BUSINESS | Page 1
‘Superstar’
GULF TIMES
In brief
QATAR | Reaction
Killing of civilians in
Afghan raid condemned
Qatar has strongly condemned the
killing of dozens of civilians in a
raid on a school in the province of
Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. In
a statement yesterday, the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs expressed Qatar’s
shock and reiterated its full support for
everything that would protect civilians
from armed conflicts. The statement
expressed the condolences of the State
of Qatar to the families of the victims
and the people of Afghanistan, wishing
a speedy recovery for the injured.
QATAR | Diplomacy
Muraikhi meets
ministers in Baku
HE the Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi
yesterday met in the Azerbaijani
capital Baku separately with Ecuador’s
Foreign Affairs Minister Maria Fernanda
Espinosa and Venezuela Foreign
Minister Jorge Arreaza Montserrat
on the sidelines of the Ministerial
Conference of the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM). The meetings
discussed bilateral relations and ways
of boosting them, besides issues of
mutual interest.
QATAR | Weather
Strong wind and
rain likely today
Strong winds are expected in the
country today and there is also a
chance of rain in some places, the
Qatar Met department has said. The
weather office has also issued a marine
warning for thundershowers in the
north along with strong winds and high
seas. The wind speed in inshore areas
will be 10-20 knots, reaching a high
of 28 knots in some places at times.
Offshore, the wind speed will be 8-18
knots, going up to 25 knots towards
the north during thundery rain. The
detailed forecast for today says slight
to blowing dust is likely in inshore
areas along with cloudy conditions
occasionally. The temperature in Doha
is expected to range from 25C to 32C
today. Yesterday, the minimum and
maximum temperatures in the city
were 24C and 33C, respectively.
ASIA | Judiciary
Bollywood superstar
jailed for five years
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan
was sentenced to five years prison
yesterday for killing endangered
wildlife nearly 20 years ago, stunning
India’s film industry and his die-hard
fans. Khan, regarded as the bad boy of
Indian cinema, was taken into police
custody and driven to jail after the
sentencing amid chaotic scenes outside
the court in Jodhpur in Rajasthan state.
His defence team said Khan, one of
Bollywood’s most bankable stars, would
appeal against the conviction in a
higher court today. Page 9
Too early to exit Opec oil cuts, says al-Sada
Reuters
Doha
O
pec and its allies should main-
tain oil supply curbs to guaran-
tee healthy price levels which
will allow increased investment in the
industry and help avoid a supply and
price shock in the long run, Qatar’s
Minister of Energy and Industry HE Dr
Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada said.
He told Reuters in an interview he
also supported the idea of creating a
permanent platform for Opec’s co-op-
eration with Russia even after the cur-
rent round of joint oil supply cuts ends.
“There is a clear recovery in oil
SPORT | Page 1
International trade
and investment key to
Qatar’s future growth
Emir starts US visit today, to meet Trump on April 10
H
is Highness the Emir Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
will meet with US President
Donald Trump on April 10 in Wash-
ington, DC at the invitation of the
US President.
Emir meets Barclays Bank CEO
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday met at Al Bahr Palace Barclays Bank Chief Executive Officer
Jes Staley who is on a visit to Qatar.
Umm Al Houl power
plant 99% complete;
PM reviews progress
H
E the Prime Minister and Min-
ister of Interior Sheikh Ab-
dullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa
al-Thani yesterday visited the under-
construction Umm Al Houl Power
Plant of the Qatar Electricity and Water
Company (QEWC).
The Prime Minister was briefed on
the progress of the work which is 99%
complete. The plant is set to be official-
ly opened soon.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser praised
the achievements made in the huge
project, whose operation depends on
highly efficient and skilled Qatari en-
gineers and technicians, and lauded the
company’s Qatarisation efforts.
Umm Al Houl Power Plant is one of
the largest desalination and power gen-
eration plants in the region. Built at a cost
of QR11bn, the plant would have a daily
production capacity of 136mn gallons of
water and 2,520MW of electricity.
Once completed, Umm Al Houl
Power Plant will provide 25% of Qatar’s
electricity and 30% of water needs.
The plant has adopted state-of-
the-art technologies that conserve
the environment and ensure the high-
est standards in water production and
power generation.
Speaking on the sidelines of QEWC’s
prices. But it has not been met with an
increase in investments. Investment
has been very low. My concern is that
medium- to long-term demand is met
comfortably,” al-Sada said.
“Investors are still cautious and
over-conservative”.
The minister said global oil demand
was set to rise by at least 1.5mn barrels
per day this year or by a healthy 1.5%.
But the global oil investment purse
of around $400bn was still too small to
guarantee the required level of invest-
ment to replace production from mature
fields and the launch of new projects.
“I would see the need to keep the
(Opec co-operation) momentum. We
need to restore investments. It could
Gazwan
powers to
Qatar Gold
Sword victory
The Emir and the US President will
discuss means of enhancing strate-
gic relations between the two coun-
tries in various fields, in addition to a
number of regional and internation-
al issues of common interest.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa
al-Thani touring Umm Al Houl Power Plant yesterday along with HE al-Sada and
al-Mohannadi.
annual general meeting in February, the
company’s managing director Fahad
bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi pointed
out that the economic blockade im-
posed on Qatar since June 2017 “had no
effect on the project, and we had over-
come all difficulties.”
Among other projects, the Ras Abu
Fontas A3 Expansion Project, which
uses reverse osmosis technology for
water desalination, was completed on
February 16, 2017.
The QR1.75bn project, which has a
36mn gallons of water per day capacity,
was opened on April 18, 2017.
HE al-Sada: market heading for balance
The Emir’s visit to the United
States, which will last several days,
begins today with a visit to the US
Central Command in Tampa, Flori-
da, where he will meet with its com-
manders.
QEWC chairman HE the Minister
of Energy and Industry Dr Moham-
ed bin Saleh-Sada said at the same
meeting said company had completed
the procedures for establishing the
Siraj Power Company, which special-
ises in the production of solar power
using solar energy, with a capital of
$500mn, shared by QEWC (60%) and
QP (40%).
“It is expected to start the execution
of the company’s first project this year
and to start production by April 30,
2020 with an electricity production ca-
pacity of 500MW,” al-Sada said. Page 2
take months. Opec could start being
concerned about gross over-tighten-
ing.”
Opec and its allies led by Russia
have reduced production since the
start of 2017 to ease a global oil glut
stemming from the US shale oil boom
that saw oil prices crashing to below
$30 per barrel and investment in the
oil sector falling by over $1tn in the
past three years.
Opec’s production restraints have
helped cut global oil stocks in industr-
ialised nations from as high as 350mn
barrels above the five-year average to as
low as 50mn barrels, al-Sada said.
The tightening of the market pro-
pelled oil prices above $70 per barrel
FRIDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 10780
April 6, 2018
Rajab 20, 1439 AH
www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals
Then, the Emir will travel to Mi-
ami, where he will meet with a
number of US officials within the
framework of strengthening the
Qatari-US relations in the econom-
ic, trade and investment fields.
Qatar highlights
incentives for
investors at
US conference
Q
atar’s investment-friendly cli-
mate was again highlighted in
two work sessions held as part
of the Qatar-US Economic Forum in
Miami, Florida in the United States
yesterday.
The sessions were organised by the
Ministry of Economy and Commerce
(MEC) in co-operation with Qatar
Chamber, the American Chamber of
Commerce, Qatar Businessmen Asso-
ciation, and Qatar-US Business Coun-
cil.
These were part of the “economic
tour” that covers four US states. They
covered the challenges and opportuni-
ties and how to establish partnerships
in different fields.
The first session discussed the chal-
lenges and opportunities of joint ven-
tures in the fields of investment and
tourism in Qatar.
Abdulbasit al-Aaji, director, Depart-
ment of Business Development and In-
vestment Promotion at the MEC said
the ministry worked to support all sec-
tors and enhance investment opportu-
nities in Qatar.
Ministry asks private
clinics to cut charges
T
he Ministry of Public Health
(MoPH) has asked private
healthcare providers to reduce
their service fees and charges by 10 to
60%, reports said yesterday.
A medical source said the minis-
try would link the renewal of a private
health facility’s licence to abiding by
the decision. Accordingly, the licence
would not be renewed if the healthcare
provider does not reduce its charges,
Arabic daily Arrayah reported.
The source said that a number of pri-
vate healthcare providers would meet
next week at Qatar Chamber to discuss
the ministry’s directives.
Arrayah published a report more
this year but also encouraged US shale
oil drillers to increase investments and
return to record production growth.
“Even with shale, the market is head-
ing for balance,” the minister said.
He said record US shale output was
almost fully absorbed by demand in-
creases but elsewhere investments
were not growing.
Some 6.5mn bpd of US shale produc-
tion have become an integral part of the
global supply portfolio and demand
could absorb even more as production
was falling in places like Venezuela, Mex-
ico, Colombia and China, said al-Sada.
Russia has been hinting that Opec
should start considering exiting the
cuts sooner rather than later to avoid
pu
bl
Q since
is
AT 19
he R
d
A 78
in
In Washington, the Emir will also
meet a number of ministers, mem-
bers of the US Congress and senior
officials. The Emir is accompa-
nied by an official delegation and a
number of businessmen. — QNA
“Last year, there was an initiative to
review policies and procedures to en-
hance investment opportunities for in-
vestors from around the world, aimed
mainly at benefiting from improving
economic situation,” he said.
Al-Aaji touched upon the “good po-
sition” of the Qatari economy interna-
tionally and the incentives for investors
in the country.
He also gave a detailed presentation
on how to start business in Qatar and
the role of MEC in easing the business
environment and the flow of foreign
investments.
Nabil al-Buainin, CEO, Qatari Diar,
reviewed the company’s projects in the
US, which have helped create many job
opportunities in the United States.
He said the company had been fo-
cusing on the ‘City Centre DC’ project
as part of its investment at the city cen-
tre.
He pointed out that Qatari Diar was
looking to establish joint ventures for
its projects around the world. He also
talked about Lusail City project and its
opportunities. To Page 15
than a month ago on the views of the
public about the charges at private
hospitals and clinics. Many people had
complained about exorbitant rates the
healthcare providers were charging for
even urgent services.
In particular, Qataris demanded a ceil-
ing on the charges for each service while
exercising tighter control on the process
by the authorities concerned to save the
public from any potential exploitation.
Further, they told the daily that some
private health facilities ask for un-
necessary checkups and tests just to
maximise their profits. This should be
subject to closer supervision by the de-
partment concerned, Arrayah added.
giving too much of a boost to US shale
oil output.
Al-Sada said he supported the idea
of longer term Opec and non-Opec co-
operation: “The platform should stay.
It is in the interest of everybody. The
agreement on supply curbs is another
thing”.
Qatar is the most influential player in
the global liquefied natural gas market
thanks to its huge plants producing a
total of 77mn tonnes a year.
Sitting on the world’s biggest gas
field, North Field, Qatar plans to ex-
pand its LNG capacity to 100mn tonnes
and al-Sada said it would be done be-
fore the gas market gets too tight in the
early part of the next decade. To Page 2
 Gulf Times
2 Friday, April 6, 2018

QATAR
Prime Minister visits ‘Umm Al Houl’ power plant

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thai is seen with Qatar Electricity and Water
Company (QEWC) chairman HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, managing director Fahad bin
Mohamed al-Mohannadi and employees during an inspection tour of the plant. A view of the plant.

Qatar’s economic Joint Special Forces conclude

policy proved its six-week air support course
QNA
Doha

flexibility despite T he Joint Special Forces

have concluded the ‘Aer-
ial Landing/Dropdown
Course’ which was held in Qatar

siege, says envoy

QNA zone projects in Ras Abu Fontas,
Hamburg Umm Al Houl and Al Karaana, in
addition to the infrastructure,
tourism and hospitality projects.
in co-operation with Italy.
The six-week course, which
was held with the support of the
transport wing of the Emiri Air
Force and Helicopter division
(Agusta and Commando), con-
cluded at the Qallayl Square on
Wednesday.
The closing session was at-
tended by HE the Deputy Prime

T
he Qatari economic ap-
proach has proved its
flexibility despite the
unjust siege imposed on the
country that violates all interna-
tional laws and regulations, am-
bassador of Qatar to Germany,
HE Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrah-
man al-Thani, has said.
The ambassador made the re-
marks during a lecture he gave
in Hamburg at the invitation
of Hamburg Chamber of Com-
merce and the Euro-Medittera-
nean-Arab Association (EMA).
More than 50 economists, ac-
ademics, businessmen and own-
ers of small and medium enter-
prises attended the lecture.
The ambassador said Qatar
has benefited from its experi-
ence facing the unjust siege and
has been able to draw the right
lessons from the situation, par-
ticularly with regard to opening
up Qatar’s economy for invest-
ments, diversifying its sources of
income and achieving economic
independence within bilateral
relations with other countries
based on mutual respect.
HE Sheikh Saud bin Abdul-
rahman al-Thani explained the
economic situation in Qatar, the
rich investment opportunities it
offers and the safe investment
environment it enjoys.
He also touched on Qatar’s
success in facing the unjust siege
imposed on it and presented for
the audience two films about
HE Sheikh Saud bin
Abdulrahman al-Thani
knowledge-based economy,
which ensures keeping up with
the current developments.
Stemming from its national
vision, HE Sheikh Saud bin Ab-
dulrahman al-Thani said, Qatar
worked on providing a suitable
investment atmosphere through
a series of investment-attract-
ing laws, in addition to the po-
litical and social stability the
country enjoys and its involve-
ment in strong and balanced re-
lations with all parties, as well as
its unique geographic location.
HE Sheikh Saud bin Abdul-
rahman al-Thani explained the
flexible economic measures that
Qatar has adopted in order to
stimulate domestic and foreign
investments, including the se-
ries of legal and legislative up-
grades, in addition to supporting
projects that aim to localise for-
eign industries in Qatar as well
as those that pay attention to
national personnel.
Former German MP and EMA
President, Gabriele Groneberg,
gave a welcoming speech in
which she praised the exist-
ing relations between Qatar and
Germany and welcomed Qatar’s
move to open the Arab Cultural
House (Al Diwan) in Berlin.
She expressed hope that Ger-
many would adopt the experi-
ment of Qatar in dedicating a day
to sport.
Gruenberg reiterated the im-
portance of focusing on commo-
nalities between the two coun-
tries as well as promoting trade
exchange.
She added that history shows
that trade is the primary activ-
ity that contributed throughout
human history to nations cross-
ing their borders and getting to
know others, calling on the au-
dience to visit the State of Qatar
and learn closely about invest-
ment opportunities.
Meanwhile, Corinna Nienst-
edt, head of international trade
affairs department at Hamburg
Chamber of Commerce, reaf-
firmed the importance of sup-
porting the basics of mutual
economic co-operation between
the two countries, noting that
the State of Qatar has more than
150 companies registered in
Hamburg and operating whether
directly or indirectly.
Nienstedt expressed deep her
deep gratitude for the State of
Qatar’s appreciation of German
Minister and Minister of State
For Defence Affairs, Dr Khalid
bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, Com-
mander of the Joint Special
Forces Brigadier General Hamad
bin Abdullah al-Futtais al-Mar- HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State For Defence Affairs, Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah,
ri, and the Italian Defence Atta- Commander of the Joint Special Forces Brigadier General Hamad bin Abdullah al-Futtais al-Marri, and the
che in Doha, Colonel Maurizio Italian Defence Attache in Doha, Colonel Maurizio Patane attending the closing session of the Joint Special
Patane. Forces ‘Aerial Landing/Dropdown Course’. Below: A paratrooper demonstrates landing in a drop zone.
As part of the course, the
candidates received training in
providing air support by using
planes to drop supplies in times
of peace and during wartime.
One of the most important
topics dealt with during the
aerial landing was the training
of the Paratroopers Battalion in
processing and dropping of vari-
ous types of containers. A C-130
plane demonstrated the way
equipment is handled from take-
off to drop, and the method to
determine the weights and sizes
of the equipment to be dropped.
Brigadier General al-Marri
said that the Special Forces
were able to reach the most re-
mote area and disembark with
the equipment and ammunition
‘behind enemy lines’ to carry out
operations deep inside.
Bedaya hosts ‘Under 30s CEOs’ event

Qatar National Vision 2030 and
the economic zones.
The ambassador said Qatar
was one of the first oil producing
countries in the Middle East and
realised early on the need to shift
from an oil-based economy to a
knowledge-based economy.
Hence, it sought for a long
time to diversify the national
income sources and merge into
the global economy in order to
increase the competitiveness of
its national economy.
He added that this realisation
came from a true political will
to change economic structures
as it is the only thing capable of
directing new projects and in-
vestments to transition towards
Working hours for receiving
He stressed that Qatar has
managed to take advantage of
the opportunity that came with
the crisis in terms of recognis-
ing the importance of encourag-
ing and strengthening the local
product, and reintroducing the
Qatari citizen to the local na-
tional product.
This has led Qatar to learn
about the shortcomings and
weaknesses, enabling it to suc-
cessfully take its national deci-
sion to work to overcome these
obstacles, the ambassador said.
HE Sheikh Saud bin Abdul-
rahman al-Thani gave a detailed
presentation about the measures
that were taken to support in-
vestment as well as the economic
products and trust in German
manufacturing.
She also pointed to the Qa-
tari investments in her country,
which provide and maintain
hundreds of job opportunities in
Germany.
She added that Germany is
confident that the State of Qa-
tar will overcome the current
crisis, praising Doha’s handling
of the matter and the flexibility
it showed in creating alterna-
tives after the unjust siege was
imposed.
Nienstedt said that each crisis
has the seeds of solution within it.
She welcomed the upcoming
visit that EMA will organise for a
business delegation to Qatar.
Message from
Serbian FM
HE the Deputy Prime Minister
and Foreign Minister Sheikh
T
he Bedaya Centre for En-
trepreneurship and Ca-
reer Development (Be-
daya Centre), a joint initiative
by Qatar Development Bank and
Silatech, recently hosted the
‘Under 30s CEOs’ event, in col-
laboration with Hamad Bin Kha-
lifa University (HBKU).
The event gathered well-
known speakers to commu-
nicate with the students, and Panel discussion during Bedaya Centre’s ‘Under 30s CEOs’ event held recently.
offered critical insights to the
audience. The event celebrated hard work to reach his goals and to work at Bedaya Centre since laiti, founder and owner of Ev-
and reflected the crucial learn- achieve his targets.” the beginning of my career. ergreen Café; Yousef M al-Jab-
ings of young CEOs “who went Reem al-Sowaidi, general Thanks to God and my col- er, director of Total’s Research
against all odds to realise their manager, Bedaya Centre, said, leagues and the vision of QDB Centre; Azza Salah, founder and
dreams.” “Through such events, we aim and Silatech, I was appointed, CEO of Sky Claimers; and Roda
Ibrahim al-Imadi, founder to empower students and guests in later stage, as the general al-Qubaisi, Human Develop-
and owner of Foug café, said, with the real-life learnings of manager of the centre. Despite ment adviser, who talked about
“Every entrepreneur is ex- under 30 CEOs from diverse sec- all the difficulties I faced, I the obstacles and challenges
posed to many challenges in tors, who were able to withstand would not have known the taste they faced while starting their
various phases of his work, but various challenges and achieved of my achievements if there venture, and how they were able
the important factor remains success in their respective fields, were no challenges to overcome to overcome them.
them.” The CEOs also offered guid-
to stand up and face those dif-
ficulties and overcome the ob-
stacles with a strong heart and
with great determination and
hard work.
“I have had the opportunity
The event also witnessed the
participation of Ghanim al-Su-
ance to motivate students to-
wards achieving their goals.

birth registration forms Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-

Thani received a written message
from the First Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign

T
he Ministry of Public
Health (MoPH), Birth &
Death Registration Sec-
tion, has announced the offi-
cial working hours for receiv-
ing birth registration forms and
birth certificate requests.
In a notice on Twitter yester-
day, the MoPH said the morn-
ing hours are from 7.30am to
12.30pm, applicable to Women’s
Hospital, Al Khor Hospital, Al
Wakra Hospital, The Cuban Hos-
pital (Dukhan), Doha Clinic Hos-
pital, Al Ahli Hospital, Al Emadi
Hospital and Sidra Medicine.
The evening hours are from
2.30pm to 6.30pm, applicable
to Women’s Hospital and Al Ahli
Hospital.
Affairs of Serbia Ivica Dacic
pertaining to bilateral relations
and means of enhancing them.
The message was received by the
Secretary-General of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed bin
Hassan al-Hammadi during his
meeting with the ambassador
of Serbia to Qatar Jasminko
Pozderac yesterday.
Too early to exit Opec oil cuts, says al-Sada
From Page 1
“We want this volume to come on time to
fill the rising gap between supply and de-
mand,” he said.
Al-Sada also said that a long predicted
global gas glut has effectively failed to mate-
rialise in the past few years.
“If you look at operational outages, then
there is hardly any surplus in the LNG market
today,” he said.
“If you go back three years, there was a
lot of projections of a gas glut. But it didn’t
happen... the magnitude of supply surplus
has diminished greatly and also the expecta-
tions of when the markets will balance were
brought forward considerably,” he said.
“In fact, four or five years ago people were
talking about markets balancing by 2030, then
they spoke about 2025, today they talk about
markets balancing as close as by 2021-2022”.
 Gulf Times
Friday, April 6, 2018 3

REGION/ARAB WORLD

US to remain
in Syria until
IS eliminated
DPA like, very soon. Let the other peo- asked the Iranian president
Washington/Paris ple take care of it now,” he said. shortly after the three-way sum-
He also railed against the money mit. Rouhani said Trump shows
the US is pouring into the region, “a new face every day” but still

T
he United States is com-
mitted to completely elimi-
nating Islamic State (IS) in
Syria, the White House said, not-
ing that the mission to eradicate
the terrorist group “is coming to a
rapid end.” The statement sought
to clarify recent comments by US
President Donald Trump indicat-
ing he wanted to pull US forces out
of Syria “very soon.”
Trump complained Tuesday
during a news conference that
the mission is “very costly for our
country, and it helps other coun-
tries a hell of a lot more than it
helps us.” The White House noted
that there is a small Islamic State
presence in Syria that coalition
forces have not eradicated.
It also said the US would “con-
tinue to consult with our allies and
friends regarding future plans.”
The statement aligns the White
House more closely with com-
ments made by General Joseph
Votel, commander of US Central
Command, in Washington on
Tuesday. Votel said while “very
good military progress” has been
made in the last couple years, “the
hard part I think is in front of us.”
That includes stabilising areas,
consolidating gains, returning
people to their homes and ad-
dressing the long-term issues of
reconstruction, he said. There has
been speculation about Washing-
ton’s future role in Syria, fuelled
further by Trump’s remarks at an
event last week in Richfield, Ohio.
“We’ll be coming out of Syria,
saying that “we spent, as of three
months ago, 7tn dollars in the
Middle East. We’d build a school;
they’d blow it up. We’d build it
again; they’d blow it up.”
Prior to the White House is-
suing its statement, Trump con-
sulted with French President Em-
manuel Macron in a telephone
call. The two expressed their de-
termination to fight Islamic State
“right to the end,” the Elysee Pal-
ace said. “Nothing must distract
us from the aim of preventing
any resurgence of Islamic State in
the region,” it added. Macron and
Trump also discussed Syria last
week.
And the French leader has
spoken to Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose
troops launched a major opera-
tion in January against the Kurd-
ish forces who are Washington’s
main ally on the ground against
Islamic State. Erdogan was joined
Wednesday in Ankara by Rus-
sian President Vladimir Putin and
their Iranian counterpart Hassan
Rouhani for a summit to discuss
the conflict, but they failed to lay
out a path forward. Rouhani said
Trump was losing yet more cred-
ibility after his announcement on
US forces in Syria.
He noted that Trump initially
wanted to pull US forces out of
Syria, then said he would keep
them in if there was adequate
funding.
“What should you still believe?
What should you rely upon?”
manages to make decisions while
doing so. Rouhani said Trump did
not care that much about Syria,
but instead was interested in get-
ting money from Arab leaders.
The war in Syria entered its
eighth year last month, and
Wednesday marked the first an-
niversary of a sarin gas attack on
Khan Sheikhoun that killed more
than 80 people. Germany, Britain,
France and the US on Wednesday
slammed Russia for “enabling”
such atrocities by the Syrian gov-
ernment. “For more than seven
long years there has been no let-
up in the atrocities committed by
the Syrian regime, enabled by its
backers, in flagrant violation of
international law,” the four for-
eign ministers said in a joint state-
ment.
A UN investigation panel for
chemical weapons attacks found
that the Russian-backed govern-
ment of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad was responsible. Russia
angrily rejected the panel’s re-
port and forced it to shut down a
month later by vetoing a proposal
at the UN Security Council to ex-
tend its mandate. Moscow failed
to fulfil a promise that Damas-
cus would give up all its chemi-
cal weapons, the joint statement
charged.
Al-Assad agreed in 2013 to give
up chemical weapons in a Rus-
sian-brokered deal after hundreds
of people were killed in a poison
gas attack on a rebel-held suburb
of Damascus.
US President Donald Trump
Why Trump is holding off on withdrawing troops from Syria
Despite his eagerness to remove American troops from Syria, US
President Donald Trump has given up on doing so immediately
for reasons including the war against militants and regional
politics.
Mission accomplished?
While Trump used the winding down of the war against the Islamic
State (IS) group as justification for his desire to quickly withdraw
US forces from Syria, allies as well as US officials have pushed
back. “Our mission isn’t over, and we’re going to complete that
mission,” said Brett McGurk, the US envoy to the international anti-
IS coalition. And the militants are not completely defeated: “We
see the return of fighters,” and if the coalition is not careful, there
is a real threat that IS could “regain ground,” a European diplomat
warned recently.
Trump has now promised that the US mission in Syria would come
to a “rapid end,” but did not give a timetable.
The Assad issue
In January, Rex Tillerson, then secretary of state prior to his
dismissal by Trump, said that “the United States will maintain a
military presence in Syria.” He linked the issue with ending Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, though this is not an official
objective of the mission.
“A total withdrawal of American personnel at this time would
restore Assad to continue his brutal treatment against his own
people,” Tillerson said, while “the departure of Assad through the
UN-led Geneva process will create the conditions for a durable
peace within Syria and security along the borders.” This process,
however, is at a standstill. In the meantime, the US administration
has also stressed the need to stabilise areas “liberated” from IS rule.
“Of course there is a military role in this, certainly in the stabilisation
phase,” said General Joseph Votel, the commander of US troops in
the Middle East.
Countering Iran
Tillerson also warned “US disengagement” from Syria would
provide Iran – which is backing Assad – with “the opportunity
to further strengthen its own position in Syria.” This is a major
concern for experts, at a time when the Assad regime and its
Iranian and Russian allies increasingly appear to be on the path to
victory in Syria’s brutal seven-year civil war. Trump has repeatedly
taken aim at Iran’s conduct and threatened to withdraw from
the international agreement aimed at preventing Tehran from
obtaining nuclear weapons, criticising it as too lax.
“Containing the spread of the Iranians, their proxies and the
development of their military capability in Syria should be the
Trump administration’s focal point,” former diplomat Denis Ross
wrote in The Washington Post. “But it is not, with Trump making
clear that he wants to ‘let the other people take care of it now,’”
Ross said.
Trouble with Turkey
Turkey is also a significant source of concern for Washington.
Turkey is a western ally that backs Syrian rebels. But President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has joined Russia and Iran in a Syria peace
process on the margins of the UN-led one. Mainly, Ankara has
launched an offensive in northwest Syria against Kurds allied with
the United States against jihadist forces but accused of terrorism
by the Turks. Turkey fears the formation of a Kurdish state on
its border. This operation, which the United States has failed to
contain, now threatens Manbij, where American troops are based.
For now, the Americans seem inclined to strengthen their positions
in the Manbij region.

