Law against promotion of formula milk 'soon' - Gulf Times

In brief

MONDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10377

February 27, 2017Jumada I 30, 1438 AH www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals GULF TIMES

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EUROPE | Technology

Nokia relaunches iconic 3310 model Finnish brand Nokia, a former mobile star, yesterday launched three new Android smartphones and unveiled a revamped version of its iconic 3310 model more than a decade after it was phased out. Unlike the original, which was known for its sturdiness, the new Nokia 3310 will allow web browsing. The new version will bring back its predecessor’s popular “Snake” game and distinctive ringtones, said Arto Nummela, the head of Finnish start-up HMD Global which will produce the phone under a licensing agreement with Nokia. “The telephone will allow you to talk for 22 hours, ten times more than the original,” he said during a presentation in Barcelona on the eve of the start of the Mobile World Congress, the world’s biggest mobile phone show.

ARAB WORLD | Confl ict

Iraq forces in W Mosul aim for key bridge Iraqi forces battled militants in west Mosul yesterday, aiming to build a floating bridge across the Tigris to establish an important supply route linked to the recaptured east bank. A week into a major push on the western side of the city, where an estimated 2,000 holdout militants and 750,000 civilians are trapped, government forces made steady progress. But after relatively easy gains on the city’s outskirts, they encountered increasingly stiff resistance from the Islamic State group defending its emblematic stronghold. “We had an important operation this morning to move towards the bridge,” Colonel Falah al-Wabdan of the interior ministry’s Rapid Response units that have spearheaded the breach into west Mosul said. Page 9

AMERICA | People

Hollywood actorBill Paxton deadBill Paxton, the actor whose roles include the tornado chaser in the 1996 film Twister, has died at the age of 61, US media reported yesterday. Film website tmz.com citing a statement by his family stated that Paxton died from complications following heart surgery. “Bill’s passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable,” the family was quoted by the site as saying, mentioning Paxton’s 40-year acting career. In addition to Twister, Paxton was known for his 1995 role in Apollo 13 as well as his roles in the 1997 international hit Titanic, Aliens (1986) and True Lies (1994). Page 11

SPORT | Page 1

Lekhwiya target second straight win in ACL

Law against promotionof formula milk ‘soon’By Joey AguilarStaff Reporter

A draft law that promotes breast-feeding and bans the promotion and advertising of milk substi-

tutes in Qatar is now in its fi nal stages, a senior offi cial at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has said.

“The ‘Marketing Breast Milk Alter-natives’ law will now go to the cabinet for approval,” MoPH’s Health Protec-tion and Non-communicable Diseases director Sheikha Dr al-Anoud bint Mo-hamed al-Thani said yesterday.

She was speaking on the sidelines of a fi ve-day workshop on MoPH’s ‘Baby-friendly Hospitals Initiative,’ which began yesterday in collaboration with

the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

“The code was signed in 1998 and we need to make it into law. Now we have more force to implement it,” she said. “There will be no promotion of breast milk substitutes or artifi cial milk, it will only be prescribed if needed badly.”

Such an initiative, Sheikha Dr al-Anoud stressed, also aims to increase exclusive breastfeeding rate in Qatar from 29% to 50% by the end of 2022. It is one of the goals of the National Plan for nutrition and physical activity and in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

She said the low breastfeeding rate was due to diff erent myths about breastfeeding such as its negative ef-fects on the woman’s body.

Some mothers, Sheikha Dr al-Anoud added, are scared that the milk coming from their breasts is not actually good for their baby.

Due to these myths, the MoPH plans to recruit and train more healthcare providers in Qatar to implement the initiative with high effi ciency.

She said the ministry will also

launch a series of campaigns to raise awareness on the health benefi ts of breastfeeding to both the mother and child.

Sheikha Dr al-Anoud added that around 23 CEOs and senior offi cials of public and private hospitals in the country are participating in the work-shop.

Emir meets BNP Paribas chief Father Emir visits Picasso exhibition

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met at the Emiri Diwan off ice yesterday with BNP Paribas Bank chairman Jean Lemierre who is on a visit to Qatar.

Qatar Petroleum (QP) is plan-ning to integrate Qatar Vi-nyl Company (QVC), a part

of Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding (MPHC), into Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco), an associate of In-dustries Qatar (IQ), a move that will optimise costs and improve profit-ability.

The resulting entity would be a single company, Qapco, operating the facili-ties of both, a QP spokesman said.

The integration would not result in any change to the shareholder owner-ship but allow the realisation of syn-ergies through creating a single entity that operates the assets on behalf of both companies’ shareholders. IQ and MPHC are both Qatar Stock Exchange listed companies.

Upon the integration, which is ex-pected to start in March and complete before the end of the year, Qapco would be a single expanded and highly syner-getic operating company fully manag-ing Qapco’s and QVC’s current activi-ties.

Qapco - which is 80% owned by IQ and 20% by France’s Total Petrochemi-cals - is engaged in the production and sale of ethylene, polyethylene, hexane and other petrochemical products; whiled QVC - which is jointly control-led by QP, MPHC and Qapco - is into sale of petrochemical products such as caustic soda, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride monomer.

In 2016, Qapco had reported a profi t of QR2.62bn on revenue of QR3.89bn, while QVC made a profi t

of QR170.48mn on total revenue of QR1.44bn.

“This integration aims to enhance the competitiveness, fi nancial per-formance, and resilience of both com-

panies. The shareholders of IQ and MPHC will directly benefi t from this integration as it reduces the operat-ing cost and enhances the profi tability of both companies,” QP president and chief executive Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said.

Qatar would pool the distinctive re-sources and capabilities of QVC and Qapco to create a higher value for both of their respective shareholders, while strengthening the global competitive position in the petrochemical industry, he said.

“In line with our vision and commit-ment to building world-class Qatari talent, we will ensure that all Qatari nationals currently employed by QVC will be integrated into the new Qapco organisation,” al-Kaabi said.

QP remains fully committed to de-livering on its strategic objectives of enhancing and growing the fi nancial performance and competitive position of its business portfolio, and to support Qatar’s continued and sustainable eco-nomic growth, he added.

The integration of QVC into Qapco comes close on the heels of Qatar go-ing ahead with merging its two giant liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) producers Qatargas and RasGas to create a world-scale ‘Qatargas’ with a combined an-nual LNG production capacity of about 79mn tonnes.

Recently, al-Kaabi said QP is aim-ing at further reduction to its operat-ing costs to improve effi ciency as the hydrocarbon industry redefi nes itself in the wake of low oil economic order.

QVC-Qapco integration ‘to optimise costs’

Al-Kaabi: enhancing competitiveness

CEOs and senior off icials of public and private hospitals in Qatar participate in the workshop. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil

The rain is over for now but Qa-tar may see another spell of unstable weather by the com-

ing weekend, the Met department has said.

Today, low visibility has been fore-cast in the early hours of the day in some inshore areas and late at night in off shore areas due to fog and mist, ac-cording to the weather offi ce.

The country has experienced a cou-ple of cold spells this month as well as two rainy spells, with the showers be-ing accompanied by thunder at times in some places. The skies started clearing yesterday after sporadic rain was reported from Doha and other places since late on Saturday.

Data issued by the Met department on social media showed that Turayna (9mm) and Mesaieed (7.1mm) in the south had received the highest rainfall between Friday and yesterday morn-ing.

Meanwhile, the department also tweeted yesterday that “another unstable weather situation - with chances of rain” - is expected to aff ect Qatar by the coming weekend.

The detailed forecast for today says hazy to misty/foggy conditions are expected in some places at fi rst, fol-lowed by mild daytime conditions. Visibility may drop to 2km or lower in some areas in the early hours of the day.

Off shore areas, too, are likely to see hazy to misty/foggy conditions by late at night.

The weather offi ce said relative humidity was expected to rise with a chance of misty-foggy patches over some areas early this morning.

A minimum temperature of 13C is likely in Abu Samra today, while in Doha (airport area) it will be 16C. The maximum, on the other hand, will range from 23C to 26C.

Yesterday, a minimum tempera-ture of 13C was recorded in Turayna and 17C in the Doha airport area. The maximum ranged from 20C to 24C.

Meanwhile, the Qatar Civil Avia-tion Authority has started installing boards displaying weather condi-tions along highways to provide in-formation to motorists and ensure their safety along with that of the people accompanying them, accord-ing to information available on social media.

Anotherspell of unstableweatherexpected

MoPH’s Health Protection and Non-communicable Diseases director Sheikha Dr al-Anoud bint Mohamed al-Thani speaks at the ‘Baby-friendly Hospitals Initiative’ workshop yesterday.

Qatar mulls increase in maternity leave

The MoPH is working with the Ministry of

Administrative Development, Labour and

Social Aff airs to increase the maternity

leave to give more time for new and

lactating mothers to breastfeed their

babies, Health Protection and Non-com-

municable Diseases director Sheikha Dr

al-Anoud bint Mohamed al-Thani said. “It

is necessary to protect, promote, and sup-

port exclusive breastfeeding from a child’s

birth up to six months, and continue it

for two years with the introduction of

‘homemade complementary feeding,’”

she added.

HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday visited the Picasso-Giacometti exhibition at the Fire Station’s Garage Gallery. Organised by Qatar Museums, the exhibition features the works of two of the most important artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966). It is the first-ever Picasso and Giacometti exhibition in the Middle East. More than 120 works by Picasso and Giacometti are featured at the exhibition, which will run until May 21. The exhibition evokes diff erent aspects of each artist’s production, including the development of their work as young artists through to their modernist creations. It also shows the correspondences between their works, the influence of the surrealist movement, and the return to realism during the post-war period.

QATAR

Gulf Times Monday, February 27, 20172

Doha hosts fi rst meeting ofQatar-UAE security panel

Doha hosted yesterday the fi rst meeting of the Qatar-UAE Joint Secu-

rity Committee, which is part of the Joint Higher Committee be-tween the two countries.

Director General of Public Se-curity Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim al-Khulaifi chaired the Qatari side at the meeting, while the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Lt General Saif Abdullah al-Shafar headed the delegation of the United Arab Emirates.

During the meeting, they dis-cussed a number of security is-sues of common concern.

An agreement in the fi eld of ‘passport’ was signed between the two countries.

Separately, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of In-terior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani met with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior of the

United Arab Emirates, Lt Gen-eral Saif Abdullah al-Shafar, and his accompanying delega-tion on the occasion of their visit to Qatar to participate in

the meeting of the Committee on Security Co-operation and Co-ordination between the two countries’ Ministries of Interior.

Talks during the meeting dealt with bilateral relations, mutual co-operation and means of en-hancing them, especially in the security fi eld.

QNADoha

Director General of Public Security Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim al-Khulaifi and UAE’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Lt General Saif Abdullah al-Shafar exchange documents after signing an agreement in the field of ‘passport’.

Director General of Public Security Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim al-Khulaifi and UAE’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Lt General Saif Abdullah al-Shafar chairing the first meeting of the Qatar-UAE Joint Security Committee in Doha yesterday.

PHCC opens medical centre at Supreme Committee’s HQ

Qatar’s Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) inaugurated

yesterday a medical clinic at the headquarters of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Qatar 2022 tower, to

serve the employees working in the building.

The clinic will receive emer-gencies and refer them for the appropriate medical attention depending on their condition. Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Executive Director of the Operating Department at PHCC Dr Samia al-Abdullah said that the step indicates the

corporation’s belief in the role of primary healthcare. It is also a refl ection on the Supreme Committee’s role in Qatar, al-Abdullah added.

She added that PHCC was keen on enhancing partnerships with diff erent segments and or-ganisations in the Qatari society, whether public or private. She highlighted that the National Primary Health Care Strategy 2013-2018 stresses the com-mitment to providing the best healthcare services to citizens and residents of Qatar.

For his part, administration executive director of the Su-preme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Mohamed al-Marzouqi said that the new clinic will pro-vide primary healthcare to more than 400 employees who work in the building.

QNADoha

Off icials of PHCC and the Supreme Committee inaugurating a medical clinic at the SC headquarters yesterday.

Sudan’s minister praises Qatar’s role in establishing global peace

Sudan’s Minister of Tour-ism, Antiquities and Wild-life Dr Mohamed Abu Zaid

Mustafa praised Qatar’s “invalu-able role” in global peace aimed at ending confl icts, advocating non-violence and resolving con-fl icts through peaceful means.

He said this policy was highly appreciated and respected glo-bally and placed Qatar among leading countries in establishing international peace and security through diplomatic and political means.

Talking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the Sudanese Minister

said that Doha is a beacon of peace as it has hosted numerous events and regional and interna-tional conferences to consolidate peace and has made a pioneering contribution in the Arab reun-ion and Islamic unity by fi nding a coherent system that seeks to overcome challenges and obsta-cles arising from crises, confl icts and disputes.

With regard to the Qatari-Sudanese relations, the Su-danese minister stressed the depth of relations between the two countries, saying that Doha stood with Khartoum in diffi cult circumstances, and that the Qa-tari leadership was the fi rst gov-ernment in the world to break the blockade imposed on Sudan

and dealt with it despite the in-herent diffi culties and risks.

This step, he said, led later to achieving a breakthrough and was followed by the lifting of US sanctions on Sudan. The Suda-nese minister pointed out that his ministry took advantage of the outcomes of Doha peace agreement by promoting tour-ism in Sudan globally, especially in the fi eld of antiquities, as Qatar has implemented a larger project for the restoration of an-tiquities in Sudan.

The Sudanese minister said that Doha peace agreement laid down the new criteria of tourism in Darfur through dialogue with neighbouring countries and the revival of the culture of peace.

QNAKhartoum

QATAR3Gulf Times

Monday, February 27, 2017

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived yesterday in Doha on an off icial visit to Qatar. He was received at Hamad International Airport by HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to Azerbaijan Yousif Hasan Alsae, and Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Qatar Tofiq Abdullayev.

HE the Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met the Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Matiyev Berdyniyaz in Doha yesterday. They discussed bilateral relations and means to bolster them in addition to topics of mutual interest.

Azerbaijan president arrives Qatar-Turkmenistan ties reviewed Customs workshop focuses onsecurity

Qatar’s support for Palestinianspraised

The General Authority of Customs concluded yes-terday a workshop on

Programme Global Shields (PGS) which saw some of the best ex-perts from the World Customs Organisation speak. Some 60 participants from the region’s diff erent customs authorities participated in the workshop.

The General Authority of Cus-toms released a statement yes-terday saying that the workshop aimed at discussing security threats related with commerce, and how customs authorities can deal with them in light of the political turmoil in many of the world’s regions.

Head of the training evalu-ation department at the Gen-eral Authority of Customs Abdulrahman al-Kuwari said that one of their main goals in training is the protection of society. He added that the goal of PGS was to tar-get criminal groups that use cargo shipments to smuggle chemical materials and use them in making improvised explosive devices (IED).

The programme also directs diff erent customs authority on how to deal with such situations.

The three-day event covered a range of topics regarding se-curity, such as diff erent types of IEDs, how they are smuggled, and how customs should deal with those situations.

Head of the Offi ce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Hu-

man Rights (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory James Heenan has praised Qa-tar “remarkable and important” role in support of the Palestinian people.

In an interview with Qatari daily Arrayah, Heenan highlight-ed Qatar’s support for building a strong Palestinian State and its contributions to alleviating the suff ering of the Palestinian peo-ple living under occupation for more than 60 years.

He noted that the Qatari role is not limited to material support, but it is also keen on preserving human rights in a strong Pales-tinian state.

Asked about the Israeli and US current positions towards the UN-backed two-state solution, the UN offi cial said that this is a political issue, while the OH-CHR focuses on human rights issues, documenting violations and providing assistance for those aff ected.

However, he reaffi rmed the UN’s commitment to the two-state solution and its continued support for the principle as the best way to establish enduring peace in the region.

Heenan hailed Doha deci-sion to host of the International Conference on Human Rights Approach to Confl ict Situations in the Arab Region which was a valuable opportunity to gather all parties concerned with hu-man rights issues, including governments, civil societies, international organisations and research centres.

He noted that the discussions during the conference and work-shops were characterised by diversity of attitudes and opin-ions which is positive, and were based on freedom of opinion and mutual respect.

QNADoha

QNADoha

Registration for Haj

starts on March 1

The Ministry of Endow-ments (Awqaf) and Is-lamic Aff airs announced

that registration for the Haj sea-son of 1438 AH — 2017 will start from March 1 and will be open till March 30.

The Ministry said that na-tionals and residents can ap-ply through the website of Haj and Umrah Affairs Department at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs available in Arabic and English (www.hajj.gov.qa).

Director of Haj and Umrah Department Ali Sultan al-Misi-fry underlined that the registra-tion process through the website will be easy for nationals and residents who wish to apply for Haj this year.

For Qatari pilgrims, the ap-plicant should be at least 18 years old and an accompanied person, 16 years old.

Meanwhile, residents should be at least 18 years old, hav-ing a minimum of three years residence and not having per-formed Haj during the last five years.

Fe m a l e re s i d e n t s w i t h -o u t “ M a h ra m ” s h o u l d b e

a t l e a s t 4 5 ye a rs o l d , a n d n o t l e s s t h a n 1 8 ye a rs , i n c a s e o f a n a c c o m p a n i e d p e rs o n , i n a d d i t i o n to t h e a va i l a b i l i t y o f a “ M a h -ra m ”.

All passport must be read electronically (E-Passport).

Al-Misifry noted that screening process will be done electronically after the registration period ends on each of the applicable condi-tions contained in the state-ment.

He underlined that support-ing committees have completed all preparations, noting that they will begin inspection tours of the campaigns’ homes in the holy lands after the holy month of Ramadan.

He highlighted the ongo-ing co-operation with the State’s ministries and institu-tions which support the work of Qatar’s Haj Mission in the fields of health and food care, security and safety, and com-munications for Qatar’s pil-grims.

The Haj and Umrah Aff airs Department hotline at 132 allows the public to communicate with the Department during working hours to inquire about every-thing related to the Haj season this year.

QNADoha

Indian worker missing for more than two months

A 22-year-old Indian ex-patriate has been miss-ing for more than 70 days

after he went for work with his colleagues at a road construction project in Rayyan.

Sources told Gulf Times that Murugesan Gopalakrishnan from Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu, was employed by a com-pany whose workers were de-ployed for the road work. He was working as a steel fi xer.

According to one of his col-leagues, Gopalakrishnan was dropped at his work site on De-cember 13, 2016, and the em-ployer’s record showed he re-ported for duty at 5am. However, when the workers were about leave for food around 10am they noticed that Gopalakrishnan was missing. Initially they thought he had boarded another vehicle to reach the location in Rayyan where food was served.

After his colleagues could not locate him even either at their accommodation in the evening they reported the matter to the camp managers.

Gopalakrishnan’s father, Mu-rugesan who works in Saudi Ara-bia, tried to contact his son on his mobile phone the next day but there was no response.

Subsequently, the employ-ers lodged a complaint with the police. One of his colleagues said the parents of Gopalakrishnan have been repeatedly call-ing them to know the where-abouts of their son. Soon

after Gopalakrishnan’s disap-pearance, some of his colleagues also visited the Hamad General Hospital also to fi nd out if he was admitted there with any illness.

Asked if there were any chanc-es for him to abscond from the company, one of his colleagues said he was apparently happy at work and there was no reason whatsoever for him to vanish from the employers.

It is learnt that the police are following up the case based on the complaint lodged by his em-ployers. However, his colleagues hope people would be able to help them locate the worker if the matter is reported in the me-dia.

The colleagues are also fol-lowing up the matter with the Indian embassy in Doha. The missing worker arrived in Qatar eight months ago, it is learnt.

Murugesan Gopalakrishnan

British Council, HSBC donate two mobile libraries to HMCThe British Council and

HSBC have donated two mobile libraries to Hamad

Medical Corporation (HMC) so as to benefi t hospitalised chil-dren.

Twice a week, trained story-tellers and volunteers, includ-ing those from British Coun-cil, HSBC and Hamad General Hospital will approach children at the hospital and ask them to choose the story they fi nd most appealing. Once they choose the story, the storyteller will begin the story.

Mobile libraries are well es-tablished in many parts of the world and the benefi ts they bring to hospitalised children are widely recognised.

The modern day mobile li-braries at HMC will be stocked with books in English, Arabic and Urdu that appeal to a range of ages, reading levels and in-terests. In addition, the British Council will provide access to its LearnEnglish Family website for the parents in addition to a col-lection of iPads and tablets so that children can access educa-tional games.

Dr Frank Fitzpatrick, direc-

tor of the British Council Qatar said: “The Mobile Library is an opportunity to help children and their families, who spend lengthy amounts of time in hospital to benefi t from the creative and im-aginative world of books, whilst enhancing their English Language profi ciency. Our teachers have carefully selected stories that will both entertain and educate hospi-talised children.”

Abdul Hakeem Mostafa-

wi, CEO of HSBC said: “The project speaks to many aspects of our approach to corporate sustainability by encouraging children in hospitals to contin-ue to read for their enjoyment, education and to improve their language skills. Our volunteers look forward to spending time with the children and help to develop their creative thinking and English skills.”

Maitha al-Bouainain, execu-

tive director, Community Af-fairs and Patient Engagement at Hamad General Hospital said: “In addition to off ering men-tal stimulation, reading has many scientifi cally proven ben-efi ts such as stress reduction and memory improvement. We believe this initiative will not only provide a great source of in-formation and entertainment for our patients, but also help dur-ing their recovery process.”

British Council, HSBC and HMC off icials at the event yesterday to donate mobile libraries.

ASHRAE working to update2013 District Cooling GuideThe American Society of

Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engi-

neers (ASHRAE) is working to up-date its existing District Cooling Guide, published in 2013, presi-dent Bjarne Olesen told a confer-ence in Doha yesterday.

“There are also plans to de-velop a guide related to build-ing owners and consultants to help in quantifying the savings and to present and compile lots of lessons learned from the dis-trict cooling applications,” he explained.

Olesen was addressing the Second International Confer-ence on Energy and Indoor En-vironment for Hot Climates, a two-day event being hosted by Qatar University College of En-gineering (QU-CENG).

The event is in collaboration with ASHRAE and ASHRAE Qatar Oryx Chapter, and under the sponsorship of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC). It aims to address energy and indoor air quality (IAQ) issues in humid and arid hot climates.

Over 150 experts and research-ers are participating to exchange their ideas and expertise and dis-cuss the latest research and devel-opment in the fi eld of indoor envi-ronmental quality in high ambient temperature climates.

One of the keynote speak-ers, Olesen pointed out that the ASHRAE standards are devel-oped to be utilised in the design, construction and operation of building systems and equipment all around the world.

“But variations between countries’ cultural and climatic

conditions and building prac-tices can sometimes prove chal-lenging when adopting or adapt-ing standards. No matter what area of the world, ASHRAE is committed to ensuring good de-sign, construction and operation across the board.”

In his capacity as incoming president for 2017-18, Olesen added that through its outreach, the ASHRAE can continue to add to a worldwide best practices da-tabank of innovative and success-ful technologies that can serve the built environment community.

“We do that best by collabora-tion. We need to learn from each other and bring the global world for building technology closer together.”

Organising committee chair Hassan Sultan said the ASHRAE Qatar Chapter, which has more than 300 members, is commit-ted to provide a wide range of services to the HVAC and re-frigeration industry in the Gulf region and in Qatar specifi cally.

SC’s Competition Venues deputy executive director engi-neer Yousif al-Musleh said the conference, a fi rst in the Middle

East, has brought together the local, regional and international experts on cooling technology and sustainable environment.

“With eight stadiums in dif-ferent phases of design and con-struction for the proposed 2022 FIFA World Cup, the summit will cover great discussions on the delivery of these projects with the promised cooling technology that will benefi t the community long after 2022.”

QU president Dr Hassan al-Der-ham recalled that the conference is being held for the second time in Doha, where ‘research is growing at the fastest rate in the region.’

“This conference comes on the sidelines of the Qatar National Environment Day, celebrated an-nually on February 26 to highlight the ongoing eff orts of the Qatari government to protect and pre-serve the environment.

“The event is in support of the State of Qatar’s vision and the development strategies, under its Environmental Development pillar, to “direct Qatar towards a balance between developmental needs and the protection of its natural environment, whether

land, sea or air””.Dr al-Derham asserted that

QU, the country’s pre-eminent national higher education insti-tution, is well-placed as a key partner in driving forward the national goals.

“In this regard, we place em-phasis on promoting research on the atmospheric science and hu-man health, the marine environ-ment, carbon dioxide sequestra-tion, energy effi cient systems and smart buildings, and Qatar solar map, to name a few.

“QU is also committed to pro-viding sustainable solutions that refl ect community and industry needs. In this regard, QU contin-ues to promote collaboration with local and international institu-tions to advance science and tech-nology in Qatar through research and development. They also serve to enhance academic and re-search excellence through strate-gic investment in human capital, ground-breaking technology, and state-of-the-art facilities.”

The other keynote speakers were University College of London In-stitute for Environmental Design and Engineering deputy director and research leader professor Dejan Mumovic, Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air-con-ditioning Associations vice presi-dent Prof Jarek Kurnitski, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory group leader and senior research staff Dr Omar Abdelaziz.

It also included presentations delivered by speakers from Bra-zil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Sau-di Arabia, Kuwait, Oregon, Qa-tar, The Netherlands, the UAE, the UK, and the US.

Bjarne Olesen Dr Hassan al-Derham

The three-day event covered a range of topics regarding security, such as diff erent types of IEDs, how they are smuggled, and how customs should deal with those situations

QATAR


QU, MME ink MoU for project on recycling organic gas into fuel

A new collaboration in Qatar seeks to study a project that

involves capturing organic gas released from waste and recycling it into an organic fuel for dual-fuel vehicles.

A memorandum of un-derstanding (MoU) has been signed between Qatar University College of En-gineering (QU-CENG) and the Ministry of Municipali-ty and Environment (MME) in this regard.

The MoU will “estab-lish collaboration on the exchange of information and consultancy on the re-cent techniques to capture organic gas released from waste and recycle it into an organic fuel for dual-fuel vehicles”, according to a statement.

The agreement was signed by QU vice-pres-ident for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Mariam al-Maadeed and MME assistant undersec-

Mercedes-Benz 2016 models recalled

The Ministry of Economy and Com-merce (MEC), in

collaboration with Nasser Bin Khaled Automobiles, has announced the re-call of Mercedes-Benz C Class, GLC Class and S Class 2016 models be-cause the relays in the rear fuse and relay module may not correspond to factory specifi cation.

The MEC will co-ordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and

repair works and commu-nicate with customers to ensure that the necessary repairs are carried out.

The MEC has urged all customers to report any violations to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Com-mercial Fraud Depart-ment through the following channels: Hotline: 16001, e-mail: [email protected], Twitter: @MEC_Qatar, In-stagram: MEC_Qatar, MEC mobile app for Android and IOS: MEC_Qatar

QU and MME off icials after attending the collaboration signing ceremony.

retary for General Services Aff airs Sheikh Faleh bin Nasser al-Thani in the pres-ence of QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, CENG dean Dr Khalifa al-Khalifa, MME Waste Treatment De-partment director Hamad al-Bahar and ministry rep-resentatives, as well as QU leaders, faculty and staff .

The terms of the MoU in-clude collaboration on con-ducting a feasibility study of the project, including capturing the organic gas, squeezing and purifying it to use it as a fuel for dual-fuel vehicles. The fuel will then be tested through cars,

the statement notes. Commenting on the

MoU, Prof al-Maadeed said: “Through this agreement, QU continues to demon-strate its commitment to ad-dressing environmental is-sues by investing in research that will contribute to fi nd-ing sustainable solutions to the environment challenges in Qatar. This MoU comes on the sidelines of Qatar En-vironment Day, which aims to highlight the continuous eff orts of the Qatari govern-ment to preserve the envi-ronment, in line with the pillars of Qatar National Vi-sion 2030.”

Sheikh Faleh added, “This agreement comes as a result of fruitful co-op-eration between the MME and QU to provide solu-tions that help preserve the environment and achieve sustainable environmen-tal development, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. The MME is com-mitted to providing full support to this agreement in order to fulfi l its objec-tives in a way that ben-efi ts Qatar’s environment and economy, and we look forward towards more ce-mented co-operation with QU in other areas.”

QATAR


Kalyan Jewellers celebrates Valentine’s event with 100 couples at Dubai event

Kalyan Jewellers recently brought together 100 couples at a grand event in Dubai, the UAE, featur-

ing brand ambassador and style diva Sonam Kapoor.

