'Build bridges, cut pedestrian deaths' - Qatar Tribune

SUNDAY 

MARCH 10, 2013 

RABI AL-AKHIR 28, 1434 

VOL. 7 NO. 2379 QR 2 

First with the news and what’s behind it 

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QATAR’S CREDIT 

RATING HIGHEST 

AMONG GCC NATIONS 

PG21 

ENGLAND STRIKE 

BACK AGAINST 

NEW ZEALAND 

PG29 

NOOMI RAPACE 

AND THE ART 

OF REVENGE 

CHILL OUT 

SHEIKHA MOZA AT ISLAMIC ETHICS’ MEET 

‘Build bridges, cut 

pedestrian deaths’ 

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Naseer at the first international conference of the Research Center for Islamic 

Legislation and Ethics (CILE). Critical issues pertinent to today’s cultural and political spheres, were discussed at 

the conference. (AR AL BAKER / HHOPL) (See report on Pg 2) 

SEC to begin opinion poll 

on schools from today 

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK 

DOHA 

THE data collection and management 

office at the Supreme 

Education Council’s (SEC) evaluation 

institute will conduct its annual 

opinion poll from Sunday. The 

process will continue till April 18. 

The survey targets teachers, parents 

and students and will see the 

participation of 271 schools, 

including 182 independent schools, 

11 Arab private schools and 75 

international schools. 

The survey aims to get information 

about students, their educational 

environment and their lives. 

It is important to know the opinion 

of students about their schools, as 

well as about activities they participate 

in both inside and outside 

schools. 

The first phase of the survey consists 

of three elements: school 

specifications, director questionnaire 

and school questionnaire. 

The second phase of the survey, 

which will be conducted during the 

second semester (March and 

April) will include three polls. The 

first one is the teachers’ questionnaires, 

where teachers feed data 

via the Internet, concerning their 

personal and professional backgrounds. 

The second poll tackles students’ 

parents, in which they are asked to 

provide information about the education 

of their children. Its aim is to 

get more information about the 

environment and lives of students. 

The third poll is for students. 

This is also a paper-based questionnaire 

where they fill it in class 

within 30 minutes, answering personal 

questions about themselves. 

Questions will be about activities 

inside and outside schools and 

their opinion as students in Qatar. 

Some other questions concerning 

students’ families and the language 

they speak at home also feature 

in the questionnaire. 


DOHA 

WITH hundreds of new cars 

coming onto the roads in Qatar 

every month, both citizens and 

residents have urged authorities 

to construct pedestrian bridges, 

according to a report published 

in Arabic daily Al Watan. 

While these bridges will ensure 

pedestrian safety, they will also 

reduce the number of traffic accidents 

caused when drivers suddenly 

change course to avoid hitting 

people crossing roads. 

According to available statistics, 

40 percent of accidents in 

the country are caused due to 

the absence of pedestrian 

bridges. 

Al Zacharh area Municipal 

Council member Engineer 

Hamad bin Haddan Mohannadi 

demanded an effective solution 

to congestion on Doha streets, 

especially at peak times. At these 

times, most Doha streets experience 

severe traffic jams leaving 

people late for work. 

The Corniche road usually witnesses 

smooth flow of traffic, but 

sometimes traffic gets stuck 

there too. The same problem is 

noticed on Electricity Street ‘Al 

Kahraba’ as well as downtown. 

To tackle the problem, 

Mohannadi urged both the traffic 

department and the municipality 

to coordinate work and 

come up with foot over-bridges 

and prevent accidents. In addition, 

he urged the municipality 

must also earmark places where 

these bridges and underpasses 

should be built. As a result, accidents 

and traffic jams will be 

reduced. 

Accidents can also be reduced 

if the number of cars decreases 

on streets. And that will only be 

achieved if the traffic authorities 

impose strict laws on issuing 

driving licences. Only those who 

are committed to respecting 

traffic laws should get the driving 

licence, people felt. Fewer 

driving licenses would mean 

lesser cars and lesser traffic on 

the streets. 

Qatar Society of Engineers 

Chairman Ahmed Jassim al Jolo 

is of the opinion that small 

bridges will not solve the problem. 

Instead, large flyovers must 

be built to accommodate the 

growing number of vehicles. 

He pointed out that the 

Corniche area is really in need of 

such flyovers, which can be built 

in accordance with the surroundings. 

He noted that those bridges 

can be built in a way, so that 

Ministry of Tourism can profit 

out of them through advertisements. 

According to Jolo, solutions 

like the Rail project will not 

reduce congestion on the roads 

effectively. 

Traffic Department Director 

Brigadier Mohamed Saad al 

Kharji agreed that over-bridges 

can reduce accidents. 

WAITING TO CROSS Without foot over-bridges and underpasses, crossing 

roads is a daily headache for pedestrians all over the country. 

QUICK READ 

Solar panels for Barwa 

QATAR Solar Technologies on 

Saturday presented Barwa with the 

first of 136 solar modules that will 

be used to power Qatar’s 

Passivhaus-Baytna project. When 

installed, the panels will provide 

all of Passivhaus’ electricity 

requirements, with excess power 

being exported back into 

Kahramaa’s power grid. Using this 

system will help avoid approximately 

35 metric tons of CO2 

emissions per year. 

DETAILED REPORT ON PAGE 21 

Kenyatta wins in Kenya 

UHURU Kenyatta, indicted for 

crimes against humanity, was 

declared winner of Kenya’s presidential 

election on Saturday, but 

rival Raila Odinga said he would 

challenge the outcome in court 

and asked supporters to avoid violence. 

Kenyatta faces trial after the 

disputed 2007 presidential vote 

that unleashed a wave of tribal 

killings. 

His win avoided what could 

have been a divisive a run-off 

pencilled in for April. (REUTERS) 

Qatar’s credit rating 

highest in GCC 

QATAR, with a real GDP growth 

rate of 15 percent between 2006 

and 2011, has the highest credit 

rating amongst the GCC members 

with an AA and Aa2 sovereign rating, 

according to Standard and 

Poor’s and Moody’s, respectively, 

according to a Ministry of Business 

and Trade report. Qatar was ranked 

17th globally and 1st in M-E in 

2012-2013 by the WEF. 

DETAILED REPORT ON PAGE 21 

PICK OF THE DAY 

Firemen set 

a chimney 

on the roof 

of the Sistine 

Chapel at 

the Vatican, 

on Saturday. 

(REUTERS) 

(See report 

on Pg 16) 

Google live traffic 

updates in Qatar 

GOOGLE has nearly negated the 

possibility of you getting stuck in a 

traffic snarl-up, with the launch of 

live traffic updates for Qatar on 

Google Maps, website 

http://tfour.me/ said. All you need to 

do, is check Maps on your mobile 

phone before you hit the road. A 

person can get views of streets by 

visiting http://tfour.me/2013/03/ 

qatar-gets-live-traffic-updates-ongoogle-maps/. 

DETAILED REPORT ON PAGE 2

02 Sunday, March 10, 2013 

Good morning Doha 

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Rumila Hospital 44396666 

Women’s Hospital 44396666 

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Airport Services-Operator 44656666 

Qatar Airways 44496666/44496000 

Qatar Airways (Airport) 44496688 

Gulf Air 44455444 

Gulf Air (Airport) 44656318 

Immigration & Passport Department 44890333 

Traffic Department 44890666 

Water Emergency 44325959 

Electricity Emergency 44677601 

Weather Forecasting (Admn) 44656590 

Drain Centre 44687894 

Municipality (Doha) 44336336 

Ministry of Education 44941111 

Qatar Television (QTV) 44894444 

Qatar Broadcasting Service (QBS) 44894444 

Qatar University 44852222 

Postal Department 44464000 

SriLankan Airlines 44322628/44369910 

Oman Air 44320509/44321373 

Oman Air (Airport) 44626835 

Contact US: Qatar Tribune ■ EDITORIAL ■ Phone: 44422077, Fax: 44416790 ■ ADMINISTRATION & MARKETING ■ Phone: 44666810, Fax: 44654975, P. O. Box: 23493, Doha. 

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QUICK READ 

Emir invites Lebanese president to Arab Summit 

The Emir His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani 

has sent an invitation to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman 

to attend the 24th regular session of the Council of the Arab 

League summit, which will be held in Doha this month. The 

message was handed over by Qatar’s Ambassador to 

Lebanon HE Saad al Mohannadi during a meeting with the 

Lebanese president in Beirut on Saturday. (QNA) 

Google launches live traffic updates in Qatar 

IN what appears to be a major relief for daily commuters in 

Qatar, Google has launched live traffic updates on maps for 

Qatar via mobile and web, according to a website 

http://tfour.me/. The updates will help a commuter to know 

the traffic scene on a road he or she intends to take at a particular 

point of time accurately through his mobile phone. 

Thus, a person can get smooth, rotating 2D and 3D views of 

streets facing traffic congestions, temporary closure and diversions 

by simply visiting a site or http://tfour.me/2013/03/- 

qatar-gets-live-traffic-updates-on-google-maps/. To check out 

the traffic, one needs to visit ‘maps.google.com’ and click the 

traffic layer on the top right hand side of the map. Traffic information 

is also available on Google Maps for Mobile devices 

and Google Maps Navigation. Live road traffic has been available 

in the MENA region since September 2012 in Jeddah 

and Kuwait City and in December 2012 in the UAE. (TNN) 

Gulf Falcon Exercise 2013 concludes 

THE 20-day Gulf Falcon Exercise 2013, conducted jointly by 

the Qatari Armed Forces and the French Armed Forces, concluded 

at Al Galayel Square recently. The Chief of Staff HE 

Major General Hamad bin Ali al Attiyah and his French counterpart 

Admiral Edouard Guillaud attended the final day of the 

exercise. Around 3000 members of Qatari and French troops 

including 1,700 Qataris and 1,300 French participated in the 

final day of the exercise. The exercise, which is held every four 

years between the Qatari Armed Forces and its French counterpart 

aims to shed light on the joint defence strategy between 

Qatar and France. The exercise started on February 16. (QNA) 

Arab world’s crisis is political 

and ethical: Islamic scholars 

DENISE YAMMINE 

DOHA 

CHAIRPERSON of Qatar 

Foundation for Education, 

Science and Community 

Development Her Highness 

Sheikha Moza bint Nasser 

graced the 1st International 

Conference Research Centre 

for Islamic Legislation and 

Ethics (CILE) organised by the 

Research Centre for Islamic 

Legislation and Ethics (CILE) 

in Doha on Saturday. 

HH Sheikha Moza attended 

a panel discussion on ‘Politics 

and Morals’ in which a host of 

Islamic thinkers, artists and 

politicians discussed the relationship 

between morals and 

politics. Egyptian Islamist 

politician Abdel Moneim Abul 

Futuh was one of the main 

speakers at the session. 

Participating in the conference 

with the theme ‘Arts and 

Politics from an Ethical 

Perspective’, renowned Islamic 

scholars said that ethics is integral 

to Islam as the Arab world 

today is going through an ethical 

crisis. 

Eminent panelists and Islamic scholars take part in a discussion at first International Conference 

organised by Centre for Islamic Legislation and Ethics, in Doha, on Saturday. (MANEESH BAKSHI) 

One of the founders of CILE, 

a member of Qatar 

Foundation, Dr Jasser Auda 

said, “Unethical attitudes prevail 

in all sectors, including 

health, arts and economy. 

Thus, the poor are deprived of 

health facilities, declining art 

scene leads to poor sensibility 

of the youth and economic crisis 

kills millions of people. The 

privileged also indulge in corrupt 

practices.” 

Auda added, “Al Maqased 

approach and Islamic values 

keep a person away from such 

vices. The approach can help 

bring about ethical reforms in 

Arab societies, which are going 

through political upheavals 

triggered by ethical issues. 

Ethical crisis prevails in Syria, 

Iraq, Palestine and many other 

countries due to the huge gap 

in perception and practice.” 

Speaking at the conference, 

Chairman of the International 

Union of Muslim Scholars 

Sheikh Youssef al Qaradawi 

remarked, “Ethics is integral 

to Islam. Sometimes, even our 

beliefs state our ethics. The 

Holy Quran expresses these 

beliefs in terms of prayers, rituals, 

virtues, ethics and legislation.” 

“Unlike the West, which 

dissociates ethics from economy, 

science, politics and 

war and advocates protecting 

self interests, in Islam, we 

aim at promoting people’s 

benefit rather than an individual’s 

or a group’s gain,” 

Qaradawi added. 

The experts also discussed 

the appropriate methodology 

for the study of ethics in Islam, 

ensuring compatibility of fatwas 

with ethical values and 

defining relationship between 

art and ethics, as well as 

between ethics and politics. 

Prominent among other 

participants at the conference 

were Chairman of the 

League of Sunni Scholars 

Sheikh Ahmed al Raissouni, 

Secretary-General of the 

International Union of 

Muslim Scholars Sheikh Ali 

al Quradaghi and Rector of 

the International Islamic 

University of Malaysia 

Professor Muhammad 

Kamal Hassan. 

The four speakers spoke 

about clear methodology for 

the study of ethics in Islam. 