Syria troops prepare Palestinian killed at Gaza border

for anti-IS offensive Reuters
Gaza

near capital: monitor I

sraeli fire killed a Palestin-
ian at the Gaza border yes-
terday and another died of
wounds suffered several days
ago, health officials said, bring-
ing the number of Palestinian
AFP tal,” the Syrian Observatory for ers remain, the Observatory dead in a week of frontier pro-
Beirut Human Rights, a Britain-based says. Three of these negotiated tests and violence to 19. Tens
monitor, said. pull-outs have recently seen of thousands of Palestinians
Pro-regime newspaper Al- tens of thousands of rebels and began a six-week-long protest

S
yrian regime forces are
gathering around a south-
ern part of Damascus
ahead of a planned operation
against the Islamic State (IS)
group there, a war monitor said
yesterday. IS fighters have con-
trolled large parts of the Pal-
estinian camp of Yarmuk and
sections of the neighbouring
districts of Hajar al-Aswad and
Tadamun in the capital’s south
since 2015. Last month, they
overran the adjacent Qadam
neighbourhood, taking advan-
tage of Syrian troops being busy
with an operation against rebels
in Eastern Ghouta on the capi-
tal’s northeastern flank.
“Since Sunday, reinforce-
ments of regime forces and loy-
alist fighters have been sent to
the south of Damascus, in prep-
aration for a military offensive to
end the IS presence in the capi-
Watan also reported a potential
military offensive on IS in the
area, but gave no timeline or fur-
ther details.
Expelling the militants would
give the regime full control of
the capital for the first time since
2012.
Once a thriving district home
to some 160,000 Syrians and
Palestinians, Yarmuk has been
devastated since late 2012.
Clashes broke out that year
between regime forces and
rebels in the camp, causing
thousands of people to flee.
Since 2015, IS has controlled
the large majority of Yarmuk,
while Syria’s then Al Qaeda af-
filiate controlled other parts.
In the past two weeks, former
Al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham fighters have left Yar-
muk under a negotiated with-
drawal, but hundreds of IS fight-
civilians leave Eastern Ghouta,
a suburb of Damascus that was
once a key opposition strong-
hold.
Brokered by regime backer
Russia, the agreements have
come after a blistering air and
land assault launched by gov-
ernment troops on February 18.
Evacuations were continuing
from the third and final rebel-
held pocket of Ghouta yesterday,
according to state news agency
SANA.
Late Wednesday, 635 people –
Jaish al-Islam rebel fighters and
members of their families – left
Ghouta’s main town of Douma
for the northern rebel-held town
of Jarabulus, SANA said. With
Russia’s backing, President
Bashar al-Assad’s regime has re-
gained large parts of Syria that it
had lost to rebels and jihadists in
the seven-year war.
last Friday in tent encamp-
ments along the fenced border
of the Israeli-blockaded Gaza
Strip, an enclave of 2mn ruled
by the Hamas group.
The demonstrators are press-
ing for a right of return for refu-
gees and their descendants to
what is now Israel. The latest
deaths are likely to add to in-
ternational concerns over the
violence. Israel says it is doing
what is necessary to defend its
border and prevent it from be-
ing breached.
Sixteen Palestinians died af- Relatives of 23-year-old Mojahed al-Khoudary, who was killed during clashes on the Gaza-Israel
ter being shot by Israeli troops border, mourn during his funeral in Gaza City yesterday.
on the first day of the protest,
Palestinian medical officials chief Taye-Brook Zerihoun, Visiting the frontier this week, of thousands fled or were driven
said, and another was killed on commenting on the violence, Lieberman warned protesters out of their homes during vio-
Tuesday. A 33-year-old man, has said lethal force should only “against continuing the provo- lence that culminated in war in
hit by Israeli fire a few days ago be used as a last resort. cation and said that “every per- May 1948. Israel-Palestinian
near one of the tent cities, died Many of the demonstrators son who comes close to the fence peace talks have been frozen
yesterday, the health officials who turned out for the start of is endangering their lives”. since 2014.
said. the protest campaign returned Speaking on Army Radio, The Palestinians are furi-
UN Secretary-General An- to their homes and jobs over Israeli Public Security Minis- ous at US President Donald
tonio Guterres has called for an the week. But organisers ex- ter Gilad Erdan said: “We are Trump’s December 6 decision
independent investigation into pect large crowds again today. prepared for every scenario, to recognise Jerusalem as Isra-
Friday’s deaths and appealed to Hamas announced yesterday it even an attempt to cause sharp- el’s capital, and to move the US
those involved to refrain from would pay $3,000 to the family shooters to lose focus.” Embassy to the city. Its eastern
any act that could lead to fur- of anyone killed in the protests, The protest action is set to half was taken by Israel in a 1967
ther casualties or place civilians $500 to Palestinians critically wind up on May 15, when Pal- war and is wanted by Palestin-
in harm’s way. wounded and $200 to those who estinians mark the “Naqba”, or ians for the capital of a future
UN deputy political affairs sustain more minor injuries. “Catastrophe”, when hundreds state.

Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in decades to open April 18

Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in more than
35 years will open on April 18 in the capital
Riyadh, the authorities said after agreeing
with AMC Entertainment Holdings to open up
to 40 theatres over the next five years.
Movie theatres will not be segregated by
gender like most other public places in
the deeply conservative kingdom, and the
first screening will be Marvel’s superhero
movie Black Panther, a source familiar with
the matter told Reuters. Saudi Arabia had
Relatives of Syrians they believe were kidnapped by Jaish al-Islam fighters wait on the Syrian some cinemas in the 1970s but its powerful
government-held side of the Wafideen checkpoint on the outskirts of Damascus as evacuations of clerics closed them, reflecting rising Islamist
the last rebel-held pocket of the former opposition stronghold in Eastern Ghouta continue. influence throughout the Arab region at the
time. In 2017, the government said it would
lift the ban as part of ambitious economic
and social reforms pushed by Crown Prince
Mohamed bin Salman. He is currently touring
the United States seeking investments to
help broaden the economy and lessen its
dependence on oil.
Saudi Arabians are avid consumers of
Western media and culture. Despite the
cinema ban, Hollywood films and recent
television series are widely watched at
home and discussed.AMC’s first cinema will
be located in the King Abdullah Financial
District in a building originally intended
to be a symphony concert hall, AMC Chief
Executive Adam Aron said in an interview.
The main theatre will feature about 500
leather seats, orchestra and balcony levels,
and marble bathrooms, he said. Three more
screens will be added by mid-summer. “We
think it’s going to be the prettiest movie
theatre in the world,” Aron said. “It’s a
dramatic building.” To serve a population of
more than 32mn, the majority of whom are
under the age of 30, Saudi Arabia wants to
set up around 350 cinemas with over 2,500
screens by 2030, which it hopes will attract
nearly $1bn in annual box office sales.
 Gulf Times
4 Friday, April 6, 2018
AFRICA
Sierra Leone’s Bio is sworn in
AFP
Freetown
S
ierra Leone’s new presi-
dent, the opposition chal-
lenger Julius Maada Bio,
began work yesterday on the
transition of power after being
declared winner of a bitterly-
contested election run-off.
Bio won 51.81% of ballots in
last month’s election in the West
African country, according to the
official results released late on
Wednesday.
A former soldier who briefly
led a military junta more than
two decades ago, he began yes-
terday his first presidential term
as a civilian.
“There is a meeting between
Mr Bio and former president [Er-
nest Bai] Koroma at President
Lodge ... to discuss the transition
team,” the spokesman for Bio’s
SLPP party, Ali Kabbah, told AFP.
Bio defeated Samura Kamara,
presented as successor to the
outgoing Koroma and candidate
of the ruling All People’s Con-
gress (APC), which has been in
power for a decade.
He was sworn in and handed a
symbolic baton of command by
the country’s top judge at a hotel
on Wednesday evening.
Kamara secured 48.19% of the
Thousands to march for Zuma
Reuters
Durban
T
housands of supporters
of former South African
president Jacob Zuma are
expected to march to the Dur-
ban High Court today, where
he will face corruption charges
related to a decades-old arms
deal.
Zuma plans to legally chal-
lenge a decision to prosecute
him on 16 charges, including
fraud, racketeering, corruption
and money laundering, that
stem from the $2.5bn deal.
The case, which is to be heard
in Zuma’s home province of
Kwa-Zulu Natal, is a dramatic
development on a continent
where leaders rarely face their
accusers in court.
Religious organisations
and pro-Zuma lobby groups
planned a night vigil last night
and will march to the court in
the morning to protest what
they say is a politically moti-
vated witch hunt.
“Could it be that Zuma is
targeted because he has always
been on the side of the poor,”
vote, but swiftly challenged the
outcome given by the National
Election Commission (NEC),
saying in a televised address: “We
dispute the results and we will
take legal action to correct them.”
The results, he added, “do not
reflect the party’s many concerns
about massive ballot box stuff-
ing, supernumerary votes, and
other irregularities”.
The United States congratu-
lated Bio on his victory and
praised the NEC for the “orderly,
well-managed” elections.
A statement from the US em-
bassy in Freetown said: “As a
longstanding friend, the United
States congratulates the people
of Sierra Leone on their active
and peaceful participation in the
presidential elections.”
Hundreds of people wear-
ing the green colour of the SLPP
sang, danced and blew horns
around a central square in Free-
town, where one of the country’s
emblems, the “Cotton Tree”,
grows.
Alhaji-a Bah, a 19-year-old
former soldier, said: “We need
changes. Sierra Leone is an un-
disciplined country ... there is
no judiciary, no discipline. Irre-
sponsible government workers.”
Another supporter, Abu
Amadu, said that he voted for
Bio’s manifesto pledges of free
Zuma: plans to legally challenge a decision to prosecute him.
the Commission for Religious
Affairs said. “Could it be that
Zuma is targeted because he
preferred free education for the
poor?”
Police expect the march to
attract more than 2,000 peo-
ple and planned to deploy in
strength at both the vigil and
the march.
“We are to make sure citizens
are safe,” Kwa-Zulu Natal po-
lice spokeswoman Thembeka
Mbhele said. “I want to appeal
to the marchers to make sure
they work hand-in-hand with
the police. If anyone commits a
crime, they will be arrested.”
Zuma was deputy president
at the time of the 1990s arms
deal, which has cast a shadow
Bio takes his oath as Sierra Leone’s new president in Freetown.
education and improved health-
care.
The Koroma administration
leaves power with a mixed record.
Sierra Leone is of the world’s
poorest nations despite huge
mineral and diamond deposits,
and it is recovering only gradu-
ally from war and disease.
Its economy remains fragile
with investors slowly returning,
although corruption is wide-
spread in the former British col-
ony.
Political loyalties are often
divided along ethnic lines and
traumatic memories of the 1991-
2002 civil war run deep.
over politics in South Africa for
years.
Schabir Shaikh, his former
financial adviser, was found
guilty and jailed in 2005 for try-
ing to solicit bribes for Zuma
from a French arms company.
Charges were filed against
Zuma but then dropped by
national prosecutors shortly
before he successfully ran for
president in 2009.
Since his election nine years
ago, his opponents have fought
a lengthy legal battle to have the
charges reinstated.
Zuma countered with his own
legal challenges, but prosecu-
tors re-filed the charges after
Zuma was forced from power by
his own party in February.
The election campaign was
characterised by ugly verbal ex-
changes and sporadic violence,
with Bio accusing the APC of us-
ing police intimidation against
his party.
Police reported a string of at-
tacks on candidates and sup-
porters on both sides since the
first round on March 7 – which
Bio narrowly won – after which
Kamara declared that “the safety
and security of Sierra Leone is in
our hands”.
Bio, a straight-talking retired
brigadier, has blasted the govern-
ment’s closeness to China, while
Kamara has presented himself as
1,200 people displaced by
Boko Haram return to Bama
AFP
Kano
A
t least 1,200 of the more
than 100,000 people dis-
placed by Boko Haram
violence in Nigeria’s northeast-
ern town of Bama have returned,
officials and returnees said yes-
terday.
Bama, a major trading hub on
the road to Cameroon and home
to 270,000, was captured in Sep-
tember 2014, forcing residents to
flee to state capital Maiduguri.
Borno state information com-
missioner Mohammed Bulama
told AFP that the returnees are
male residents coming back after
the town was partly re-built.
“We have transported 1,200
persons to Bama in two batches
on Monday and today (Thurs-
day) as part of the phased re-
turn of residents that fled after
Boko Haram invaded the town in
2014,” he said.
All Peoples’ Congress (APC) supporters protest the presidential election results in Freetown.
a continuity candidate. marred by a mudslide that struck
A total of 3.1mn people were Freetown last year, killing hun-
registered to vote in the first dreds of people.
presidential poll since a 2014- Bio was in a group of young
2016 Ebola outbreak that killed soldiers behind a 1992 coup that
4,000 people. would install their leader, Val-
Koroma’s term was also entine Strasser, as the youngest
“We intend to gradually return them into camps and host com-
over 100,000 people to Bama in munities.
coming months as part of the re- By the time Bama was retaken
construction, resettlement and by Nigerian troops in March
rehabilitation of IDPs (internally 2015, 85% of the town had been
displaced persons) by the Borno destroyed by the extremists.
state government,” Bulama add- State officials said it would
ed. require 40bn naira (€94mn,
One of the returnees, Umar $111mn) to rebuild the town, a
Bukar, said that they were staggering amount in the impov-
screened and issued with a badge erished region.
before being taken in trucks to Abba Jato Mohammed, chair-
the town under security escort. man of the state relocation com-
Each returnee was given a mittee told reporters last month
bag of rice, a bag of millet with that some 11,000 houses had
10,000 naira ($27.70) to “start a been reconstructed in Bama.
new life”, said Bukar, who spoke Bukar said that only one-third
to AFP on the phone from the of the town has since been re-
town. built, but displaced residents
He added that the male re- said they were ready to return to
turnees would wait to see if the rebuild their homes.
security situation has improved “We are ever willing to return
before bringing their families to Bama and rebuild our homes
from Maiduguri. on our own if the government
The Boko Haram insurgency, allows us,” resident Mohammed
which broke out in 2009, has Kassim told AFP. “Given the pace
killed at least 20,000 and dis- of the reconstruction work it will
placed more than 2.6mn, forcing take years to rebuild every home
Cholera kills
40 refugees in
Uganda camp
AFP
Kampala
M F
ore than 40 people who fled fighting in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo
have died from cholera at a refugee camp
in Uganda, the Red Cross said yesterday.
The Congo’s eastern neighbour has been coping
with a surge of refugees following the resumption
in December of intercommunal clashes and fight-
ing between the military and armed groups in the
northeastern Ituri province.
The Red Cross said that the influx has over-
whelmed hospitals and led to squalid conditions
in refugee camps, fuelling the outbreak that start-
ed in mid-February.
“Inadequate hygiene conditions – including
poor access to safe and clean water – resulted in a
cholera outbreak that killed more than 40 people
in Kyangwali and Kyaka II refugee settlements” in
western Uganda, the international aid group said
in a statement.
“More than 2,000 cholera cases are still being
managed,” the statement added, noting that “ac-
cess to clean water and proper sanitation is one
of the most urgent needs for the Congolese refu-
gees” in both camps.
The Red Cross estimates 70,000 Congolese
have arrived in Uganda since the start of the year.
Many arrived in poor health, and clinics in and
around the camps are overwhelmed by patients
suffering from malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory
tract infections.
The Red Cross fears further outbreaks of chol-
era as some refugees are already sick with the dis-
ease by the time they arrive in Uganda.
The fighting in Ituri is just one of many conflicts
plaguing eastern Congo.
Thousands of people have also fled violence in
North Kivu province to Uganda.
head of state in the world, at age
25.
He later took power but agreed
to step aside in 1996 for an elect-
ed civilian leader, and subse-
quently apologised for his role in
the junta.
and we can’t wait that long.”
The desire to return to their
homes may be due to squalid
conditions in camps where they
rely on insufficient food hand-
outs from donor agencies.
“Life in the camps is difficult,
with little food, water and limit-
ed toilets. None of us would stay
if we had a choice”, said another
Bama displaced person, Kulo
Gana.
In September last year 3,000
displaced people hit the streets
in Maiduguri to protest over food
shortages and poor living condi-
tions in the camps, demanding
they be allowed to return home.
The previous month a cholera
outbreak in the camps from a wa-
ter shortage and poor sanitation
killed around 50 people, mainly
children.
The returnees however said
they are still worried about pos-
sible Boko Haram attacks, espe-
cially after recent deadly attacks
near Maiduguri.
At least 30
die in Mali
gun battle
Reuters
Paris
rench and Malian troops
killed about 30 Islamist
insurgents during a gun-
battle in a region near the border
with Niger, where Islamic State
(IS) is known to be active, the
French army said yesterday.
West Africa’s arid Sahel region
has seen a rise in violence by
militant groups, some with links
to al Qaeda and Islamic State,
that is drawing an increasingly
aggressive response from coun-
tries including France and the
United States.
It was a Mali-based Al Qaeda
affiliate, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Is-
lam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM),
that claimed responsibility for
a March 2 assault on the French
embassy and army headquarters
in Burkina Faso’s capital that
killed eight people.
Colonel Patrik Steiger said
soldiers from France’s Barkhane
force and Malian troops were on
a reconnaissance mission 90km
south of Menaka on Sunday
when they encountered several
dozen Islamist fighters, some on
motorcycles.
A number of Malian soldiers
died in the ensuing gunbat-
tle, Steiger said, without giving
more details.
No French troops were in-
jured.
 Gulf Times
Friday, April 6, 2018 5

AMERICAS

Trump deploys
National Guard
to Mexico border authorities are working with individual gal border crossings had now risen back
AFP
Washington migrants and families to get temporary to previous levels.
papers. In Mexico, the 1,000 or so migrants
“All they want is a place to live in who currently make up the caravan —

U
S President Donald Trump on
Wednesday ordered the Nation-
al Guard to deploy to America’s
southern border, ratcheting up pressure
on Mexico and taking another step in
his quest to clamp down on illegal im-
migration.
Trump’s latest border move came the
same day as a caravan of Central Ameri-
can migrants — whose trek across Mex-
ico had infuriated the US president —
scrapped their highly publicised plans
to try to enter the United States.
“The situation at the border has now
reached a point of crisis. The lawless-
ness that continues at our southern
border is fundamentally incompatible
with the safety, security, and sovereign-
ty of the American people,” Trump said
in a presidential memorandum.
“My Administration has no choice
but to act.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen
Nielsen earlier said Trump had directed
peace, where they can work without
having guns pointed at them, without
being forced to join a gang,” said Irineo
Mujica, the head of migrant advocacy
group People Without Borders (Pue-
blo sin Fronteras). A handful of migrants
with strong asylum claims will continue
to the US border on their own, he said.
“Donald Trump wanted the world
to crush us, to erase our existence. But
Mexico responded admirably and we
thank the government for the way it
handled this caravan,” Mujica told AFP
in the town of Matias Romero, in the
southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
Trump has ratcheted up pressure on
both Congress and America’s southern
neighbour Mexico in recent days to take
action to stem illegal immigration.
“Until we can have a wall and proper
security, we’re going to be guarding our
border with the military,” Trump said
Tuesday, referring to his financially
challenged pet project to build a wall
many traveling in families of up to 20
people — have been camped in Matias
Romero since the weekend, deciding
their next move.
The group, mainly Hondurans, also
includes Salvadorans, Guatemalans and
Nicaraguans, mostly fleeing the brutal
gang violence that has made Central
America home to some of the highest
murder rates in the world. People attend a vigil for Stephon Clark, the young black man killed by police last month in Sacramento, on the
The caravan is in fact a yearly event anniversary of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King in New York City on Wednesday. Tensions have flared in
held since 2010 and its goal is more to Sacramento and across the nation after an independent autopsy revealed that police officers shot Clark at least seven
raise awareness about the plight of mi- times in the back on March 18 while responding to reports of someone smashing car windows in his neighbourhood.
grants than to reach the United States —
though some participants have travelled
to the border in the past.
Mexico’s former foreign minister,
Jorge Castaneda, called Trump’s reac-
tion to the caravan “a little hysterical,”
Unarmed man shot dead by NY police
telling Mexican radio that he suspected
the US president was more worried AFP dominantly black neighbourhood in of people gathered at the scene, with
about his Republican party losing this New York the heart of Brooklyn. many shouting and denouncing the
November’s mid-term elections than Officers responded after receiving conduct of the police, according to
the migrants. three 911 emergency calls saying a man footage broadcast live on Facebook.

the Pentagon and the Department of
Homeland Security to work with bor-
der state governors to determine how to
deploy National Guard forces to assist
Border Patrol agents.
The sudden action, which comes
as lawmakers are out on Easter break,
follows Trump taking to Twitter to rail
against “ridiculous liberal” border laws,
and warn of an inbound “caravan” of
immigrants, threatening to axe the
North American Free Trade Agreement
if Mexico did not stop them.
Caravan leaders on Wednesday said
most of the group — about 80% —
would now remain in Mexico, where
along the frontier.
The commander-in-chief’s seem-
ingly off-the-cuff military directive
caught Pentagon officials by surprise,
and planners on Wednesday scrambled
to find ways to support the edict.
Nielsen said the US continues to see
“unacceptable levels” of illegal drugs,
dangerous gang activity, transnational
criminal organizations and illegal im-
migration flow across the southern bor-
der.
She and other administration officials
boasted of a “Trump effect” that saw il-
licit border activity drop when Trump
took office, but said the numbers of ille-
“He’s just mobilising his conservative
base,” he said.
The caravan, which set off on March 25
from Tapachula, on the border with Gua-
temala, now plans to travel to the central
city of Puebla for a conference, then on
to Mexico City for a series of demonstra-
tions — and end its journey there.
The Mexican government, which
bristled at Trump’s criticism and his
move to militarise the border, said ear-
lier this week it was up to the United
States to decide whether to admit such
arrivals or not.
Many of the migrants said they had
no intention of trying to enter the US.
N
ew York police shot dead an
African American man in
Brooklyn on Wednesday af-
ter mistaking a piece of pipe he was
holding for a gun.
The shooting — which followed a
similar incident that sparked pro-
tests in Sacramento and which came
on the 50th anniversary of civil rights
icon Martin Luther King Jr’s assas-
sination — is the latest in a string of
killings by police that have sparked a
nationwide debate on violence by law
enforcement.
The shooting occurred shortly
before 5pm in Crown Heights, a pre-
was pointing an “object that appears to
be a gun” at people on the street, said
Terence Monahan, Chief of Depart-
ment for the New York police.
When police approached, the man
“took a two-handed shooting stance
and pointed an object at the ap-
proaching officers,” Monahan said.
Four officers fired 10 shots at the
man, who was pronounced dead at a
hospital.
The object the man was holding
was not a gun, but rather “a pipe with
some sort of knob on the end of it,”
Monahan said.
Shortly after the shooting, dozens
According to media reports, the
victim of the shooting was known in
the neighborhood and was mentally
ill but not violent.
The shooting came less than three
weeks after police in the city of Sac-
ramento fired 20 rounds at 22-year-
old Stephon Clark, fearing he was
carrying a weapon.
Clark, who was killed, was actually
holding an iPhone.
Anger over the March 18 shooting
erupted into days of protest in the
streets of downtown Sacramento,
with marchers blocking traffic and
clashing with police in riot gear.

