leave a lasting imprint groups into doing something top promises during the 2016 have said Gorsuch is well quali- preme Court justices. Haley addresses UN Police posed as protesters following Garner death

Guardian News “That text loop was defi nitely to Black Lives Matter protests in not allowed to retain informa- New York just for organisers, I don’t know Grand Central Station in 2015. tion about public events unless how that got out,” said Elsa Wait- Giacalone said this type of lead- it relates to unlawful activity. he, a Black Lives Matter organiser. ership identifi cation was standard “So my question would be: ndercover offi cers in the “Someone had to have told police practice at protests. “If you what was the unlawful activity New York police depart- someone how to get on it, prob- take out the biggest mouth, eve- that police had reason to suspect Ument infi ltrated small ably trusting someone they had rybody just withers away, so you here?” said Price. “It doesn’t groups of Black Lives Matter seen a few times in good faith. concentrate on the ones you be- appear that there was any crimi- activists and gained access to We clearly compromised our- lieve are your organisers,” he said. nal behaviour they were talking their text messages, according to selves.” “Once you identify that person, about in the e-mails. newly released NYPD documents Keegan Stephan, a regular you can run computer checks on Most references are to pro- obtained by the Guardian. attendee of the Grand Central them to see if they have a war- testers being peaceful, so I The records, produced in re- protests in 2014 and 2015, said rant out or any summons failures, would be very concerned if they sponse to a February court rul- information about protesters’ then you can drag them in before were hingeing their whole in- ing, provide the most detailed whereabouts was limited to a they go out to speak or rile up the vestigation on civil disobedi- US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley addresses the United Nations Security Council at picture yet of the sweeping scope small group of core organisers at crowd, as long as you have rea- ence, such as unpermitted pro- the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. of NYPD surveillance during that time. “I feel like the under- sonable cause to do so.” tests or blocking of pedestrians.” mass protests over the death of cover was somebody who was or Attorneys say the documents Throughout the e-mails, the Eric Garner in 2014 and 2015. is very much a part of the group, raise legal questions about NYPD’s undercover sources Lawyers said the new documents and has access to information whether the NYPD was acting provide little indication of any raised questions about NYPD we only give to people we trust,” in compliance with the depart- unlawful activity, frequently compliance with city rules. said Stephan, who has been as- ment’s intelligence-gathering characterising demonstrators as The documents, mostly sisting attorneys with a lawsuit rules, known as the Handschu peaceful and orderly with only O’Reilly sex allegations prompt emails between undercover to obtain the documents under Guidelines. one mention of a single arrest. offi cers and other NYPD offi - freedom of information law. “If The guidelines, which are “The documents uniformly cials, follow other disclosures you’re walking to Grand Central based on an ongoing decades- show no crime occurring, but auto brand advertisers to pull out that the NYPD regularly fi lmed with a handful of people for an old class-action lawsuit, hold NYPD had undercovers inside Black Lives Matter activists and action, that’s much more than that the NYPD can begin for- the protests for months on end sent undercover personnel to just showing up to a public dem- mally investigating fi rst amend- as if they were Al Qaeda,” said AFP in the cases that span 15 years, The South Korean fi rm is “re- protests. The NYPD has not re- onstration — that sounds like a ment activity “when facts or David Thompson, an attorney New York in exchange for their silence and allocating them (to other Fox sponded to the Guardian’s re- level of friendship.” circumstances reasonably indi- of Stecklow & Thompson, who agreeing not to pursue litigation programmes) due to the recent quest for comment or interview. Joseph Giacalone, a retired cate that unlawful act has been, helped sue for the records. against Fox News, a favourite and disturbing allegations,” ac- E-mails show that under- NYPD detective sergeant and is being, or will be committed” Giacalone argued that police ajor auto brands have among conservatives. cording to a statement to AFP. cover offi cers were able to pose professor at John Jay College, and if the police surveillance could have easily come up with decided to pull adver- While two of the cases were “As a company we seek to as protesters even within small agreed that it would not be easy plan has been authorised by a a legal justifi cation to initiate Mtising from a popular previously known, the Times partner with companies and pro- groups, giving them extensive for an undercover offi cer to join committee known as the Hand- surveillance, especially if such Fox News programme following said it had unearthed three gramming that share our values access to details about protest- a small group of protesters and schu Authority.(That committee operations occurred after the reports of sexual harassment in- more cases of harassment, two of inclusion and diversity,” Hy- ers’ whereabouts and plans. hear their plans. “It would be was exclusively staff ed by NYPD shooting of two NYPD offi cers in volving host Bill O’Reilly. of a sexual nature and one al- undai said. In one e-mail, an offi cial notes pretty amazing that they would offi cials at the time.) December of 2014 (all dates in the Companies dropping adver- leging verbally abusive behav- “We will continue to moni- that an undercover offi cer is em- be able to get into the core group However, according to the NYPD’s e-mail communications tising with The O’Reilly Factor iour by O’Reilly. tor and evaluate the situation as bedded within a group of seven in such a short window of time,” guidelines, before launching a were redacted). But he noted included BMW North America, The O’Reilly Factor is the most we plan future advertising deci- protesters on their way to Grand said Giacalone. “This could have formal investigation, the NYPD that such investigative activities Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai, widely viewed cable news show sions.” Central Station. been going on a while before for can also conduct investiga- would be harder to justify if of- according to statements to AFP. with an average of 3.98mn view- A Toyota spokeswoman said This intimate access appears these people to get so close to tive work such as “checking of fi cers were not directly observing “While it’s hard to tell what ers in early 2017, according to Ad- Lexus ads appearing on the to have helped police pass as the inner circle.” leads” and “preliminary inquir- signs of unlawful activity. the facts are, the allegations are week. O’Reilly Factor were “part of a trusted organisers and extract The NYPD documents also ies” with even lower standards “If they’re not talking about disturbing,” Mercedes-Benz From January 2015 to Septem- wide ranging media package, information about demonstra- included a handful of pictures of suspicion. any crimes being committed, spokeswoman Donna Boland ber 2016, the programme pulled with ads appearing on a vari- tions. In other e-mails, offi cers and one short video taken at Michael Price, counsel at the they’re going to have a diffi cult said. in some $297mn in ad revenues, ety of cable television programs” share the locations of individual Grand Central Station demon- Brennan Center for Justice, said time defending this. “Given the importance of according to the research fi rm and that the Japanese auto giant protesters at particular times. strations. Most are pictures of it was diffi cult to know whether It may end up in another one of women in every aspect of our Kantar Media. would “monitor the situation”. The NYPD e-mails also include crowds milling about or taking NYPD’s undercover surveillance these lawsuits,” said Giacalone. business, we don’t feel this is A BMW spokesman said the The reports on O’Reilly came pictures of organisers’ group part in demonstrations. operations crossed the line, as “Some may say this is good police a good environment in which German auto giant was sus- as Fox News and its ousted chief text exchanges with information In one picture of a small group the documents did not make work, fi ne, but good police work to advertise our products right pending ads for the programme Roger Ailes were hit Monday about protests, suggesting that of activists, the NYPD identifi es clear what, if any, stage of inves- or not, we have rules against this now.” “in light of the recent New York with a fresh sexual harassment undercover offi cials were either an individual in a brown jacket as tigation the police were in at the kind of thing in New York.” The moves came after a New Times investigation”. lawsuit fi led by a female contrib- trusted enough to be allowed to the “main protester”. These imag- time of the operations. Attorneys have already fi led a York Times report saying the ca- Hyundai said it had no current utor who says she was denied a take photos of activists’ phones es of protesters are reminiscent of But he said the department’s petition charging that the NYPD ble news giant and O’Reilly had ads on the programme but had job after refusing the chairman’s or were themselves members of a those taken by undercover transit retention of pictures and video may have failed to produce all of paid fi ve women a total of $13mn scheduled some. advances. private planning group text. police, who were also deployed raised questions, since police are its surveillance records. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 15 ASEAN Bangkok okays Annual ritual $58mn for more Chinese tanks

AFP The kingdom’s well-oiled military Bangkok has ousted two elected governments in the last decade. In parallel the defence budget has hailand’s government yester- nearly tripled to around $6bn. day agreed to buy 10 tanks from Thailand’s generosity to its armed TChina for $58mn in the latest de- forces has raised eyebrows, especially fence spending by a junta with a taste given the stuttering post-coup economy. for Chinese hardware. Critics say the military — which The military is replacing its US- boasts one of the highest proportion of made M41 rolling stock with Chinese generals in the world — has a penchant VT-4 tanks, as it continues to upgrade for non-essential big ticket purchases, its equipment three years after seizing including an aircraft carrier which cur- power from a civilian government. rently has no aircraft. The Southeast Asian country has al- China has soaked up Thai defence ready snapped up 28 Chinese tanks and spending. That has raised questions secured around $380mn for a submarine over the kingdom’s relationship with — with cash being sought for two more. its oldest ally — the US — whose own The cabinet yesterday approved the policies towards Thailand and the rest purchase of 10 more VT-4s for around of Southeast Asia have been cast into 2bn baht ($58mn), Deputy Prime Min- uncertainty by the rise of protectionist ister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters. President Donald Trump. “These are to replace the M41 tanks Thailand is among 16 countries that which we have used since World War the US has a trade defi cit with, some- II,” he added. thing Trump’s administration has Thailand is facing a decade-long in- promised to probe. surgency in its southernmost provinces Thai junta leader and premier, Prayut An ethnic Chinese family makes an off ering to the deceased at a cemetery during the Qingming festival in Singapore. During Qingming or Tomb Sweeping but rarely deploys tanks there. Chan-ocha, yesterday urged his coun- Day, Chinese traditionally tend the graves of their departed loved ones and often burn paper money, model houses, cars, mobile phones and other goods Its last international confl ict came try not to “panic” as the US is yet to as off erings to honour them and keep them comfortable in the afterlife. during border skirmishes with Cambo- threaten action against the countries it dia in 2011. has a trade imbalance with. US navy aid More than 600 die in unit told to quit Cambodia Malaysia prisons and

Reuters US President Donald Trump, despite Phnom Penh Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s professed admiration for him. Relations have been strained by US detention centres US Navy aid unit has been told criticism of a legal change that made it to leave Cambodia, the US em- easier for the government to ban political Reuters More than half the dead were from Reuters of grim living conditions in Two of the detention centres Su- Abassy said, in a new sign of the parties and by renewed Cambodian de- Kuala Lumpur Myanmar. detention camps that are overcrowded hakam visited last year were in dilapi- Southeast Asian country loosening mands for the cancellation of $500mn in Suhakam said deaths mostly and unhygienic. dated condition, the agency said in its links with Washington as it strengthens debts dating from the war era of the 1970s. stemmed from diseases in all prisons Some said they received insuffi cient report. ties with Beijing. In January, Cambodia suspended alaysia’s national human and detention centres, where the gov- food, water or healthcare, and many Three blocks of a detention cen- The departure of the US Navy Mobile joint military exercises that were due to rights panel said yesterday it ernment should look to improve con- developed skin and lung infections, or tre in southern Johor state, and two Construction Battalion — known as the have been held in June. Mwas disturbed by more than ditions and healthcare. contagious diseases. blocks on northern Penang island Seabees — meant the cancellation of 20 Cambodia said it was because it 600 deaths at immigration detention “There is little interest in the hu- All those interviewed also alleged were held “unfi t and unsafe for occu- planned projects, including at schools would be too busy with elections then centres and prisons over the last two man rights of detainees,” said chair- they were beaten by camp guards or pation,” by the Public Works Depart- and hospitals, the embassy said on its and rejected any connection to China. years, and called for immediate re- man Razali Ismail. saw others being beaten. ment, it added. Facebook page late on Monday. Last year, Beijing held a joint naval form. “This attitude is refl ected in govern- Suhakam documents reviewed by The rights agency said the immigra- “Last week, the Royal Government drill with Cambodia for the fi rst time. In its 2016 annual report, the panel, ment budgetary priorities and the re- Reuters showed detainees died from tion department last week informed of Cambodia notifi ed the Embassy of Cambodia’s armed forces have bene- known by its Malay acronym, Su- sources made available for the running lung infections, heart-related condi- it of “major reforms,” such as better its decision to postpone indefi nitely the fi ted from Chinese training and equip- hakam, said there were more than 100 and upkeep of all places of detention.” tions and the bacterial disease lept- healthcare and repair of dilapidated Seabees program,” the embassy said. ment including jeeps, rocket launchers deaths in immigration detention cen- Particularly in immigration deten- ospirosis. No cause was attributed for structures. “We are sad to see the Seabees go, but and helicopters. tres and 521 deaths in prisons in 2015 tion centres, people spent long pe- 50 deaths. Southeast Asia-based migrant proud of their accomplishments over The reduction in military links with and 2016. riods unable to move freely or sleep Last week, deputy home minister and refugee protection group Fortify the last nine years.” Cambodia would be a setback for US Twelve people died in police lock- comfortably in overcrowded cells, he Nur Jazlan Mohamed told Reuters his Rights urged a criminal investigation Cambodian defense ministry strategy in the region but Hun Sen ups in 2015. said, where conditions sometimes de- ministry had hit a budget brick wall in into the deaths. spokesman Chhum Socheat said he was could also end up losing out, said Carl Last week, citing documents from teriorated to become “inhumane”. eff orts to improve conditions in immi- “Malaysian authorities could be- unaware of such a decision. Thayer, professor at the University of Suhakam, Reuters reported that 118 The government did not immediately gration detention centres. gin tackling this by ending arbitrary Cambodia has gone further than New South Wales at the Australian foreigners, including undocumented respond to requests for comment on Malaysia’s 13 detention centres had and indefi nite detention of migrants, other Southeast Asian nations in Defense Force Academy. “His anti-US workers, refugees and asylum seekers, Suhakam’s report, published yesterday. a total of 86,795 detainees during vari- including refugees and survivors of courting China and the shift away actions will only increase Cambodia’s had died at detention centres in the Former detainees, government ous periods in 2016, the Enforcement traffi cking,” executive director Amy from Washington has continued under dependency on China,” he said. last two years. agencies and rights groups have told Agency Integrity Commission says. Smith said in a statement. Anger burns on Vietnam’s poisoned coast a year after spill

Reuters “First, people were angry with istry did not respond to a writ- using the dirtier process, but that Quang Tri, Vietnam Formosa for polluting Vietnam’s ten request for comment on the it had until 2019 to switch. environment,” said priest and ac- aftermath of the disaster and on Formosa wants to make steel tivist Dang Huu Nam. when Formosa would be allowed mill the biggest of its kind in he big fi sh are all dead, “Now, they are angry with the to start operations. Southeast Asia, exactly the sort complained 50 year-old unclear responses and solutions Neither Ha Tinh province nor of investment the government TMai Xuan Hoa, picking of some provincial authorities Formosa gave Reuters permission seeks so as to maintain annual small fi sh from a net as he tried to over fi xing the disaster.” to visit the $11bn plant. growth rates of over 6%. rebuild his livelihood a year after More than 40,000 jobs were Eleven offi cials have been But the activist movement Vietnam’s worst environmental directly aff ected in four prov- named and shamed over the roused by the spill has made Vi- disaster. inces dependent on fi shing and spill. etnamese — and the government Sea life began washing up on tourism. The government says the steel — more attuned to environmen- April 6, 2016 near a steel plant Across the country, a quar- plant has now addressed 51 out of tal risks. being developed by Taiwan’s For- ter of a million workers felt the 53 violations identifi ed in an in- In February, the government mosa Plastics Corp Within weeks, impact, according to the labour vestigation into the accident, but said it would not grant licenses more than 200km of coast had ministry. it will only restart when it can do to any projects with a high pollu- been sullied by the accidental re- After months of rallies and so safely. tion risk. lease of chemicals including cya- an outpouring of anger not seen Formosa hopes to get approval Deputy Prime Minister Trinh nide, phenols and iron hydroxide. in four decades of Communist for trial runs soon, with the aim Dinh Dung asked the environ- Along the coast, the recovery is Party rule, Formosa agreed to pay of starting commercial steel pro- ment ministry to revise rules slow and anger endures. $500mn in compensation. duction by the end of the year, and to intensify inspection and “Where we caught 10 fi sh in The Hanoi government and the nearly a year behind schedule. supervision of projects at the in- the past, now we will only catch provinces have now declared the “We remember the lessons vestment and construction stage. one or two,” Hoa said. sea clean and the seafood safe. we’ve learned, and we’re moving When people in southern Locals says thousands of fi sh- But while no offi cial fi gures forward,” said Chang Fu-ning, an Vietnam reported a bad smell ermen have simply given up and are available, fi shermen say fi sh executive vice president of the and dust from a new mill being gone to look for work elsewhere. stocks have yet to recover. company. started by Hong Kong-listed Lee Tourists are wary of beaches On a beach in Ha Tinh prov- A woman carries fish on the beach of Dong Yen fishing village, which is next to the Formosa factory, Formosa has promised to in- & Man Paper Manufacturing Ltd that have lost their pristine repu- ince, Hoa and two other fi sher- in Vietnam’s central Ha Tinh province. vest another $350mn at the mill, last month, the Hau Giang prov- tation and businesses are strug- men’s catch for the day was bare- including in a more modern ‘dry’ ince was quick to investigate. gling. ly enough to fi ll a bucket. Many fi shermen have simply cover completely,” he said. said owner Mai Ngoc Ky. coking system which does not The company has since prom- But the wider impact could be Compensation payments of abandoned their boats. Tourists are also still wary of The central government says use water as a coolant but is more ised measures to reduce pollu- even greater after protests over 17.4mn dong ($765) would not Some 3,000 boats were af- this stretch of coast. half the compensation money expensive. tion. the spill encouraged a wave of ac- last them long, they said. fected in Quang Tri province Once bustling, the Ky Hoa sea- has been paid out, but many Formosa’s use of the ‘wet’ “People are worried about not tivism that has pushed environ- Despite the reduced supply, alone, said Nguyen Truong Khoa, food restaurant on the central complain about the wait. coking system, which generates only their future but also their mental issues up the agenda for merchants say fi sh prices are now deputy director of the local en- beach of Cua Viet is empty. “If things continue like this we more waste, was highlighted as children’s future. They will con- a communist government that a quarter of what they were be- vironment department in the Dust settles on chairs and ta- will soon be bankrupt,” said sea- one of the failures in the govern- tinue to fi ght until their rights are now promises greater scrutiny of cause of fears of continued con- province, south of Ha Tinh. bles. food trader Nguyen Viet Long. ment report. satisfi ed and protected,” said ac- investments. tamination. “It will take a long time to re- “It’s like the place is dying,” Vietnam’s environment min- The company said it was still tivist Nam. Gulf Times 16 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 AUSTRALASIA/EAST ASIA ‘Pink Star’ diamond fetches record $71.2mn in Hong Kong