The second session of the 

conference, which focused on 

‘Ethics and Arts’, included a 

panel of prominent personalities 

comprising British singersongwriter 

Dr Yusuf Islam, 

Egyptian singer and guitarist 

Hamza Namira, Moroccan 

singer and composer Saloua 

Chaoudry and Egyptian 

researcher and Islamic calligrapher 

Dr Ahmed Moustafa.

Nation Sunday, March 10, 2013 03 

Qatari woman gives ASD 

students leadership tips 

Call to organise 

Arab youth 

labour camp 

CATHERINE W GICHUKI 

DOHA 

A GROUP of Qatari students 

at the American School of 

Doha (ASD) recently received 

tips on how to become future 

leaders from Exxonmobil 

Deputy General Manager of 

Government Affairs Tofol al 

Nasr, a Qatari woman who 

has returned to the country 

after studying abroad. 

The event was part of the 

school’s Astrolabe programme, 

a leadership initiative 

for Grade 11 and 12 Qatari 

students to prepare them for 

future challenges. 

The students participated 

in an interactive discussion 

during which they inquired 

from the official about issues 

related to Qatarisation, job 

markets, culture shock, 

moral values and tradition as 

well as academic, professional 

and social affairs. 

Nasr holds master’s degree 

in International Commerce 

and Policy from the United 

States of America. She also 

did a stint at the embassy of 

Qatar in Washington before 

joining Exonmobil as international 

government relations 

officer in Washington. 

According to her, she came 

back to Qatar to serve her 

country directly and give back 

to the community. 

Talking to Qatar Tribune 

Nasr said that Astrolabe was a 

great programme that would 

prepare the students to 

become future leaders in the 

country, thus supporting 

actualisation of the human 

pillar of the Qatar National 

Qatari students at the American School of Doha receive leadership tips from Exxonmobil Deputy General Manager of Government Affairs 

Tofol al Nasr during a discussion session, in Doha, recently. (HANSON K JOSEPH) 

Vision (QNV) 2030. 

“The students will help 

Qatar in realising its 

Qatarisation policy. Qatar’s 

future depends on young 

Qataris, who will build on its 

current developmental activities. 

I told the students about 

my academic and professional 

experiences hoping they 

could get some inspiration 

that would motivate them to 

excel. At Exonnmobil, we are 

in the forefront in supporting 

the Qatar National Vision 

2030. We also train and qualify 

young Qataris so that they 

can be relevant in the workforce,” 

she said. 

She added: “I hope I have 

opened the students’ minds to 

new ideas, including working 

in the private sector. I have 

Tofol al Nasr 

advised them to work together 

as an entity to face their 

challenges. I also discussed 

with them how to deal with 

culture shock,” she said. 

ASD Director Deborah 

Welch said through the 

Astrolabe programme, the 

school has been inviting various 

leaders from private and 

government organisations to 

inspire the students. 

“Over 10 percent of our 

school population are Qataris. 

ASD consists of 72 nationalities 

and Qataris are the third 

largest community with 225 

students. Astrolabe is preparing 

them to become Qatar’s 

leaders of tomorrow by offering 

a programme that consists 

of leadership skills, service 

and career internships. 

A Grade 12 student, 

Abdulrahman al Subaiey, 

said: “Nasr gave us advice on 

how to cope in a multi- culture 

setting, not just abroad 

but also even when we come 

back home. Through this programme, 

she has made us 

realise the opportunities 

available for us not only in the 

government sector but also in 

private industry.” 

Jawaher al Hajri, a Grade 

11 student, said, “There was a 

connection between us and 

her and we were able to discuss 

many issues pertaining 

to life. She inspired us on 

how to be closer to the older 

generation as well as how to 

make positive contribution 

to society,” she said. 

Astrolabe is supported 

through multi-year donations 

by Chevron Qatar Ltd. The 

donations enable ASD to 

expand the programme to 

reach more students. 

QNA 

DOHA 

THE General Assembly of 

the Arab Union for 

Voluntary Work (AUVW) 

meeting concluded in Doha 

on Saturday with a recommendation 

to organise 

Arab labour camp to 

address unemployment 

among the youngsters. 

Representatives of about 

15 Arab countries, including 

the chairmen of the voluntary 

work centres of the 

AUVW, attended the twoday 

meeting. 

Speaking at the event, 

AUVW Secretary-General 

Yousef al Kazim, who is also 

secretary of Qatar Center for 

Voluntary Activities (QCVA), 

said three dates were proposed 

for the camp. 

According to him, the 

group suggested May, 

September and December 

for the event to be held in 

Egypt, Bahrain or Sudan 

respectively. 

He said final decision on 

the agreed date and venue 

would be made within two 

weeks. 

Kazim pointed out that the 

Union would organise a mini 

volunteer forum in Doha in 

April following a conference 

on voluntary work culture to 

be held in Lebanon from 

March 22 to 25. 

He added that Egypt 

would host the annual 

conference of the AUVW 

in June. 

The secretary-general said 

the European Union was 

working on training workshops 

at the AUVW centres 

in Sudan, adding that future 

plans on such workshops 

would be announced soon. 

Kazim also revealed that 

the AUVW would launch a 

partnership with a French 

organisation ‘Doctors for 

the Poor’ with the support 

of the Civilian French 

Heart Association. 

“Through the partnership, 

the AUVW will represent the 

French organisation in the 

Arab world,” he said. 

He pointed out that consultations 

were underway to 

form an international partnership 

between the union 

and the International 

Association for Volunteer to 

promote voluntary activity 

in the Arab world and other 

countries. 

Kazim explained that the 

Doha meeting discussed the 

partnership signed with the 

United Nations Volunteers 

(UNV) programme, which 

will be activated soon. 

It is worth mentioning 

that the United Nations 

Volunteers (UNV) programme 

is a United 

Nations Organisation initiative 

that advocates the 

role and benefits of volunteerism 

for development, 

integrates volunteers into 

development programmes, 

and mobilises them for 

development projects. 

Members of the United 

Nations Volunteers help to 

organise and run local and 

national elections and support 

a large number of 

peacekeeping and humanitarian 

projects. 

GCC customs authorities to 

begin training course today 

QNA 

DOHA 

THE GCC customs authorities are 

slated to begin their sub-regional 

training course in Doha on Sunday. 

Fleet Major-General Nasser 

Mohamed al Ali, chairman of the 

National Committee on Arms 

Embargo (NCAE), will open the 

event at La Cigale Hotel. 

The event will be held under the 

patronage of the Chief of Staff of the 

Armed Forces Major-General 

Hamad bin Ali al Attiyah. 

The course stems from the key 

role played by the GCC customs 

authorities as related to Chemical 

Weapons Convention (CWC). The 

CWC aims to eliminate an entire 

category of weapons of mass 

destruction by prohibiting the 

The event will conclude 

with a collective discussion 

about import 

and export scenarios 

in the region. 

development, production, acquisition, 

stockpiling, retention and 

transfer or use of chemical weapons 

by ‘states parties’. 

The course will feature a set of 

key topics inter-alia an introduction 

to the Organisation for the 

Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 

and chemicals that should be duly 

monitored, transportation conditions, 

special training procedures 

of import and export, the recommendations 

of the World Customs 

Organisation (WCO) and database 

chemical analysis of the 

Organisation for the Prohibition 

of Chemical Weapons and transshipment. 

The event will conclude with a 

collective discussion about import 

and export scenarios in the 

region. However, events related 

to the National Committee on 

arms embargo will continue during 

the week. 

Fleet Major-General Nasser al Ali 

will also open a training course on 

Tuesday, for representatives of the 

national bodies concerned in the 

Asian countries needed to fulfill the 

requirements of advertising in 

accordance with Article VI of the 

Chemical Weapons Convention. 

This training course will continue 

until March 14. 

CMU ensemble to perform on March 12 


DOHA 

CARNEGIE Mellon University’s C 

Street Brass Quintet will thrill 

Doha music lovers at Al Mirqab 

Boutique Hotel, Souq Waqif, on 

Members of the Carnegie Mellon University’s C Street Brass. 

March 12. 

The show will be held at the 

hotel’s Al Terrace Lounge from 

7:30pm to 9:30pm. 

The group will also perform at 

Carnegie Mellon University in 

Qatar (CMUQ) on Education City 

campus on March 14. 

The show at the CMUQ will be 

preceded by a welcome reception 

at 5:30pm. 

The C Street Brass was founded 

in 2007 and has recently been 

appointed Ensemble in 

Residence at Carnegie Mellon 

University. With their distinct 

interpretations and unified 

sound, the quintet has quickly 

established itself as a leading 

ensemble. 

Placing a premium on concert 

presentation, C Street Brass’ vast 

repertoire is drawn from the 

standards of brass quintet literature, 

classical pops, contemporary 

music, as well as transcriptions 

from all genres. 

The group’s dynamic stage 

presence coupled with entertaining 

theatrics quickly establishes a 

strong, personal connection with 

audiences. 

Interested residents can visit 

qatar.cmu.edu/c-street-brass for 

more information.


Nation 

3 QA students win blog challenge 

ACCIDENT NEAR DUKHAN 


DOHA 

WITH more than 900 students 

in the primary school 

alone, Qatar Academy utilise 

technology not only to 

enhance and advance student 

learning but to 

strengthen the lines of communication 

with the parents 

as well. 

This school year, classes 

across all grade levels of the 

Primary School set up blogs 

where teachers posted 

assignments, resources and 

photos for the students. 

To further maximise its 

use, the Technology 

Integration Facilitators – 

who work with students and 

teachers in integrating smart 

and responsible use of technology 

into the Primary 

Years Programme – came up 

with a blog challenge. 

“The concept was about 

having children and their 

parents to come and have a 

Qatar Academy students at a programme, in Doha, recently. 

look at the school blogs,” TIF 

Stacey Simpson said. “The 

students have to do the challenges 

at home with their 

parents, they have to work 

together. And the challenges 

required them to go throughout 

the whole of the blog, go 

to all the different pages and 

links so the parents become 

more familiar with them.” 

The students were up for 

the challenge and from 

around 200 correct entries, 

three students were selected 

to become facilitators for a 

day. Hamad Asaad from 2B, 

Fatima al Kaabi from 4A and 

Farida Jad al Kareem from 

5B went to school dressed as 

teachers and brought their 

iPads and laptops along as 

they went around the different 

classrooms. 

“We have a full schedule 

today from seven in the 

morning until their dismissal,” 

Simpson added. 

“They come with us as we go 

and teach different classes. 

As a treat, we will take them 

out for lunch later.” 

In one Pre-3 class, Farida 

was working with three 

young girls on their classification 

skills through an app 

which they explored together. 

It’s all play for the young 

students but Farida knows 

firsthand the significance of 

technology in learning. “I 

can do different things like 

research to understand my 

lessons better or go to the 

website my teacher listed,” 

she shares. 

According to Simpson, 

that is one factor behind creating 

the blog and making 

sure the parents are aware of 

it. “We wanted to tie in the 

technology we use into one 

central place. The blogs serve 

as the starting point and 

from there parents and students 

can go through the different 

pages relevant to 

them, like the library for 

example. We wanted to 

make it easy and accessible 

for the parents to find information 

and to see their children’s 

progress.” 

A car turned turtle on the highway to Dukhan on Saturday. 

Doha Jazz, Commercialbank 

raise QR100,000 for charity 


DOHA 

DOHA Jazz, Qatar’s leading music 

promoters, has launched its new 

album Blues On The Corniche at a 

gala charity event recently. 

Guests enjoyed a thrilling night of 

live jazz music during the launching 

ceremony. 

Commercialbank, one of the leading 

full service banks in the country, 

was the main sponsor of this initiative. 

Commercialbank teamed up 

with the W Hotel and co-sponsored 

the charitable event. 

The event, which attracted people 

from all walks of life, raised 

QR100,000 which was donated by 

Commercialbank and Doha Jazz to 

the renowned cancer research charity, 

‘Cancer Research UK’. The charity’s 

research benefits cancer sufferers 

around the world. 

The album, which is available on 

Doha Jazz’s website and in the 

Virgin Megastore in Doha, represents 

a cross section of the diverse 

and charismatic musicianship that 

keeps Doha Jazz at the forefront of 

Qatar’s live music scene. Straight-up 

jazz classics mixed with Arabesque 

tracks, Rhythm & Blues grooves and 

lush orchestral arrangements (courtesy 

of the Qatar Philharmonic 

Orchestra) create a diverse and 

engaging album that thrills the listener 

throughout. 

QOC general 

management 

course today 

QNA 

DOHA 

THE first chapter of the 

General Management Course 

(GMC) organised by the 

Qatar Olympic Academy 

(QOA), under the supervision 

of the Qatar Olympic 

Committee (QOC), will begin 

at Lusail Hall in QOC buildings 

on Sunday. 

The five-day training 

course brings together 41 

trainees from the local sport 

federations, clubs, Qatar 

Women Sport Committee 

and the Aspire Academy for 

Sports Excellence. 

Diplomatic Club hosts journalists 

Guests and mediapersons at a programme at The Diplomatic Club, in Doha, recently. (JALAL PATHIYOOR) 


DOHA 

“MEDIA is an effective tool for promoting 

the attractions of the country 

and shedding light on its 

advanced position.” This message 

was delivered by The Diplomatic 

Club during a dinner gathering held 

at Le Grill Restaurant for a group of 

journalists and media representatives 

from media foundations in 

Qatar, in presence of special guests. 