Bubblefest!
Melody Yang
performs during the
Mega Bubblefest
Laser Show at
the Discovery
Cube Science
Center in Santa
Ana, California.
Melody, daughter
of famed bubble
master Fan Yang,
has followed in her
father’s footsteps
and travels the
world performing
her bubble shows.
Her family holds
the world record for
largest soap bubble
measuring 51m long,
created in Beijing,
China in 2009.

Brazil court rules that Lula can be jailed

Reuters Lula’s conviction was upheld on a Villas Boas wrote that the army
Brasilia first appeal. would stick to its constitutional role.
Under Brazilian electoral law, a can- But retired officers have warned that
didate is forbidden from running for the military would not take lightly to

B
razil’s Supreme Court yester-
day rejected former president
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s plea
to avoid prison while he appeals a cor-
ruption conviction, in a vote that likely
ends his political career and deepens
divisions in the country.
The pivotal vote was cast by Justice
Rosa Weber against Lula’s request to
avoid jail and begin serving his 12-year
sentence for accepting bribes.
Weber was seen as the only swing
vote and her decision sealed Lula’s fate.
He may be jailed within a week.
Lula is still Brazil’s most popular
politician, despite his conviction and
six separate pending corruption trials.
He is the front-runner in all opinion
polls for the presidential election in
October, but his conviction will likely
bar him from running.
The decision against Lula is a serious
blow to the political survival of Brazil’s
first working-class president whose ca-
reer from a factory shop floor to high office
is sinking in the corruption scandals that
have rocked the political establishment
and especially his Workers Party, which
held power from 2003 until mid-2016.
Brazilian society remains deeply di-
vided after Lula’s successor, President
Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and
removed from office amid a corruption
scandal and economic crisis.
elected office for eight years after being
found guilty of a crime.
Some exemptions have been made in
the past, and the ultimate decision in
Lula’s case would be made by the top
electoral court if and when Lula offi-
cially files to be a candidate.
Lower court judges, the country’s
top prosecutor and business groups
urged the court to abide by its own 2016
ruling that defendants can be jailed if a
conviction is upheld on a first appeal,
as Lula’s was earlier this year.
Before that ruling, appeals in Bra-
zil’s complex and badly backlogged
legal system could stretched out for
several years, guaranteeing impunity
for those rich enough to afford lawyers
who could launch countless technical
appeals.
Tensions increased on Tuesday
when the commander of Brazil’s army
weighed in with tweets calling on the
court to stand guard against impunity.
That rattled nerves across Brazil,
which endured a 1964-85 military
dictatorships and has a long history
of coups interrupting democratic re-
gimes.
General Eduardo Villas Boas wrote
that the army along with “all good citi-
zens, repudiates impunity and respects
the Constitution, social peace and de-
mocracy.”
the Supreme Court, which has rejected
nearly all similar appeals in the past
two years, ruling that Lula could re-
main free on appeal.
Army reserve general Luiz Lessa told
the Estado de S.Paulo newspaper on
Tuesday the military would have to in-
tervene if Lula was allowed to become a
candidate in the election.
The army said that was his personal
opinion.
Lula oversaw years of robust growth
and falling inequality during a com-
modity boom and has said he wants to
run again for the presidency in October.
His supporters see the conviction as
a ploy to stop him returning to power.
The Workers Party said the Army
commander’s comments widely re-
ported by Brazilian media had brought
undue pressure to bear on the Supreme
Court to rule against him.
Lula was found guilty in August
and sentenced to 10 years in prison
for accepting bribes worth 3.7mn reais
($1mn) from engineering firm OAS, the
amount of money prosecutors said OAS
spent refurbishing a beach apartment
for Lula in return for his help winning
contracts with state-run oil company
Petroleo Brasileiro.
In January, an appeals court unani-
mously upheld his conviction and in-
creased the prison sentence to 12 years.
 Gulf Times
6 Friday, April 6, 2018

ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

Two Koreas meet to plan landmark summit

AFP President Moon Jae-in are due to one of the five-member South ing in which yesterday’s meeting when they visited Pyongyang for Kim Chang-son, an official from to Beijing — his first overseas trip
Seoul meet on April 27 at the South’s Korean delegation to the talks. was held. the previous summits in 2000 the North’s state affairs com- since taking power in 2011.
side of the demilitarised zone He declined to give details, say- Attention has been particu- and 2007. mission and five other delegates. The rapid diplomatic thaw on
for the landmark inter-Korean ing the two sides will meet again larly focused on details of how The two sides are also be- An ongoing rapprochement the peninsula has even seen Kim

O
fficials from North and
South Korea discussed
protocol headaches and
other logistics of a rare summit
later this month, which will see
Kim Jong-un become the first
North Korean leader to set foot
in the South since the end of the
Korean War. Kim and the South’s
summit.
Yesterday’s working-level
meeting was aimed at iron-
ing out the protocols, security
measures and media coverage
of the summit, the South’s
presidential office said. “We
had sincere talks for four hours
straight”, said Kwun Hyuk-ki,
for further discussions on a date
yet to be fixed.
This month’s summit will be
only the third of its kind since
the 1950-53 Korean War ended
with an armistice. It is set to
take place at the South’s Peace
House in the border truce village
of Panmunjom, the same build-
Kim should be received when he
crosses the military demarcation
line to the South.
News reports said Kim is
likely to be welcomed by South
Korean military guards of hon-
our, because two former South
Korean presidents were met by
North Korean honour guards
lieved to have discussed whether
to allow live broadcasting of
the summit for the first time, as
the previous two summits were
recorded and aired later. The
South’s delegation yesterday
was led by Kim Sang-gyun, a
senior director from the Nation-
al Intelligence Service, who met
was triggered by the South’s Win-
ter Olympics, to which the North
sent athletes, cheerleaders and
Kim’s sister as an envoy. Kim has
since embarked on a diplomatic
overture that has seen him pen-
cil in summit meetings with the
South and the US and make his
international debut with a visit
and his wife attend a concert put
on by South Korean pop stars in
the North’s capital. A different
group of officials from the two
sides will meet Saturday for an-
other round of working-level
talks to discuss setting up a hot-
line between the leaders of North
and South Korea.

Indonesia blames
Wife of ‘vanished’ Chinese coal ship for oil spill,
not state energy firm
lawyer walks for answers Reuters
Jakarta
tained by a team from several
oil companies operating in the
area and government agen-
AFP cies, the environment ministry

A
Beijing coal ship that dropped said. Thick clumps of oil were
anchor off the coast of still visible in some areas on
the Indonesian port city Thursday, but “much less than

T
he wife of a detained Chi-
nese human rights lawyer
who has embarked on a
100km march to highlight his
plight said yesterday she did not
even know if he was still alive.
Attorney Wang Quanzhang,
who defended political activ-
ists and victims of land seizures,
has had no contact with the out-
side world since he disappeared
in a 2015 police sweep aimed at
courtroom critics of Communist
authorities.
Wang has since been charged
with “subversion of state pow-
er” but authorities have blocked
lawyers from visiting him.
“Maybe something horrible
happened to him in jail and that
is why authorities don’t want
anyone to find out,” his wife
Li Wenzu told AFP. “It’s been
1,000 days. I don’t know if he is
alive or dead.”
Li and a small group of sup-
porters set off Wednesday on a
march from Beijing to the “No.
2 Detention Centre” in the
northeastern city of Tianjin,
where officials last said he was
being held. They pressed on
even during a freak snowstorm
and plan to reach Tianjin by
next Friday.
“We want to see the presi-
dent of the court. We want to see
the presiding judge. It would be
good if someone came out to tell
us what Wang Quanzhang’s case
was all about. If he committed
no sin, they should release him,”
she said.
Li Wenzu, the wife of detained human rights lawyer Wang
Quanzhang, walks to a hotel on the outskirts of Beijing.
Li wore a black sweat-
shirt with the slogan “Free
Quanzhang” and a cap embroi-
dered with the words of the last
letter Wang sent his parents.
Fearing reprisal, he told them
that becoming a human rights
lawyer was not a “reckless de-
cision” but a response to a call
from within.
For nearly three years, Li has
made dozens of freedom of in-
formation requests to police
— which have been sent back
unanswered — and she has vis-
ited the complaints office of
the Supreme People’s Court in
Beijing weekly to no avail. In-
stead of answers, she has been
put under constant police sur-
veillance.
Tears streamed down her
cheeks as Li talked about how
their five-year-old son is afraid
of the state security officers who
have moved into an apartment
below their home.
For several days beginning on
July 9, 2015, more than 200 Chi-
nese human rights lawyers and
activists were detained or ques-
tioned in the largest clampdown
on the legal profession in recent
history.
While the majority were re-
leased on bail, a handful — in-
cluding prominent lawyers Xie
Yang and Li Heping — were
of Balikpapan on Borneo island
was likely to blame for an oil
spill, after dragging a pipeline
more than 100m and causing
it to crack, an energy ministry
official said.
Indonesia declared a state of
emergency this week after the
spill and fire killed five fisher-
men. The environment minis-
try said the oil covered an area
of nearly 13,000 hectares and
had polluted 60km of coastal
ecosystems, including man-
grove wetlands and marine
mammal habitats.
“We suspect the pipe was
dragged by the ship that
caught fire,” Oil and Gas Di-
Li Wenzu (left), the wife of detained human rights lawyer Wang rector General Djoko Siswanto
Quanzhang, walks with supporter Lin Ermin (R), the wife of rights told reporters yesterday.
activist Zhai Yanmin, who was sentenced to a suspended three year “At the time it was bad
prison sentence in August 2016, on the outskirts of Beijing yesterday. weather, so they had to drop
anchor,” Siswanto said, noting
convicted of various crimes and tion to China’s “lies” about its it was an area where ships were
sentenced to up to seven years legal system. “Li shouldn’t be not supposed to anchor.
in prison. Wang’s case is unu- forced to wait years and walk Siswanto did not identify
sual because no trial date has miles to receive basic informa- the vessel, but said it was a coal
even been announced. He is the tion about her husband’s sta- ship with a Panama flag.
last person in the so-called “709 tus. Wang Quanzhang should be Balikpapan is a bustling
crackdown” to remain in legal released and reunited with his mining and energy hub, sitting
limbo. family,” Eve said. on a shipping lane serving one
When AFP called the Tianjin China’s ruling Communist of Indonesia’s biggest thermal
No. 2 Detention Centre yester- party has repeatedly pledged coal mining regions.
day, a man who picked up said: to implement the “rule of law”, Pertamina had at first said
“You should not ask about this but analysts say the crackdown initial tests showed the oil was
matter.” shows the limits of that promise. marine oil used in boats, but
Frances Eve, a researcher The country’s courts are tightly on Wednesday said a cracked
for the charity Chinese Hu- controlled by the party, with 20-year-old underwater pipe-
man Rights Defenders, said the forced confessions often used line linked to its refinery in
tireless campaigning of fam- as evidence and guilty verdicts Balikpapan was the source. By
ily members of detained lawyers delivered in more than 99.9% of Tuesday night, around 70 cu
had drawn international atten- criminal cases. m of spilled oil had been con-
the several days prior,” Envi-
ronment Minister Siti Nurbaya
said in a statement.
The ministry, which is re-
sponsible for supervising the
cleanup and compensation
claims, had asked Pertamina to
contain the remaining oil and
help affected members of the
community, Nurbaya said. Oil
and Gas Director General Sis-
wanto said the spill had been
stopped and “the remains
of the oil spill are still being
cleaned up”. He did not esti-
mate how much oil had spilled.
The spill had reduced the
operational capacity of the
Balikpapan oil refinery, a Per-
tamina official said. A second
smaller undamaged pipeline
running next to the broken
pipe was being used to deliver
crude to the refinery, with ad-
ditional oil supplied via tank-
ers, Siswanto said.
Some green groups have crit-
icised Pertamina for not taking
responsibility for the spill.
Siswanto said Pertamina
had been late in announc-
ing the source of the oil, but
said the government was in-
vestigating the company that
owned the vessel suspected of
breaking the state company’s
pipeline. The vessel owners
would be questioned and could
be charged over the deaths re-
sulting from the spill, he said.
“It depends on who was to
blame. It depends on the in-
vestigation,” he said.

Up in smoke
Vietnam jails prominent human
rights lawyer, five other activists
Reuters US ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink on trial,” Human Rights Watch Asia
Hanoi said last month that an intensifying director Brad Adams said.
crackdown on activists in Vietnam Dai had been awaiting trial since
was “deeply troubling”. his arrest in December 2015. He has

V
ietnamese human rights lawyer
and activist Nguyen Van Dai
was jailed for 15 years yester-
day, his wife said, along with five other
activists who were given prison terms
of 7-12 years. Dai, 48, was charged in
a Hanoi court with activities “aimed
at overthrowing the people’s admin-
istration” at a tightly-guarded trial in
the communist country.
“I’m very disappointed with the trial
and strongly protest it,” Dai’s wife Vu
Minh Khanh said. “He is innocent and
he pleaded innocent at the trial. He will
continue to fight and will appeal the
verdict”. Despite sweeping reforms to its
economy and showing openness to so-
cial change, Vietnam’s ruling Commu-
nist Party retains tight media censorship
and has zero tolerance for criticism.
Commenting on the trial, foreign
ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu
Hang told reporters that Vietnam’s
efforts to promote human rights was
“widely recognised” by the interna-
tional community. “In Vietnam there
is no such thing as a ‘prisoner of con-
science’, and there’s no such thing as
people being arrested for ‘freely ex-
pressing opinion’,” Hang said.
In March 2013, Dai and others
formed the “Brotherhood for Democ-
racy” which conducted anti-govern-
ment activities to “build multi-party
democracy” in Vietnam, according to a
copy of the official indictment against
Dai seen by Reuters. “The Vietnamese
government should thank them for
their efforts to improve the country
instead of arresting and putting them
previously served four out of five
years of a prison term he received in
2007 for “anti-state propaganda”.
Hundreds of police were posted out-
side the court during yesterday’s tri-
al and a planned march by families of
the detained activists was stopped.
Hanoi-based activist Nguyen Chi
Tuyen said police arrived at his
house as the trial began and followed
him for the entire day.
“They followed me to my office, in-
vited me to coffee, waited outside my
office, followed me back home, and
now they’re waiting outside my house
again,” said Tuyen, who added that
police had put glue in the lock of the
house of a fellow activist to stop him
going out. “They did it at night,” Tuy- A worker is seen marinating fish at Cilincing district in Jakarta, Indonesia.
en said. “He had to break it to get out”.

Scoot flight returns

Australia to probe Facebook over privacy breach
AFP Facebook has been under fire
Sydney over its handling of users’ per-
sonal information after reports
the British firm harvested the
Falk said under Australian
law, all organisations had to
take “reasonable steps” to en-
sure personal information was
erberg is due to testify before
the US Congress next week, in
what is expected to be multiple
congressional hearings over the
after bomb hoax
A flight operated by budget airline Scoot
was yesterday escorted back to Singapore
by fighter jets after a bomb hoax and a
passenger was arrested.
The plane bound for Hat Yai in southern
Thailand landed safely at Changi Airport

A
ustralia is investigating
Facebook over alleged
privacy breaches, au-
thorities said yesterday, after
the firm admitted the personal
data of thousands of local us-
ers was improperly shared with
a British political consultancy.
The social networking giant
said Wednesday the data of up
to 87mn people worldwide --
including more than 300,000
Australian users -- were shared
with Cambridge Analytica.
huge amounts of data as part
of its work on Donald Trump’s
2016 presidential campaign.
“The investigation will consider
whether Facebook has breached
the Privacy Act,” acting Privacy
Commissioner Angelene Falk
said in a statement.
“Given the global nature of
this matter, the OAIC (Office
of the Australian Information
Commissioner) will confer with
regulatory authorities interna-
tionally.”
being held securely and that
customers were notified about
the collection and handling of
their data. The bulk of data
shared with Cambridge Ana-
lytica is from the United States
at 81.6%, with Australia ranked
10th after countries including
the Philippines, Indonesia and
India, according to Facebook,
which has pledged to give peo-
ple a clearer picture of how it
manages personal information.
Chief executive Mark Zuck-
scandal. The tech behemoth
is also facing probes over the
data breach from US consumer
protection agency the Federal
Trade Commission and from a
joint New York-Massachusetts
investigation.
The European Union has giv-
en Facebook until next week to
answer questions over the har-
vested data, while the London
offices of Cambridge Analytica
have been searched by Britain’s
Information Commissioner.
at 3:23pm just over two hours after it had
taken off, said an airline statement. It
was escorted by two Singapore air force
fighter jets, said Scoot, the budget arm
of Singapore Airlines. The Straits Times
newspaper said this was usual procedure
for such incidents.
“Scoot flight TR634 bound for Hat Yai
has returned to Changi Airport due to an
alleged bomb threat on board... All aboard
the aircraft were safe, including six crew
members,” the airline statement said. It
added that the flight had been retimed to
6:30pm.
 Gulf Times
Friday, April 6, 2018 7

OPINION
Councillor calls May ‘stupid’
for gender pay gap concern
Theresa May called it a “burning issue” and
millions of unfairly paid women agreed. But
the chairman of Orpington Conservatives
has described the prime minister as “stupid”
for collecting figures on the gender pay
gap. In a private e-mail to Conservative
councillors, Tony Owen condemned the PM’s
initiative as “driven by meaningless dogma”
and demanded: “How can Theresa May be
so stupid wasting money in this way?” The
Bromley councillor’s robust views emerged
as a historic milestone passed for May’s
deadline for bigger companies to publish
precise figures for the gender pay gap in their
workforces.
PEOPLE
Pope shows support for
terminally-ill toddler
Pope Francis has stepped in to the case of a
seriously ill British toddler who is being kept
alive on a ventilator. Alfie Evans, who is 22
months old, has a rare degenerative neurological
condition. His parents, Tom Evans and Kate
James, have fought a legal battle to stop the
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool from
turning off his ventilator – which would quickly
end his life. “It is my sincere hope that everything
necessary may be done in order to continue
compassionately accompanying little Alfie
Evans, and that the deep suffering of his parents
may be heard,” Pope Francis said Wednesday on
Twitter. “I am praying for Alfie, for his family and
for all who are involved.”
LAW AND ORDER
Covert police squads
deployed across capital
Undercover police squads trained to spot
criminal behaviour and deter terrorists are
being rolled out across London. The covert
units deploy alongside highly visible uniform
officers in a tactic aimed at identifying
suspicious activity, including terrorists
carrying out “hostile reconnaissance”. The
scheme, launched by the City of London
Police, has been piloted by the Met at two
sites and is now being extended across the
capital, including at Heathrow. Senior officers
say the teams — which are usually deployed
around potential terrorist targets — are also
being sent to locations hit by the violent crime
epidemic.
BRITAIN
TRAGEDY
Nine-year-old boy dies after
beach football collision
A British boy has died after a freak accident
while he played football on a Spanish beach.
The nine-year-old is said to have suffered a
cardiac arrest after colliding with another
youngster during the kick-around on the sand
on Tuesday. Bystanders tried to revive him
after he collapsed unconscious before police
arrived to perform CPR on him, at a Cala
Bosque beach next to the residential area of
La Zenia on the Costa Blanca. He was taken
to hospital in the nearby resort of Torrevieja
before being transferred by air ambulance
to another hospital in Alicante in critical
condition. He died there at around 5pm on
Wednesday, 24 hours after the freak accident.
CRIME
‘Gatecrasher’ attacks
woman in taxi
A woman was repeatedly hit with a bottle in the
back of a black cab after two men gatecrashed
her ride. The victim, in her twenties, was with
members of her family when they hailed a
taxi outside the Palace Theatre in Shaftesbury
Avenue. Two men also got in and asked to be
dropped off around the corner. When the driver
refused, one man got out but the other refused
and argued with the victim after she pushed
him away when he pushed one of her relatives.
He then repeatedly hit her over the head with
a small bottle of vodka. The victim collapsed
before the suspect fled. The driver took her to a
north London hospital where she had stitches
before being discharged.