The couples, selected from Qa-tar, the UAE, Kuwait and India, were the winners of a contest organised by Kalyan to celebrate the spirit of Valen-tine’s Day.

At a press meet held in the city, Son-am Kapoor said she was delighted to be part of the initiative because of the opportunity to interact with 200 peo-ple from diff erent countries, who were brought together by Kalyan Jewellers.

“As brand ambassadors, we rarely

get an opportunity to interact with the patrons of the brand and that is why this evening is special. Events like these create lasting memories and ex-periences for all those who have been a part of it,” she added.

Kalyan Jewellers had launched a special collection to ring in the season of love, which included heart-shaped pendants, earrings and chains across Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and India.

This was complemented with a glo-bal off er in these countries wherein lucky customers could get an opportu-nity to meet and greet Sonam Kapoor in Dubai on purchasing from the Val-entine’s collection.

T S Kalyanaraman, chairman and managing director of Kalyan Jew-ellers, said: “The thought behind bringing Sonam Kapoor to Dubai is to make our loyal patrons experience the exclusivity and authenticity of Brand Kalyan by engaging with our brand ambassador in real life and not just through a TV or print advertising campaign.

“The proliferation of digital has brought brands and celebrities closer to customers’ lives.

“We are taking it one step further by bringing the celebrity and consumer to celebrate together, and elevate the Kalyan brand experience.”

Sonam Kapoor with top Kalyan Jewellers off icials.

New tyre shop opened on Salwa Road

Aamal Trading and Distribution opened Qatar’s fi rst ‘First Stop’ centre on the Salwa Road in co-

operation with Bridgestone MEA, re-placing the former Bridgestone centre in that location.

The new showroom was inaugurated by Sheikh Khaled bin Faisal al-Thani on behalf of Aamal Company manag-ing director Sheikh Mohamed bin Fais-al al-Thani.

Representatives from Aamal Trad-ing and Distribution, as well as senior offi cials from Bridgestone Middle East and Africa including regional manag-

ing director, Mete Ekin attended the ceremony.

Aamal said, “The advantage of First

Stop is its ability to provide of a ‘one-stop-shop’ model which allows car own-ers to meet the majority of their everyday motoring needs in a single location.

From tyre sales and routine servicing to battery supply and fi tting, to wheel alignment and brake pads, First Stop provides a range of services to keep motorists on the move at aff ordable prices, using a menu pricing system that ensures clarity and transparency before any work is undertaken.”

Aamal Trading and Distribution has been the exclusive distributor of Bridgestone tyres in Qatar since 1971.

Sheikh Khaled inaugurating ‘First Stop’ centre on the Salwa Road.

Aspetar to research sports medicineBy Joseph Varghese Staff Reporter

Aspetar, the region’s leading sports hospital and a member of Aspire Zone Foundation, will

launch research in sport and orthopae-dic medicine by the end of this year, a senior offi cial revealed yesterday.

“We will have a number of members from various organisations in Qatar to con-duct the research,” Ibrahim al-Hussain, di-rector of nursing, Aspetar, told Gulf Times.

There is also a plan to consider par-ticipants from other countries in the re-gion for the research programme.

Given that many athletes come to As-petar for various treatments, the insti-tution has lot of data on their perform-ance, physical abilites and other related activi-ties.

“Our staff have al-ready stored enough data which can be used and analysed in our research.

“So the participants of the research will have suffi cient data to work on and come out with evi-dence based conclusions,” explained the offi cial.

“We have already started a new pro-gramme at Aspetar for nursing education.

We launched a new initiative called, ‘Nursing Journal Club’.in January.

The aim is to educate nurses on vari-ous aspects in sport and orthopaedic nursing,” al-Hussain noted.

“The journal club collects articles on latest developments and practices from all around the world in sport and ortho-paedic medicine. The members of the club come together and share the ideas in their meetings.

“We have internal and external par-ticipants in the programme,” said the of-fi cial. “We are also planning to expand the concept of exercise medicine which is one of the latest and innovative medical approaches to treat several diseases. Exer-cise medicine is a novel approach where we prescribe exercise instead of medicines.

“We will include nurses from other or-ganisations such as Sidra, HMC or other medical re-search organisations in the country to be part of the research if they wish to.

“The topics will be clearly defi ned and the participants provided with clear guidelines. The outcomes of the research depend on the scope of the research and the time it needs to come to right conclusions. However we expect that the right re-sults will be delivered at the right time,” he said.Ibrahim al-Hussain

Aspetar meet discusses sudden cardiac arrest among athletes

By Joseph Varghese Staff Reporter

Sudden cardiac arrest among athletes and the ways to pre-vent it were among the topics

discussed at the fi rst Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Nursing Conference organised by Aspetar, a member of Aspire Zone Foundation.

“It is a very hot topic not only in Qatar and the region but also all over the world,” Aspetar’s director of Nursing Ibrahim al-Hussain told Gulf Times.

The two-day conference, which concluded yesterday, brought togeth-er nursing healthcare professionals in the fi elds of sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery for a series of workshops covering key trends and developments, and hands-on train-

ing sessions delivered by experts from Aspetar.

There were a large number of par-ticipants from various organisations in the country and a number of del-egates from other countries in the region.

The conference included several workshops and training sessions on various sports medicine fi elds.

The event was conference was an opportunity for Aspetar employees to join with nursing healthcare pro-fessionals in sharing insights on how to apply enhanced inter-professional collaboration to improve patient care.

Participants were able to discuss major developments in providing healthcare for athletes and benefi t from Aspetar’s contributions to glo-bal research in this regard, supporting the development of wider capabilities among nursing teams and their ability to provide the best healthcare services to their patients.

The conference addressed some of the most important current topics in the fi eld of sports medicine and or-thopaedic surgery.

The topics of discussion included the assessment and management of cardiac problems, emergency care management skills for sports injuries

and illnesses sustained on the fi eld among others.

Other topics included an over-view of the list of substances that are banned for athletes, the emerging role of nurses within sports medicine teams, advanced patient care, details of com-mon sports medicine surgeries and ap-proaches to assessing surgical wounds.

“We, at Aspetar, wanted to high-light the nursing leadership in these areas of medicine and sport and their impact on improving the healthcare through the conference,” continued al-Hussain.

“The conference was a forum to discuss ways to provide the best healthcare in the area and improve ef-fi cient and eff ective treatment at low-er cost. Many of the speakers high-lighted diff erent ways to meet these goals and shared the best practices in the global healthcare,” he added.

A training session at the conference

Dr Mohamed Ghaith al-Kuwari, acting director general, Aspetar, addressing the participants of the conference

QATAR7Gulf Times


QIC lauds Japanese trainee’s contributions

Qatar Insurance Com-pany (QIC) has honoured Yuji Saito, a trainee from

Sompo Japan, for successfully completing his training in the company.

Sompo Japan is a dominant in-surer in Japan.

During his nine month inten-sive training period, conducted as part of a knowledge-sharing programme, Saito had worked in QIC’s retail arm, QIC Insured.

He was involved in marketing, system development, motor un-derwriting, and the telematics space.

At the certifi cate handover ceremony, QIC Mena region deputy group president & CEO Salem al-Mannai congratulated Saito and said: “We have always welcomed sharing of knowledge and best practices. Not only does it benefi t the trainee but it also assists the company to harness innovation, stay updated, and maintain our leadership position in the marketplace. Moreover, it also facilitates raising the profi le of the sector in particular.”

Saito said: “I’m grateful to QIC for giving me the opportunity to work with the leading insurer in

the Mena region. During my ten-ure, I have had the experience of

working in a multi-cultural envi-ronment. I am hopeful that I will

be able to put this experience to practice in my future endeavors.”

QIC’s Salem al-Mannai hands over a certificate of appreciation to trainee Yuji Saito.

HMC treats thousands of diabetic foot patientsBy Joseph Varghese Staff Reporter

The Hamad Medical Cor-poration’s (HMC) diabetic centre had about 18,500

patient visits last year from peo-ple suff ering from diabetic foot related problems, an offi cial dis-closed yesterday.

“According to International Diabetes Federation, Qatar has approximately 23% of the popu-lation as diabetics and is ranked eighth in the world in prevalence of diabetes. Out of that, 15% will get possible neuropathy or loss of sensation of the limbs,” said Dr

Talal Khader Talal, head of podi-atric services, HMC.

“At our centre, we had about 18,500 visits last year on account of foot related ulceration, spe-cifi cally due to diabetes and most of them had ulceration or some form of cuts on their feet.

“About 90% of them have neuropathy which is the precur-sor for the development of ul-ceration.

“They develop cuts on their feet but are not aware of it.

“It develops into deeper and deeper infection and that created many issues,” said Dr Talal.

According to the offi cial, one major problem is that most such

patients reach the hospital a bit late.

“One of our main observations is that our patients reach us a little bit late and that makes the healing process slightly compli-cated. It delays the recovery and the healing process and may lead to partial amputation or at times complete amputation of the limb,” the physician said.

“The normal healing time of an ulcer, if brought in early, is a few weeks but if it is delayed and most of them are, it can run into several months.

In some cases, it can be for a year or so. Moreover the treat-ment of ulcer is very expensive as

caring for one can cost $56,000 in many countries around the world and if it is infected, the costs can even be higher,” he said.

The offi cial said that HMC provides the best possible treat-ment for the patients.

“We have several types of treatments which are very eff ec-tive and ensures recovery very fast.

“We have treatment methods such as electrical shock waves, laser healing treatment among several other methods. We also have diff erent teams specifi cally defi ned for all the types of treat-ments. Several units are involved in the treatment.”

Regional diabetes foot conference to be held March 3-4By Joseph VargheseStaff Reporter

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), in col-laboration with the Gulf Diabetic Foot Work-ing Group, will host the 3rd Gulf Diabetic Foot

Conference on March 3-4 at the Westin Doha Hotel. “The conference will bring together over 500

key opinion leaders, wound care specialists, com-munity nurses, foot surgeons, physiotherapists and allied health staff from across the region,” said Dr Talal Khader Talal, head of Podiatric Serv-ices at HMC and chair and head of the Scientifi c Committee for the event.

“More than 80 papers will be presented at the conference. The presenters are from across the globe such as North America, South America, Europe as well as from the Middle East,” he said.

The conference will bring together global ex-perts in the fi eld of diabetic foot care in Doha.

“We have an impressive lineup of speakers who are leaders in their respective fi elds. They will highlight the prevention, diagnosis, and treat-ment associated with the surgical and medical management of diabetic foot,” said Dr Talal.

The conference aims to address the growing global healthcare challenge posed by diabetes-related limb amputations. Experts will discuss and share the latest developments towards the assessment and management of diabetic foot dis-ease.

Dr Salma Khuroubet, diabetic surgeon and wound care surgeon from Kuwait, said the con-ference will discuss how to standardise the treat-ment according to the international protocols and try to implement it as a law in each Gulf country.

“The Gulf Diabetic Foot Working Group has undertaken major initiatives to raise awareness about the prevention of diabetes, as foot compli-cations related to uncontrolled diabetes can have life-altering consequences for the patient,” she said, adding that diabetic foot care and amputa-tion prevention eff orts must become a collective agenda for practitioners worldwide.

Diabetes is a chronic and complex condition af-fecting approximately 415mn people worldwide.

In Qatar and the wider Gulf region, Type 2 diabetes is a major health challenge, and diabetic foot and lower limb amputations are among the most signifi cant and devastating complications of the disease.

Dr Salma Khuroubet and Dr Talal Khader Talal addressing a press conference yesterday.

REGION

Gulf TimesMonday, February 27, 20178

Rouhani chides critics as aide says he will seek re-electionReutersDubai

President Hassan Rouhani yesterday accused his hardline critics of want-

ing to deprive Iranians of the basic joys of life and isolate the country, as an aide said he had decided to run for a second term, state media reported.

Iran will hold a presidential election on May 19, but Rouha-ni, a moderate who is eligible to seek a second four-year term, has stopped short of saying he would run to push ahead with reforms resisted by powerful hardliners.

“Soon it’s the (Iranian) New Year, so let the people have some joy,” Rouhani, who has advocated greater social freedoms, said in a speech car-ried live on state television.

Rouhani’s remarks at a meet-

ing on public health came on the same day as a top aide said he decided to run for re-elec-tion.

“In recent weeks, Mr Rouha-ni has reached the conclusion to take part in the presidential election,” said vice president for parliamentary affairs Hos-seinali Amiri, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.

In his speech, Rouhani said his government stood for open-ing Iran up to the outside world while his opponents sought confrontation and isolation.

“We are a government that says we should use foreign capital,” said Rouhani, a prag-matist who was elected in 2013.

Rouhani also hit out at hard-line critics who have accused officials of going on a “luxury” buying spree as Iran made deals with Airbus and US rival Boe-ing last year to purchase about 180 passenger planes.

“We say if our aircraft fleet is in need of new planes we should buy them. But some say it’s honourable to use old equipment,” he said.

The purchases were the first direct deals by Tehran to buy Western-built aircraft in nearly 40 years to revamp its ageing fleet.

“We are steadfast in our principles and we don’t com-promise on them, but we should talk to the world, engage and co-operate with it,” said Rou-hani, rejecting accusations that his policies amounted to selling out the principles of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Rouhani struck a deal in 2015 with world powers on curbing Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for relief from sanc-tions and has sought to open Iran’s economy to foreign in-vestors and improve relations with the West.

Malaysia rolls out red carpet as Saudi king kicks off Asia tourReutersKuala Lumpur/Dubai

Malaysia welcomed Saudi Arabia’s King Salman yesterday for

the start of a rare, month-long Asian tour, where the monarch will build ties and seek to draw more investments to the oil-rich Gulf nation.

The visit is the fi rst by a Saudi king to Malaysia in more than a decade, as the Arab nation courts Asian investors for the sale of a 5% stake in state fi rm Aramco in 2018, expected to be the world’s biggest IPO.

Malaysian state television yesterday showed live footage of the octogenarian king de-scending from his plane on an escalator fl own in with his del-egation.

He was received by Malay-sian Prime Minister Najib Ra-zak before being whisked away in a heavily guarded convoy for a state ceremony at Malaysia’s parliament grounds.

The leader was greeted in parliament with a 21-gun sa-lute, local media reported.

King Salman also plans to visit Indonesia, Brunei, Japan, China, the Maldives and Jor-

dan “to meet with the leaders of those countries to discuss bilat-eral relations and regional and international issues of common concern,” a royal court state-ment carried on Saudi Arabia’s state media SPA reported.

Government sources with knowledge of the visit said a 600-strong delegation will ac-company the king on his four-day visit to Malaysia, where co-operation on energy devel-

opments will be on the agenda.State oil fi rm Petroliam Na-

sional Bhd (Petronas) and Saudi Aramco will sign an agreement tomorrow to collaborate in Malaysia’s Refi nery and Petro-chemical Integrated Develop-ment (RAPID) project, a boost for the Southeast Asian econo-my which has been reeling un-der weak global oil prices.

The last time a Saudi king visited Malaysia was in 2006,

when King Abdullah, King Salman’s half-brother and predecessor, fl ew in with a 300-member delegation.

“Saudi Arabian investment in Malaysia is expected to cre-ate thousands of jobs and we are proud that Malaysian fi rms have been chosen to undertake projects at some of the most prestigious locations in Saudi Arabia,” Najib said in a state-ment on Friday.

Besides travelling with his own private escalator, King Sal-man has also fl own in two per-sonal cars.

His entourage has also com-pletely booked out three luxury hotels in Kuala Lumpur for the duration of the visit.

After Malaysia, the King is expected to travel to Jakarta and Bali in Indonesia from March 1-9 with an even larger entou-rage of 1,500 people, followed by a trip to Japan from March 12 to 14, offi cials in those countries said.

King Salman is expected to spend the last two weeks of March on holiday in the Mal-dives, according to a Maldives diplomat.

Local newspaper Mihaaru reported that three resorts have been reserved for his stay.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman reviews the honour guard during a welcoming ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman meets with ministers next to Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak at the Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Iran holds naval war games amid rising tensions with USIran launched naval drills at

the mouth of the Gulf and

the Indian Ocean yesterday,

a naval commander said,

as tensions with the United

States escalated after US

President Donald Trump put

Tehran “on notice”.

Since taking office last

month, Trump has pledged

to get tough with Iran, warn-

ing the Islamic Republic after

its ballistic missile test on Jan

29 that it was playing with

fire and all US options were

on the table.

Iran’s annual exercises will be

held in the Strait of Hormuz,

the Gulf of Oman, the Bab el-

Mandab and northern parts

of the Indian Ocean, to train

in the fight against terrorism

and piracy, Rear Admiral

Habibollah Sayyari said,

according to state media.

Millions of barrels of oil are

transported daily to Europe,

the United States and Asia

through the Bab el-Mandab

and the Strait of Hormuz,

waterways that run along the

coasts of Yemen and Iran.

Ahmadinejad’s open letter to Trump lashes out at visa banAFPTehran

Iran’s ex-president Mahmud Ahmadinejad published yesterday an open letter to Donald Trump, welcoming his criticism of the US po-

litical system but taking issue with his visa ban and attitude to women.

Many Iranians see the new US president as cut from the same cloth as Ahmadinejad, who shocked the establishment with his sudden rise to power in 2005, combining hardline rhetoric and popu-list economic policies to win a powerful following among Iran’s lower classes.

At times in the long and rambling letter, pub-lished in English and Farsi on his website, he ap-pears to fi nd a kindred spirit in Trump.

“Your Excellency (Trump) has truthfully de-scribed the US political system and electoral struc-ture as corrupt and anti-public,” he writes.

But much of the letter is spent exhorting Trump to end interventions in the Middle East and ditch the “arrogance” of past US administrations.

Ahmadinejad also takes issue with Trump’s visa

ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, includ-ing Iran.

“The presence and constructive eff ort of the elite and scientists of diff erent nations, including the million-plus population of my Iranian compatriots has had a major role in the development of the US...the contemporary US belongs to all nations.”

He also fi nishes with a short lecture on respect-ing women — a possible reference to Trump’s re-corded claims that he has sexually assaulted some.

“The great men of history have paid the high-est level of respect to women and recognised their God-given capabilities,” Ahmadinejad writes.

Ahmadinejad has a fondness for writing to world leaders, having sent letters to former US president Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Pope — as well as an 18-page missive to previous US leader George W Bush.

When Trump was elected in November, many Iranians joked about the similarities to their former president, whose tenure ended in 2013.

“When Ahmadinejad said that he intended to ex-port his method of managing the world, we didn’t take him seriously...” wrote one bemused com-menter on social media.

Thousands of people watched a free screening of Iranian direc-tor Asghar Farhadi’s film The Salesman in London yesterday to coincide with the Oscars. Farhadi is boycotting the Oscars over US President Donald Trump’s controversial entry ban on the citizens of Iran and six other Muslim-majority nations. Farhadi introduced the film via vid-eo link, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan and several prominent actors and directors spoke before the outdoor screening in Lon-don’s Trafalgar Square, where an audience of 10,000 had been expected. “On Oscars night I’m proud to host the UK premiere of The Salesman and welcome people from across London and beyond,” Khan said. “At a time when people are talking of building walls, we will build bridges.” “Trump can’t silence me,” Khan joked after his first microphone failed during his speech. “I’ve always loved the openness of London and am heartened that mayor of London has stepped up to celebrate it,” actress Lily Cole said.Director Mike Leigh said Farhadi’s drama was “compelling, moving and entertaining.”

A bomb blast hit a bus carrying policemen in the island kingdom of Bahrain yesterday, the interior ministry reported on its off icial Twitter account, wounding four off icers.

London screens Farhadi’s film

Attack on police bus injures four

ENTERTAINMENT

TENSION

ARAB WORLD9


Syrian civil activists demand talks on transition, ceasefi reReuters Geneva

Syrian activists called yes-terday for the Assad gov-ernment to engage in seri-

ous talks on political transition and for the United Nations to strengthen the fragile ceasefi re as violence engulfed parts of the country.

UN mediator Staff an de Mis-tura said a militant attack in Homs on Saturday was a de-liberate attempt to wreck the Geneva peace talks, while the warring sides traded blame and appeared no closer to actual ne-gotiations.

“Our hopes are not high given the incidents on the ground and the continuous violations by the regime forces and its back-ers of the ceasefi re,” Mutasem Alysoufi of ‘The Day after Syria’ campaign that supports demo-cratic transition, told Reuters in Geneva.

Warplanes bombed rebel-held areas around several Syr-ian cities yesterday including in the Al-Waer district of Homs, and in towns around Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Hu-man Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said.

One person was killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma and three in Al-Waer, the Ob-servatory said, while shells and rockets were launched at insur-gent districts in Deraa and Idlib provinces.

Rebels fi red several shells at a suburb of government-held Aleppo.

Under Security Council reso-lution 2254, de Mistura is meant

to develop a plan to monitor the ceasefi re and sanction those who violate it, Alysoufi said.”So this is a duty of the UN.”

Alysoufi added that he did not believe the government delega-tion, led by Syria’s UN Ambas-sador Bashar Ja’afari, wanted to

engage in serious political talks.“They are gaining more time

and continuing their military strategy on the ground,” he said.

De Mistura handed a working paper on procedural issues to delegations on Friday but there appears little prospect of mov-

ing to the key political issues — a new constitution, UN-super-vised elections and accountable governance.

He met yesterday with two opposition groups that curry favour with Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s main backer.

The UN envoy has indicated to the High Negotiations Com-mittee (HNC), which is leading the main opposition delega-tion, that he would like to unify the disparate groups to facili-tate face-to-face talks with the government to end the nearly

six-year-old confl ict. Jihadi Makdissi, who heads opponents from the “Cairo” platform, gave no sign that a unifi ed delegation could emerge, but said he was co-ordinating with the HNC.

“We are not a fragmented op-position, we are merely diverse,” Makdissi, a former Syrian for-eign ministry spokesman, told reporters.

According to de Mistura’s pa-per, seen by Reuters, the agenda is based on resolution 2254 with focus on the three political is-sues and would be discussed in working groups.

Nothing would be agreed un-til everything is agreed, the pa-per says.

The aim of this round was to forge a “deeper shared under-standing” of how to proceed in future rounds, it said.

It also reiterates that issues related to the ceasefire and fighting terrorism should be the focus of separate talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana, which are sponsored by Russia and Turkey with the support of another Assad backer, Iran.

Dr Mazen Kewara, director of the Turkey operation of the Syrian American Medical So-ciety (SAMS), said it was im-portant to have a UN ceasefire monitoring mechanism and safe, unhindered access for aid workers to reach Syrian civil-ians.

“We prefer a ceasefire, a complete ceasefire in all Syria.

“But if it’s not possible we would like to see safe ar-eas where we can provide our services freely with complete protection for civilians and our health care workers,” he said.

Call to boycott Israeli military courtsAFP Ramallah

Palestinian offi cials yester-day called for a boycott of Israeli military courts after

a Palestinian freed in a 2011 pris-oner exchange was re-arrested and sent back to prison for life.

Speaking in the Israeli-occu-pied West Bank city of Ramal-lah, Palestinian Prisoners Club head Qadura Fares called on de-tainees’ families and Palestinian organisations to stop taking part in military trials and to refuse to pay convicts’ fi nes, which he said amounted to $6mn in 2016.

Palestinians captured by Is-raeli security forces are gener-ally brought before the army courts, where defence lawyers say they are often not notifi ed of the charges against their clients or allowed to meet them before the trial.

“Palestinian movements and prisoners’ families must choose boycott,” Fares told a press con-ference.

“One must take the diffi cult decision of rebellion and boy-cott” of the courts, Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian Author-ity’s commission for detainees, added.

He noted that the same mili-tary court system on Tuesday sentenced an Israeli soldier to 18 months in prison for the man-slaughter of a Palestinian he shot dead as the man lay wounded on the ground.

The United Nations said the sentence was an “unacceptable” punishment for “an apparent extra-judicial killing”.

An Egyptian lawmaker started collecting signatures yesterday for a motion to extend presidential terms and lift restrictions on re-election — a year before general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s first term is due to expire.As defence minister, Sisi overthrew elected President Mohamed Mursi, a Muslim Broth-erhood official, in mid-2013 fol-lowing mass protests against his rule and launched a crackdown on Egypt’s oldest Islamist move-ment. Sisi, now 62, went on to win a presidential vote in 2014. He has not said whether he will seek re-election when his current term ends in 2018, but has made much of his popular mandate and promised to respect the will of Egyptians.The move by independent lawmaker Ismail Nasreddine to amend article 140 of the constitution would enable Sisi to stay in power longer than the two four-year terms currently permitted.But the process is still at an early stage. Nasreddine, a low-profile lawmaker, will need the support of 20% of MPs to table a discussion on the issue in parliament.

A Czech Christian aid worker sentenced to 24 years in jail left Sudan yesterday after President Omar al-Bashir ordered his release, a foreign ministry off icial said. Petr Jasek, 53, had been arrested in December 2015 and sentenced last month.A member of a small Protestant Czech church called Cirkev Bratrs-ka, Jasek had travelled to Sudan to help local Christians, according to Czech media reports.Sudanese authorities said he had entered the country “illegally” from neighbouring South Sudan and gone to the conflict-riven state of South Kordofan.In January, a court found him guilty of entering Sudan without a visa, spying, taking pictures of military installations and inciting hatred, according to his lawyer.But yesterday Bashir pardoned him and ordered his release, Su-danese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour announced at a joint press conference with his visit-ing Czech counterpart Lubomir Zaoralek.

Egyptian MP’s bid to end curbs on presidential terms

Czech missionary leaves Sudan after pardon

POLITICS

RELEASE

Syrian men and Civil Defence volunteers, also known as the White Helmets, extinguish fire following a reported government air strike on the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus yesterday.

Iraqi forces aim to secure Mosul bridgeReutersMosul

US-backed Iraqi forces pushed deeper into western Mosul yesterday, aiming to capture a

bridge across the Tigris which would link the city’s government-held eastern bank with the ongoing off ensive against remaining militants in the west.

The bridge is the southernmost of fi ve bridges spanning the Tigris.

All were damaged in strikes by the US-led air coalition, and later by Is-lamic State fi ghters trying to seal off the western bank still under their control.

“The bridge is very important,” Colo-nel Falah al-Wabdan of the Interior Ministry’s Rapid Response unit, one of the two main forces spearheading the campaign in western Mosul, told Reuters.”The bridge is about 400 metres away. By the end of the day you will hear that our forces have arrived (there).”

Army engineers plan to rehabilitate the bridge to allow troops to bring in re-inforcements and supplies directly from the eastern side, he said.

Iraqi forces captured eastern Mosul in January, after 100 days of fi ghting.

They launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris a week ago.

If they defeat Islamic State in Mosul, that would crush the Iraq wing of the caliphate that the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in 2014 over parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

The US commander in Iraq has said he believes US-backed forces will recap-ture both Mosul and Raqqa — Islamic State’s Syria stronghold — within six months.

Army, police, and elite Counter Ter-

rorism Service (CTS) and Rapid Re-sponse units forces are attacking Is-lamic State in west Mosul, with air and ground support from the US-led coali-tion, including artillery fi re.

US personnel are operating close to the frontlines to direct air strikes.

Hundreds of people have fl ed the fi ghting in the direction of government lines since Thursday, at least 1,200 of them in the early hours of Sunday, ac-cording to a CTS offi cer.

Of those, several dozen had been for-cibly taken into Mosul in the early stage of the off ensive from nearby regions to serve as human shields.

“We want to return to our home in Mafraq al-Qayyara,” south of Mosul, said 28-year-old Mohamed Allawi Zei-dan, as he walked with a group of two dozen people on an agricultural road between Mosul airport and the Tigris river nearby.

He said they were held hostage in Hawi al-Josaq, a riverside district that the Rapid Response unit is trying to capture on its way towards the bridge.

Islamic State forced tens of thou-sands of people to leave villages south of Mosul and walk alongside the militants as they retreated in late October toward the city.

Thousands of them were freed in ear-lier stages of the off ensive.

Iraqi troops have already captured the southern and western accesses to western Mosul, dislodging the militants from the airport, a military base, a pow-er station and one residential district, al-Maamoun, according to military statements.

Commanders say they will soon com-plete the recapture of two others resi-dential district, al-Tayyaran and

Hawi al-Josaq.

Security forces help a displaced Iraqi woman flee her home as Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants in western Mosul yesterday.

AFRICA


The World Bank’s Vice-Pres-ident for Africa, Makhtar Diop, said on Saturday that he

had agreed to give Gambia $60mn in budget support after government allegations that former ruler Yahya Jammeh took tens of millions of dol-lars in public money, leaving it heav-ily-indebted.