Attendees enjoyed the luxurious 

ambience, warm welcome and the 

fine dining, which included seafood 

and a premium grill selection. 

During the gathering, attendees 

were excited to see exactly how each 

delectable dish was prepared by 

chefs in the open kitchen. Dinner 

was followed by a performance by 

Doha Jazz’s singer Daniel Pasco 

and pianist Oleg Polianski. The duo 

will be continuing their shows every 

Thursday and Friday nights at Le 

Grill from 8pm to 11pm. 

It is also worth mentioning that 

the Diplomatic Club will be hosting 

the second edition of the Peruvian 

Food Festival from March 13 to 

March 23 in collaboration with the 

embassy of Peru. On this occasion, 

two chefs will arrive from Peru to 

present the best of Peruvian traditional 

dishes. 

On another note, the Diplomatic 

Club plans to salute all mothers out 

there and invite them for a Family 

Roast lunch on March 22. All mothers 

will be given a free facial treatment 

voucher offered by the splendid 

Beauty Centre of the club. 

Speaking on the occasion, 

Managing Director of The 

Diplomatic Club, Adel Al Abdullah 

said: “There is no doubt that the 

media plays a vital role in the overall 

development process of any nation. 

Providing sufficient support to the 

media must therefore be a priority of 

all parties as media can help develop 

all sectors. We are delighted to invite 

journalists and looking forward to 

similar steps that boost the position 

of media and help develop relations 

with the club.” 

Journalists and media representatives 

appreciated the Diplomatic 

Club’s invitation, which served to 

foster communication among various 

organisations in community 

and to strengthen ties between the 

club and media on one hand, and 

among media organisations themselves, 

on the other. 

Yournews,Yourviews 

Read online 24X7.... 

click

Nation Sunday, March 10, 2013 05 

Qatar-Ecuador ties on the upswing: Envoy 

DENISE YAMMINE 

DOHA 

DESPITE barriers of culture and 

distance, Qatar and Ecuador have 

fostered strong economic ties 

aimed at benefiting their people. 

Both Qatar and Ecuador have a 

growing role to play in their 

respective geographical sphere as 

well as on the world stage, and 

share common strategies on pursuing 

an agenda of economic and 

social openness. 

Ecuador has always been sympathetic 

towards Arab causes, 

especially the issue of Palestine, 

which makes the Latin American 

republic take keen interest in the 

happenings in the Arab world. 

These were the broad facets of 

Ecuador’s relationship with Qatar 

and the Arab countries that 

emerged during an exclusive interview 

Ambassador of Ecuador 

to Qatar HE Kabalan Abi 

Saab gave to Qatar Tribune 

recently. Excerpts: 

Q: The Emir of Qatar His 

Highness Sheikh Hamad bin 

Khalifa al Thani paid an official 

visit to the Republic of 

Ecuador and met with President 

Rafael Correa on February 

16. During the visit of HH 

the Emir, Qatar and Ecuador 

signed as many as nine agreements 

that are supposed to 

take the bilateral relations to 

the next level. Why does 

Qatar come first when it 

comes to Ecuador’s engagement 

with the Gulf region? 

A: We appreciate the Qatari leadership’s 

policy of balanced 

approach to dealing with the 

nations of the world as well as the 

country’s attempts to balance its 

openness to the world with the 

preservation of its traditions and 

local identity that should be 

maintained. Actually, this is 

something common between 

Qatar and Ecuador, where 17 different 

communities live together 

in an atmosphere of openness 

and respect for differences. 

Ambassador of Ecuador to Qatar HE Kabalan Abi Saab. 

To what extent does the 

Ecuadorian economic 

approach match with Qatar’s 

economic system as the 

Republic of Ecuador has 

inherited a socialist pattern 

of economic management? 

Our economic policy is aptly 

titled “Socialism of the twentyfirst 

century”. Socialism in 

Ecuador today differs from the 

classic socialism, or communism. 

Our economy aims to 

achieve social justice, environment 

protection, universal literacy 

… things which are not 

incompatible with the principles 

of a free market economy that 

supports jobs for all and free 

flow of goods and services across 

national boundaries. I think that 

classical socialism was historically 

exaggerated in pursuing its 

economic agenda as is the 

American capitalism which led 

to the meltdown of the world 

economy in 2008 onwards. 

What is left is a balance between 

the free market and state control 

because the goal is to create 

wealth for the benefit of citizens. 

Is there any significant economic 

competition between 

the Latin American countries? 

In Latin America, everyone is talking 

about unity of the Latino countries, 

which only suggests that 

everyone still believes in Simon 

Bolivar’s dream. Earlier, there 

were internal and border conflicts 

because the political awareness of 

the economic and cultural colonialism 

was missing. A few years 

ago, Latin American countries 

began to take tough positions 

against the colonists by insisting 

on their cultural and economic 

independence. This brought about 

political reconciliation among the 

South American countries leading 

to economic unity. 

How do you view Brazil’s 

growing role in South America 

and its emergence as an 

economic powerhouse? 

If Brazil’s economy goes for a six, 

the economy of entire Latin 

America will feel the impact; 

even the United States may not 

remain unaffected. On the other 

hand, if Brazil improves economically, 

this will be reflected positively 

in all South American 

countries. Yes, Brazil’s political 

stature in the world has grown 

but that does not mean it will try 

to influence the internal affairs of 

other countries. 

What is Ecuador’s position 

vis-à-vis the BRICS group? Do 

you favour formation of similar 

economic groups? 

Ecuador’s economic policy is different 

from the one pursued by 

Brazil or elsewhere in South 

America. We are not in favour of 

becoming a member of such economic 

groups; we actually focus 

on bilateral trade. We are a country 

pursuing a free economy 

encouraging import-export and 

investment. However, we also aim 

to protect our national production. 

This policy has yielded positive 

results over the past six years 

under President Correa. 

Ecuador has repeatedly 

expressed sympathy with the 

Palestinian cause. What does 

Palestine mean for Ecuador? 

We support the right of the 

Palestinian people to live in peace 

and with dignity. It is true that 

Ecuador is represented by its 

embassy in Israel and that a 

Jewish community lives today in 

our country, but we also stand by 

the Palestinian people’s aspirations. 

Our support to the recent 

move to recognise Palestinian 

state as a non-member state in the 

UN bears testimony to this. 

Participants at a writing workshop, in Egypt, recently. 

Doha Writers’ Workshop 

to offer screenwriting 

sessions from March 14 


DOHA 

DOHA Writers’ Workshop 

(DWW), a community group, 

will hold its fifth annual intensive 

writing workshop on 

March 14. The three-day session 

will be led by Lebanese- 

American writer, director and 

producer Darine Hotait. 

Hotait has been offering this 

series throughout the Middle 

East region including Dubai, 

Abu Dhabi, Jordan and Egypt 

among other countries. 

“Screenwriting is overlooked 

in the region whether it 

is at an educational or professional 

level. The workshop 

offers the tools that result in a 

successful narrative film,” said 

the facilitator. 

Hotait will cover all aspects 

of scriptwriting that lead to a 

finished screenplay draft. In 

partnership with Cinephilia 

Productions and Outbox 

International Short Film 

Festival, the weekend is 

designed for prospective and 

professional filmmakers-writers 

who are interested in 

developing a narrative short 

film idea and turning it into a 

screenplay that fits international 

standards. 

“The intention of the intensive 

screenwriting workshop is 

to encourage and guide filmmakers 

and writers in the 

region to focus on their storytelling 

skills and how to write a 

screenplay while developing 

Darine Hotait 

their own voice as writers,” 

said Hotait. 

During the screenwriting 

intensive, participants will 

develop themes, stories, characters 

and dialogue by using 

engaging writing exercises to 

guide them from a one-line 

idea into 8-10 page screenplay. 

Participants will have 

the opportunity to get their 

screenplay funded and produced 

by Cinephilia 

Productions as well as a oneon-one 

feedback session with 

Hotait at the end of the weekend. 

For more information visit: 

https://www.facebook.com/g 

roups/dohawritersworkshop/ 

or inquire by email 

glimpsesqatar@gmail.com. 

Global health 

forum in Doha 

from May 17 


DOHA 

THE first Middle East Forum 

on Quality Improvement in 

Healthcare will be held at the 

Qatar National Convention 

Center (QNCC) from May 17 

to 19. 

The Hamad Medical 

Corporation (HMC) will 

organise the three-day conference 

on quality improvement 

in healthcare as part of 

its commitment towards 

patients’ safety. 

The half-day pre-conference 

activities and two-day 

conference sessions are 

designed to be both stimulating 

and representational of 

the expansive healthcare 

quality improvement field. 

Bringing together hundreds 

of healthcare leaders, visionaries 

and front-line practitioners 

from Qatar and across 

the region, the forum is 

intended to introduce the 

IHI’s globally-recognised 

methodology and expertise to 

the region. 

“We have worked closely 

with the IHI to assemble a 

renowned faculty and specialised 

sessions for our 

region,” said Dr Abdullatif al 

Khal, deputy chief of medical, 

academic and research affairs 

for medical education. 

Online registration is now 

available at: http://ihi.- 

hamad.qa 

Qatari researchers 

‘best’ in Cape Town 

MANEESH BAKSHI 

DOHA 

IN WHAT appears to be a 

shot in the arm for technical 

research in Qatar, a team of 

Qatari researchers bagged the 

best research paper award 

from the Institute of 

Electrical and Electronics 

Engineers (IEEE) recently. 

The topic of the team’s 

research was ‘Power electronic 

and electrical devices’ and it 

was funded by Qatar 

Foundation under its 

National Priority Research 

Programme (NPRP). 

The team of four 

researchers including two 

from Qatar University and 

the other two from Texas 

A&M were honoured by the 

World Bihar Organisation 

(WBO) at Indian Culture 

Centre (ICC) recently. 

They are Dr Rashid 

Alammari, dean of College of 

Engineering at QU, Atif Iqbal, 

associate professor of electrical 

engineering at QU, and 

Prof Haitham Abu-Rub and 

Moin Ahmed from Texas 

A&M Qatar. 

The team was awarded by 

the jury of the Institute of 

Electrical and Electronics 

Engineers (IEEE) at a conference 

held in Cape Town, 

South Africa. IEEE is considered 

to be the world’s 

A researcher being honoured at the WBO event, in Doha, recently. 

largest technical professional 

society with headquarters 

in New York. 

According to Alammari, in 

all, 515 papers from across the 

world were received, out of 

which the IEEE accepted 347. 

“It’s a big achievement for the 

Qatari team to be awarded 

with the best research paper 

out of 347 entries,” said 

Alammari. 

“It is part of our strategic 

planning to collaborate with 

Indian institutes engaged in 

higher education to promote 

cooperation in the field of 

applied research and education,” 

said Rashid while talking 

to Qatar Tribune. 

Dr Alammari will visit 

India shortly to explore the 

possibilities of future cooperation 

between Qatar 

University and Indian educational 

institutes of technology 

and applied research. 

Lauding the standards of 

Indian education, he also 

stressed that there is a need of 

inviting some of the best 

Indian brains to Qatar to 

share knowledge in the areas 

of mutual interest. 

Addressing the select gathering 

Shakil Ahmed Kakvi, 

President of WBO felicitated 

Dr Atif Iqbal and his team on 

their success and invited 

Alammari on a WBO-sponsored 

trip to the state of 

Bihar, to visit the heritage 

sites such as the ancient ruins 

of Nalanda University and 

other historic sites. “It is my 

constant endeavour at WBO 

to form a bridge between 

Qatari Universities and premium 

Indian institutes,” said 

Kakvi. 

QATAR ACADEMY STUDENTS PERFORM UMRAH 

Qatar Academy students and officials during their pilgrimage, in Saudi Arabia, recently.


Nation | Kabayan Corner 

A MODERN-DAY HERO 

WHO LIVES AMONG US 

Jamandre, a Doha resident of 

15 years was among the 67 

OFWs from around the world 

recognised by Philippine 

President Benigno Aquino III for 

the year 2011 

AILYN AGONIA 

DOHA 

FILIPINOS who want to work abroad 

should give their best in their jobs, 

work harmoniously with their colleagues 

regardless of nationality and 

overcome crab-mentality with 

regard to their compatriots. 

This is the advice of Fr Chaves Jamandre, 

one of the 5,000 registered Filipino nurses 

working in Qatar and a recipient of the 2011 

Bagong Bayani Award. The annual award 

in the Philippines honours overseas 

Filipino workers (OFWs) and searches 

among them a new breed of heroes 

who enhance the image of nationals 

from the Southeast Asian nation as 

competent and responsible workers. 

Jamandre, a Doha resident of 15 

years was among the 67 OFWs from 

around the world recognised 

by Philippine President 

Benigno Aquino III at 

the Malacañang 

Palace (the 

Philippines’ seat of 

government) for 

the year 2011. 

Frank, as he is 

commonly 

known, was chosen 

due to his 

exemplary contribution 

to the 

Filipino community 

in Qatar through his 

tireless effort in spearheading 

free medical 

missions which have 

already benefited thousands 

of residents. 