AFP after the sale. Sotheby’s world- Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, disclosed sum to an unidentifi ed for the sale. “Today Hong Kong Hong Kong wide chairman for international Singapore and Taiwan, but is buyer. At an auction in Geneva in has proven itself to be again the jewellery David Bennett, who relatively unknown in the West. 2013 the stone fetched $83mn. international sale centre,” Wong conducted the auction, called it a The sparkling oval-cut rock But Sotheby’s was forced to said. Asian buyers have been giant diamond named “historic sale”. measures 2.69 by 2.06cm (1.06 take it back after that buyer, a making record diamond pur- the ‘Pink Star’ broke the Bidding started at around by 0.81 inches) and weighs 11.92g New York-based diamond cutter, chases in the past few years. Aworld record for a gem- $56mn. The sale lasted for fi ve (0.026 pounds). defaulted on the sale. A 12.03-carat ‘Blue Moon of stone sold at auction when it minutes and involved three bid- It was 132.5 carats in the rough The auction house said it was Josephine’ was bought for the fetched $71.2mn in Hong Kong ders before the winning off er when it was mined by De Beers confi dent of getting its money then-record price of $48.4mn in yesterday. The 59.60-carat ‘Pink came by phone from Chow Tai in South Africa in 1999, accord- this time around. Geneva by Hong Kong property Star’, the largest in its class ever Fook, prompting a round of ap- ing to Sotheby’s. The stone was “Of course, the buyer defi - tycoon Joseph Lau in 2015, a day graded by the Gemological Insti- plause. cut and polished over two years nitely has the fi nancial capabil- after he spent $28.5mn on a rare tute of America, was sold to the The jewellery group is chaired by Steinmetz Diamonds and un- ity,” Wong told reporters, adding 16.08-carat pink diamond. The city’s Chow Tai Fook jewellery by Henry Cheng, whose family veiled to the public in 2003 un- all three bidders were vetted and previous record for a jewel suc- chain. is ranked third on Forbes’ Hong der the title of the ‘Steinmetz had a longstanding relationship cessfully sold at auction was A model poses with a 59.60-carat mixed cut diamond known as ‘The “Sotheby’s Hong Kong is very Kong rich list with $17.9bn. Pink’. The near-translucent rock with the auction house. $57.54mn in May 2016 for the Pink Star’, the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink diamond proud to have this record,” its The group has a large network was renamed after it was fi rst Sotheby’s had previously said 14.62-carat “Oppenheimer Blue” ever graded by the Geological Institute of America (GIA), ahead of Asia chairman Patti Wong said of stores in China plus outlets in sold four years later for an un- Hong Kong was the right place sold by Christie’s in Geneva. being auctioned in Hong Kong by Sotheby’s. Billions at stake in Xi-Trump summit Reuters vast swathes of the world’s sec- lions of dollars of foreign direct representatives from Apple, IBM Beijing/Washington ond-biggest economy. But they investment that have poured into Google and other tech heavy- also worry Trump’s policies on China over the past two decades, weights, has urged the Trump China are not entirely clear, with creating hundreds of thousands administration to pressure Chi- lthough worried about his trade team still not in place, of jobs. na to “stop rigging markets”. It the prospect of a trade and may be subject to a ‘grand They include tech companies warned that possible retaliation Awar, American businesses bargain’ involving other issues like Apple, which makes much of from Beijing was not a reason for operating in China nonetheless such as North Korea. its iPhone in China, automakers inaction. A magazine featuring a front page photo of US President Donald Trump is seen at a news stand in Beijing. want President Donald Trump to Trump is set to enter the meet- such as General Motors and Ford, Trump has staked out various The first summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will be of wring some concessions on mar- ing without several key advisors, heavy machinery fi rms like Cat- positions on China as president “great significance” for global peace, the two countries’ top diplomats agreed ahead of the meeting. ket access from China’s leader Xi including his pick for trade nego- erpillar, retailers like Starbucks in his tweets, phone calls and Jingping when the two meet this tiator, Robert Lighthizer who has and makers of shaving foam and statements. In a phone call with mostly the result of diff erences with one meeting, he said. Trump administration offi cials week. yet to be confi rmed by Congress. detergent, like Procter & Gamble. Xi after taking offi ce, Trump gave in the two countries’ economic China is the largest export in February, and said “it was clear Trump warned in a tweet last His nominee as ambassador US steel producers want Trump ground on one of Beijing’s most structures and noted China had market for US soybean produc- they were very familiar with the week the meetings at his Mar- to China, Iowa Governor Terry to press Xi on Chinese steel sensitive issues — the status of a trade defi cit in services. China ers, accounting for 62% of US issues facing American compa- a-Lago resort on Thursday and Branstad, has also yet to be con- prices, according to a source who Taiwan — after earlier suggest- tops the list of countries who soy exports in 2016 with a value nies in China, perhaps more so Friday will be “very diffi cult” and fi rmed, while several posts in the has been in discussions with the ing he might not stick to Wash- have trade surpluses with the of over $14bn, leading some ex- than previous administrations”. “American companies must be US State Department that for- administration in advance of the ington’s long-held “one China” United States, with a $347bn perts to suggest the sector could But several corporate lob- prepared to look at other alterna- mulate Asia policy remain un- summit. policy. surplus last year. Some in the be particularly vulnerable to re- byists, representing a range of tives.” fi lled. US automakers complain Trump signed two executive US business community worry taliation. companies expressed concern Trump has said he wants US “With this in mind, it is hard to about a disparity in tariff s: The orders on trade last week, one to about tit-for-tat retaliation in Steve Censky, chief executive Trump’s lack of attention to de- companies to stop investing in imagine that there will be much United States has a 2.5% tariff on improve import tariff collection trade disputes with China. of the American Soybean As- tail could prove counterproduc- China and instead create jobs at in the way of concrete accom- auto imports, China’s is 25%. But and another to study the causes Jacob Parker, vice president of sociation, told Reuters he hopes tive when it comes to the intri- home. He has also accused China plishments at this summit, or the stakes are perhaps highest for of the US trade defi cit. Trump China operations at the US-Chi- Trump will take a “prudent” cacies of the massive trade and of manipulating its currency to even that there has been any sig- American technology fi rms, who said at the White House signing na Business Council, said the two approach to the trade relation- investment relationship. boost exports. nifi cant inter-agency discussion worry that China’s new cyber- ceremony he and Xi were “go- presidents need to take “positive ship and address any issues in a “It’s not yet clear whether ... Critics within US industry on strategy leading up to it,” said security law, which takes eff ect in ing to get down to some serious actions that would lead to a more “workman-like manner”, recog- this is a White House that wants have accused China of unfair Randal Phillips, Mintz Group’s June, sets potentially discrimina- business” and vowed that “the durable relationship, not retalia- nising that both countries have a to fundamentally reset the terms government subsidies to its com- Beijing-based managing partner tory standards for multination- theft of American prosperity” by tory actions that would lead to a lot to lose if the relationship suf- of the relationship or tinker at panies, and of fl ooding the US for Asia and the former chief CIA als. foreign countries would end. trade war”. The list of commercial fers. the edges and declare a public re- market with cheap products from representative in China. The Information Technology & Chinese Vice Foreign Minister issues between the two countries William Zarit, chairman of lations win,” said a China expert steel to solar panels, while re- Some of the largest US compa- Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Zheng Zeguang said on Friday the was so long, it would be impossi- the American Chamber of Com- at a Washington business lobby stricting foreign investment over nies have contributed to the bil- think-tank whose board includes US-China trade imbalance was ble to make a major dent in them merce in China met senior who asked not to be named.

Creepy crawly cargo caught in Australia

Australian customs off icers got more than they bargained for when two S Korean tech tycoon shoe boxes arrived from Europe with venomous snakes, exotic spiders Tail-end of Cyclone and scorpions found slithering inside the “creep crawly cargo”. The unusual discovery was made at Melbourne last month in two boxes roars back into race marked shoes sent through the mail in a consignment identified as coming from northern Europe. The parcel included six venomous vipers native to Southeast Asia, for presidential polls Debbie batters NZ three ball pythons, nine large tarantulas from Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, plus Asian forest scorpions. Australian Border Force off icers, in a statement yesterday headlined “Creepy crawly cargo”, said it was Reuters then was elected to parliament Reuters to dangerous levels. “We have the quake epicentre of Kai- a serious issue as they posed a high biosecurity risk because they can Seoul two years later. Wellington about 20 hours to save your koura was closed yesterday, carry pests and diseases that aren’t present Down Under. He sought to fi nd a new way precious things, maybe raise just hours after reopening fol- But the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources also saw in South Korean politics long things, maybe check on your lowing a week-long closure to the lighter side. “This detection appears to be a clear attempt to get outh Korean software marred by ideological and re- he tail-end of powerful elderly neighbour,” the mayor, shore up almost 20 potential around the rules that are in place to protect us all,” said Lyn O’Connell, mogul Ahn Cheol-soo gional division, founding the Cyclone Debbie, which Hamish McDouall, said in a slip sites. A second major ar- a department off icial responsible for biosecurity. “No spider is a match Sclinched his centrist Peo- People’s Party last year that Tleft a trail of destruction statement. terial road was blocked by a for our biosecurity web, we get our tails up when there are scorpions in ple’s Party nomination to run for emerged as a major political force in northeast Australia, lashed Weather offi cials issued a landslip. the mail and if you try send exotic snakes beware if we find intentional president yesterday, roaring back in the parliamentary election last New Zealand yesterday, clos- swathe of rain and wind warn- New Zealand’s Civil Defence non-compliance, we bite back with the full force of the law.” into contention in the May 9 vote year. He initially struggled in the ing highways and causing a ings covering the entire North Force was on standby as other Investigations are continuing into the source of the shipment with after abandoning his presidential presidential race, triggered by major landslip. Island and top of the South. roads were closed and at least off icials believing they were destined for the black market, where live ambitions in 2012. the impeachment of Park, but The storm hit parts of New Cyclone Debbie, a cat- one school was evacuated. reptiles are in demand as pets. Ahn, 55, has taken a tougher has shot to second place in recent Zealand still recovering from egory four storm, one short of In Australia, where the dis- stance on national security than opinion polls, with 19% support a devastating earthquake last the most powerful level fi ve, aster zone stretched 1,000km the liberal frontrunner for presi- in a poll released on Friday. November and weather offi cials pounded Australia’s Queens- from Queensland’s tropical dent, Moon Jae-in, who won his Ahn has advocated a tough line warned of several days of heavy land state last week, smashing resort islands and Gold Coast Democratic Party’s nomination against reclusive North Korea, rain, with some regions set to tourist resorts, bringing down tourist strip to the farmlands on Monday, saying there should which has been heavily sanc- receive three months’ worth of power lines and shutting down of New South Wales, about be no mistake about the dangers tioned for missile and nuclear rain in the next 48 hours. coal mines. 20,000 homes were still with- presented by North Korea. tests in breach of UN Security “This is a signifi cant amount Australian police yesterday out power on Tuesday, as fl ood He has vowed to level the play- Council resolutions, even while of rain and people are advised retrieved three bodies from waters continued to rise in ing fi eld for small business and keeping the door open to dia- to watch out for rapidly rising a car beneath fl oodwaters in some areas. conglomerates and provide equal logue. rivers and streams, fl ooding the swollen Tweed River of Residents of Rockhampton, opportunity for youth from “He (North Korean leader Kim and slips,” the Met Offi ce said New South Wales state, tak- in central Queensland, were all backgrounds to inject fresh Jong-un) is a very dangerous per- in a severe weather warning. ing to six the number of peo- advised to seek higher ground breath into an economy show- son, isn’t he? He has done things As darkness fell, a state of ple killed since the storm hit. as the rising Fitzroy River ap- ing signs of sputtering weighed that are beyond our imagination emergency was declared in New Zealand’s mountainous proaches a peak forecast for by injustice and corruption. Im- to maintain his power,” Ahn told the city of Whanganui on the terrain makes its roads suscep- Thursday. Australian insurers peached former president Park a group of journalists last month. North Island, with its mayor tible to landslides and many have declared the event a ca- Geun-hye was dismissed last “A summit between the South warning that mandatory evac- regions are still recovering tastrophe, with state offi cials month over a corruption scandal and the North should not be an uations were likely at fi rst light from November’s 7.8-magni- saying recovery and repairs Exotic snakes and spiders on display after they were found in shoe that has implicated some con- end in itself ... (but) if it can be a as rivers were forecast to rise tude quake. The highway into will need months. boxes in a Melbourne mail room. glomerates and rocked the coun- tool to solve problems, we should try for months. consider it.” “We need to elect a capable Ahn has said the deployment NZ Post to deliver fried chicken president who can revive the of the controversial US THAAD economy. We need a president missile defence system must go The dwindling New Zealand Post is branching out: On top of delivering who can accomplish strong and ahead and South Korea must letters and parcels to homes it now also serves fried chicken for dinner. robust national security,” Ahn make greater eff orts to convince US fast food chain KFC has partnered with the 170-year-old postal said in his acceptance speech. the Chinese, which has reacted service to deliver their chicken dishes in a trial in the North Island city “The time for Ahn Cheol-soo angrily to the move, that it is not of Tauranga, local media reported yesterday. The chief executive of KFC is here and the time for Moon aimed at them but only at coun- parent company Restaurant Brands, Ian Letele, said that the decision Jae-in is slipping away.” tering the missile threat from to join forces with NZ Post was due to their expertise in logistics, the Ahn was a top contender for North Korea. New Zealand Herald reported. “NZ Post has an extensive delivery the 2012 presidential election If North Korea carried out any distribution network around New Zealand, and KFC is available in most but withdrew his candidacy and attacks on South Korean soil as towns nationwide. With the support of NZ Post, we hope to service the endorsed Moon in a bid to unite it did in the 2010 bombing of an home delivery needs of many more KFC customers throughout New non-conservative voters against island in the South, Ahn said he Zealand,” Letele said. eventual winner Park. Trained would respond with a “surgical The move is part of NZ Post’s struggle to survive in a changing world. as a medical doctor, Ahn rose to strike” against the North. North “All post off ices around the world are struggling with what to do when national fame when AhnLab, a and South Korea are technically mail disappears. We want to survive for another 100 years, but we provider of computer antivirus still at war because their 1950- urgently need to diversify our business,” NZ Post spokesman Mike software, became a household 53 confl ict ended in a truce, not a Stewart told the Guardian. The number of letters sent in New Zealand name. Ahn entered politics in peace treaty. The North regularly has halved in the last decade and postal delivery has been reduced to 2011 using his popularity to en- threatens to destroy the South three days a week to save costs. “People want their goods on-demand dorse an independent candidate and its main ally, the United A camel stands next to a flooded paddock in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie near Rockhampton, delivered to their home in 30 to 60 minutes. That seems to be where as mayor of the capital, Seoul, States. Australia, yesterday. the world is going,” he said. “It is an exciting time for us.” Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 17 BRITAIN

LAW AND ORDER CRIME SETBACK CRIME FORECAST Eight in court over assault Cyclist loses fight for Gallery boss fails in bid to Two firms face charges for Number of new London on asylum seeker life after stabbing win back seized tea set detention centre death homes set to fall: Savills

Eight more people, including a 15-year-old boy, A murder investigation has been opened after A rare Chinese tea set has been seized from a Two private firms will face criminal charges The number of new homes built in London will have appeared in court charged with violent a young man was stabbed to death in Croydon. leading Mayfair art gallery because it was partly over the death of a man in a immigration reach 46,500 this year but total completions will disorder, in connection with an attack on a Bjorn Brown, 23, died in hospital early Monday — made from African elephant ivory. Customs off ic- detention centre. Prince Fosu was found dead fall by a quarter at the turn of the decade, estate teenage asylum seeker in south London. Reker five days after being attacked by two men on a ers took possession of the 120-year-old silver set on the concrete floor of his cell in Harmonds- agents Savills said yesterday, in a further blow to Ahmed, a 17-year-old Kurdish-Iranian who ar- quiet street in Thornton Heath. The victim tried in October 2015 as it was shipped into Heathrow worth, west London, on October 30, 2012. Fosu, eff orts to tackle a mounting housing crisis. The rived unaccompanied in the UK a few months to flee on a bicycle before collapsing. A pass- from Hong Kong, when they discovered there 31, was originally from Ghana. He was booked government has set out plans to boost house ago, was seriously injured in the assault near ing motorist stopped and tried to assist before was no valid import licence. The manager of on a flight to leave Britain on November 5 builds in England from 190,000 homes a year to a bus stop in Croydon on Friday. At Croydon flagging down an ambulance. Detectives from Mayfair Gallery, James Sinai, appealed for the that year. The Crown Prosecution Service an- at least 250,000 in a bid to tackle a chronic lack magistrates court yesterday, Liam Neylen, 19, the Met’s homicide squad said they believed the six-piece Qing dynasty set to be returned, argu- nounced yesterday that GEO Group UK Ltd of supply, especially in London, which has made Ellie Leite, 19, Kyran Evans, 23, all from Croydon, attack on Brown took place in Kelling Gardens at ing that it was “an item of cultural and historical and Nestor Primecare Services Ltd would face buying unaff ordable to many and pushed up and James Neves, 22, of Beckenham, south-east its junction with Bensham Lane. They appealed importance” which had been “seized on a techni- prosecution under health and safety laws. GEO rents. But Savills yesterday said that, after reach- London, spoke only to confirm their names, ad- to anyone who saw the attack to contact them. cality”. But a judge, sitting at the first tier tribunal, ran Harmondsworth at the time while Nestor ing a recent high in 2017, only 34,700 new homes dresses and dates of birth. They were charged Tracy Bogle, who is Brown’s aunt, said the family has now ruled that the set was lawfully seized was responsible for the healthcare of those will be completed in 2021, becoming the latest with violent disorder. had been left devastated by her nephew’s death. and should not be returned to the gallery. detained there. property firm to forecast a drop.

Briton aims to Tory MPs cycle the world in 80 days reject Brexit

AFP London findings by British adventurer is hop- ing to “redefi ne the limits Aof human endurance” by attempting to cycle around the world in 80 days from July 2, smashing the current record by over six weeks. own panel Mark Beaumont, who began a warm-up tour of Britain yester- Guardian News and Media was “balanced and fair”. He said port, “but as we know Brexit is day to prepare for the feat, will London it drew on the evidence provid- a subject that arouses great pas- attempt to travel 28,968kms un- ed and represented the “select sions in people and they have der his own steam, cycling for 16 committee doing its job”. strong views. But we have a job hours a day. heresa May’s claim that Benn told the Today pro- to do as a committee and that “I want to redefi ne the limits “no deal is better than a gramme that the main fi nding is to sit down together, to hear of human endurance by prov- Tbad deal” has been criti- of the report was based on evi- what people have got to say, and ing what seems impossible really cised as unsubstantiated by a dence from the Brexit secretary, then to hold the government to is possible,” Beaumont said in a parliamentary committee, but David Davis, who admitted that account. statement. its pro-Brexit MPs have refused the government had not carried “It’s not absolutely unknown The fi rst leg of his journey will to back the fi ndings. out a full assessment of the po- for select committee reports see him cycle from Paris to Beijing The chair, Hilary Benn, called tential economic impact of fail- not to get unanimous reports. through Poland, Lithuania, Rus- on the government to urgently ing to secure a trade deal at the I urge people to read the report sia, Mongolia and China. prepare for the “worst-case” time of departure from the EU. and make up their own minds.” He will then cycle across Aus- scenario of crashing out of the “If the government is going to Labour MP Pat McFadden tralia and New Zealand, before EU without a trade deal, and make this assertion that no deal went further claiming that his heading to North America where asked for an impact assessment would be better than a bad deal, pro-Brexit colleagues were he will travel from Anchorage in of what the economic fallout then I think everyone would simply “annoyed by the facts”. the US to Halifax in Canada. would be. expect the government to have “The report faithfully refl ects On the fi nal leg, he will cycle But he also had to contend done some assessment,” Benn the evidence that the commit- from Portugal though Spain and with the fact that his Commons said. tee has heard. Hilary Benn has back to Paris. committee on exiting the EU “(No deal) would mean a re- made every eff ort to be open To complete his gruelling chal- was divided over its third re- turn of tariff s and other non- and accommodating to all lenge, Beaumont will need to cycle port, with pro-Brexit members tariff barriers to trade, if you’re strands of opinion on the com- 240 miles a day and consume a complaining of the negative a beef or dairy farmer you’re mittee,” he said. daily diet of 8,000 calories and up tone, walking out and ultimate- talking about tariff s for 30%- The report agrees with an- to 10 litres of water. ly refusing to back the conclu- 40%, it would have an impact other committee’s conclusion With this attempt, Beaumont is sions. on fi nancial services because that crashing out of the EU and hoping to reclaim a world record Dominic Raab, a Conserva- passporting is very important on to World Trade Organisa- title. tive MP who campaigned to to them, a million people work tion terms would be a “very In 2008, he travelled the globe leave the EU, described the re- in fi nancial services, all the destructive outcome” and says by bicycle in 194 days. port as “rushed, skewed and way through to the emergency it is essential for MPs and Lords The current record is held by partisan”, claiming it was re- healthcare we get when we trav- to have a vote in such a scenario. New Zealander Andrew Nichol- grettable that it had divided the el in Europe through the EHIC Sources on the ‘leave’ side of son who did it in 123 days in 2015. group. health card. All of those things the argument insisted that the Beaumont is confi dent he can “That undermines its cred- fall by the wayside if you had no problem was with the tone of halve his own time, explaining to ibility and infl uence, but I hope agreement. the report in all areas, but min- BBC television yesterday that he and expect the committee will “Therefore it seems to the utes of the committee meeting had not had any back-up the fi rst learn the right lessons, as we committee sensible that the show there was a particular an- time around, and had to “fi nd move forward,” he said. government should do an as- noyance over the no-deal rec- clean water and a safe place to Raab was one of six Con- sessment, and when we asked ommendations. sleep”. servative members of the group (Davis) has the government One MP said the Brexiters “This time it’s almost Tour de who refused to sign up to the done so, his reply was no we also felt that too much empha- France style, I’ve got a support fi nal report, alongside the haven’t. Maybe they will, and sis had been placed on the evi- vehicle behind me, it’s just about former culture secretary John that’s why we set out they dence of Sir Ivan Rogers, who performance and that makes a Whittingdale. Benn defended should.” resigned as the UK’s EU ambas- huge diff erence,” he said. his decision to publish the re- Benn said he was sorry that sador after warning about the Beaumont listed border cross- Endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont, who is aiming for a record-breaking circumnavigation of the globe in 80 port, telling the Guardian that not all members of the commit- complexities of securing a trade ings as one of his main concerns. days in July, poses during a photocall in central London. anyone who reads it could see it tee felt able to sign up to the re- deal. Couple jailed for abusing London levy aims to woman held as prisoner cut ‘lethal’ pollution AFP hicles pay £11.50 to enter the London city centre between 7am and Guardian News and Media licence when he is released. Next-door neighbours told 6pm Monday to Friday. Craigavon His 56-year-old wife was police they had been unaware The pollution charge would sentenced to three years with 18 that the victim was living in the rivers of the most pol- come on top of the congestion months to serve in jail and the same property as the Bakers. luting cars will be charge. Khan said he wants to couple in Northern Ire- remainder on licence. During the trial it emerged Dcharged to travel into extend the ULEZ to a far wider land have been jailed for Judge Patrick Lynch QC said: that in 2004 the victim’s hus- the centre of London from area of London in 2021. A imprisoning a disabled “It is not easy to understand band, who also had severe 2019, Mayor Sadiq Khan said “One of the big reasons that woman in their home and abus- how these individuals have so learning difficulties, had re- yesterday, describing his city’s the air in London is lethal is be- ing her as a sex slave. lost their moral compass that ported her missing to police in air as “lethal”. cause of the emissions of vehi- Keith and Caroline Baker they could subject an individual England. Khan hopes the move will cles,” Khan said. held their victim in a bare room who clearly exhibited serious The woman was only freed halve harmful nitrogen oxide “We’ve estimated that more without light, carpet, bed- mental defects to mistreat- from the Bakers’ home after an- emissions in central London, than half of the air pollution clothes and curtains for eight ment, in sexual terms depriving other woman, named in court as where air pollution is thought is caused by transport. It’s re- years during which they repeat- her of any dignity and even the Miss X, raised the alarm. Miss X to cost 9,000 premature deaths ally important to recognise that edly sexually abused her and most basic of living standards.” had lived in the couple’s house per year. Under the scheme, poor quality air is one of the filmed their assaults. He added: “Baker presented as playing the role of a second vehicles will be charged £12.50 reasons why there are 9,000 When the Police Service of a Svengali fi gure, exercising con- wife to Keith Baker and was the to enter a planned “ultra-low premature deaths in London Northern Ireland rescued the trol on three women based on his mother to four of his eight chil- emissions zone” (ULEZ) around each year, more than 40,000 woman in 2012 they found she dominance, willingness to resort dren. The other four children the city centre. premature deaths across the UK was severely emaciated and had to violence and total immorality.” belong to Caroline Baker. Diesel cars more than four and children having defective only one tooth left. The victim The trial heard that after the A crown lawyer described the years old in April 2019 and pet- lungs, plus adults suff ering poor suffered from severe learning police raided the pair’s home, Bakers’ home as a “a grossly un- rol cars more than 13 years old health.” difficulties, the court was told. specialist offi cers examined conventional household”. will face the charge 24 hours a Last week, Khan joined his The PSNI said the only toi- Keith Baker’s computer and Keith and Caroline Baker day. Private buses, coaches and counterparts from Paris and let the woman had access to at found hundreds of indecent im- originally denied all charges. trucks failing to meet emissions Seoul to launch an initiative to the couple’s home in Craigavon, ages of the abused woman. However, last October Keith standards will have to pay £100. rate the most polluting vehi- County Armagh, was overflow- PSNI offi cers also found videos Baker admitted the rape and “The air in London is lethal and cles in a bid to keep them off the ing with human waste. shot by Keith Baker showing him assault of the woman over an I will not stand by and do noth- roads of their cities. Keith Baker, 61, was sen- and his wife sexually assaulting eight-year period. ing,” Khan said. The aim of the “Air’volution” tenced at Craigavon crown their victim. Inside the property His wife admitted helping London mayor, Sadiq Khan, attends an environment and emissions The ULEZ will have the same scheme is to help drivers to court yesterday to 15 years in offi cers discovered a CCTV cam- him and indecently assaulting policy launch event to outline plans for imposing a levy on the most boundary as the current con- avoid buying the most harmful jail and a further five years on era inside the woman’s room. the woman herself. polluting vehicles in London yesterday. gestion charge zone, where ve- diesel vans and cars. Gulf Times 18 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 BRITAIN Fraudster ordered to repay £14mn gets debt written off