Diop told reporters after meeting with the new government that he had pledged to give $40mn before June with the remainder to follow later.

Jammeh fl ed into exile last month after regional leaders convinced him after marathon talks that he should accept defeat in a December election.

Since then Gambia’s new pro-Western government has alleged that Jammeh committed fraud on a mas-sive scale including siphoning off tens of millions of dollars in public money into various bank accounts not in his name but from which he withdrew cash, including at the central bank.

“All parastatals, especially the Na-tional Water and Electricity Compa-ny, GAMTEL (telecommunications) and Gambia Public Transport, are bankrupt and the government cof-fers are empty,” said Finance Min-ister Amadou Sanneh, who was one of more than 100 political prisoners pardoned at the end of Jammeh’s rule.

“We need real help from donors to sustain the country,” he added.

The World Bank has several projects in Gambia although direct

budget support had previously been suspended because of concerns over the former government’s alleged manipulation of exchange rates, a fi -nance ministry offi cial said.

Jammeh only conceded defeat last month under intense military pres-sure from West African regional body ECOWAS which sent thousands of troops into the riverine state entirely surrounded by Senegal.

However, that dealt a blow to Gam-bia’s tourism earnings during the peak winter sun season and hundreds of European visitors were evacuated.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and African Development Bank are also due to hold meetings with Gambian authorities in the coming weeks, offi cials said, and may off er additional support.

World Bank pledges $60mn to Gambia

ReutersBanjul

A mobile app in Senegal helps families save money and reduce waste through

a “virtual pharmacy” where us-ers can exchange leftover medi-cation for new prescriptions.

JokkoSante is scaling up af-ter a two-year pilot phase in one Senegalese town and on Friday launched a partnership with its fi rst hospital, said founder Ada-ma Kane.

It aims to reach 300,000 fami-lies in the West African nation by the end of the year.

“Everyone has a box of un-used medicine in their cabinet,” Kane said. “The idea is to create a medicine box for the whole com-munity.”

The app allows users to trade in unused, packaged medicine for points which can go toward the purchase of new medicine when they need it.

All of the exchanges are done at health centres or pharmacies by licenced professionals.

Since launching two years ago in the town of Passy, JokkoSante has gained 1,200 members and 3.5mn CFA francs ($5,600) worth of medicine has been exchanged, said Kane.

JokkoSante’s new partners in-clude a hospital and four phar-macies in and around Dakar.

It plans to expand internation-ally soon, reaching six African countries by the end of the year and 15 by 2020.

“Most health programmes are focused on providing care, but there hasn’t been any ambitious project yet to address the acces-sibility of medicine,” Kane said.

His team found half to three quarters of Senegalese families’ health spending went on medi-cine.

Those who can’t aff ord drugs from pharmacies sometimes get them on the street, fuelling il-

legal trade and the spread of fake medication.

“I think it responds to a real need,” Bitilokho Ndiaye, an ad-viser who works with start-ups in Senegal’s posts and telecom-munications ministry, said of the app.

“JokkoSante” is a play on the French word for health and a word that means “give and re-ceive” in Senegal’s most widely spoken language Wolof.

Giving is an important part of the system, said Kane.

Users can send points to family members and friends, and donors can buy points for people in need.

The project has been driven by

partners such as French telecoms giant Orange, who gain visibility in the process, said Kane.

Companies can target a certain demographic, such as women in their thirties, and if a matching user doesn’t have enough points to pay for a prescription she will receive a text saying which com-pany donated to complete her purchase.

Kane thinks the app could spread throughout Africa and even to Europe.

“We’re in a new era of sharing,” he said. “People like collabora-tion.

I think that’s why this speaks to people.”

African app cuts costs with community ‘virtual pharmacy’By Nellie Peyton, ReutersDakar

Jammeh: allegedly fled after emptying the state coff ers.

France to send reinforcements to Niger after 16 local troops are killedFrance is to send a contingent of counter-terrorism forces to help the army in Niger after militants ambushed a military patrol killing 16, the defence ministry said.The decision, announced late on Saturday, was taken following a request from President Mahamadou Issoufou after Wednesday’s attack near the border with Mali.The deadly ambush, which took place in an area some 200km (120 miles) north of Niamey, the capital, also wounded another 18 Niger troops, with the army blaming “terrorist elements”.Following talks with Issoufou, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that France was preparing to send a detachment of troops “to help our Niger colleagues”.A French military source said it would include 50 to 80 troops, most of them special forces, who would be operational in the area “within three days”.They would be equipped with aerial support capacity to provide backup for Niger forces on the ground.Niger shares its southern border with Nigeria which has been struggling with a bloody seven-year uprising by the Boko Haram extremist group that has so far claimed more than 20,000 lives.The insurgency began in northeast Nigeria but has since spread to Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

South Africa deputy finance minister named in police investigationSouth Africa’s Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas is being investigated by the Hawks elite police unit as part of a probe into allegations of corruption at state-owned South African Airways (SAA), the City Press newspaper reported yesterday.As part of the probe into the SAA, the unit is investigating allegations that Jonas used his political influence to secure US aircraft company AAR Corporation contracts to supply components and tyres to the state airline, the newspaper cited three unidentified Hawks sources and one SAA source as saying.Treasury spokeswoman Yolisa Tyantsi declined to comment.Spokespeople for Jonas and the SAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi was quoted by City Press as saying that there was an investigation into allegations of corruption at the SAA but it was policy not reveal names of those being probed.

‘Kidnapped archaeologists freed’Two German archaeologists who were kidnapped in central Nigeria have been freed, a police off icial said yesterday.No ransom was paid when they were freed late on Saturday, the off icial said, without giving details.The two Germans had been abducted on Wednesday during excavation work at Jajela village in Kaduna state.The kidnapping took place near a road running between Abuja and Kaduna, which will serve as a temporary entry point for air travellers coming to the capital next month, when Abuja’s main airport will be closed from March 8 for six weeks for repairs.Abuja-bound travellers will have to make the 100 mile (160km) journey from Kaduna to Abuja by bus.Several kidnappings have occurred along the road in recent years – one victim, last July, was Sierra Leone’s deputy high commissioner.

AMERICAS11Gulf Times


Donald Trump has ratch-eted up his feud with the US media by announc-

ing that he will skip the annual White House correspondents’ dinner, the fi rst US president to do so in 36 years.

By boycotting the event Trump breaks a tradition that began in 1921 in which journal-ists invite the US president for a light-hearted roast.

“I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!” Trump wrote on Saturday on Twitter.

The last time a president missed the event was in 1981, when Ronald Reagan was recov-ering after being shot in an as-sassination attempt.

Reagan however phoned in with friendly remarks.

Richard Nixon, who despised the media, skipped the event in 1972.

Trump frequently blasted the mainstream US press during the election campaign, and as presi-

dent has intensifi ed his media-bashing.

He ripped the New York Times yesterday for a television ad that the newspaper will air during the Oscars ceremony stating “The truth is more important now than ever”.

“For fi rst time the failing @nytimes will take an ad (a bad one) to help save its failing repu-tation. Try reporting accurately & fairly!” Trump tweeted.

Over the years the dinner or-ganised by the White House Correspondents’ Association has evolved – or devolved, de-pending on one’s point of view – into the self-described “Nerd Prom” packed with Hollywood celebrities.

The WHCA said that it will proceed with this year’s dinner, set for April 29.

The event “has been and will continue to be a celebration of the First Amendment (on free-dom of the press) and the im-portant role played by an inde-pendent news media in a healthy republic”, WHCA president Jeff Mason tweeted.

Some news groups have al-ready pulled out of events re-lated to the dinner.

Conde Nast, publisher of The

New Yorker, Vanity Fair have all cancelled their exclusive before- and after-parties, and Bloomb-erg is reportedly pulling out as a party co-sponsor.

The New York Times has skipped the dinner for years to avoid charges that its reporters are too close to the White House.

The dinner normally features a big-name comedian to rib the president, but this year a funny person has yet to be booked.

Comedian Samantha Bee earlier announced a “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” on the same night at a nearby hotel to raise money for the Committee to Protect Jour-nalists.

Trump’s cancellation comes after the White House denied access on Friday to an off -cam-era briefi ng to several major US media outlets, including CNN and the New York Times.

Smaller outlets that have provided favourable coverage however were allowed to attend the briefi ng by spokesman Sean Spicer.

The WHCA said it was “pro-testing strongly” against the de-cision to selectively deny media access.

The New York Times said the

decision was “an unmistak-able insult to democratic ideals”, CNN called it “an unaccept-able development”, and the Los Angeles Times warned that the incident had “ratcheted up the White House’s war on the free press” to a new level.

It is not uncommon for ad-ministrations to brief a limited number of reporters on specifi c themes.

However, the Friday event was billed as a regular briefi ng, open to credentialed media, be-fore it became a closed event in spokesman Spicer’s offi ce for a chosen group.

Several outlets that regularly cover the White House, in-cluding newswires Reuters and Bloomberg, attended.

They are part of the “pool”, a small group of reporters who

have access to certain events and share the contents with other media.

The Associated Press boy-cotted the event in protest at the exclusions, which included the Los Angeles Times and Politico.

AFP was not included despite being part of the press pool.

Its journalist protested, and attended the briefi ng uninvited.

Spicer gave no explanation for the media selection.

As protests erupted a Decem-ber interview re-emerged in which Spicer told Politico that the Trump White House would never ban a news outlet.

“Conservative, liberal or oth-erwise, I think that’s what makes a democracy a democracy versus a dictatorship,” he said.

Ari Fleischer, a former George W Bush spokesman, said the White House’s stance was “un-wise and counterproductive” but added that it should be kept in perspective.

“Press secretaries need to meet with the whole press,” Fleischer told CNN. “But be-yond that, there is nothing unu-sual about presidents meeting with selected reporters, and White House staff s do it all the time too.”

Trump skipping annual correspondents’ dinnerAFPWashington

Trump: tweeted ‘I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!’

A pick-up truck driven by a suspected drunken driv-er ploughed into a crowd

of spectators at a Mardi Gras parade in the US city of New Orleans on Saturday, injuring at least 28 people.

Police Chief Michael Har-rison said the driver, who is suspected of being “highly in-toxicated”, was arrested, the Times-Picayune newspaper re-ported.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said there was no evi-dence to suspect terrorism, the newspaper added.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims injured by a drunk driver on the parade route today,” Landrieu wrote on Twit-ter.

The pick-up truck hit three vehicles and a dump truck be-fore it plowed into the pedestri-ans, New Orleans police said.

“Initial reports show so far about a dozen people are in a critical condition,” police spokeswoman Ambria Wash-ington said. “The number could

increase as the investigation is ongoing.”

Twenty-one people, includ-ing a police offi cer and a child, were taken to hospital and seven others were treated at the scene, according to the Times-Picay-une.

The victims who were taken to hospital ranged from three to four years old up to 40-or-so years, the New Orleans Advocate reported.

Witness Kourtney McKinnis, 20, told the Advocate that the driver of the vehicle seemed un-aware of what he had done. “He was just kind of out of it.”

The crowd was watching the Krewe of Endymion parade in the Mid-City section of New Orleans, a part of the city’s Mar-di Gras celebrations.

New Orlean’s “Krewes” are the private organisations that lead parades and throw balls during the city’s Carnival sea-son.

Video footage from the scene showed pandemonium immedi-ately following the early evening incident, but the Krewe of End-ymion parade, the largest and most popular of numerous Mar-di Gras season parades in New

Orleans, continued with little or no interruption.

The Federal Bureau of Inves-tigation in New Orleans said its agents were “co-ordinating with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to de-termine whether a federal viola-tion has occurred”.

“It’s very hard to protect against somebody that’s very intoxicated that runs through a crowd,” mayor Landrieu told re-porters, adding that barricades had been put in place. “People

have to be responsible and they have to be thoughtful about what they do.”

Earlier in the day a man was wounded after a gun went off near the Krewe of Tucks parade elsewhere in town.

Police believe the weapon was accidentally discharged inside a portable toilet, according to the Times-Picayune.

“In both instances our of-fi cers were on the scene within seconds if not minutes,” Lan-drieu said.

Driver runs down 28 at Mardi GrasDPA/AFP/ReutersWashington

The vehicle that crashed along the Endymion parade route at Orleans and Carollton.

Most of the hundreds of people stream-ing over the US border

into Canada in recent weeks are asylum-seekers, coming from Syria, Yemen, Turkey or Sudan, according to the United Nations’ refugee point man in the country.

In an interview, Jean-Nico-las Beuze, the representative in Canada of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said it was too soon to know whether the cross-border fl ow of people is an uptick or sig-nals a longer trend.

The UNHCR led a mission to the border at Lacolle, about 70km (45 miles) south of Montreal, and the surrounding area, where en-tire families have been trekking with suitcases and strollers along Roxham Road that connects to the United States.

The UN mission was co-ordi-nated with the border police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Po-lice.

For weeks, people have been braving bone-chilling cold to walk across the US border, trudging through snow-covered prairies in the dead of night to make a claim in Canada.

“These people are more refu-gees than migrants,” he told AFP.

For the United Nations the term “migrant” designates someone who has freely chosen to leave their country of origin – unlike refugees who are driven from their homes.

“They are not necessarily coming to Canada to have a bet-ter life but simply because they risk persecution in their country of origin,” Neuze said.

Illegal crossings have always existed, he noted, and it remains unclear “if this phenomenon is growing signifi cantly”.

However, because of the hos-tile US political climate towards immigrants in general, and ref-ugees in particular, following the election of President Don-ald Trump, it appears many are choosing to cross into Canada to demand asylum.

“People are afraid they will fi nd themselves in the end in a situation where they wouldn’t have access to a fair system,” Beuze said.

An agreement between the two countries prevents asylum-seekers from lodging claims in Canada if they fi rst landed in the United States, but it only ap-plies to people arriving at border checkpoints, airports and train stations.

If there is no record of a fam-ily crossing the border, they can apply for refugee status, which explains why so many people are

making the journey on foot, and off the offi cial radar.

The US president has indicated that he would shortly issue a new decree to replace his controver-sial immigration order – which is currently blocked by a federal court.

The original decree barred people from seven Muslim-ma-jority countries from travelling to the United States for 90 days, as well as all refugees for 120 days.

Refugees from Syria were banned indefi nitely.

According to the United Na-tions refugee offi cial, the people encountered on the US-Canada border in recent days “are mid-dle-to-upper class, well-edu-cated, knowing what they were doing after having well-prepared their trip”.

“Most of them were in tran-sit in the United States, coming from their country of origin with,

for various reasons, a valid visa for the United States,” Beuze said.

Whether from Sudan, Syria, Turkey or Yemen, most are fami-lies and “above all people who had a good reason to leave their country with strong prospects of being recognized as refugees”, he said.

Among the would-be refugees are males aged between 18 and 35 years who are at risk of being called up to fi ght in their country of origin and “don’t want to be enlisted by the regular army or by an armed opposition”.

Thanks to information avail-able online, almost all had “fi g-ured out themselves” how to seek asylum and did not necessarily need the help of a smuggler, he said.

Beuze suggested that the cost of clandestinely entering Canada could climb as high as C$5,000 ($3,800).

The uptick in migration comes as Canada faces calls for stricter border controls, in line with the “rhetoric to close borders that is being heard almost everywhere, in Europe and North America, and elsewhere”, Beuze said.

Beuze himself takes the long view on migration.

“Movements of people have always existed and will always exist,” he said, adding that often it is the only solution “when peo-ple are desperate”.

‘Refugees make up bulk of crossings from US to Canada’By Marc Braibant, AFPMontreal

An extended family of eight from Colombia speak with Royal Canadian Mounted Police off icers after illegally crossing the US-Canada border near Hemmingford, Quebec, on Saturday.

Opposition Democrats have chosen Tom Pe-rez as their new leader,

tapping an establishment fi g-ure to lead the fi ght against President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress.

Perez, a labour secretary un-der former president Barack Obama and the party’s fi rst Hispanic-American leader, immediately named the con-test’s runner-up, leftist law-maker Keith Ellison, as the party’s deputy chairman.

“Someday, they’re going to study this era in American his-tory ... and ask the question, of all of us, where were you in 2017 when we had the worst president in the history of the United States?” said Perez, 55. “And we will all be able to say, the united Democratic party led the resistance, ensured this president was a one-term president and elected Demo-crats across this country.”

Ellison, a 53-year-old Afri-can American who is the fi rst Muslim elected to the US Con-gress, warned that “we don’t have the luxury to walk out of this room divided”.

The fi ght over who would chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC) appeared at times to be a proxy battle between the supporters of de-feated 2016 Democratic presi-dential candidate Hillary Clin-ton and her leftist primary rival Bernie Sanders.

Perez, who won 235 votes against 200 for Ellison – a Sanders supporter – was seen as the establishment pick.

A third candidate, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg – a gay, 35-year-old Rhodes Scholar and military veteran – dropped out of the race before the vote, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia.

Unlike in other democracies the leaders of the two main US parties wield little infl uence on policy, with leading party law-makers holding far more clout.

But this backstage role is

taking on greater signifi cance following Clinton’s surprise 2016 defeat, and as Democrats prepare for next year’s mid-term elections and the 2020 presidential vote.

Perez succeeds interim chair Donna Brazile, who took over after Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz was oust-ed in mid-2016 when leaked e-mails showed that some DNC members, who are pledged to be neutral in presidential pri-maries, favoured Clinton over Sanders.

The progressive group De-mocracy for America was upset with the “incredibly disap-pointing” vote result.

Choosing Perez “is anoth-er missed opportunity for a Democratic Party desperately trying to regain relevance, and proves ... how out of touch party insiders are with the grassroots movement cur-rently in the streets”, said the group’s chair Jim Dean, an El-lison supporter.

But Obama, who has largely been silent since leaving offi ce in January, called for mending rifts.

“What unites our party is a belief in opportunity – the idea that however you started out, whatever you look like, or whomever you love, America is the place where you can make it if you try,” he said. “I know that Tom Perez will unite us under that banner of opportunity, and lay the groundwork for a new generation of Democratic leadership for this big, bold, inclusive, dynamic America we love so much.”

After the vote Trump off ered what appeared to be tongue-in-cheek congratulations on Twitter.

“Congratulations to Thomas Perez, who has been named Chairman of the DNC. I could not be happier for him, or for the Republican Party!” he wrote.

Perez’s response: “Call me Tom. And don’t get too happy. @keithellison and I, and Dem-ocrats united across the coun-try, will be your worst night-mare.”

Obama-era veteran to leads DemocratsAFPWashington

Ellison (left) and Perez speak with the press after the latter was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Perez has named Ellison as deputy chairman.

Actor Bill Paxton dies at 61American actor Bill Paxton, who rose to stardom with roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Aliens and Titanic, has died at age 61 after complications from surgery, his family said in a statement yesterday.Paxton, who appeared in dozens of films over some four decades, had recently starred in the HBO television series, Big Love, about a polygamous Mormon family, and acted alongside Tom Cruise in the film, Edge of Tomorrow.For his role in Apollo 13, Paxton won a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture in 1996.He was nominated for three Golden Globe Award in the best actor category for his work in Big Love and the 1990s miniseries, A Bright Shining Lie.It was not immediately known what surgery Paxton, a Fort Worth, Texas, native had undergone.“It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery,” a family representative said in the statement.Paxton leaves behind his wife, Louise Newberry, and two children, James and Lydia.

Paxton: died after complications from surgery.

French scholar nearly deported

An Egyptian-born French Jewish scholar on his way to a Texas university was nearly deported recently from the United States when he landed in Houston.“I have been detained 10 hours at Houston International Airport about to be deported. The off icer who arrested me was ‘inexperienced’,” Holocaust-era historian Henry Rousso wrote on Saturday on Twitter.Rousso was confirming an earlier announcement by off icials at Texas A&M University that he had been detained upon arrival on February 22.University off icials managed to stop Rousso’s deportation with help from a law professor who specialises in immigrant rights, the local Bryan-College Station area news site, The Eagle, reported.Rousso, 62, is a senior researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, or CNRS.He has spoken over the years at several prominent US universities as well as the Holocaust Memorial Museum in the US capital, and was even a visiting professor at Texas A&M in 2007, according to his online profile.“Thank you so much for your reactions,” Rousso wrote on Twitter. “My situation was nothing compared to some of the people I saw who couldn’t be defended as I was.”

12 Gulf TimesMonday, February 27, 2017

ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

Dengue fever is posing a greater threat in Thailand, particularly in the southern region, the country’s Disease Control Department said yesterday, as the number of people killed by the mosquito-borne disease this year stands at six. In a statement released yesterday, Jetsada Chokdamrongsuk, the department’s director-general, warned the public of the increasing threat of dengue which has already been diagnosed in over 4,000 people between January 1 and February 18. “This week’s forecast sees a likely increase in the number of people contracting dengue as rain persists in some areas and a semester break is approaching,” Jetsada said. Schoolchildren may be at risk of mosquito bites while staying at home and playing in water during the school break, Jetsada said.

Authorities have detained 24 people after a fire sparked by unsafe welding and cutting work killed 10 people in eastern China, state media said Sunday. Three of nine injured people being treated in hospital are in critical condition, Xinhua news agency said. Three of those killed in the blaze at the HNA Platinum Mix Hotel in the Jiangxi provincial capital of Nanchang were guests and seven were construction workers, it cited the city government as saying. A preliminary investigation found the blaze was caused by welding and cutting work which violated safety rules, Xinhua reported. It said hotel shareholders, the contractor for the project and workers have been taken into police custody. Over 260 residents of a 24-storey apartment building connected to the hotel were evacuated after Saturday’s blaze. Fire safety is routinely ignored in China, with exit doors locked and escape passages blocked.

Dengue fever risk growing in Thailand

China detains 24 after hotel fire in Jiangxi

DISEASE

CRACKDOWN

Australia, Indonesia restore full military and trade tiesReutersSydney

Australia and Indonesia said yesterday that full military ties between the

two countries had been restored, after Indonesia’s military sus-pended co-operation in January because of “insulting” teaching material found at an Australian base.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made the announce-ment alongside Indonesian Pres-ident Joko Widodo, who arrived in Australia on Saturday for his fi rst visit as president. “President Widodo and I have agreed to full restoration of defence co-opera-tion, training exchanges and ac-tivities,” Turnbull said at a news conference in Sydney.

Widodo’s visit to Australia comes less than two months after

military ties were suspended, an event that sparked a minor dip-lomatic spat and led to an apol-ogy from Australia’s army chief in February.

Military co-operation between the two countries has ranged from joint training and counter-terrorism co-operation to border protection.

The “insulting” material sug-gested that Indonesia’s Papua province should be independent and mocked the nation’s state ideology.

Indonesia and Australia have a history of patchy ties, but both leaders were keen to emphasise their commitment to a strong re-lationship.

“That robust relationship can be established when both coun-tries have respect for each other’s territorial integrity, non-inter-ference into the domestic aff airs of each other and the ability to

develop a mutually benefi cial partnership,” Widodo said.

While the primary focus of the visit was on security and eco-

nomic issues, including the fi -nalisation of a bilateral free trade deal by the end of the year, talks touched on tourism, cyber secu-

rity and social links. Widodo met Australian business leaders on Saturday, telling them that inves-tor confi dence in Indonesia was

strong and reassuring them that Indonesia was a stable country in which to do business. Following one-on-one talks, Turnbull said tariff s would be cut for Australian sugar and Indonesian pesticides and herbicides. He also praised changes to the export rules for live Australian cattle.

Two-way trade between Aus-tralia and Indonesia was worth $15.3bn in 2015-16, according to Australia’s Department of For-eign Aff airs and Trade. Widodo said he was confi dent that a free trade deal would be fi nalised this year.

“I have conveyed to Prime Minister Turnbull some of the key issues,” he said. “First, is the removal of barriers to trade, tar-iff s and non-tariff s for Indone-sian products such as Indonesia’s paper and palm oil.”

Widodo told ‘The Australian’ newspaper this week he would

like to see joint patrols with Aus-tralia in the South China Sea if they did not further infl ame ten-sions with China.

China — which claims almost the entire sea region —irked In-donesia last year by saying the two countries had “overlapping claims” to waters close to them, an area Indonesia calls the Na-tuna Sea.

The leaders stopped short of announcing joint patrols yester-day, but stressed the importance of resolving disputes peacefully and in accordance to interna-tional law.

“As maritime nations and trading nations, Australia and Indonesia are natural partners with common interests,” Turn-bull said. Collaboration on coun-terterrorism, especially the re-turn of foreign fi ghters from the Syrian and Iraq confl ict zone, would continue, Turnbull said.

Australian Minister for Foreign Aff airs Julie Bishop (right) and her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi (left) pose for photos with Indonesian President Joko Widodo (second left) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at Admiralty House in Sydney.

Malaysia airport declared safe after forensic clean-upReutersKuala Lumpur

Malaysia yesterday de-clared its international airport a “safe zone”

after completing a sweep of the terminal where the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was as-saulted with a deadly chemical last week.

Kim Jong-nam died on Feb-ruary 13 after being smothered at the airport’s budget terminal with VX nerve agent, classifi ed by the United Nations as a weap-on of mass destruction.

Since then, tens of thousands of people have passed through the terminal, with the location of the assault remaining accessible.

The police forensic team, fi re department and Atomic En-ergy Licensing Board swept the budget terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2) at 1am yesterday. “We confi rm, number one, there is no hazard-ous material found in KLIA2, number two, KLIA2 is free from any form of contamination of hazardous material and thirdly, KLIA2 is declared a safe zone,” Abdul Samat Mat, the police chief of Selangor state who is leading the investigation, told reporters at the airport.

The location of the assault was cordoned off during the sweep but the rest of the terminal re-mained open.

Security camera footage re-leased by Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV showed the moment two women assaulted Kim Jong-nam with a cloth authorities suspect was laced with the nerve agent. In later clips Kim is seen asking airport offi cials for medical help. Airport authorities said he com-plained of dizziness and died on the way to hospital.

Authorities have said there have been no anomalies in medi-cal cases reported at the clinic since the incident. They also said medical staff at the clinic are in good health. The two women – one Indonesian and one Viet-namese – have been detained, along with a North Korean man.

Seven other North Koreans have been identifi ed as suspects or are wanted for questioning, four of whom have since left for Pyongyang, police said.

Police are also sweeping other locations in Kuala Lumpur that suspects may have visited. Po-lice chief Abdul Samah said on Saturday authorities raided an apartment in an upscale Kuala Lumpur suburb earlier this week in connection with the death, and were checking for any trac-es of unusual chemicals in the apartment.

Kim Jong-nam, who had been living in exile with his family in Macau under Chinese protec-tion, had spoken publicly in the past against his family’s dynastic control of the isolated, nuclear-armed state.

South Korean and US offi -cials said he was assassinated by North Korean agents. North Korea has not acknowledged his death.

Malaysia’s health minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said at a press conference yesterday that autopsy fi ndings were consistent with police reports. The min-ister said the chemical caused “serious paralysis which led to the death of the person in such a short period of time.”

The Indonesian attacker, Siti Aishah, was reported to be un-well, possibly due to contact with the chemical. Subramaniam said

authorities were running tests to ascertain whether Siti was af-fected by the chemical.

At another event Subrama-nium said Kim Jong-nam would have died within 15-20 minutes after VX was applied on his face. He added that identifying the body offi cially is still a challenge.

“Best would be to have the next of kin, blood-related kin, where we can do a DNA profi ling...so that is the challenge,” he said.

No next of kin has claimed the body. While Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister has confi rmed Kim Jong-nam’s identity, offi cial confi rmation is pending.

Malaysia said on Saturday that it may issue an arrest warrant for a North Korean diplomat wanted for questioning over the case, as diplomatic tensions between the two countries escalated over the killing.

Members of Malaysia’s Hazmat team conduct a decontamination operation at the departures terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2) in Sepang.

Suu Kyi breaks silence on killing of Yangon lawyerAFPYangon

Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has broken a

month long silence on the day-light assassination of her ad-viser, calling his killing a “great loss” for the country’s democ-racy struggle.

Ko Ni, a prominent lawyer and critic of Myanmar’s pow-erful military, was shot dead on January 29 outside Yangon airport in a murder that sent shockwaves through the coun-try’s young civilian govern-ment.

A taxi driver, Ne Win, was also killed trying to stop the gunman who was arrested. Au-thorities say he was hired by a former military offi cer now on the run.

Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party branded the killing a po-litical assassination and “ter-rorist act” against their poli-cies. But Suu Kyi, a close friend of Ko Ni, remained silent in the wake of the incident. On Sun-day she made a rare public ap-pearance at a memorial service organised by her party for the two victims.