Great Paul Bell cast

Government
‘failing to act
over soaring
murder rate’
Guardian News and Media have children as young as 12, 13,
London being recruited into gangs to run
drugs.
“I’m hearing nothing about

D
avid Lammy, the Labour
MP for Tottenham, has
accused the prime minis-
ter and home secretary of abdi-
cating responsibility after a fatal
stabbing on Wednesday night
brought the number of killings in
London this year to more than 50.
Two 17-year-olds have been
arrested on suspicion of the
murder of an 18-year-old man
in Hackney. Police said the vic-
tim was found by officers on
Link Street just before 8pm on
Wednesday with stab wounds.
They did all they could to try to
save him, rendering emergency
first aid and chest compressions
with the help of an off-duty
paramedic until the ambulance
what we’re going to do. Drugs
are prolific. It’s like Deliveroo,
they’re as prolific as ordering a
pizza. You can get them on Snap-
chat, WhatsApp. That in the end
is driving the turf war and it’s
driving the culture of violence
that’s now becoming endemic.”
The Metropolitan police com-
missioner, Cressida Dick, yester-
day pledged to use “Al Capone”
tactics to tackle the surge in
violent crime. A new taskforce
of 120 officers will focus on the A child looks at the Taylor’s Bell Foundry case made to cast the Great Paul Bell which is hung in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral in Loughborough.
most violent gang members and
individuals to take them off the
capital’s streets “for any crime”,
she told the London Evening
Standard.
Speaking at the scene yester-

Health improving, says

service and London’s air ambu-
lance arrived. But the victim died
at the scene about 25 minutes
later.
A police forensic tent re-
mained on Morning Lane at the
corner of Link Street yesterday
morning. A local youth worker
said he had heard the victim was
a former pupil of the nearby City
Academy. “There’s a situation
where kids are not scared of the
justice system because it’s not
harsh enough,” he said.
Lammy, who has been an MP
for 18 years, told BBC Radio 4’s
Today programme yesterday:
day morning, the shadow home
secretary and Hackney North
MP, Diane Abbott, said: “It’s re-
ally tragic, it’s really horrible and
mothers all over the capital must
be thinking, ‘I can say goodbye
to my son this morning but will
he come back tonight?’ Whether
their son will turn out to be a vic-
tim or a perpetrator, it’s trauma-
tising for families.”
Lammy said there were several
“Mr Bigs” that headed structured
organisations in the country. “It’s
poisoned spy’s daughter The UN Security Council yes- Moscow and the West. Russia’s Foreign Minister Ser- the global chemical watchdog
AFP
not young people in Tottenham London terday discussed the spiralling Russia yesterday demanded gei Lavrov yesterday complained on Wednesday over the Salis-
who know where to get guns,” he diplomatic crisis sparked by the an “objective” probe into the that Britain had failed to provide bury incident, but failed in its
said. “I do know from the police poisoning of Yulia and Sergei case. “coherent answers” to Moscow’s bid to join the probe by the Or-

“What we’re seeing today is the
worst I’ve ever seen it. There
are parents, friends, families,
schools traumatised and griev-
ing. And there is absolutely no
sign at the moment of reduction
in the violence.
“There is no single cause.
What I’m concerned about is
what drives the gangs in the turf
wars, and that’s an £11bn cocaine
drugs market. We are the drugs
market of Europe, and I think the
police and our country have lost
control of that drugs market. You
that there are big gangs, eastern
European, Albanian, that traf-
fic people and guns. It’s not be-
ing handled solely by the Met.
We’ve cut our Border Force. The
National Crime Agency, the lead
agency in this regard, reports an
increase in this activity.”
All this, he added, had to be
considered in the context of ine-
quality, with high levels of youth
unemployment among black
males, and local authorities that
have cut youth services and out-
reach programmes.
T
he Russian woman who
was poisoned in Brit-
ain last month with her
former spy father yesterday said
she was recovering, in her first
public statement in a case that
has sparked a major diplomatic
crisis between Moscow and the
West.
“I woke up over a week ago
now and am glad to say my
strength is growing daily,” Yulia
Skripal was quoted as saying in
comments released by the po-
lice.
Skripal.
Yulia Skripal said she had
found the incident “disorientat-
ing”, without providing any fur-
ther details on the attack in her
short statement.
She and her father, a former
double agent, were found in a
critical condition on a public
bench in Salisbury on March 4.
Britain blames Russia for inci-
dent, but Moscow has furiously
denied the charges. The crisis
has led to a wave of tit-for-tat
expulsions of diplomats between
Russian state television earlier
aired an unverified recording of
a phone conversation between
Yulia Skripal and her cousin who
lives in Moscow.
In the call, a woman intro-
ducing herself as Yulia Skripal
said she was expecting to be dis-
charged from hospital soon and
that her father Sergei was “fine”.
The hospital where the pair
are being treated said in their
latest update last week that Ser-
gei remained in a critical condi-
tion.
questions over the nerve agent
attack.
“It will not be possible to ig-
nore the legitimate questions
we are asking,” he warned hours
before the UN meeting. The
Security Council “should look
at this problem in every aspect
and, I hope, objectively,” Lavrov
said.
Early yesterday some 60 US
diplomats who were ordered
out of Russia left their embassy
compound in Moscow.
Russia called a meeting of
ganisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Speaking in Moscow, Lavrov
called for a “substantial and re-
sponsible” probe, while alleg-
ing the Skripal case was used by
Britain as “a pretext, either made
up or staged, for the groundless
expulsions of Russian diplo-
mats”.
President Vladimir Putin said
on a visit to Ankara on Wednes-
day that “common sense” must
prevail to avoid “this damage in
international relations”.

Singing for a living

Pensioner arrested for
‘burglar’ death gets bail
London Evening Standard
an accomplice went upstairs.
Smith, Mantel top
poll of best authors
Guardian News and Media
London
write against the clock, it’s that
she is simultaneously mapping
her abiding concerns – surveil-
“I understand the rigmarole lance, power, art and illusion

A
London Neighbours said they saw an that they have to go through, but li Smith has topped a poll – on to both natural and hu-
injured man stumble 250 yards the trauma he and his wife have by the Times Literary Sup- man-made cycles of change and
along South Park Crescent been through is enough.” plement of about 200 crit- renewal,” Clark wrote.

T
he family of a pensioner
arrested over the death of
a suspected armed bur-
glar told of their relief yesterday
as he was released on bail after
24 hours in custody.
Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78,
was held on suspicion of mur-
der after allegedly stabbing
one of the two intruders at the
£500,000 home he shares with
his disabled wife.
Zoe Brooks, a cousin, said the
family had been “shocked” by
the arrest of the “gentle, friendly
man”. She said: “He has a lot
of support. His release is great
news.”
Osborn-Brooks was asleep
at home in Hither Green with
wife Maureen, 76, when he
was woken by the sound of in-
truders in the early hours of
Wednesday.
He was confronted by one
suspect, 37, who was armed with
a screwdriver, police said, while
before collapsing in the next
street. He was taken to hospital,
where he was pronounced dead
at 3.37am. The second suspect
was thought to have fled in a
white van.
“I understand the
rigmarole that they have to
go through, but the trauma
he and his wife have been
through is enough”
The incident has reignited
the debate about the rights of
homeowners to defend them-
selves, with neighbours ex-
pressing anger at Osborn-
Brooks’s arrest.
Melissa Darfoor, 22, said of
his release under investigation:
“It is the fair decision. His wife
needs him.”
Another neighbour, Anthony
Conway, said: “It’s great news
that he’s out. He doesn’t deserve
to be banged up.
Osborn-Brooks suffered
bruising to his arms. He was
initially arrested on suspicion of
grievous bodily harm before be-
ing re-arrested on suspicion of
murder.
He has been bailed to return
to a south London police station
next month.
Moyo Ojo, who lives next
door, said: “I heard the shouts
of the struggle. There were
a number of voices, some
screams, but I couldn’t make
out the words.
“That kitchen is very small.
He wouldn’t have had the op-
portunity to run. He is an old
man but it’s fight or flight. It’s
unfortunate that he was put in
that kind of situation.”
Police appealed for any wit-
nesses who may have seen the
second suspect, believed to be
a white male, who may have
driven away from the scene in a
white van.
ics, academics and authors that
set out to find the best British and
Irish novelists writing today.
Four of the top five places in the
TLS’s ranking of what it dubbed
the “New Elizabethans” went
to women, with Smith followed
by Hilary Mantel, Zadie Smith,
Kazuo Ishiguro and Eimear Mc-
Bride. The project set out, said
the TLS’s editor Stig Abell, to
avoid the “tendency to fall back
on a group of authors who came
to prominence a few decades
ago”, with writers such as Ian
McEwan, Julian Barnes, Salman
Rushdie and Martin Amis all fail-
ing to make the list. The literary
journal said the poll was carried
out “in a spirit of mischief”.
Writing in the TLS, critic Alex
Clark praised Ali Smith’s most
recent work: a projected quartet
of state-of-the-nation novels
Singer Sarah Bird busks outside a Burton clothes store in that began with the Man Book-
Loughborough. er-shortlisted Autumn. “It’s not
simply that Smith has chosen to
Those polled were asked to
nominate 10 writers whose re-
cent books were “among their
most impressive”, and whose
future work is “the most eagerly
anticipated”.
The rest of the top 10 are
Colm Toibin, Nicola Barker, Alan
Hollinghurst and Anne Enright,
with Sebastian Barry and Jon
McGregor tying for 10th place.
Clark admitted that the top 10
was “more than tinged with fa-
miliarity”, but said that “despite
the lack of shocks, it would also
– and perhaps this is the point –
be hard to argue for the exclusion
of any particular writer, nor for
there being any lack of stylistic
diversity on display”.
David Szalay came in at 11,
followed by Kevin Barry, De-
borah Levy, Tom McCarthy, Sally
Rooney, Kamila Shamsie, Rachel
Cusk, Gwendoline Riley, Sarah
Waters and Claire-Louise Ben-
nett.
 Gulf Times
8 Friday, April 6, 2018

EUROPE
No deal in
Former Catalan leader Italy govt
crisis talks

freed by German court

AFP ered” in the coming days and Spanish judge charges former Catalan police chief with sedition German law books, although
DPA
Rome

T
wo days of talks on Italy’s
government crisis have
ended with no break-
Berlin weeks. prosecutors had argued that it through in sight, President Ser-
But meanwhile Puigdemont A Spanish judge has formally charged the former The Guardia Civil officers were not able to leave the could be seen as roughly equiva- gio Mattarella said yesterday,
can leave custody if he fulfils chief of Catalonia’s regional police force with sedition building because thousands of pro-independence lent to the crime of “high trea- announcing a second round of

A
German court has re-
fused Spain’s request to
extradite Catalan former
leader Carles Puigdemont on a
rebellion charge following his
arrest in Germany last month,
ordering his release on bail
pending a hearing on a lesser
charge.
In a heavy blow for Madrid,
judges at the upper state court
in Schleswig-Holstein “believe
that in regard to the allegation of
rebellion, extradition is illegal”
as Puigdemont was not person-
ally involved in violence during
a referendum on Catalan inde-
pendence last October, they said
in a statement.
That made his actions not
punishable under German law,
the judges said, rejecting pros-
ecutors’ argument that the
Spanish “rebellion” charge was
similar enough to Germany’s
“high treason” statute to justify
an extradition.
The Catalan separatist fig-
urehead could still be extradited
on a charge of misusing public
funds, the judges added, al-
though “further facts must be
clarified and information gath-
court-imposed conditions in-
cluding a payment of €75,000
($92,000).
Regional newspaper Neue
Osnabruecker Zeitung reported
that the politician would also
have to report to the police every
week and would not be allowed
to leave Germany without pros-
ecutors’ consent.
It was not immediately clear
when Puigdemont would leave
the prison in Neumuenster
where he has been held since his
arrest on March 25.
German lawyer Till Dunckel
told news agency DPA that the
bail conditions would be fulfilled
as quickly as possible, but that
Puigdemont might not leave jail
immediately.
His German defence team
welcomed the court’s decision
to set aside the “outrageous”
charge of rebellion in a state-
ment.
They “respected” judges’ de-
cision to ask for more informa-
tion from Spain on the misuse
of funds charge in a “case with
trend-setting significance for
the European understanding of
democracy”, they added.
over his alleged role in the wealthy region’s independ- demonstrators were gathered outside. son”. consultations next week.
ence push. Trapero exchanged 17 telephone calls that day with The misuse of public funds “I will let pass a few days of
Judge Carmen Lamela of the National Court, which one of the organisers of the demonstration, Jordi charge relates to the cost of the reflection” to allow political
deals with high-profile political and financial cases, Sanchez, the head at the time of the powerful grass- Catalan independence referen- leaders to “responsibly assess
said in her ruling that there is evidence that former roots pro-independence group ANC, the judge said in dum, estimated at €1.6mn by the situation”, Mattarella said,
Mossos d’Esquadra chief Josep Lluis Trapero was her ruling. Madrid. urging rival parties to explore
part of a “criminal organisation” that sought to break Catalan regional police also did not take steps to stop Puigdemont’s lawyers have possibilities for compromise.
Catalonia away from Spain. the referendum from going ahead as ordered by the appealed in Spain against the The 76-year-old head of state
The judge also slapped sedition charges on two other courts, she added. “rebellion” charge, highlighting stressed that since March 4 gen-
top officials with the regional police force, as well as Catalan regional police officers showed up at polling that he was not involved in vio- eral elections produced a hung
an official with the Catalan interior ministry. stations in some cases three hours later than sched- lence. parliament, “no party or politi-
Conviction could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 uled while others did not seize ballot boxes until after After being removed from of- cal side has on its own the votes
years. voting had ended, the judge said in her ruling. fice by the central government in to form a government”.
Lamela said that Trapero and the three others carried Some Catalan regional police officers were ordered to Madrid following his unilateral The ballot, seen as a political
out a “premeditated strategy that was perfectly co-or- monitor the movements of Spanish national police on declaration of independence on earthquake, handed large gains
dinated” to help achieve secession during the lead-up the day of the referendum, she added. October 27, Puigdemont fled to to the far-right League and the
to a banned independence referendum in Catalonia Spain’s central government dismissed Trapero on Belgium. anti-establishment Five-Star
on October 1 and the day of the vote itself. October 28, a day after it imposed direct control on He was arrested in northern Movement (M5S), and handed a
The judge also said that Catalan regional police did the region over its independence bid. Germany late last month while historic defeat to the centre-left
not respond to requests for aid made by officers from Llamela is charged with investigating the role of the on the way back from a trip to Democratic Party (PD).
Spain’s Guardia Civil force who were searching a Cata- Mossos d’Esquadra in the independence push. Finland. League leader Matteo Salvini
lan government building in Barcelona on September Spain’s Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena, mean- Puigdemont and six politi- said his centre-right coalition,
20 as part of a probe into preparations for the banned while, is in charge of investigating the role played by cal allies escaped Spanish au- which won 37% of the votes,
referendum. Catalonia’s separatist leaders. thorities in an attempt to “in- should lead efforts to form a new
ternationalise” their plight by executive, with him as the pro-
dragging other European Union spective prime minister.
“[Puigdemont] always said respects” judicial decisions country,” the source added. countries into the row. But “if we want a lasting gov-
that he had full confidence in the “whether they please it or not”. If extradited only on the Nine other pro-independence ernment, we should involve the
German judiciary,” his Barcelo- “The government is sure that charge of misusing public funds, figures are currently in custody, Five-Star. You don’t need a sci-
na-based lawyer Jaime Alonso- Spain’s justice system will take Puigdemont cannot be prose- including six members of Puig- entist to see that any other so-
Cuevillas tweeted. the appropriate measures given cuted in Spain on the more seri- demont’s Catalan government lution would be improvised and
A Spanish government source these new circumstances, to en- ous charge of rebellion. and the former president of the makeshift,” he said.
told AFP that Madrid “always sure respect for the laws of our There is no such offence on Catalan parliament. Salvini warned that if nobody
makes concessions “there will
be no [new] government and the
only solution, which we obvi-
ously are not rooting for, but do

Woman Major fire engulfs not rule out, is [new] elections”.

His was a riposte to M5S lead-
er Luigi Di Maio, who offered to

jailed for Istanbul hospital

negotiate a German-style coa-
lition “government contract”
with either the League or the PD.

killing, AFP been affected by the smoke.

The PD called itself out of
coalition talks, seeking to lick
its wounds in opposition while it

freezing Istanbul Speaking at the scene, Istan-

bul Governor Vasip Sahin said
the fire services had managed
picks a successor to former pre-
mier Matteo Renzi, who quit as
party leader.

babies A
huge fire engulfed a hos-
pital in Istanbul yester-
day, forcing patients to
evacuate as firefighters battled
AFP the smoke and flames.
Berlin The blaze, which started in
the roof, turned the side of the
building into a burned-out
to bring the blaze partly under
control.
Echoing comments by other
The League, on the other
hand, is balking at M5S demands
to break ranks with ex-premier
officials, he said there were no Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia
current reports of casualties. party, a move that would tear up
“So far there is no sad news. Salvini’s conservative camp.
God willing, it will stay that The M5S and the League could
way,” he told the crowds out- form a eurosceptic administra-

A
woman was jailed in Ger-
many yesterday for kill-
ing two of her newborn
babies and keeping them in a
freezer for 10 and 14 years.
The 46-year-old, known as
Steffi S, was sentenced to nine
and a half years by the court in
Halle in central-eastern Ger-
many for the wilful homicide of
the children, a judiciary spokes-
woman said.
The frozen bodies were dis-
covered in January at the wom-
an’s apartment in Benndorf, a
village of 2,000 people in east-
ern Germany, after her partner
raised the alarm.
Following a hidden pregnancy,
Steffi S in 2004 gave birth in her
bathtub to a healthy girl whom
she immediately put in a plastic
bag and placed – still alive – in
her freezer, the Mitteldeutsch-
land Zeitung reported.
She did the same thing four
years later after giving birth to a
healthy boy.
The prosecution had request-
ed a 10-year sentence for the
woman, who also has two older
children, while the defence had
asked for six years.
Steffi S admitted the facts in
the case, but claimed that she
had been overworked.
“What I did is serious. I have
to be punished for it,” the woman
shell, sending a massive black
cloud into the sky.
Patients, some wearing oxy-
gen masks, were wheeled out
into the street in their sick beds
while mothers were forced to
leave clutching young babies.
Firefighters used elevation
lifts to try to extinguish the fire
at the top of the multi-storey
hospital building in the Gazi-
osmanpasa district of Istanbul.
However, local officials said
that there were so far no re-
ports of casualties although a
number of patients may have
Shooting at Turkish university
AFP
Istanbul
A
researcher killed four
fellow staff members in
a shooting yesterday at a
university in the western Turk-
ish city of Eskisehir, in one of
the deadliest incidents of its
kind seen in Turkey.
Deadly shootouts – often
caused by arguments that de-
generate into violence – are
side in comments broadcast by
television.
Witnesses told Turkish tel-
evision that the flames spread
rapidly around the side of the
building.
“The fire was knocking
against the windows. It was
terrifying,” one woman told
CNN-Turk, without giving her
name.
Sahin later told reporters
said that the fire had been on
the outer part of the building
– rather than the inside – but a
“lot of smoke” had penetrated
Firefighters work to extinguish the fire at the Gaziosmanpasa Taksim Educational and Research
Hospital in Istanbul.
inside which emergency serv-
ices were now seeking to expel.
He added that some 70 pa-
tients had been evacuated out-
side and those in intensive care
moved to a secure place inside
the hospital that was not af-
fected.
There was no immediate in-
formation on the cause of the
blaze but Sahin said that two
prosecutors had already been
tasked to investigate.
“As soon as it is under control
... we will establish the cause,”
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim
told a news conference, adding
that 32 intensive care patients
had been moved to nearby hos-
pitals.
Man who
exposed
Stalin’s
crimes
cleared of
charges
tion, setting Italy, a founding
member of the European Union,
on a collision course with Brus-
sels institutions.
“We must make sure that Italy
is not always left at the back of
Pictures showed scenes the class” when EU decisions are
of panic as staff and patients made, and forced “to play catch-
flooded into the street to escape up with Franco-German initia-
the fumes. tives”, Salvini said.
Health Minister Ahmet Mattarella has no deadline to
Demircan, who was rushing break the impasse but if he con-
to the scene Istanbul, has in- cludes that no government deal
formed President Recep Tayy- is possible, he has the power to
ip Erdogan of developments, dissolve parliament and call new
Turkish television said. elections, possibly in late 2018.
Dmitriyev speaks to the media as he leaves a court building in the
city of Petrozavodsk, northwestern Russia.

Terror, in which nearly 700,000 Anufriev said that his client

told the court, the Mitteldeut-
schland Zeitung reported.
Polish ministers to
relatively common in Turkey.
But a shooting on a campus is
highly unusual.
Those killed were the deputy
dean of the education faculty,
Police officers and an ambulance are seen at the entrance of people were executed, accord- would now face certain restric-
Osmangazi University after the shooting. Reuters ing to official estimates. tions on his freedom of move-
Moscow Dmitriev found a mass grave ment for the next three months
“We are launching an inves- were members of the Fethul- with up to 9,000 bodies dating as a result of the fire arms con-
tigation into the researcher. He lah Gulen group blamed for the from the period. viction.

give up bonuses
Ministers in Poland’s right-wing
government are to donate their
generous bonuses to charity
while lawmakers face a pay
cut, the ruling PiS party said
yesterday amid plunging poll
numbers.
Media revelations that the
ministers of the Law and Justice
(PiS) party each received
between €15,000 and €19,000
($18,300-$23,200) on top of their
pay last year sparked outrage
in a country where the average
monthly salary is around €1,000.
A poll conducted last month
by the Kantar MB Institute for
private broadcaster TVN found
that backing for the PiS tumbled
from some 40% to 28%.
faculty secretary, and two lec-
turers at Osmangazi University,
the university said in a state-
ment.
The attacker, himself a re-
searcher at the education fac-
ulty, was later detained after
initially trying to flee the scene,
the Dogan news agency said.
Police were questioning him.
The university’s rector Hasan
Gonen confirmed to CNN-Turk
television that four people had
been killed.
He said that the attacker –
named by state media as Volkan
B – initially went to the dean’s
office and shot at the others af-
ter finding it empty.
Gonen described the individ-
ual as a “problematic” person
who had been verbally insulting
the academic personnel.
was a problematic person ... I
believe he targeted the person-
nel as a result of psychological
problems,” he said.
He added the university did
not know how the man had
entered the university grounds
with a gun but did not think the
incident had any links to terror.
Campuses in Turkey are usu-
ally well-guarded.
Eskisehir, a city of nearly
1mn, is on the railway line be-
tween Ankara and Istanbul and
has rarely been the scene of any
kind of violent attack.
“We are extremely sad. The
chief prosecutor’s office is tack-
ling the incident,” said Eskisehir
Governor Ozdemir Cakacak.
Some reports said that the
attacker had also upset staff
members by alleging that they
2016 failed coup.
Dogan said that the attack
sparked panic at the university,
with both students and teachers
in a state of shock.
Television pictures showed
shocked staff and students
gathering outside the univer-
sity’s main entrance.
Many ambulances were sent
to the area.
Some pictures showed tearful
staff speaking on mobile phones
seeking to assure relatives that
they were not harmed.
Turkey has in recent years
been hit by a string of deadly
attacks blamed on Kurdish mil-
itants and religious extremists.
However, there was no indi-
cation of any link between yes-
terday’s shooting and extremist
activity.
A
historian whose expo-
sure of Soviet leader
Josef Stalin’s crimes an-
gered state officials was cleared
of child pornography charges
yesterday.
State prosecutors had ac-
cused Yuri Dmitriev of involv-
ing his adopted daughter, then
11, in child pornography, of il-
legally possessing components
of a firearm, and of depravity
involving a minor.
However, some of Russia’s
leading cultural figures had said
Dmitriev was framed because
his focus on Stalin’s crimes
jarred with the Kremlin nar-
rative that Russia must not be
ashamed of its past.
His real crime, they said, was
dedicating himself to docu-
menting Stalin’s 1937-38 Great
His lawyer, Viktor Anu-
friev, told Reuters yesterday
that a court in Petrozavodsk in
northwest Russia had cleared
Dmitriev of the child pornogra-
phy and depravity charges.
“We got 90% of what we
wanted,” said Anufriev. “He was
cleared of all the dirty charges.”
However, he said the same
court had found his client guilty
of illegally possessing “the main
elements of” a firearm, some-
thing Dmitriev denied.
Anufriev had previously said
that Dmitriev owned parts of a
sawn-off shotgun, but that it
was an old hunting rifle that did
not fire, and that no bullets had
been found.
State prosecutors had de-
manded Dmitriev be jailed for
nine years.
Dmitriev, head of the local
branch of Memorial, a rights
group which documents Rus-
sia’s Soviet past, was arrested
on December 13, 2016, by po-
lice acting on an anonymous
tip-off, days after someone had
broken into his home and ac-
cessed his computer.
State prosecutors then ac-
cused him of taking porno-
graphic photographs of his
adopted daughter.
Dmitriev said the photo-
graphs were not pornographic,
but did involve nudity because
he took them to document her
health for social services.
The Novaya Gazeta daily
newspaper said that yesterday’s
verdict was a rare piece of good
news for those who believed in
justice.
 Gulf Times
Friday, April 6, 2018 9

CLAIM
L&T denies charges of
financial irregularities
Rajya Sabha MP Kahkashan Perween has lodged
a complaint with the Serious Fraud Investigation
Office in Mumbai against the L&T group and
its subsidiaries. “The scam involves money
laundering, siphoning of money and evasion of
tax,” the Mumbai SFIO has written to the director of
SFIO in the national capital, adding that it was a “fit
case to be investigated”. L&T said: “The allegations
are entirely baseless and without merit.” Perween
claims L&T and its subsidiaries have been termed
as “habitual defaulter” by the National Highway
Authority of India. Perween alleged the company
has loans aggregating Rs80bn which “faces a
threat of becoming NPAs” (non-performing assets).
SCANDAL
ICICI chief’s relative to be
grilled in Rs32bn loan probe
The Central Bureau of Investigation yesterday
said it had summoned for questioning ICICI
CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar’s brother-in-law,
Rajeev Kochhar, in the case of an Rs32.5bn loan
to the Videocon Group in 2012. The agency has
registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against the
ICICI chief’s husband, Deepak Kochhar, Videocon
Group officials and others for a probe to determine
any wrongdoing in the sanction of the loan to the
Videocon Group in 2012. The controversy erupted
after the media raised questions about Videocon
chairman Venugopal Dhoot’s loan of Rs640mn to a
firm he had jointly promoted with Deepak Kochhar,
six months after his group got the Rs32.5bn loan.
CRIME
Two Ambedkar statues
vandalised in Uttar Pradesh
Statues of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar were
vandalised at two places in Uttar Pradesh
yesterday. While the first incident took place at
Shivsinghpur in Etah district, the second statue
was broken by unidentified miscreants at Nagla
Nadu in Sirsaganj area of Firozabad. The police
said in the first incident, the thumb of a statue
was smashed by a blunt object. Senior district and
police officials immediately rushed to the spot. In
Firozabad, many locals and some Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) leaders arrived at the spot as news
of the incident spread. Officials had a tough time
pacifying the irate mob which was demanding
immediate arrest of the people behind the incident.
INDIA
INVESTIGATION OBITUARY
Son held as mum’s body Malayalam actor
discovered in freezer Ajith dies aged 56
The Kolkata Police has recovered a woman’s Malayalam film star
embalmed body three years after her death and Ajith, known for
has detained her son. The incident in Behala came portraying negative
to light late after the police were alerted by a roles, died at a private
journalist. The entire neighbourhood was aware hospital in Kochi
Beena Majumdar’s death but had no idea how yesterday. Ajith, 56, was
and whether her last rites were performed, police admitted to the hospital
said. The police said they found the woman’s 10 days ago following
body in one of the two huge freezers kept in health issues. Ajith in a
the house. “The corpse had been cut open from career spread over three
the abdomen to the chest. The internal organs decades, has acted in around 500 films, mostly
had been removed. We found some books on in Malayalam besides a few in Tamil and Hindi.
preservation of bodies from which we suspect it Ajith’s body was taken to Kollam, where the last
was embalmed using chemicals,” the police said. rites were performed later yesterday.