Despite his busy 

schedule as Regulatory 

& Accreditation 

Coordinator in the 

Quality Management 

Department of Hamad 

Frank Jamandre 

Medical Corporation, he 

Frank Jamandre (right) receives the award from Philippine President Benigno Aquino III (second right) at the 

Malacañang Palace, in Manila, in December 2011. 

actively supports 

various 

Filipino groups in 

Qatar and is looked 

up to by his 

kababayans as a role 

model. 

“A Filipino is 

hard working, versatile, 

flexible, can 

do all the work 

and make everything 

happen which 

is a big difference 

from other workers. The character 

strengths of Filipinos lies in their being 

friendly, sociable, persisting, persevering 

and able to adapt to various situations or 

even problems,” the awardee reminded 

his compatriots. 

When asked about his ‘trip’ to the 

Malacañang and being personally praised 

by no less than the Philippine’s top leader, 

Frank described it as a moment when he 

felt proud and satisfied as an OFW and a 

Filipino. 

“I am deeply honoured and blessed. It 

was an exciting day for us recipients and for 

our families and the rest of the audience. 

President Aquino extended his heartfelt 

congratulations to us for our achievement,” 

he said. 

After being named as a modern-day hero 

by his country, Frank remains an integral 

part of the 200,000 strong Filipino community 

in Qatar. He is currently the president 

of Philippine Nurses Association- 

Qatar (PNA-Q), finance officer of the 

Philippine Independence Day Organizing 

Committee (PINOC2013), adviser to another 

Filipino group, the Ilonggo Beez Qatar, 

treasurer of the Filipino Community 

Frank at one of his free medical missions 

across Qatar. 

Organizations Alliance, elder to the King of 

Kings Christian Fellowship and leads in 

organising medical missions across Qatar. 

Apart from these, Frank also dons the hat of 

a student of Master in Business 

Administration Middle East Extension 

Programme of the Philippine Christian 

University (PCU). 

The 61-year old professional has no plan 

to stop contributing to his community here 

and bringing prestige to his country. 

Among the items on top of his ‘to-do list’ are 

supporting the advocacy of financial literacy 

seminars, expanding the free medical 

missions to reach out those in labour camps 

and remote areas of Qatar and lending his 

expertise to ensure the welfare and rights of 

Filipino nurses in Qatar. 

Finally, the hardworking Pinoy wants to 

advocate healthy living among his 

beloved kababayans. “I want to initiate an 

exercise programme for fitness and health 

for all OFW’s here in Qatar through a onehour 

exercise programme lead a 

Callisthenic Instructor every Friday at our 

Philippine Embassy Doha premises,” he 

said in conclusion. 

PICE-Qatar: A group with a heart for charity 

AILYN AGONIA 

DOHA 

THE Philippine Institute of Civil 

Engineers (PICE), a professional 

organisation in the 

Philippines dating back to the 

1970s, has 1,500 members in Qatar 

and continues to increase in number. 

PICE Qatar Chapter, or simply 

PICE-Qatar, is at the forefront of 

furthering the development of 

Filipino civil engineers in the country 

through education and training 

programmes on newly-established 

engineering information communication 

and technology. It was 

formed in Doha in 2007 by 25 

founding members. 

While promoting the professional 

development of its members has 

always been the main objective of 

the organisation, performing outreach 

programmes for distressed 

Filipino workers in Qatar ranks 

high among the priority agenda of 

the civil engineers. 

“One of the major activities of 

PICE-Qatar is to assist the distressed 

overseas Filipino workers 

housed at the Philippine Overseas 

Labor Office and Overseas Workers 

Welfare Administration (POLO- 

OWWA) compound. Yearly we 

conduct outreach programmes at 

the venue to provide our 

kababayans with some of their 

basic needs and also to raise funds 

to purchase plane tickets for those 

who cant leave the country despite 

termination of their job contracts 

simply because they don’t have 

money,” said Arnel Punzalan, 

PICE-Qatar president. 

“Another project that benefits 

not only the Filipino community 

but other residents in need is our 

annual blood activity conducted 

under the auspices of the Blood 

Donation Unit of the Hamad 

Hospital. All these, of course, are in 

coordination with the POLO- 

OWWA office here. The Chapter 

also supports the Philippine 

Embassy Doha in its programmes 

here and in the Philippines.” 

PICE-Qatar has also successfully 

guided at least 35 new civil engineers 

through the Special 

Professional Licensure Board 

Examinations (SPLBE) Review 

Program which started in 2009 

under the leadership of former 

president Eric Garcia. 

In August 2012, the group gathered 

representatives from different 

PICE international chapters in 

Doha for the 1st International 

Technical Conference held at the 

Diplomatic Club Doha. The attendees 

included representatives from 

PICE Eastern Province Saudi 

Arabia (EPSA), PICE Riyadh KSA, 

PICE Bahrain, PICE Oman, PICE 

United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 

PICE Singapore. Officials from the 

PICE National Chapter also graced 

the event. 

“PICE-Qatar offers Filipino civil 

engineers in Qatar camaraderie, 

friendship, guidance and networking, 

professional update and 

advancement, a sense of belonging 

and security and a chance to care 

and contribute to the Qatari community,” 

said former PICE-Qatar 

president Eric Garcia. 

“I joined the chapter here in 

Qatar to be able to support the programmes 

of the group by participating 

in seminars and other activities 

and I believed being a member 

here is important,” said Henry 

Tugano, one of the members of the 

group. 

PICE-Qatar urges Filipino graduates 

of Civil Engineering course to 

take part in their initiatives. The 

group is open to all licensed Civil 

Engineer as a regular member 

while non-licensed civil engineers 

can apply as associate member. 

Applicants may contact Arman 

Tolentino (55259404) or Medel 

Dalida (66723376). For updates 

and more information, visit 

www.piceqatar.com. 

The new batch of office-bearers of PICE-Qatar being sworn in at a function held, in Oryx Rotana, recently. 

Event 

Roundup 

For events and press releases: 

Contact Ailyn Agonia 

Email: qatar.editor@gmail.com 

or call (974) 44422077 

PAQ to organise blood 

donation drive on March 29 

THE Pinoy Ads Qatar (PAQ) will 

conduct a blood donation campaign 

at the Philippine Labour Office 

(POLO-OWWA) on March 29, from 

8am onwards. The organisers urge 

those who wish to donate 

to bring identification 

cards 

such as Qatar 

ID, driver’s 

licence or Qatar 

health card. Snacks 

will be provided 

at the venue. 

BKQIC hold friendly basketball tournament for a cause 

TEAM Dessert Fox bagged the championship title in the recently 

concluded friendly basketball tournament hosted by the 

Braveheart Knights Qatar International Chapter (BKQIC). 

As many as 19 teams participated in the tournament which 

started on September 14 and was organised to raise funds for 

the annual outreach programme of the group for Filipino distressed 

workers in Qatar. 

Team QEWC (Qatar Electricity and Water Company) took the first 

spot in the competition while Team Subway bagged second 

place. 

BKQIC is a recognised branch member of the Guardians Legions 

Qatar chapter. The Guardians Brotherhood has an estimated 1.3 

million members across the Philippines including those of the 

Guardians Legion Chapter spread in different parts of the world 

including in Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Nation | 

Sunday, March 10, 2013 07 

The page title ‘Liwan’ ( 

) is a traditional Qatari room facing north. It is the coldest part of the house where the Qataris used to receive guests. 

AL MAJALIS MADARIS 

THE MAJLIS IS 

A SCHOOL 

The Majlis 

“The majlis is something 

that we have inherited from 

our forefathers, and we 

continue gathering just as 

they did in their day, and we 

hope that it will continue 

with the younger generations 

as well. Perhaps the 

younger generations might 

be distracted by the 

Internet, but we certainly 

are making efforts to continue 

the traditions, and to 

involve the younger generations, 

and our children in 

our gatherings.” 

—Abdulrahman Abdulghani 

RAMY SALAMA 

DOHA 

THE majlis (plural majalis) is the 

embodiment of Qatar’s renowned hospitality. 

At its most basic level, a majlis 

is a separate building that sits outside 

a Qatari home, and where men would meet 

in the evenings to relax, have something to 

eat, and socialise without disturbing the 

women of the household. Taken in the context 

of Qatar’s contemporary culture, and 

its history and heritage, however, the 

majlis is much more, as we found out. 

We were graciously invited to majlis al 

Abdulghani by brothers Abdulrahman and 

Abdulaziz, and ushered into a large rectangular 

majlis with seating around the four 

walls and a table in the middle full of traditional 

dishes including harees, a popular 

dish of ground wheat and chicken, and 

balaleet, sweet noodles flavoured with saffron 

and cardamom, also eaten with eggs 

for breakfast. 

Tea and coffee were brought around the 

room, and we were offered these, and 

encouraged to partake of the food, to which 

we helped ourselves. Following this, the 

conversation began to flow. As is generally 

true in a majlis, multiple discussions were 

conducted along intersecting axes, and 

below are included excerpts of these conversations 

which touch on the subject at 

hand, that of the majlis itself. 

Abdulrahman introduced the majlis, 

referring to its history and its contemporary 

characteristics, recounting that “in the 

old days, there would be a majlis in each 

neighbourhood, which we call a ‘fereej’, 

and the elders of these areas, of each neighbourhood, 

would organise the majlis and 

all the men would gather to talk, to 

socialise, and discuss their problems. This 

is how the majlis came to be a part of our 

traditions, and our heritage. Nowadays, 

some people might have their majlis open 

daily, while others will meet on a weekly 

basis, such as we do here. Whether they are 

old gentlemen or younger people, they 

would do things like play cards, chat, and 

share the local news.” 

Abdulrahman also touched on the cultural 

significance of the majlis, pointing 

out that “the majlis is something that we 

have inherited from our forefathers, and 

we continue gathering just as they did in 

their day, and we hope that it will continue 

with the younger generations as well. 

Perhaps the younger generations might be 

distracted by the Internet, but we certainly 

are making efforts to continue the traditions, 

and to involve the younger generations, 

and our children in our gatherings.” 

He also spoke about the majlis as a structure, 

noting that “the majlis has evolved since 

the older days. Back then, the construction 

was fairly basic, a majlis was built out of 

rocks, pebbles and mud, and the roof would 

be made of other basic materials, such as 

palm fronds and wood. Nowadays, people 

have larger villas, and there is more space, so 

some people who are nostalgic about the old 

days might set up a tent, but you also see 

many a majlis which is a large stand-alone 

room in the front yard of the house.” 

Abdulaziz Mohammed, a guest at the 

majlis, added an important point about the 

historical function of the majlis. He said 

that “back in the old days, the majlis was 

like the media today, so that the people in a 

certain fereej would get together, and 

exchange and discuss the country’s news, 

and current events which were happening. 

The media back then was not as it is today, 

there were no newspapers, or radio or TV 

in those days, so information and news 

came to people through the majlis, and its 

conversations and discussions. They would 

discuss local, and even international news, 

as well as each person’s personal and family 

developments. So we can say that in the 

old days, due to their serving this functions, 

majales were very important. 

Abdulaziz added that “we have continued 

in the traditions of our fathers, and 

have carried the majlis into our contemporary 

culture. Nowadays, we enjoy meeting 

together, and we look forward to our gatherings 

in the majlis, which is an opportunity 

for us to see our friends, who are otherwise 

engaged with their business. 

Naturally, we are also trying to pass this on 

to the new generations.” 

Asked about whether he felt that new 

PHOTOS BY MANEESH BAKSHI 

social media might threaten the existence 

or at least the popularity of the majlis, 

Abdulaziz answered that “with the new 

generation, we can certainly concede that 

there is a threat to the majlis, which we, 

especially the older generations, are worried 

about. While our generation has preserved 

this important aspect of our heritage, 

the current generation, which tends 

to be immersed in these new media, is a 

different one. These kids tend to be busy, 

as they are all users of these media, so in 

many cases, they will have a majlis, but it 

will be silent. The language of silence pervades 

the new majalis. Even if there is a 

conversation, we it might revolve around a 

subject someone has gleaned from the 

social media.” 

Still, Abdulaziz was hopeful that the new 

generations would sustain the heritage of 

their elders. He said, “Having said that, 

though, I do not think these factors will 

spell the end of the majlis. In Qatar, the 

majlis tends to be open to guests, and every 

Qatari home is sort of required to have one. 

It is almost a necessity for a majlis to be 

built as part of the house, though the size 

and characteristics of the particular majlis 

would depend on the space available and 

on the capability of each family to maintain 

the majlis. So, the majlis can be either large 

or small, but even in the latter case, people 

will never stop gathering at the majlis. This 

is an inherited part of our heritage which 

no one seems to want to lose. We can conclude, 

then, that while the majlis in itself 

will persist, the conversation might have 

different characteristics, and a different 

subject matter.” 