London Evening Standard it involved “money which enjoyed what HM Revenue and court hearings, the fi rst at the Committee, which recently million-pound VAT fraudsters?” which the off ender was let off London should have paid for hospitals Customs called “the lifestyle of High Court and the second at investigated law enforcement The Standard discovered the entire outstanding balance. or schools” being “diverted into an international playboy”. Southwark crown court, which efforts to recover proceeds of the decision after submitting Khan’s case involved the biggest the pockets of a group of dishon- After Khan, 44, was given a were both held in private. Nei- crime, said: “It is simply not a Freedom of Information re- write-off — and he was also the VAT fraudster who was est people”. £14mn confi scation order by a ther hearing was publicised on good enough for HM Revenue quest to the CPS seeking details only off ender who had failed to ordered to repay £14mn Khan, the former partner judge at Southwark crown court, the court case list for the rele- and Customs to publicly pa- of off enders who were granted repay a penny. Athat he cheated from of Holby City and Footballers’ tax offi cials vowed to recover “as vant date. That meant the public rade the good news of a £14mn a Certifi cate of Inadequacy in The CPS initially claimed that taxpayers has had his debt writ- Wives star Laila Rouass, used his much as possible for the UK tax- and the media had no notice of compensation order but pri- 2016. “these hearings aren’t kept se- ten off after striking a deal with share of the profi ts to buy luxury payer” . But the Crown Prosecu- the case and were unable to hear vately bury the bad news of These allow all or part of a cret”. It was later forced to admit prosecutors, the Standard re- properties in Chelsea, Putney, tion Service has agreed to let him the justifi cation for the prosecu- failing to recover any taxpay- criminal’s debt to be cancelled neither had been listed and that vealed. Gibraltar and Spain. off the sum on the grounds that tors’ decision. ers’ money. on the basis that the off ender is both were held behind closed Londoner Nasir Khan was He also bought a yacht and he is too poor to repay a single MPs reacted angrily yester- “Even council tax non-payers unable to pay. The CPS response doors as prosecutors, Khan’s jailed in 2011 for his part in a cars including a Ferrari, a Lam- penny. day. David Burrowes, a mem- don’t get the comfort of a private revealed 16 certifi cates were is- lawyers and the judge agreed the £250mn scam. A court heard borghini and a Bentley as he The deal was agreed at two ber of the Home Affairs Select hearing so why should multi- sued last year, including 11 in deal. May wades Royals meet Pope into Cadbury egg hunt row

Guardian News and Media could be further from the truth. London We host a huge programme of events, activities and walks to bring families together to cel- heresa May has con- ebrate this very special time of demned the National year. A casual glance at our web- TTrust for omitting the site will see dozens of references word “Easter” from its annual to Easter throughout.” children’s egg hunt, saying she The trust said Cadbury had was furious both as the daughter been running its Easter egg of a vicar and as a National Trust hunts for 10 years. It added: “As member. part of its wider marketing ac- Church leaders criticised the tivity at Easter, Cadbury will National Trust for “airbrushing” always lead on the branding and Christianity out of its chocolate wording for its campaigns.” egg hunt, after a rebrand led to Cadbury said: “It is simply not the renaming of the “Easter Egg true to claim that Easter does not Trail” as the “Great British Egg feature in our marketing com- Hunt”. munications or on our products. Pope Francis meets with Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during a private audience at the Vatican yesterday. In a surprisingly robust re- It is clear to see that within our sponse, the prime minister said communications we visibly state it was wrong to have scrapped the word Easter. It is included a any mention of the Christian number of times across promo- festival. tional materials, including our “I’m not just a vicar’s daugh- website easter.cadbury.co.uk ter, I’m a member of the National and even embossed on many of Trust as well,” she told ITV dur- the eggs themselves. ing a visit to Amman, Jordan. “I “Our Easter egg packaging think the stance they have taken also carries the word Easter and is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t these products are only avail- Labour providing ‘zero’ know what they are thinking able at this special time of year. about frankly.” Our Easter partnership with the Cadbury, which sponsors the National Trust is also synony- event, told the Telegraph it had mous with Easter, and we make also wanted the event to ap- it clear throughout materials peal to non-Christians, saying: that it is an egg hunt, for fami- “We invite people from all faiths lies, at Easter. opposition, claims Blair and none to enjoy our seasonal “We want to reassure con- treats.” sumers of our commitment to Guardian News and Media the Labour MPs Ruth Smeeth Asked how Labour could re- new ways of communication.” arguments for Brexit, according However, the prime minister Easter, which is very prominent London and Wes Streeting for Progress main relevant, Blair replied: In his fi rst major interven- to Blair. said the National Trust had not within our activity. We will con- magazine. Blair said that the “Urgency – because politics tion since the referendum, Blair “They’re not driving this bus understood the importance of tinue to use ‘Easter’ prominently current incarnation of the party moves faster today and Brexit declared in February that it was – they’re being driven,” he said. the festival. “Easter’s very im- in our commercial campaigns as ony Blair has accused La- under Jeremy Corbyn’s leader- ... it’s the defi ning moment in his mission to persuade the UK “We will trigger Article 50 not portant. It’s important to me,” we do now and in the future.” bour of failing the Brit- ship was putting principle before British history. to stay in the EU, calling for ‘re- because we now know our des- she said. “It’s a very important The row comes as the Church Tish people by not being power and that Labour has only “We have to say: the govern- main’ supporters to “rise up in tination, but because the politics festival for the Christian faith of England is increasingly con- an eff ective opposition as he won “when it has been at the ment’s got a mandate to nego- defence of what we believe”. of not doing so would alienate for millions across the world. So cerned about the marginalisa- slammed the “ultra-left” take- cutting edge of modernity”. tiate Brexit, but we’re going to “The people voted without those driving the bus. The sur- I think what the National Trust tion of religion in the public over of the party. A lurch to the left between hold them to account that it’s knowledge of the true terms of real nature of the exercise is en- is doing is frankly just ridicu- sphere. Last month, the church “Ask yourself one simple 1979 and 1983 had “cratered the not going to damage jobs, that Brexit,” he said. “As these terms hanced by the curious absence lous.” condemned a European court question,” he said. “In the prime Labour party”, the former prime it’s not going to damage the become clear, it is their right to of a big argument as to why this The archbishop of York said of justice ruling that allowed minister’s offi ce, in Tory high minister said. economy.” change their mind. Our mission continues to be a good idea.” the decision to omit “Easter” employers to ban workers from command, how much of their “I don’t want to depress you, His latest comments follow is to persuade them to do so.” Blair’s position contrasts from the egg hunt was “tanta- wearing religious symbols or time do they spend worrying but there is a big diff erence be- an attack on Labour in February While he was forming an in- sharply with that of Corbyn, mount to spitting on the grave of clothing at work. about the prospect of a Labour tween the 80s and now. In the in which he accused a “debili- stitute to make the case against who took the decision to or- (John) Cadbury” – the chocolate Arun Arora, the church’s di- victory at the present time? I 1980s, the ultra-left never took tated” party of allowing Brexit to “Brexit at any cost”, Blair denied der his MPs to vote in favour of company’s founder. rector of communications, said: would guess zero. control. They tried but they happen. “I hate to say that, but he was considering creating a the government’s Brexit bill in The National Trust said: “It’s “In a pluralistic society, the “We’ve got to make them wake failed. The moment when Denis it is true,” he said. “What this new centrist political party. February. Four shadow cabinet nonsense to suggest the Na- church – along with everyone up every morning and fear us.” Healey beat Tony Benn was the means is that we have to build It was necessary to raise the ministers resigned so they could tional Trust is downplaying the else – should have a stall in the The former leader’s comments moment when the Labour party a movement which stretches alarm about the “jumble of con- be among the 47 Labour MPs to signifi cance of Easter. Nothing marketplace for its ideas.” were made in an interview with was saved.” across party lines, and devise tradictions” in Theresa May’s vote against Brexit. Police pay burglar’s Honoured Poet evicted from £2.8mn Belgravia fl at

£45,000 phone bill London Evening Standard disruption well beyond that London which is regarded as reasonable in this crowded city,” he said. Guardian News and Media Details released under a free- Tracey Martin, the director “Unfortunately for Landor, if London dom of information (FoI) request of fi nance and resources, said: n elderly poet who en- it looks like a duck and quacks showed that the Orange mobile “North Wales police will occa- raged her neighbours by like a duck, the chances are very sim card was used for a number sionally use inexpensive pay-as- Ausing her £2.8mn Bel- high that it is indeed a duck. I police force paid a of months in 2014 and the bills, you-go mobile phones to main- gravia fl at as a bohemian bed am quite satisfi ed that in every £45,000 bill run up by a which totalled £44,500, were tain contact with vulnerable and breakfast has been ordered meaningful sense it was indeed Aburglar after it gave him paid monthly. victims of crime and off enders to leave by a judge. a business...dedicated to sup- a mobile phone to help him get The burglar was not given a to integrate them back into the Linda Marinelli Landor, 81, an plementing her very meagre back on the straight and narrow. smart phone but removed the community. internationally known poet un- income and thereby allowing The phone was handed to the sim card from the simple device “This is done through our in- der her pen name Jessica D’Este, her to maintain a style of liv- off ender from Anglesey in north and put it into one that he then tegrated off ender management rented the apartment overlook- ing which she enjoys and enjoys Wales while he was on bail as used to stream video and music. unit which works with off enders ing Westminster Cathedral to sharing with others.” part of a scheme to reintegrate A police spokesperson said: who are subject to court or pris- a string of artists and writers, Landor moved into the criminals into the community. “Establishing what websites were on licences and also with those saying she considered the home apartment in Ashley Gar- But he was given a contract actually visited or data down- who are not currently subject to to be an “art installation”. dens with her surgeon hus- sim rather than a pay-as-you-go loaded is no longer possible.” probation supervision. But her neighbours com- band more than 40 years ago. and North Wales police was left In its FoI response, the force “A phone allows two-way plained about loud parties that However, she has been forced with the huge bill. said it occasionally used “inex- communications between the set chandeliers swinging on out after the freehold own- Police launched a criminal pensive pay-as-you-go mobile off ender and the support agen- the fl oor below and the regular ers, Ashley Gardens Freeholds investigation after receiving the phones to maintain contact with cies to provide encouragement sound of guests wheeling suit- Ltd, said that by advertising it bill and fi nding that three people vulnerable victims of crime and and to keep the individual on cases on the marble fl oors. on Airbnb she had breached a may have used the phone. Two off enders to integrate them back track for the benefi t of the com- Landor denied renting the clause in her lease which says it were arrested and interviewed into the community”. munity as a whole. fl at out as a B&B business. But must be a single family home. but no charges were brought. The force said a phone al- “Unfortunately on this occa- judge Damien Lochrane said Interior designer Mary The force did not say what the lowed offi cials to encourage the sion a contract phone was mis- she must sell within six months Drummond, 62, who lives in phone had been used for. individual to stay on track. North takenly given and then misused. or face losing everything when the fl at below, told of late- North Wales police said no dis- Wales police said it had not paid The situation was dealt with as Prince Philip presents singer Kylie Minogue with the the apartment lease is taken night “soirees” which included ciplinary action had been taken any other criminals’ phone bills. soon as it came to light in 2014 Britain-Australia Society Award for 2016 during a private from her. “I am satisfi ed that music recitals and on one oc- against any member of staff and It said he was from the town of and we have since improved our audience in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, Landor’s neighbours have had casion fl amenco dancing, tell- it had reviewed and tightened up Llangefni but would not give fur- procedures to ensure that it can’t in Windsor. to endure over very many years ing the court she regularly ex- its mobile phone policy. ther details about the off ender. happen again.” considerable levels of noise and claimed: “Jessica’s at it again.” Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 19 EUROPE