Kashmir unrest
Court blow for
Kerala medical
colleges in
admissions row
By Ashraf Padanna state had issued to circumvent
Thiruvananthapuram the verdicts of the high court
that it had upheld.
The Supreme Court bench of

T
he Supreme Court yes-
terday invalidated admis-
sions of 180 medicos into
their second year of studies in
Kerala.
Deemed as a massive setback
for the state government, the
order comes a day after its legis-
lative assembly regularised their
admissions in two medical col-
leges.
The students had all cleared
the mandatory eligibility test,
but the admissions regula-
tor later found the two colleges
collecting a massive amount of
money as “capitation fee” which
is illegal.
The two institutions - Kan-
nur Medical College and Karuna
Medical College – have been in a
lengthy legal battle to regularise
their admissions made in 2016.
The legislature had on
Wednesday unanimously adopt-
ed the Kerala Professional Col-
leges (Regularisation of Admis-
sion in Medical Colleges) Bill
2018.
Though Congress member V
T Balram raised objections, his
leader Ramesh Chennithala said
they were supporting the bill to
safeguard the future of the stu-
dents.
“We all have cleared the NEET
(National Eligibility and En-
trance Test) with higher scores
than those who managed to
get into other colleges,” a dis-
Justice Arun Mishra and U U La-
lit said the admissions were “in
flagrant violation of norms.”
“The (admission regulation)
bill passed unanimously by the
ruling party, and the opposition
in the assembly on Wednesday
infringed the law,” the bench re-
portedly observed.
The state government had re-
quested a delay to the proceed-
ings on the MCI petition which
the SC dismissed.
“The legislation was adopted
with a view of sparing the stu-
dents from misery. The govern-
ment tried to approach it from a A Kashmiri college student throws a stone at a police vehicle during clashes yesterday in protest at the recent killings in Kashmir.
humanitarian angle, but failed,”
former chief minister and op-
position Congress party leader
Oommen Chandy said.
However, the youth wing of
his party and a few other party
leaders criticised the govern-
ment’s attempt to circumvent
norms and slammed the opposi-
tion’s support to it.
“Huge amounts of money had
changed hands, and the ruling
party definitely has its commit-
Jodhpur court to rule on
ments to fulfil,” claimed former
legislator Benny Behenon.
“This is organised plunder. We
shouldn’t have supported it,”
added Youth Congress president
Dean Kuriakose.
The admission regulatory au-
Salman’s bail plea today Salman’s sisters Alvira and film projects under his belt. acquitted. 20 years, including allegations
IANS
thority appointed by the previ- Jodhpur Arpita were present in the court Salman has sought bail but This is the fourth time Sal- of killing a homeless man while
ous government, who was re- when the judgement was pro- his application will be heard man was sent to Jodhpur jail. driving drunk in Mumbai, a
placed last year, had cancelled nounced. today morning in the Jodhpur Earlier, he spent 18 days in the charge he was acquitted of.

qualified student told a local TV
channel.
“We have now been asked to
leave, after two years of learning
medicine. We do not know what
to do. We are being punished for
no fault of our,” the student said.
The Medical Council of India
(MCI) and the state-appointed
regulator had deemed the ad-
missions illegal following which
the Communist government
brought an ordinance.
The federal regulator then
filed a petition in the apex court
questioning the ordinance the
the admissions terming them
‘not transparent and arbitrary’.
The court observed that the
state could not override its order
and warned any violation “will
be dealt with in a serious man-
ner.”
“No legislative act can over-
ride a Supreme Court judge-
ment,” justice Lalit reportedly
observed, when the counsel for
the colleges cited the legislation.
Opposition leader Ramesh
Chennithala, who supported the
bill, said he welcomed the court
verdict.
B
ollywood superstar Sal-
man Khan was yesterday
sentenced to five years in
prison after a court here con-
victed him for killing two rare
blackbucks, putting an end, at
least for now, to a legal battle
that continued for 20 years.
Chief judicial magistrate
Dev Kumar Khatri, while pro-
nouncing the guilty verdict in
the case of killing the protected
antelopes, called Salman, 52, a
“habitual offender” under the
wildlife protection laws of the
country.
Amid tight security, Sal-
man was taken to the Jodh-
pur Central Jail where he will
spend at least a night in barrack
number one. The prison houses
rape-accused Asaram Bapu,
Bhanwari Devi murder accused
Malkhan Singh Vishnoi and
Shambhu Lal Regar, arrested for
killing a Muslim and blatantly
filming the act.
The court also imposed a
fine of Rs10,000 on one of the
biggest Bollywood stars who
currently has an upwards of
Rs6bn worth of unfinished
sessions court. If the bail does
not come through, he will have
to stay in jail for at least three
more days as the weekend fol-
lows.
The prosecution alleged that
Salman and other Bollywood
stars – Saif Ali Khan, Tabu,
Sonali Bendre and Neelam –
went hunting on the October
1-2 in 1998 outside a forest
reserve near Kankani village
in Jodhpur while shooting for
a film.
The four co-stars and a lo-
cal, Dushyant Singh, were all
jail at different times in 1998,
2006 and 2007 – all in poach-
ing cases. Every time, he was
released on bail.
Soon after the guilty verdict,
members of Bishnoi commu-
nity, celebrated in front of the
court. The Bishnoi community
was anguished by the poaching
incident and had filed a com-
plaint against the stars, saying
they heard gunshots being fired
shortly after midnight on Octo-
ber 1, 1998.
This is one of many legal bat-
tles Salman has faced in the last
He was also booked for keep-
ing a weapon under an expired
arms licence. But a trial court
had acquitted him.
In other cases, he was ac-
cused of killing two protected
chinkaras (also known as the
Indian gazelle) in Bhawad and
one in Mathania. However, the
Rajasthan High Court acquitted
him in 2016.
The film fraternity has its fin-
gers crossed over Friday morn-
ing’s court hearing on the ac-
tor’s bail plea.

Shutdown over Cauvery Jaitley suffering from

kidney-related ailment
issue cripples Tamil Nadu Reuters They declined to be named
New Delhi because of the sensitivity of
IANS Dismissing the charge that the Suburban and long distance the matter and the finance
Chennai public was inconvenienced due train services also operated as ministry did not make any for-

F
to the protests, Stalin claimed the usual, a Southern Railway offi- inance Minister Arun mal comment on the minister’s
public actively participated in the cial said. Jaitley yesterday said he health.

N
ormal life was paralysed
in Tamil Nadu yesterday
due to a Dravida Munne-
tra Kazhagam-called shutdown
over the Centre’s failure to set up
a Cauvery Management Board
(CMB).
DMK leader M K Stalin
claimed the shutdown was a
grand success and said over 1mn
were taken into custody across
the state by police yesterday and
where housed in nearby halls.
Stalin thanked leaders of all
political parties, traders, trans-
port employees and others who
extended support and co-oper-
ation for the shutdown. Stalin,
the leader of the opposition in the
Tamil Nadu assembly, added that
a meeting of all parties will be held
at the DMK headquarters today.
He said the all-party meeting
would decide on the modalities
of holding the Cauvery Rights
Retrieval March from Mukkom-
bu in Tiruchirappalli district to
Cuddalore.
protests as it concerned them too.
Stalin added that Governor
Banwarilal Purohit had told him
about the misdeeds of the rul-
ing AIADMK (All India Anna
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam)
government and this was why
he was having review meetings
with district officials.
As part of the shutdown,
Stalin led a massive procession
comprising members from his
party and his allies, on the Anna
Salai to Marina Beach road.
He was accompanied by Tamil
Nadu Congress leader S Thiru-
navukkarasar.
Hundreds of protesters be-
longing to the DMK, Congress,
CPI, CPI-M, Marumalarchi
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi
and farmers were also taken into
custody across the state.
In Chennai, very few govern-
ment buses operated while au-
torickshaws stayed off. Radio
taxis were, however, available.
However, six suburban trains
were held up at the Avadi point
here, the official said. There were
brief protests on the rail tracks at
Salem and Tirunelvelli.
In Tirunelvelli, a large number
of DMK men protested on the
railway line. Around 150 protest-
ers were detained.
As a result of the Tirunelvelli
protest, the Chennai-bound Gu-
ruvayur Express and Thiruvanan-
thapuram-bound Ananthapuri
Express were delayed, according
to the Southern Railway official.
In Tiruppur, units were shut
down in support of the strike.
However petrol stations stayed
open and milk supply was not
affected. Shops in Erode, Naga-
pattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur,
Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram
downed their shutters.
In Puducherry, transport
services were affected while
three buses belonging to Tamil
Nadu State Transport Corpora-
tion were damaged.
was undergoing treat-
ment for kidney related prob-
lems and infections, after he
cancelled a visit to London next
week for annual economic talks.
“I am being treated for
kidney related problems and
certain infections that I have
contracted,” Jaitley said on
Twitter.
“The future course of my
treatment would be deter-
mined by the doctors treating
me,” he said in the tweet, add-
ing he was currently working
from a “controlled environ-
ment at home”.
Jaitley, a prominent mem-
ber of Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi’s inner circle, went
to Delhi’s All India Institute of
Medical Sciences for tests relat-
ed to a kidney ailment, officials
at the finance ministry and at
the medical facility earlier said.
DMK members and opposition groups shout slogans during a protest A medical report is due to-
yesterday against the central government over a delay in setting up day, one of the finance minis-
a Cauvery Management Board. try officials said.
Sources at the finance min-
istry said Modi may have to
appoint a minister as a re-
placement for Jaitley tempo-
rarily if he has to go on long
leave for treatment.
Jaitley, 65, was due to meet
Britain’s Finance Minister
Philip Hammond at the India-
UK economic dialogue and de-
liver a talk on “Looking Ahead
to 2022: India’s Global Vision”
at Chatham House, a policy
think tank.
The organisers of the talk
said the programme had been
cancelled, without giving
a reason. “He will not visit
London next week as he is not
keeping well,” one of the offi-
cials said.
Jaitley skipped a meeting
of finance ministers from the
Group of 20 countries in Ar-
gentina last month. He told
Reuters at the time he was
not in a position to take a long
flight.
 Gulf Times
10 Friday, April 6, 2018

PAKISTAN

Alarming rate of antibiotic consumption found

Internews last month, the study dealt with The huge consumption of an- Professor of microbiology and treat as antibiotics that are used antibiotic era, in which common According to the WHO, the
Karachi 76 countries. tibiotics has been resulting in an- vice-chancellor of Dadabhoy In- to treat them are becoming less infections and minor injuries can antibiotic resistance is acceler-
It found that Pakistan was the tibiotic resistance at an alarming stitute of Higher Education, Dr effective. once again kill,” the WHO says in ated by the misuse and overuse of
third highest consumer of an- scale. Shahana Urooj Kazmi, said that “Self-prescription, which is one of its guidelines. antibiotics, as well as poor infec-

A
ntibiotic consumption
in Pakistan between the
years of 2000 and 2015
increased 65% from 800mn de-
fined daily doses (DDD) to 1.3bn
DDD.
The antibiotic consumption
rate in the country witnessed a
surge from 16.2 DDD to 19.6 DDD
per 1,000 inhabitants per day.
This was disclosed in research,
titled Global Increase and Geo-
graphic Convergence in Antibiotic
Consumption between 2000 and
2015.
Published in the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences
tibiotics after India and China
among the low- and middle-in-
come countries.
Between 2000 and 2015, an-
tibiotic consumption rose from
3.2bn DDD to 6.5bn DDD in India,
undergoing 103% growth, and
from 2.3bn DDD to 4.2bn DDD
in China with the growth rate of
79%, according to the study.
“The use of antibiotics around
the world jumped by 65% be-
tween 2000 and 2015. There were
over 42bn daily doses of antibi-
otics consumed. This is expected
to rise to 128bn by 2030,” reads
the report.
The World Health Organisa-
tion (WHO) has also called for
altering the trends of prescribing
and consuming the antibiotics in
order to deal with antibiotic re-
sistance, which has been termed
a major global threat.
The bulk of the increase in the
antibiotic consumption over the
years came from low and middle
income countries.
However, some rich countries
like the United States, France,
and Italy also witnessed a mar-
ginal increase in the antibiotic
consumption between 2000 and
2015.
the antibiotics resistance, which
is the ability of microbes to evolve
and withstand the effects of anti-
biotics, is a significant cause of
illnesses and mortality globally,
and that the increase in antibi-
otic consumption is the primary
cause of antibiotic resistance.
According to the professor,
antibiotic resistance is one of the
biggest threats to global health,
food security, and development
in the current times.
She said that many diseases,
including pneumonia, tubercu-
losis, gonorrhoea, and salmonel-
losis, are becoming difficult to
very common in Pakistan and its
neighbouring country, needs to
stop immediately or else [many]
diseases will be incurable in this
region,” Kazmi added.
She said the trend of taking
unnecessary antibiotics is more
prevalent among those in the
high income and educated popu-
lation than it is among the low
income people, who mainly re-
lied on doctors for prescription.
“Antibiotic resistance leads
to longer hospital stays, higher
medical costs and increased
mortality. Without urgent ac-
tion, we are heading for a post-
The Global Action Plan on
Antimicrobial Resistance, en-
dorsed by the member states of
the WHO and affirmed at a global
meeting during the 71st General
Assembly of the United Nations
in 2016, recommended that all
countries collect and report anti-
biotic consumption data.
Country-wise data on anti-
biotic use is needed to monitor
regional and global trends over
time, compare antibiotic use
among countries, and provide a
baseline for the evaluation of fu-
ture efforts to reduce antibiotic
use.
tion prevention and control.
It suggests that steps be taken
at all levels to reduce the impact
and limit the spread of antibiotic
resistance.
An individual should only use
antibiotics when they are pre-
scribed by a certified health pro-
fessional.
People should not insist on
consuming antibiotics if the phy-
sician does not prescribe them.
The WHO recommends that
infections be prevented through
maintaining hygiene, and antibi-
otics be used only when they are
required.

Premier declares tax

Pakistan, US in row amnesty to broaden
income revenue base

over visa durations

Internews single-entry visas from Pakistan visas are US citizens of Pakistani When contacted, Pakistan’s Pakistan embassy in Washing-
Reuters
Islamabad

Islamabad embassy in Washington.
Recently, the United States has
also started issuing shorter du-
origin who come home to visit
their families.
The sources said that Pakistan
ambassador to the United States
Aizaz Chaudhry confirmed that
the visa issue has been taken up
ton is way smaller than the US
embassy in Islamabad, and that
hundreds of US embassy officials
P
rime Minister Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi has an-
nounced a tax amnesty
to broaden the government’s
revenue base in a country
where only about 1% of the
He said that the government
is also reducing the tax rate to
encourage people to voluntar-
ily sign up.
Tax rates on individuals vary
in Pakistan, but can be as high
as 30% for salaried individuals
and 35% for non-salaried indi-
viduals.
Pakistan has one of the

A
serious row has erupted
between Pakistan and the
United States over visa re-
strictions for the US officials and
citizens, putting the strained ties
between the two countries under
further stress, it was learnt yes-
terday.
According to US government
sources, the State Department
has written a letter to the Pa-
kistan embassy in Washington
complaining of the issuance of
short duration visas to its of-
ficials and businessmen, and
threatening to reciprocate the
measure for Pakistani officials
and citizens.
The State Department main-
tained that Pakistanis are usu-
ally issued five-year visas by the
US embassy in Islamabad but the
US officials and even business-
men are getting three-month,
ration visas to the Pakistani of-
ficials.
Even the Minister for Interior
Ahsan Iqbal and Foreign Secre-
tary Tehmina Janjua were issued
one-month visas by the US em-
bassy, sources confirmed.
A top Pakistan official who had
served with the World Bank has
been waiting for the last many
weeks to get US visa but so far
there has been no response from
the US embassy.
According to the State Depart-
ment letter, the US has issued
about 40,000 non-immigrant
visas to Pakistanis in the past five
years.
According to the Pakistan em-
bassy sources, Islamabad has is-
sued visas to 60,000 US citizens
in the same period.
However, more than 60% of
those who obtained Pakistani
Crop op
tightened visa control for the US
officials and businessmen after
the case of Raymond Davis, a
US Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) contractor who was ar-
rested in Pakistan for killing two
Pakistanis in Lahore.
During the last Pakistan Peo-
ples Party (PPP) government,
it was alleged that more than
8,000 such visas were issued to
the American citizens by the Pa-
kistan embassy in Washington
with less scrutiny, which alleg-
edly allowed the US to set up a
network of spies inside Pakistan.
However, the then-Pakistan
ambassador to the US, Husain
Haqqani, has repeatedly denied
wrongdoing, claiming that all
visas were issued through proper
procedure with the approval of
then-prime minister Yusuf Raza
Gilani.
with the embassy by the State
Department.
However, he said that Pakistan
is not restricting visas to the US
officials and legitimate business-
men.
To a question as to why the
US businessmen are not granted
longer duration visas by a coun-
try that desperately needs foreign
investment and trade, the am-
bassador said the visas are issued
to those who have verification
from the US-Pakistan Business
Council, or the US or Pakistan
Chambers of Commerce.
“Anyone with proper docu-
ments is issued visa by the Paki-
stan embassy,” the ambassador
said.
He said that Pakistan issued
11,000 visas to Americans last
year.
The ambassador said that the
and contractors are granted visas
every year.
“Some US officials are posted
in Pakistan for a few months so
they get visa for only that dura-
tion,” he said.
He said that five-year family
visas are issued to people of the
Pakistani origin.
However, he said that shorter
duration visas are issued to those
who plan short visits to Pakistan,
for example, some professors
who attend some conferences
and do not require visas of longer
duration.
Last Friday the ambassador
held a meeting with top aides
to discuss the visa row with the
United States.
He has directed his staff to
compile the statistics of Paki-
stani visas granted to the US citi-
zens.
adult population are taxpayers.
Announcing that all 120mn
national identity card holders
will be assigned tax numbers,
Abbasi told a news conference
in Islamabad: “If you don’t pay
taxes, Pakistan will not be sus-
tainable.”
Under the amnesty plan, all
Pakistanis will be able to de-
clare their unreported income
and assets and bring their
money into the tax base after
paying a 5% one-off penalty,
Abbasi said.
He said that Pakistanis living
overseas and declaring income
or assets would pay a 2% one-
time penalty.
Pakistani politicians will
be exempt from the amnesty,
which will be effective until
June 30.
“This is some 2-1/2 months’
time you have to benefit from,
and after that you will have to
face the law,” Abbasi said.
Once the amnesty period
world’s lowest number of tax-
payers as a percentage of the
population.
Successive governments
have promised to rein in tax
evasion and boost revenues
but have faced fierce resist-
ance to change, including from
the many politicians and busi-
nessmen believed to be among
those dodging payment.
Pakistan’s nearly $300bn
economy has recently been
showing signs of vulnerability
despite surging growth rates
above 5%, the fastest pace in a
decade.
The government has in re-
cent months devalued the
rupee, imposed tariffs on im-
ported goods and sought to
boost exports to reduce grow-
ing balance of payments pres-
sures.
A widened current account
deficit has prompted analysts
to suggest the country may
need an International Mon-

Tourists expires, Pakistani authorities

will use technology to identify
and catch tax evaders.
etary Fund bailout in the next
12 months.
Abbasi said that he is aware

spark Abbasi said that only 1.2mn

of Pakistan’s 208mn people
filed income tax returns in the
of the challenges.
“We have been in a growth
phase. There are current ac-

security last year, and of them 500,000

paid zero taxes.
count challenges. We are tack-
ling that,” he said.

scare Baluchistan road projects set to start

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will inaugurate two major
DPA road projects, worth Rs29bn, in Baluchistan tomorrow, according to
Islamabad National Highway Authority (NHA) spokesperson Shahid Zaman.
Zaman said yesterday that the Yakmach-Kharan road project,
costing Rs14bn, and the Khuzdar-Shahdadkot road project, costing