“Losing U Ko Ni is a great loss for our NLD. He worked together with us for many years through his beliefs,” she told a packed hall in Yangon, describ-ing both he and the taxi driver as “martyrs”.

A constitutional expert, Ko Ni was a prominent critic of the military’s continued political infl uence including their con-trol of key security ministries and guaranteed seats in par-liament, something the NLD hopes to one day overturn.

He also condemned the in-creasing Islamophobia that has swept through the nation in re-cent years, stirred up by hard-line Buddhist nationalists.

That Suu Kyi said so lit-tle about the killing surprised some observers, but since her government took power last May after years of army-led

rule, her administration has taken on something of a bunker mentality.

Suu Kyi rarely gives policy speeches, releases statements or holds press conferences.

Her young administration has had to deal with both soar-ing expectations of the elector-ate and a series of crises. Some of the worst fi ghting in dec-ades has broken out between the military and ethnic rebels, hampering her dream of forg-ing a nationwide ceasefi re.

Meanwhile the UN says se-curity forces have “very likely” committed crimes against hu-manity and ethnic cleansing towards the Rohingya minor-ity in a security crackdown last year.

Suu Kyi has defended the military’s Rohingya crack-down, much to the dismay of many of Myanmar’s western allies, who saw the country’s transition from dictatorship to quasi-democracy as a rare suc-cess.

At the memorial, Suu Kyi stayed clear of politics but she did appeal for patience, argu-ing her government has only been in power for 10 months after decades of junta rule. “Our citizens who have been struggling hard for many dec-ades may think it’s a very long time. But for the history of a country, for the history of a government, 10 months or one year is not much. This is just a short period,” she said.

Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during a memorial ceremony for murdered lawyer Ko Ni and taxi driver Ne Win in Yangon.

Victims demand justice 70 years after Taiwan massacreAFPTaipei

For Pan Hsin-hsing the sight and smell of lilies held a par-ticular horror for many years

– the pungent fl owers decorated the room where his executed father lay before the funeral.

He was just six years old when Pan Mu-chih, a doctor and local politician, was arrested, tortured and killed in a 1947 massacre that was the precursor to years of po-litical purges in Taiwan, known as the “White Terror”. A last note from his father was scribbled on a cigarette pack given to him by a sympathetic jailer and smuggled out to the family.

“Don’t be sad, I die for the resi-dents of our city. I die with no re-gret,” it read.

Tomorrow, Pan will speak at a national commemoration for the

victims of the crackdown by troops under nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, whose Kuomintang party governed Taiwan at the time. On behalf of many who lost loved ones, he will call for long-delayed justice.

Pan’s father was a critic of the KMT and was killed by a fi ring squad alongside other local poli-ticians in southern Chiayi city, where there were anti-government riots. Those riots were part of is-land-wide civilian unrest which started on February 28, 1947, after an inspector beat a woman selling untaxed cigarettes in Taipei.

The immediate crackdown on protesters is estimated to have killed up to 28,000 people.

Pan also lost his 15-year-old brother, who was shot after going out to look for their missing father. The family pretended the young boy had committed suicide for fear of repercussions if they told the

truth. Another of his eight sib-lings held their dying father in his arms after fi nding the train station where the execution took place, says Pan, his voice cracking. The body was brought to their family’s clinic, where he had worked as a doctor, and laid out in the wait-ing room so people could pay their respects. Pan says another of his brothers and a sister were jailed for months as “communist spies”, several of his siblings have strug-gled with depression.

For years, he associated lilies with that terrifying time. “I re-member looking at the lilies and smelling their scent as men who came to pay their condolences got angry that my father was killed, while women wept,” he told AFP.

“It was diffi cult to bear.” The massacres of 1947 were a

prelude to wider purges of govern-ment opponents between 1949 and 1987 under martial law imposed by

Chiang and his son, whose KMT fl ed to Taiwan after it was defeated by Mao Zedong’s Communist Par-ty in a civil war in mainland China.

Offi cial records state around 140,000 people were tried by mili-tary courts during the White Ter-ror, with between 3,000 and 8,000 executed. Many believe the actual numbers are higher.

Taiwan’s current government under President Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic Progressive Party has promised to investigate the purges. But with the fi rst report not due for three years, some activists are critical of what they consider lack of progress.

Yeh Hung-ling heads a cam-paign group seeking justice for victims’ families and has been helping them track down last let-ters from loved ones. Her group is calling for a new “political archives law” to allow them greater access to restricted fi les.

Other activists want to see Chi-ang’s image wiped out – fi gures of him across Taiwan are defaced each year on the February 28 an-niversary. Pan says Chiang is to blame for his father’s death. He believes the memorial hall in the former leader’s name in Taipei should be renamed, and the statue of Chiang removed.

Some activists have threatened to topple the statue to commemo-rate the massacre.

A government-funded report in 2006 found Chiang should take responsibility for the 1947 crack-down. But campaigners say there has been no offi cial recognition of Chiang as the culprit, or his role in the wider purges. “We demand the truth be clarifi ed and those who were responsible be made ac-countable, with their names listed in offi cial records and textbooks,” says Yang Chen-long, head of the Memorial Foundation of 228.

BRITAIN13Gulf Times


Guardian News London

Jeremy Corbyn has said he is prepared to shoulder some of the responsibility for the loss

of Labour’s seat in the Copeland byelection, as his shadow attor-ney general defended the Labour leader and said “disunity” in the party was the main cause of de-feat.

His comments came as La-bour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, challenged the Unite boss, Len McCluskey, to dem-onstrate his backing for Corbyn after criticism from the Unison general secretary, Dave Prentis.

Far from there being disunity, Watson said, he and others had been the ones defending Corbyn since his re-election last sum-mer, but the Labour leader’s trade union champions had been either critical or silent.

“If I’ve got some frustrations, it’s that those people that are Jeremy’s cheerleaders, that made sure that he was elected a second time last September, they should be sticking with their leader in the bad times, not just the good,” he told ITV1’s Peston yesterday.

“Dave Prentis has spoken out, but I’d say to you this morning where’s Len McCluskey defend-ing his leader in this diffi cult time? It shouldn’t be just down to me.”

Corbyn, who on Friday de-nied he had considered his leadership was partly to blame for the Conservative victory in the Cumbrian seat, said the loss was part of a pattern in the area where Labour support had been falling.

The Conservative Trudy Har-rison defeated Labour’s Gill Troughton by more than 2,000 votes in the seat that had been held by Jamie Reed, a critic of Corbyn who left Westminster for a role at the Sellafi eld nuclear plant.

Writing in the Sunday Mir-ror, Corbyn said: “The result in Copeland was deeply disap-pointing.

Labour’s share of the vote in Copeland has been falling for 20 years and of course I take my share of responsibility.

“Both these areas, like many others in Britain, have been left behind by globalisation and lost out from a rigged economy.

So it’s no surprise that they re-jected the status quo by voting to leave in the EU referendum.

That’s why it was important

for Labour to respect the result and vote for article 50.”

Corbyn said his party had not yet done enough to “rebuild trust with people who have been ripped off and sold out for dec-ades and don’t feel Labour repre-sents them”. He said he was con-fi dent the key to success was in party unity.”If we stand together, I am confi dent we can do that and turn back the Tory tide,” he wrote, saying he was determined to “fi n-ish that job” as party leader.

Shami Chakrabarti, the shad-ow attorney general, was more forthright in pinning the blame for the defeat on the MPs who had challenged Corbyn over the summer.

Labour had long been the po-litical establishment in Cope-land, she told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show.

“You cannot weigh people’s votes, you have to cherish them,” she said. “Yes, we lost, but I be-lieve when people see what Mrs May’s hard Brexit looks like, and they see a vision from a more united Labour party as I believe we can be, they will change their minds.

In Copeland, Labour has looked like the establishment for a long time.

“We have suff ered from disu-nity and if we’re always talking

about the leadership that won’t help us cut through.”

Over the weekend, senior La-bour fi gures said Corbyn should launch a full party inquiry into the loss of the seat.

Watson and the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, both suggested the Labour leader should do some soul searching.

Watson, speaking at the Scot-tish Labour conference in Perth on Saturday, raised the spectre of the party’s virtual wipeout in Scotland being repeated south of the border as he called for Labour to take a “long, hard look at our-selves and ask what’s working” before it is too late.

Starmer, in a speech in Lon-don, said the “worst thing” La-bour could do would be to “nor-malise defeat” and “walk past” results that were disastrous for the party and merited an honest admission that all was far from well.

Prentis, whose union had backed Corbyn for the leader-ship, said the Labour leader “must take responsibility for what happens next” and “show he understands how to turn things around and deliver just that”. Chakrabarti said the public criticism of Corbyn would only damage the party further. “What I would say to Dave Prentis and

other great men of the left is that it’s time to unite,” she said. “Constant attacks on the leader-ship, constant leadership elec-tions don’t allow us to focus on the issues that would allow us to present an alternative vision.”

Corbyn’s speech at the Scot-tish Labour conference in Perth will stress not only the impor-tance of party unity but across the Brexit and national divides. “The policies and ideas we are setting out are policies whose time has come,” he will say.

“But to win that fi ght we need to remain united. United in our belief in our movement, united in our commitment to once again make our society fairer, bet-ter and more just. That’s why Labour believes that together we’re stronger. Unity is still our strength.”

He will also challenge the Scottish fi rst minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to end talk of a second independence referendum, urg-ing her to “listen to the people and respect democracy”.

Jeremy Corbyn will insist that now is not the time to “retreat, run away or give up”. Corbynwill say he “cannot lie and say the result in Copeland was what we wanted”, but he will also insist the “time has come” for his left-wing policies.

Seagulls in front of the Elizabeth Tower in central London.

Airing their views

Labour’s Corbyn says unity is key to success

AFP Dymock

In the rolling countryside of southwest England, farmer Charles Martell is tend-ing to his rare breed of cattle while two of

his dairy workers get to work making Single Gloucester cheese — a British delicacy.

It has been two decades since Martell gained European Union protected status for his premium cheese, meaning it can only be made according to a pre-defi ned recipe and in a specifi c location.

Britain’s impending EU exit puts that sta-tus at risk.

“The reason I did it was because people were starting to make the cheese outside the county, and I thought: ‘Clear off ! It’s not your cheese, go away’,” Martell told AFP, sur-rounded by his black brown Gloucester cows in the rural county of Gloucestershire on an icy February day.

Dozens of Britain’s signature foods and drinks are expected to lose their special EU status with Brexit, leaving producers like Martell facing uncertainty over how to pro-tect their businesses.

From Cornish clotted cream to Scot-tish wild salmon, Scotch whisky and Stilton cheese, Britain boasts 77 products which are part of the same EU scheme as French Cham-pagne and Italy’s Prosciutto di Parma ham.

The EU stamp means consumers know they are getting the genuine article.

According to the European Commission, such items sell for an average 2.3 times more than a similar but non-authenticated item, while producers can additionally apply for EU funding to promote their products.

Martell, who supports Britain leaving the EU, said his main motivation for getting the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label was to protect Single Gloucester, which he revived in 1976 with the help of a local recipe from 1931.

The full-fat hard cheese, which originated in the county more than 200 years ago, can only be made on Gloucestershire farms that have a herd of Old Gloucester cows.

The early days saw Martell hand-milking three cows and selling cheese at a local mar-ket.

He now exports to 30 countries.His business relies on the expertise of

a Romanian cowherd and the skills of his Polish and Bulgarian cheesemakers, whose right to live and work in Britain will also be aff ected by Brexit — a major concern for many farmers.

Martell said his Romanian employee has cow-milking experience from his home country that is not often found among young British jobseekers.

British farmers have voiced concerns about being able to attract local staff if Brexit re-

stricts their ability to hire seasonal and per-manent EU workers.

“I’m sure we’ll fi nd a way to reach Europe anyway” even without the PDO label, Bulgar-ian Daniela Welch told AFP.

She has been producing Single Gloucester for Martell for more than 13 years.

Even before the sun is yet up, Welch and her colleague don white overalls with match-ing rubber boots to begin transforming the cow’s milk into hard cheese wheels.

They are then stored while they develop a mouldy rind ready to be sold.

Meanwhile, producers of Newmarket Sau-sages in eastern England said they had sought a slightly diff erent EU label of Protected Geo-graphical Indication (PGI) to distinguish their brand after copies claiming to be the tradi-tional herb recipe started popping up on the market.

Grant Powter, whose family has been mak-ing the sausages since the 1880s, told AFP that the designation was “hugely important” for food safety and authenticity as well as helping exports.

In the town of Newmarket, after which the sausages were named, another family butch-er’s, Musk’s, established in the same decade, also got the regional speciality status to shield itself from imitation, said the company’s Ed-ward Sheen.

“Until Article 50 has been triggered it’s all slightly up in the air,” Sheen said in a tele-

phone interview, referring to the formal proc-ess to begin Brexit negotiations.

Britain’s agriculture ministry has not yet outlined a programme to replace the EU scheme after Britain leaves the bloc.

However, a ministry spokeswoman told AFP that “these products are extremely im-portant to our reputation as a great food na-tion and we will work to ensure they continue to benefi t from protection in the future”.

Martell said he believed the British govern-ment would act to help protect regional foods from imitations.

“I can’t believe the government won’t do something, a British version of it....

They’d be crazy not to.”The Gloucester area voted to leave the EU

in the June referendum, which saw 52% of voters nationwide supporting Brexit.

“I did vote and I value our sovereignty,” Martell said of the referendum, adding he hoped Brexit would lead to greater environmental protection and end the subsidy system for large farms.

“I think there’s much too much subsidy given keeping the big farms big,” he said.

Martell said he was concerned that farming may not be one of parliament’s top priorities in negotiations with Brussels on the terms of Brit-ain’s future EU relations, expected to start this year.

“They’ve got a hell of a lot to do; they’ve got 40 years of EU to undo. I don’t think we’ll be that high on the list.”

Brexit churns unease for speciality cheese

Cheesemaker Daniella Welch stores a batch of Single Gloucester, a full-fat hard cheese made with Old Gloucester cow’s milk, which is partially covered with mould as it matures on Charles Martell and Sons Ltd’s farm in Dymock, Gloucestershire, south west England.

Corbyn has called on his party to circle the wagons

DPA Malaga, Spain

It’s still likely at least two years away, but Violete Aragon Correa is already

plagued by worries about what will happen to the real estate sector in Malaga, southern Spain, when Britain leaves the European Union.

“The Britons who for the longest time now have been our best foreign clients, have been buying fewer and fewer prop-erties in Spain since the refer-endum,” she said, referring to the June 2016 “Brexit” vote for Britain to leave the EU.

“Especially here on the Costa del Sol we’re really feeling the eff ects,” said the general secre-tary of the Property Develop-ers Association (APC) for the province of Malaga.

Along with the province of Alicante, Malaga with its 65,000 Britons — out of a total of 300,000 in Spain — is the largest centre of expatriates from Britain in the country.

As Britons increasingly worry about the after-eff ects of Brexit — be it a weaken-ing pound, medical treatment, pensions, or employment — the local communities in the western part of Costa del Sol clearly feel the pain as well.

“Property purchase reserva-tions have also been cancelled,” Aragon Correa said.

So far there are only concrete fi gures for Spain as a whole.

The country’s property deeds and trade registry reports that the British share of total prop-erty purchases by foreigners plunged from 24% in the fi nal quarter of 2015 to 16.4% in the same period a year later.

In the city of Mijas, boasting the largest British expat com-munity of 11,500 registered Britons, mayor Juan Carlos Maldonado warned about an “earthquake” in the wake of the Brexit vote.

The fi rst tremors are already being felt — the British are not only buying fewer properties, but they are also selling them.

Since last year’s Brexit refer-endum, British sales of houses and apartments have surged 16.5%, the regional associa-tion of real estate managers reported.

“The political and economic uncertainty is driving many Britons toward a step that until very recently would have been completely unthinkable — sell-ing their apartment in Malaga,” said association chief Fernando Pastor.

As of now, everything seems unchanged.

Around 20 degrees celsius, the “guiris” — as tourists,

expats and immigrants from affl uent northern European countries are referred to by the locals — are strolling the beaches and visiting the bars and cafes.

Many signs are in English: “Fish&Chips, BBQ, Pint of Beer 1,40 ?.” In the window of the Bank Caja Sur in the town of Benalmadena, the sign says “Pleased to meet YOU”. But the worries of the local merchants are quickly discovered.

Bar owner Carlosays that “80% of my customers are Britons.Brexit is scaring not only them, or the real estate brokers or restaurant owners. Everybody, but especially the merchants, are fearful about the future”.

Such worries are under-standable considering how in the Costa del Sol there are dozens of English-language schools, doctors’ practices and law offi ces that live off business with guiris.

The Malaga-based Sur in English with a circulation of 50,000 is the largest English-language paper on the Europe-an mainland. Local businesses, all advertise and communicate in English.

“I’m worried about the ef-fects on the local economy,” Mijas mayor Maldonado says.” Residential tourism is one of the largest generators of affl u-ence in our region.”

So far, the traditional tour-ism branch in Spain has not felt any adverse eff ects.

Even with pound’s drop in value after Brexit, British trav-ellers spent a record 16.25bn euros in Spain last year.

That was up 13% compared with 2015, and accounted for 21% of all spending by foreign tourists in the country last year.

But one British expat area in particular, the enclave on Gi-braltar is worried.

Gibraltar Chief Minister Fa-bian Picardo recently visited Brussels to argue for a special arrangement for its British residents.

“Gibraltar’s situation is unique,” he says.”A frontier which lacks the necessary fl u-idity for people to be able to ac-cess their places of work would therefore put directly at risk the jobs of 10,000 European citizens who live in one mem-ber state and work in Gibraltar.”

Mijas mayor Maldonado and the developers of Malaga meanwhile are pursuing a “Plan B” — boosting the region at in-ternational tourism and real estate fairs around the world.

And Aragon Correa says that above all, it is now the Scan-dinavians being targeted as “replacement Britons” in the region’s future.

Unease in Spain over loss of UK customers

BRITAIN


The world’s leading biologists, ecologists and economists believe that one in five species on Earth now faces extinction, and that will rise to 50% by the end of the century. The biologists and ecologists will be discussing the necessary social and economic changes needed to save the planet’s biosphere, in a meeting organised by the Vatican today. The biologists emphasised the importance of preserving nature, according to the Guardian. Biologist Professor Peter Raven, of the Missouri Botanical Garden, said that by “the beginning of the next century we face the prospect of losing half our wildlife. Yet we rely on the living world to sustain ourselves. The extinctions we face pose an even greater threat to civilisation than climate change”.

A body has washed up on the banks of the River Thames in central London, police said. The body, which is believed to be male, was discovered near Vauxhall Bridge at around 10am on Saturday. The man’s body was recovered from the river and will be subject to a post-mortem examination, police said. The cause of death is not known at this stage and the body has yet to be formally identified. A Met spokesman said: “Police were called at 10.20am to a body in the water near to Vauxhall Bridge. “Off icers from the marine policing unit attended along with colleagues from the RNLI. “A body, believed to be that of a man, was recovered from the river. “A post mortem examination and formal ID will be arranged in due course.”

A woman has been charged following the death of a three-year-old boy who was killed in a dog attack in Essex. Dexter Neal was attacked by an American bulldog in Halstead on August 18 last year. Police in Essex have now charged Jade Dunne, 29, of Parker Way in Halstead, with owning a dog dangerously out of control resulting in death. The dog, which was called Ruby, has since been destroyed. Dunne has been released on bail. She will next appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, March 27.

Sadiq Khan has said he was not accusing the Scottish National Party of racism after comments he made about nationalism sparked a fierce row. The Mayor of London has tried to calm the outrage ignited by his claim there is “no diff erence” between nationalists and people who “divide us on the basis of our background, race or religion”. His comments were branded “spectacularly ill-judged” by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. But the London mayor has since insisted he was “not saying that nationalists are somehow racist or bigoted”. Khan told the BBC: “Of course I am not saying that the SNP are racists or bigots. “What I am saying is that the world is increasingly divided by Brexit result and the election of President Trump.”

A south London Tube station was placed on lockdown by police yesterday morning after a man was stabbed. Police rushed to Vauxhall station at 5.20am after reports someone had been knifed inside. British Transport Police said a man had received injuries to his leg in the attack. A spokesman said the stab injuries were only minor and he had already been released from hospital. The incident meant part of the station remained closed yesterday morning as police combed the scene. A man, 35, was arrested nearby and is currently being quizzed by police. A spokesman for British Transport Police said: “Off icers were called to Vauxhall Underground station at 5.19am this morning after reports that a man had been stabbed.”

50% of all species could be extinct by end of century

Probe after body found on banks of Thames

Woman charged after boy killed in Essex dog attack

Mayor says he is not calling Scottish nationalists racist

Underground station closed after man knifed

NATURE MYSTERYSOCIETY POLITICS CRIME

Cannabis plants discovered in a disused underground nuclear bunker RGHQ Chilmark, in the village of Chilmark, in southern England. Three men were arrested and charged with drug and slavery related off ences following the discovery of cannabis plants worth over 1.18mn euro.

Cannabis in bunker

Evening StandardLondon

IS militants pose a threat to Britain’s major cities as great as the IRA’s during its London

bombing campaign in the 1970s, the new terror laws watchdog has said.

Max Hill QC, the new Inde-pendent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, warned that Islam-ists’ plots to attack UK cities pre-sented an “enormous” risk.

But Hill, who successfully prosecuted the failed 21/7 bomb-ers, praised the intelligence serv-ices’ “truly remarkable” success rate for foiling plots since the 2005 London bombings.

Hill told the Sunday Telegraph: “I think the intensity and the potential frequency of the seri-ous plot planning — with a view to indiscriminate attacks on in-nocent civilians of whatever race or colour in metropolitan areas — represents an enormous ongoing risk that none of us can ignore.

“So I think that there is undoubt-edly signifi cant ongoing risk which is at least as great as the threat to London in the 70s when the IRA were active on the mainland.”

More than 50 people were killed by IRA attacks in Britain during the 1970s alone.

IS is yet to land an attack in the UK but its militants have claimed lives in mainland Europe, includ-ing in the November 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130.

But Hill, who will scrutinise UK’s terror laws and produces reports, has questioned whether the fall of IS strongholds in the Middle East will cause British Islamists to return to the country to unleash terror.

In his interview, Hill told the paper his proudest moment was putting the killers of Damilola Taylor behind bars.

He said: “Undoubtedly the killing of a 10-year-old boy on the streets of London when his Nigerian parents had sent him to be schooled in London think-ing he would be safer here than at home, that is not only tragic but leaves a lasting impression.’

Announcing his appointment, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said that Hill’s “wealth of experi-ence and legal expertise” would ensure the UK’s terror laws were fair, necessary and proportion-ate.

Two Londoners, including a man who photographed him-self draped in the black fl ag of IS, have been jailed for terror of-fences.

Mohamed Mayow, and 21-year-old Mohanned Jasim were arrested at Dover Eastern Docks by police as they were try-ing to leave the UK.

Mayow, 23, had tweeted inter-net links to material related to Islamic State as well as a message which read: “I can’t wait for the day we fi ght Americans.”

Mayow, of Dorset Avenue, Hayes, eventually admitted six counts of distributing a terrorist publication.

Jasim, of Montague Street, Southall, pleaded guilty to pub-lishing a statement to encourage others to commit an act of ter-rorism.

He had also shared tweets en-couraging terrorism.

On Friday, Mayow was jailed for fi ve years and two months, while Jasim was handed a two-year sentence.

Detective Superintendent Ian Hunter, Head of Investiga-tions for the South East Counter Terrorism Unit (SECTU), said: “This has been a detailed inves-tigation, which has led to the de-fendants pleading guilty in light of the weight of evidence against them.

“These arrests were a direct result of good work by Kent Po-lice offi cers at the Port of Dover who intervened to stop them leaving the country.

“Whilst we cannot be certain exactly where Mayow and Jasim were heading or what they in-tended to do, the subsequent in-vestigation enabled these off enc-es to be identifi ed and today’s sentences refl ect the seriousness of sharing extremist material.”

Four London teenagers ac-cused of planning to travel to Syria to join IS have appeared in court on terror charges.

The young men were said to be plotting to carry out acts of ter-rorism abroad.

They are all also accused of having extremist material and swapping messages online dis-cussing how to get out to the war-torn country.

One of them allegedly had a video on his phone of battles, crusades and prisoners of IS be-ing executed.

Another is charged with hav-ing details about how to build a pressure cooker bomb.

A fi fth boy, aged 15, is accused of having terrorist materials, in-cluding IS publication Inspire and a bomb-making video.

All fi ve appeared in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, supported by their families.

A 16-year-old from Lambeth is charged with preparation of ter-rorist acts and a 17-year-old from Hounslow has been charged with

preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publi-cations.

Ahmedeltigani Alsyed, 19, of Hounslow, and a 17-year-old from Merton, are each charged with a count of preparation of terrorist acts and collection of information contrary to section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

The four appeared together in the dock and were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on March 17.

The 15-year-old, of Waltham Forest, appeared in a separate youth hearing at the same court.

He pleaded not guilty to one charge of possession and two counts of dissemination of ter-rorist publications and is due to stand trial on April 19 at West-minster Magistrates’ Court, sit-ting as a youth court.

He was remanded into the custody of the local authorities while living at his family address with a number of conditions, including a curfew, restricted Internet access, supervision, weekly reporting to the po-lice and a ban on international travel.

Four of the teenagers were ar-rested at addresses in south and west London on Tuesday while the 15-year-old boy was arrest-ed on Monday evening in east London.

Evening Standard London

Lily Allen has revealed she has suff ered from post-traumatic stress disorder

after the stillbirth of her son leading to a torrent of horrifi c abuse from vile online trolls.

The singer also wrote on Twitter that she has bipolar disorder, as she was targeted by hateful tweets while trying to highlight prejudice shown towards immigrants and Mus-lims.

Her comments came after largely anonymous web users taunted her, suggesting she had

mental health issues.Allen, 31, replied: “I DO have

mental health issues. Bi-po-lar, post natal depression, and PTSD, does that make my opin-ion void.”

The mother-of-two ex-plained that the PTSD came after losing her son six months into her pregnancy in 2010.

The anxiety disorder is caused by distressing, stress-ful or disturbing events and can cause nightmares and fl ash-backs.

People with bipolar disor-der have periods of depression, where they are feel low and le-thargic, and episodes of mania, where they are overactive and

very high. But cowardly online trolls continued to taunt her on Twitter.

One wrote: “The baby knew you were going to be a such a horrible mother.”

Allen, who has had a string of hits including Smile and The Fear, later announced she would take a break from Twitter.

IS poses the ‘greatest threat since IRA’

Lily Allen targeted by abuse online as she reveals stillbirth

Lilly Allen.

Reuters London

British anti-EU cam-paigner Nigel Farage posted a picture of him

having “dinner with The Don-ald” on Twitter, the latest meeting between US President Donald Trump and the critic of Prime Minister Theresa May.

Farage, who helped secure victory for the Brexit cam-paign at a referendum on Brit-ain’s membership of the Euro-pean Union in June, is keen to cement ties with Trump after stepping down as leader of his anti-EU UK Independence Party last year.

Finding common ground with some of Trump’s criti-cism of the political establish-ment, Farage met the presi-dent in November and has off ered his services as Britain’s ambassador to the United States — something that has been rejected by May’s gov-ernment.

Entitled “Dinner with The Donald”, Farage posted a pic-ture of himself smiling at a camera, with Trump and four other people around a table in a photo which gave the loca-tion as the Trump Interna-tional Hotel.

May also wants to bolster ties with the United States to strengthen her hand before launching divorce talks with the European Union, and at a visit in January, she secured a promise from Trump for a trade deal after Brexit.

She sent her two most sen-ior aides to the United States

in December and foreign min-ister Boris Johnson a month later to boost ties after the US leader irritated offi cials by suggesting Farage was a good choice for ambassador.

Farage has since become a political analyst on Fox News and Fox Business Network and has a show on a London-based radio station.

Farage was in the United States to address the Conserv-ative Political Action Confer-ence (CPAC) where he spoke of the “global revolution” that started with Brexit.

Referring to the “Brexit ma-nia” he had seen in the US he said: “I’m proud to be part of that campaign, I really am.”

He told the crowd the UK’s “real friends” speak Eng-lish, in a comment seemingly aimed at the European Union.

In the picture, posted on Farage’s twitter feed, he ap-pears to be dining with the US president, his daughter Ivanka, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Govenor Rick Scott. It is not the fi rst time Farage has been pictured in the company of the US president.