Germany demands Turkey Russian metro bomber release jailed was ‘from Kyrgyztan’ reporter Reuters an interest in Islam as well as ism, but there was no offi cial They said his father worked Osh, Kyrgyzstan/Saint Petersburg, pop music and martial arts but confi rmation of any link to Is- as a panel-beater in a car repair Russia no obvious links to militants. lamist radicals. shop. Reuters His uncle, Eminzhon Jalilov, Russian Foreign Minister Ser- “They are a very good fam- Istanbul told Reuters by telephone that gei Lavrov said it was cynical to ily. Always friendly, never ar- Russian suicide bomber his nephew was a mosque-at- say the bombing in Saint Peters- gue. And they have good kids,” originally from mainly tending Muslim, but that he was burg was revenge for Russia’s one of the neighbours, Mirkomil German-Turkish journal- AMuslim Kyrgyzstan deto- “not a fanatic”. role in Syria. Akhmadaliyev, told Reuters. ist whose arrest in Turkey nated the explosives in a Saint The explosion in the middle He said the attack showed Later in the day Jalilov’s Ahas jolted relations be- Petersburg train carriage that of Monday afternoon occurred that Moscow needed to press on mother appeared but refused to tween Ankara and Berlin is do- killed 14 people and wounded when the train was in a tunnel with its fi ght against global ter- speak to reporters, saying that ing well in prison but Germany 50, authorities said yesterday. deep underground, amplifying rorism. she needed to retrieve some- is pushing for his release, Ger- The suspect had radical Is- the force of the blast. A page on social media site thing and hurry back to a secu- man Deputy Foreign Minister lamist links, Russian media The carriage door was blown VKontakte, the Russian equiva- rity service offi ce. Michael Roth said after consular cited law enforcement offi cials off , and witnesses described lent of Facebook, belonging to Osh is part of the Fergana offi cials visited him. as saying, raising the possibility seeing injured passengers with someone with the same name Valley, a fertile strip of land Turkish authorities arrested that Monday’s attack could have bloodied and blackened bodies. and year of birth as Jalilov, in- that straddles Kyrgyzstan, Uz- Deniz Yucel, who holds both been inspired by Islamic State State investigative authorities cluded photos of him relaxing bekistan and Tajikistan which is German and Turkish citizenship, (IS), which has not struck a ma- said fragments of the body of the with friends in a bar, smoking mainly populated by ethnic Uz- in February on charges of propa- jor city in Russia before. suspect had been found among Representatives of European consulates lay flowers yesterday in from a hookah pipe. beks. ganda in support of a terrorist So far, no-one has claimed re- the dead, indicating that he was honour of the victims of the blast outside the Technological Institute He was dressed in jackets and It has a tradition of Islamist organisation and inciting public sponsibility for the blast. a suicide bomber. metro station in Saint Petersburg. a baseball cap. radicalism and hundreds of peo- violence. Kyrgyz offi cials identifi ed the “From the genetic evidence A Reuters reporter visited a ple have set out from the area to Yucel denies the charges. suspect as Akbarzhon Jalilov, and the surveillance cameras where Moscow’s forces have ings elsewhere in Europe. house in Osh, southern Kyr- join IS in Syria and Iraq. Describing the case as “one of born in the city of Osh in 1995, there is reason to believe that the been supporting troops loyal If it is confi rmed that the met- gyzstan, which neighbours said A blast at a nightclub in Istan- the big tests of German-Turkish and Russian offi cials confi rmed person behind the terrorist act in to President Bashar al-Assad ro bomber was linked to radical was the family home of Jalilov. bul on New Year’s Eve that killed relations”, Roth spoke to report- his identity, saying that he had the train carriage was the same against Western-backed armed Islamists, it could provoke anger The home, a modest but well- 39 people involved a suspect ers after talking to a lawyer from also left a bomb found at another one who left a bag with an ex- groups as well as the hardline IS among some Russians at Mos- maintained one-storey brick from the same part of central the German consulate who had metro station before it went off . plosive device at the Ploshchad which grew out of the confl ict. cow’s decision to intervene in building, was empty. Asia. visited Yucel in prison in Istan- Biographical details pieced Vosstaniya station,” they said in The Islamic State, which is Syria, a year before an election Neighbours said Jalilov was The bomber in that attack said bul yesterday. together from social media and a statement. now under attack by all sides in which President Vladimir Putin from a family of ethnic Uzbeks, he had been acting under the di- “Mr Yucel is, given the cir- Russian offi cials suggested Jal- Russia has been on alert Syria’s multi-faceted war, has is expected to win. and that while they knew his rection of IS militants in Syria. cumstances, doing well. What ilov was an fairly typical young against attacks in reprisal for its repeatedly threatened revenge Offi cials said they were treat- parents, they had not seen the Jalilov’s uncle said his nephew remains a burden for him is the Saint Petersburg resident with military intervention in Syria, and been linked to recent bomb- ing the blast as an act of terror- young man for years. moved to Russia in 2012. solitary confi nement,” said Roth, who thanked Turkish authorities for allowing consular offi cials to meet Yucel after they had denied access for weeks. “But this can’t be the end for Hungary passes law ‘aimed’ Greeks us,” Roth added. “We are still pushing for the release of Deniz Yucel.” protest Yucel faces up to 10-1/2 years at Soros-founded university in jail if convicted. Relations between Turkey more and Germany have been fur- Reuters ther strained following bans on Budapest planned rallies by Turkish min- pension isters in Germany to drum up support for Turkish President ungary has approved a Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead new law that could force cuts of an April 16 referendum on Ha university founded boosting his powers. by fi nancier George Soros out Erdogan has repeatedly lashed of the country despite protests Reuters out at European countries, in- against the plan in Budapest Athens Pensioners march in central Athens during their protest yesterday cluding Germany and the Neth- and condemnation abroad. against pension cuts and changes in the tax system. erlands, in campaigning for the Prime Minister Viktor Orban, referendum, accusing them of a critic of liberal civil organisa- housands of elderly was elected to offi ce in 2015. €650 during the crisis, and now, “Nazi-like” tactics for banning tions funded by Soros, said last Greeks protested peace- “Tsipras has betrayed us,” he says, he fi nancially supports his ministers from speaking to week that the Central European Tfully yesterday against said Stelios Vitzilaios as he two children and grandchildren. rallies of Turkish voters abroad. University (CEU) had violated more pension cuts, as cash- marched with about another Greece has agreed to cut pen- Stressing that Nazi compari- regulations in awarding diplo- strapped Greece remained 4,000 pensioners through Ath- sion spending after its current sons were unacceptable, Roth mas, an allegation the college locked in talks with lenders on ens with the aid of a walking bailout expires in 2018. underlined the importance Ber- rejects. further austerity and unpopular stick. It has sought to implement lin attaches to the Yucel case. The law, which the govern- labour reforms. He started work at the age of the cuts gradually, over two or “This is one of the big tests of ment says is designed to ad- Pension cuts have been a reg- 14, and now takes a €550 pen- three years. German-Turkish relations, and I dress the administrative short- ular feature of austerity drives sion a month, €100 less than But Germany and the Inter- can only hope that we come to a comings of foreign universities, to ensure that fi nancial aid con- pre-crisis levels. national Monetary Fund want satisfactory solution soon,” Roth marks the latest clampdown on tinues to the indebted country. Pensioners in the country are them implemented in 2019, said. independent institutions that Greece has needed three often the sole means of support sources said. Yucel, a journalist with Ger- has seen Orban allies increase multi-billion bailouts since in a household, where a quarter Greece’s fi nance and labour man daily Die Welt, is the fi rst their infl uence over the judici- 2010 to stave off bankruptcy. of the workforce is jobless. ministers were due to fl y to German reporter to be held in a ary, the media and the central Greece is now negotiat- Several said their pensions Brussels for consultations with widespread crackdown that has bank. ing new cuts to keep its latest were fi nancially supporting lenders, hoping to wrap up a followed the failed July 15 coup in US and European leaders €86bn ($91.54bn) bailout. unemployed adult members long-delayed bailout review Turkey and frequently targeted have spoken out in defence of They would represent the of their family and that they that will unlock more aid before the media. the university and of academic 12th reduction in pensions in scrimped on food. repayments loom this summer. More than 100,000 people freedom in general. seven years, a controversial is- “We have cut everything. We One placard summed up the have been sacked or suspended After the law was passed in sue for Prime Minister Alexis only eat beans,” said Triainos mood at yesterday’s demon- from Turkey’s police, military, parliament, thousands of stu- Tsipras, whose Syriza party Softsis, 82. stration: “Don’t slash pensions. civil service and private sector dents, professors and civilians vowed to fi ght austerity when it His €800 pension was cut to Go slash your throats.” since the failed coup and tens of held a rally, surrounding the thousands arrested. central blocks in downtown Bu- Students and teachers of the CEU and their sympathisers protest Ankara says the measures are dapest that are also home to the in front of the university in Budapest. Medvedev rejects corruption allegations necessary given the security headquarters of the CEU. Russian governor threats it faces. Protesters shouted “Free The school will challenge garian institutions of higher Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev dismissed for the first charged with graft Roth said Germany wanted to country, free university” and the law’s constitutionality and learning.” time allegations of corruption made against him by opposition restore its relationship with Tur- held up banners saying “Veto”, mount an international cam- The new law sets several re- leader Alexei Navalny, which sparked nationwide protests. The head of Russia’s Udmurtia key to one marked by trust and referring to the new legislation. paign to convince Orban’s gov- quirements that could force the Speaking to journalists yesterday after meetings with the agricul- region Alexander Solovyov has co-operation, adding: “At the Orban’s human aff airs minis- ernment to reverse course, CEU CEU to leave Hungary. ture industry in central Russia, Medvedev said that claims he con- been arrested for allegedly taking moment we are going through a ter told parliament earlier that rector Michael Ignatieff told a Under the law, foreign uni- trolled a vast property empire were “malarkey” that somebody bribes, the country’s Investigative stormy period but we are not go- institutions backed by Soros press conference. versities must have campuses had paid to make into a “quality product”. Committee said yesterday. ing to be deterred from talking were trying to undermine the Ignatieff spoke from Wash- in Budapest and their home He said it had been done “to try to pull people out into the streets Solovyov, 67, who has governed and keeping up ties.” government. ington, DC, where he is meet- country. and reach political ends”. the region in the Volga area east “The organisations of George ing lawmakers and government The CEU operates in Buda- Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner who plans to stand in of Moscow since 2014, was taken Soros operating in Hungary and members, including Deputy pest but is the only interna- presidential elections next year, issued a detailed video report to the Russian capital to face around the world are just such Secretary of State Thomas tional college with no overseas last month alleging that Medvedev was the ultimate owner of an charges, the committee said. pseudo-civilian agents, and Shannon. branch. array of luxurious properties managed through obscure founda- Solovyov is suspected of taking we are committed to stamping “We will respectfully ask the Foreign universities can tions. as much as 139mn roubles out such activity,” Zoltan Balog president of Hungary to exer- henceforth only award degrees “This character openly says that ‘everyone is horrible, choose (€2.3mn) in bribes between said. cise his constitutional respon- in Hungary if its government me for president’,” Medvedev said in televised remarks, referring 2014 and 2016 from companies The CEU, founded in Bu- sibility (regarding) the legisla- and, in the CEU’s case, the to Navalny. “For that he drags people out to the streets, often seeking contracts to build Roth at the news conference dapest in 1991, has 1,400 stu- tion,” he said. “In the fi ght to United States sign an accord on minors, which is practically a crime, making them hostages of his bridges and licences to operate at the German consulate after dents. save CEU we are fi ghting for the the matter within six months of political programme.” gravel pits. visiting Yucel at Silivri prison. It said it operated lawfully. academic freedom of all Hun- the law taking eff ect. 14 migrants hurt after car chase Long prison terms sought for Turkish opposition daily journalists Fourteen migrants were injured yesterday when a van they were in crashed into a highway safety AFP The journalists, most of Its former editor-in-chief blamed for the July 2016 failed the paper’s current editor-in- movement who wrote a book barrier during a police car chase Istanbul whom have been held in jail for Can Dundar was last year hand- coup. chief Murat Sabuncu, commen- hugely critical of its operations, in Belgium, prosecutors said. the last fi ve months, are accused ed a fi ve-year-and-10-month It also accuses the paper of tator Kadri Gursel, writer Ahmet up to 15. Five of the seriously wounded, of membership of a banned “ter- jail term and has now fl ed Turkey cooperating with the outlawed Sik, cartoonist Musa Kart, and Since their arrest, Cumhuriyet who include two minors, are urkish prosecutors said ror group” and aiding outlawed for Germany over a front-page Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Dundar himself. has continued to keep the sec- in a critical condition, Belgian yesterday that they were organisations. story accusing the government as well as ultra-leftist militants. Prosecutors want Sabuncu tions of the jailed columnists prosecutors said in a statement. Tseeking jail terms of up Turkey’s oldest national daily, of sending weapons to Syria. The newspaper has rubbished and Gursel to face up to 15 years but with a blank space as they Police first spotted the vehicle to 43 years for 19 journalists and the staunchly secular Cumhuri- The indictment by Istanbul the allegations, saying that it has in jail if found guilty while the are not allowed to write while in early yesterday, driving on the employees of opposition daily yet daily has been a thorn in Er- prosecutors, which has taken been critical of Gulen’s group paper’s chairman Akin Atalay prison. wrong side of the road about Cumhuriyet, in a case that has dogan’s side in recent months as fi ve months to produce, accuses even before the coup bid. faces up to 43 years, according to According to the P24 press 40km south of Brussels, and a car intensifi ed concerns over press the president seeks to expand his Cumhuriyet of being under the Those held under arrest in- the indictment. freedom website, there are 141 chase ensued. freedom under President Recep powers in an April 16 referen- control since 2013 of Fethullah clude some of the biggest names Kart faces up to 29 years and journalists behind bars in Tur- All the victims were illegal Tayyip Erdogan. dum. Gulen, the US-based preacher in Turkish journalism, including Sik, an expert on the Gulen key. migrants to Belgium. Gulf Times 20 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 INDIA

STANCE AVIATION PEOPLE BRAVERY WILDLIFE India snubs US off er to Team to identify land Actor Vinod Khanna Women fight off armed New tree-living crab de-escalate Pak tensions for Sabarimala airport admitted to hospital robbers at Gurugram bank species found in Kerala

The government yesterday snubbed the US’ off er The Kerala government yesterday formed Veteran actor Vinod Khanna was The police yesterday released CCTV footage A new species of long-legged crab living on to help de-escalate tensions with Pakistan, saying a three-member team to identify the land hospitalised in Mumbai yesterday due to showing two women fighting off armed trees and substantially diff erent from other that its position on bilateral redressal of all issues where an airport can be built near the severe dehydration, his son said. “He was men and helping avert a bank robbery in congeners has been discovered in regions between the two neighbours has not changed. Sabarimala temple. According to government hospitalised on Friday for severe dehydration. Gurugram. Vimla Devi (45) and Poonam (28), of the Western Ghats in Kerala, scientists “The government’s position for bilateral redressal sources, the team, led by additional chief The situation was quickly brought under employees of State Bank of India’s money said. The new species - Kani maranjandu of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free secretary (revenue) P H Kurian, has been control, he’s doing much better and the transfer branch in Badshahpur, overpowered - is named after the Kani tribesmen in of terror and violence hasn’t changed,” ministry asked to submit the report in two weeks. doctors are looking to discharge him soon,” Deepak (25) and Mohit (25) after they Kerala, who helped discover the tree crab. of external aff airs spokesperson Gopal Baglay Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had son Rahul Khanna said yesterday. Rahul, tried to loot the bank. The footage showed Maranjandu is the local Malayalee name for said. The reaction came after Nikki Haley, the US received an informal sanction to build an who is also an actor, added that the family the thieves entering the bank on Monday tree crab. The discovery is very important Permanent Representative to the US Permanent airport near the temple town from Union Civil is “touched by all the good wishes pouring afternoon and pulling out pistols from a bag. in the context of the conservation of the Representative to the UN, said on Monday that Aviation Minister Anand Gajapathi Raju in in”. The actor, who is a sitting Bharatiya They tried to take on Vimla and Poonam at Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot as the US was concerned about the state of India- November last year. Raju has assured Vijayan Janata Party MP from Gurdaspur district of gun point. At the time of the incident, the they can serve as ecological indicators, Pakistan relations and President Trump might that the preliminary no-objection certificate Punjab, was admitted to the Sir H N Reliance women were alone in the branch. Instead of reflecting the health of the ecosystem, get involved in a peace process between the two for the airport would be issued once the land Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in surrendering, they snatched the pistols and according to Biju Kumar from the countries. for the project is identified. Girgaon, Mumbai. raised an alarm. University of Kerala.

UP waives Rs363bn Govt dismisses farm loans

IANS Lucknow China objection

he Uttar Pradesh govern- ment yesterday cleared a TRs363.59bn proposal al- lowing waiver of loans for mar- ginal and small farmers in the on Dalai Lama’s state. The decision was taken at the first Cabinet meeting of the BJP government, presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adity- anath. Arunachal visit Briefi ng the media after the meeting, Health Minister Sid- IANS “additional colour” should be showing him meeting the Dalai dharth Nath Singh said the New Delhi/Beijing given to his visit starting from Lama, and thanked him for de- promise made by Prime Minis- April 5. ciding to travel by road to Ta- ter Narendra Modi and Bharati- Reacting to the visit, the Chi- wang. Khandu was accompanied ya Janata Party president Amit ndo-China diplomatic ten- nese foreign ministry told Efe by BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal. Shah during assembly polls to sions rose afresh over the news: “The 14th Dalai Lama is From Bomdila, the Dalai Lama farmers of the state had been IDalai Lama’s visit to Aru- an anti-China separatist who will visit Dirang, Lumla and Ta- fulfi lled. nachal Pradesh, with New Delhi has long lived in exile following a wang during his over seven-day He added that of the total yesterday asserting that no polit- failed armed rebellion by the re- trip to Arunachal Pradesh. 23mn farmers in Uttar Pradesh, ical motive should be attributed actionary group of high-ranking The state holds a special sig- 92.5% or 21.5mn were small and to the visit and asking Beijing not feudal serf owners in Tibet in nifi cance for the Tibetan leader, marginal. to interfere in its internal aff airs. March 1959.” as it was the fi rst territory - then The waiver by the state gov- Beijing in a fresh salvo called the North East Frontier ernment applies to loans taken slammed the Dalai Lama as an “The Dalai Lama’s Region - in India he entered by these farmers against seeds for “anti-China separatist” and at- Arunachal Pradesh visit while fl eeing Chinese troops in wheat and paddy crops, besides tacked New Delhi for indirectly will be confi ned only to 1959 before moving to Dharam- pesticides and fertilisers. supporting the Tibetan leader. religious matters. He is not sala, where he now resides. In all, the amount which is Union Minister of State for there to make any political Asserting that Arunachal being waived comes to a total of Home, Kiren Rijiju, who is from statement and he is not Pradesh is not a disputed terri- Rs307.29bn, the minister said. Arunachal Pradesh, said no po- there with any political tory, Rijiju said: “We have certain The waiver would apply to loan litical motive should be attrib- agenda” issues with regard to delineation amounts of Rs100,000. uted to Dalai Lama’s trip. “India of the boundary on the spots, on Singh added that there were has always been non-interfering “The Chinese government is the ground along McMahon Line around 700,000 farmers who in the neighbours’ internal af- resolutely opposed to any coun- because it is not being demar- defaulted on loans taken and now fairs,” Rijiju told reporters in New try’s support and facilitation cated on the ground. That is why bore the non-performing asset Delhi. “We expect the same from for the 14th Dalai group’s anti- there is a talk between the special tag. our neighbours,” he added. China separatist activities,” read representatives of India and Chi- The government has also de- “The Dalai Lama’s Arunachal the statement without alluding na and the people of Arunachal cided to write off all their loans, Pradesh visit will be confi ned directly to India. Pradesh hope that an amicable amounting to Rs56.30bn. only to religious matters. He is Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama solution can be reached in the In all, the loan waiver amount not there to make any political arrived by road in Bomdila, foreseeable future.” cleared by the state cabinet is to statement and he is not there Arunachal Pradesh, after in- China in March said ties with the tune of Rs363.59bn, he said. with any political agenda,” the clement weather forced him to India would be hit if New Delhi Singh noted that since the state minister added. call off the scheduled visit by allowed the Dalai Lama to visit was bound by the law on fi scal Rijiju, who is scheduled to go helicopter. Arunachal Pradesh, which is discipline which puts a condition to Arunachal Pradesh to meet the The Tibetan spiritual leader claimed by Beijing as part of to cap fi scal defi cit to under 3% Dalai Lama today said India has “arrived safely in Tenzingang South Tibet. of the GDP, the state would raise never questioned China’s sover- Tibetan settlement, Bomdila, China’s foreign ministry funds for the loan waiver through eignty and “has respectfully ad- Arunachal Pradesh”, the Tibetan spokesperson Geng Shuang said a ‘Kisan Relief Bond’. hered to the one-China policy”. Central Administration said in a China was strictly opposed to the Modalities of this bond are “We expect China should also statement. visit. being worked out and it would not interfere in our internal mat- In Bomdila, the Dalai Lama Geng said India knew the be cleared during the forthcom- ters,” he added. was received by Arunachal sensitivity of the border issue ing budget session of the state Rijiju’s comment came as the Pradesh Chief Minister Pema between both countries and al- assembly, he added. The loan ministry of external aff airs said Khandu, and members of the Ti- lowing the Dalai Lama to visit waiver would apply to all banks, Children from the Monpa tribe wait for the Dalai Lama at the Thubchog Gatsel Ling monastery in the Dalai Lama has visited the betan community. Arunachal Pradesh would dam- including co-operative banks. Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh, yesterday. state six times earlier and no Khandu later posted a tweet age its ties with China. A goon in MP’s clothing can’t be anything but... Next time you fl y make sure will have to fl y economy and if he it upgraded from the economy limited that may be. So much so have joined hands with Air India in you have adequate insur- wanted to use his business class class tickets that he, as a mem- that a government job has much putting Gaikwad on a “no fl y” list. “ance cover against attacks ticket for the same, that was his ber of parliament, was entitled lure not for the pay packet but for The man has not tried to fl y out of by MPs/MLAs and sundry politi- prerogative. Several passengers do Delhi Diary for free. (Each MP is entitled to the perks. the country yet, so we don’t know cians.” “Air India and other com- forgo the privilege of the business 32 free “air journeys” along “with In a sense Air India too suff ers what international carriers would mercial airlines are considering class when they have appoint- By A K B Krishnan the spouse or any number of from this malady. The steadfast do in case he books a seat with any asking CISF to ban passengers ments to keep. companions or relatives”, which resistance to privatisation de- of them. The aviation ministry from wearing shoes and slip-ons. It was an uneventful fl ight un- Gulf Times Correspondent means 64 tickets, during the spite the airline being an inexo- itself is said to be contemplating From now on the journey of a til it landed in Delhi. When other course of one year.) rable drain on public exchequer rules for a ‘no-fl y’ list. thousand miles begins with a sin- passengers fell in line and made Please note that I had used the is mainly because of the secu- That may be so but political gle barefoot step!” their way to the exit, Gaikwad But what to do with a man, a and rained blows on Sukumar, as word “entitled” twice in the pre- rity that a government job entails. parties on both sides of the aisle These are two of the more continued to occupy his seat. senior politician and a college many as 25 times by Gaikwad’s ceding paragraph. The Oxford From this fl ows the lethargy and have shown reluctance in con- mirthful social media messages Everyone had disembarked ex- professor at that, who makes a own admission. Nobody checked tome says ‘entitlement’ is a “just lassitude that often manifests in demning one of their own. There that have been going around ever cept the politician. The cabin had demand that is far beyond the pay what kind of slip-ons he had but it claim”. No doubt, it is. However, delayed and even cancelled fl ights have been muted protests from since Shiv Sena member of par- to be vacuumed and prepared for grade of simple cabin crew? The is safe to assume it must be of high for every word there are diff er- putting fare-paying customers in low-ranked spokespersons from liament, Ravindra Gaikwad, took the next fl ight and in these days best they could do was call the quality leather -imported, if you ent shades and interpretations. untold misery. both the ruling Bharatiya Janata matters into his own hands and of cut-throat competition among duty manager. This they did and would - and, therefore, must have So entitlement also means “the When confronted by media Party (BJP) and the main oppo- decided to teach an elderly Air airlines this is a chore that has to the man, R Sukumar, rushed to had a stinging impact on the poor belief that one is inherently de- why he assaulted a government sition Congress Party. All that India employee his station in life. be done with the least amount of the aircraft to pacify the agitated Air India staff er. serving of privileges or special employee trying to do his job, MP Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok (CISF, by the way, expands to delay. politician. Imagine a scenario where peo- treatment”. Gaikwad cleverly tried to sidestep Gajapati Raju would say is it was Central Industrial Security Force When the cabin crew pointed Sukumar is fairly senior, in fact ple start beating up cabin crew or In the case of India’s politicians, the question by highlighting Air an “unfortunate” incident. which is in charge of airport secu- out to him that the cleaning staff he is retired and has been drafted ground staff or the pilot because especially of the variety which India’s many shortcomings. Un- It must however be said that rity in India.) could start their work only after back on duty on contract basis. their service did not match up to Gaikwad belongs to, this latter in- der any other circumstance his Raju has given a free hand to Air The story is very simple, Gaik- he disembarked, Gaikwad told But Gaikwad is not one to respect their expectations. It is nobody’s terpretation is all there is to it. The fulminations against the national India to take whatever action it wad, the MP from Osmanabad in them he was in no mood to oblige. grey hair. There was no way he case that Air India’s service, be- “VIP culture” in India has bred a carrier would have carried weight, deemed fi t against the erring MP, Maharashtra, was holding Air In- “Get me the minister for civil was going to succumb to an old fore fl ight, infl ight or afterwards, peculiar master-servant relation- but not when you beat up an eld- including fi ling a criminal com- dia’s open tickets for the business aviation and Air India chairman man when he had fended off the is the best in the industry. Far ship many times worse than feu- erly employee for doing his job. plaint and banning him from fu- class and he wanted to fl y from and I want them to personally much younger crew. from it, India’s national carrier dalism of yore. Worse because the Indians have been justifi - ture fl ights. AI chairman Ashwani Pune to Delhi to attend parlia- apologise to me for not providing Sukumar told the MP that call- has been on the wrong side of the VIP calls himself a “public serv- ably outraged by Gaikwad’s Lohani is said to be in the fore- ment. He does that almost every me business class seat.” ing the minister or chairman of news for its lackadaisical ap- ant” and expects to be treated as high-handed behaviour which, front of the action against the week. Monday to Friday he is in Every once in a while cabin the airline was simply not pos- proach to passenger comfort and the master. incidentally is of a piece with his wayward MP. the capital, weekends he spends crew encounter an unruly pas- sible and if he did want to make overall service. But apart from a While the politician is the and his party’s general attitude Ever since his grand victory in in his home state. He can aff ord senger and they know how to his protest known, he could write few instances where tempers had “fi rst among equals” in this race towards anything that does not the Uttar Pradesh assembly elec- because he is an MP. More of that handle him/her. More often than to them or call them from his own frayed, there had been no incident for VIP status, the bureaucrat, or agree with them. Describing him tions, Prime Minister Narendra in a moment. not matters are settled infl ight. phone and, if they answered, he of manhandling of staff . This, es- the ‘babu’ as he is known in local as “goon Gaikwad”, the media has Modi has been talking about a It so happened that the partic- But when the situation gets out could tell them personally his pecially beating with footwear, parlance, is not far behind. In fact, wasted no time calling for exem- “New India”. He can well get the ular fl ight - AI852 - Gaikwad had of hand, as in cases of drunk and “travails” of fl ying economy class. must be a fi rst! matters have come to such a head plary punishment for the arro- country started on that road if chosen did not have the business disorderly conduct, it is relayed That was too much for the It is also not clear if Gaikwad that every government offi cial gant, conceited parliamentarian. he were to end the VIP culture of class confi guration. Gaikwad was to the ground where the security honourable parliamentarian. He had bought the business class thinks and behaves like a VIP in All airlines in the country, other- these political and bureaucratic informed before the fl ight that he staff will take care of the rest. promptly removed his slip-ons ticket out of his own pocket or had his own area of infl uence however wise ready to run each other down, vultures. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 21