A
group of German tour-
ists appeared to get lost
while travelling through
a volatile region in southwestern
Pakistan on Wednesday, trigger-
ing panic and a massive search,
officials said.
Six men and a woman were
found in the mountains hours
after they lost contact with their
security entourage on their way
to the central province of Pun-
jab from the city of Quetta, said
tribal police official Syed Mo-
hibullah Agha.
They wandered in the moun-
tains of Bolan near Quetta, a re-
gion where the Islamic State (IS)
group and other militias often
murder and kidnap travellers.
A massive search operation
by police and the paramili-
tary Frontier Constabulary was
launched to trace the “missing”
tourists, Agha said.
“They were found in the
mountains six hours after they
disappeared,” the official added,
saying that more than 100 per-
sonnel took part in the search.
Agha said the “adventurous”
tourists ditched their escort on
purpose, but local Geo television
reported that they lost their way.
Local media also put the
Rs15bn, are part of government’s plan to improve and widen road
network in Baluchistan.
The Yakmach-Kharan project, he said, would serve as an important
section of the NHA system which would link Karachi with the
Iranian border with shortest distance through N-25 (Quetta-
Karachi), thus cutting a distance of more than 250km.
The 200km road had been divided in to four sections of 50km
each, he added.
“One of its sections is expected to be completed this year and the
remaining in two years. This road project is located in the remote
part of the province connecting three districts namely Chaghi,
Washak and Kharan,” he added.
With improved connectivity, the pace of development in the area
will increase, and transportation of minerals from Chaghi district,
mainly Reko Diq, to Karachi will become quick and easy.
Zaman described the Khuzdar-Shahdadkot road project as ‘another
extremely important project’ which would provide the much-
needed connectivity between Baluchistan and Sindh provinces.
“It also offers a link for the traffic coming from Gwadar Port and
Khasadaar Force personnel are seen yesterday in a field of poppy in the Prang Ghar area of tribal Mohmand Agency, about 100km from heading towards Sindh and other parts of the country,” he added.
Peshawar. The officers have instructions from the political administration of the Mohmand Agency to destroy poppy crops on more “The 151km road passes through a difficult terrain in Wangu Hill
than 100 acres of land. area and has been one of the challenging projects for the NHA,” he
said.
Lahore women’s chamber of commerce honours 20 achievers
Internews tional fora through her singing written three books – Taboo, Asian Association for Regional governor also took exception to The ceremony had been or-
Lahore and portrayal of a soft image of Forgotten Faces and Folk Herit- Co-operation) WCCI. what he called “negative” por- ganised to celebrate the ac-
Pakistan, was presented with a age of Pakistan. The governor especially men- trayal of Pakistan in the elec- complishments of women who
souvenir. Rajwana said that he always tioned one of the evening’s re- tronic media. had attained distinction in their

number at just six.
Baluchistan, which shares
border with both Afghanistan
and Iran, is Pakistan’s largest but
most volatile province.
It faces a multi-faceted threat
from extremist groups like the
Taliban, Sunni sectarian mili-
tants targeting Shias and nation-
alist insurgents.
Last year, Islamic State mili-
tants kidnapped, and later killed,
a Chinese couple from Quetta.
T
wenty women who have
made their mark in vari-
ous walks of life were
conferred the Women Cham-
ber of Commerce and Industry
(WCCI)’s Laurels of Honour
Awards by Punjab Governor
Rafique Rajwana at Governor
House yesterday.
Elena Nicholas, who has been
representing the Pakistan em-
bassy in Greece for over 20 years
at various national and interna-
She also sang her song I Love
Pakistan that added colour to
the award ceremony.
Among others, the Culture
Award was presented to Dr
Fouzia Saeed, who served as the
head of National Institution of
Traditional and Folk Heritage,
popularly known as Lok Virsa,
from 2013 to February 2018.
In the last two decades, she
has done outstanding work in
promotion of culture as well as
welcomed the WCCI because
the presence of leading women
is a source of encouragement
and strength, which “we convey
to people”.
He said that the women be-
ing given awards and those run-
ning the WCCI had empowered
themselves through hard work,
and mentioned similar women
from Afghanistan and Bangla-
desh whom he had met during a
recent moot of the Saarc (South
cipients, who had started her
business from scratch after her
husband died a few years after
marriage, becoming a successful
entrepreneur.
“I have met many women
who faced hardships but fought
bravely against the heavy odds,”
he said, adding the government
was also doing a lot for the bet-
terment and empowerment of
women.
During the event, the Punjab
“They are portraying a bad
image of Pakistan which in fact
is a beautiful country. Nobody
can stop Pakistan from pro-
gressing, or harm it. We should
love Pakistan more than Elena,”
he said, referring to her song I
Love Pakistan.
WCCI president Falahat Im-
ran, in her welcome address,
said that the body believes in
the economic empowerment of
women.
respective fields and succeeded
despite difficulties that came
their way.
“They are a source of inspira-
tion for us all,” she added.
The chamber’s founding pres-
ident, Dr Shehla Javed Akram,
explained at the event how the
WCCI selects the 20 women for
the awards.
“Pakistan is full of women
who have done unique work,”
she added.
 Gulf Times
Friday, April 6, 2018 11

PHILIPPINES

Duterte cites ‘genocide’ in Myanmar, willing to take refugees

Reuters them Rohingya, have fled palace, touched on various Rohingyas, yes. I will help said Duterte’s comments did Both the Philippines and
Manila from Myanmar into Bangla- issues including his recent but we should split them not reflect the real situation. Myanmar are members of
desh since August last year decision to withdraw from with Europe.” “He doesn’t know anything the Association of Southeast
when the security forces the International Criminal He also mentioned the in- about Myanmar,” Zaw Htay Asian Nations which has

P
hilippine President
Rodrigo Duterte said
yesterday “genocide”
was taking place in Myan-
mar and he was willing to
accept Rohingya Muslim
refugees fleeing from it,
though Europe should help
too. The United Nations
and rights groups say some
700,000 people, most of
sparked a military crack-
down.
The United Nations and
several Western countries
have said the Myanmar ac-
tion constitutes ethnic
cleansing but Myanmar
rejects that. Duterte, in a
wide-ranging speech to
farmers and agriculture of-
ficials at the presidential
Court over its decision to
open a preliminary investi-
gation into his bloody war on
drugs.
Drawing the ire of offi-
cials in Myanmar, Duterte
then expressed sympathy for
the Rohingya and offered to
help. “I really pity the peo-
ple there,” Duterte said. “I’m
willing to accept refugees.
ability of the international
community to resolve prob-
lems in Myanmar. “They
can’t even solve the Ro-
hingya. That’s what geno-
cide is, if I may say so,” Du-
terte said.
Myanmar has rejected
any suggestion genocide is
taking place and its govern-
ment spokesman, Zaw Htay,
told Reuters. “The usual
behaviour of that person is
to speak without restraint.
That’s why he said that.”
Duterte’s comments were
broadcast live on television
and later included in a tran-
script of his speech, issued
by his office. Such a denun-
ciation by a Southeast Asian
leader of a neighbour is rare.
long upheld a convention of
withholding criticism of fel-
low members.
Duterte did not refer by
name to Myanmar leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, who
has been heavily criticised
abroad for failing to stand up
for the Rohingya, only say-
ing: “That woman, she is my
friend.” President Rodrigo Duterte

Maoist rebels reject

President lets justice preconditions for
peace negotiations
minister step down
Reuters The president made the an- ed a monthly cabinet meeting about Aguirre’s departure from of the immigration bureau,
Reuters
Manila
practice of extortion. These were
not conditions, he said, only
moves to create an “enabling
environment”. The New People’s

P
Manila nouncement during a speech, late on Wednesday. cabinet went into overdrive in which comes under his re- hilippine Communist Army has attacked mines, plan-
calling Aguirre “my fraternity Roque also announced the recent weeks after his justice mit, and a proposal to make a guerrillas are willing to tations, construction and other
brother”. He was replaced by appointment of Lieutenant- department, due to insufficient businesswoman embroiled in resume peace talks with businesses and collected “revo-

P
hilippine President Rod-
rigo Duterte said yester-
day he had accepted the
resignation of his justice secre-
tary, the eighth member of his
cabinet to leave since last year,
and had picked the heads of the
country’s security forces. Du-
terte gave no reason for letting
go staunch loyalist and former
university classmate Vitaliano
Aguirre, but it came at a time of
rampant media speculation he
would be sacked over his per-
formance.
Menardo Guevarra, a lawyer
who was the deputy executive
secretary in the president’s
office. Duterte named Metro
Manila police chief Oscar Al-
bayalde as the new head of the
175,000-member national po-
lice force, replacing the tough-
talking Ronald dela Rosa,
whose extended tenure ends
soon.
Presidential spokesman Har-
ry Roque had earlier said there
were no indications Duterte
would fire Aguirre, who attend-
General Carlito Galvez, who
led troops in a five-month-
long battle in a southern city
last year, as the new military
chief. Albayalde and Galvez
will assume their positions
next week after the presi-
dent returned from trips to
China and Hong Kong, Roque
added. The changes will trig-
ger changes in security forces’
leadership.
He said Aguirre’s replace-
ment had taken his oath as the
new justice secretary. Rumours
evidence, dropped charges
against several drug kingpins
who had admitted their in-
volvement in the drug trade.
Duterte has vowed to jail or kill
what he calls “drug lords” as
part of a bloody war on drugs in
which small-time peddlers and
slum dwellers have borne the
brunt of a crackdown in which
police have killed thousands of
people.
Aguirre was also dragged
into a controversy over an at-
tempt to bribe two officials
a bribery scandal a state wit-
ness. Aguirre was in the same
law school fraternity as Du-
terte in Davao City, and he was
the lawyer for a police officer
accused of carrying out kill-
ings at Duterte’s behest during
the 22 years Duterte was mayor
of the southern city.
He is the latest in a series of
top officials who have either re-
signed or been sacked from the
Cabinet, or to have been reject-
ed by lawmakers during confir-
mation hearings.
the government after Presi-
dent Rodrigo Duterte revived
the idea but reject any precon-
ditions, their leader said yes-
terday. Duterte campaigned in
2016 on a promise to end the
nearly 50-year Maoist rebel-
lion, which has killed more
than 40,000 people, by find-
ing a political solution but he
abandoned peace efforts in
November complaining of re-
peated rebel attacks.
On Wednesday, he ordered
his cabinet to work on a truce to
enable talks. It was not imme-
diately clear what prompted the
change of heart.
Jose Maria Sison, founder
lutionary taxation” to finance its
rebellion.
Duterte’s spokesman, Harry
Roque, said the president also
wanted the rebels to drop their
plan to join a coalition govern-
ment because “that is absolutely
not on the bargaining table”. Si-
son said both sides must comply
with previous agreements and
“remove all obstacles and hin-
drances to the peace negotia-
tions” without identifying any
issues.
The government and the com-
munists’ political wing, the Na-
tional Democratic Front, have
been in on-again, off-again ne-
gotiations since 1986. Previous

Boracay island to close for tourists for six months
AFP former Philippine environment
Manila undersecretary Antonio La Vina
told AFP.
He added that the area has
ing to take a hard line, saying
police and potentially even
soldiers would enforce the clo-
sure. “We will issue guidelines
and leader of the Communist
Party of the Philippines (CPP)
who has been living in exile in
the Netherlands since the late
1980s, said the two sides can
resolve any differences during
negotiations. “There should
be no preconditions on the re-
agreements have fallen apart
when the government re-arrest-
ed rebels who served as consult-
ants in the talks.
Philippines is also fight-
ing several insurgencies in the
south. A military spokesman,
Brigadier-General Bienvenido

T
he Philippines is closing
its best-known holiday
island Boracay to tour-
ists for up to six months over
concerns that the once idyllic
white-sand resort has become
a “cesspool” tainted by dumped
sewage, authorities said yester-
day. Philippine President Ro-
drigo Duterte has ordered the
shutdown to start on April 26
for a maximum period of half
a year, his spokesman Harry
Roque said.
“Boracay is known as a par-
adise in our nation and this
temporary closure is (meant)
to ensure that the next genera-
tions will also experience that,”
Roque told reporters.
The decision jeopardises the
livelihood of thousands em-
ployed in the island’s bustling
tourist trade that each year
serves 2mn guests and pumps
roughly $1bn in revenue into the
Philippine economy. Experts
said the measure also appeared
to contradict the government’s
own pro-development policy
for the island, including the
recent approval of a planned
Tourists pose for photos along a beach on Boracay island in Malay
town, Aklan province, central Philippines.
$500mn casino and resort on
Boracay.
The threat of closure first
emerged in February when Du-
terte blasted the tiny island’s
hundreds of tourism-related
hotels, restaurants and other
businesses, accusing them of
dumping sewage directly into
the sea and turning it into a
“cesspool”. Authorities said
yesterday some businesses were
using the island’s drainage sys-
tem to send untreated sewage
into its surrounding turquoise
waters.
The environment ministry
says 195 businesses, along with
more than 4,000 residential
customers, are not connected to
sewer lines. But within weeks of
Duterte lashing out at the local
businesses, the Philippines gave
the green light for Macau casino
giant Galaxy Entertainment to
begin construction next year of
the casino and resort complex.
“The casino contradicts all the
efforts now of cleaning up and
making sure Boracay goes back
to the state where it doesn’t
violate its carrying capacity,”
seen “unlimited” development
because “local government
units and the national govern-
ment agencies did not do their
job of enforcing rules on land
use, environmental impact as-
sessment”. Authorities said
they would use the closure to
build new sewage and drainage
systems, demolish structures
built on wetlands and sue offi-
cials and businessmen who vio-
lated environmental laws.
The impact of the decision
was already being felt, with do-
mestic airlines announcing they
would scale back the number of
flights to the jumping off point
to the 1,000-hectare (2,470-
acre) island. Malaysian low-
cost carrier Asia Air has sus-
pended all of its domestic and
international flights to Boracay
until further notice. “I am re-
ally in a quandary on how to
handle six months (of closure),”
budget hostel manager Manuel
Raagas told AFP. “There will be
no income and we have bills to
pay so I don’t know how I will
survive.”
Officials said they were will-
on how to bar tourists from en-
tering starting from the port,”
interior assistant secretary Epi-
maco Densing told reporters
yesterday.
“Whether foreign or local,
they will not be allowed to enter
the island.” The Boracay Founda-
tion Inc, a business association
on the island, had asked the gov-
ernment to shut down only those
violating environmental laws.
“It’s unfair for compliant es-
tablishments to be affected by
the closure,” Executive Director
Pia Miraflores told AFP. Mira-
flores said that even before the
ban was announced, its shadow
had hit some businesses hard
in Boracay. Some couples who
scheduled their weddings on
the island up to a year or two
in advance had cancelled their
reservations even before the
ban was announced, she said,
with tour agents also besieged
with client calls on whether to
pursue their planned trips.
Boracay employs 17,000 peo-
ple, as well as 11,000 construc-
tion workers working on new
projects.
sumption of peace talks,” Sison
said in a radio interview, adding
both sides should “bring dif-
ferent positions on issues to the
table in order to thresh out the
differences and arrive at agree-
ments”.
Jesus Dureza, a presidential
adviser, said in a radio interview
there should be no attacks from
either side before talks resume
and the rebels had to stop their
Moderately strong quake
off southern Philippines
A moderately strong
5.9-magnitude earthquake
struck at sea off the main
southern Philippine island of
Mindanao yesterday, the US
Geological Survey said, though
local authorities said they did
not expect any damage. The
quake was recorded shortly
before midday with the
epicentre at 45km southeast of
the town of Tarragona, the USGS
added.
The Philippine Institute of
Datuin, said the army would
support the government’s peace
initiative but “will continue per-
forming our mission and man-
date of protecting the people and
security the state”.
Defence and military officials
also doubt how much control
political leaders abroad have on
their fighters at home after at-
tacks during peace negotiations
last year.
Volcanology and Seismology,
which separately measured it
at 6.0, said the quake was felt in
the Mindanao cities of Davao,
Mati and Bislig, but that it did not
expect any damage. Regional
police in Davao city said they
did not feel the quake, which the
USGS recorded at a depth of 64.4
kilometres below the ground.
“We have not had any reports
of casualties or damage,” police
officer Hasmin Mondilla told AFP
by telephone.

Pathologist challenges officials’ view that US cameraman committed suicide in jail

By Nathan Layne United States found deep bruis- ters, referring questions about factor in his death. which included a second autopsy
Reuters es on Phinney’s body, caused the case to NBI headquarters in Asked about this assertion, and other tests. Laposata said
within three or four hours of Manila. Bernales did not name Assistant Presidential Commu- she found two ligature marks on
his death, and an unexplained the human rights groups. Royina nications Secretary Rachel Rod- Phinney’s neck, one more than

A
n American cameraman
and filmmaker who died
in December in a jail in the
Philippines suffered blunt-force
trauma, and his body had mark-
ings inconsistent with the of-
ficial account by Philippine au-
thorities that he hanged himself,
a private US pathologist said.
The findings raised new ques-
tions about the death of Jesse
Phinney on the Philippine is-
land of Cebu. Law enforcement
officials there said they found
the 42-year-old Boston native
hanging in the bathroom of a
detention facility where he was
being held on December 5, and
declared it a suicide.
Phinney’s family, suspecting
foul play and believing he was
incapable of the alleged crimes
that prompted his arrest, hired a
Providence, Rhode Island-based
forensic pathologist and a pri-
vate investigations company to
look into his death. The patholo-
gist, Dr Elizabeth Laposata, told
Reuters in a recent interview that
an autopsy she performed in the
mark on his neck. She said she
believed the evidence indicated
that Phinney did not take his
own life.
“No medical examiner would
be comfortable saying this is a
suicidal hanging because there
are all these unexplained things,”
said Laposata, a former chief
medical examiner for the state of
Rhode Island who is now in pri-
vate practice and regularly testi-
fies at murder trials. The day be-
fore he was found dead, Phinney
had been arrested on suspicion
of violating human trafficking
and child abuse laws, according
to a report by the National Bu-
reau of Investigation (NBI) seen
by Reuters. The NBI is the Phil-
ippine equivalent of the US Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation.
According to the report, the
NBI began tracking Phinney af-
ter a December 2016 complaint
by Cebu Vice Governor Agnes
Magpale, who also co-chairs a
women’s protection group. The
report included affidavits from a
mother and child who said Phin-
American cameraman and filmmaker Jesse Phinney, a native of
Boston, Massachusetts, US, who died in December 2017 while in
custody on the Philippine island of Cebu.
ney sometimes had minors sleep
at his home, took pictures of
them, and gave them gifts.
Magpale told Reuters in a text
message that she referred Phin-
ney to the NBI, which she said
is standard procedure when her
office is presented with allega-
tions of human trafficking or
other crimes. “I was told NBI did
surveillance work for some time.
When NBI took over, they filed
the case,” she said. The NBI’s
report said Phinney was found
hanging by a belt and that an au-
topsy commissioned by the NBI
determined the cause of death
was “asphyxia by hanging.” The
report was sent to the US em-
bassy in Manila by the NBI’s re-
gional director in Cebu, Patricio
Bernales.
“I thought this case was
closed, but the local police is
now conducting an investi-
gation and the human rights
groups here are also asking a lot
of questions,” Bernales told Reu-
Garma, a police superintendent
in charge of criminal investiga-
tions in Cebu, told Reuters that
his superiors in Manila ordered
his office to probe Phinney’s
death. He said they had sought
all documents related to the case
from the NBI in Cebu but had yet
to receive them.
Ferdinand Lavin, an NBI
spokesman in Manila, said his
office did not have any comment
and that he expected the bu-
reau’s office in Cebu to respond
to any questions.
Phinney’s death occurred
against the backdrop of Philip-
pines President Rodrigo Du-
terte’s nearly two-year-old “war
on drugs,” which critics say has
led to the deaths of thousands
of small-time drug users and
dealers in execution-style kill-
ings by law enforcement. While
acknowledging she had no proof,
Phinney’s sister, Molly Phinney
Baskette, told Reuters in a TV
interview that she feared that a
culture of “widespread extraju-
dicial killing” was a contributing
ulfo referred Reuters to “the ap-
propriate authorities” and said
she trusted that “proper proce-
dures would be observed in the
conduct of the probe.” Phinney
was a cinematographer on more
than two dozen documentaries,
TV series and reality shows on
channels including Discovery
and History, according to the
IMDb movie and TV informa-
tion website. Most recently, he
worked on National Geograph-
ic’s 2014-2016 series ‘Life Below
Zero’.
He had been winding down
his TV career and was looking to
start a new one building off-the-
grid housing for low-income
people. He had recently settled
in Cebu, which he often called
“the happiest place on Earth,”
his sister said. “They said it was
suicide. It was not suicide,” said
Phinney Baskette, a minister at
a church in Berkeley, Califor-
nia, adding that she believed her
brother was innocent.
Reuters reviewed Laposata’s
death investigation report,
is typical in a suicide. She also
pointed to two distinct blood
and fluid stains found on his
T-shirt, whereas only one stain
pattern would be expected in a
suicidal hanging, dropped from
the nose or mouth.
Laposata also pointed to a
picture of Phinney when he was
arrested that showed he was not
wearing a belt. The patholo-
gist said the autopsy done in the
Philippines immediately after
Phinney’s death missed a haem-
orrhage on top of his head, as
well as deep bruises on his back
and shoulder consistent with
blunt-force trauma. Phinney’s
family raised about $34,000 via
a GoFundMe page to defray the
costs for the second autopsy and
to hire Insiders Corp, a Paris-
based investigations firm now
probing his death in the Philip-
pines.
The company is working the
case pro bono, and plans to issue
a public report of its findings in
the coming weeks, said spokes-
woman Grace Cameron.
 Gulf Times
12 Friday, April 6, 2018

BANGLADESH/NEPAL
Needing help

Dhaka seeks
death penalty
for drug
traffickers
AFP maximum punishment will be (the) Raids of fishing boats have uncov-
Dhaka death sentence,” Jamaluddin Ahmed, ered huge hauls of the drug.
the head of Bangladesh’s narcotics Authorities said last week that nine
control department, told AFP in the mn yaba tablets were seized in less

B
angladesh wants to punish
methamphetamine traffickers
with the death penalty, officials
said yesterday, as authorities con-
front the growing popularity of the
dangerous and addictive drug.
The proposal to crackdown on the
spread of methamphetamine, known
locally as “yaba”, comes after Bang-
ladesh seized more than 40mn pills
of the narcotic in 2017 — double the
previous year.
Authorities want to elevate yaba to
a Class A banned substance, meaning
traffickers would face the death pen-
alty instead of life behind bars.
“We’ll raise the punishment for
yaba trafficking. In the new law the
capital.
Bangladesh law enforcement say
the drugs are smuggled across the
porous border from Myanmar.
Ahmed said traffickers had been
more active since August, when Ro-
hingya refugees fleeing violence in
Myanmar began pouring into Bang-
ladesh.
Gangs had been using the Rohingya
as mules and hiding drugs in fishing
boats used to ferry the persecuted
Muslims to safety.
“Recently there has been such a
huge inflow of yaba from Myanmar
that it has become increasingly diffi-
cult for us to control it. As a result, its
use has also increased,” Ahmed said.
than three months as the refugee in-
flux reached its peak.
Nearly two mn pills were discov-
ered in a single haul.
Towfique Uddin Ahmed, a director
at the narcotics control department,
said authorities estimate $600mn
worth of yaba could be sold on Bang-
ladesh’s streets this year.
One senior official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said “drastic
action” like the violent crackdown on
drug users and dealers in the Philip-
pines could be needed to stamp out
the drug.
“Some (traffickers) should be put in
the crosshairs. We have come to that
point,” he said.

Bad weather stalls sherpas’

bid to re-open Everest route
DPA their mission to secure a route to the
Kathmandu peak, were expected to reach Camp II
(6,400m) on Wednesday.
However, they are yet to make
to clear until Saturday,” Sameer
Shrestha, a forecaster at the Mete-
orological Forecasting Division told
DPA in Kathmandu.

A
dverse weather conditions
have delayed an attempt by
a team of elite sherpas to re-
open the route to Everest for the
spring climbing season, a spokes-
person for the group said yester-
day.
The eight sherpas who have already
made their way to Camp I (at an alti-
tude of around 6,000m) as part of
progress due to bad weather, said
Kabindra Rai, an official from the
Sagarmatha Pollution Control Com-
mittee.
“They will again attempt the climb
to Camp II,” Rai added.
The forecast for Everest indicates
that it won’t be easy for the sherpas.
“Our forecasts for the Everest re-
gion say that the weather is unlikely
Every year, hundreds of climbers
attempt to scale Everest during the
spring season, which runs from April
to May.
The route fixed by the Sherpas dur-
ing the climbing season is damaged
by snow.
More than 5,000 people have sum-
mitted the 8,848-metre peak, which
straddles Nepal and China.

Autism awareness
People light up
candles during an
event to call for
care for autistic
children to mark
World Autism
Awareness Day in
Kathmandu earlier
this week.

A Rohingya Muslim refugee looks on as she takes rests after collecting relief aid at Kutupalong refugee camp in
Bangladesh’s Ukhia district.