In November he caused a stir when he was pictured meet-ing Trump at Trump Tower in New York City, making him the fi rst British politician to meet the newly elected presi-dent. Following the meeting Trump shocked Westminster with a late-night tweet de-claring that Mr Farage would do a “great job” as Britain’s ambassador to the US and that “many people” wanted to see him as the UK’s senior diplo-mat in Washington.

Farage posts picture of ‘dinner with The Donald’

Member of the European Parliament Nigel Farage speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in Oxon Hill, Maryland, US.

The UK government is set to announce new measures to support the country’s artificial intelligence sector as part of a ‘bold’ Digital Strategy, the BBC reported yesterday. With the measures, the government will seek to spur growth and deliver a “thriving, outward-looking digital economy that works for everyone”. Due to be published on 1st March by culture secretary Karen Bradley MP, the new proposals will build on plans set out in the government’s Industrial Strategy. As part of the new proposals, the government is expected to confirm a funding boost of £17.3mn from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to support the development of new robotics and artificial Intelligence (RAI) technologies in universities across the country. Culture Secretary Karen Bradley told BBC: “Britain has a proud history of digital innovation — from the earliest days of computing to Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s development of the World Wide Web.”

UK to announce £17.3mn boost for AI

There is an “enormous” risk to British citiesfrom IS militants

EUROPE15Gulf Times


Germany saw more than 3,500 attacks against refugees and asylum

shelters last year, interior min-istry data showed, amounting to nearly 10 acts of anti-migrant violence a day as the country grapples with a record infl ux of newcomers.

The assaults left 560 people injured, including 43 children, the ministry said in a written re-sponse to a parliamentary ques-tion seen by AFP yesterday.

The government “strongly

condemns” the violence, the letter said.

“People who have fl ed their home country and seek protec-tion in Germany have the right to expect safe shelter,” it read.

A total of 2,545 attacks against individual refugees were report-ed last year, the ministry wrote, citing police statistics.

There was no immediate com-parison with previous years as it was only introduced as a sepa-rate category under politically-motivated crimes in 2016.

Additionally, there were 988 instances of housing for refu-gees and asylum-seekers being targeted last year, the ministry

said, including arson attacks.That was slightly down on

2015 when there were just over 1,000 criminal acts against refu-gee shelters.

In 2014, there were only 199 such cases.

The sharp rise in hate crimes

came after Germany took in some 890,000 asylum-seekers in 2015 at the height of Europe’s refugee crisis.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to open the doors to those fl eeing confl ict and perse-cution polarised the country and

fuelled support for the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

The number of arrivals fell sharply in 2016 to 280,000, mainly thanks to border closures on the Balkan overland route and an EU deal with Turkey to stem the infl ow.

A lawmaker for Germany’s far-left Die Linke party, Ulla Jelpke, blamed the anti-migrant violence on far-right extremists and urged the government to take stronger action.

“We’re seeing nearly 10 (criminal) acts a day,” she told the Funke Mediengruppe, a Ger-man regional newspaper group.

“Do people have to die be-fore the right-wing violence is considered a central domestic security problem and makes it to the top of the national policy agenda?” she asked.

A German neo-Nazi was sentenced to eight years in jail this month for burning down a sports hall set to house refugees, causing damage worth €3.5mn ($3.7mn).

In another case that has shocked Germany, a crowd of onlookers cheered and applaud-ed as an asylum shelter went up in fl ames in the country’s former communist east in February last year.

10 attacks on migrants daily in Germany: dataAFPBerlin

Fire at asylum-seeker accommodation in Sweden

A fire overnight at an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in Swe-

den caused injuries to at least a dozen residents, police said yesterday.

Between 10 and 20 people were being checked for possible smoke

inhalation, while two others were injured after jumping out of a window

to avoid the blaze, said police in Vastra Gotaland county.

The cause of the fire on the third floor of the building in Vanersborg,

some 100km north of Gothenburg, was so far unknown.

Investigators are looking into the motives of a 35-year-old German student who

rammed his car into a group of pedestrians, killing one person and injuring two others, offi -cials said yesterday, ruling out terrorism.

The suspect is being formally held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder over Saturday’s incident in the pic-turesque southwestern city of Heidelberg, local police and prosecutors said in a statement.

The accused, who was shot and wounded by police after fl eeing the scene on foot while wielding a knife, is in hospital recovering from surgery.

A 73-year-old German died from his injuries hours after be-ing hit by the car.

A 32-year-old Austrian and a 29-year-old Bosnian wom-an, both Heidelberg residents,

were lightly hurt while a fourth person was able to jump out of the way, according to the state-ment.

The driver was questioned by investigators for the fi rst time yesterday after waking up from surgery but did not comment on the accusations against him, the offi cials said.

“His motive remains un-known,” they said, adding that it had yet to be determined if the suspect had acted with dimin-ished criminal responsibility.

Media reports have suggested the accused may suff er from psychiatric problems, but the authorities have so far not com-mented on those claims.

“At this point in the investi-gation there are no indications of a terrorist or extremist back-ground to the case,” the offi cials said.

A video taken by a bystander in the immediate aftermath of the car attack shows a number of armed police offi cers appar-ently confronting the suspect on the street, before a shot can be heard.

According to the statement, a police offi cer fi red his gun after the suspect ignored repeated calls to put down the knife and began charging at the offi cers who had unsuccessfully tried to stop him with pepper spray.

The suspect, who has not been named, did not have a po-lice record prior to the incident.

According to the authorities, he comes from the Heidelberg area and hired the car used in the attack from a rental agency about two weeks ago.

Police seek motive in car rammingAFPFrankfurt am Main

Flowers and a candle are seen at the site where a car ploughed into pedestrians in Heidelberg.

Seeing (un)dead peopleRevellers dressed as vampires (above) and zombies (right) participate in a ‘zombie walk’ parade on Saturday evening, celebrating the carnival season in Athens.

With the polls narrowing and one of her main rivals embroiled in an

expenses scandal, far-right lead-er Marine Le Pen could feasibly become French president in May, senior politicians and commen-tators say.

At the headquarters of her National Front (FN) party in Nanterre outside Paris, offi cials believe the same forces that led to the Brexit vote in Britain and Donald Trump’s victory in the United States could carry Le Pen to power.

Even some of her rivals con-cede a victory for the far-right fi rebrand is possible.

“I think Madame Le Pen could be elected,” former conservative prime minister Jean-Pierre Raf-farin said this month.

Another former premier, the Socialist Manuel Valls, has also warned of the “danger” of as-suming that Le Pen cannot win.

Polls show that support for the 48-year-old anti-immigrant and anti-EU candidate has been con-sistent for four years now.

Since 2013, surveys have shown she will progress through the fi rst round to reach the run-off stage in France’s two-stage presidential election.

Pollsters now note that al-though Le Pen is not currently forecast to win the all-important showdown on May 7, she has whittled down the projected gap between herself and her main challengers.

The legal woes of her conserv-ative challenger Francois Fillon have especially played into Le Pen’s hands.

When Fillon saw off pre-contest favourite Alain Juppe to clinch the right-wing nomi-nation in late November, polls

showed he would win 67% of the vote in the run-off to 33% for Le Pen.

Then in January allegations surfaced that Fillon had paid his wife hundreds of thousands of euros for parliamentary work she might not have done.

Surveys now show Le Pen would score 44% to 56% for Fil-lon if the second round was held today.

The pressure on 62-year-old Fillon moved up a notch on Friday when prosecutors announced he would face a full judicial investi-gation into the claims.

A similar picture emerges when Le Pen’s projected sec-ond-round score is compared to that of Emmanuel Macron, the pro-business centrist who has moved from outsider to genuine contender in the space of a few months.

Although Macron’s perform-ance against Le Pen has only been tested since January, the win-

ning margin has dropped from 30 points to around 20 in a month.

The latest Ifop poll gives Ma-cron 61.5% to 38.5% for the far-right standard bearer.

Le Pen is also caught up in an expenses scandal and faces ac-cusations she has misused Euro-pean Parliament funds.

Yet unlike Fillon, who once led the race, the allegations have not damaged her support.

Experts caution however that predicting the second-round scores in a contest that has al-ready thrown up a host of sur-prises is fraught with risk.

And the polls have been wrong in election after election over the last two years.

When canvassed by L’Opinion newspaper in mid-February, polling experts were divided on whether Le Pen could win.

Bernard Sananes of the Elabe polling group said it was “both possible and improbable”.

Jerome Sainte-Marie of Poll-

ing Vox nuanced his answer, say-ing: “Against Macron, she has a chance of winning.”

Ifop’s Jerome Fourquet told AFP that if on the eve of the sec-ond round, the polls show Le Pen at 40% to 60% for a rival, “the gap is too big for there to be a surprise”.

“But if it’s 55-45, it could be a diff erent matter,” he said.

Fourquet said that Le Pen’s performance in the fi rst round would be crucial to see if she can gain the momentum to snatch a win in the run-off .

In the 2002 presidential elec-tion, Marine’s father Jean-Marie Le Pen rocked the political estab-lishment by reaching the run-off .

But in that second round, vot-ers of various political stripes reluctantly got behind conserva-tive candidate Jacques Chirac to block the far right.

Regional elections in Decem-ber 2015 give a more recent prec-edent.

Both Le Pen and her 27-year-old niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen were soundly beaten in the second round despite high scores in the fi rst round, as the main-stream parties joined forces to block them.

Since then, “Le Pen has cleared another hurdle, but the barrier she still has to clear is very high”,

Fourquet said.Researcher Joel Gombin, a

specialist on the FN, believes Le Pen is still some way short of getting the keys to the glittering Elysee Palace.

“As things stand, where are the votes necessary to move up from 25% or even 30% to 50%?,” he said.

Yes, Le Pen could win in FranceBy Guillaume Daudin and Guy JacksonParis

Le Pen: her performance in the first round would be crucial to see if she can gain the momentum to snatch a win in the run-off .

German police quash Twitter rumours

German police went on Twitter to pass along information about a

deadly car-ramming in Heidelberg at the weekend.

But they also used it to knock down rumours and deliver sharp re-

bukes to their social media tormentors.

These are five of the exchanges – which took place in German and Eng-

lish – between the Mannheim Police Department and users on Twitter:

Twitter user: “He’s a (expletive) Muslim. (Expletive) the lot of them out

of the West.”

Police response: “WTF are you talking about?”

Twitter user: “Urgent: According to friends in the police, the perpetra-

tor in Heidelberg is a so-called refugee.”

Police response: “No, he’s not.”

Twitter user: “What does the perpetrator look like? Tell the whole truth

or keep your mouth shut.”

Police response: “Have you forgotten your manners or never had any?

Everything in its time, the investigation continues.”

Twitter user: “Increased deportations must be adhered to by all federal

states ! No more influx !”

Police response: “What do you want to say to us with this tweet? By the

way: No spaces in front of the exclamation mark!!!”

Twitter user: “You should know how the person looks at the very first

stages of the investigation #Heidelberg”

Police response: “What does the look of a person state?”

Thousands march in Moscow two years after Putin foe killed

AFPMoscow

Thousands of Russians marched through cen-tral Moscow yesterday

in memory of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, two years after he was shot dead near the Kremlin.

The assassination of the former deputy prime minister on February 27, 2015 was the high-est-profi le killing of a critic of President Vladimir Putin since the ex-KGB offi cer took charge in 2000.

Five Chechen men from Rus-sia’s volatile North Caucasus are currently on trial for carrying out a contract hit, but those who ordered the killing have not been brought to justice.

“We came to pay tribute to the honesty and bravery of Boris Nemtsov,” pensioner Galina Zolina told AFP, clutching a bunch of red carnations. “We want to show the authorities that we haven’t forgotten.”

Charismatic Nemtsov – who went from Kremlin insider un-der Boris Yeltsin to one of Pu-tin’s fi ercest foes – was hit in the back by four fatal shots as he was walking home across a bridge near the Kremlin with his girl-friend.

The march yesterday was per-mitted by the authorities but not allowed to include a makeshift memorial offi cials have repeat-edly sought to dismantle at the spot Nemtsov was killed.

Some 15,000 demonstra-tors, organisers and AFP esti-mated, surrounded by a heavy police presence waved Russian fl ags and posters criticising the Kremlin and Moscow’s interven-tion in Ukraine, which Nemtsov had fi ercely opposed right up to his death.

“The march can maybe get the attention of the authorities,” said unemployed biologist Alex-ei Kuznetsov. “It might be able to infl uence the investigation, show that the case resonates in society even if the authorities try to ignore it.”

Last October fi ve men – in-cluding a member of an elite in-terior ministry unit in Chechnya – went on trial in a military court in Moscow for carrying out the contract killing for 15mn roubles (currently $250,000, €240,000).

But despite claims from of-fi cials that the case has been solved, Nemtsov’s family and al-lies insist that the probe into his death has left the masterminds untouched.

“The investigation stopped at the level of those who carried out the murder, but nothing has been done to fi nd those who or-dered it,” Vadim Prokhorov, the lawyer for Nemtsov’s family, told AFP.

Nemtsov’s slaying sent a chill through Russia’s marginalised opposition, which has already been sidelined under Putin’s rule.

A veteran opposition lead-er in Kyrgyzstan was arrested on corruption

charges, security services said yesterday, as political tensions mount in the Central Asian country ahead of a November presidential poll.

The State Committee for Na-tional Security said Omurbek Tekebayev, who leads the nomi-nally socialist Ata-Meken par-ty, was detained yesterday after landing at the country’s airport.

The opposition leader, an ad-versary of President Almazbek Atambayev, will be held for at least 48 hours in connection with an investigation into cor-ruption at a key telecoms com-pany, the statement said.

While former Soviet Kyr-gyzstan is the most democratic country in a region dominated by long-ruling strongmen, it has also been the most politi-cally volatile in recent times.

The country experienced two revolutions that unseated presidents in 2005 and 2010 followed by ethnic violence that left more than 400 dead.

Tekebayev’s arrest comes af-ter two of his party colleagues were questioned in unrelated corruption cases earlier this month.

The Ata-Meken party strongly opposed a referendum on constitutional changes in December that was driven by Atambayev’s offi ce.

Atambayev is constitution-ally restricted to a single six-year term and says he has no in-tention of easing into the offi ce of prime minister, a position whose powers were boosted by the recent constitutional changes.

Kyrgyz opposition party leader arrested on corruption chargesAFPBishkek

INDIA


Army recruitment testcancelled as paper leakedAgenciesMumbai

The army yesterday can-celled examinations in six centres in western India for

some lower-level posts following an alleged leak of question papers.

The examination centres where the tests were cancelled include Kamptee, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Ahmedabad, Goa and Kirkee, army sources said.

The examination papers of the Army Recruitment Board were allegedly leaked following which the Thane Police’s crime branch conducted raids and arrested 18 persons from Maharashtra and Goa.

The examinations were held for a number of posts, including soldier clerk and strongman and soldier tradesman, in 52 centres across the country.

The sources said army has or-dered an internal enquiry and further action will be taken based on the fi ndings, adding that tests at more centres are likely to can-celled.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that three of the 18 persons ar-rested were picked up from a bar in north Goa’s Anjuna village, police said.

The trio was arrested by offi -cials of the Thane crime branch police, along with personnel at-tached to the Anjuna police sta-tion.

Some students were also an-swering the illegally obtained question paper in the early hours on yesterday. “The papers were being answered by the students in Sandhya Bar in Anjuna police jurisdiction. The raids were con-ducted early morning,” a police source said.

Speaking to reporters later yesterday, Panaji director general of police, Muktesh Chander, said the local police only provided logistical support to the Thane crime branch, which conducted the raids.

A case has been registered un-der various sections of the Indian Penal Code, IT Act and Preven-tion of Corruption Act against the accused who are being brought to Thane for further probe.

Among those arrested nine are from Pune, six from Nagpur and three from Goa. Nearly 250 stu-dents have also been taken into custody in connection with the paper leak.

Of the detained candidates, 79 are from Pune, 222 from Nagpur and 49 from Goa.

The raids followed a tip-off to the Thane police that the pa-per, for which exam was due to be held yesterday morning, had been leaked. The raids were con-ducted in Nashik, Nagpur, Pune and Goa

The police suspect that the papers were leaked either from the press where it was printed or from the distribution cen-tres. The Thane city police are exchanging information with director of army recruitment exams and also the military In-telligence wing regarding the leak. An offi cer said the papers were leaked to aspirants through Whatsapp.

Sources said prior to the exam the army had told police and in-telligence agencies to ensure that a fair exam is held.

Twins drown in washing machineIANSNew Delhi

In a freak incident, a pair of three-year-old twins drowned in a washing machine at their

home after their mother left them playing as she stepped out briefl y to purchase detergent from a near-by shop, police said.

Police said the tragedy was reported at 12.30pm at upscale Avantika Apartment in sector-1 Rohini. Rakhi, alone at home, was making preparations to wash clothes while her sons Naksh and Neeshu were playing around.

“Rakhi, a house wife, told po-lice that she went to buy a de-tergent at a nearby market leav-ing the children playing alone at home. When she returned at 12.30pm she did not fi nd her sons inside the house. She started searching for them outside the house while one of neighbours called their father and the police to inform about the missing in-fants,” said deputy commissioner of police, M N Tiwari.

“The father Ravinder, em-ployed as manager in Kotak Ma-hindra Life Insurance Company,

immediately returned home and started searching for them. He later found them inside the washing machine fi lled with 12 to 15 litres of water.

“Ravinder immediately took them to a nearby family hospi-tal where doctors declared them dead. He did not believe the doc-tors and took them to the Jaipur Golden Hospital where the doc-tors too declared the children dead,” he added.

The police offi cers found the machine had around 15 litres wa-ter but are yet to ascertain how the twins fell inside, police said.

“The family is in deep shock over this unfortunate incident and is hardly talking to anyone. No one is suspecting any foul play in the incident,” Tiwari said, adding that the bodies have been sent for a post-mortem.

Neighbours said the twins were everybody’s favourite. “Everyone loved the children. They would come out to play in the colony every evening.”

The children’s uncle, Dev-ender Singh, said, “The twins’ birth was a huge event for my brother and his wife. Their death ends everything.”

At least 17 people were killed and 62 others critically injured when a truck they were travelling in rammed into the concrete barricade along a road in Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills district yesterday, police said. The overcrowded truck with over 70 people was proceedings towards Nonglang village to attend the religious function. “The final count of bodies from the accident site at Jadohkroh village and those who succumbed to injuries in hospital is 17 and those critically injured is 62,” Sylvester Nongtnger, district police chief of West Khasi Hills, said. The toll could increase as most of the injured were in critical condition, he added.

Days after fake notes of Rs2,000 were dispensed from a State Bank of India ATM in the national capital, an ATM in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur gave out a scanned copy of the high-denomination note, police said. The incident came to light when Puneet Gupta sought to withdraw Rs10,000 from the ATM. Of the five Rs2,000 notes that were dispensed, one was a scanned copy of the new currency, he told police. As soon as the counterfeit currency was discovered, angry people in the queue outside the bank brought it to the notice of the bank off icials. Gupta has since filed a police complaint and an off icial said a probe was underway

Sixteen fire tenders yesterday battled for four hours flames which at one point threatened the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The fire began at a post off ice near the temple around 2.30am. Temple guards who spotted it on CCTV alerted the fire brigade. The blaze soon spread to the Kerala archaeological department but was brought under control by around 7am. No damage was caused to the temple, located barely 100 metres away. Kerala Minister for Devasom, Kadakampally Surendran, said the postal department should have been more careful as lots of bags stacked with paper helped the fire spread rapidly.

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions in the sector, has called a one-day strike tomorrow to protest against the government’s “anti-people banking reforms” as well as to demand compensation for employees for extra work done on account of demonetisation. The United Forum of Bank Unions, comprising nine unions in the banking sector will observe one-day strike on February 28,” All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) general secretary C H Venkatachalam said in a statement in Chennai. Venkatachalam said the strike call comes after all attempts to find a solution to the demands raised by the unions yielded no results.

17 people killed in Meghalaya accident

ATM dispenses scanned copy of Rs2,000 note

Fire doused nearKerala temple

Bank unions callfor strike tomorrow

CRASH CRIME

Nine persons, including several children, drowned and several others were injured when a boat capsized in the sea off Manapadu in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district yesterday, officials said. “Nine people lost their lives and 19 were rescued when a boat capsized off Manapadu coast. Three families from Tiruchendur seems to have booked the boat,” district collector M Ravi Kumar said. He said the injured have been admitted in the government hospital. The accident is the first major boat accident in Tamil Nadu after the one that occurred at Pulicat lake near Chennai on December 25, 2011, killing 22 persons.

Nine dead as boat capsizes off Tuticorin

DISASTER BLAZE INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Twenty-five fire tenders yesterday battled a major fire at the Times of India building in New Delhi yesterday. The fire reportedly broke out around 4.45pm on the first floor, a Delhi Fire Service off icer said. No casualty has been reported.

Blaze at newspaper officeAction againstpolitical killingsled to ouster:ex-police chiefBy Ashraf PadannaThiruvananthapuram

T P Senkumar, who was shift-ed from the Kerala police chief post soon after Chief

Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took of-fi ce, claims he is a victim of politi-cal vendetta.

In a petition in the Supreme Court questioning his removal, Senkumar claims he was targeted by the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) ever since he cracked down on political kill-ings in Kannur, the home district of Vijayan and CPI (M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

“My removal has aff ected the state police morale and can be seen from the escalation in political murders,” his petition contended. The state is witnessing unprec-edented number of political mur-ders, he claimed.

“In Kannur district alone dur-ing the one year under my guard, only one political murder took place. However, during the last eight months, more than eight or nine political murders have taken place there,” the petition claimed.

The Kerala high court and the administrative tribunal had earlier rejected the petition of the police chief holding it was the govern-ment’s decision to choose its of-fi cers.

Senkumar also cites various reasons for the animosity of the party towards him. He claimed he had angered the party by arrest-ing the real culprits in sensational cases like the brutal killing of T P Chandrasekharan and student leader Shukkoor. Senkumar said the party had tried to plant sus-pects with the aim of freeing them later in the absence of evidence.

“In both cases I took prompt ac-tion to help nab the actual culprits, which was not the case earlier,” the petition stated. “The action against me on fl imsy and arbitrary grounds… is a clear case of po-litical vendetta and personal mala

fi des,” Senkumar contended.Senkumar was the additional

director general of police (ADGP) when Chandrasekharan was as-sassinated by hired killers attached to the CPI (M), and he helped the investigation that saw “several members and leaders of the politi-cal party forming the present gov-ernment held guilty.”

Two years back, Vijayan, as CPI (M) secretary, had accused Senku-mar, then the chief of prisons, of ordering “brutal torture” of nine convicts in the Chandrasekharan murder case.

Vijayan had also accused him of attempting to trap P Mohanan, the party’s Kozhikode district secre-tary who was exonerated by a trial court. It had been claimed that Fayaz, a notorious smuggler had allegedly met Mohanan in custody.

The party also sent its top lead-ers, including a former home min-ister, to jail to express solidarity with the nine convicts after Sen-kumar shifted them from the party stronghold of Kannur to Thrissur.

Senkumar went on a long leave immediately after the unceremo-nious exit and returned to an in-signifi cant post this month after being denied a decent accommo-dation.

The petition, a virtual charge-sheet against the Communist dispensation, comes as a huge embarrassment to Vijayan amidst reports of a spurt in crime, in-cluding murders and rapes, in the recent report of the state’s crime records bureau.

Senkumar was removed from the top job citing inaction in the case of the brutal rape and murder of a law student, Jisha, in Kochi last year under the previous dispensa-tion led by Oommen Chandy.

The government also argued that he was shifted due to his fail-ure in handling the Puttingal tem-ple fi re tragedy that killed more than 100 people.

Senkumar was known in the police circle for his tough and no-nonsense approach.

‘IS recruit’ from Kerala killed in drone strikeBy Ashraf PadannaThiruvananthapuram

A 24-year-old suspected Islamic State (IS) recruit from Kerala has been killed

in a drone attack in an undisclosed territory somewhere in Afghani-stan.

Relatives yesterday said Hafee-zuddin’s mother received a mes-sage from Sajid, a distant relative and fellow recruit, stating her son had died in a drone attack and had been buried in Afghanistan.

Sajid, however, did not give more details in the message on the Telegram messaging app which he

is supposed to have downloaded soon after joining the militant group almost a year ago.

“Sajid sent a message on Sat-urday night. We asked him to send us photographs. But there has been no response,” said Ab-dul Salam, his maternal uncle in northern Kasaragod. Some 15 people, including women and children, have been missing from the district and are believed to have joined the IS group.

A message from another re-cruit, Ashfaq Abdul Majeed, to a social worker, B C Abdul Rahman, confi rmed Hafeezuddin had been killed in a drone attack. “Hafees was killed by a drone strike on

Saturday,” the message read.“We have shared with the po-

lice whatever information we had,” Rahman told the media.

Hafeezuddin had got married just four months before leaving India. However, he left his wife behind in India after she refused to join him on his journey. Ha-feezuddin later told relatives via a phone call that he was going to marry a Pakistani woman with a child.

Relatives disclosed that when Hafeezuddin’s mother asked him to send a recent photograph of his, he refused saying it would fright-en her as he had transformed into a fi ghter. He instead asked her to

join him with other family mem-bers.

While the relatives believe the men and their families are with the Khorasan (the old name for Afghanistan and surrounding ar-eas) branch of the IS established in 2015, police remain clueless about their whereabouts.

Reports say Afghanistan and US/Nato forces are eliminating the IS militants from their pockets of Helmand, Zabul, Farah, Logar and Nangarhar, the de facto capi-tal. The militants are estimated to number around 3,000 and many have died in US airstrikes.

There have so far been 21 reg-istered cases of suspected IS re-

cruits, mainly from Kasaragod district. They also include people from Palakkad, Ernakulam and Trivandrum districts.

It is feared that more people of Kerala origin missing from other countries could have joined the militants as in the case of Sajid, who claims he joined the IS ranks after leaving his job in Dubai.

Earlier, India’s National Inves-tigation Agency had arrested two men on charges of aiding those who left to join the militants. They were identifi ed as Abdul Rashid Abdullah, a resident of nearby Trikaripur village and a key con-spirator, a software engineer, who later joined the group.

Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Rekha pose for a photograph during the National Yash Chopra Memorial Awards in Mumbai.

Awards event

INDIA17Gulf Times


DravidianmovementanniversaryThe Dravidian movement that promotes a caste less society and other rationalist ideologies has completed 50 years of its exist-ence in Tamil Nadu.

It was on February 23, 1967, that the Dravida Munnetra Ka-zhagam (DMK) party led by its founder C N Annadurai won 138 seats of the 173 seats it contested in the Assembly elections be-sides bagging 25 Lok Sabha seats in Parliament.

It was for the fi rst time since Indian independence in 1947, that the DMK was able to dis-place the Congress party in Tamil Nadu. Since then, the Dravidian parties DMK, All In-dia Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Maru-malarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and others have followed the same agenda. Their popularity soared be-cause most of their leaders were former fi lm stars, Tamil littera-teurs and public personalities covering C N Annadurai, Kama-raj, E V R Periyar, M G Ramach-andran, M Karunanidhi, Jayaram Jayalalithaa and others. They also collaborated with the Com-munist parties and the Congress and successfully kept out politi-cal parties with communal ide-ologies from ruling Tamil Nadu.

Film directorDas dies at 103Veteran South Indian filmmak-er Antony Mitra Das has died in Chennai. He was 103. Das is survived by his daughter. Das’ works include Tamil, Malay-alam and Sinhalese films. Born in Madurai in a family of doc-tors, Das graduated in statistics from the American College and joined a private film institute in Calcutta, West Bengal. There he met noted film director El-lis R Duncan, who advised him to join T R Sundaram’s Mod-ern Theatres Studio in Salem, Tamil Nadu. Das directed his debut film Dayalan with vet-eran actors P U Chinnapa and T R Mahalingam in 1941. His other films included Baalya-sakhi, Avakasi and Pizhaikum Vazhi. He is also credited with dubbing India’s first film, Raja Harishchandra, into Tamil and Malayalam. He remained con-nected with films until his death. Film personalities and fans paid tributes.

Three die afterfall from trainThree youths died and four oth-ers were injured after they fell off a crowded suburban train at Pazhavanthangal near Chennai. The seven had been travelling on the footboard of the Chengal-pet-Chennai Beach train. Wit-nesses said that Manikandan, a 22-year-old air condition tech-nician, fell when his hand hit an electric post. He grabbed at Praveen Raj and Samuel Jebas-ingh who also fell on the tracks along with him and died. Others who so fell along with the trio sustained injuries. Railway po-lice have ordered a probe into the incident.