INDIA

TRAGEDY CRISIS CONTROVERSY LAW AND ORDER CRIME Man beaten up by cow Acute currency Punjab Police deny Sinha, BJP legislator Woman molested at vigilantes dies in Rajasthan shortage in Kerala Rakhi Sawant’s arrest held in Jharkhand Kolkata restro-bar

A Muslim man brutally beaten up by cow People in Kerala have been facing a severe The Punjab Police yesterday denied the arrest Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha was A woman was allegedly molested and her vigilantes in Rajasthan’s Alwar district has died shortage of currency notes for the past two of Rakhi Sawant following an arrest warrant arrested yesterday along with party legislator husband beaten up while trying to save her at from his injuries, the police said yesterday. days. State Finance Minister Thomas Issac issued by a court in Ludhiana. However, a Manish Jaiswal and 150-odd supporters in a posh restro-bar in Kolkata, police said. The Pehlu Khan, in his fifties, died late Monday yesterday said the crisis was severe and has spokesperson for the Bollywood actress said Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, after they allegedly couple lodged a complaint at the Shakespeare night in a hospital where he was admitted come to a stage that even the payment of she has surrendered. “Rakhi is with the police. tried to take out a procession. “Some security Sarani police station against three men for treatment. Khan and others were injured salaries and pensions through state treasuries She has surrendered,” spokesperson Parul men were injured when Sinha’s supporters allegedly involved in the incident. According when a mob attacked nearly 15 persons hailing was being aff ected. Large crowds gathered Chawla said from Mumbai, claiming she had a pelted them with stones. Tear gas were used to the victim, a three drunk men attacked from Haryana, while transporting cows in outside many treasuries in the state yesterday. Whatsapp conversation with the controversial to disperse the mob,” a police off icer said. The them for allegedly entering a reserved party vehicles on the Behror highway in Alwar district Close to 110 state treasuries were not able to actress. The court in Punjab had issued the former union minister had come to Mahudi zone at the central Kolkata based ‘M Bar and on Saturday, the police said. Other injured source money from the banks which supply arrest warrant after the actress failed to appear village to take out a religious procession The Kitchen’ in Park Street. “We went to M Bar as persons, whose number could not be known currency notes to them. “We have been waiting before it on March 9 in a case filed against her district administration stopped Sinha and his one of our friends invited us. But a group of immediately, were recuperating in hospital. since morning and it’s been several hours. The for allegedly making derogatory remarks and supporters from proceeding further, after men said we can’t be there as that place was Family-members of the victim met off icials who treasury off icials say they have not been able to hurting the religious sentiments of the Valmiki which he staged a sit-in. When police was previously reserved. They hit me pushed me assured them a fair investigation. No one has get adequate currency notes,” said a group of community. The case will be next heard on taking him to Hazaribagh, his supporters to the ground. Some of them even touched me been arrested so far. women pensioners in Kochi. April 10. threw stones at the police. inappropriately,” the woman alleged. Central govt Heavy rains lash Hyderabad destabilising Himachal: chief minister

IANS 2015 following the CBI’s charge- Shimla sheet dated September 23, 2015, against him, his wife Pratibha, Life Insurance Corporation agent imachal Pradesh Chief Anand Chauhan and associate Minister Virbhadra Chunni Lal, and other unknown HSingh yesterday accused persons. the central government of har- The case was registered after assing and destablising the state a preliminary inquiry found that government, alleging that cen- Singh, as union minister from tral agencies like the Enforce- 2009 to 2012, allegedly accumu- ment Directorate (ED) and the lated assets worth Rs 60.3mn, Central Bureau of Investigation which were disproportionate to Heavy rains disrupted normal life in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad yesterday evening. Although the sudden showers gave much relief from the rising (CBI) were being misused against his known sources of income. temperature, it badly hit vehicular traff ic on almost all main roads yesterday evening. The power supply remained disconnected in several areas for more than two hours. political opponents. The Himachal Pradesh Chief Terming the action being taken Minister said the farmland in against him as a “well-planned question was purchased for only conspiracy” to destroy his pub- Rs 12mn by the company Ms lic image in the run-up to the Mapple, promoted by his son assembly polls, Singh claimed Vikrmaditya. the ED was concealing facts and According to the statement, giving out a “concocted” value of Virbhadra Singh had given the assets seized by the authori- Rs9mn to his son from his per- ties in a disproportionate assets sonal account through proper Jethmalani ready to fi ght case just to “sensationalise” the banking channels and the re- matter. maining amount was paid from “The Centre had been using its his personal accrued funds. full might to harass and destab- “His family took loans lise a duly elected government amounting to Rs59mn from V and the ED and the CBI are being Chandersekhar and the amount misused to probe ‘bogus’ charg- had been paid back in full with Kejriwal case for ‘free’ es, even though nothing incrimi- interest a long time ago and ac- nating had been found so far,” counted for tax appropriately,” it IANS ley over corruption in the Delhi as one of my poor clients,” he mation suit against Kejriwal tion case was fi led by those who Singh said in a statement. said, adding that the said prop- New Delhi and District Cricket Association told the media. and other AAP leaders after feared they would be caught in Noting one could expect po- erty was purchased for Rs12mn (DDCA) when Jaitley led the or- Jethmalani said he was keen he alleged irregularities in the the probe. This is a public mat- litical opponents to distort facts but the ED had pegged its value ganisation. on cross-examining Jaitley. DDCA. ter, and not pertaining to Kejri- to derive mileage, he said it was at Rs270mn. oted lawyer Ram Jeth- “It was a case of corruption... “I will appear in the case even “There are seven defamation wal’s private property. a matter of grave concern that a “It turns out that an offi cer, malani yesterday de- Should I pay Jethmalani from if Kejriwal can’t pay,” he added. cases against him (Kejriwal) as “It is proper that the govern- responsible government agency Ajay Singh, whose wife is a BJP Nclared he will fi ght the my pocket? Let the people say: Jethmalani accused Jaitley of be- far as I know. This may total up ment bears the expenses of the was behaving in such a manner. MLA from Uttar Pradesh, was defamation case fi led by Finance should the government pay or ing behind the furore as the min- to Rs1bn. Will he make the peo- case.” The ED on Monday attached assigned the duty of assessing Minister Arun Jaitley against Kejriwal?” the Delhi chief min- ister was “afraid of my cross-ex- ple of Delhi pay the Rs1bn?” Ja- Sisodia also alleged that the Singh’s Rs272.9mn Delhi farm- Maple as assistant commissioner Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Ke- ster asked the rally. In response, amination”. vadekar asked. issue had been raised now to house in a money laundering of income tax, New Delhi... In- jriwal for free. those at the meeting raised their The BJP earlier demanded to However, Delhi Deputy Chief divert attention away from the case. stead of assessing the revenue, Jethmalani made the com- hands and chanted: “Govern- know why the public should pay Minister Manish Sisodia main- issue of faulty electronic voting The ED’s move came after the he made malafi de conclusions ments after the Bharatiya Janata ment!” for Kejriwal’s case. tained that the case Kejriwal machines (EVMs). CBI fi led a chargesheet against that the property was worth Party (BJP) denounced the Delhi A former BJP MP, Jethmalani, “Defamation cases are per- was fi ghting against Jaitley was Aam Aadmi Party leader Ash- the senior Congress leader and Rs270mn. He was supposed to government’s decision to pay said he was more keen to legally sonal cases against Kejriwal, not a public issue and not a private ish Khetan too defended the others for allegedly amassing as- assess the incomes. Now the ED a bill of Rs34mn to the lawyer fi ght Jaitley - money or no mon- against the chief minister of Del- one. Delhi government’s decision and sets worth Rs60.3mn. is using the baseless revenue as- from the public exchequer. ey. “I charge only the rich but for hi. Hence, Kejriwal should fi ght “There were allegations of said unlike “rich” Jaitley, Kejri- The ED had fi led a criminal sessment fi gure of Rs270mn to Late in the evening, Kejriwal the poor I work for free. If the these cases with personal, not corruption in DDCA. Our gov- wal was “penniless”. He accused case under the Prevention of sensationalise the matter to ma- raised the issue at an election (Delhi) government doesn’t pay public money,” Union Minister ernment formed a committee to Jaitley of making money defend- Money Laundering Act against lign and defame him (Singh),” the rally at Seemapuri in east Delhi, or he (Kejriwal) can’t pay, I will Prakash Javadekar said. probe this matter and free crick- ing “big people involved in big Virbhadra Singh and others in statement said. claiming he had taken on Jait- appear for free. (I) will treat him Jaitley in 2015 fi led a defa- et from corruption. The defama- scams”.

Torn posters spark communal tension Prime minister leads tributes

Communal tension gripped a town in to legendary singer Amonkar Bihar yesterday after religious posters were torn by anti-social elements a day ahead of the Ram Navmi festival, police IANS people for years to come,” Modi sic and even experimented, said. According to police, security forces Mumbai said in a message. innovated with the unique have been deployed in the town and Veteran singer Bharat Ratna styles. the situation is under control. Hundreds Lata Mangeshkar said she was In the late 1950s, Kishori sud- of people yesterday morning blocked large number of doyens deeply anguished to hear of denly lost her voice for some in- national highway 31 to protest and of classical music and the Amonkar’s death. explicable reason for two years, demanded action against anti-social Aentertainment indus- “She was a unique and an ex- but later bounced back with re- elements involved in tearing the posters try, admirers and others con- traordinary classical singer. Her newed vigour. in Nawada town, about 150km from here. verged yesterday to pay tribute death spells a huge loss for the In between, she married The situation took a communal colour and off er their last respects to world of music,” said Lata Man- a schoolteacher, Ravindra when some youths of another community legendary Hindustani classical geshkar. Amonkar, and the couple had pelted stones at those demonstrating singer Kishori Amonkar, who Others to tweet condolences two sons. Her husband died in near Sadbhavna Chowk in Nawada. “Both died shortly before midnight on included Shabana Azmi, Shreya the early 1980s. slogan shouting groups clashed and Monday. Ghoshal, Hema Malini, Madhur At one stage, she was at- pelted stones at each other. They dam- The body of the Mumbai- Bhandarkar and Kailash Kher. tracted to fi lm music and sang aged vehicles and set a few shops ablaze,” born Amonkar, who breathed Born in Mumbai on April the solo title song for the 1964 superintendent of police Vikas Barman her last at her Dadar West home 10, 1932, to Madhavdas Bha- blockbuster, V Shantaram’s said. “When the situation went out of con- just a week before her 85th tia and Mogubai Kurdikar, her “Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne”. trol, the police opened fire to disperse the birthday, has been kept for pub- first teacher in Hindustani In 1990, after a break of over mob,” he said. Barman said the situation is lic homage at an auditorium in classical music was none oth- 25 years, she made a comeback tense but under control now. “The district Dadar. er than the illustrious singer’s to fi lms, directed the music and administration is fully alert.” According A widow, Amonkar is survived mother. also sang four songs penned by to a police off icial, Union Minister Griraaj by two sons and grandchildren. Having lost her father at the the National Award winning Singh, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party In her career spanning over age of six, Kishori took sing- lyricist Vasant Deo in 1990 for MP from Nawada parliamentary constitu- seven decades, she was con- ing lessons from her mother, Govind Nihalania’s fi lm Drishti, ency, was present in the town at the time ferred the Padma Vibhushan accompanied her to various which the National Award for of the incident. and Sahitya Akademi Award concerts and learnt the sub- Best Film that year. “Soon after being informed about the among many others. tle nuances of art of the Jaipur Amonkar was conferred incident, Singh reached the site and ap- Leading the nation in pay- Gharana, which she later adopt- scores of awards and honours pealed to the people to maintain peace ing tributes to Amonkar, Prime ed as her singing style. including the Sangeet Natak and harmony,” he said. Nawada district Minister Narendra Modi said She was later trained un- Akademi Award in 1985, Padma magistrate Manoj Kumar said a prelimi- yesterday he was “deeply pained der Anjanibai Malpekar of the Bhushan in 1987, Padma Vib- nary inquiry suggests the dispute was a by her demise” which is “an ir- Bhendi Bazar Gharana, Mumbai, hushan in 2002, the Sangeet result of a report that the posters were reparable loss to Indian classical and music teachers of various Natak Akademi Fellowship in torn by some anti-social elements. It took music.” other gharanas. 2009 and the Dr. TMA Pai Foun- a communal turn later. “The works of Amonkar will Over the years Kishori ex- dation’s Outstanding Konkani always remain popular among celled in Indian classical mu- Award in 1991. Gulf Times 22 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 LATIN AMERICA

Brazil court puts off ruling that could unseat president

Reuters strategist Joao Santana as a Brasilia witness, following allegations that 20mn reais ($6.4mn) of his fees were paid off shore razil’s top electoral court by engineering conglomerate yesterday delayed pro- Odebrecht. Bceedings in a landmark The three political parties trial about illegal campaign involved — the Workers Party, funding that could lead to the the PMDB and PSDB — were removal of President Michel also given another fi ve days to Temer less than a year after he present their arguments. took over from impeached left- “With the new proceedings, ist Dilma Rousseff . there is no way of knowing The Supreme Electoral Tri- when this trial will be over,” bunal (TSE) decided to post- said Temer lawyer Gustavo pone a verdict until at least Guedes. May to hear additional wit- The strategy of Temer’s legal nesses, including former fi - team is to delay proceedings as nance minister Guido Man- long as possible and appeal any tega, which plays into Temer’s adverse ruling to the Supreme defence strategy of dragging Court so the case is not decided out the case so he can stay in until after the next presidential offi ce. election in October 2018, spar- It is the fi rst time the TSE ing him removal from offi ce. will decide on the mandate of a The TSE judge given the task sitting president. of studying the case, Herman If the seven-justice tribunal Benjamin, is expected to seek decides that Rousseff and Te- to annul the 2014 election. mer, her running mate, used He criticised the delay in illegal donations to fund their a case that was opened two- 2014 campaign, it could annul and-a-half years ago. the election result and eject the “The 2014 election will go centre-right president from down as the longest in Brazil- offi ce. ian history,” Benjamin told the Congress would then have court.”We can’t turn this into The President of the National Assembly Julio Borges using a megaphone addresses riot police during a protest against Nicolas Maduro’s government in Caracas. 30 days to elect a successor, an endless trial. We can’t hear plunging Latin America’s larg- everybody. We can’t hear Adam est nation deeper into the po- and Eve and the serpent.” litical instability that has pro- Brazil’s currency and stock longed its worst recession on market were among the best record. performing in the world last The court granted a request year after Temer assumed of- by Rousseff ’s defense team fi ce in May and pledged to cut for Mantega to defend himself a gaping defi cit and to reform Anti-Maduro protesters before the tribunal against al- pension laws. legations he raised illegal funds Investors welcomed the for her 2014 campaign. shift toward a more business- It also granted a prosecu- friendly agenda after 13 years tor’s request to call Rousseff of Workers Party government. clash with riot police Venezuela is in a state of “Here the world can see the crisis with massive shortages dictatorial path Mr Maduro has Kirchner charged of essentials chosen,” said Capriles. Stung by criticism from most Reuters of Latin America of an erosion of with fraud Caracas democracy, Maduro says the US government and other foes are whipping up hysteria against him AFP ter Florencia also have been enezuelan security forces to lay the ground for a coup. Buenos Aires charged, together with busi- quelled rowdy protesters Maduro’s administration is nessmen Cristobal Lopez and Vwith tear gas, water can- particularly furious with Organi- Lazaro Baez. nons and pepper spray in Caracas zation of American States head judge yesterday an- All fi ve have been barred yesterday after blocking an op- Luis Almagro, who is leading re- nounced fresh charges from leaving the country and position rally against unpopular gional condemnation. Aagainst Argentina’s ex- Kirchner’s assets amounting to socialist President Nicolas Ma- The regional bloc on Monday president Cristina Kirchner, $8mn have been frozen. duro. urged Venezuela to restore con- the latest twist in a running Lopez, who owns a casino Police pepper-sprayed various gress’ authority and guarantee legal saga as the country pre- and the Indalo Media group, opposition leaders, witnesses separation of powers, but Ven- pares for mid-term elections has been close to Kirchner said, including National As- ezuela’s representative walked this year. and her husband Nestor, who sembly head Julio Borges, twice- out, as did the envoy from fellow Federal judge Claudio Bona- served as president from 2003 presidential candidate Henrique Venezuelan opposition activist clashes with riot police. leftist Bolivia, which holds the dio brought formal charges to 2007. He died in 2010. Capriles, and Lilian Tintori, OAS presidency. against Kirchner, 64, for al- Baez is a construction busi- wife of prominent jailed activist of food and basics. topple Maduro, who has ruled ing over the weekend, the Na- “The OAS has surpassed itself leged money laundering in real nessman who won government Leopoldo Lopez. “We’re going to get rid of them, Venezuela since the 2013 death of tional Assembly remains pow- in aggression against Venezuela,” estate dealings, the Judicial contracts during the Kirchn- The clashes began after au- but we have to fi ght,” said Jose Hugo Chavez. erless due to previous court Maduro said late on Monday.”It is Information Service said in a ers’ rule in the province of San- thorities closed subway stations, Zapata, a 57-year-old electrician, “They want an intervention in judgements. a real court of inquisition, carry- statement. ta Cruz, the Kirchner strong- set up checkpoints and cordoned as he marched with a stick in his Venezuela,” said the 34-year-old, The renewed instability sent ing out abuses and vulgarities.” She already faces trial in a hold. Kirchner faces separate off the capital city’s Plaza Ven- hand. Some demonstrators threw who wore the red colours of the Venezuelan bonds lower, with Venezuela’s opposition won a separate case for alleged fi nan- investigations into alleged cor- ezuela, where Maduro’s foes had stones and bottles. ruling Socialist Party. the benchmark 2027 paper’s National Assembly majority in cial mismanagement in offi ce. ruption. planned to meet for their latest Supporters of the 54-year- Various protests were also tak- price off 4.4%. late 2015, but the Supreme Court Kirchner — who served as She also faces trial on charg- demonstration. old Maduro organised their own ing place in other cities. Foreign pressure on Maduro has overturned almost all its president from 2007 to 2015 — es of fi nancial mismanagement In one street, kneeling wom- rally, in a volatile scenario seen Tensions have soared in the has risen as opposition protests measures. has been charged with “illegal as president, accused of order- en sang the national anthem as many times during the 18 years of oil-producing nation’s long- restarted late last week. The legislature planned to association and money laun- ing the central bank to sell dol- neighbours banged pots-and- leftist rule in the South American running political standoff after On one major highway in Ca- start proceedings later on Tues- dering” in connection with lar futures at artifi cially low pans from nearby buildings in a nation. the pro-Maduro Supreme Court racas yesterday, National Guard day to have the tribunal’s judges real estate dealings, the state- prices, causing Argentina to show of anger against a govern- Prisons Ministry worker Juan last week annulled the opposi- troops repeatedly fi red tear gas removed, but that would only be ment said. lose hundreds of millions. She ment they blame for a deep re- Aponte accused opposition par- tion-led congress’ functions. to quell knots of demonstrators, a symbolic rebuke since it has no Her son Maximo and daugh- denies wrongdoing. cession that has led to shortages ties of abetting a US-led plot to Although it retracted that rul- who hurled objects back. power to act. Colombia town lays mudslide victims to rest