Women lead push for rights in Bangladesh’s fashion factories

By Anuradha Nagaraj, Reuters changed. Overnight, I became collective bargaining are the women make up about half of the workers across 52 unionised fac- supports unions and organises we were facing, from not enough
Dhaka important.” biggest challenges the industry new factory union leaders. tories. and educates workers across the fans to dirty drinking water.”
Akhter, 28, is among scores of faces today,” said Nazma Akter, a Although women said their The government cracked down city, about 80,000 of whom at- These problems have now been
women in Bangladesh standing former child worker and founder newfound union power had on unions after garment work- tend its meetings. resolved, said Begum has spent

W
hen Ayesha Akhter
walks into the fac-
tory where she works,
the supervisor greets her with a
smile and wishes her a pleasant
day — a major change after years
of physical and verbal abuse from
managers in Bangladesh’s $28bn
garment industry.
The seamstress said it is her
biggest victory since being elect-
ed president in October of the
workers’ union at Jeans Factory
Limited in Dhaka, amid a push
to improve conditions across the
global fashion supply chain.
“In all these years, I have heard
supervisors yell, verbally abuse,
call us prostitutes and slap us
behind our heads to work faster,”
Akhter, who spends eight hours
a day stitching pockets on jeans
and shorts, told the Thomson
Reuters Foundation.
“Then I became the un-
ion president and everything
up to head unions and negotiate
with male-dominated manage-
ment for more pay, safer work-
places and respect on the job.
Bangladesh is the world’s sec-
ond-largest garment exporter
with some 4mn people working
in its 4,000-plus factories, near-
ly 80% of them women, cam-
paigners say.
Poor working conditions and
low wages have long been a con-
cern in the sector, which suffered
one of the worst industrial ac-
cidents in 2013, when more than
1,100 people were killed in the
collapse of the Rana Plaza com-
plex.
Garment factory workers at-
tempting to set up unions have
encountered resistance across
the region, with many losing
their jobs or being suspended by
managements that fear the power
of unions, leaders said.
“Freedom of association and
of Awaj Foundation, which cam-
paigns for labour rights.
“Without that power, work-
ers are just surviving, not lead-
ing normal lives, and it’s almost
a crime.”
Five years after Rana Plaza, one
of the region’s strongest move-
ments to organise workers and
help them exercise collective
bargaining has emerged — led by
Bengali women.
The number of registered
unions in Bangladesh has in-
creased about fivefold to almost
500 since 2013, according to
Jennifer Kuhlman of US-based
workers’ rights charity Solidar-
ity Center.
“Many of them are being
headed by young, dynamic wom-
en who are choosing to lead from
the front to bring about change,”
said Kuhlman, who heads its
Bangladesh programmes.
Campaigners estimate that
opened their eyes to their rights
— from social security benefits to
overtime — they fear losing their
jobs.
Akhter remembers the “big
fight” she had with her husband
when she said she was consider-
ing standing for president.
“He was mad and upset and
clearly told me not to,” said the
mother of two.
“He was scared and worried
about my safety. He relented but
we always worry because of what
we see and hear.”
It was easy to unionise imme-
diately after the Rana Plaza dis-
aster but activists are now being
harassed, workers fired and union
meetings disrupted, said Babul
Akhter, president of the Bang-
ladesh Garment and Industrial
Workers Federation.
“It is difficult and workers are
facing a tough time,” said Akhter,
whose organisation supports
ers in Ashulia, a suburb outside
Dhaka, protested the death of a
co-worker and demanded more
wages in December 2016, cam-
paigners said.
In the following four months,
almost 40 union leaders were
arrested and many union offices
were shut down by the govern-
ment, according to the Solidarity
Centre.
Many leaders were given bail
but some cases are ongoing and
workers fear the repercussions of
formally joining unions, activists
said.
Bangladesh labour officials
were not immediately available
to comment although the de-
partment’s website lists some of
the disputes between unions and
factories that it has mediated.
The second floor of a nonde-
script building in Dhaka houses
the office of the Sommilito Gar-
ments Sramik Federation, which
Nahidul Hasan Nayan, its gen-
eral secretary, is buried in paper-
work — helping workers submit
applications to form unions.
“It is not easy,” said Nayan,
adding that 30% of workers in a
factory must apply for the gov-
ernment to register a union,
which takes months.
“Sometimes all it takes for the
registration of a union to be re-
jected is one mismatched signa-
ture.”
In another room, women qui-
etly walk in and sit around a ta-
ble for an evening meeting, after
their shifts.
Among them is Shampa Be-
gum, 30, who became president
of her factory union a year ago,
when workers began organising
themselves and asked her to lead
them.
“They all insisted and so I
agreed,” she said quietly.
“There were a lot of problems
nearly 15 years stitching zips on to
pants and earns 7,500 taka ($90)
a month.
Before the union was formed,
Begum waited for hours outside
the administrator’s office to re-
solve tiny problems.
“They would ridicule us, ask-
ing if we thought we were big
leaders, asking for facilities.
Now, we are leaders and things
get done,” she said.
The women said they have less
time for their families but it is
a price they are willing to pay to
bring about change.
Akhter wakes up at 5am to cook
and take her children to school,
works an eight-hour shift, and
returns home after dark.
She spends all of her breaks
doing union work and is con-
stantly thinking about how to
solve factory problems.
“It is exhausting but God gives
me the energy,” she said.

Virtues of the Mothers of the Believers
A
Muslim woman finds true
happiness when she follows
the example of the best
women who lived in the best
of generations. These women lived in
the noblest of homes, the home of the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
Allah The Almighty exalted their
status, honoured their rank and the
Qur’an praised them in the verse in
which Allah the Almighty Says (what
means): {O wives of the Prophet, you
are not like anyone among women, if
you fear Allah.} [Qur’an 33:32] They
were blessed wives and great women.
Khadijah bint
Khuwaylid
(may Allah be pleased with her)
She was the first wife of the Prophet,
sallallaahu `alaihi wa sallam, -- wise,
intelligent, religious, and of noble
lineage. She was brought up to observe
virtues, noble morals, and generosity.
She was the epitome of chastity and
honour, for she was known among the
Makkan women as “The chaste”. The
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam,
married her and she was the best of
wives to him. She supported him with
herself, her money, and intelligence.
At times of distress and sadness,
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, used to resort to her and tell
her about his pains and worries. When
he received the Revelation through
Jibril (may Allah exalt his mention),
for the first time, he returned to her
with a trembling heart and said to
her: “I do not know what happened to
me! O Khadijah! I fear that something
harmful may happen to me!” She
‘A’ishah bint
Abu Bakr
As-Siddiq
(may Allah be pleased with them
both)
I
n the house of truthfulness and
piety, ‘A’ishah bint Abu Bakr As-
Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with
them both) was born. She grew in
a home that was based on faith, for her
mother was a Companion, her sister was
Asmaa’(may Allah be pleased with her)
the lady of the two girdles, was also a
Companion, and her brother was also a
Companion of the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam. Her father was the
Siddiq of this Ummah (the steadfast
affirmer of truth of the Muslim Ummah).
She grew in the home of knowledge,
for her father was the prominent
scholar and genealogist of the Quraysh.
She was endowed with extraordinary
intelligence and a sharp memory.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy
upon him) said: “Among all the
nations, there was none like ‘A’ishah
in her sharp memory, knowledge,
eloquence, and intelligence. She
preceded all women in knowledge
and wisdom as she was blessed
with understanding Fiqh (Islamic
jurisprudence), memorising poetry,
Zaynab bint
Jahsh
(may Allah be pleased with her)
T
he mother of the needy,
Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah
be pleased with her) was
the paternal cousin of the
Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, enjoyed a noble and prestigious
lineage. Allah The Almighty made her a
wife of His Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam, through a Qur’anic text and
with neither a matrimonial guardian
nor witnesses. Allah The Almighty Says
(what means): {So when Zayd had no
longer any need for her, We married her
to you.} [Qur’an 33:37]
Her marriage to the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was a
blessing for Muslim women until the
advent of the Hour. Having married her,
the Hijab (Islamic covering) was obligated
upon Muslim women in order to maintain
their honor, chastity, and purity.
She used to give abundantly to the
poor and weak, beneficently performed
righteous deeds, and gave charity.
Despite her noble position and high
rank, she used to work with her hands in
tanning skin, and weaving and then she
would give in charity from her earnings.
‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her)
said about her: “I never saw a woman
better in religiousness than Zaynab,
nor more pious, truthful in speech,
maintaining kinship ties, and greater in
giving charity than her.”
The sincere worshipper, Juwayriyyah
bint Al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with
her) was from Banu Al-Mustaliq. Her
father was a chief of his people. She was
blessed in herself and a source of blessing
for her people as well. ‘A’ishah said: “I
never saw a woman greater in blessing for
her people than her.”
She was in the habit of worshipping
received him with a steadfast heart,
and said, “Never! By Allah. Allah will
never disgrace you!”
Islam first saw light in her home
and she was the first to embrace it. Ibn
Al-Kathir (may Allah have mercy upon
him) said: “According to the consensus
of the Muslims, Khadijah (may Allah be
pleased with her) was the first person
to embrace Islam. She was preceded by
neither a man nor a woman!”
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam, was greatly distressed at
the beginning of his Da’wah (calling
people to Islam) and was exposed to
severe torture. At that time, Khadijah
provided him with comfort and
wise opinion. Whenever he heard
something hateful from people and he
returned to her she always supported
and comforted him. Counting her
virtues, the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “She believed
in me when people disbelieved, held
me truthful when people belied me,
provided me with wealth when people
prevented me and Allah granted me
children from her while He deprived
me that from other women.” [Ahmad]
She was a great woman, a dutiful
wife, and a kind mother. The Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, had all
his children from her except Ibrahim.
She had noble morals and sublime
qualities, as she never argued with
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, in any discussion nor harmed
him in any dispute. In a Hadeeth,
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, said: “Jibril came to me and
said, ‘Give her (Khadijah) the glad
tidings of a palace made of hollowed
pearls in Paradise, in which there will
be neither noise nor trouble.” [Al-
Bukhari and Muslim]
As-Suhayli (may Allah have mercy
and all the sciences of Shari’ah (Islamic
jurisprudence).”
Ath-Thahabi (may Allah have mercy
upon him) said: “She was the most
knowledgeable among all women of
this Ummah. I do not know a woman
more knowledgeable than her in the
Muslim Ummah, or even from among
all the women of the world.”
She surpassed all other women by
her virtues and kind companionship.
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, said: “‘A’ishah ‘s excellence over
other women is like that of Thareed (a
delicious mixture of meat and bread)
over other types of food.” [Al-Bukhari]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, loved her very much and he
loved only what is good and beautiful.
‘Amr ibn Al-‘As (may Allah be pleased
with him) asked the Messenger of Allah,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, once:
“Who is most beloved to you from
among people?” He replied: “‘A’ishah.”
Then ‘Amr asked: “(Who is most
beloved to you) from among men?” He
replied: “Her father.” [Al-Bukhari]
She was the only virgin woman
from among the wives of the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and the
only wife in whose bed the Revelation
(Jibril, may Allah exalt his mention)
came to him. She was a chaste woman
and sincere worshipper. She used to go
out only during the night in order to
screen herself from men. She said: “We
used to go out only during the night.”
her Lord and devoutly obedient to Him.
She used to sit in her place of prayer
remembering Allah The Almighty until
midday. It was narrated that she said, “The
Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, passed by me in the early morning
while I was remembering Allah and then he
went out for his needs. Then he returned
shortly before midday, and he said: ‘Are
you still sitting here (remembering Allah)?’
I replied, ‘Yes.’” [Muslim]
The notable, Safiyyah bint Huyayy
(may Allah be pleased with her) was from
the offspring of Harun (Aaron) - may
Allah exalt his mention. She was noble,
wise, prestigious, religious, tolerant, and
revered. It was narrated that the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said to her:
“You are a daughter of a prophet (i.e.
Harun), your uncle is a prophet [i.e.,
Musa (Moses)], and your husband is a
prophet (i.e., himself).” [At-Tirmithi]
The banquet of her marriage to the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam,
included butter, goat cheese, and dates.
Therefore, her marriage was easy and
blessed.
The one who maintained her
kinship ties, Maymunah bint Al-Harith
Al-Hilaliyyah (may Allah be pleased with
her). She was one of the greatest women.
Allah The Almighty endowed her with
a sound heart and pure self and she
was a devoted worshipper of Allah The
Almighty. ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased
with her) said: “She was the best among
us in fearing Allah and maintaining
kinship ties.”
O Muslims! These are the biographies
of immortal women in Islam, the Mothers
of the Believers, may Allah be pleased
with them. They were endowed with a
shining position and combined beauties
and virtues. It is their due right that
Muslim women consider them a beacon
of life, benefit from their lives, and
follow their example in religiousness,
good morals, consciousness of Allah The
Almighty and complete submission to the
command of Allah The Almighty and His
In doing so, she applied the verse in
which Allah The Exalted Says (what
means): {And abide in your houses
and do not display yourselves as [was]
the display of the former times of
ignorance.} [Qur’an 33:33]
Commenting on this verse, Al-
Qurtubi may Allah have mercy upon him
said, “The Shari’ah is full of proofs which
oblige women to abide in their houses
and not to frequently go out unless
there is a necessity. When there is a
necessity to go out, women are required
to completely cover themselves.”
Allah The Almighty puts to trial
those whom He loves and one is given
trials according to his level of faith.
‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with
her, was accused of adultery when she
was twelve years old. She said, “I wept
throughout the whole night until the
morning. I did not get any sleep, nor
did my tears cease until my parents
thought that weeping would split my
liver.” The trial grew more and more
severe until she said, “My tears dried
up, so that I could no longer feel a
single tear.”
Ibn Kathir said: “Allah The Almighty
got jealous for her sake.” Therefore,
He revealed her innocence in ten
Qur’anic verses which will continue to
be recited until the end of time. This
endowed her with a sublime reputation
and prestigious position and proved
her chastity while she was still young.
Allah The Almighty gave testimony
Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
Muslim women should emulate their
devotion to worship by doing more acts of
obedience, speaking the truth, controlling
the tongue, giving generously to the
poor, relieving the distress of the weak,
raising children well, adopting patience in
reforming children, fortifying themselves
with knowledge and when in doubt,
asking those who are firm in knowledge.
Muslim women must also be careful
about observing correct Hijab (Islamic
covering), guarding their chastity, abiding
in their houses, keeping away from
suspicious matters and desires, avoiding
excessive ambitions in this worldly life,
avoiding negligence in this worldly life,
and taking care of the apparent side
while neglecting the inner side, giving
free hand for one’s eyes to look at what
is prohibited, using soft speech with
men and avoiding voices which call to
impermissible exposure of women’s
beauty and intermixing with men. A
woman’s greatness and glory lies in
adhering to her religiousness and abiding
by her Hijab. Allah The Exalted Says
(what means): {O Prophet, tell your wives
and your daughters and the women of the
believers to bring down over themselves
[part] of their outer garments. That is
more suitable that they will be known and
not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving
and Merciful. } [Qur’an 33:59]
The wives of the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, lived with him in
humble houses, in chambers built
of mud-bricks and palm reeds,
nevertheless, these chambers were full
of faith and piety. They were patient
with the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, and complained from neither
poverty nor need. They used to spend
one or two months with no fire kindled
for cooking in their houses. They
experienced days when there was only
one date in their house. They used to
spend days while they had only water
and there was no food at all. They were
satisfied with their lives and looked for
THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
that she is a pure and good woman and
further promised her His Forgiveness
and abundant Provision.
She continued to serve the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and
nurse him during his sickness until he
died on the night appointed for her,
in her house and while he was leaning
between her chin and chest.
The woman of the wholesome
heart, Sawdah bint Zam‘ah (may Allah
be pleased with her) was the first wife
of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, after the death of Khadijah
(may Allah be pleased with her). She
remained his only wife for three years.
She was revered and noble and endowed
with a clear and pure heart. Caring for
the feelings of the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, she gave up the night
that was appointed for her to ‘A’ishah
(may Allah be pleased with her) seeking
the Satisfaction of her Lord.
Hafsah, daughter of the
Commander of the Believers, ‘Umar
ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased
with them both) was a devout
worshipper who was steadfast in her
prayers and fasting. She grew up in
a house whose members supported
Islam and worked hard to make the
truth manifest. Seven people from
her family attended the battle of Badr.
Concerning her, ‘A’ishah (may Allah
be pleased with her) said: “She was
the only one to vie with me (with
regard to her status from the Prophet)
the promise of Allah The Exalted Who
Says (what means): {And the Hereafter
is better for you than the first [life].}
[Qur’an 93:4]
Their reward is twice. Allah The
Exalted Says (what means): {And
whoever of you devoutly obeys Allah and
His Messenger and does righteousness
-- We will give her reward twice; and We
have prepared for her a noble provision.}
[Qur’an 33:31]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, married five of them when they
were 40 to 60 years old. In doing so,
he ensured taking care of widows and
sponsoring their orphans. He married
Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her,
when she was forty years old and she
previously had three children from another
husband, even though it was the first time
for him to marry. He married Zaynab bint
Khuzaymah, (may Allah be pleased with
him) a widow who was approaching 60.
He married Umm Salamah (may Allah be
pleased with her) while she was a widow
and had six children. He married Sawdah
(may Allah be pleased with her) a widow
who was 55 years old.
He married from his relatives; the
daughters of his paternal uncles and
aunts, as well as those who were not his
relatives. He was a merciful husband to
them, dutiful, generous, kind, cheerful,
and gentle with them. A person who
seeks happiness has to follow the role
model of the best of all humans, the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
The Muslim women, meanwhile, are
required to follow the example of his
righteous wives. A woman will not find
success unless she follows their example
in adhering to the Hijab, righteousness,
piety as well as kindness to both her
husband and children.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.
net/emainpage/
upon him) said: “She was given the
glad tidings of a house in Paradise
because she never raised her voice over
that of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam, nor did she ever bother
him.”
She was pleased with her Lord and
Allah The Almighty is pleased with her.
In a Hadith, the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Jibril told
me, ‘When Khadijah comes to you,
convey to her the greeting of her Lord
and mine as well.” [Al-Bukhari and
Muslim]
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have
mercy upon him) said: “Khadijah, may
Allah be pleased with her, was the
only woman known to have had this
virtue. Allah The Almighty loved her
and so did His angels, as well as the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
In a Hadith, the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Her love
was nurtured in my heart by Allah.”
[Muslim]
Whenever the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, mentioned her,
he would exalt her and praise her
companions. ‘A’ishah (may Allah be
pleased with her) said: “Whenever
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, mentioned Khadijah, he would
never get tired of praising her and
invoking Allah to forgive her, as a way
of showing gratitude for her love and
faithfulness, and he used to honour her
friends after her death.”
‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased
with her) added, “He would often
slaughter a goat, cut it into parts
and distribute it among Khadijah’s
friends. Whenever I asked him: ‘(You
act) as if there was no other women in
the world except Khadijah!’ He would
say (praising Khadijah): ‘She was this
and that (counting her virtues) and
from among the wives of the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.”
The benevolent, Zaynab bint
Khuzaymah Al-Hilaliyyah (may
Allah be pleased with her) was a
generous giver and used to hasten in
doing righteous and good deeds. She
remained the wife of the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, for two
months and then died.
Umm Habibah, Ramlah bint Abu
Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with
them) emigrated for the sake of Allah
The Almighty seeking His reward.
Unlike all the other wives of the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam,
she was the closest in kinship relation
to him, received the highest dowry, and
was the farthest in distance from him
when he concluded the marriage with
her. He concluded the marriage with
her when she was in Abyssinia fleeing
to protect her religion. The King of
Abyssinia paid her dowry on behalf
of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, and provided her with the
necessary marital needs.
Umm Salamah, Hind bint Abu
Ummayyah (may Allah be pleased
with her) was known as a patient and
bashful believer, who was one of the
early emigrants to Madinah. When
she wanted to migrate to Madeenah
with her husband, Abu Salamah,
may Allah be pleased with him, her
people separated her and her husband
and child. She said, “I used to go out
Giving da’wah
Question: Is da’wah (calling)
to Allah (i.e. Islam) obligatory
upon every Muslim man and
woman, or is it to be left for
the scholars and the students
of Islamic knowledge only? Is
it permissible for the average
person to do da’wah to Allah?
Answer by Shaykh
Muhammad Ibn Saalih Ibn
Al-Uthaimeen
When a person has knowledge
and insight into that which he
is calling to, then there is no
difference between the one who
has a great amount of knowledge,
or a student of knowledge who
has recently started in persuit
of knowledge or a common
person - as long as he has certain
knowledge of the issue at hand.
The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam) said: Convey from me
even if it is one aayah (verse) [Al-
Bukhari]. So it is not a condition
upon the daa’ee (caller) to attain
a great amount of knowledge,
but the condition is that one
must have knowledge of what
one is calling to. If this calling is
established upon ignorance and
built upon emotion and passion,
then it is not permissible.
Thus, we see that some of
the brothers who call to Allah
do not have except a little
knowledge. We see them,
due to their strong emotions,
prohibiting that which Allah
has not prohibited, while
making obligatory that which
Allah has not made obligatory
Gulf Times
Friday, April 6, 2018 13
she bore my children.’” [Al-Bukhari]
After her death, the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, heard her
sister’s voice. He then became sad and
said: “She reminds me of Khadijah.”
Khadijah (may Allah be pleased
with her) attained perfection in
religiousness, mind, and morals. In
a Hadith, the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Many men
attained perfection, but only three
women attained perfection: Maryam
bint ‘Imran (Mary, the daughter of
’Imran), Asiyah the wife of Pharaoh,
and Khadijah bint Khuwaylid.” [Ibn
Mardawayh]
She preceded the women of this
Ummah (nation) in righteousness,
honour, and splendor. The Messenger
of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam,
said: “Maryam bint ‘Imran was the
best of the women of her time, and
the best woman of this Ummah is
Khadijah.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Khadijah (may Allah be pleased
with her) was righteous and made her
home righteous as well. She reaped
the fruit of her efforts and she and
her daughter became the best women
in Paradise. The Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “The best of
the women of the dwellers of Paradise
are: Khadijah, Fatimah, Maryam, and
Asiyah.” [Ahmad]
She occupied a great position in
the heart of the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam. He did not marry any
woman before her neither did he marry
any woman nor have any bondmaids
while she was still with him until she
died. He was extremely distressed
upon her death. Ath-Thahabi may
Allah have mercy upon him said, “She
was intelligent, gracious, religious,
chaste, and noble. She is one of the
dwellers of Paradise.”
every morning and sit in the valley of
Makkah and cry until the evening. I
kept doing this for about a year until
they finally sympathised with me and
returned my child to me.”
She had firm and strong faith
in Allah The Almighty. When her
husband, Abu Salamah, may Allah
be pleased with him, died, she
followed the guidance of the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and
supplicated Allah The Almighty Who
compensated her with the Messenger
of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
It was narrated that she said:
“I heard the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, saying: ‘When a
Muslim is afflicted with an affliction,
then he says, ‘We belong to Allah
and to Him shall we return; O Allah,
Support me through my affliction
and Reward me for it and Give me
something better in its stead,’ Allah
Will Give him something better in its
stead.’
When Abu Salamah died, I said:
“Who is better than Abu Salamah from
among the Muslims whose family was
the first to emigrate to the Messenger
of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.’
I then said those words and Allah
blessed me with the Messenger of Allah,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.” [Muslim]
So, when you are afflicted with
an affliction, you have to use this
supplication and Allah The Almighty will
compensate you with something better.
upon His worshippers. This
is a very dangerous matter,
since permitting what Allah
has made haraam (unlawful) is
like prohibiting what Allah has
made halaal (lawful). So when
they begin prohibiting people
for making a particular matter
halaal, then others will rebuke
them for making it haraam.
Allah Subhaanahu wa ta’alaa
says: And do not say, concerning
that which your tongues falsely
put forward, ‘This is lawful and
this is forbidden,’ so as to invent
lies against Allah. Indeed, those
who invent lies against Allah
will never prosper. [Surah An-
Nahl 16:116 -117]
As for the common person,
then he must not call to Allah if he
does not have knowledge. Rather
it is essential to have knowledge
- in accordance with the saying
of Allah subhaanahu wa ta’alaa:
Say: This is my path. I call to Allah
upon sure knowledge. [Surah
Yusuf 12:108] So it is a must to
call to Allah upon knowledge.
However, if a matter is clearly
known to be evil or good, then one
can command it if it is good, or
forbid it if it is evil.
So the callers to Allah must
start with knowledge. Whosoever
calls to Allah without knowledge
will cause greater harm than
good, as is evident. It is obligatory
for a person to first acquire
knowledge, then to do da’wah. As
for the clear evils and that which
is clearly good, then the good is
enjoined and the evil prohibited.
 Gulf Times
14 Friday, April 6, 2018

COMMENT
CHAIRMAN
Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka
Deputy Managing Editor
K T Chacko

P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar

editor@gulf-times.com
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GULF TIMES
Qatar-US Economic
Forum reflects
robust partnership
The Qatar-US Economic Forum, which opened in Miami,
Florida, on Wednesday, reaffirms the strength of the economic
partnership between the two countries.
The forum, organised by the Ministry of Economy and
Commerce in collaboration with the Qatar Chamber, the
American Chamber of Commerce, the Qatar Businessmen
Association and the US-Qatar Business Council, gathered more

No Brexit for a
than 200 businessmen and Qatari officials, including business
executives from major US companies.
Qatar and the US have strong economic, trade and investment
ties that were reinforced by the signing of the Trade and
Investment Framework Agreement in 2004.
This economic partnership has benefited Qatar, the US and

eurozone Britain
the citizens of the two countries.
The United States is one of the largest and most important
trading partners of Qatar. As HE the Minister of Economy and
Commerce, Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani
said at the forum on Wednesday, the volume of trade between
the two countries has doubled from $3bn to $6bn in the past 10
years, and during the past five years, the volume of goods traded By Yanis Varoufakis to 2016 had the euro been the UK’s was prevented only by Chancellor of politically unacceptable on both sides
between the two countries amounted to about $24bn. He also Athens currency? Would the political pressure the Exchequer Gordon Brown’s tactical of the English Channel.
noted that the US imports to Qatar accounted for 16% of the to hold the referendum in 2016 have procrastination and eventual refusal Something would have to give. Either
been weaker had Britain shared the to give up the pound. In short, the the British government would have,
country’s total imports.