Ali al Bahar, who was also present at the 

majlis, said: “In the old days, they used to 

refer to the majlis as a school. In Arabic it 

would be “al majalis madaris”, where 

madaris are schools. Back then, we didn’t 

have employees to pour our coffee. We 

used to have the younger people serve coffee, 

such that the youngest attendee of a 

majlis would do this job of pouring coffee 

for the guests. As each generation followed 

the one that came before, the majlis used to 

bring them together, the older people and 

younger people, even children. Inevitably, 

this would enable the young to learn from 

these older generations, as we listened to 

them converse, especially since, out of 

respect, younger attendees did not speak 

when their elders were talking. This resulted 

in benefits both for older and younger 

people at a majlis. Even learning the Holy 

Qur’an was, back then, a part of the functions 

of a majlis. Older people would recite 

it, and the young would repeat after them.” 

Ali recalled that, long ago, the majlis also 

served the function of a proto-court, so that 

“when issues occurred in the community, in 

the fereej or neighbourhood, the people of 

the fereej would meet at the majlis, and 

they would seek to resolve their issues in 

that way, instead of, say nowadays, going to 

the police. Any problems that happened 

would be resolved through the majlis. 

When a man wanted to get married, he 

would go to the majlis where the men were 

meeting and he would present the request 

there.” 

One factor which contributed to the success 

of the majlis in performing these 

issue-resolving functions, according to Ali, 

was that “there were well-known majalis, 

they were organised by influential people 

of high social standing. The elder would 

hold this majlis, and it would be open to 

everyone in a certain fereej, such that even 

people who were less well-off could enter 

the majlis, and have a meal there. 

For events and press releases contact Ramy Salama by email at qatar.editor@gmail.com or call (974) 44422077.


Nation 

Tasmeem 2013 

opens today 


DOHA 

VIRGINIA Commonwealth 

University in Qatar 

(VCUQ) in partnership 

with the Qatar Foundation 

and Mathaf: Arab Museum 

of Modern Art has invited 

residents to participate in 

its biennial international 

design conference 

Tasmeem Doha 2013, 

which is set to take place 

from Sunday. 

The week-long event 

with the theme ‘Hybrid 

Making’ will take place at 

VCUQ, Mathaf and the 

Hamad Bin Khalifa 

University Student Centre 

from March 10 to March 17. 

A major component of 

the conference will be the 

exploration of the role of 

art and design in the transformation 

of Qatar, from a 

small pearl fishing community 

to a preeminent centre 

for the arts, popular 

tourism destination, and 

home to more than 1.8 million, 

all in just a few 

decades. 

The conference’s theme 

of ‘hybrid making’ will 

explore hybridity within 

the acts of making, building 

and sustaining a contemporary 

society, engaging 

with art, design and other 

interventions that have 

been conceived, designed 

or fabricated in Qatar. 

A significant partner of 

Tasmeem Doha 2013 is 

Mathaf: Arab Museum of 

Modern Art, which will be 

hosting the 13 designer-led 

student laboratories. 

The Tasmeem hybrid 

making laboratories are 

full-scale explorations done 

through the very act of 

making. 

A major component 

of the conference 

will be 

the exploration 

of the role of art 

and design in the 

transformation 

of Qatar. 

For five days (March 10 

to 14), groups made up of 

20 to 25 students and faculty, 

led by invited international 

designers and artists, 

will design and create fullscale 

semi-permanent 

structures (walk-in sculptures), 

performances or 

other catalytic interventions. 

The outcomes of the labs 

will remain on view at 

Mathaf till March 31. 

Visitors to Mathaf will be 

welcome to walk through 

the laboratories during the 

production phase or view 

the outcomes throughout 

the month of March. 

The Tasmeem Hybrid- 

Making Workshops 

(March 10 to 14), which will 

take place at VCUQ, are 

interdisciplinary, collaborative, 

charette-style workshops 

designed to produce 

viable end-products by the 

end of the workshop. 

HMC lecture focuses on 

care for epilepsy patients 


DOHA 

HAMAD Medical Corporation 

(HMC), one of the 

seven partners in the 

Academic Health System 

(AHS), recently held a lecture 

on current research to 

advance healthcare for people 

afflicted with epilepsy. 

The lecture was delivered 

by Dr Ettore Beghi, an international 

expert clinician and 

researcher, and head of the 

Laboratory of Neurological 

Disorders at the Mario Negri 

Institute in Milan, Italy. 

“Epilepsy is a very common 

clinical condition that is 

unfortunately associated 

with social stigma. This stigma 

has made it difficult to 

identify all cases,” said Dr 

Beghi. 

He emphasised the importance 

of public health studies 

in building the knowledge 

about epilepsy and enhancing 

the management of this 

condition. 

He said that with proper 

medication, epilepsy can be 

controlled and people with 

this condition can live normal 

lives. 

“An important message for 

people diagnosed with 

epilepsy is to be aware that 

effective treatment is available 

and many patients who 

have received the right treatment 

are able to control this 

condition and lead full lives,” 

he said. 

Dr Dirk Deleu, Head of Neurology and Neurophysiology at HMC 

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder 

characterised by recurrent 

unprovoked seizures. It 

is the third most common 

neurological condition 

worldwide. 

According to the World 

Health Organisation, 65 million 

people are living with 

epilepsy. 

“About 2,000 cases of 

epilepsy are treated yearly at 

HMC,” said Dr Boulenouar 

Mesraoua, senior consultant 

neurologist at HMC. 

“Inherited epilepsy constitutes 

over 10 percent of these 

cases, while those with 

unknown cause account for 

between 40 and 50 percent. 

“There are also cases of 

symptomatic epilepsy which 

may be due to road accidents, 

infection or stroke 

and cardiovascular problems 

in elderly people.” 

Currently there is limited 

population data on the incidence 

of epilepsy available in 

the Middle East; there are 

plans for data gathering to 

support research studies. 

Clinical experts have indicated 

the incidence of this condition 

in Qatar is expected to 

increase significantly within 

the next 20 to 30 years. 

“We have an ongoing 

research study funded by the 

Qatar National Research 

Fund (QNRF) that explores 

the non-convulsive form of 

status epilepticus, a potentially 

life-threatening condition 

in which the brain is in a 

state of persistent seizure. 

We also have plans for a large 

epidemiological study in 

Qatar,” said Dr Dirk Deleu, 

senior consultant neurologist 

Dr Ettore Beghi, expert clinician and researcher 

and head of neurology and 

neurophysiology at HMC. 

The research study on nonconvulsive 

status epilepticus 

is led by Dr Mesraoua, chairperson 

of the recently concluded 

8th Qatar Neurology 

Symposium, which brought 

together experts on epilepsy 

and other neurological conditions. 

This supports the 

ongoing development of 

regional knowledge and 

expertise in this area. 

Apart from the lecture, 

there have been activities 

focusing on epilepsy, including 

the recent Qatar 

Neurological Symposium 

and an awareness programme 

with HMC 

Emergency Department 

staff and first responders 

about how to provide the 

best, safest care for people 

with seizures. 

In addition, AHS partners 

are engaging in a range of 

specialist training to promote 

best-practice and inter-professional 

knowledge sharing. 

These activities are designed 

to raise awareness among 

clinical staff about the best 

care for people suffering from 

epilepsy. 

These initiatives are key 

aspects contributing to the 

Neurosciences Institute 

which is in development and 

being delivered in line with 

the AHS strategy. The institute 

will offer several centres 

of excellence. Among these 

will be a comprehensive 

epilepsy centre providing 

specialised care for people 

living with epilepsy, as well as 

supporting education and 

research on this condition. 

S Korean envoy lauds professionals’ role in honing communication skills 

LN MALLICK 

DOHA 

SOUTH Korea’s Ambassador 

to Qatar HE Chang See-Jeong 

has lauded the efforts of professionals 

in Qatar in developing 

communication and public 

speaking skills of residents. 

Speaking at the Area 51 

Toastmasters Contest 2013 

held in Doha recently, See- 

Jeong noted that communication 

skills played an important 

role in the development and 

progress of any professional. 

Among the area winners 

were Abdulkhader, Arshad 

Siddiqui and Ravi Rama. 

South Korean Ambassador to Qatar HE Chang See-Jeong (third left) receives a memento from 

Manzoor Moiuddin while Rauf Shahzad, Ashraf Siddiqui, Saleem Kapoorwala and Sameer Moosa look 

on during the Toastmasters contest, in Doha, recently. 

They will take part in TACQ 

2013, division level annual 

contests, scheduled to be held 

at Delhi Public School (DPS), 

in Al Wakra on April 19. 

Present on the occasion were 

Manzoor Moiuddin, divisional 

governor TMI, Sameer Moosa, 

Abid Hussaini, Bashir Ahmad, 

president, Professional Toastmasters’ 

Club, Mohammad 

Salauddin, president, Dukhan 

Toastmasters’ Club, Iftikhar ul 

Haq, president, Wakra Toastmasters’ 

Club, past governors 

Saleem Kapoorwala, Nisar 

Ahmad Rana, Mohammad 

Azimuddin, Qatar Division 

officials and a large number of 

toastmasters in Qatar. 

Divisional governor 

Manzoor Moiuddin, Bashir 

Ahmad, M Salauddin and 

Rauf Shahzad were given 

awards for their services. 

Moiuddin highlighted the 

importance of communication 

skills in daily life. 

Manzoor appreciated the 

efforts exerted by the leadership 

of Area 51 in developing 

the members and noted that 

its achievements were 

acknowledged 

by 

Toastmasters’ headquarters in 

the Unites States. 

Shahzad, Area 51 assistant 

governor, education, proposed 

The winners will 

take part in TACQ 

2013, division level 

annual contests, 

scheduled to be 

held at Delhi 

Public School 

(DPS), in Al Wakra 

on April 19. 

a vote of thanks and also 

thanked Ooredoo management 

and Tag Engineering 

and Contracting Company for 

facilitating the event which 

was organised by Area 51 

Governor Ashraf Siddiqui and 

his council members. 

Vodafone call 

rates change 


DOHA 

VODAFONE has added 65 

new number ranges to its 

‘satellite’ charging zone for 

international calls. From 

March 29, the number ranges 

will be charged QR28 per 

minute, the company said in a 

statement on Saturday. Details 

of the number ranges affected 

are available at www.vodafone.qa/international-change. 

Also from March 29, 

Vodafone will block 80 international 

number ranges so 

that customers will no longer 

be able to dial them from their 

Vodafone number. This measure 

is being taken to protect 

Vodafone’s customers as these 

number ranges are being used 

fraudulently for a variety of 

spam schemes. 

The blocked number ranges 

can be viewed at www.vodafone.qa/international-change. 

Vodafone also said that due 

to increase in terminating 

costs, 36 international destinations 

will have new prices 

per minute for calls made to 

them from March 29. The 

affected countries are listed on 

Vodafone’s website at 

www.vodafone.qa/international-change. 

Spectacular end to KMCC 

Kozhikode’s sports fest 


DOHA 

THE sports festival organised 

by Qatar KMCC Kozhikode 

District Committee concluded 

with a colourful pageant at 

Al Ahli Club recently. 

Hundreds of athletes, artists, 

children and KMCC workers 

participated in the spectacular 

parade featuring traditional 

Malabar Muslim arts 

oppana, kolkkali and daf 

muttu; martial arts such as 

karate, kalari and traditional 

Arabic dances. 

Arm wrestling, slow cycling 

and a tug of war contest were 

held at various locations. 

Among the dignitaries who 

attended the concluding ceremony 

were the Indian 

Ambassador to Qatar HE 

Sanjeev Arora, Kerala 

Education Minister P K Abdul 

Rab, Qatar 2022 representative 

Ahmad al Rumaihi, 

Kerala legislative Councillor 

Abdul Rahman Randathani, 

KMCC leaders and Avatar 

Gold & Diamonds representative 

Kunhahammed 

Perambra. 

Speaking on the occasion, 

the minister and the ambassador 

lauded Kozhikode 

KMCC for organising an 

event aimed at encouraging 

sports and healthy living. The 

minister also honoured 

KMCC sports wing chairman 

K Mohammed Eassa on the 

occasion. 

The festival opened at Al 

Arab Club where selected athletes 

participated in 100, 200, 

400 and 800 metres sprint, 

long jump, high jump, shot 

put, discus throw and walking 

race. Qatar Athletic 

Federation, Al Arabi Club and 

Al Ahli Club supported the 

event. 

Participants march past during the Qatar KMCC Kozhikode District sports fest, in Doha, recently.

Philippines / East Asia Sunday, March 10, 2013 09 

Syrian rebels free 

21 Filipino UN 

peacekeepers 

FREEDOM RIDE AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING 

Hundreds of cyclists ride along a road, in Manila, on Saturday. The cyclists came together to support a global campaign against human trafficking. The 22-kilometre 

ride across the Philippine capital was organised by the Dutch embassy and a non-government group. (AFP) 

AFP 

AMMAN (JORDAN) 

FILIPINO UN peacekeepers 

seized by Syrian rebels on the 

Golan arrived in Jordan on 

Saturday, hours after their captors 

released them from an 

ordeal of more than three days. 

“They arrived in Jordan; 

they are on Jordanian land 

now,” Jordanian government 

spokesman Samih Maaytah 

told AFP. 

The UN and the Philippines 

ambassador in Amman also 

confirmed that the peacekeepers 

had crossed safely 

into Jordan from Syria where 

rebels battling the regime of 

President Bashar al Assad 

seized them on Wednesday. 

