MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017 INTERNATIONAL Philippine police raid Islamic centre before Catholic event MANILA: Philippine police raided an “This is part of security preparations for city had also been subjected to police last year’s event. Security forces have said group and has been blamed for various Islamic centre in Manila and briefly the Feast of the Black Nazarene,” Chief operations. Authorities have been on alert there is no report of a “direct threat” to the bombings and attacks. Investigators are detained scores of people as part of Inspector Marissa Bruno, spokeswoman for possible attacks by Islamic militants to festival this year but they are wary that still looking into whether the AKP was heightened security before a major for the Manila police, said. She said 82 disrupt the Black Nazarene event, which is Muslim extremists may seek revenge for involved in a bombing in the southern Catholic festival, a spokeswoman said yes- other people at the centre had been tak- expected to attract millions of Filipinos. the killing of a pro-Islamic State militant city of Davao in September which killed terday. Two men were arrested for illegal en to a police station but were released The annual festival sees huge numbers of leader last week. 15 people gathered in a popular park. drugs during the raid on the Islamic soon afterwards when it was found they barefoot devotees crowding to touch a Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, alias Local Muslim extremists have previously Center in the heart of Manila on Saturday, had no warrants outstanding. life-size and dark-skinned statue of Jesus “Tokboy”, founder and leader of the launched attacks on Christian targets, as authorities warned of possible attacks Bruno denied that police had targeted that is reputed to have healing powers. Ansarul Khilafa Philippines (AKP), was playing on longstanding tensions by Islamic militants when the Feast of the the Islamic Center, which includes a Two people were killed and hundreds killed by security forces on Thursday. His between the country’s Christian majority Black Nazarene reaches its peak today. mosque, saying that other parts of the injured during the crush of humanity at group is known to be a supporter of the IS and the Muslim minority.—AFP N Korea says can test-launch ICBM at any time, any place SEOUL: North Korea said yesterday it can ICBMs have a minimum range of about test launch an intercontinental ballistic 5,500 km (3,400 miles), but some are missile at any time from any location set designed to travel 10,000 km (6,200 by leader Kim Jong Un, saying the miles) or further. United States’ hostile policy was to US President-elect Donald Trump blame for its arms development. Kim responded on Monday to Kim’s com- said on Jan 1 that his nuclear-capable ments on an ICBM test by declaring in a country was close to test-launching an tweet that “It won’t happen!” A US State intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Department spokesman said last week “The ICBM will be launched anytime and that the United States does not believe anywhere determined by the supreme that North Korea is capable of mounting headquarters of the DPRK,” an unnamed a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile. Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted North Korea has been under UN sanc- as saying by the official KCNA news tions since 2006 over its nuclear and bal- agency, using the acronym for the coun- listic missile tests. The sanctions were try’s name. tightened last month after Pyongyang The North is formally known as the conducted its fifth and largest nuclear Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. test on Sept 9. The United States said on Thursday that “The US is wholly to blame for pushing North Korea had demonstrated a “quali- the DPRK to have developed ICBM as it tative” improvement in its nuclear and has desperately resorted to anachronistic missile capabilities after an unprecedent- policy hostile toward the DPRK for ed level of tests last year. decades to encroach upon its sovereign- Experts have said that while North ty and vital rights,” KCNA quoted the Korea may be close to testing an ICBM, it spokesman as saying. “Anyone who would likely take years to perfect the wants to deal with the DPRK would be weapon. Once fully developed, a North well advised to secure a new way of Korean ICBM could threaten the conti- thinking after having clear understand- nental United States, which is around ing of it,” the spokesman said, according 9,000 km (5,500 miles) from the North. to KCNA.