Agencies Manuel Santos. She was waiting for two more ment, Sorrel Aroca, said Mocoa Colombia At the cemetery, Flor Enil coffi ns to be brought: those had a population of 70,000 of Lozada cried over the brown of her daughter-in-law and which some 45,000 were af- wooden coffi n of her son Jhon, granddaughter. fected by the disaster. arents wailed over the cof- 22. Ramiro Mora wandered the The government and aid fi ns of their children while “Why him? Why did you take streets with a mask over his nose groups were giving out food and Pothers searched yesterday him?” she wailed, as her six sur- and mouth to keep out the dust vaccinations to those whose for the missing or tended rela- viving children stroked her hair that rose as the mud dried. homes were destroyed. tives wounded when a mudslide and back. Over the mask, only his tear- Offi cials said 80% of the town swept them from their beds in “My son, why have you left reddened eyes could be seen. He was without electricity. southern Colombia. us?” was looking for his 18-year-old Santos declared a state of Broad brown swathes of de- Jhon was swept away along daughter, Rudy. emergency and named his De- bris scar the town of Mocoa with his wife and 18-month-old “She has a scar here on her fence Minister Luis Carlos Vil- where the mud surged through daughter when the mud came. right arm. She is pale, blonde,” legas to head the reconstruction on Friday night, sweeping “They loved each other so he said. eff ort. homes away and drowning much. Rudy was swept away in the Villegas told reporters it could whole families together. He adored the little girl,” Lo- deluge as her father tried to take up to three years to rebuild In the town cemetery, men zada said. cling to her and his two other the town. were busy digging graves in the The family wept as they children. Many locals have said homes red soil for dozens of the 273 showed photographs on their “We were holding onto each should never have been built so people so far counted as dead. mobile telephones: the baby other’s hands when I heard her close to the banks of the three Mercy Perenguez had ordered girl’s fi rst birthday; the girl say: ‘Help me, help me,” he said. rivers that fl ooded Mocoa. three graves to be dug, for her dancing as a toddler; the young “But I couldn’t, because we “It was an area at risk. The daughters aged six, 11 and 13. couple kissing. were all covered” by the mud. river reclaimed its space,” said She was waiting for authori- “They were three in one and Monday night saw the passing one mourner by a graveside in ties to release the bodies. that is how they have ended up,” of the crucial three-day point, the cemetery “They are all dark, nearly Lozada said. after which rescuers warn it is Flowers and balloons for a black, and swollen” from the ef- “They died together in their rare to fi nd survivors from a dis- child decked one of the graves. fects of the fl ood, Perenguez, 33, bed. aster like this. Nearby a man played a tune told AFP. They were pulled out all to- The Red Cross said it had a on a guitar to try to raise morale. Her children were among at gether (from the mud).And now list of 311 missing people being At his side, another drowned least 43 minors killed in the dis- they are together in the grave.” sought by their families. out the music with his cries. aster, according to a toll given Lozada’s mourning in the The governor of the sur- “If my God loved us, he would on Monday by President Juan graveyard was not done. rounding Putumayo depart- not kill us like this.” Aerial view of a neighbourhood destroyed after flooding and mudslides. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 23 PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN

DIPLOMACY ETHNICITY LEISURE CELEBRITY VANDALISM Chinese parliamentary Kelasha community Cleric supports April Fatima Bhutto honoured Poet Rahman Baba’s team to visit Islamabad wins census battle fool’s day in Pakistan in Vanity Fair magazine tombstone stolen

A high level Chinese parliamentary delegation, A Pakistani court yesterday ordered authorities As hoax news and rumours relating to April Fool’s The Vanity Fair featured Unidentified men vandalised the tomb of led by Yu Zhengsheng, Chairman of National to count separately members of a community Day made rounds on social media, a cleric in a photo shoot of 2016’s renowned Pashto Sufi poet Abdur Rahman Committee of Chinese People’s Political considered descendants of Greek warrior Multan issued a fatwa (religious decree) supporting One Young World Summit Mohmand, more commonly known as Rahman Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is arriving Alexander the Great’s soldiers in an ongoing observance of the day. Mufti Abdul Qavi, a Leaders which included Baba, and stole his tombstone from the on a two-day off icial visit to Pakistan on the census being held across the country. Kelasha, prominent cleric and former member of Ruet-i-Hilal some very well known mausoleum. The tombstone was gifted to the invitation of Senate Chairman Mian Raza a 4,000-strong community that resides in Committee issued a religious decree saying “news and influential names, cemetery by King of Afghanistan Zahir Shah in Rabbani. The visiting delegation will exchange mountainous abodes near the Afghan border, which brings joy, happiness and smiles on the faces including Fatima Bhutto. 1950. Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Sardar views with Pakistani leadership on matters maintains a distinct religious and cultural outlook of dejected souls can be brought forth as people The magazine’s April issue Saqib Raza said on Tuesday that it was brought pertaining to further enhancing bilateral separate from locals. Pakistan is holding the census do on the first of April every year.” “Such news features her in photographs to his attention through local sources. He co-operation besides discussing regional and for the first time in nearly two decades. The data provides an opportunity to the people to have a taken by Jason Schmidt for a feature sponsored proceeded to register a case at Yakatoot Police global issues having significance for both Beijing sheets to record individuals and families mention good time during their tense and busy routine by One Young World and written by Bhutto Station and ordered a separate inquiry through and Islamabad. The visiting dignitary will hold the majority religion Islam, with two other faiths, of life,” he added. There is no harm in celebrating herself. Bhutto is pictured alongside Markle, his own off ice. The DC also confirmed the news meetings with President Mamnoon Hussain, Hinduism and Christianity, leaving out minor April Fool’s Day so long as the joke does not hurt Mary Robinson and Saudi activist Loujain al- that some illegal construction was under way at Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif among others. beliefs like Kelasha, activist Luke Rehmat said. anyone, the mufti concluded. Hathloul on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill. the cemetery. Pakistan stops Countrywide strike visa on arrival for foreigners

Internews The minister observed that their own cost. Islamabad as a fi rst step, a separate body It was informed that a fi ne to of IBCD should be set up under the tune of Rs94mn was im- the Federal Investigation Agency posed on various foreign air- akistan’s Interior Minister (FIA). lines for bringing in passengers Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan He said modern immigration without valid Pakistani visas and Pyesterday ordered imme- department would strengthen such airlines were directed to diate suspension of issuance of border control management of take back hundreds of such pas- visas on arrival (landing permits) the country which is currently sengers. to foreigners to avoid any ‘irreg- managed by the FIA. On the issue blasphemous ularities’ in the database. The FIA offi cials also gave a content on social media, the in- Addressing a high-level meet- detailed briefi ng to the interior terior minister reiterated that ing held at the Ministry of Inte- minister about the recoveries in blasphemous and terrorism- rior, he asked the participants for various cases, including human related content on social media strict implementation of rules traffi cking and the recoveries were intolerable for the state of and regulations in the ministry made from various petroleum Pakistan. and its attached departments. marketing companies in lieu of He directed that legal assist- The interior minister also or- petroleum levy. ance of the respective countries dered the Ministry of Interior to should also be solicited against revise and update visa rules. With the launching of the those who are promoting or He said introduction of online online visa application funding such an activity from A fruit cart move past oil tankers, parked during a countrywide strike by the Oil Tankers Contractors Association (OTCA), against the visa regime to bring in trans- and online visa regime, the abroad. imposition of sales tax on the transportation of oil, Karachi, Pakistan yesterday. parency, minimise discretion interior minister said that The interior minister also and expedite the entire process any anomaly in issuance of directed FIA to continue should be ensured. visas would be eff ectively working with Pakistan Tele- Indiff erence to this responsi- eliminated communication Authority for bility in addressing the problems removing all those social me- of the people will invite serious It was informed that FIA re- dia pages which could cause notice and action, he added. covered Rs2.513bn in various religious unrest in the society McKinsey to help Pakistan Noting that a lot of good work cases in 2016. An amount of or glorify terrorism. has been done in the issuance of Rs2.13bn had also been recov- The Islamabad Capital Terri- visas and areas of immigration, ered and deposited in the na- tory (ICT) administration gave he said that a lot more still needs tional treasury from the inquiry a detailed briefing on various to be done to streamline the sys- into recovery of petroleum levy. steps taken for enhanced se- province boost tax collection tem and remove various lacunae It is pertinent to mention that curity of the capital including in it. recoveries by FIA in 2010 were that of shrines and various en- With the launching of the on- Rs528mn, Rs690mn in 2011 and try and exit points of the capi- DPA tax-to-GDP ratios in the total annual proceeds standing amount to nearly $20bn a line visa application and online Rs110mn in 2012. The recover- tal city. Islamabad world. at around 10% of the national year. visa regime, the interior minister ies by FIA during the present The minister directed ICT “The idea is to help provincial economy. Experts said only 20% of said that any anomaly in issu- government stand at Rs2.23bn administration to ensure estab- government remove anomalies eligible taxpayers contrib- ance of visas would be eff ectively in 2013, Rs2.27bn in 2014, and lishment of two free lanes for global management in the collection system,” said Experts said only 20% ute to the national income, eliminated. Rs6.39bn in 2015. smooth entry and exit of com- company will assist Pa- Shehzad Gondal, spokesman of eligible taxpayers forcing the country to re- He said central visa database As a result of a proactive ap- muters travelling between the Akistan’s most populous for the Punjab Revenue Author- contribute to the national peatedly look for bailout is essential as it would enable proach under the directions of twin cities. Free lanes would help province raise its tax collec- ity. income, forcing the packages from global insti- Pakistani state institutions to the interior minister, vast im- the citizens using radio-fre- tion to help revive an economy The Australian High Com- country to repeatedly look tutes like the International keep a tab on all those travelling provement has been witnessed quency identifi cation technol- slowed down by years of con- mission to Pakistan will fi nance for bailout packages from Monetary Fund to Pakistan on any visa category. in the overall performance of ogy to enter the capital without fl ict and energy crisis, offi cials the study, which was likely global institutes (IMF). Years of violence by To ensure strict surveillance FIA. any hassle. said yesterday. to complete in one month, he militants linked to Al Qaeda and of Pakistan’s land, sea and air For the fi rst time in the history The meeting was attended McKinsey and Company added. The country balances its the Taliban and long hours of route entry and exit points on of Pakistan, foreign airlines were by interior secretary, NADRA signed a deal with revenue Pakistan, the sixth most pop- national accounts using in- power outages have almost ru- borders, Nisar ordered speedy fi ned for violation of visa policy chairman, advocate general, ICT authorities in the province ulous nation on Earth with an ternational aid from the ined the South Asian economy completion of concept paper for and were asked to take back the chief commissioner, Islamabad of Punjab to undertake an estimated 200mn population, United States, Britain and that once grew at around 7% a modern Immigration and Border passengers without visa to the acting IG and senior offi cers of assessment of how to en- has one of the worst tax col- remittances from citizens year on the back of its agricul- Control Department (IBCD). port of their embarkation at FIA and Ministry of Interior. hance one of the lowest lection rates in the world, with working overseas, which ture sector. India, Pakistan argue over Kabul sacks top generals Jinnah House in Mumbai over brazen hospital attack AFP and will face prosecution, the episode, with speculation swirling Thomson Reuters Foundation Pakistan after partition. Kabul defence ministry said. on social media that such a bra- Mumbai The Act has since been re- “They have been sacked zen attack on the tightly guarded pealed. for negligence of duty over hospital could not have happened The Enemy Property Act of fghanistan yesterday the hospital attack,” ministry without the complicity of high- fresh row has erupted in a 1968, enacted after India and sacked 12 army offi cers spokesman Mohamed Rad- ranking offi cials. decades-long dispute be- Pakistan fought their second war Aincluding two generals manish said. The savagery of the assault Atween Delhi and Islama- over Kashmir in 1965, gave the for negligence over an insur- The carnage inside the heav- was characterised by how the bad over the fate of a bungalow Indian government the right to gent attack on the country’s ily guarded hospital was a major assailants stabbed bedridden in Mumbai once owned by Paki- seize assets of Indian nationals largest military hospital, which embarrassment for the military, patients, threw grenades into stan’s founding father Mohamed who had moved to Pakistan or pointed to a spectacular intel- spotlighting how insurgents crowded wards and shot people Ali Jinnah, with an Indian law- China following confl icts with ligence failure. have managed to infi ltrate top at point-blank range. maker calling for it to be labelled the two countries. Gunmen disguised as doc- government institutions in Af- The Islamic State group “enemy property”. Famed for its Pakistan enacted a similar law tors stormed Sardar Daud ghanistan. claimed it was behind the at- Italian marble and walnut-wood at the time. Khan hospital in Kabul last The defence ministry denies tack via its propaganda agency panelling, Jinnah House, as it is But controversial amend- month, with multiple surviv- that insiders were involved and Amaq — hours after the Taliban known locally, has been control- ments last month to the En- ing staff telling AFP that insid- asserts that only 50 people were denied responsibility. led by the Indian government emy Property Act denies Indian ers including two interns were killed. But the survivors whom AFP since Jinnah moved to the coun- families of those who moved to among the attackers. But security sources and spoke to said the attackers chanted try he helped create. China and Pakistan the right to The military head of intelli- the survivors, some of whom “Long live Taliban” in Pashto and Pakistan has long claimed reclaim their properties. gence and the offi cial in charge counted bodies, said that the attacked all but two wards on the ownership of the building. Pakistan has long claimed ownership of Jinnah House in Mumbai. The value of such properties of medical support were among death toll exceeded 100. hospital’s fi rst fl oor, where Taliban Relations between the two is estimated at about 1tn rupees those who have been dismissed Public anger has grown over the patients were admitted. countries remain fraught after where it is located. rights” must be respected. ($15bn). The law unfairly targets numerous confl icts since par- The country spends millions Jinnah’s daughter Dina Wa- Muslims, analysts say. tition and independence from of rupees on the upkeep of the dia, who remained in India, is “The government may well German aid agency workers move to secured compound Britain in 1947, and the Jinnah property in which the “conspir- engaged in a separate legal battle apply the Enemy Property Act House has been a bone of con- acy of partition” was planned, with the Indian government over to the Jinnah House, as it can tention for decades. and must now put it to better the property. be applied retroactively,” said The German development agency (GIZ) is giving to a resurgent Taliban, increased attacks in Kabul Indian lawmaker Mangal use, he said. The stately building was la- Anand Grover, a lawyer who has up its off ices in the centre of the Afghan capital, and a dangerous and lucrative new kidnapping Prabhat Lodha last week said Pakistan foreign offi ce belled “evacuee property” in argued the enemy property law Kabul, and moving to a heavily secured compound industry. As part of the process, staff members the government must de- spokesman Nafees Zakria said 1949, in accordance with the before the Supreme Court. on the city’s outskirts, a GIZ department head will have to give up their private houses and move clare the bungalow “enemy in response that the property law that allowed the Indian “It would be one way for the confirmed to DPA yesterday. The agency is closing into the new facilities. Their movements around property”, and hand over the belonged to Pakistan’s found- government to take over prop- government to settle the numer- six of its seven off ice and residential premises after the city will also be restricted, Stefan Opitz, the GIZ building to Maharashtra state ing father, and that “ownership erties of those who migrated to ous disputes over the property.” years of stepping up security for them, a reaction department head, said. Gulf Times 24 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 PHILIPPINES Anniversary commemoration Returning IS fi ghters to regroup in south: experts

AFP displacement, refugee fl ows... Singapore create the ripe conditions for foreign terrorists to come,” he said after his speech. Singapore’s attle-hardened Southeast Home Aff airs Minister K Shan- Asian Islamic State (IS) mugam also told the conference Bfi ghters returning from that the southern Philippines “is the Middle East following the becoming an area that is diffi cult group’s setbacks are expected to control despite the best eff orts to rebase in the southern Phil- of the Philippine government”. ippines, a security conference “So that is an area that can heard yesterday. serve as a sanctuary for return- Instability and the easy fl ow of ing fi ghters from the Middle weapons have made Mindanao East. It can be a place where and nearby Philippine islands would-be terrorists can go... attractive to extremist groups, they can train, arms seem to said speakers at the Milipol con- move fairly easily into that area,” ference on homeland security in Shanmugam added. Singapore. Parts of Southeast Asia have “Currently, IS is moving to- long struggled with militancy. wards creating a territory in Hundreds of radicals from the southern Philippines. The most region, including from Indone- recent communication issued by sia and Malaysia, have fl ocked to President Rodrigo Duterte reviews honour guards during the 120th founding anniversary of the Philippine Army (PA) at Taguig city, Metro Manila, yesterday. IS has announced that they have join IS in Iraq and Syria. formally declared an East Asia But as IS suff ers battlefi eld division of IS in the southern setbacks, offi cials and analysts Philippines,” counter-terrorism fear these fi ghters would return analyst Rohan Gunaratna told to their home region. the conference. Southeast Asia suff ered its “Our forecast for 2017 is that fi rst IS-linked attack in Janu- the threat in this region will grow ary last year when extremists because of the creation of an IS launched a deadly suicide bomb- nucleus in the southern Philip- ing and gun attack in Jakarta. pines,” added Gunaratna. In Mindanao, which has long Duterte fi res minister “The instability in the south- battled an insurgency, a handful ern Philippines and the avail- of groups have sworn allegiance ability of weapons, internal to IS. after ‘corruption’ row China, Asean ‘make progress on framework deal on disputed sea’ AFP decision but I am not corrupt,” that he lied to them over his US Although the campaign has Manila Sueno, 69, said in a statement. citizenship. proved popular at home, the China and Southeast Asian starting from zero in January. Sueno said he was not in- Abella said the loss of an- president has faced interna- countries have made progress There have been a number of ele- volved in the fi retruck deal as other cabinet member was not tional criticism for thousands in talks on a code of conduct for ments agreed and we would defi- hilippine President Ro- it was approved by Duterte’s a sign of trouble but proof that of alleged extra-judicial kill- the disputed South China Sea, nitely have a framework on which drigo Duterte said yes- predecessor. Duterte was serious about re- ings which human rights ad- the Philippine acting foreign to embark a serious negotiation Pterday he had fi red his He also said his conscience storing trust in government. vocates say were carried out minister said yesterday. on a code of conduct.” Negotia- interior minister for corruption was clear and he was willing to Duterte said he would scout as part of the anti-drug initia- China claims almost the entire tors from China and Asean have as signs of infi ghting rocked his face any investigation. for a replacement for Sueno. tive. waterway, through which about met in Indonesia and Cambodia government. Asked if Sueno might face In Congress, two other close The government denies the $5tn in sea-borne goods pass in the last two months to try to “It’s corruption,” Duterte charges, Duterte’s spokesman Duterte allies, House Speaker allegations. every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the come up with a final draft, which said about the sacking of Is- Ernesto Abella told reporters: Pantaleon Alvarez and Con- Police have shot dead 2,087 Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam could be approved ahead of the mael Sueno, who supervised the “Let us wait for the president gressman Antonio Floirendo, drug suspects, while unknown also have claims. “We have made August meeting by Southeast president’s war on drugs that to take his subsequent ac- have been publicly feuding for killers have murdered 1,398 good progress on coming up Asian foreign ministers in Manila. has left thousands dead. tions.” weeks, with Duterte trying to others in cases described by with a framework for a code on Manalo also said Manila would Sueno, who was fi red at a “The summary dismissal stay out of the quarrel. investigators as “drugs-relat- conduct with China,” Philippine hold talks with Beijing next month cabinet meeting late Monday, served as a warning that Mr Alvarez has accused Floiren- ed”, according to the latest fig- Acting Foreign Minister Enrique to tackle “issues of concern was blamed for what Duterte Duterte would not counte- do, a key contributor in the ures from the national police Manalo said, adding the Associa- regarding the South China Sea”, described as the anomalous nance any questionable or le- Duterte election campaign, of spokesman. tion of Southeast Asian Nations including China’s militarisation purchase by the interior minis- gally untenable decisions by corruption, but Floirendo de- Earlier official figures had (Asean) and China were more of several manmade islands in try of fi re trucks from a foreign Ismael Sueno: sacked any member of the cabinet,” nies the charge. put the death toll much higher, than halfway through identifying the Spratly Islands. The bilat- country. Abella added. Duterte won election by a with police reporting killing the contents. eral mechanism is one of two “I do not have to belabour ruption, drugs, criminality,” Last month Perfecto Yasay landslide last May largely on 2,564 people in drug raids and “From a scale of 1-10, we are at the dialogues held by China with the point. Just remember my Duterte said. was forced to quit as foreign his promise to launch a war on 4,200 others killed in unex- upper level. Remember, we were claimant states. promises to the people: no cor- “I respect the president’s minister after Congress ruled illegal drugs. plained circumstances. Offi cial assures faster Actress romantically linked Call to travel during Holy Week heed EU