“We can confirm that the 

peacekeepers have been 

released,” UN peacekeeping 

spokeswoman Josephine 

Guerrero said in New York. 

The abduction was 

condemned by 

world powers and 

triggered a flurry of 

diplomatic action to 

secure the peacekeepers’ 

release. 

UN Secretary General Ban 

Ki-moon welcomed the 

release but said all sides in the 

Syrian conflict must respect 

the United Nation’s “freedom 

of movement.” 

Ban “appreciates the efforts 

of all concerned to secure 

their safe release,” said a 

statement released by his 

press office after the 21 

Filipinos crossed from Syria 

into Jordan. 

Ambassador Olivia V Palala 

told AFP the peacekeepers 

were heading from the borders 

to the Royal Armed 

Forces headquarters in eastern 

Amman, and are 

unharmed. “We contacted 

them and they are all ok, safe 

and sound,” she said. 

Palala, who earlier expected 

AFP 

PHNOM PENH 

CAMBODIA’S opposition 

leader-in-exile Sam Rainsy 

met his Myanmar counterpart 

Aung San Suu Kyi on 

Saturday in Yangon where 

they discussed their parallel 

struggles for democracy, officials 

from his party said. 

Sam Rainsy, seen as the 

main rival to Cambodia’s 

strongman Prime Minister 

Hun Sen, lives in France to 

avoid prison for a string of 

convictions that critics contend 

are politically motivated. 

In Myanmar his ally Nobel 

laureate Suu Kyi, who spent 

15 years under house arrest 

for a democracy campaign 

against the ruling junta, leads 

the opposition National 

League for Democracy as a 

lawmaker following major 

reforms in 2011. 

Rainsy arrived in Yangon 

to meet them at the border, 

said she was now waiting for 

the peacekeepers at the headquarters 

of Jordan’s armed 

forces. “They are on their way 

now to Amman, they will be 

coming by 7:30 pm (1730 

GMT),” she said, adding that 

future plans for them will be 

made in coordination with 

the United Nations. 

Earlier, the Syrian 

Observatory for Human 

Rights said the soldiers, who 

were abducted in the Golan 

Heights, had been released 

and were on their way to the 

border with Jordan and freedom. 

In an initial reaction 

officials in Manila welcomed 

the news. 

The abduction was condemned 

by world powers and 

triggered a flurry of diplomatic 

action to secure the peacekeepers’ 

release. 

It also sparked fears that 

more governments would 

withdraw their contingents 

from the already depleted UN 

mission. 

Israeli officials warned that 

any further reduction in 

Undof strength risked creating 

a security vacuum in the 

no-man’s land between the 

two sides on the strategic 

Golan plateau, which it seized 

in the 1967 Six-Day War. 

The Filipinos, members of 

Undof monitoring the 

armistice line between Syria 

and Israel that followed the 

1973 Arab-Israeli war, were 

abducted just a mile to the 

Syrian side of the line. 

Rebels from the Yarmuk 

Martyrs Brigade who seized 

them demanded that Syrian 

troops move 20 kilometres 

(12 miles) back from Jamla. 

The Observatory said the 

rebels were also demanding 

that the International 

Committee of the Red Cross 

“guarantees the safe exit from 

the strife-torn area of Jamla 

of civilians,” Rami Abdel 

Rahman, head of the Syrian 

Observatory, said. 

Repatriated Filipino workers from Syria arrive at the airport, in 

Manila, on Saturday. (AFP) 

on Friday to attend the first 

congress of the once-banned 

NLD and met with Suu Kyi on 

Saturday morning, his party 

officials said in Phnom Penh. 

“He met with Ang San Suu 

Kyi and shared the experience 

in their struggle for democracy 

and how to push for free and 

fair elections for the two countries,” 

Yim Sovann, spokesman 

for the Cambodia National 

Rescue Party, told AFP. 

“They shared their experiences” 

as political figures 

pushing for “real democracy”, 

he said, adding the pair also 

discussed other human rights 

issues. 

Rainsy currently heads the 

Cambodia National Rescue 

Party, formed to challenge 

Hun Sen’s 28-year grip on 

power at a general election in 

July this year. 

Cambodia’s National 

Election Committee in 

November ruled that Rainsy 

AP 

KUALA LUMPUR 

MALAYSIAN police said on 

Saturday that they had 

detained 79 suspects linked to 

Filipino intruders in Borneo 

as they intensify an operation 

to flush out members of a 

Filipino Muslim clan who 

took over a village last month. 

The armed clansmen have 

caused political havoc for 

Malaysia and the neighbouring 

Philippines by trying to 

stake a long-dormant royal 

territorial claim to Malaysia’s 

sprawling, resource-rich state 

of Sabah in Borneo. 

Most of the Filipinos eluded 

capture in a coastal Sabah 

district filled with palm oil 

plantations and forested hills 

after Malaysian forces 

attacked them with airstrikes 

and mortar fire on Tuesday. 

National police chief Ismail 

Omar said 79 men and 

women, held without trial 

under a security law, were 

being investigated for their 

links to the gunmen. 

He said they were detained 

outside the conflict zone but 

didn’t give further details. The 

detainees are believed to be 

informants or food suppliers 

Cambodia opposition head 

compares notes with Suu Kyi 

Malaysia detains 79 as 

Sabah death toll hits 61 

would not be able to stand as a 

candidate in the poll because 

of his convictions. 

The 63-year-old, who has 

lived in self-imposed exile in 

France since 2009, faces a 

total of 11 years in prison if he 

returns. He was sentenced to 

10 years in absentia in 2010 

for publishing a ‘false map’ of 

the border with Vietnam, 

claiming the neighbour holds 

Cambodian territory, though 

the punishment was later 

reduced by three years. 

Another conviction relates 

to accusations against the foreign 

minister of being a member 

of the brutal Khmer Rouge 

regime in the late 1970s. 

Hun Sen, 61, has ruled the 

country since 1985 and has 

vowed to stay in power until 

he is 90. His government is 

regularly accused of suppressing 

political freedoms 

and violating the rights of 

dissidents. 

to the gunmen, but it’s unclear 

if they were Malaysians or 

Filipino nationals. 

Ismail said a Filipino gunman 

was killed early on 

Saturday after he tried to 

escape a police cordon, raising 

the death toll in the conflict 

to 61. 

The detainees are 

believed to be 

informants or food 

suppliers to the 

gunmen, but it’s 

unclear if they 

were Malaysians or 

Filipino nationals. 

Representatives of the 

Filipino group have disputed 

the casualty numbers provided 

by Malaysian authorities. 

The main contention is over 

31 Filipinos whom police and 

the military said were fatally 

shot on Thursday. 

The clansmen’s representatives 

in the Philippines insisted 

there had been no deaths 

on their side that day, and 

neither side has managed to 

conclusively prove their conflicting 

claims. 

The clansmen are led by a 

brother of Jamalul Kiram III, 

who claims to be the sultan, 

or hereditary ruler, of the 

southern, predominantly 

Muslim province of Sulu in 

the Philippines. Malaysia’s 

government has rejected a 

call by Kiram for a cease-fire 

and urged the gunmen to surrender 

unconditionally. 

International rights group 

Human Rights Watch on 

Saturday echoed a call by the 

UN chief to ensure the protection 

of civilians and for 

humanitarian access to help 

those affected by the violence. 

“The situation on the 

ground in the conflict zone in 

Sabah is still quite murky, and 

the government of Malaysia 

should provide clear and 

accurate information on what 

has occurred,” said Human 

Rights Watch’s Asia deputydirector, 

Phil Robertson. 

The New York-based group 

said it was concerned over the 

use of a new security law to 

detain dozens of suspects and 

urged the government to 

charge or release them. 

Fifty-three gunmen and 

eight Malaysian policemen 

have died, mainly in 

shootouts between security 

forces and the Filipino group 

and their suspected allies. 

The clansmen sneaked into 

PURIFICATION FESTIVAL 

Sabah by sea from the nearby 

southern Philippines around 

February 9. 

UN Secretary-General Ban 

Ki-moon earlier this week 

called for dialogue among the 

parties to bring an end to the 

violence. 

Malaysia’s government has 

said that it made every effort 

to coax the Filipinos to leave 

and that it had to use force 

after the group fatally shot 

two policemen on March 1. 

Six other police officers were 

ambushed and killed by other 

Filipinos believed to be linked 

to the clansmen in another 

Sabah district. 

The Malaysians have killed 

at least 53 clansmen and their 

suspected allies. 

The Filipinos say Sabah 

once belonged to their royal 

sultanate for more than a century 

and should be handed 

back. Malaysia has dismissed 

their long-dormant territorial 

claim to the oil-and-timberrich 

state, which has been part 

of Malaysia for five decades. 

An estimated 800,000 

Filipinos, mostly Muslims 

from insurgency-plagued 

southern provinces, have settled 

in Sabah over the years to 

seek work and stability. 

Balinese people during a Melasti ceremony at Kuta beach, in Bali, Indonesia, on Saturday. 

Melasti is a purification festival which is held three days before Nyepi, a day of silence on which 

Hindus on the island of Bali are not allowed to work, travel or take part in any indulgences. (AFP) 

Anger over 

attack on 

Hong Kong 

journalists 

in China 

AFP 

HONG KONG 

HONG KONG journalists 

have condemned an attack on 

two cameramen outside the 

Beijing home of the wife of 

jailed Nobel laureate Liu 

Xiaobo, slamming it as a violation 

of press freedom. 

The pair were beaten up by 

a group of unidentified men 

when they were filming an 

activist’s attempt to visit Liu 

Xia, who is herself under 

house arrest, at her apartment 

building on Friday. 

One of the cameramen was 

punched in the face and 

pushed to the ground, while 

the attackers also tried to 

snatch the camera from the 

other journalist and hit him in 

the head, Hong Kong TV news 

footage and reports said. 

“The violence is a serious 

infringement of press freedom,” 

the Hong Kong 

Journalists Association said 

in a statement late on Friday. 

While attacks on journalists 

are not new on the mainland, 

the association said the 

degree of violence in the latest 

assault showed “the situation 

is getting worse”. 

Hong Kong activist Yang 

Kuang who was trying to visit 

Liu Xia was apparently taken 

away in a police car hours 

later and his whereabouts 

remain unknown, the South 

China Morning Post reported 

on Saturday. 

The security guards at Liu 

Xia’s apartment had refused 

to let Yang enter, before a 

group of men came out to 

push away him and yelled 

abuse at the journalists and 

set upon the two cameramen, 

the Post said. 

A spokesman for the Hong 

Kong government said it was 

“highly concerned” over the 

incident, and that the right to 

report on the mainland must 

be respected. 

Liu Xia has been held under 

house arrest since her husband 

— who was sentenced to 

11 years in jail in 2009 for 

“subversion” after co-authoring 

a bold petition calling for 

reforms — won the peace 

prize in October 2010. 

In December, activists 

including top dissident Hu 

Jia broke through a security 

cordon to visit Liu Xia in a 

daring affront to the authorities, 

the first time in more 

than two years that friends 

have been able to visit her.


Opinion 

ESTABLISHED SEPTEMBER 3, 2006 

HAMAD BIN SUHAIM AL THANI 

CHAIRMAN 

ADEL ALI BIN ALI 

MANAGING DIRECTOR 

DR HASSAN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

PRINTED AT ALI BIN ALI PRINTING PRESS 

Bush-era Misdemeanors 

Brennan is set on finding out if Bush and Cheney 

authorised torture during interrogations 

JOHN Brennan, the newly confirmed role in running the torture programme 

chief of the Central Intelligence and expressed disapproval – in private to 

Agency, has been at the agency for people he has not named. As for what 

most of 25 years. He had two counterterrorism 

jobs during the administration of 

George W Bush. In one, he compiled 

intelligence reports from 20 agencies 

(including the CIA) for Bush’s morning 

briefing. He was President Barack 

Obama’s national security adviser in his 

first term and an architect of the Obama 

administration’s targeted killings policy. 

Yet, at his Senate confirmation hearing 

in February, he appeared to be one of the 

few people (apart from maybe Dick 

Cheney and some other die-hard rightwingers) 

who thinks there is some doubt 

still about whether the Bush administration 

tortured prisoners, hid its actions 

from Congress and misled everyone 

about whether coerced testimony provided 

valuable intelligence. 

Brennan told the Senate Intelligence 

Committee that he was surprised by the 

findings of a 6,000-page Senate report 

on detention and interrogation. Scott 

went wrong, if “there were systemic failures, 

where there was mismanagement 

or inaccurate information,” he said, “I 

would need to get my arms around that, 

and that would be one of my highest priorities 

if I were to go to the agency.” 

It’s a little hard to be reassured 

because getting to the bottom of the 

Bush-era lawbreaking, mismanagement 

and incompetence in the interrogation 

and detention programmes has not been 

a high priority for Obama. In fact, it’s 

been no priority at all. From the day he 

took office in 2009, the president refused 

to spend any time looking at the gigantic 

blunders and abuses of power under his 

predecessor because he didn’t want a 

small thing like that to interfere with his 

other political priorities. 