Couple held forchild’s murderA 35-year-old woman and her father have been arrested for the murder of a three-year-old girl living near their residence at Tiruvottiyur in suburban Chennai. Revathy, the woman, reportedly lured the child to her fl at to play with her children. However once the child entered her home, she smothered the child and removed her silver anklets. Revathy and her father then bundled the body and dis-posed of it at the Tiruvottiyur dump yard. Later they pawned the anklets. Meanwhile the girl’s labourer parents fi led a missing complaint with the local police who arrested Revathy after fi nd-ing her answers evasive during questioning.

The incident sparked outrage as a fortnight earlier a 25-year-old youth was caught for mo-lesting and killing a seven-year-old girl at Mangadu, another suburb of Chennai.

‘Alliance ofsubversion’on campuses,claims JaitleyIANSLondon/New Delhi

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there is an “alliance of subver-

sion” on certain Indian cam-puses and that the ultra-Left and separatists were speaking the same language.

The students must also allow others with different opinions to speak, he said while deliver-ing a talk at the London School of Economics.

The minister said it was his personal belief that “free speech” in society needs to be debated, adding that “violence is however not the method”.

The comment comes days af-ter a violent clash outside Delhi University’s Ramjas college between activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad - the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s students wing - and other students groups on Feb-ruary 22 during a march against forced suspension of an event a day earlier.

“I personally believe that free speech in India, and in any so-ciety, has to be debated. If you believe you have free speech to assault the sovereignty of the country, then be ready to con-cede free speech to counter that,” Jaitley said.

“Violence is not the method; no group can and should use violence... there is an alliance of subversion which is tak-ing place. The separatists and the ultra-Left are speaking the same language in certain uni-versity campuses. So, they must

be willing to allow others with a different opinion to put a coun-ter viewpoint,” he said.

“I find this absolutely strange that an argument is being raised that I have free speech to advo-cate that India should be bro-ken into pieces and those who oppose me are hindering that right to free speech. Well, they too have a right to free speech,” Jaitley said.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jiten-dra Singh, speaking on similar lines to a news channel in New Delhi, said the groups advocat-ing freedom of speech were not allowing others to speak. Abus-ing the sovereignty of India had become a “fashion,” he said.

“If this is a sample of the kind of tolerance practised by this lobby, one wonders, one shud-ders, what kind of tolerance do they expect from others,” Jiten-dra Singh told Times Now news channel.

“Every nation, including some of the liberated democ-racies of the world like the US and UK, observe and also follow

certain bottomlines which do not tend to question the integ-rity of the republic.

“Those who tend to do so, are possibly doing so to gain some kind of publicity and this has, off late, become a fashion in India, including among the so-called intellectuals who try to gain some headlines by abus-ing the sovereignty of India,” he said.

Congress leader Sand-eep Dikshit said Jaitley was “scared” of the situation as he understands students’ politics.

“Jaitley has been involved in students’ union activities; he understands the situation and he is scared... he believes what is happening today in Ramjas is more than what was hap-pening in the 1970s,” Dikshit said.

“Unlike his Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) who has never had any role in students poli-tics, Jaitley has some idea and, therefore, Jaitley is scared,” Dikshit told a news channel.

Delhi University’s Ram-jas college witnessed violent clashes on February 22, after ABVP members allegedly dis-rupted a march against the forced suspension of an event to be addressed by Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid a day earlier.

Khalid was one of the stu-dents at the centre of a contro-versy on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus last year, and was also jailed on sedi-tion charge along with Anirban Bhattacharya and then JNU Students Union president Kan-haiya Kumar.

Mumbai residents turn up to watch vintage car at a motor exhibition in the city yesterday.

Vintage beauties

IANSThiruvananthapuram

Family members of the Malayalam actress who was kidnapped are un-

der tremendous pressure from some quarters, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Kerala claimed yesterday.

Speaking to reporters here, BJP’s Kerala unit president V Muraleedharan said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan knows precisely the “hands” behind the incident. Mu-raleedharan said he met the actress and her family.

He said there existed ‘some mystery’ in Vijayan’s state-ments claiming that the hei-nous crime was the handiwork of prime accused Pulsar Suni and fi ve others.

“Vijayan was in a hurry to announce that the crime was solely the work of the prime accused. The Commu-nist Party of India (Marxist) backed Kairali TV channel aired a news item portraying the victim in poor light and you should remember that the chief of the channel, John Britas, is also the media advi-sor to Vijayan,” Muraleedha-ran pointed out.

“The Association of Ma-

layalam Movie Artistes is now trying to play down the issue,” the BJP leader said.

“It was a leading fi lm per-

sonality (Bhagyalekshmi) who on Saturday revealed that the actress’ mother is unhappy with the way the case was progressing but soon after her brother denied it,” Muraleed-haran said.

“On Saturday the actress was supposed to meet the media but she was asked by police not to speak to the press. We demand that either a central agency or a court-monitored probe take place for the truth to prevail,” he added.

With Vijayan announcing that Pulsar Suni was behind the actress’s abduction, the police will not be able to pro-

ceed ahead with a probe into the case, Muraleedharan con-tended.

On Saturday, the BJP and Congress strongly condemned Vijayan’s controversial state-ment, which later led to the chief minister retracting it.

“I made the statement based on a newspaper report I read while taking part in a meeting. The report men-tioned the prime accused as being behind the crime and that there was no conspiracy. I said the media should find out the conspiracy and police are currently doing their job,” Vijayan told reporters here yesterday.

Kerala Congress president V M Sudheeran said Vijayan was being evasive and “this can be made out from his weak defence after his Saturday’s statement turned out to be controversial”.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said while Vijayan claims there was no conspira-cy, the state police say other-wise.

“The need of the hour is a court-monitored probe,” he said. The police have arrest-ed all the six persons asso-ciated with the actress’ ab-duction and assault in Kochi in a moving car on February 17.

Kidnapped actress, family under duress, says BJP

‘Strongest action’ sought from US after killingAFPNew Delhi

The government yesterday demanded the “strongest action” from the US after

an Indian expatriate was killed and another wounded in a sus-pected hate crime in the state of Kansas.

Indians at home and in the US have expressed shock at the shooting of the two young engi-neers by a drunk white man who allegedly screamed “Get out of my country!”

The two men, who had been living in the US for the last few years, were targeted at a bar in Olathe, a suburb of Kansas City, late Wednesday. “The US should respond to this inci-dent. American President and the people of America, they should come out openly to condemn such actions...and then take strongest action,”

Information and Broadcast-ing Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and Alok Reddy Madasani, 32, wounded in the attack.

Both worked as aviation sys-tems engineers for GPS manu-facturer Garmin.

“These kind of incidents in-volving racial discrimination are shameful,” Naidu said in Hyderabad where the victims’ families live. “These will dent the image of US. So the US pres-ident, administration and civil societies should unequivocally respond and condemn such in-cidents.”

US authorities late Wednes-day detained 51-year-old Adam Purinton at a restaurant after he claimed he had killed two Middle Easterners.

He has been charged with pre-meditated fi rst-degree murder and two counts of attempted

premeditated fi rst-degree mur-der and is being held on a $2mn bond.

The FBI is trying to determine if the shooting was a hate crime.

Madasani has now been re-leased from hospital and his par-ents left for the US yesterday.

His father Jagan Mohan Red-dy, a chief engineer with the Te-langana state government, said they would spend at least a week in the US before “taking stock of what to do (next)”.

“They lost a dear friend (Kuchibhotla) in the attack but somehow my son survived,” Reddy said.

He said his son and the de-ceased were very good friends and had known each other for at least six or seven years in the US. “It is unthinkable that they have been separated like this,” Reddy added.

The shooting has made headlines in the Indian media, amid concern that the hardline

immigration policies of Presi-dent Donald Trump may have created the climate for such an attack.

The Indian community in the US reached out over the weekend in solidarity with the victims. “There’s no place for senseless violence & bigotry in our so-ciety,” tweeted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, one of the most prominent Americans of Indian descent. “My heart is with the victims & families of the horrifi c shooting in Kansas.”

A GoFundMe online fund-raiser page was quickly set up after the shooting, and as of yes-terday had collected more than $600,000 — much of it in small contributions of $5 and $10.

The money is to help with the funeral expenses “and other ongoing grief/recovery support costs” for Kuchibhotla’s widow Sunayana Dumala.

Dumala told a press confer-ence yesterday she was initially

concerned about racism in the US. “We’ve read many times in newspapers of some kind of shooting happening,” she said, according to the Kansas City Star. “And we always wondered, how safe?”

Dumala credited her late hus-band’s spirit of optimism for the fact that they emigrated and she eventually found a job. There are believed to be some 300,000 residents of Indian descent liv-ing in the US.

Meanwhile, Kuchibhotla’s body is expected to arrive in Hy-derabad today.

Telangana Minister for NRI Aff airs, K T Rama Rao, said the body will arrive by an Air India fl ight at 9.45pm.

After consoling the parents of Srinivas, he told reporters that the slain engineer’s wife Suna-yana Dumala and other relatives will accompany the body.

Rama Rao said that such in-cidents do raise concern among

parents and relatives of those who have gone to the US for jobs or higher education.

Rama Rao, who is son of Tel-angana Chief Minister K Chan-drasekhar Rao, said he will discuss with External Aff airs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the se-curity concern among students and professionals working in US who want an assurance that this kind of incidents will not recur.

The minister said immediately after learning about the inci-dent, he contacted the offi cer on special duty on Sushma Swaraj’s offi ce and called for immediate steps to bring home of the body of the slain engineer at the earli-est.

Rama Rao earlier expressed shock and anguish over the spate of attacks the US, the latest be-ing the killing of Kuchibhotla.

Rama Rao said the state gov-ernment will work with the min-istry of external aff airs to off er support to the distressed.

“If you believe you have free speech to assault the sovereignty of the country, then be ready to concede free speech to counter that”

“I made the statement based on a newspaper report I read while tak-ing part in a meeting”

LATIN AMERICA


‘Made in Paraguay’ a cheaper label for some Brazilian manufacturersBy Daniela Desantis, Reuters Hernandarias, Paraguay

When toymaker Estrela decided to move manu-facturing capacity back

to Latin America from China, it sank $2mn into a new factory not in its native Brazil — the region’s largest economy — but in its tiny southern neighbor Paraguay.

The plant, which opened this month in the border town of Her-nandarias, stands near a 4,500 hectare industrial park fi lled with Brazilian companies making eve-rything from autoparts to cloth-ing.

The dark-blue electric scoot-ers assembled by 20 workers at the Estrela factory, known as a “maquila”, will be shipped across the border to Paraguay’s giant northern neighbour under a Par-aguayan system that allows hefty tax breaks for exporters.

For Carlos Tilkian, chief ex-ecutive of Manufatura de Brin-quedos Estrela SA, it was an easy decision to open the assembly plant in the landlocked nation of just 6.8mn people sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina.

“Paraguay has important competitive advantages: cheap energy, labour fl exibility and low social charges on wages,” he said in an interview before the facto-ry’s inauguration. “In Brazil, this would be much more expensive.”

Brazilian companies increas-ingly have been fl ocking to Paraguay since the election of

former-businessman turned President Horacio Cartes in 2013, when he steered his nation to the right after the impeachment of leftist Fernando Lugo.

In a bid to create jobs, Cartes built on a 1997 reform that al-lowed foreign exporters to pay taxes in the low single fi gures and excluded them from customs tariff s with additional pro-busi-ness measures.

Though more than 90% of its

manufactured goods go to Brazil, Paraguay’s Mercosur trade bloc membership also gives export-ers easy access to Argentina and Uruguay.

Since Cartes’s election, the number of foreign manufacturers in Paraguay has nearly tripled, according to government fi gures, also spurred by Brazil’s worst re-cession on record.

The economic downturn has forced manufacturers to cut costs

to remain afl oat amid onerous taxes and bureaucracy.

Of the 126 foreign manufac-turers now in Paraguay, four-fi fths are Brazilian.

The move by Brazilian compa-nies southward is sparking out-rage among Brazilian unions.

Anthony Lisboa, secretary for international relations at Brazil’s umbrella union federation, de-nounced the “maquila” system, saying it relied on “slave labor.”

He said he was trying to gal-vanize opposition in Paraguay — which lacks Brazil’s tradition of organized labor.

“The US auto industry has the same issue with Mexico: they are simply moving production to a country where laws permit worse working conditions,” Lisboa said.

Brazilian businesses and econo-mists say jobs created in Paraguay are replacing jobs in China, not Brazil, and that Brazil benefi ts from a more prosperous neighbour.

“As China gets more expen-sive, it becomes viable for some industries to produce closer to home and Paraguay is close to home,” said Thomaz Zanotto, foreign trade director for Sao Paulo’s powerful business cham-ber FIESP.

“This is not going to rob Bra-zilian industry — Paraguay is not big enough for that — but...it shows we could be more cost competitive in Brazil if we had better economic policies.”

Hernandarias’ residents are overwhelmingly in favor of the Brazilian factories.

The town of 80,000 has long been overshadowed by its neigh-bour Ciudad del Este, the second-largest city in Paraguay and home to a giant street market hawking eve-rything from contraband perfume to televisions and assault weapons.

Convenience store worker Fa-biola Vargas, 22, said the facto-ries off er an option to residents who relied on part-time or in-formal jobs in Ciudad del Este as Paraguay tries to shed its reputa-

tion as a hub for illicit trade and fi nance.

“We won’t have to travel so much and will have a better qual-ity of life,” she said.

Brazilians invested $101mn in Paraguay in 2015, according to the most recent Paraguayan cen-tral bank data, more than one-third of the total foreign invest-ment of $260mn.

After posting China-paced growth as recently as 2010 amid a commodities boom, Brazil now has the highest unemployment ever among its 207mn inhabit-ants.

By contrast, Paraguay saw GDP growth of at least 4% last year, helped by the manufactur-ing boom.

Eduardo Almeida, the Inter-American Development Bank representative in Paraguay, said a 2015 law guaranteeing foreign companies investing more than $100mn a stable tax rate for 20 years had provided vital stability.

Brazilian meat packer JBS SA, the world’s largest, said Para-guay’s stability was important to its decision to double output there this year and lift national revenues to $550mn.

“Paraguay is an economy that grows, has clear policies, and sta-ble monetary policy,” its local di-rector Felipe Azarias told Reuters.

In Brazil, ranked among the world’s most expensive nations to do business, benefi ts and taxes infl ate workers’ salaries by 40% to 60%, according to Rio de Ja-neiro-based think tank FGV.

Labor costs are on average 45% less in Paraguay than in Brazil, while companies pay average taxes of around 3.5% in Paraguay, compared to 36% in Brazil, Almeida said.

Cartes’ government says it created 21,333 manufacturing jobs between August of 2013 and December of 2016, generating $900mn in exports.

In Paraguay, some academics say Cartes’ policies are depriv-ing the government of revenue for long-term development, par-ticularly in infrastructure.

“The more exceptions and ex-emptions we have on manufac-turing, the more we deprive the treasury of something foreign investors themselves need — fi -nancing for infrastructure,” said Fernando Masi, director of the Asuncion-based Center of Anal-ysis of the Paraguayan Economy.

A source at a large Brazil-ian infrastructure company said Brazilian builders had mostly left Paraguay due to concerns the government did not have the money to provide support for pri-vate investment in bridges, dams, airports and other projects.

Paraguay’s Commerce and Trade Minister Gustavo Leite told Reuters that Cartes is committed to the low-tax policy and has no plans to seek more revenue from Brazilian companies.

“If jobs are so important, why wouldn’t we take care of employ-ers,” Cartes said at the Estrela factory opening. “This is the Par-aguay I believe in: we take care of those who provide jobs.”

Workers assemble riding toys of Brazilian toymaker Estrela at a factory in Hernandarias, Paraguay.

Stargazers applaud solar eclipseAFP Sarmiento, Argentina

Stargazers applauded as they were plunged into darkness yesterday when the moon passed in front of the

sun in a spectacular “ring of fi re” eclipse.Astronomers and enthusiasts in Ar-

gentina were among the fi rst to see the so-called annular eclipse as it crossed South America shortly after 1200 GMT, on course for Africa.

Staring up through special telescopes, protective glasses or homemade card-board pinhole devices, they watched the Sun all but disappear briefl y as the Moon crossed its path.

The eclipse was to be most visible in a 100km band across Chile, Argentina, Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Re-public of Congo.

More than 100 stargazers gathered yesterday morning in the southern city of Sarmiento, the point in Argentina where the eclipse was expected to be most visible.

“I have already seen six annular eclipses and each one was diff erent,” said Josep Masalles Roman, an enthusi-ast who came all the way from Barcelona in Spain.

“This one is going to be very fi ne and it is possible that we will be able to clearly see Baily’s Beads,” a string of points of light produced as the sun’s beams break through peaks on the moon’s surface.

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Moon and Sun line up.

But even when perfectly aligned, the Moon is too far from Earth to completely block out the Sun, creating instead the impression of a fi ery ring.

Locals in the province of Chubut around Sarmiento said they noted changes in the height of the tide and ani-mals acting unusually.

Experts say that as the day darkens, birds and animals enter a night-time routine, thinking sunset is nigh.

At the height of the eclipse the Moon is right in the middle of the Sun, leaving a perfect ring of light around the edge. It takes about two hours for the Moon to move across the face of the Sun, but the “ring of fi re” peak lasted a mere minute.

Starting in the southeast Pacifi c Ocean at sunrise, the eclipse passed over southern Chile then Argentina before sweeping over the South Atlantic. At sea, the eclipse peak was to last 44 sec-onds and “only be visible to any ships that happen to be in the right place at the right time,” said Moseley.

Mexico company seeks to turn agave waste into fuelBy Sophie Hares, Reuters Tepic, Mexico

One of Mexico’s most famous te-quila companies, Herradura, hopes to turn into fuel the thou-

sands of tonnes of waste it generates each year from the spiky blue agave plants used to make the spirit, and cut its energy bill, said its engineering director.

Herradura, Mexico’s second-biggest tequila company behind Jose Cuervo, says that by drying out the 150 tonnes of fi brous agave waste it generates per day and turn-ing it into biomass to fi re up the huge boilers it uses to steam the plant, it could poten-tially generate 30% of the energy it needs.

“Simply, we have to squeeze out

the water to recycle it and use it as a fuel,” said Guillermo Rodelo, director of engineering at Herradura’s plant in Amatitán, a few miles from the colonial town of Tequila in Jalisco state.

“We’re trying to reduce our environ-mental impact and have sustainable processes,” he said by telephone.

While fi nding machinery to dry and process the huge quantities of wet fi -brous waste is tricky, Rodelo said the company hopes to have its system up and running within a year.

Herradura has already shaved its ener-gy bill by converting the residues known as stillage from its tequila-making proc-ess into biogas, which now provides about 20% of the energy used by the company, he explained.

Brazil parties ahead of elite samba carnival dance-off AFP Rio de Janeiro

Millions of people in costumes partied in street carni-vals across Brazil yesterday

ahead of the elite samba school dance off in Rio de Janeiro.

Carnival offi cially started Friday with the fi rst parades of thousands of sequin-and-feather-covered samba school performers in cities across Latin America’s biggest country.

More informal street dances called “blocos” took up the beat through the weekend, drawing vast crowds.

Despite the rowdy, often raunchy nature of the parties, the mass of peo-

ple and heavy consumption of alco-hol, there were few reports of trouble.

However, a man in the northeastern city of Salvador died yesterday after being shot by a policeman in the mid-dle of the carnival crowd, G1 news site reported.

The offi cer said it was in self-de-fense.

Street party costumes this year in-cluded nods to Brazil’s ongoing cor-ruption crisis.

Some dressed as jailed politicians and executives, others as law enforce-ment offi cials.

A popular new character is the so-called “hipster federal cop,” a police-man whose muscular build and trendy hair-do made him a heartthrob when

he was photographed guarding a cor-rupt politician.

For many Brazilians, however, “blocos” are above all an opportunity to shed inhibitions.

A few spots of rain in Rio and the threat of thunderstorms later were not expected to dampen the mood when the country’s most prestigious samba schools start parading in Rio’s Sambodromo stadium.

The Sambodromo parades, which combine wildly imaginative cos-tumes, choreographed dancing by several thousand people, and heart-pounding singing and drumming, were to run all through the night, then start again today for a second night.

Here the wild fun will get serious as

the top ranking samba schools com-pete for the coveted prize of cham-pion, which will be announced on Wednesday at the start of Lent for this mostly Roman Catholic country.

Fans from each school pack the 70,000 capacity Sambodromo, cheering and dancing along to their school’s anthem.

Judges up in boxes at the midpoint of the parade mark on strict criteria including costumes, fl oats, lyrics, and singing.

Tourism offi cials told Globo news-paper yesterday that as many as 1.5mn tourists have descended on the city, the best result in eight years, in-jecting some 3bn reais ($960mn) into the local economy.

Revellers parade for the Mancha Verde samba school during the carnival in Sao Paulo.

Lasso predicted to win Ecuador presidency runoff ReutersQuito

Former banker Guillermo Lasso is seen beating leftist govern-ment candidate Lenin Moreno

for Ecuador’s presidency in a runoff on April 2 with more than half of all valid votes, according to a poll re-leased yesterday by Cedatos.

A nail-biter election left Lasso far behind Moreno last weekend, although Moreno fell just short of

the required 40% of all votes and a 10-point difference to win out-right.

The opposition is likely to coalesce behind Lasso and end a decade-long period of leftist rule in the small Opec nation.

The poll of 2,862 people con-ducted on February 23 and 24 said Lasso would win 52.1% of valid votes, compared with 47.9% for Moreno.

Cedatos said their numbers had a 3.4% margin of error.

PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN19Gulf Times


ECO summit to focus on transport, cyber links

The upcoming 13th sum-mit of the 10-member Economic Co-operation

Organisation (ECO) will focus on strengthening transport and cy-ber linkages between the mem-ber-states.

The summit being held on Wednesday in Islamabad will be preceded by meetings of the council of foreign ministers on Tuesday and senior offi cials.

The summit theme is ‘Con-nectivity for Regional Prosperity’. This is the second time that Pa-kistan is hosting an ECO summit.

It last hosted the third summit in May 1995.

All members have confi rmed their participation at the head of state/government level ex-cept for Uzbekistan that will be represented by its deputy prime minister and Afghanistan which is still thinking over the level of representation after the latest row with hosts Pakistan over terrorist sanctuaries.

Representatives of the Organ-isation of Islamic Co-operation and the United Nations will at-tend as observers.

“High level participation of the member states will greatly enhance the vitality and sub-stance of the summit,” Adviser on Foreign Aff airs Sartaj Aziz said at a media briefi ng on the summit.

The summit comes as re-demption for Pakistan that was prevented from hosting South Asia Association for Regional Co-operation summit last year after India refused to partici-pate and most of its regional al-

lies followed suit.The ECO summit, which is

being held after a gap of fi ve years, takes place as major rea-lignments are under way in the region with China and Russia becoming increasingly assertive, which to a certain extent can

contribute to the region’s inte-gration.

The situation is, however, be-ing complicated by uncertain future of Iran’s nuclear deal with the West and continued instabil-ity in Afghanistan.

At the summit Pakistan will in

particular seek to promote the China-Pakistan Economic Cor-ridor (CPEC), which it sees as a game-changer for the entire re-gion, and explore the prospects of connecting it with other simi-lar trade, transport and energy corridors in the region.

“The CPEC is an outstanding example of the summit’s theme of connectivity. It will augment existing and planned transit and energy corridors in the ECO re-gion for greater progress and prosperity for our peoples,” Aziz said.

InternewsIslamabad

Pakistani Capital Development Authority (CDA) workers arrange participating country flags on a street in Islamabad yesterday, ahead of the 13th Economic Co-operation Summit.

Pakistan and Afghanistan in talks over terrorism

Pakistan and Afghanistan are negotiating a mech-anism to address con-

cerns over terrorism, a media report said yesterday.

Sartaz Aziz, Adviser on For-eign Aff airs to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, disclosed this on Saturday, Dawn News re-ported.

“Both sides have said that terrorism is a common enemy and both sides agree that there should be co-operation for dealing with this issue.

We are holding discussions for a joint mechanism,” he said.

“Pakistan has sent its pro-

posals to Afghanistan,” he said before holding a telephonic conversation with Afghan Na-tional Security Adviser Hanif Atmar.

Last week, the Afghan presidency asked Pakistan to implement an agreement on countering terrorism reached during last year’s quadrilateral talks also involving the US and China.

Kabul urged Islamabad to act against what it said were Taliban and Haqqani sanctu-aries on Pakistani soil.

Aziz hoped the proposed pact of terror could be for-malised on the sidelines of the upcoming Economic Co-op-eration Organisation summit slated to be held in Islamabad on March 1.

AgenciesIslamabad

Public asked to report suspicious activity

The Pakistan Army yesterday called upon the general public to report “suspicious” militant activity “regarding terrorists” on helplines which were set up in December 2014 following the Army Public School attack. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) encouraged citizens of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan to use the 1135 helpline to report any unusual activity, whereas the citizens of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

can call 1125, Dawn News reported. These numbers can be dialled directly from mobile phones or landline numbers. The Pakistan Rangers released contact information for residents of Punjab as the paramilitary force was deployed across the province for an ongoing military operation. Security forces have re-invigorated nationwide intelligence operations as Pakistan faces a fresh resurgence in terror.

Sindh bomb disposal unit to get costly gadgets

The current wave of terror-ism in Pakistan has led the Sindh province police au-

thorities to give the green signal for procurement of gadgets,

tools and machinery, includ-ing robots worth millions of rupees, mainly to modernise its bomb disposal unit, offi cials said yesterday.

The recent decision, they claimed, was going to pave the way for one of the biggest pro-curements of its history by the Sindh police’s bomb disposal unit as it ranged from anti-IED (improvised explosive device) robots to explosives detectors, while also including gadgets

such as pocket jammers and bomb locators.

“The special branch, which actually looks after the Sindh police’s bomb disposal unit, is now in the process of seeking bids from local and international suppliers of such gadgets,” said an offi cial citing details of the recent decision, with informa-tion about the items chosen for procurement and their number.

“The key items include fi ve EODs (explosive ordinance de-vices) robots. Currently our unit is using a robot which was made available through a donation from the United Kingdom. A robot of this type costs around Rs10mn and the Sindh police are now pro-curing fi ve of them in one go.”

Equipped with thermal and infrared cameras, a variety of

sensors, signal jammers, extend-able robotic limbs and a gun, which comes with a selection of barrels, he said this machine could transmit its fi ndings back to an operator who could be a kilometre away.

He said that when fully charged, the robot’s battery gives it 10 hours’ life, while it also has a long power cord.

And running on a diff erent frequency or special signal, it cannot be detected by radar.

The robot, weighing about 50kilos, comes with its own ful-ly-equipped EOD vehicle.

When it fi nds an IED or bomb, it has the capability of destroying its circuits using jammers, a water gun, or simply by fi ring at it.

“The aggressive procurement plan has been designed consid-

ering the level of threat which demands capacity building of the bomb disposal unit.

It’s all being done through the Sindh police budget which has an annual plan for procurement of such gadgets and machinery for the unit,” he said.

The Sindh government has allocated in its current budget Rs82.3bn for law and order in the province that includes police, jails, Rangers and other security agencies.

In 2015- 16, it had set aside Rs64.458bn which was an in-crease of 10 per cent from the outgoing fi nancial year.

The robots’ procurement would cost the most in the re-cent list of items selected by the Sindh police authorities for its bomb disposal unit.

InrternewsKarachi

PIA denies passengers

forced to stand in fl ight

Taliban leader urges Afghans to plant trees

Pakistan’s national carrier said yesterday it would investigate allegations

that a plane fl ew from Karachi to Saudi Arabia carrying seven extra passengers, but denied they stood in the aisles for the three-hour journey.

The probe was ordered after a report in the English-language daily Dawn.

The paper said the January 20 fl ight to Medina carried 416 passengers, seven more than its capacity of 409 including jump seats, in a serious breach of air safety regulations.

The newspaper quoted sources as saying that in case of an emergency, passengers without seats would not have access to oxygen masks and could block any emergency evacuation.

Pakistan International Air-lines’ spokesman Danyal Gilani said media reports that some passengers travelled standing “are exaggerated and baseless.