On Qatari investments
in the US, the Minister
Economic ties said Qatar Airways has
allocated $92bn to enhance
between Qatar the US economy with the
and the US purchase of 332 Boeing
aircraft, which provided
have remained around 527,000 jobs.
In 2015, Qatar
unaffected by the Investment Authority
(QIA) had pledged to invest
siege $35bn in the US over a
five-year period, and an additional $10bn to be invested in the
infrastructure sector. Citing a report from the World Bank,
Sheikh Ahmed said Qatar’s GDP will reach around 2.8%, the
highest among GCC countries.
Several discussions were held on the sidelines of the forum in
Miami between Qatari and US business sector representatives.
These were aimed at strengthening existing economic
partnership between the two countries. The discussions also
centred on investment opportunities between the two sides in
sectors such as food security, tourism, logistics projects, and
infrastructure.
Senior officials in Miami have also expressed their keenness to
seek further investment opportunities with Qatar.
Miami City Mayor Francis X Suarez said Miami is one of the
cities that have moved from a local city to an international
destination. “We look forward to further co-operation with
international cities such as Doha and Miami, which has
expanded significantly over the past six years,” he said.
From Miami, the economic roadshow will bring the Qatari
delegation to Washington, DC, Columbia; Charleston, South
Carolina; and Raleigh, North Carolina.
The roadshow is taking place amidst a series of challenges
faced by Qatar following the unilateral decision by Saudi Arabia,
the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to impose an illegal siege on it to
undermine its position as an independent country.
However, economic ties between Qatar and the US have
remained unaffected by the siege. On the other hand, as is
evident from the Qatar-US Economic Forum, they have become
more robust.
Qatar has demonstrated that it has succeeded in
strengthening its independence global standing more than
ever before. The Gulf crisis has provided the country with the
opportunity to further open up its economy.
Qatar has succeeded in developing direct trade lines with a
number of strategic ports and turning them into main trading
partners of the State. Qatar’s policies have stimulated all sectors
to increase their productivity, and positively impacted the
national economy.
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ou can check out any time
you like, but you can never
leave.” Prior to the 2016 Brexit
referendum, I borrowed this
line from the Eagles’ 1976 hit Hotel
California as an argument against
Britain exiting the European Union. I
told audiences up and down Britain that
if they voted to leave the EU, they would
end up more entangled with the EU
Commission than ever before.
As British Prime Minister Theresa
May is finding out, disentangling a
member state from the EU is an arduous
and complex undertaking. But how
much harder would Brexit have been
had the United Kingdom adopted the
euro back in 2000?
For starters, the people of Britain
would never have been consulted on
whether they wanted to check out of the
EU. In a hypothetical eurozone Britain,
the very announcement of a referendum
on membership would have triggered a
bank run. Given Britain’s chronic trade
and current-account deficits, an exit
from the euro would have necessarily
caused a decline in the international
value of UK bank deposits.
Foreseeing this, depositors would
have responded to the announcement
of a referendum by immediately
withdrawing their euros in cash or by
wiring them to Frankfurt, Paris, New
York, or elsewhere. And, foreseeing that
reaction, no British prime minister, not
even David Cameron, would have dared
announce a Brexit referendum.
Looking further back, what would the
effect of 16 years in the eurozone have
been on the relative strength of Leavers
and Remainers within the Conservative
Party? What would Britain’s economic
circumstances have been like prior
same currency as Germany, France, and
Greece?
As with all counterfactuals, we are
treading on thin ice here. Nevertheless,
it is not difficult to sketch a plausible
economic past for a UK that,
hypothetically, entered the eurozone in
2000.
In October 1990, the UK joined
the euro’s precursor, the European
Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM),
which kept the exchange rates between
Europe’s major currencies within
tight bands, which were increasingly
tightened before locking the various
currencies into a single one. The
commitment to keep the pound close to
the Deutsche Mark impelled the Bank
of England to keep interest rates high,
leading to the 1991 recession.
To continue in the ERM, countries
like Britain and Italy would have
had to subject their populations to
recessionary depths similar to that
which Greece plumbed after 2010. In
September 1992, on Black Wednesday,
the pound sterling and the Italian lira
fell out of the ERM as money markets
bet against the survival of what the
Conservative peer Norman Tebbit once
ridiculed as the “eternal recession
mechanism.”
Italy, its ruling class determined
to exchange the lira for the euro at
all costs, immediately returned to a
debauched version of the ERM. But
the UK government steered clear, with
the psychological and political impact
of its humiliation proving even more
significant than the financial losses
incurred by the BoE.
But following Labour’s victory in
1997, prime minister Tony Blair was
keen to bring the euro to Britain and
UK could have ended up a eurozone
member state.
If it had, the effects on the British
economy would have been minimal for
nearly a decade – in contrast to the real
effects of its short-lived membership
of the ERM in 1990-2. The reason is
that, by the mid-1990s, financialisation
had gone berserk everywhere at once:
in Wall Street, the City of London,
Frankfurt, and Paris.
Except for the interlude following
the collapse of the dot-com bubble in
2001, growth in the UK and continental
Europe was supercharged by the oodles
of paper assets, functioning as quasi-
money, produced by banks. During that
audacious upswing, when even Greece
was growing at 5% per year, a euro-
denominated UK would have proceeded
more or less as it did under the pound
all the way to the 2007-2008 financial
crisis. It was only then, once the
bubble had burst, that the eurozone’s
draconian constraints began to bite.
With the BoE at liberty to create as
many billions of pounds as it deemed
fit to reflate the City and back the
government’s bank nationalisation and
monetary stabilisation drive, Britain
escaped the crisis with a single-year
recession (2008-2009) amounting to
a loss of 5.15% in national income. Had
London found itself in the clasp of the
European Central Bank’s policies in the
2008-2012 period, Britain’s large trade
and budget deficits, in conjunction with
massive bailouts for the City, would
have made the Greek, Irish, Portuguese,
and Spanish bailouts look like child’s
play. If the EU followed the same
playbook in the case of the UK, it would
have demanded levels of austerity and
bailout loans that would have been
overnight, declared its exit from the
euro, without a referendum or even a
parliamentary vote, or Germany and
France would have had to agree to scrap
immediately the ECB’s prohibition of
monetary financing.
In both cases, the EU would have
become unrecognisable. Either Brexit
would have triggered a cascade that
would soon cause Germany to withdraw
from the euro, leading to the EU’s
collapse, or the EU would have become
a fiscal union overnight, leading to a
political dynamic very different from
the one experienced since 2008.
So, had Britain adopted the euro,
two things would have happened
with certainty: there would be no UK
referendum on EU membership, and
Greece would not be the domino that
fell first. The interesting question is:
How would those who support Brexit
today feel had Germany and France
moved to scrap the current rules and
usher in a fully-fledged fiscal union?
One can only speculate, but one
fact remains clear: between 2008-
2016 there would be no flood of EU
nationals migrating to Britain to take
jobs maintained by the BoE’s money
creation drive at a time when the ECB
was engineering a depression on the
continent.
If a fully-fledged fiscal union had
emerged in 2008, the absence of EU
immigration would have denied the
Brexiteers a powerful rallying cry in 2016.
By that point, exiting the EU would be as
absurd as California striking out on its
own today. – Project Syndicate
zYanis Varoufakis, a former finance
minister of Greece, is professor of
Economics at the University of Athens.

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© 2018 Gulf Times. All rights reserved As British Prime Minister Theresa May is finding out, disentangling a member state from the EU is an arduous and complex undertaking.
 Gulf Times
Friday, March 6, 2018 15

QATAR

Attendees stress importance

of Qatar-US Economic Forum
A
number of participants at
the Qatar-US Economic
Forum lauded the event
and the projects presented there,
highlighting the importance of
the discussions held among the
participants.
They stressed that the forum,
held in Miami, Florida, allows
businesspersons from Qatar and
the US to review mutual invest-
ment opportunities to enhance
business ties and economic co-
operation among the two coun-
tries, the Ministry of Economy
and Commerce (MEC) said in a
statement yesterday.
Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-
Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to
the US, said the importance of
the ongoing US tour lies in the
fact that it will create new com-
mercial and trade ties between
the two countries, and also fos-
ter new partnerships and op-
portunities for co-operation and
investment that will reflect the
strength of Qatar-US relations.
He noted that Qatari busi-
nesspersons can benefit from
the tour and the economic forum
through the joint meetings held
with US businesspersons, and Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to the US.
review possible investment op-
portunities in the US and Qatar
for them.
A number of Qatari and US
businesspersons also stressed
the importance of the event and
expected it to further strengthen
business relations between the A session in progress at the forum.
two countries. The forum would
help open up more investment
opportunities in both countries,
which would potentially result
in joint ventures across various
fields. Three-day forecast
The US businesspersons at-
tending the forum were of the TODAY
Maximum Temperature : 320c
opinion that Qatar has a strong Minimum Temperature : 250c
economy and is seeking more
partnerships, and the importance SATURDAY
of the event can be gauged from Maximum Temperature : 300c
Minimum Temperature : 240c
the fact that HE the Minister of
Economy and Commerce Sheikh SUNDAY
Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Maximum Temperature : 310c
al-Thani is leading the delega- Minimum Temperature : 240c
tion, the statement noted. Fisherman's forecast
On their part, the Qatari busi-
nesspersons reiterated that the WARNING
Inshore : Expected strong wind
economic forum will allow the at places
participants to develop business Offshore : Expected thunder rain
in both countries and explore Khalid al-Mannai, prominent Qatari entrepreneur. to the north associated
with strom wind and
new opportunities. high sea.
The forum has been organ- tending the forum, along with two countries with the aim of WEATHER
ised by the MEC in association some 200 businesspersons and strengthening the existing eco- Inshore : Slight dust to blowing
dust and partly cloudy
with Qatar Chamber, American executives from major US com- nomic partnership between Qa- to cloudy at times with
Chamber of Commerce, Qatari panies. tar and the US. Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos A Gimenez (left) and chance of rain at place
Businessmen Association and On the sidelines of the forum, The Qatari delegation’s “eco- National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce vice-president WIND
US-Qatar Business Council. several discussions are being nomic tour” is also scheduled to (Business Development) Rabih Mogharbel on the Inshore : Northeasterly-North-
westerly 10-20/28 KT
More than 200 businessper- held between representatives cover Washington, DC, Charles- sidelines of the Qatar-US Economic Forum in Miaimi on Offshrore : Mainly Northeasterly
sons and Qatari officials are at- of the business sector from the ton and Raleigh. Wednesday. 8-18/25 KT
Visibility : 4-8/3 KM or less at
place at times
SEA STATE
Round-table discussions focus on tourism Offshore : 03-05 FT, Rises to 8 FT
to the north with the
thunder tain.

Around the region

Weather Weather
today Max/min tomorrow Max/min
Baghdad P Cloudy 31/18 P Cloudy 28/17
Kuwait City P Cloudy 27/20 Sunny 27/19
Manama P Cloudy 29/23 P Cloudy 31/23
Muscat Sunny 37/28 M Sunny 36/29
Tehran S Showers 22/14 Cloudy 22/13

Around the world

Weather Weather
today Max/min tomorrow Max/min
Round-table discussions have been held on the sidelines of the Qatar-US Economic Forum, featuring the Qatari Businessmen Association, Qatar Chamber, Florida Athens S Showers 22/12 S Showers 20/12
tourism and hotel industry representatives and officials from a range of hotels in the US. The participants discussed investment opportunities in the tourism and Beirut Sunny 24/18 Sunny 24/17
hospitality sector in both Qatar and the US, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce tweeted yesterday. Bangkok S T Storms 33/24 Showers 26/21
Berlin Sunny 12/04 Sunny 18/07
Cairo Sunny 30/16 Sunny 30/15
Cape Town P Cloudy 19/13 P Cloudy 19/13
Colombo S T Storms 31/26 T Storm 31/26

Qatar highlights incentives for investors at US conference Dhaka

Hong Kong
Istanbul
S T Storms
Cloudy
M Sunny
33/24
24/16
19/09
P Cloudy
Cloudy
Cloudy
33/24
22/16
15/09
From Page 1 countries as part of its tour- addition to tourists coming achieved positive results in Mohamed Qassim al- Jakarta T Storms 32/24 T Storms 32/24
Saoud al-Buainein from ism promotion. This evoked by sea. 2017. The company, he said, Emadi, representative of the Karachi Sunny 34/22 P Cloudy 34/22
Qatar Development Bank gave favourable response from The second session dealt imports from as many as 87 Supreme Committee for De- London P Cloudy 17/09 S Showers 14/08
a presentation on QDB serv- tourists from Russia, India, with FIFA World Cup 2022, countries in the world, de- livery & Legacy, gave a com- Manila M Sunny 34/25 P Cloudy 34/26
ices, specifically meant for Australia, Africa and Brazil which Qatar is hosting and scribing the potential scope of prehensive presentation on Moscow M Cloudy 09/01 Cloudy 07/-1
the private sector, in addi- among other countries. topics such as implementing co-operation with US compa- FIFA World Cup 2022 projects. New Delhi M Sunny 38/24 Sunny 36/23
tion to its efforts in promot- Besides, Qatar Airways now projects, challenges and op- nies as promising. Similarly, Mohamed al- New York S Showers 13/04 Cloudy 06/-1
ing small- and medium-sized flies to more than 150 destina- portunities available for the Fahd al-Kuwari, head (Poli- Malki (Manateq) explained Paris Sunny 20/11 Cloudy 19/11
enterprises. tions worldwide and attracted Qatari-US co-operation in cies Department) at the Min- the role of the company and Sao Paulo P Cloudy 26/18 P Cloudy 27/18
Rashed al-Qurese, head more than 5mn tourists to logistics, energy sectors and istry of Energy and Industry its services and the great po- Seoul P Cloudy 12/02 Cloudy 10/02
(Marketing) at Qatar Tourism Hamad International Airport, food security. led the attendees through the tential that exists for joint Singapore S T Storms 32/26 T Storm 31/26
Authority, pointed out that Qatar’s gateway to the world. Abudlrahman al-Khay- history of the oil and gas in- investment opportunities in Sydney M Sunny 24/19 P Cloudy 27/18
Qatar provided visa-free en- The number of visas issued areen, Widam Food Com- dustry in Qatar and Qatar’s Qatar, especially in logistic Tokyo Cloudy 23/13 Cloudy 20/14
try to citizens of more than 80 increased by 26% in 2016, in pany CEO, said the company strong position in this field. services.
 Gulf Times
16 Friday, April 6, 2018
QATAR
Shoppers join the celebrations yesterday.
Doha Festival
City celebrates
1st anniversary
D
oha Festival City (DHFC) marked
its first anniversary yesterday with
an “explosive cake cutting” cer-
emony at the destination’s Centre Court,
and launching a series of celebrations
throughout the year.
A huge cake, which stood at 3m high, cast
confetti sparkles over the audience who
also joined DHFC’s senior officials and em-
ployees in a one-of-a-kind festivity.
To say thank you, customers also re-
ceived surprise gifts from VOX cinema,
Toys R Us and Borders.
As part of its first anniversary celebra-
tions, DHFC is set to host a special concert
on May 10, which will feature a star perform-
er set to be announced in the coming weeks.
“Following a hugely positive first year
which has included 375 successful open-
ings, the launch of our outdoor leisure trail
Senior DHFC officials led the first anniversary celebration of the destination yesterday with a unique cake cutting ceremony. DHFC’s
acting general manager Sam Khalid Hosn, Bawabat Al Shamal Real Estate Company (Basrec) senior executive manager Jihad Zarkout,
DHFC’s senior marketing manager May Marzooq, Bawabat Al Shamal Real Estate Company (Basrec) CEO Kareem Shamma, and DHFC’s
assistant general manager Luis Valente were present. PICTURES: Ram Chand
Qatar Airways inaugural Cardiff service on May Day
A Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900
and numerous events for our visitors, we
wanted to celebrate by giving back to the
community, through our first ‘shop and
win’ campaign,” DHFC’s senior marketing
manager May Marzooq said.
DHFC is also set to open four of its
‘much-anticipated’ theme parks this year,
bringing ‘a number of firsts’ to Qatar and
providing its residents with ‘unique and
fun-filled entertainment offerings’.Angry
Birds World, a ‘first-of-its-kind’ facil-
ity in the Middle East, is a combination
of indoor and outdoor park, which will
feature more than 35 rides spread over a
12,000sqm area.
Designed exclusively for teenagers and
adults, the Virtuocity park offers an im-
mersive digital experience while the Snow
Dunes, Qatar’s first indoor snow park,
will feature a ‘cutting-edge snow-making
system’.Juniverse, an ‘edutainment’ park
with more than 45 role play activities and
rides, is also scheduled to open soon on a
6,000sqm area at DHFC.
The four theme parks are expected to at-
tract a large number of domestic and for-
eign visitors, helping put Qatar on the map
in terms of the variety of retail and enter-
tainment ‘not seen anywhere in the Gulf
region’.DHFC’s 4.5km ‘Outdoor Leisure
Trail,’ which opened in October last year,
is also providing families and fitness lovers
with a ‘unique track’ for walking, running,
and biking activities.
With a gross building area of
433,000sqm, and a Gross Leasable Area
of 244,000sqm, the QR6bn mixed-use
development includes the biggest mall in
Qatar and one of the largest entertainment
and retail developments in the Gulf.
The winner of the contest.
‘Brio’ bridges art and science
Q
atar National Research
Fund (QNRF), a member of
Qatar Foundation, has an-
nounced the winners of the second
cycle of its ‘Best Representative
Image of an Outcome’ (Brio) com-
petition, an initiative that provides
a bridge between art and science.
The competition is a platform
for raising public engagement with
science, while incentivising scien-
tists to consider the visual aspects
of their projects and provide an
opportunity for them to display
their work to the public.
The latest Brio awards were an-
nounced during a QNRF Research
Outcome Seminar (Ros) that focused
on role the media plays in society.
The Brio awards reflect the em-
phasis within Qatar’s research
community on both producing and
promoting scientific research out-
comes. For the second cycle of the
competition, QNRF received 50 im-
ages resulting from projects funded
under its portfolio of programmes,
including its National Priorities
Research Programme (NPRP), Un-
dergraduate Research Experience
Programme (Urep), and NPRP-Ex-
ceptional Proposals programme.
The first-place winner was ‘A
Microscopic Image of a Vertical Cut
of an Artificial Collagen Skin Layer’,
created by Dr Nishtha Chopra and
Dr Akram Alomainy, working un-
der lead principal investigator Dr
Joseph Boutros, Professor, Texas
A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq).
The image comes from an
NPRP-funded project designed to
develop novel algorithms and de-
sign methodologies that improve
the operation, monitoring, reli-
ability, and security of future e-
health platforms.
Second place went to ‘A 3D Illus-
tration for Testing a Novel Design
of a Protection Coating TiN Film
under Compression’ by Mustapha
Makki, working under the lead prin-
cipal investigator Dr Bilal Mansoor,
Assistant Professor, Tamuq.
Two images tied for third place:
‘Dual Viscous Fingering Effect Ob-
served when Displacing Glycerine
by Dyed Water in a Hele-Shaw Cell’
created by Rommel Yrac and Dr
Nayef Alyafei through a Urep project
from Tamuq, and ‘Human Induced
Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs)
Generated from a Qatari Diabetic
Q
atar Airways’ inaugural
flight to Cardiff in Wales
on May 1 will be flown
using the ultra-modern Airbus
A350-900 on the day of inau-
guration, the national carrier
announced yesterday. This is in
recognition of the aircraft’s links
to Wales, the airline said.
Following the inaugural flight,
the new service between Doha
and Cardiff will be served by a
Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with 22
seats in business class, offering
passengers direct aisle access
with its 1-2-1 configuration, and
232 seats in economy class.
Qatar Airways will be the first
airline to offer daily flights be-
tween Doha and Cardiff, provid-
ing the Welsh capital with links
to the rest of the world via Qatar
Airways’ extensive global route
network.
The A350-900, of which Qatar
Airways was the global launch
customer and whose wings are
built by Airbus in Wales, will
The second-place winner.
Patient’, by Dr Essam Abdelalim of
Qatar Biomedical Research Insti-
tute, a research entity under Hamad
Bin Khalifa University.
All submissions were screened
and then assessed for scientific and
visual impact by an expert panel,
whose members looked for the aes-
thetic appeal of each image as well
as the strong and novel message
behind it. Seven images were short-
listed and exhibited at the recent
Qatar Foundation Annual Research
Conference 2018, where a week-
long public vote was held. Around
3,000 votes were cast, a high level of
public interaction which accounted
for 50% of the weight in determin-
ing the final rankings.
Noor al-Merekhi, deputy ex-
ecutive director, QNRF, said: “The
announcement of the winners of
the second cycle of Brio was con-
nected to QNRF’s Research Out-
come Seminar on the Role of Me-
dia in Society, the theme of which
revolves around how media has
a crucial social role as it informs,
The joint third-place winners.
mark the commencement of this
exciting new route.
Qatar Airways Group Chief
Executive Akbar al-Baker said,
“The launch of our new service
to cardiff is a major milestone for
Qatar Airways. It makes sense
that the inaugural flight that wel-
comes Qatar Airways to Wales is
on the A350-900, as the wings
of this very plane are built at the
Airbus plant in Broughton, North
Wales. The new service will con-
nect the Welsh people with more
destinations globally and provide
them the opportunity to experi-
ence our unparalleled five-star
service. We look forward to wel-
coming our new passengers on
board and to connecting them to
Doha and points beyond.”
On board the Qatar Airways
Boeing 787 Dreamliner, lower
altitude-equivalent pressure,
improved air-quality and opti-
mal humidity coupled with large,
electronically dimmable win-
dows create dramatic vistas and
educates, and entertains.
“Brio reflects this role, as images
have a strong history of connecting
society and science. The impact of
such images, and their capacity to
engage people, is demonstrated by
the thousands of members of the
public who took part in the vote to
help decide our winners. We con-
gratulate the awardees under the
second cycle of Brio, and all those
who submitted their high-quality
and thought-provoking images.”
Al Jazeera newscaster Osman
Ayfarah announced the Brio win-
ners at the Ros event, with Dr Ab-
dul Sattar al-Taie, executive direc-
tor, QNRF, presenting the awards to
the creators of the top three images.
Fatema al-Malki, programme
officer, QNRF, said: “The Brio pro-
gramme was established to add
an artistic flavour to science, and
engage and encourage members of
research teams to unlock their full
range of talents and use different
media to interpret and illustrate
their outcomes.”
provide passengers with extra
natural light.
Full-spectrum LED lighting
will help them adjust to changing
time zones, allowing passengers
to arrive at their destination feel-
ing refreshed.
Qatar Airways currently serves
London Heathrow, Manchester,
Birmingham, and Edinburgh,
with service to London Gatwick
to commence on May 22.
Qatar Airways flies one of the
youngest fleets in the sky, fea-
turing the world’s most techno-
logically-advanced and environ-
mentally friendly aircraft.
Qatar Airways operates more
than 200 modern aircraft to a
network of more than 150 key
business and leisure destinations
across six continents. The airline
plans a host of exciting new des-
tinations for 2018/19, including
Cebu and Davao (Philippines);
Langkawi (Malaysia); Da Nang
(Vietnam) and Bodrum and An-
talya (Turkey).