As a result, many, many of the details 

of the creation and execution of the torture 

of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, 

Cuba, and in CIA black sites remain 

Shane reported in The Times on unknown to most members of Congress 

Thursday that the report concludes that 

the interrogation of Al Qaeda detainees 

involving torture and abuse “was ill-conceived, 

sloppily managed and far less 

useful in obtaining intelligence than its 

supporters have claimed”. 

Brennan’s response, after having one 

of the top CIA jobs during the period 

when the torture agenda was at its apex 

(when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was 

subjected to waterboarding 183 times), 

was: “I don’t know what the facts are or 

what the truth is. So I really need to look 

at that carefully and see what CIA’s 

response is.” 

In the past, Brennan said he had no 

and to the public. Not only did Obama 

refuse to open any investigation, but his 

administration even gave a pass to the 

CIA officials who destroyed videotapes of 

sanctioned torture. 

The Senate’s report may be the last 

hope for Americans to know the truth 

about what Bush and Cheney authorised 

in the name of protecting our country – 

decisions that caused enormous damage 

to its reputation worldwide. But it 

remains classified, and Brennan has not 

said whether he would support releasing 

a redacted version to the public. That is 

the only acceptable course. The cover-up 

of the Bush-era lawbreaking has to stop. 

NYT 

Arkansas Goes Tough On Abortion 

REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED legislatures 

have been working for have banned abortions as early as six 

The original version of the bill would 

many years to limit women’s weeks into a pregnancy, but it was changed 

access to legal abortion care, but the to 12 weeks to avoid having to mandate use 

Republican-led Legislature in Arkansas of a vaginal probe to detect the heartbeat. 

took the campaign to a new extreme when Even with the extension, the law stands little 

chance of surviving a court challenge, 

it overrode the veto of Governor Mike 

Beebe, a Democrat, and ignored the but it is distressing in 2013 that a woman’s 

Supreme Court to adopt the most restrictive 

abortion ban in the country. 

sions is under such aggressive attack by 

right to make her own childbearing deci- 

Under current law, established by far-rightlawmakers. In some quarters of 

Supreme Court decisions beginning with the country, Republicans seem unchastened 

by their party’s lagging support 

the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, full abortion 

bans are allowed only after fetal viability, among women. It is also dismaying that 

generally thought to be around 24 weeks Arkansas lawmakers cavalierly approved 

into pregnancy. The Arkansas statute bans the 12-week ban just a week after adopting 

abortion at 12-weeks of pregnancy, when a a 20-week ban that also violates the existing 

standard of fetal viability and 40 years 

fetal heartbeat can typically be detected by 

abdominal ultrasound. 

of Supreme Court precedent. 

NYT 

Seal The Deal With Iran 

By crafting a diplomatic framework, the great powers can 

better impose significant curbs on Iran’s nuclear appetite 

IN THE aftermath of the summit 

meeting in Kazakhstan between 

Iran and the great powers, there 

is an unusual sense of optimism 

in the relevant capitals. 

While in the past Iran’s media and 

politicians greeted such meetings with 

denunciation and pledges of defiance, 

this time the regime’s official class 

sounds moderate in tone and tempered 

in its claims. Even jaded American officials 

accustomed to Iranian obstinacy 

appear somewhat sanguine. 

After nearly a decade of diplomacy, 

there is a faint and perhaps fleeting 

light at the end of one of the world’s 

most durable tunnels. The challenge 

for the next round of talks, in April, is 

to cement the progress that has been 

made and finally transact a resilient 

arms control agreement. 

The essential aspect of Western strategy 

is that nuclear concessions by Iran 

will be met by relaxation of economic 

penalties. In diplomatic parlance this is 

known as “more for more” – the more of 

its nuclear portfolio Iran concedes, the 

more financial benefits it will reap. 

Indeed, the sanctions regime orchestrated 

by the Obama administration has 

succeeded beyond the imagination of its 

sceptics and has managed to largely segregate 

Iran from the global economy. 

But a conclusive resolution of the prevailing 

impasse is unlikely to be 

achieved through an exchange of 

nuclear concessions for sanctions relief. 

For the great powers to continue to 

make progress on this issue, they need to 

consider not just Iran’s economic distress 

but also its security predicament. 

An important facet of America’s strategy 

of pressure that seldom gets much 

notice is the massive naval deployments 

in the Gulf and sale of considerable 

arms to the Arab sheikdoms. The conventional 

balance of power in the Gulf is 

decisively tilted to Iran’s disfavour. For 

a nation with historical pretensions of 

RAY TAKEYH | 

IHT-NYT SYNDICATE 

playing an important role in its immediate 

neighbourhood, such a disadvantageous 

position only enhances the lure 

of nuclear arms. An important constituency 

in the Islamic Republic has 

long suggested that the only way the 

regime can negate the existing imbalance 

of power is through acquisition of 

the ultimate weapon. 

Today, the international community is 

seeking to disarm a country whose practical 

security is being systematically 

endangered. All this is not to suggest 

that the United States should withdraw 

from the Gulf or abandon its allies and 

its long-term treaty commitments, but 

as part of its nuclear diplomacy 

Washington should be more cognisant 

of Iran’s security dilemmas. 

The United States may want to consider 

what role Iran can play in its 

evolving Gulf security architecture. 

Along these lines, Washington may 

want to consider ideas that have stabilised 

other conflict-prone regions 

such as Europe. A Gulf security dialogue 

could encompass such issues as 

navigational rights, a mechanism for 

addressing border disputes, an earlywarning 

system for military exercises, 

and even the prohibition of certain categories 

of weapons from the region. 

During the decade that Iran’s 

nuclear ambitions have been subject to 

international scrutiny and mediation, 

the most successful negotiations were 

conducted by the European foreign 

ministers of France, Germany and 

Britain – the so-called EU-3 – that 

spearheaded this effort from 2003 to 

2005. During that time, Iran suspended 

its nuclear activities, conceded to 

intrusive inspection measures and was 

seemingly prone to negotiating a 

mutually satisfactory agreement. 

One of the innovations of the EU-3 

was its recognition that the nuclear 

issue cannot be divested from the 

security context. To expedite their 

diplomacy, they not only conducted 

talks about economic sanctions and 

Iran’s nuclear infractions but also 

about overall security issues. 

To be sure, the European track in 

time exhausted itself. The inability of 

the Europeans to offer Iran a reliable 

path out of its predicament and the 

rise of a new conservative government 

in Tehran confident that it could 

resume its nuclear activities and sustain 

its economic power, doomed the 

EU-3’s enterprising efforts. 

Today, the situation is altogether different. 

The international community has 

coalesced to an unprecedented and 

unparalleled degree, as Iran is not just 

isolated in the region but is routinely 

censured and faces sanctions even by 

Russia and China. The conservatives in 

Iran are no longer as confident as they 

once were. Years of economic decline 

have caused at least some Iranian rightists 

to question their assumptions. 

By crafting a diplomatic framework 

that covers both economic and security 

issues, the great powers can better 

impose significant curbs on Iran’s 

nuclear appetite. 

Given that the EU-3 diplomatic 

approach has been the only one thus 

far to yield practical benefits, the current 

cast of negotiators would be wise 

to consider its adoption. It is hard for 

any nation to dispense with its nuclear 

ambitions when its security environment 

is persistently exacerbated. 

Trading economic sanctions for 

nuclear concessions may offer modest 

agreements, but a fundamental resolution 

of this issue may require a more 

imaginative re-conceptualisation of the 

existing diplomatic paradigm. 

(Ray Takeyh is a senior fellow at 

the Council on Foreign Relations) 

What The Tsunami Left Behind 

Tsunami-hit buildings and structures have been left untouched to act as memorials & symbols of the tragedy 

THE deserted white apartment 

building tells its story floor by floor. 

The street level has only gaping 

open spaces where there were once floorto-ceiling 

windows. On the second story, 

pieces of aluminum protrude across 

some of those gaps. More metal appears 

on the third floor, delineating parts of 

window frames. The fourth floor has horizontal 

and vertical metal bars in the 

gaps, but no glass. The fifth and top floor 

reveals what each level of this 40-unit 

structure used to look like: a parapet of 

white panels encloses a row of identical 

apartments with sliding glass doors that 

open up to balconies. 

The building in the city of Rikuzentakata 

is a vivid if eerie illustration of the 

power of the tsunami that ripped through 

the structure’s first four floors, the water’s 

force decreasing with height. The city 

recently decided to preserve the structure 

as a testament to the devastation wrought 

by the earthquake and tsunami that 

struck Japan’s northeastern coast on 

March 11, 2011. 

Near the apartment building, yellow 

excavators work through mounds of 

debris-filled soil, clearing the grounds for 

new construction. As the region’s massive 

clean up races along with characteristic 

Japanese efficiency, the local governments 

face the sensitive challenge of 

deciding what if any items should be preserved 

as memorials of the tragedy. It is 

proving to be a testing process, particularly 

in the northern area’s conservative 

culture that reveres consensus. 

Much of the opposition, understandably, 

comes from residents near the edifices 

who say they don’t need any more 

reminders of their losses. Japan doesn’t 

have a strong tradition of saving buildings, 

either, in part due to its historical 

use of wood as opposed to stone in construction. 

A major exception is the lone 

building that survived the atomic bombing 

of Hiroshima whose steel dome top 

has become a globally recognised symbol 

of the reality of nuclear warfare. 

Opponents also worry that the costs to 

maintain memorials will divert funds 

KUMIKO MAKIHARA | 

IHT-NYT SYNDICATE 

The unprecedented 

amount of visual records 

of this natural disaster 

and their widespread 

dissemination have 

opened the debate over 

preservation to a broad 

audience. 

from reconstruction projects. 

The unprecedented amount of visual 

records of this natural disaster and their 

widespread dissemination have opened 

the debate over preservation to a broad 

audience. People all over Japan recognise 

the image of the 330-ton ship washed 

into the middle of town or the red steel 

frame of the municipal building from 

where a young woman repeatedly broadcast 

evacuation orders before she, too, 

was swept away. 

The artist Takashi Murakami started a 

conservation project after he noticed how 

quickly wreckage was disappearing while 

he was delivering relief goods just after 

the quake. “The ship on top of the roof, 

the twisted road signs, would be there 

one week and gone the next,” he said. 

Murakami began collecting whatever he 

could fit in his car – so far about 100 

items, such as oil drums, fire extinguishers 

and street signs. The cultural critic 

Hiroki Azuma formed a group to explore 

making the decommissioned nuclear 

reactor in Fukushima Prefecture an educational 

tourist destination. 

Miyagi Prefecture issued preservation 

guidelines for its cities. The buildings 

should have helped save lives or have the 

potential to educate future generations 

on disaster prevention. They must meet 

safety standards and not disrupt reconstruction 

plans. Rikuzentakata, located in 

neighbouring Iwate Prefecture, decided 

not to conserve any buildings where people 

died; a stance that some say defeats 

the purpose of having the memorials 

enlighten viewers on the scale of the 

tsunami. 

“Even items of negative legacy should 

remain,” said Akira Kugiko who guides 

visitors through areas of destruction. “We 

need people to know what happened here 

after we are gone.” 

In time for next week’s second anniversary, 

Rikuzentakata officials erected a 

restored version of what is popularly 

called the “miracle pine tree,” a single tree 

that remained standing after waves took 

out the rest of the shoreline forest. The 

27-meter-high tree died last year after its 

roots rotted from exposure to seawater, 

but it has been hollowed out and filled 

with carbon fibre and adorned with replicated 

branches and leaves. The new tree 

won’t speak to the frailty of people in the 

face of natural calamities, but the city 

hopes the majestic replica will be an 

encouraging symbol of recovery. 

(Kumiko Makihara is a writer 

and translator) 

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THE OPINION AND ANALYSIS PAGES ARE THE AUTHORS’ OWN. QATAR TRIBUNE BEARS NO RESPONSIBILITY.

Analysis Sunday, March 10, 2013 11 

The Orthodox Surge 

The modern Orthodox Jews’ life is governed by moral order that is countercultural 

The Way Forward 

DAVID BROOKS 

NYT NEWS SERVICE 

The modern 

Orthodox are like 

the grocery store 

Pomegranate, 

superficially a 

comfortable part 

of mainstream 

American culture 

but built upon a 

moral code that 

is deeply 

countercultural. 

IN MIDWOOD, Brooklyn, 

there’s a luxury kosher grocery 

store called Pomegranate serving 

the modern Orthodox and 

Hasidic communities. It looks 

like a really nice Whole Foods. There’s 

a wide selection of kosher cheeses 

from Italy and France, wasabi herring, 

gluten-free ritual foods and nicely 

toned wood flooring. 

The snack section is impressive. 

There’s a long aisle bursting with little 

bags of chips and pretzels, suitable 

for putting into school lunchboxes. 

That’s important because Orthodox 

Jews spend a lot of time packing 

school lunches. 

Nationwide, only 21 percent of non- 

Orthodox Jews between the ages of 18 

and 29 are married. But an astounding 

71 percent of Orthodox Jews are 

married at that age. And they are having 

four and five kids per couple. In 

the New York City area, for example, 

the Orthodox make up 32 percent of 

Jews overall. But the Orthodox make 

up 61 percent of Jewish children. 

Because the Orthodox are so fertile, in 

a few years, they will be the dominant 

group in New York Jewry. 