It is not possible for anyone to travel like that in an air-craft, regardless of the dura-tion of the flight.”

But he said: “The matter per-taining to the travel of more pas-sengers than the booked load...is under investigation,” and the airline had ordered a “thorough probe into it, and all concerned are being questioned”.

“PIA is committed to ensure the safety of the passengers and cannot allow any incident to happen which compromises

safety,” he added.It was the latest embarrass-

ing incident for the airline, considered a global leader until the 1970s but plagued by controversies over recent years and saddled with bil-lions of dollars of debt.

A PIA turboprop built by European manufacturer ATR plummeted into a mountain in a northern region on December 7, bursting into fl ames and kill-ing all 47 people on board.

The airline was later mocked after its staff were photo-graphed sacrifi cing a goat on a runway to ward off bad luck.

Domestic fl ights are often delayed for VIPs while fl ight employees have been caught smuggling goods ranging from iPhones to narcotics.

In 2013 one of its pilots was jailed for nine months in Britain for being drunk before he was due to fl y from Leeds to Islama-bad with 156 people on board.

The Taliban group in Af-ghanistan yesterday used a rare public state-

ment in the name of its leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, to call on Afghans to plant more trees for worldly and other-worldly good.

Offi cial Taliban outlets re-leased the “special message” under Akhundzada’s name, an uncommon move for the group that has recently published un-signed statements on a range of issues such as civilian casu-alties, upcoming military op-erations, and the anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops in the 1980s.

Akhundzada, a cleric, is be-lieved to have been in hiding since becoming Taliban leader in May 2016 following the death of his predecessor in a US drone strike in Pakistan.

In the statement, he urged Afghan civilians and Taliban fi ghters to “plant one or sev-eral fruit or non-fruit trees for the beautifi cation of Earth and the benefi t of almighty Allah’s creations.”

The Taliban has been wag-ing an insurgency against the government in Kabul and its Nato coalition backers since being ousted from power in a US-led military intervention in 2001.

Since the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops in 2014, the Taliban has made slow but

steady gains, now controlling or contesting more than 40% of Afghanistan.

While the Taliban is mostly known for its insurgent attacks, it has political aspirations and has often worked to provide ba-sic services and assert connec-tions in communities in areas it controls.

Akhundzada, who was re-ported to have spent 15 years teaching at a mosque in Paki-stan, interpreted verses of the Holy Qur’an in his call for more trees in the arid country.

“Planting trees and agri-culture are considered actions which hold both worldly good and benefit as well as im-mense rewards in the hereaf-ter,” Akhundzada said in the statement.

AFPIslamabad

AFPIslamabad

A man flies a kite in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. On February 11, at least seven people were arrested in violation of orders against kite flying, Geo News reported. Despite a ban on kite-flying in Punjab and frequent crackdown operations by the police, some people still continue making and flying kites.

No-fly zone

“PIA is committed to ensure the safety of the passengers and cannot allow any incident to happen which compromises safety”

PHILIPPINES


Govt verifying reports on German captive beheadingDPAManila

Philippine authorities were trying yesterday to verify intelligence reports that

militants beheaded a 70-year-old German hostage after a ran-som was not paid.

Major General Carlito Galvez, a regional military commander, said the armed forces received information that the beheading took place 30 minutes after the deadline lapsed at 3pm (0700 GMT) yesterday.

“But we need proof of body,”

he added. According to the in-telligence reports, the behead-ing of the German captive took place in a village in the town of Indanan on the island of Jolo, 1,000 kilometres south of Ma-nila.

Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said he received the same intelligence report as the military and that an anti-terrorism task force told him that “validation eff orts” are on-going.

“In the meantime, the armed forces of the Philippines and other security forces are main-taining their ‘search and rescue

posture’ until all kidnap victims are freed,” he added.

The Abu Sayyaf terrorist group had demanded 30mn pe-sos ($600,000) for the freedom of the German hostage, who was seized on November 5 from his yacht off the southern Phil-ippines.

The militants shot dead his 59-year-old wife after she fought back.

Her body was left in the boat.Dureza said last-minute ef-

forts were made to appeal to the captors to free the hostage, while security forces launched operations in a bid to rescue the

captive ahead of the deadline.On Saturday, the military

conducted air strikes against suspected hideouts of the Abu Sayyaf in a forested area in the nearby town of Patikul, where up to 60 militants were believed to have been hiding.

Hundreds of troops were also deployed on the ground, and the military vowed it would not stop its off ensives against the militants.

“The armed forces will pur-sue the enemy and dictate the terms, not the other way around,” said Brigadier Gen-era Restituto Padilla, a military

spokesman.“We will not be cowed by the demands of evil individuals and groups who continue to perpetuate prac-tices contrary to religion,” he added.

Last year, the Abu Sayyaf be-headed two Canadian nationals after they did not receive ran-som for the two hostages.

The Canadians were ab-ducted in September 2015 with a Norwegian man and a Filipino woman, who were later both freed separately.

The Philippine government has a no-ransom policy and discourages payments by other

parties, but has not been able to stop such payoff s in past in-stances.

The Abu Sayyaf militants are believed to be holding captive more than 20 other hostages in the southern Philippines.

Aside from undertaking kid-nappings for ransom, the Abu Sayyaf group has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines.

President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the military to crush the militant group and warned that it could be a source of recruitment for the Islamic State militia.

Palace says Filipinos do not need De Lima’s voiceBy Catherine S ValenteManila Times

Malacanang has down-played the statement of detained Senator Leila

de Lima who urged Filipinos to keep the spirit of the Edsa Peo-ple Power Revolt “alive” amid what she called eff orts of a few to weaken it.

In a radio interview, Presiden-tial spokesperson Ernesto Abella said De Lima’s voice is not what the Filipinos need right now.

“I would say that her call to keep the Spirit of Edsa, of na-tion building and freedom alive is very worthwhile. However, I doubt if she is the kind of voice that the people need at this stage,” Abella told government-run dzRB radio.

“We need people who are truly and sincerely (national-ist), (patriotic), nation builders and not… somebody who takes advantage of political position for their own advancement,” he added.

In a statement, De Lima said some people were trying to “dilute” the spirit of Edsa while trying to repress democracy.

“At present, a few are trying to dilute the spirit of Edsa while repressing our democracy,” De Lima said.

“In the face of looming dark-

ness, let’s inflame the spirit of Edsa. Let us all stand up against the oppressive regime and dic-tatorship, and link arms to fight for truth and justice in our country,” she added.

The senator issued the statement a day after she sur-rendered following the re-

lease of her arrest warrant by a Muntinlupa City court. She was accused of being involved in the illicit drugs trade in the New Bilibid Prison when she was Justice Secretary.

De Lima, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, is detained at the Philippine Na-

tional Police Custodial Centre in Camp Crame.

Ahead of the 31st anniver-sary of the Edsa People Power Revolution, Duterte reminded Filipinos that no single “party, ideology, religion, or individ-ual” can claim credit for the bloodless Edsa revolt.

Mocha Uson (second left), a blogger and supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, onstage with her colleagues displaying T-shirts decorated with a mugshot of arrested legislator Senator Leila De Lima during a pro-Duterte rally at a park in Manila, coinciding with the “People Power” revolution anniversary.

Supporters of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attend an overnight vigil to demonstrate public backing for Duterte’s drug crackdown in Manila on Saturday.

Abella also shrugged off Vice President Leni Robredo’s state-ment that the president should focus on the war against pov-erty.

“I think it’s just a question of opening our eyes and listen-ing and looking at things and listening to things that truly

matter, that are beyond our own political interests,” he said.

On accusations that De Lima is being persecuted, Abella maintained that the senator was brought to court because of a criminal case.

“I think they should face the fact and realise that Ms. De

Lima is being brought to court for criminal reasons and not for political reasons,” he said.

“I think they misunderstand the fact that she is being ac-cused of certain crimes and I think they should very well just say it’s up to (the court),” Abella said.

NPA rebels open to peace talks with Davao mayorBy Al JacintoManila Times/Zamboanga City

Communist rebels yester-day said they are open to holding peace talks with

presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and even off ered to temporarily sus-pend off ensives to allow peaceful negotiations.

“To pursue lasting peace and advance the welfare of the mass-es, the NPA open to hold talks with Sara Duterte,” Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the communist group, said.

Sanchez added that the ges-ture was in response to Duterte’s off er of peace talks with the rebels.

“The Regional Operations Command of the New People’s Army in Southern Mindanao re-ciprocates the gesture made by Davao City Mayor Sara Z Duterte by suspending for a few hours the NPA operations and ordering any NPA camp in NDF territories in Davao City and nearby areas to host the talks with her at a mu-tually agreed time and date,” he said.

NDF is the National Demo-cratic Front of the Philippines, an umbrella group counting the NPA as one of its members.

Sanchez said they recognise Duterte’s willingness to talk to the NPA as a group, not to in-dividuals, amid growing public clamour to resume the peace ne-

gotiations and achieve substan-tial gains in the peace process.

President Rodrigo Duterte suspended the peace talks with the NPA after the rebels ended their unilateral truce in January and resumed attacks on military and police targets after the gov-ernment failed to release over 400 political detainees, mostly leaders of the communist group.

The president subsequently ordered an all-out war against the rebels.

“The NPA would gladly dis-cuss any matter that she (Sara) would like to take up with the revolutionary movement, the duties and responsibilities of the people’s democratic gov-ernment, the role of the NPA, the ongoing all-out war of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines and the peace negotiations,” Sanchez said.

The rebel spokesman accused the military of being corrupt and reminded the mayor how it sab-otaged the peace talks.

“Mayor Sara must know by now that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is a corrupt, wily and mercenary organisation that makes a mockery of the peace process and continuously sabo-tages her father’s and the Na-tional Democratic Front of the Philippines’ eff orts at peace eve-ry chance it gets,” Sanchez said.

“Furthermore, we are opti-mistic that Mayor Sara would ju-diciously discern the realities of the civil war, not merely through the statistics of Armed Forces of

the Philippines’ casualties and its civilian victims, but by see-ing the imperative to address the roots of the armed confl ict. Certainly, the heavy burden be-ing borne every single day by Filipinos because of the contin-ued exploitation of the oligarchs and US imperialism prods the masses and the revolutionary forces to wage and advance the people’s war.”

“The NPA in southern Mind-anao is looking forward to a sub-stantial discussion with Mayor Duterte on the common ground of advancing the welfare of the masses, especially in Davao City. In the same manner that she expresses her willingness to meet for the sake of peace, the NPA advances the people’s war and adheres to the victories of the negotiations to ensure that peace will be just and lasting,” Sanchez said.

There was no immediate statement from the president or from any of the members of the government peace panel headed by Jesus Dureza.

Just recently, rebels detonated a roadside bomb in Davao City and killed two soldiers and in-jured over a dozen more in a vil-lage near Lamaman in Calinan district.

Two rebels were also killed in an ensuing gunbattle.

The NPA has been fi ghting for the establishment of a commu-nist state in the Philippines for almost half a century.

Sara Duterte: NPA feelers for talks

Call for new Davao airport authorityManila TimesManila

The Francisco Bangoy International Airport (FBIA) in Davao City

would be better off once it is being driven by a wholly devot-ed public corporate entity, just like the Ninoy Aquino Interna-tional Airport (NAIA) and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), a member of Congress from Mindanao said yesterday.

“Mindanao’s international gateway deserves its own corpo-rate body that can truly concen-trate in running an airport with world-class facilities, superior passenger and cargo services and highly improved safety and se-curity based on the best aviation standards,” Surigao del Sur rep-resentative Johnny Pimentel, a

member of the House Commit-tee on Transportation, added.

At present, the FBIA is still being operated by the Civil Avia-tion Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), while the country’s gateways in Luzon and Visayas have long been under the man-agement and supervision of the Manila International Airport Authority and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, both special entities created by law.

“We are absolutely convinced that a dedicated authority for the FBIA will enable the whole of Mindanao to take full economic advantage of a highly effi cient in-ternational airport,” Pimentel, also a member of the House Commit-tee on Mindanao Aff airs, said.

The bill seeking to establish the Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) to administer and operate the FBIA has been

awaiting approval since the 16th Congress. The measure has been revived in the 17th Congress by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri and Dep-uty Speaker and Davao City Rep. MyleneGarcia-Albano.

“We ought to relieve the CAAP of the burden of running the country’s third busiest airport. We have to allow the CAAP to focus on its regulatory mission, especially now that we have to protect a rap-idly growing number of planes and passengers in-fl ight at any given time owing to the air travel boom,” Pimentel said.

The CAAP is the national agen-cy mandated to advance and regu-late the country’s civil aviation, including critical aspects of safe and sound air travel such as air-craft airworthiness, the licensing of pilots and maintenance engi-neers, the enforcement of air traf-fi c control standards and aircraft accident investigation.

13 escape in latest jailbreak

Thirteen detainees facing drug

charges escaped from jail

yesterday, the latest in a series of

prison breaks in the Philippines,

authorities said. The 13 slipped

out of the jail in a police camp in

San Fernando city north of Manila

before dawn, said Derrick Arnold

Carreon, spokesman for the Philip-

pine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“They sawed through the bars of

the metal grille,” he said, adding

an investigation was under way to

find out how they got the saw. The

Philippines has frequently suff ered

mass escapes from prisons which

are usually overcrowded, poorly

maintained and inadequately

guarded. In the country’s biggest

jailbreak, more than 150 inmates

ecaped a prison in the southern

Philippines in January after about

a hundred gunmen stormed the

facility. In August 2016 members

of a extremist group that pledges

allegiance to the Islamic State

group stormed a jail in the south

and broke out 23 inmates.

Telecommunication companies yesterday cut off all cell phone services in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines for fear that rebels may set off impro-vised explosives during the Charter Day celebration here, Manila Times reported.Zamboanga, a former capital of the Moro province, celebrated its 80th founding anniversary with sol-diers and policemen deployed in many areas here.Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa had been invited to attend the anniversary rites.In an advisory sent out to its subscribers, Globe Telecommunication said they cut off all call, text

and mobile data services for five hours as part of security measures imposed by authorities in Zamboanga City. “As part of security measures during the Dia de Zamboanga (Zamboanga Day), our signal will be blocked on February 26 from 2pm to 7pm in Zamboanga City. Call, text and mobile data will be unavailable during this period. This is in compliance with the directive of the National Telecommunications Commission,” it added.Smart Communications also cut off all its mobile phone services in Zamboanga without informing their customers.

Cell phone services shut off in Zamboanga CityPRECAUTION

SRI LANKA/BANGLADESH/NEPAL21


Lanka slams lawyers over ‘Snowden refugee’ claims

Sri Lankan police yesterday formally denied hunting nationals who sheltered

fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong and

said their claims to the contrary could have been made to bolster asylum applications.

Police said they had no in-terest in the two Sri Lankan men, both asylum seekers, who in 2013 had helped the former US National Security Agency contractor evade authorities in Hong Kong.

Snowden’s Sri Lankan former hosts, Supun Thilina Kellapatha and ex-soldier Ajith Pushpakumara, told reporters in Hong Kong on Thursday that they were “scared and nervous” about Sri Lankan police agents’ ac-

tivities allegedly targeting them in Hong Kong.

“We confi rm these allega-tions are frivolous, unfounded and baseless,” Sri Lankan police said in a statement.

It said only one Sri Lankan police offi cer had travelled to Hong Kong last year, be-tween November and De-cember for fi ve days to at-tend Interpol training on cyber crime.

The statement did not name the attorneys for the two Sri Lankan asylum seekers, but said it had come across instances of lawyers making false allegations

against law enforcement to strengthen their clients’ asylum claims.

“We have come across law-yers representing asylum seek-ers who are in the habit of making utter false allegations against offi cers ... with the ulte-rior motive of supporting (asy-lum) claims of their clients,” the statement said.

Accompanying the asylum seekers on Thursday, their lawyer Robert Tibbo and pro-democracy lawmakers James To and Charles Mok said they be-lieved Sri Lankan police agents had targeted the two.

The asylum seekers’ families in Sri Lanka were also harassed and threatened by police, mili-tary and government offi cials about their exact whereabouts and telephone numbers, with “clear intentions to locate” them, said Tibbo.

“There’s actually a treaty between the Hong Kong government and the Sri Lankan government for ex-tradition... All they would have to do is make the for-mal request to the govern-ment, and they’ve never done that,” Tibbo said.

“It’s quite clear that the Sri

Lankan government has an in-terest in our clients’ relation-ship with Mr Snowden,” he added.

The city’s 11,000 marginal-ised would-be refugees spend years in limbo, hoping the gov-ernment will support their asy-lum claims.

But with fewer than 1% of cases successfully substan-tiated by city authorities, most refugees live in fear of deportation.

The Sri Lankan families want to go to Canada, which has a track record of taking in refugees.

Police say they have no interest in the two Sri Lankan men, both asylum seekers, who in 2013 had helped the former US National Security Agency contractor evade authorities in Hong Kong

AFPColombo

Nepal’s fl ag carrier starts fl ight of new MA60

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), the national fl ag carrier of the country,

has conducted the fi rst sched-uled fl ight of newly arrived Chi-nese plane MA60 from capital Kathmandu to Bhairahawa in southwestern Nepal.

After formal handover of two new Chinese planes, one 56-seater MA60 and another Y-12e on February 8, NAC took approval from the regulator Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and then operated one of the new planes on Saturday.

The Nepalese national fl ag carrier received its second MA60 and Y12e on January 26 and Feb-ruary 1 respectively, two years after receiving the fi rst batch of two aircraft from China as grant.

“We will be operating newly ar-rived Y-12e too soon as we are ar-ranging the pilot to fl y this plane,” said Rabindra Shrestha, spokes-person of the national fl ag carrier.

Currently, there is only one pilot with NAC to operate the Y-12e and the NAC has also re-quested the Chinese supplier to make arrangement of pilot to operate plane smoothly.

The NAC on Tuesday made public the fl ight schedule for both MA60 and Y-12e after the arrival of new planes. According to the national fl ag carrier, they will be operated in the exist-ing routes where the market has been largely dominated by the private sector carriers. The NAC said there will be more fl ights in the same routes after the arrival of new planes from China.

With the expansion of domes-tic fl eet following the arrival of new Chinese aircraft, the NAC expects to increase its domes-tic market share to 20% from current around six percent.

With the addition of two new planes from China, the NAC has now majority of its planes made in China. Of the total seven planes in its domestic fl eet, four are China-made while three are Canadian Twin Otters.

IANSKathmandu

Bangladesh opens fi rst solar-powered food warehouse

Bangladeshi Prime Min-ister Sheikh Hasina in-augurated yesterday the

country’s fi rst solar-powered food warehouse with a capacity of 25,000 tonnes of grain in the northern part of the country.

The modernised, multi-sto-rey warehouse was built with fi nancial and technical support from Japan.

Food silos are crucial for nat-ural disaster-prone Bangladesh to keep stocks safe from water and other threats.

The world’s fourth-biggest producer of rice, Bangladesh uses almost all of its production to feed its population of 160mn, and often needs imports to cope with shortages caused by natu-

ral calamities such as fl oods or droughts.

Bangladesh imports around 4.5mn tonnes of wheat a year to meet growing demand, while the country’s output has stag-nated at about 1mn tonnes.

“By 2021, the food storage ca-pacity is expected to grow up to 100%,” she said, adding that the newly-built warehouse would increase the storage capacity of government facilities in the Rajshahi region.

The prime minister also planted a mango sapling on the Santahar warehouse premises.

The premier later in the day attended a mammoth rally at Shantahar Stadium, organised by Adamdighi Upazila Awami League.

She urged the people to sup-port the Awami League to continue the country’s peace,

progress and development, say-ing that all development activi-ties would be halted if any other party or alliance came to power.

Illustrating her government’s various steps for development, the PM said that her govern-ment had embarked on a mega plan to set up 100 economic zones across the country for in-dustrialisation and for generat-ing employment in the country.

She mentioned that her gov-ernment had slashed down pov-erty rate to 22%. “Our target is to cut the rate to 15%. We want not a single person to remain poor and homeless.”

Meanwhile, a senior gov-ernment offi cial has said that Bangladesh aims to raise its an-nual bilateral trade with Can-ada to $5bn by 2022 from the current $2bn.

Bangladesh is the second-

AgenciesDhaka

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina off ers prayers before inaugurating a solar-powered food warehouse in Rajshahi yesterday.

largest importer of Canadian foodgrains and other agricul-tural products in South Asia. Since January 2003, Canada has allowed duty-free access to Bangladeshi products, in particular ready-made gar-ments. Clothing accounts for 96% of Bangladesh’s exports to Canada.

“We are confi dent to increase our bilateral trade volume by more than double from the

present level over the next fi ve years,” Shahriar Alam, junior minister for foreign aff airs, told a conference.

Alam urged Canadian entre-preneurs to take advantage of the liberal investment-friendly atmosphere of Bangladesh.

“Their investment in the Spe-cial Economic Zones of Bang-ladesh in the areas of power, energy and transportation sec-tors, food and agro processing,

IT and telecommunications, light engineering, shipbuilding, services and hospitality sectors will contribute to the economic development of both countries.”

Canadian High Commis-sioner Benoît-Pierre Laramée said the Canadian government wanted to work with Bangla-desh, especially on environ-mental and climate change is-sues and also gender equality and the health sector.

Britain’s Labour to extendsupport for Lankan Tamils

Britain’s Labour Party is to reaffi rm its strongest pos-sible support for the Sri

Lankan Tamils at a parliamen-tary event next week, a media report has said.

Leading fi gures from the UK Labour Party, including leader of opposition Jeremy Corbyn, shadow chancellor John McDon-nell and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry, will attend the “Tamils for Labour” event at the UK Parliament tomorrow to express their solidarity with the Tamil people, both in Britain and in Sri Lanka, the Colombo Gazette daily said in the report.

Sen Kandiah, chair of Tamils for Labour, said he was delighted Cor-byn and so many shadow cabinet members and Labour members of parliament will attend the event.

Kandiah said Labour has al-ways stood alongside and spoken up for the Tamil people.

“With a crucial UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) session about to commence, the party has a vital role to play in helping to highlight the on-going cases of human rights abuses commit-ted against the Tamil community in Sri Lanka and in supporting our people’s legitimate demands for truth, justice, accountability and self-determination on the island,” he added.

IANSColombo

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, right, shakes hands with Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in Colombo. Tao who was leading a delegation to the island nation recently, pledged China’s full support to Sri Lanka’s eff orts to make it a hub of the Indian Ocean.

Chinese minister visits LankaWomen run to promotehealthy lifestyle

More than 2,000 Nepa-lese women on Friday took part in the big-

gest women’s run Pinkathon organised in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu to celebrate their health.

The event was organised in Nepal as the fi rst interna-tional edition of India’s social campaign Pinkathon with the theme of “walk or jog for wom-en empowerment”. Regardless of age and professions, urban women took part in the mara-thon spreading a message of adopting healthy lifestyle.

Women of all age participat-ed in the 21km half-marathon, 10km, 5km and 3km race start-ing from Dasarath Stadium. The fi rst of its kind, Pinkathon

saw overwhelming participa-tion of young girls wearing white and pink T-shirts written “I am a Pink Sister” on it.

The social event aimed to encourage women’s health and fi tness and create awareness for cancer, especially breast cancer.

“Pinkathon was started in India to encourage women to take up an active life and to take care of their own health. And that’s the same reason we are here in Nepal,” Milind Soman, founder of Pinkathon, told me-dia.

The event has been organised at a time when the urban wom-en are suff ering from various diseases due to excessive work and domestic pressure and unhealthy lifestyle. Cancer re-mains a leading cause of death globally, with breast cancer be-ing the second most prevalent

after lung cancer in Nepal.According to the World

Health Organisation, every year 4,000 new patients of breast and uterine cancer ap-pear in Nepal.

Five-month old Anayasha Bhimchariya was the youngest participant of the marathon, who was accompanied by her mother Khusbu Bhimchariya.

“I am here today with my baby girl to motivate other women who have been within houses so far to come out and to be concerned about the lifestyle and future. I lost my mother-in-law because of breast cancer so I want to en-courage all women to take care of their health,” Bhimchariya said.

The event was supported by Nepal Athletics Associa-tion and Nepal Cancer Relief Society.

IANSKathmandu

Women of all ages participated in the 21km half-marathon, 10km, 5km and 3km race in Kathmandu.

Plan to use videoconferencing for trial of hardened criminals

Bangladesh Home Min-ister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday said that

prisons in Bangladesh will soon have videoconferencing facilities.

The home minister was ad-dressing a rally at Kashimpur Central Jail, on the occasion of Jail Week 2017, as a chief guest.

He said the government is set to introduce trial through videoconferencing from the court keeping hardened

criminals inside the jail for security reasons.

“The accused who are con-sidered sensitive will be kept in jail and appear in court through videoconferencing.

“Once upon a time the pris-ons were considered as places for executing punishments. However, the jail authorities are now thinking to rehabili-tate them in the society after correcting them,” the minister said.

The jail authorities are pre-paring the list of prisoners with the help of Rapid Action Bat-talion (RAB) which will bring

the law and order situation one step ahead.

The jail authorities are ob-serving the Prison Week, aimed at creating awareness among the prisoners to help them return to normal life after rehabilitating them in the society. This year’s slogan is ‘’Prisoners Correction, Society Rehabilitation.’’

Marking the week, the prison authorities are holding diff er-ent programmes, including pa-rade, blood donation, festivals with goods produced by the jail inmates and awareness meet-ings in the 68 jails across the country.

By Mizan RahmanDhaka

The discovery of at least seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the same star less than 40 light-years from Earth, or 235tn miles away, in the constellation Aquarius, is big news given that they could have water on their surfaces and potentially support life. This is the fi rst time that so many of such planets are found around the same star, according to Michaël Gillon, lead study author and astronomer at the University of Liège in Belgium.The study was published last week in the journal Nature and the fi ndings were also announced at a news conference at Nasa headquarters in Washington. The seven exoplanets were all found in tight formation around an ultracool dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1. The name is derived from a telescope the researchers used – TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope.Estimates of their mass also indicate that they are rocky planets, rather than being gaseous like Jupiter. Three planets are in the habitable zone of the star, known as TRAPPIST-1e, f and g, and may even have oceans on the surface. The researchers believe that TRAPPIST-1f in particular is the best candidate for supporting life. It is a bit cooler than Earth, but could be suitable with the right atmosphere and enough greenhouse gases. These researchers had announced the discovery of three initial planets orbiting the same star in May. The new research increased that number to seven planets total.Amaury Triaud, one of the study authors and an astronomer at the University of Cambridge, believes the discovery is a crucial step towards fi nding if there is life out there. Life may begin and evolve diff erently on other planets, so fi nding the gases that indicate life is key. Thomas Zurbuchen,

associate administrator of Nasa’s Science Mission Directorate, was of the view that the discovery could be a signifi cant piece in the puzzle of fi nding places that are conducive to life.The planets are so close to each other and the star that there are seven of them within a space fi ve times smaller than the distance from Mercury

to the Sun. This proximity allows the researchers to study the planets in depth as well, gaining insight about planetary systems other than our own. Starting closest to the star and moving out, the planets have respective orbits from one-and-a-half to nearly 13 Earth days. The orbit of the farthest planet is still unknown.Based on preliminary climate modelling, the researchers believe that the three planets closest to the star may be too warm to support liquid water, while the outermost planet, TRAPPIST-1h, is probably too distant and cold to support water on the surface. But further observation is needed to know for sure.The Hubble Space Telescope already is on the case. The still-under-construction James Webb Space Telescope will join in once it is launched next year. The Webb will search for gases that might be a byproduct of life: oxygen, ozone and methane. Over the next decade, the researchers want to defi ne the atmosphere of each planet, as well as to determine whether they truly do have liquid water on the surface and search for signs of life. Altogether, astronomers have confi rmed close to 3,600 planets outside our solar system since the 1990s, but barely four dozen are in the potential habitable zone of their stars, and of those, just 18 are approximately the size of Earth. Although it would take us millions of years to reach this newly discovered star system, from a research perspective, it is a close opportunity and the best target to search for life beyond our solar system.

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The discovery could be a signifi cant piece in the puzzle of fi nding places that are conducive to life

Destination Lahore: Passion must not override security

Has Ukip’s rise stalled amid Brexit?The failure of Ukip’s leader to win a by-election in a constituency where voters strongly favoured Brexit has prompted analysts to suggest support may have peaked for the British anti-EU party

DPALondon

UK Independence Party (Ukip) leader Paul Nuttall on Friday played down his failure to win a

parliamentary seat in a by-election in Stoke-on-Trent, a central English city where about two-thirds of voters chose to leave the EU in last year’s Brexit referendum.