By Dempsey Reyes monitor the traffi c congestions to Nueva Ecija politician warning Manila Times within the area,” Franco said. The MPTC said traffi c volume is expected to increase by By Celso M Cajucom By Jeff erson Antiporda otorists and commut- 15% at NLEX, SCTEX and the Manila Times Manila Times ers can look forward Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) Mto a hassle-free travel during the Holy Week. during the Holy Week because The agency said the public ctress Kris Aquino is he administration of of the measures taken to prevent should expect heavy volume of said to be romantically President Rodrigo Duterte congestion in expressways, an vehicles at NLEX in the after- Alinked to a Nueva Ecija Tshould take seriously the offi cial of the Metro Pacifi c Toll- noon of Holy Wednesday (April town councillor whom she warning made recently by Eu- ways Corp (MPTC) has said. 12) until late morning of Maundy met while producing her new ropean Union (EU) ambassador At a press conference in Que- Thursday (April 13). television show. Franz Jessen that trade relations zon City, MPTC president Rod- Those travelling back to Manila Renan Morales, council- with EU member-states might rigo Franco said that the projects should expect a surge in traffi c in lor of San Antonio, Nueva suff er if the Philippines fails to undertaken by their company the afternoon of Black Saturday Ecija known by his constitu- comply with its commitments to will ease traffi c congestion. (April 15) until early morning of ents as “Besfren ng Bayan,” various international treaties on “We have implemented many Easter Sunday (April 17). welcomed the “Queen of All human rights, a political analyst projects since last year…this The MPTC will deploy addi- Media” to Cabanatuan in said yesterday. Holy Week, the integration tional patrol vehicles and enforc- February for the shooting of Institute for Political and projects are now fully imple- ers to assist motorists on April 7. the first episodes of her Trip Electoral Reform Executive di- mented for the NLEX (North “Ambulant toll tellers ni Kris travel show in Bonga- rector Ramon Casiple said the Luzon Expressway) and SCTEX equipped with portable toll col- bon town. matters raised by the EU envoy (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Express- lection gadgets will be fi elded to At a news conference dur- were legitimate. way),” Franco said. speed up the toll transactions… ing Kris’ arrival, Morales, “We should take it (warning) The MPTC had entered into during this period, road works whose mother, business- seriously. There are treaties a number of Public-Private will be suspended to ensure woman Rhodora “Doray” covering or affecting trade that Partnership (PPP) projects and smooth traffi c fl ow,” Franco said. Morales is the producer of can be invoked by the EU and the motorist assistance pro- The Balintawak Toll Plaza will Kris’ travel show, said: “We the international community,” gramme “Safe Trip Mo Sagot have 30 toll collection points felt comfortable with each Renan Morales (left) and Kris Aquino. he said. Ko” (SMSK). instead of the usual 16, while other.” Casiple pointed out that Franco said the MPTC added the fi ve collection points at the The Nueva Ecija politi- entine’s Day. Show business championships, competing girlfriend for two years before trade agreements particularly payment lanes in Bocaue to en- Mindanao Avenue Toll Plaza will cian is engaged to model Asia reporters first suspected that in different countries in 2005 she began a relationship with with the EU were anchored on sure faster travel. More close- be increased to 29. Anna Gomez, but admit- the roses came from Quezon and 2006. Marlon Stockinger, also a rac- the adherence of the Philip- circuit television units (CCTV) Meanwhile, the Tipo Toll ted to this reporter that the City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Morales had been linked ing enthusiast who is now the pines to human rights treaties. were also installed to monitor Plaza will have 12 toll collection relationship is on the rocks but later discovered that they to other celebrities like the boyfriend of 2015 Miss Uni- Malacanang and some sena- vehicles going in and out of Met- points instead of four. after Kris came to his life. were from the Nueva Ecija former “Viva Hot Babe” verse Pia Wurtzbach. That re- tors on Sunday belittled Jes- ro Manila. The MPTC, in collaboration “She is in love with me!” councilor. turned Calatagan, Batangas lationship is now being rocked sen’s statements, with presi- “Last February, we already set with partner companies, will be said Morales. Renan filled Before entering politics, vice mayor Andrea del Ro- by Barraquias’ claim that dential spokesman Ernesto up these additional units. The providing free calls and Wi-Fi, the actress’ condominium Morales was a national rac- sario, actress Juliana Pal- Stockinger is the father of her Abella saying: “Non-trade ac- traffi c congestion of the SCTEX basic mechanic services and fi rst unit with hundreds of bal- ing champion and an Asia F3 ermo, TV anchor Phoemela twin daughters. cusations, especially if base- has already been attached to the aid treatments in designated lo- loons and rare Ecuadorian Formula driver. He became Baranda, and TV host and ex- Morales is said to have a less and undeserved, should… NLEX and with this, the CCTV cations along NLEX, SCTEX and roses during Kris’ birthday the first Filipino to win in beauty queen Kit Barraquias. daughter with TV host Jeni not be linked with trade pro- cameras will be able to fully Cavitex. week and on the eve of Val- super bikes and super car Barraquias was Morales’ Hernandez. grammes.” Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 25 SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL

Lanka to Security fi rm: more evidence construct tunnel in N Korea linked to bank heist Kandy IANS By Jim Finkle, Reuters time we have seen a direct con- Agency, told reporters at an As- Colombo Toronto nection” between North Korea pen Institute event on March 15 and Lazarus, a hacking group that private sector research tying whose activities dating back to North Korea to the Bangladesh ri Lanka’s cabinet yester- yber security fi rm 2009 have been documented bank heist was strong. day approved a proposal Kaspersky Lab yester- by the world’s biggest cyber “If that’s true, then that says Sto construct a double lane Cday said it had obtained security fi rms. to me that the North Koreans 5.5km tunnel in Kandy, the sec- digital evidence that bolsters The North Korean govern- are robbing banks,” Ledgett ond largest city of the island suspicions by some researchers ment has denied allegations said. “That’s a big deal.” nation with funds from South that North Korea was involved of hacking made by offi cials in The Bangladesh Bank heist Korea’s Economic Development in last year’s $81mn cyber heist Washington and South Korea as was one in a string of fi nancially Co-operation Fund, a statement of the Bangladesh central bank’s well as security fi rms. motivated cyber attacks by a from the highways ministry said. account at the Federal Reserve Kamluk said he could not division of Lazarus dubbed Blu- The statement said this would Bank of New York. conclusively say that Pyongyang enoroff , the Kaspersky report be constructed with two inter- Russian-based Kaspersky re- was behind the attacks because said. Targets included banks, fi - change points to reduce traffi c leased a 58-page report on La- it was possible the hackers went nancial and trading companies, congestion. zarus, a group linked to the heist to great eff ort to make it look casinos and digital currency “With the construction of the in Bangladesh and the 2014 at- like they were from North Ko- businesses in at least 18 nations, tunnel, traffi c congestion will tack on Sony’s Hollywood stu- rea, or that North Koreans were the report said. ease in the Kandy city and nearby dio, which the US government working with others. Adrian Nish, head of threat areas. It is to be constructed ac- blamed on North Korea. Still, he said that North Ko- intelligence with cyber security cording to international stand- Among its fi ndings, the re- rean involvement was the most fi rm BAE Systems, said Kasper- ards, including safe parking fa- port said Lazarus hackers made likely explanation. sky’s fi ndings were signifi cant, cilities, safe exit facilities among a direct connection from an Separately last month, US even though they did not con- others,” the statement said. IP address in North Korea to a offi cials also cast suspicion on clusively link Pyongyang to server in Europe that was used Pyongyang. An offi cial briefed Lazarus. to control systems infected by on the probe said in Washington “It is signifi cant further evi- Multinational the group. that the FBI believed North Ko- dence,” said Nish, who led a Kaspersky researcher Vitaly rea was responsible. team at BAE that in May 2016 peacekeeping Kamluk said by telephone that Rick Ledgett, the deputy di- was the fi rst to link the Bang- Commuters walk in front of the Bangladesh central bank building in Dhaka. Russian-based Kaspersky exercise ends the fi nding marked “the fi rst rector of the National Security ladesh heist and the Sony hack. released a report on a group linked to the $81mn Bangladesh Bank heist. A multinational peacekeeping exercise with the participation of 1,135 peacekeeper trainers and cadets from 28 countries was concluded in Nepal yesterday, the Nepal Army said. Visually impaired Nepali Nepal Defence Minister Balkrishna Khand announced the ending of the two-week long training that was named Shanti Prayas-III and aimed at enhancing man set to climb Everest peacekeeping capabilities. The training programme was jointly organised by the Nepal IANS Everest has already been con- family, but yet he was happy. successes. These achievements Army and US Pacific Command Kathmandu quered by a blind American, It was only after meeting worked as a motivational factor at Birendra Peace Operations Erik Weihenmayer in 2001, with an American motivational for Amit to eye the mountain. Training Centre in Panchkhal of Amit will be the fi rst blind trainer a decade back in Nepal However, raising funds has Kavrepalanchowk district. n one of the busiest climber from the Nepalese that Amit thought of chang- been like climbing another Addressing the concluding streets in Kathmandu’s community. ing his way of life and started mountain for him. And while ceremony, the defence minister OThamel tourism hub is a Being blind by birth, Amit dreaming of climbing Everest. his date to leave for the mission said that the training programme red, three-storey building with wants to encourage other disa- To materialise his dream, is approaching, Amit has yet to was helpful in order to enhance a board outside which reads, bled people to make the ef- Amit left teaching fi ve years ago meet the fi nancial requirement professional skills and abilities of In this file photo, Tofazzal Hossain, right, is seen with his two “Seeing Hands Nepal.” fort to access various kinds of and started preparing for his of around $100,000. the UN peacekeeper trainers and sons and grandson (second left) in Meherpur, 285km from It is the fi rst and only profes- resources and opportunities planned expedition physically, “The expedition cost is high- cadets from various countries Dhaka. sional massage clinic operated through his expedition. mentally and fi nancially. Ini- er compared to regular climbers around the world as well as in Nepal by visually impaired “If I succeeded in this mis- tially, he took up rock climbing due to the requirement of addi- promoting goodwill among them. people. sion, it will inspire all youths and mountaineering by gener- tional manpower and logistics. Mentioning about Nepal’s Recently, either the lobby or and disabled people who have ating resources from relatives I have approached all quarters continuous engagement in the the building has been a regular potential but are frustrated by and friends. of society and am hopeful that UN peacekeeping operations in place to visit for visually im- a lack of opportunities. When I In the absence of a fi xed the funds will come through. various parts of the world for the Indian clinic paired Amit K C. It is here that will wave the fl ag of my nation household income, his sighted Let’s see where life leads,” he past 59 years, Minister Khand he meets people, shares his on Mt Everest, the world will wife Bidhya has been running said. said that over 100,000 Nepali unique ideas and tries to gen- know more about Nepal,” said a beauty parlor to support the The Nepalese government peacekeepers have returned home erate funds for his upcoming Amit. family’s livelihood and educa- has provided support equiva- accomplishing the peacekeeping ambitious project. The clinic Originally from a rural vil- tion of their two children. lent to $15,400 to Amit by pro- missions so far and currently the treats three belongs to his friend, who is lage in the western district of As to his mountaineering viding some cash along with number stands at 4,493. also visually impaired, Xinhua Baglung, Amit holds a master’s achievements to date, Amit removing its royalty fee and The Nepal Army said in a statement reports. degree in sociology and served has already scaled two 6,000m garbage disposal fee among yesterday that the multinational His talks and daily routine as a teacher in a local primary peaks as part of physical test. other taxes. peacekeeping exercise was able to revolve around the 34-year- school for a few years. In 2015, he climbed the Amit is scheduled to leave for strengthen and expand military ties Bangladeshis old’s plans to scale the world’s His monthly salary was 6,189m Island Peak and in 2016 the Everest region in mid-April between those countries involved highest peak, Mount Everest, $130, which made it hard to he scaled the 6,476m Mera under the guide of expedition in the programme that started on this spring season. Though Mt take care of his four-member Peak, both of which were huge company Sherpa Shepherds. March 20. who sought Indian team heading to climb Wild fury Mt Everest again mercy deaths A team from Indian Navy is all set for an expedition to Mt Everest, the world’s tallest mountain AFP to do was to improve their peak once again, off icials said Dhaka conditions. yesterday. Hossain said the treatment The mission is named “Sagartal was the last hope for his sons se Sagarmatha”, and involves hree Bangladeshis suf- and the grandson. 24 avid climbers from the Indian fering from a highly “I am hopeful. They have Navy. They will scale Everest. Tdebilitating form of carried out the fi rst round of The flag-off was conducted muscular dystrophy are re- operations,” Hossain said over 50m below the sea surface in ceiving free treatment in phone from Mumbai. Submarine Sindhuraj. India after a relative’s plea “I hope they will be cured by Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for them to be allowed to die the grace of Allah.” for Mt Everest. brought their plight to global One of Asia’s poorest coun- Charge d’Aff airs at the Indian attention. tries, Bangladesh has no free embassy in Kathmandu, Binaya Fruit seller Tofazzal Hossain healthcare and medical treat- Kumar, will see off the expedition sparked a rare debate about ment is often beyond the that is expected to scale the euthanasia in conservative reach of many of the country’s mountain in May. Bangladesh in January when 160mn people. Sanjay Kumar Kulkarni, he pleaded with the authori- An estimated 600,000 coordinator of the expedition ties to allow his grandson and Bangladeshis suff er from team, said in a conference: “We two sons to die. incurable diseases, yet the are climbing Mt Everest with All three suff er from Duch- country has just one pallia- the slogan ‘From the Sea to the enne Muscular Dystrophy, a tive care centre and no hospice Everest’.” rare genetic disorder charac- services. The Indian Navy team would terised by progressive muscle This leaves few treatment leave for Jiri, a northern city of degeneration. Patients rarely options for Hossain’s sons, Nepal and begin trekking to the live beyond 30. aged 24 and 13, and his eight- Everest base camp. Now the Mumbai-based year-old grandson. Acclaimed Nepalese mountaineer NeuroGen Brain and Spine Hossain said his sons were Mingma Sherpa will accompany Institute has off ered to unable to move and could the Indian team, the off icials said. treat them using a new do little for themselves. The The team has already been drawn stem cell therapy that it younger boy’s condition is from personnel serving on the says has improved the better, but is worsening. nuclear submarine INS Chakra condition of hundreds of Their plight has sparked a and the destroyer INS Chennai, patients. rarely-seen debate about eu- from the flying arm and from the Spokeswoman Avantika Pa- thanasia in Bangladesh, where Marcos (Marine Commandos) of til said the family had arrived attempted suicide can land the Indian Navy. at the clinic on Sunday after an you in prison. “Though we know the challenges Indian airline fl ew them free of So-called “mercy kill- behind scaling the Everest, we are charge. ing” is forbidden both un- confident that we will accomplish “The disorder is incurable der the secular law of the it,” Kulkarni added. A relocated rhino charges a forestry and technical team after being released as part of a relocation project in Chitwan National Park, of course. They suff er from land, and by the religious Of 24, 18 naval personnel will some of 250km south of Kathmandu. Conservationists on April 3 captured a rare one-horned rhinoceros in Nepal as part of an attempt severe form of muscular code adhered to by Bang- climb Everest while remaining to increase the number of the vulnerable animals, which are prized by wildlife poachers. Five rhinos - one male and four female - will be dystrophy,” she said, adding ladesh’s Muslim-majority eight members would stay at released into a national park in Nepal’s far west over the coming week in the hope of establishing a new breeding group. what the clinic was trying population. base camp for support. Gulf Times 26 Wednesday, April 5, 2017 COMMENT

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah Deputy Managing Editor: K T Chacko Trump and Xi will be