—Reuters Nine things Obama will be remembered for SEOUL: This picture shows an injured Buddhist monk who set himself on fire being carried into an ambulance in Seoul. —AFP WASHINGTON: As Barack Obama pre- nuclear weapon, in return for substan- S Korean monk sets himself pares to leave office on January 20, here tial sanctions relief and a dollop of inter- are nine things his presidency may be national legitimacy. The pact would remembered for: strain US relations with Iran’s enemies Israel and Saudi Arabia, but prevented a on fire at anti-president rally Making history nuclear arms race in the Middle East If historians were to write only one and defused tensions between Iran and ‘Monk urged authorities to arrest the president for treason’ thing about Barack Hussein Obama, the United States that have simmered they would likely note that — 143 years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. SEOUL: A South Korean Buddhist monk is in crit- to decide whether to confirm the impeachment. of protest in the South, and was particularly after slavery was abolished-a young ical condition after setting himself on fire during The monk also slammed Park as a “traitor” for common during the pro-democracy movement Illinois senator became the first black No turnabout on Syria a mass protest against the impeached President forging a deal with Japan to settle compensa- of the 1980s and early 90s when a number of president of the United States. Obama, No international crisis tested Park Geun-Hye, officials said yesterday. The tion for women forced into sexual slavery for activists set themselves on fire during public just 47 at his 2009 inauguration, har- Obama’s foreign policy or his high bar monk, in his 60s and whose name was not Japanese troops during the World War II, accord- demonstrations. nessed magisterial oratory to rally a for US military intervention like Syria. released, set himself alight late Saturday night in ing to Yonhap. Critics say the 2015 deal did not Park is accused of colluding with her secret diverse electoral coalition behind a mes- Even when Bashar al-Assad defied central Seoul where hundreds of thousands go far enough in holding Japan responsible for confidante, Choi Soon-Sil, to coerce top local sage of “hope and change.” In office, Obama’s red line on chemical weapons returned to the streets for the eleventh week to wartime abuses. firms to “donate” tens of millions of dollars to Obama sometimes struggled to turn use and killed countless thousands of demand Park’s ouster. He left a note urging Tensions between the two countries spiked non-profit foundations which Choi then used as that poetry into the prose of gover- civilians-along with Russian and Iranian authorities to arrest the scandal-hit president for on Friday when Tokyo recalled its ambassador her personal ATMs. nance. Racial tensions-underscored by forces-the man who came to office on committing “treason”, the Yonhap news agency over a statue of a “comfort woman.” The monk The president is also accused of letting Choi, police shootings of unarmed black men an anti-war ticket rejected calls to step reported. suffered third-degree burns across his body and the daughter of a shady religious figure who was and conspiracy theories about his birth- in. Syria will likely be in crisis for years to Park was impeached by parliament last remains unconscious, according to police and also close to Park for decades, meddle in state place-persisted. But the very fact of his come. Critics will long argue about month over an influence-peddling scandal that staff at Seoul National University Hospital where affairs including nomination of top officials. Both election confirmed monumental whether Obama’s policy was sensible sparked a storm of public fury and nationwide he is being treated. Park and Choi-who is currently on trial-have changes in American society. and to what degree his decision dam- protests, and the Constitutional Court now has Self-immolation is not unheard of as a means denied any wrongdoing. —AFP aged America’s reputation, allowed the Too big to fail Islamic State group to grow, fueled an Obama’s first term in office was domi- immigration flow that destabilized nated by economic freefall. A real estate Europe and allowed Russia and Iran to crisis spawned a financial meltdown that extend influence in the region. torpedoed Wall Street banks and lenders, and was metastasizing into an Change the climate economic crisis of global proportions. After the climate skepticism of Bush, Outgoing president George W. Bush and Obama’s eight years in office resulted in a the Federal Reserve had kicked off the tidal wave of environmental legislation, government’s first panicked efforts at protecting marine ecosystems, curbing containment, but Obama faced down carbon emissions and boosting renew- ideological opposition to large fiscal able energy. In a bid to engrain environ- stimulus, extending government spend- mentalism into America’s body politic, ing by $831 billion and providing ballast Obama hiked Alaskan glaciers, snorkeled to the economy.