“We have cut the (Labour) majority in half and we have unifi ed the party like never before,” Nuttall told reporters, saying there were “a lot more seats that will be favourable to us in the near future.”

Many political observers are not convinced.

Some question whether Ukip can maintain its appeal now that Prime Minister Theresa May’s ruling

Conservatives have committed to implementing a “hard” Brexit outside the EU and to controlling immigration — two of Ukip’s key demands before the referendum.

Political analyst Matthew Goodwin, author of several books on right-wing movements in Britain, tweeted that Nuttall’s failure in Stoke was “unquestionably a bad result for Ukip.”

Goodwin highlighted three factors that had favoured Nuttall in the Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency: Labour’s disarray, strong local support for Brexit, and the fact that Ukip had polled 40% in Stoke in elections to the European parliament in 2014.

Colin Talbot, a political analyst at Manchester University, sees parallels between Ukip and Britain’s National Front, a smaller, far-right party that was most active in the 1970s.

“The National Front were making some headway in the mid, late 1970s with a very strong anti-immigration race campaign,” Talbot said.

“And after (Conservative prime minister Margaret) Thatcher was elected in ’79 and the government adopted, at least rhetorically, a very strong anti-immigration stance, it really cut the ground from under the NF.”

The National Front collapsed into infi ghting and the same fate could befall Ukip because it lacks a “solid party organisation,” Talbot said.

Nuttall emerged as Ukip leader following bitter infi ghting in the party last year as it struggled to replace the controversial but charismatic Nigel Farage, who had led the party’s long campaign for Brexit.

In a campaign leafl et in Stoke, Nuttall vowed to invest in the national health service, control immigration, and ensure that “Brexit means exit.”

“We want to see a Brexit which is clean, which is swift, and a Brexit which is outside of the Single Market,” he said in a message to voters.

May had already made the same vows as Nuttall in a key speech on Brexit in mid-January.

Farage said he could “hardly believe that (she) is now using the phrases and words that I’ve been mocked for using for years.”

The post-referendum shift prompted veteran Conservative and former chancellor Ken Clarke to accuse his own party of becoming

“Eurosceptic and rather mildly anti-immigrant.”

Despite Labour — the biggest opposition party — holding off Ukip in Stoke-on-Trent, its majority was halved to about 2,600 votes.

Labour lost a parliamentary seat to the Conservatives in a second by-election in the north-western English constituency of Copeland on Thursday.

“Labour have held this seat since

the 1930s,” a jubilant May said during a visit to Copeland on Friday.”A party in government hasn’t won a by-election in a seat held by the opposition for 35 years.”

May said the result showed that her government “is working for everyone and for every part of the country.”

The win in Copeland, a constituency with two major nuclear-related industries, allowed May’s Conservatives to increase its majority in the 650-seat main house of parliament.

Ukip holds just one parliamentary seat under Britain’s fi rst-past-the-post, constituency-based system, despite attracting about four mn votes in the 2015 general election.

According to opinion polls since the referendum, electoral support for Ukip still hovers above 10%.

Goodwin told the BBC that Ukip remains “a signifi cant player in British politics,” but Talbot forecasts its demise.

“They (Ukip) were a single-issue campaign party around getting the Brexit referendum and winning it, and they’ve done that,” Talbot said.

“And with the Conservative party adopting, so strongly, a hard Brexit position, and also the Labour party now eff ectively being pro-Brexit, there isn’t much space for them left.

“Their vote won’t collapse, but I think it will erode,” Talbot said.

The emotional current of fi erce determination and resolve should be weighed against the will, ability and deliverance of a security detail that protects all comers

By Kamran RehmatDoha

With a second fatality-ridden explosion inside 10 days in Lahore, will the Pakistan Super

League (PSL) fi nal be held in the art and cultural capital next Sunday? This is the super question dogging a cricket-mad republic deprived of international action at home for the last eight years (save for a whistle stop tour in 2015 by Zimbabwe, forced ironically, by its own empty kitty).

If there was a semblance of justice in the world, Pakistan would be hosting the sport it loves to death just like other nations do, but after carrying the world’s burden in fronting up to the most hardened terrorist outfi ts on the planet for more than one-and-a-half decade, it fi nds itself in isolation, but fantastically refusing to die – the fl ame of hope fl ickering; the heart, mind and body waltzing to the famed Lahori spirit.

The birth of PSL last year with fi ve franchises named after provincial capitals and the seat of the federation fetching international stars was more than a shot-in-the-arm for Pakistan cricket; it became a rallying point for a nation hooked onto the only game it wears on its sleeve.

After the rousing success of the inaugural edition – the entire tournament was played out in the UAE, the adopted home of Pakistan cricket, following an attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009 that closed the doors of international cricket on Pakistan – the sense of anticipation reached a fever pitch with a predictable demand to bring some part of the action back home. Hence, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s decision to host the fi nal in Lahore. It held on to that stance even after the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA) took issue with a damning report of its security assessment last month.

Warning that the risk level in Pakistan remained “at an extremely elevated state”, it went on to add that “an acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed”.

While FICA is not endowed with powers to prevent players from travelling, its report circulated to players, their agents and player associations around the world had enough meat to infl uence already wary national boards and domestic teams to decline an NOC to their players. The warning was reinforced with a catchy clickbait for the players to “check their insurance cover” – the terse suggestion being that it could be invalidated by travelling to Pakistan!

Aware that a robust and wide-ranging security arrangement would be the focus of a more convincing argument in favour of resuming international sporting action in Pakistan, especially after Giles Clarke, chairman of the International Cricket Council Task Force on Pakistan, returned home impressed following a detailed inspection visit, FICA threw a

quick dampener on that, too.“Whilst the opportunity for attack

on international sporting events and competitors in Pakistan can be mitigated to a certain extent by the implementation of an extremely robust security plan, the current advice is that external security environmental factors keep the risk level in Pakistan at an extremely elevated state, where an acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed, even with an extremely robust security plan,” FICA declared, ending the report with a short shrift: “Players participating in this event do so as individuals and at their own risk.”

This drew a swift rebuke from the PCB, which rejected the FICA assertion. “This is a careless and cavalier approach to an issue of great importance. FICA sits thousands of miles away from Pakistan and cannot name even one credible security expert, yet makes a sweeping negative statement about the security situation in Lahore. FICA’s claim that ‘westerners and luxury hotels have been attacked’ is contrary to the facts on the ground that prove that not a single foreigner or hotel has been attacked in Lahore in the last fi ve years,” the Pakistani board bristled.

To reinforce its argument, the PCB recalled the successful hosting of both men and women’s international teams in the interim, and the massive security undertaking for the PSL fi nal in Lahore.

“PCB has recently hosted Kenya, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh (Women), Afghanistan and Malaysian national cricket teams in Lahore and Karachi without any problem. In the case of PSL fi nal in Lahore for one day, the government has guaranteed protection by over 3,000 army and police

personnel in Lahore. PCB will provide armoured buses for travel along with VVIP security protocols.”

However, while there can be favourable arguments on both sides, it is crucial – perhaps, even critical – that Pakistan take a holistic view of what’s at stake even if it believes it has a strong case and resolve to prove a point to all enemies trying to scuttle the possibility of that much coveted final in Lahore as part of a sustained design to keep the country isolated.

After the suicide attack on Lahore’s famous Charing Cross area on Valentine’s Day eve which left 13 people dead, a second incident, which the provincial government of Punjab claims was a cylinder blast at an under-construction café in upmarket DHA area and not an act of terror, but which killed 8 people nevertheless, it is best not to lose sight of the long term future rather than pander to the uncertain present for a statement of intent.

Granted it would hurt not to see the lights shimmering down the Gaddafi Stadium as promised next Sunday eve, but the emotional current of fi erce determination and resolve should be weighed against the will, ability and deliverance of a security detail that protects not only the players and VVIPs of all hues, but the cricket crazy fans who will rush in their thousands to get into the stadium, cometh the hour. Historically, the enemies of peace have zeroed in on soft target/s when the high and mighty are beyond reach.

Security is infi nitely more important; cricket will follow. After all, you can’t keep a passionate nation down for long!

The writer is Community Editor.

Our galaxy could be teeming with Earth-like worlds

Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah

Deputy Managing Editor: K T Chacko

WAITING GAME: The historic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is dying to get back into the frame.

COMMENT

Brain scans to predict if kids at drug abuse risk

Trump curbs on media trigger outcryBy Jerome Cartillier/ AFPWashington

On the campaign trail and in offi ce, Donald Trump has made attacking the press one of his political

trademarks.But by restricting the access of

certain media, his White House took things one step further, triggering an outcry.

The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, CNN, Politico - a string of major US media were denied access on Friday to the daily White House briefi ng, while smaller outlets that have provided favourable coverage of the Trump administration, such as Breitbart and One America News, received a green light to attend.

For once, the event was not held on-camera in the main White House briefi ng room, but instead in the offi ce of the president’s spokesman Sean Spicer - and for a select group of handpicked media.

The White House Correspondents Association said it was “protesting strongly” against the decision, and would bring it up with the administration, while several of the media aff ected have pushed back hard against the administration’s move.

The New York Times described

the White House decision as “an unmistakable insult to democratic ideals,” while a CNN statement called it “an unacceptable development.”

In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times warned that the incident had “ratcheted up the White House’s war on the free press” to a new level.

“Trump has betrayed some alarmingly authoritarian notions of the presidency over the past two years, and punishing organisations that run stories critical of the president falls right into that category,” the paper wrote.

Friday’s incident took on a particular resonance coming just hours after the Republican leader renewed his assault on the “fake” media, accusing major news outlets of fabricating sources and stories, and branding them “the enemy of the people.”

“They say that we can’t criticise their dishonest coverage because of the First Amendment, you know, they always bring up the First Amendment,” he told Republican supporters during a keynote speech.

Trump built his campaign on criticising the mainstream US press - most of which overtly opposed his election - as biased, and has intensifi ed his rhetoric since taking offi ce, routinely accusing the media of overstating his setbacks and

downplaying his accomplishments.A week ago, at his fi rst solo news

conference, the 70-year-old launched a long diatribe at the dozens of journalists present, blaming their “dishonesty” for the troubles of his month-old administration.

Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon, a former head of the right-wing news site Breitbart, predicted on Thursday that relations with the media - which he dubs “the opposition” - would only get worse as the president rolls out his agenda.

It is not uncommon for Republican and Democratic administrations to brief a limited number of select reporters on specifi c themes.

However, Friday’s event was initially billed as a regular briefi ng open to credentialed media before it was reconfi gured as a closed briefi ng for the cherry-picked group of participants.

A number of outlets that regularly cover the White House, including newswires Reuters and Bloomberg, attended.

They are part of what is known as the “pool,” a small group of journalists who have access to certain events and share the contents with other media.

The Associated Press boycotted the event in protest at the exclusion of certain colleagues.

AFP was not included despite

being part of the “pool.” Its journalist protested, and attended the briefi ng uninvited.

During the off -camera briefi ng, Spicer said that the White House has shown an “abundance of accessibility making ourselves, our team and our briefi ng room more accessible than probably any previous administration.”

He did not give an explanation for the selection made on Friday.

As protests erupted over the incident, a December interview re-emerged in which Spicer told Politico that the Trump White House would never ban a news outlet.

“Conservative, liberal or otherwise, I think that’s what makes a democracy a democracy versus a dictatorship,” he said.

Ari Fleischer, a former spokesman for George W Bush, said he viewed the White House’s stance as “unwise and counterproductive,” but also argued for the incident to be kept in perspective - pushing back against the suggestion that it threatened the constitutional First Amendment on press freedom.

“Press secretaries need to meet with whole press,” he told CNN.

“But beyond that, there is nothing unusual about presidents meeting with selected reporters, and White House staff s do it all the time too.”

IANSSan Francisco

Scientists have found a better way to predict what personality traits might indicate that a kid is at risk for

drug or alcohol abuse.The fi nding of Brian Knutson,

professor of psychology at Stanford University, and Christian Buchel, professor of medicine at Universitatsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, was based on a brain scan data set of 144 European adolescents who scored high on a novelty seeking test.

The fi nding was reported in Nature Communications, Xinhua news agency reported.

Psychologists know that kids who score high on tests of novelty seeking are on average a bit more likely to abuse drugs, Knutson said.

The pair of researchers were out to work on the question: could there be a better test, one both more precise and

more individualised, that could tell whether novelty seeking might turn into something more destructive?

They suspected that a brain-scanning test called the Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) Task could be the answer.

Knutson had developed MID as a way of targeting a part of the brain now known to play a role in mentally processing rewards like money or the high of a drug.

Kids’ brains in general respond less when anticipating rewards, compared with adults’ brains.

But that eff ect is even more pronounced when those kids use drugs, which suggests one of two things: either drugs suppress brain activity, or the suppressed brain activity somehow leads youths to take drugs.

If it is the latter, according to the researchers, the test could predict future drug use.

Buchel and colleagues in Europe had already collected data on around 1,000 14-year-olds as they went through MID and had also followed up with each of them two years later to fi nd

out if they had become problem drug users.

For example, if they smoked or drank on a daily basis or ever used harder drugs like heroin.

Knutson and Buchel then focused their attention on 144 adolescents who had not developed drug problems by age 14 but had scored in the top 25% on a test of novelty seeking.

Analysing that data, they found they could correctly predict whether youngsters would go on to abuse drugs about two-thirds of the time based on how their brains responded to anticipating rewards.

This is a substantial improvement over behavioural and personality measures, which correctly distinguished future drug abusers from other novelty-seeking 14-year-olds about 55% of the time, only a little better than chance.

“Ultimately the goal is to do clinical diagnosis on individual patients” in the hope that doctors could stop drug abuse before it starts, the researcher said.

Live issues

Gulf Times Monday, February 27, 2017 23

By Richard N Haass New York

In a world of disarray, the Middle East stands apart.

The post-World War I order is unravelling in much of the region.

The people of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya have paid an enormous price.

But it is not just the present and future of the region that has been aff ected.

An additional casualty of today’s violence is the past.

The Islamic State (ISIS) has made a point of destroying things it deems insuffi ciently Islamic.

The most dramatic example was the magnifi cent Temple of Bal in Palmyra, Syria.

As I write this, the city of Mosul in northern Iraq is being liberated, after more than two years of ISIS control.

It will not come soon enough to save the many sculptures already destroyed, libraries burned, or tombs pillaged.

To be sure, destruction of cultural artifacts is not limited to the Middle East.

In 2001, the world watched in horror as the Taliban blew up the large statues of Buddha in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

More recently, radical Islamists destroyed tombs and manuscripts in Timbuktu.

But ISIS is carrying out destruction on an unprecedented scale.

Taking aim at the past is not new.Alexander the Great destroyed

much of what is now called Persepolis more than 2,000 years ago.

The religious wars that ravaged Europe over the centuries took their toll on churches, icons, and paintings.

Stalin, Hitler, and Mao did their best to destroy buildings and works of

art associated with cultures and ideas viewed as dangerous.

A half-century ago the Khmer Rouge destroyed temples and monuments across Cambodia.

In fact, what might best be described as “historicide” is as understandable as it is perverse.

Leaders wishing to mould a society around a new and diff erent set of ideas, loyalties, and forms of behaviour fi rst need to destroy adults’ existing identities and prevent the transmission of these identities to children.

Destroying the symbols and expressions of these identities and the ideas they embody, the revolutionaries believe, is a prerequisite to building a new society, culture, and/or polity.

For this reason, preserving and protecting the past is essential for those who want to ensure that today’s dangerous zealots do not succeed.

Museums and libraries are invaluable not only because they house and display objects of beauty, but also because they protect the heritage, values, ideas, and narratives that make us who we are and help us

transmit that knowledge to those who come after us.

The principal response of governments to historicide has been to ban traffi c in stolen art and artifacts.

This is desirable for many reasons, including the fact that those who destroy cultural sites, and enslave and kill innocent men, women, and children, acquire the resources they need in part from the sale of looted treasures.

The 1954 Hague Convention calls on states not to target cultural sites and to refrain from using them for military

purposes, such as establishing combat positions, housing soldiers, or storing weapons.

The goal is straightforward: to protect and preserve the past.

Alas, one should not exaggerate the signifi cance of such international agreements.

They apply only to governments that have chosen to be a party to them.

There is no penalty for ignoring the 1954 Convention, as both Iraq and Syria have done, or for withdrawing from it, and it does not cover non-state actors (such as ISIS). Moreover,

there is no mechanism for action in the event that a party to the Convention or anyone else acts in ways that the Convention seeks to prevent.

The hard and sad truth is that there is much less in the way of international community than the frequent invocation of the term suggests.

Indeed, a world that is unwilling to fulfi l its responsibility to protect people, as has been shown most recently in Syria, is unlikely to come together on behalf of statues, manuscripts, and paintings.

There is no substitute for stopping those who would destroy cultural property before they do it.

In the case of today’s principal threats to the past, this means discouraging young people from choosing radical paths, slowing the fl ow of recruits and resources to extremist groups, persuading governments to assign police and military units to protect valued sites, and, when possible, attacking terrorists before they strike.

If a government is the source of the threat to cultural sites, sanctions may be a more appropriate tool.

Indicting, prosecuting, convicting, and jailing those who carry out such destruction might prove to be a deterrent to others – similar to what is required to stop violence against persons.

Until then, historicide will remain both a threat and, as we have seen, a reality.

The past will be in jeopardy.In that sense, it is no diff erent from

the present and the future. - Project Syndicate

Richard N Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, is the author of A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order.

The politics of historicide

An image posted online by ISIS’ branch in the Syrian province of Homs appears to show a militant destroying the ancient ruins at Palmyra.

Three-day forecast

TODAY

WEDNESDAY

High: 26 C

Low : 16 C

High: 23 C

Low: 16 C

Weather report

Around the region

Abu DhabiBaghdadDubaiKuwait CityManamaMuscatRiyadhTehran

Weather todaySunnySunnySunnySunnySunnyS ShowersSunnySunny

Around the world

Athens BeirutBangkok BerlinCairoCape Town ColomboDhakaHong KongIstanbulJakartaKarachiLondonManilaMoscowNew DelhiNew York ParisSao PauloSeoulSingaporeSydney Tokyo Cloudy

Max/min17/0722/1735/2413/0827/1531/1829/2431/1720/1615/0531/2432/1909/0232/2403/-729/1414/0711/0427/1810/-431/2423/1810/04

Weather todayM CloudyP CloudyM SunnyP CloudyM SunnySunnyS T StormsSunnyP CloudyM SunnyT StormsM SunnyShowersP CloudySnowSunnyM CloudyRainT StormsSunnyT StormsShowers

Fishermen’s forecast

OFFSHORE DOHAWind: NW 05-15 KTWaves: 2-4 Feet

INSHORE DOHAWind: NW-SW 05-15 KTWaves: 1-2 Feet

High: 23 C

Low: 12 C

TUESDAY

Inshore: Expected low visibility at places at first.

Sunny

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Max/min21/1625/0922/1623/1021/1324/1921/1114/02

Weather tomorrowSunnyM SunnySunnySunnySunnySunnySunnySunny

Max/min22/1626/1123/1624/1022/1324/1822/12

Max/min19/0924/1836/2410/0228/1428/1732/2431/1721/1716/0631/2431/1709/0332/2402/0132/1614/1108/0528/1911/0030/2424/1911/03

Weather tomorrowSunnyM CloudySunnyS ShowersP CloudySunnyS T StormsSunnyM SunnySunnyT StormsM SunnyS ShowersM SunnyM CloudyM SunnyS ShowersS ShowersT StormsM SunnyT StormsS T StormsClear

16/04

24 Gulf TimesMonday, February 27, 2017

QATAR

HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim al-Thani, wife of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on Saturday visited the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) 2017. During the visit, HH Sheikha Jawaher viewed the latest designs of jewellery, watches, natural pearls and gems. Her Highness also visited the pavilion of the Qatari female designers participating in the exhibition under the Qatari Emerging Talents initiative and viewed their designs. HH Sheikha Jawaher praised the designs expressing admiration of them as well as keenness on Qatari designer’s work and creativity. For their part, the Qatari female designers extended thanks to Her Highness for the visit as well as for her support and encouragement.

Sheikha Jawaher at DJWE

Nakilat holds third Annual National ForumNakilat has recently held

its third Annual National Forum for its Qatari em-

ployees. The event served as a platform for national employees to learn about the company’s career development plans and programmes, interact with sen-ior management members, and have their queries addressed during the event.

The session also allowed sen-ior management to gain insight into the experiences and chal-lenges faced by Qatari “devel-opees” and marine cadets dur-ing their learning process at the company.

The forum featured a series of insightful presentations and

interactive sessions by both the company’s management and Qatari employees, highlight-ing the company’s Qatarisation progress and new and ongoing initiatives for the professional development of Qatari staff .

The initiative forms part of the company’s robust Qatarisation programme that focuses not only on recruiting talented Qataris, but also developing Nakilat’s existing talent pool and enable them to reach their full potential and become key contributors to the company and Qatar’s mari-time industry, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.

During the session, awards were presented to graduating

marine cadets sponsored by the company, and to those who had achieved “excellent” results in their studies.

Mentors and coaches of Qatari “developees” were also recog-nised for their eff orts and con-tribution towards developing Nakilat’s young national talents.

In 2016, Nakilat achieved a 37.4% Qatarisation rate com-pared to 33% in 2015.

Through its wide-ranging Qa-tarisation eff orts, which include supporting the training initia-tives of various educational in-stitutions in the country, the company aims to enhance the skills and abilities of its employ-ees while raising awareness and

interest in Qatar’s rapidly devel-oping maritime industry. Naki-lat managing director Abdullah Fadhalah al-Sulaiti said: “This annual forum is an invaluable platform to reinforce the impor-tance of Qatarisation to Nakilat, and highlights the company’s commitment in supporting our Qatari staff to achieve their pro-fessional goals.

“Ultimately, this contribution towards the sustainable devel-opment of our economy and the advancement of our people will allow us to realise the Nakilat vision to be a global leader and provider of choice for energy transportation and maritime services.” Nakilat management off icials and national employees during the company’s annual forum.

Doha conference focuses on role of tech in nursing

Senior nursing offi cials and representatives from various hospitals in Qatar

and neighbouring GCC coun-tries converged in Doha yester-day for the Second Conference for Gulf Technical Committee for Nursing.

The two-day conference, on ‘Evolution of Technology and its Impact on Humane Nurs-ing Care’, was attended by HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Ku-wari, Public Health director

Sheikh Dr Mohamed al-Thani, Gulf Health Council general manager Sulaiman bin Salah al-Dukhail, and other senior offi cials from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

“The Conference highlights the reality that technology has become ever present in the nurse-patient relationship,” said Dr Nabila al-Meer, deputy chief, Continuing Care Group and MoPH Nursing Aff airs who spoke at the opening of the conference.

With innovations in technol-ogy becoming a global trend, she stressed that nurses should be knowledgeable about the advancements in technology to ensure best practice and im-prove patient outcomes since healthcare has become more technology-focused.

Dr al-Meer, also the chair-person of the second GCC Nursing Conference Organising Committee, added the nurses must understand how technol-ogy is transforming the way

nursing care is conceptualised and delivered in a holistic way.

“As nurses, we must be pre-pared to face the challenges of using technology in our daily practice.One of the most sig-nifi cant challenges will be fi nd-ing the balance between max-imising the benefi ts of using technology without devaluing the human element of nursing care,” Dr al-Meer noted.

The Conference also highlights topics that feature advancements in nursing technology and in-

novation and explore their ef-fects on humane nursing care. It explores what progress has been made in integrating technology into the health service to assist nurses in the GCC states. “The Conference will also allow us to share the latest advancements in nursing technology in our re-spective health facilities,” Dr al-Meer noted.

Several discussions, group presentations, and workshops will be held at the event, which concludes today.

HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari (third, right) and other dignitaries at the opening of the conference yesterday. PICTURES: Thajudheen

Dr Nabila al-Meer addresses the conference.

Ooredoo participates in Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

Ooredoo has announced that it will showcase next-gen-eration solutions and serv-

ices in its pavilion at the 2017 Mo-bile World Congress in Barcelona.

This will allow the company to demonstrate the progress it has made in recent years, according to a press statement from Ooredoo.

The event takes place from today until March 2.

Sheikh Saud bin Nasser al-Thani, Group CEO, Ooredoo Group, said: “Ooredoo is a data experience lead-er and this event enables us to show

the incredible progress we have made and the benefi ts we are deliv-ering for our customers.”

One of the prime areas of focus will be Ooredoo’s research into 5G technology, which will provide the enhanced speeds and improved latency necessary to deliver next-generation mobile technologies, the statement notes.

Ooredoo will take visitors on a journey from the days of voice and text through to the super-connected era of 4.5G and 5G now made possi-ble by Ooredoo’s advanced Supernet

technologies. Using a special video demonstration of 5G-enabled robot-ics, Ooredoo will show the faster and smoother performance of Ooredoo 5G and the potential for Internet of Things applications, with the re-duced latency and high-speed net-work enabling real-time communi-cation between machines.

Bringing next-generation and lifesaving technology together, Ooredoo will also premiere its Ooredoo Rescue concept. Using pi-oneering drone technology, Oore-doo aims to enable the Coast Guard

to respond faster and more accu-rately to emergencies by providing a live video feed of the situation re-motely and deploying an emergency raft via the drone.

Ooredoo will also present a broad range of mobile health solutions, including “You Click, We Care”, which brings advance medical monitoring and interaction straight to the home. With Qatar set to host some of the world’s largest sporting events in the coming years, Oore-doo will include a section in its pa-vilion covering Smart Sports Venue

Management. One of the highlights will be the Ooredoo Smart Stadium.

In addition, the company will demonstrate the latest in Con-tent Innovation services, where 2D and 3D coverage of matches can be broadcast to fan zones and directly to people’s homes within a fully-in-teractive virtual reality ecosystem.

Further, Ooredoo will showcase a live demonstration of security so-lutions available for businesses in order to exhibit the real-time capa-bilities of Ooredoo’s cyber-security technology.

Ooredoo will showcase next-generation solutions and services in its pavilion at the Mobile World Congress.

Qumra to nurture 12 Qatar-based projects

The third edition of Qumra, the industry initiative by the Doha Film Institute to nurture the new generation of film talents, will extend mentoring and networking opportunities for 12 projects helmed by Qatar-based talent. Qatar-based film projects by first- and second-time filmmakers at Qumra 2017 include five feature narratives along with seven shorts from national and resident filmmakers that are currently in development. The line-up includes three projects supported through the Institute’s Qatar Film Fund (QFF). In all, Qumra 2017 has 34 projects from 25 countries for mentoring through Masterclasses and networking opportunities. Directors and producers attached to 18 narrative feature films, seven feature documentaries and nine short films will participate in the six-day programme to be held from March 3 to 8 at Souq Waqif and the Museum of Islamic Art. The Feature Narrative Projects from Qatar under development include: The Other Wife by Meriem Mesraoua (Qatar, France). It is about Salima, who, determined to secure her status as a wife, enlists a secondary spouse for her husband – only to find she has jeopardised her position. Hitch 60 (working title) by Sara al-Obaidly (Qatar, UK), where two mod girls from South East London embark on a dream holiday but end up on the journey of a lifetime, crossing continents and cultures, and growing up years on the road. iPhone Memory by Mahdi Ali Ali (Qatar), which presents three stories that intersect in Paris – about a Frenchman, who battles cancer while his wife wants an abortion; a Romani girl looking for someone to adopt her little sister; and a Syrian immigrant boy trying to survive by acting in the cinema.Azooz, the Bully Slayer by Mohammed al-Hamadi (Qatar), which is set in 1992, inspired by Al Watwat (Batman) stories is the tale of a 12-year-old who fends off a thief who has made off with a stash of Sega video-game tapes. The DNA of Love by Hafiz Ali Ali (Qatar), a 2015 QFF recipient, is about a retired engineer who, after the death of his Qatari wife, visits the US to find his estranged daughter, while the same daughter travels to Doha to find answers to her late mother’s past.The Qumra Shorts by Qatar-based talent are currently in development and include two recipient films from the QFF: Sh’hab by Amal al-Muftah (Qatar), about an orphan who embarks on a mythical journey that could reunite him with his parents; and Ya Hoota by Latifa al-Darwish and Abdulaziz Yousif Ahmed (Qatar), where a little girl attempts to save the moon from a gigantic whale along with her cousin.

A scene from Azooz, the Bully Slayer.

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