P.O.Box 2888 Doha, Qatar [email protected] ‘odd couple’ at summit Telephone 44350478 (news), 44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery) US President Donald veteran Communist Party leader seven offi cial specialising in Asia. “The Trump goes into the meeting with Fax 44350474 years his junior, given Chinese trade question is when Trump’s ‘Make signifi cant gaps in his team of Asia Trump and his Chinese practices he says are killing US jobs. America Great Again’ hits Xi’s advisers and his China policy still not counterpart Xi Jinping He has also demanded that Beijing ‘Chinese Dream’, what’s the result?” fully formulated. do more to “solve” the North Korean It remains unclear how far Trump Hardliners like trade adviser have only one thing in problem — his biggest national will go in translating populist rhetoric Peter Navarro, who authored a book common: their rhetoric security challenge — or he will act into policy that steps up pressure on Death by China, have feuded over the alone to deal with Pyongyang’s nuclear China, given the risk of a trade war administration’s approach to China GULF TIMES about restoring their and missile programmes. neither country can aff ord. with more pragmatic aides such as nations to greatness Some White House aides believe But aides say he won’t pull his economic adviser Gary Cohn, a former Trump’s son-in-law and senior punches, especially on trade, on which Goldman Sachs president, current and adviser Jared Kushner could be an he has held an outspoken view for former US offi cials say. Reuters infl uential moderating voice on how decades. Administration offi cials argue Antibiotics misuse Washington/Beijing he handles Xi in their talks tomorrow This adds to doubts as to whether the Trump can use his “Art of the Deal” and Friday. two leaders can fi nd common ground sales techniques to convince Xi that Contacts between Kushner and on North Korea and China’s expansive China needs the United States more hen US President China’s US envoy helped smooth the claims in the South China Sea. than the United States needs China, is a clear and Donald Trump meets way for the meeting, according to Some analysts question whether especially when it comes to market Chinese President Xi current and former US offi cials. Trump can get the better of Xi, who access. WJinping this week, their Even so, what worries the was born into a life of politics and But analysts say the Chinese are summit will be marked not only by protocol-conscious Chinese more has a reputation for being a tough shrewd enough at geopolitics to fend deep policy divisions but a clash of than policy clashes is the risk that tactician. off US demands. present danger personalities between America’s brash the unpredictable Trump could “Xi’s performed pretty well Xi may also see Trump politically “tweeter-in-chief” and Beijing’s publicly embarrass Xi, after several in these types of environments,” weakened by his high-profi le cautious, calculating leader. foreign leaders experienced awkward said Christopher Johnson, a China legislative failure on healthcare as well The discovery of antibiotics was one of the most They may have one thing in moments with the new US president. expert and former CIA analyst at as his low public approval ratings. important medical advances of the last century, common: their rhetoric about “Ensuring President Xi does not Washington’s Center for Strategic and Trump has already backed down on but overuse has eroded their eff ectiveness. Today, restoring their nations to greatness. lose face is a top priority for China,” a International Studies. China’s most sensitive issue — Taiwan But the two men diff er in almost Chinese offi cial said. While Trump has been in offi ce little — having fi rst infuriated Beijing by an estimated 700,000 people die a year from drug- every other respect, from their US presidents’ meetings with their more than 10 weeks, Xi has honed suggesting he might not abide by resistant infections globally with millions more falling political styles to their diplomatic Chinese counterparts are usually his US strategy since assuming the Washington’s long-standing “one sick. experience, adding uncertainty to more tightly scripted than with other Chinese leadership in 2013. China” policy. Antibiotics, also known as antimicrobial drugs, fi ght what has been called the world’s most foreign leaders, something Chinese The son of a revolutionary leader, Trump may now feel he is owed a infections caused by bacteria in both humans and important bilateral relationship. offi cials insist on to make sure they are Xi has sought to project the image favour in return. Five months after his election on treated with the decorum they believe internationally of a strong advocate of A fence-mending phone call in animals. Make no mistake, antibiotics do not have any a stridently anti-China platform, befi ts a global power. globalisation at a time when Trump February was arranged by Kushner and eff ect on viruses, which cause many infections that Trump appears to have set himself This summit should off er a study has stoked fears of US protectionism. China’s US ambassador, Cui Tiankai, include colds, fl u, most sore throats, most coughs and on a course for collision rather than in contrasts: Trump impatient, Still, Chinese offi cials are mindful of offi cials say, after Cui invited Trump’s bronchitis and sinus infections, according to the US conciliation with Xi, raising doubts outspoken and prone to angry tweet- the pitfalls if Trump veers off -script. daughter Ivanka to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). as to whether the world’s two biggest storms; Xi, outwardly calm and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Embassy’s Lunar New Year reception, In the Gulf Co-operation Council countries, economies can fi nd common ground. measured, with no known social media Abe found himself in a long, where her daughter sang in Mandarin. Topping the agenda at Trump’s presence. uncomfortable handshake at the Both sides are keeping expectations antibiotics are often prescribed when they aren’t the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida will Their shared nationalist tendencies White House in February, and Trump low for tangible outcomes from the best option for patients and may do more harm than be whether he will make good on his could aggravate friction between their appeared to ignore German Chancellor summit, billed as informal “get to good, according to several studies. threat to use crucial US-China trade countries, which are increasingly Angela Merkel’s off er of a handshake know you” meetings similar to the In nearly half the clinical cases analysed between ties to pressure Beijing to do more to global rivals. during their meeting last month. 2013 Sunnylands summit in California May 2014 and December 2015, antibiotics prescribed rein in its nuclear-armed neighbour Trump insists the United States An acrimonious call between between Xi and Trump’s predecessor, North Korea, which is working to has been cheated economically for Trump and Australian Prime Minister Barack Obama. by private clinics in Qatar were unnecessary, according develop missiles capable of hitting the decades by countries like China and Malcolm Turnbull caused particular And whatever else, unlike Abe’s to a Hamad Medical Corporation study published on United States. must regain its lustre, while Xi wants concern in Beijing, offi cials there say. February visit to Mar-a-Lago, there Sunday. Trump, a 70-year-old former real China, once an ancient empire, to be Still, the decision to hold a summit will be no golf diplomacy: China’s Antibiotics misuse and poor hygiene in hospitals estate magnate with no foreign policy able to fl ex its muscles on the world so early in Trump’s presidency suggests Communist Party associates golf with have contributed to rapid growth of drug-resistant experience before entering the White stage. both Washington and Beijing see the shady dealings and has sought to stop House, has tweeted that it will be “Xi and Trump are not natural value of trying to build a personal offi cials from playing it as part of Xi’s “superbugs” in the GCC region. A 2013 study in a “very diffi cult” meeting with the friends,” said a former senior US relationship between the two leaders. fi ght against corruption. the UAE and region found one strain of dangerous superbug increase up to 90% over the past two decades. “Although non-prescription sales of antibiotics are illegal in the GCC states, 68% of pharmacies in Abu Dhabi, 78% in Riyadh and 87 of 88 pharmacies included in a study in Saudi Arabia had sold antibiotics to patients unnecessarily and/or without a prescription,” it said. Here’s yet another alarming side of the issue. Roughly 80% of antibiotics in the US are fed to farm Antibiotics animals. They fatten livestock faster, but help misuse can do spread drug resistance. Antibiotics, the era of more harm than which in animal began good, according in 1946, have now become a crucial part to studies of factory farming, but evidence has mounted that resistant bacteria in farms reaches humans through soil, air or water contaminated with animal waste and through consumption of animal products. The increasing prevalence of counterfeit antibiotics hasn’t helped, either. It does come with a cost. According to the World Health Organisation, the growing antimicrobial resistance is estimated to cause over €1.5bn in healthcare expenses and productivity losses in Europe annually, while for the US, the hit is $20bn. Here’s the evolving Frankenstein situation: The range US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet at Trump’s Florida resort on April 6-7. It will be the first in-person meeting between the two. of antimicrobial medicines able to kill drug-resistant infections is dwindling and health experts warn that within a generation the death toll from such “superbug” infections could reach 10bn. But the pipeline of novel therapies to treat them is precariously thin. Antibiotic resistance is getting worse globally in a classic case of “too much of a good thing.” But there Assad has unleashed horror on Syria are some rays of hope. Eleven biotech companies and research teams in Britain and the US were awarded funding last week to speed development of new By Raed al-Saleh chemical attacks. Are there no red regime. Their families face reprisals who live in non regime-controlled Damascus lines? from the regime for working in areas areas. The truth is that they should be antibiotics powerful enough to take on the world’s No one wants to rebuild Syria more outside of their control. Systematic facing prosecution, not the prospect of deadliest superbugs. than the White Helmets do. When so torture programmes and extrajudicial possible European taxpayer support. While new drugs may take time to develop, here’s esterday, European much of our country has been turned killings continue in the regime’s I am therefore horrifi ed at reports in the best defence against antibiotics misuse based on ministers met in Brussels into rubble, and almost half of our network of secret dungeons where the news, and from personal briefi ngs for a conference “to turn the compatriots forced from their homes, tens of thousands of our countrymen, I have received, that certain leading a healthy doctor-patient dialogue built on mutual page and start the political of course we wish that the work to women and children still languish. European politicians want to consider respect: Never prescribe or use antibiotics when they Y transition, the reconciliation process reestablish schools and hospitals and Residential areas are still pummelled a deal with the Assad regime. It is are not warranted, absolutely. and the reconstruction of Syria”. to build the peace in Syria could get with barrel bombs, missile strikes and beyond belief that the perpetrators of Yet only yesterday morning we underway. But how can it? repeated chemical weapons attacks. most of the violence could eff ectively witnessed a suspected chemical The central architects of the How can anybody seriously talk about be rewarded, and even propped up, for weapon attack – one of the most destruction, the Assad regime, reconstruction in Syria while all this is their crimes. To Advertise horrifying in six years of this bloody continue their bombing campaign happening? Until an inclusive political confl ict. At least 60 civilians were against Syrian civilians. As The perpetrators of these war transition is underway in Syria, [email protected] gassed to death and more than 300 humanitarians and civil society crimes and fl agrant breaches of until the bombs stop raining down Display are still being treated; many are in groups, we are targets, and often international humanitarian laws on schools and hospitals, until Telephone 44466621 Fax 44418811 a critical condition. Members of victims. In the last few days our can never be credible partners in independent monitors are allowed my team sought to wash the deadly colleague Dr Ali Darwish was among reconstruction. After all, these are the unhindered access to the regime’s Classified chemical from the eyes of the aff ected those killed as he treated the victims people who in all likelihood ordered detention centres, and the violence, Telephone 44466609 Fax 44418811 children. Soon afterwards our centre of an illegal chemical weapons the deliberate targeting of a UN aid sieges and forced displacement in the town was destroyed, along attack in his hospital in Hama, and convoy in October. The very same are ended, Europe should not Subscription with all of our life-saving equipment. Sameer Algohoosh, a volunteer with people who are currently blocking countenance off ering a single euro of [email protected] Then a local hospital where victims the White Helmets in east Ghouta, food and medical assistance from reconstruction funding. – Guardian were being treated was also bombed. was killed by an airstrike. Doctors, reaching more than a million of their News & Media On Sunday, the largest hospital in the like the volunteer rescue workers own people, and who are criminalising 2017 Gulf Times. All rights reserved region was also bombed, again after from the White Helmets, are called our staff at the White Helmets for zRaed al-Saleh is the head of the Syria treating children aff ected by Assad’s “terrorists” and singled out by the daring to treat the sick and wounded Civil Defence or White Helmets. Gulf Times Wednesday, April 5, 2017 27 COMMENT India not buying UK’s trade charm off ensive

By Vince Cable people” was, to say the least, not a trade agreement. Japan is deeply London great pitch. discomfited by Brexit, having And post-Brexit, the pitch has hitherto seen the UK as a platform remained the same but has become for its companies to export to the still recall the stinging rebuff s I increasingly desperate, a point EU. And it isn’t at all clear why the received as a teenager pursuing the Indians haven’t been slow to difficult barriers of language and some beautiful young woman notice. business culture, which inhibit Iwith whom I was besotted: Answering Indian demands for exports to Japan, will yield to a “Can’t you take a hint?” The British more visas with fast-track checks at British trade offensive when they government is similarly failing to take Heathrow is unlikely to help in forging haven’t before. the hint that the Indian authorities post-Brexit trade relationship Then there is what is rather archly are not going to succumb to ardent More generally, the government’s called the Anglosphere: the handful wooing for a bilateral trade deal. A post-Brexit obsession with non- of countries where people sound like few months ago Theresa May was EU bilateral trade deals represents us Brits. No doubt, Australian and despatched from Delhi in a rather a touchingly naive faith in what New Zealand farmers would welcome humiliating manner, and either the can be accomplished through trade an opportunity to reverse the barriers message has not yet reached the diplomacy to off set the certain losses thrown up against them 40 years Treasury or the PM wants to see her which will come from raising trade ago. But that, and a dwindling pool chancellor sent packing in a similar barriers against our own exporters of colonial sentiment, don’t take us way. by withdrawing from the EU single very far. Throughout the coalition market and customs union. After These countries have long government, great efforts were Brexit, we shall face tariff and non- since adapted to regional markets made to open up the Indian market tariff barriers which previously did dominated by the US and China to British exports and, at the not exist, not just in the 27 countries and British exporters will fi nd same time, to secure an EU-India of the EU but the 50-odd countries them in no hurry to revert to our trade agreement similar to the of Africa, the Caribbean, Pacifi c, the product and process standards, long one negotiated with Korea. In his Mediterranean region and elsewhere since abandoned. Canada has only first major overseas visit, David with countries that the EU currently just reached, painfully, a bilateral Cameron took me, several other has preferential arrangements with. agreement with the EU and has cabinet ministers and a trade The government’s hope appears to absolutely no intention of tearing it up delegation. I went four times in be that other countries of signifi cance to do more with the UK. all. The Indians were unfailingly – the US, China, India, Japan, That leaves Trump’s America. A polite and perhaps flattered by Australia – will agree to reduce their lot hangs on keeping the president’s the attention. But British exports trade barriers to UK exporters of goods attention for several years on what remained a pathetically small share and services to such an extent as to is, for him, a peripheral issue. ; on of Indian imports. off set, and more, the self-infl icted his ability to steer a deal through In addition, the trade agreement losses in Europe. Congress (and a less friendly made no progress for reasons which This has even led Liam Fox to the Congress in two years’ time); on had little to do with the rest of the Philippines, where he is seeking a successful attempts to neutralise the EU and a lot to do with Britain. The trade deal from its leader Rodrigo influence of “economic nationalists” British were pressing for better access Duterte. When our trade minister is like Steve Bannon, who will have for banking and other services but reduced to soliciting trade deals from Theresa May with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi last November. noticed that the UK runs a trade – thanks to May at the Home Offi ce – a man whose main claim to fame is, surplus with the US; and on UK maintained a consistently restrictive allegedly, organising death squads, vested interests have stood in the way other side of the world. on issues like China’s recognition as a negotiators being more successful and negative approach to visas for you understand how desperate the of a wider multilateral agreement in For reasons I have already given, “market economy”. than anyone else’s in finding a way Indian visitors and overseas students. government really is. the WTO or bilaterally. But that has India will play hard to get. China may But the areas where there is through a morass of state-level, India’s modest request under what The one serious argument for to be weighed against the far greater see advantage in “divide and rule” in potential for closer links with non-tariff barriers and buy-America is called Mode 4 relating to visas for believing that progress may be bargaining power of the EU as against its dealings with the west, reversing China – infrastructure investment preferences. Come to think of it, why IT specialists was fi rmly rebuff ed. possible is that there are some sectors, the UK acting alone and the simple, its own historical experience. The in the UK, creative industries, not maintain the relationship with The message to India that “we want notably temperate and tropical practical, point that it is easier to trade UK may provide a useful foil in use of the City for renminbi our neighbours instead? - Guardian your money but we don’t want your agriculture, where EU, non-UK, with neighbours than countries on the undermining the EU 27 and the US trades – do not require a bilateral News & Media Letters Weather report Three-day forecast Patients compel or missed. For them even making a Supreme Court Brasilia Declaration, it is imperative TODAY single visit to the doctor itself is very that policy outlines are framed to High: 30 C doctors to prescribe arduous. Such patients cannot be ruling welcome control road accidents. Reminding Low : 22 C Inshore: Moderate temperature expected to attend reviews promptly state governments of their obligation daytime and slight dust to blowing antibiotics dust at places at times with some and one has to make a quick decision. Dear Sir, to prohibit liquor sale along national clouds Patients of today are expecting a and state highways, the bench said Dear Sir, faster response in everything .. be it I express my hearty congratulations that revenue generation cannot be the THURSDAY transportation, communication or to the judges of the Indian Supreme sole ground to let these outlets sell High: 28 C As a private practitioner, I wish to their illness! Court (SC) who ordered closure of all alcohol at the cost of drunken driving Low: 18 C share some views pertaining to the Irrespective of the social or liquor outlets along India’s national and consequential fatalities. Cloudy recently published article on antibiotic educational status there is a strong and state highways by midnight 31st There is no doubt the measure will usage. belief among patients that antibiotics March 2017. It is a welcome decision in greatly contribute to safer driving in India. In private medical practice one only will give them a quick cure. the light of valuing human lives above FRIDAY sees many patients demanding an Many tell of forthcoming meetings, revenue loss to the state governments. Elias Jacob, High: 28 C antibiotic prescription and even examinations or assignments that While considering the case, a three- P.O.Box 5994, Doha Low: 21 C insisting on a higher dosage! cannot be missed due to illness as an member panel of judges, including ([email protected]) Sunny One patient surprised me the excuse for the need for antibiotics. the Chief Justice of India, highlighted other day when he told me that he As the article mentioned factually, the importance of human lives in the has already read the article about they don’t complete the entire dosage largest democracy and the second most Please send us Fishermen’s forecast antibiotic use in the newspaper and often. populous country in the world. It is OFFSHORE DOHA still insisted that an antibiotic be Then there are those who bring certain that thousands of housewives your letters Wind: NW 18-25/30 KT prescribed! and stockpile antibiotics they used who ended up as widows because Waves: 6-8/10 Feet At times the patients are very to take in their home country and of their husbands’ drunken driving By e-mail INSHORE DOHA [email protected] Wind: NW 12-22-28 KT persistent in their demand and self medicate without a doctor’s would wholeheartedly welcome the Waves: 2-3/4 Feet even say that they are visiting advice. SC’s landmark ruling. According to Fax 44350474 the doctor to get the antibiotics In a busy private practice we try to India’s ministry of road transport and Or Post Letters to the Editor Around the region they can’t otherwise get from the explain and convince each and every highways, nearly 150,000 people were Weather Gulf Times Weather pharmacy. patient at length about the usage killed in 2015 in road traffi c accidents. Of today Max/min tomorrow Max/min P O Box 2888 In these modern days people are in a of antibiotics. Sometimes we win.. those, 6,755 deaths were caused due to Abu Dhabi Cloudy 26/21 Sunny 30/22 Doha, Qatar hurry. Due to issues like transportation sometimes we lose and the patient drunken driving. Baghdad Sunny 27/11 Sunny 30/19 Dubai and waiting time at the clinics, they may visit another doctor. The historic ruling has led to the Cloudy 28/19 Sunny 31/21 All letters, which are subject Kuwait City Sunny 28/18 P Cloudy 28/20 As pointed out in the article, are reluctant to revisit the doctor for a closure of nearly 48,000 liquor shops. to editing, should have the Manama Cloudy 26/19 M Sunny 28/21 review unless there is a real need. antibiotic usage is rampant in The court has dismissed a slew of name of the writer, address and Muscat Cloudy 28/22 Sunny 26/21 There is another side of the story veterinary and poultry farms and petitions seeking a reprieve on the phone number. The writer’s Riyadh Sunny 29/17 Sunny 32/20 Tehran Sunny Sunny too. The low-income workers have that also adds to the emergence of ban, including from state governments name and address may be with- 16/06 17/08 a huge problem with transportation resistance bacteria. which had sought more time to held by request. and leave from work to attend reviews implement the order. and many reviews are either delayed (Name and address provided) Also India being a signatory to

Live issues World’s most venomous scorpion in action

AFP “We found that diff erent ‘tail’ It could be “related to the kind Paris shapes” — some slim, some fatter of predators they need to defend — “appear to permit diff erent strike themselves against,” van der Meijden performances,” said senior author Arie said. he world’s most lethal van der Meijden, a professor at the The diff erences could also arise Around the world scorpion, the death stalker, University of Porto in Portugal. from the fact that some scorpions rely Weather Weather has been caught on high- To record and analyse the lightning- less on their tail stingers, and more on today Max/min tomorrow Max/min speed camera for the fi rst fast strikes, van der Meijden and their pincers to ward off a threat. Athens S T Storms 21/10 Sunny 22/11 T Beirut Sunny 29/17 Sunny 24/16 time lashing out with its lethal stinger, his team built a small platform Scorpions use their defensive S T Storms S T Storms 32/26 scientists reported yesterday. surrounded by mirrors on all four arsenal against bats, snakes, lizards Bangkok 32/26 Berlin S Showers 14/05 M Sunny 13/06 A comparison of half-a-dozen sides. and other predators. Cairo P Cloudy 32/18 Sunny 30/14 scorpion species shown in ultra-slow They fi lmed the scorpion strikes They also use their stinger to catch Cape Town S Showers 20/12 Cloudy 21/14 motion revealed an unsuspected from above with a video camera at 500 prey, and during mating. Colombo S T Storms 32/25 S T Storms 32/24 variety of strike modes, they reported frames per second, and then created A 2008 study in the journal Acta Dhaka S T Storms 31/26 S T Storms 31/26 Hong Kong P Cloudy 24/22 Cloudy 24/22 in the journal Functional Ecology. 3D models with computers. Tropica estimated that more than Istanbul Showers 17/08 M Sunny 18/09 The death stalker had the fastest “Just taking them out of their 3,000 people die every year from Jakarta T Storms 32/24 S T Storms 31/25 lunge of all, with its venomous stinger container and putting them in the scorpion bites. Karachi Sunny 34/22 Sunny 30/20 snapping over its head like a whip at arena was enough to get them in Measuring up to 110mm in London M Sunny 15/05 M Sunny 16/06 Manila P Cloudy P Cloudy 34/24 130cm per second. stinging mood,” van der Meijden length, death stalkers (Leiurus 33/24 Moscow Cloudy 12/04 P Cloudy 15/06 It has a no-nonsense trajectory, A handout photo obtained yesterday said. quinquestriatus) are found in dry New Delhi S T Storms 37/24 Sunny 39/20 moving straight towards its target shows a Deathstalker scorpion “All that was necessary to make regions of North Africa and the New York Sunny 18/07 T Storms 13/07 before fl icking upward. (Leiurus quinquestriatus) in a them strike was touching their pincers Middle East, where they live under Paris M Cloudy 16/06 P Cloudy 14/03 P Cloudy S T Storms 28/19 The emperor scorpion — the world’s defensive posture. with a thin piece of wire.” rocks. Sao Paulo 31/20 Seoul Rain 14/10 Cloudy 13/08 largest — has a similar open strike. Next on the research agenda is to Their venom is highly dangerous Singapore S T Storms 33/26 T Storms 32/25 Other species, such as the black members of the hottentotta genus, fi gure out the evolutionary forces for adults, and potentially lethal for Sydney P Cloudy 20/12 P Cloudy 21/12 spitting scorpion, which can squirt strike with a more circular motion, which explain why the strike patterns children, but has been a valuable Tokyo Clear 20/08 Cloudy 21/08 venom at a distance, and various forming an “O”. are so varied. avenue for drug research.