Another really impressive thing 

about the store is not found in one 

section but is pervasive throughout. 

That’s the specialty products 

designed around this or that aspect of 

Jewish law. There are the dairy-free 

cheese puffs in case you want to have 

some cheese puffs with a meat dish. 

There are the precut disposable 

tablecloths so you don’t have to use 

scissors on the Sabbath. There are 

the specially designed sponges, which 

don’t retain water, so you don’t have 

to do the work of squeezing out water 

on Shabbat. 

Pomegranate looks like any island 

of upscale consumerism, but deep 

down it is based on a countercultural 

understanding of how life should 

work. 

Those of us in secular America live 

in a culture that takes the supremacy 

of individual autonomy as a given. 

Life is a journey. You choose your own 

path. You can live in the city or the 

suburbs, be a Wiccan or a biker. 

For the people who shop at 

Pomegranate, the collective covenant 

with God is the primary reality and 

obedience to the laws is the primary 

obligation. They go shopping like the 

rest of us, but their shopping is 

minutely governed by an external 

moral order. 

The laws, in this view, make for a 

decent society. They give structure to 

everyday life. They infuse everyday 

acts with spiritual significance. They 

build community. They regulate 

desires. They moderate religious 

zeal, making religion an everyday 

practical reality. 

The laws are gradually internalised 

through a system of lifelong study, 

argument and practice. The external 

laws may seem, at first, like an imposition, 

but then they become welcome 

and finally seem like a person’s natural 

way of being. 

Meir Soloveichik, my tour guide 

during this trip through Brooklyn, 

borrows a musical metaphor from the 

Catholic theologian George Weigel. At 

first piano practice seems like drudgery, 

like self-limitation, but mastering 

the technique gives you the freedom 

Pomegranate looks like 

any island of upscale 

consumerism, but deep 

down it is based on 

a countercultural 

understanding of 

how life should work. 

to play well and create new songs. Life 

is less a journey than it is mastering a 

discipline or craft. 

Much of the delight in life comes 

from arguing about the law and different 

interpretations of God’s command. 

Soloveichik laughingly 

describes his debates over which 

blessing to say over Crispix cereal, 

which is part corn but also part rice. 

Jonathan Sacks, the chief rabbi of 

the British Commonwealth who is on 

a tour through New York, notes that 

Jews are constitutional lawyers: 

“The Torah is an anthology of argument 

with a shared vocabulary of 

common restraint.” 

But there are still obligations that 

precede choice. For example, a young 

person in mainstream America can 

choose to marry or not. In Orthodox 

society, young adults have an obligation 

to marry and perpetuate the 

covenant, and it is a source of deep 

sadness when they cannot. 

“Marriage is about love, but it is not 

first and foremost about love,” 

Soloveichik says. “First and foremost, 

marriage is about continuity and 

transmission.” 

The modern Orthodox are rooted in 

that deeper sense of collective purpose. 

They are like the grocery store 

Pomegranate, superficially a comfortable 

part of mainstream American 

culture but built upon a moral code 

that is deeply countercultural. 

This sort of life involves a fascinating 

series of judgment calls about 

what aspects of secularism can safely 

be included in a covenantal life. For 

example, Soloveichik’s wife, Layaliza, 

was admitted into Harvard, but 

she went to a religious college, 

Yeshiva, instead. Then she went to a 

secular professional school, Yale 

Law, and now works as an assistant 

US attorney. 

All of us navigate certain tensions, 

between community and mobility, 

autonomy and moral order. Mainstream 

Americans have gravitated 

toward one set of solutions. The families 

stuffing their groceries into their 

Honda Odyssey minivans in the 

Pomegranate parking lot represent a 

challenging counterculture. Mostly, I 

notice how incredibly self-confident 

they are. Once dismissed as relics, 

they now feel that they are the future. 

Have 

your say 

Is there an issue you feel strongly 

about, or an article you want to comment 

on? QT will carry your voice to the 

public and to places where it matters. 

Write to us at 

ADDRESS: PO BOX 23493, 

DOHA, QATAR 

TELEPHONE: +974.44422077 

FAX: +974.44416790 

EMAIL: LETTERS@QATAR-TRIBUNE.COM 

Metre Tricks 

THIS is with reference to the article, 

‘Residents rue Karwa drivers’ metre 

trick’, published in Qatar Tribune on 

March 8. 

I’ve also been tricked by the Karwa 

drivers with the metres. Since I don’t 

own a car, I take a taxi every time I go to 

work or somewhere in Doha. 

Sometimes the fares vary by a small 

amount, but at times the gaps are huge 

even when we are taking the same route 

as the previous ones. They also take 

detours just to increase the fare. 

Another situation is when they turn 

off their metres. When they turn off 

their metres, they say the amount of 

fare they wanted, which is higher than 

the usual fare, and sometimes they 

won’t take less than that. This is irritating 

especially if the place is not that far 

and when you’re in a hurry that you 

have no choice but to accept and give 

the fare the driver wanted. Though I 

understand why some drivers do these 

tricks. I’ve heard a lot about their situations; 

about their accommodation and 

its rules, their salaries, their quotas. 

Sometimes you can’t blame them. 

Nevertheless, I hope they resolve this 

problem. The next time I ride a taxi, I 

trust the driver won’t use any tricks to 

fleece me. 

CHERRY S 

“International Women’s Days: 

From Jan 1 to Dec 31.” 

PAULO COELHO 

DOHA 

Health is Wealth 

Vision Loss, Depression 

May Be Linked 

HEALTHDAY | NYT SYNDICATE 

PEOPLE with depression are 

more likely to have self-reported 

vision loss, according to a new 

study. 

Researchers analysed data from 

more than 10,000 adults aged 20 and 

older who took part in the U.S. 

National Health and Nutrition 

Examination Survey between 2005 

and 2008. 

The rate of depression was about 11 

percent among people with selfreported 

vision loss and about 5 percent 

among those who did not report 

vision loss, according to the study, 

which was published online March 7 

in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. 

After accounting for a number of 

factors — including age, sex and general 

health — the researchers concluded 

there was a significant association 

between self-reported vision loss and 

depression. The study did not, however, 

show that one causes the other. 

“This study provides further evidence 

from a national sample to generalise 

the relationship between 

depression and vision loss to adults 

across the age spectrum,” said Dr 

Xinzhi Zhang, of the US National 

Institutes of Health, and colleagues in 

a journal news release. 

After accounting for a 

number of factors — 

including age, sex and 

general health — the 

researchers concluded 

there was a significant 

association between 

self-reported vision loss 

and depression. The 

study did not, however, 

show that one causes 

the other. 

“Better recognition of depression 

among people reporting reduced ability 

to perform routine activities of 

daily living due to vision loss is warranted,” 

they concluded. 

Bloggers’ Borough 

Why Employers Aren’t Filling Their Open Jobs 

PETER CAPPELLI | 

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW 

THERE are many signs that the US 

economy is improving, but the most 

important one, the unemployment 

rate, remains stubbornly rooted in recession 

territory. We had jobless recoveries coming 

out of the last recessions in 2001 and 1992, 

but this one put the budget squeeze on 

recruiting and has gone on for a very long 

time. Does it mean there is something really 

different this time? 

One way to answer this question is to see 

whether the level of hiring now is different 

than one would expect given unemployment 

rates this high. This ratio of job openings 

to unemployment when calculated 

over time is known in economics as the 

Beveridge Curve. Several studies during this 

recession seemed to indicate that the situation 

was similar to previous recessions, but 

a recent study points to one big anomaly: 

Job openings are not being filled nearly at 

the rate they have been in previous recoveries. 

In other words, vacancies are staying 

vacant for a very long time. 

If so, then the next question is, why? Why 

aren’t employers filling those jobs? The 

popular explanation that there is something 

wrong with the applicants has no support. 

There is no “mismatch” between the industries 

and occupations where people were 

laid off and where hiring is taking place, for 

example. The “failing schools” notion, even 

if it was true, couldn’t explain the continued 

unemployment of the majority of job seekers, 

who graduated years ago and had jobs 

just before the recession. 

The better answer comes from the ways 

in which contemporary practices have 

made hiring more difficult. Companies 

regained profitability during the recession 

with a relentless squeeze on costs, and most 

of that squeeze was associated with labour. 

We know, for example, that employers are 

spending far less to recruit and hire a candidate 

than before the recession, which may 

make it harder to find the right person. 

Line managers with profit-and-loss 

responsibility also have a big financial 

incentive to avoid adding new employees 

and the associated costs, so the pressure to 

hire often comes from overworked employees 

who demand more help when business 

and the workload picks up. But even when 

managers give permission to hire, they may 

drag their feet about actually bringing 

someone on. With all those people looking 

for jobs, why not be picky? Candidates routinely 

report that companies now take 

months to make hiring decisions, putting 

the candidates through round-after-round 

of interviews with long pauses in between, 

as the employer picks through the many 

worthy candidates. 

Some of the cost-cutting took out 

recruiters. They used to be the people pushing 

back on hiring managers, asking “do you 

really need someone with a graduate degree 

to do this job?” or telling them, “you aren’t 

going to find someone with 10 years of experience 

at that salary.” Outside recruiters 

report that they often have to bring in many 

candidates who turn down a client company’s 

job offers before the client is persuaded 

to raise its pay. And some of the cost-cutting 

also took out training and development 

capabilities, so that hiring managers have no 

choice but to wait for candidates who already 

have all the skills needed to do the job. 

So where does this leave employers — and 

the unemployed? The reason markets 

adjust is because the participants, in this 

case the employers, eventually learn that 

they either have to raise their pay or lower 

their expectations in order to get the workers 

they need. That process of learning and 

adjustment slows down a lot, though, once 

companies have cut the recruiters, who 

used to do the learning for them, and the 

trainers, who could turn imperfect candidates 

into credible workers.


Gulf / Middle East 

10-year jail 

term for two 

rights activists 

in Saudi Arabia 

AFP 

RIYADH 

A SAUDI Arabian court sentenced 

two prominent political 

and human rights activists 

on Saturday to at least 10 

years in prison for offences 

that included sedition and 

giving inaccurate information 

to foreign media. 

The court on Saturday also 

dissolved a human rights 

group and handed down heavy 

jail terms to two of its members. 

The judge at the criminal 

court in Riyadh, in delivering 

his verdict ordered “the dissolution 

of the Saudi Association 

of Civil and Political Rights 

(Acpra), for failing to obtain 

authorisation, and the seizure 

of its assets.” 

He also upheld a six-year 

prison term for one the group’s 

members, Abdullah al-Hamed, 

by a court of first instance, 

while also handing him a new 

five-year sentence and an 11- 

year travel ban to come into 

force when he leaves jail. 

Another rights activist with 

the Acpra, Mohammed 

Gahtani, was jailed for 10 years 

and banned from travelling for 

10 years. The defendants were 

convicted of violating a law on 

cybercriminality by using 

Twitter to denounce various 

aspects of political and social 

life in the ultra-conservative 

kingdom. They have 30 days to 

appeal. The two men reacted 

calmly to the verdict, saying 

they planned to continue their 

“peaceful struggle.” 

Gahtani said in June last 

year that he had been accused, 

under the law on cybercriminality, 

of “spreading sedition” 

and “rebelling against the 

authority” of the king. 

The Saudi rights group 

claims to have created a file 

listing “hundreds of human 

rights violations over the past 

two years,” and has helped victims 

seeking justice. 

It says the kingdom is holding 

around 30,000 political 

prisoners. Mohammed Fahd 

al-Qahtani and Abdullah 

Hamad are founding members 

of the banned Saudi Civil and 

Political Rights Association, 

known as Acpra, that documents 

human rights abuses 

and has called for a constitutional 

monarchy and elections. 

Riyadh, Washington’s top 

Gulf ally, does not allow 

protests, political parties and 

trade unions. Most power is 

wielded by top members of the 

ruling family and senior clerics 

of the ultra-conservative 

Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam. 

Last year, Acpra issued a 

statement demanding that 

King Abdullah sack his heir 

and interior minister, Crown 

Prince Nayef, who they held 

responsible for rights abuses. 

Nayef died shortly afterwards. 

Qahtani was sentenced to 10 

years. Hamad was told he must 

complete the remaining six 

years of a previous jail term for 

his political activities and serve 

an additional five years. 

They will remain in detention 

until a judge rules on their 

appeal next month. 

Unlike in most previous 

cases, the trial was opened to 

the press and public, in what 

Saudi activists described as a 

step forward for rights even as 

they decried the verdict. 

Supporters of the two men 

shouted out that the trial was 

politically motivated after the 

judge handed down the sentences, 

and a line of security 

officers armed with truncheons 

cleared the courtroom. On 

Thursday, an Interior Ministry 

spokesman said that activists, 

whom he did not name, had 

tried to stir up protests in the 

by spreading “false information” 

on social media. 

Jordan’s King Abdullah II (fourth right) attends the opening session of the Jordan-US Business Forum, in Amman, on Saturday. (AP) 

Jordan hopes Obama’s visit 

will revive M-E peace plan 

AFP 

AMMAN 

KING Abdullah II of Jordan 

said on Saturday that he hoped 

the visit of US President Barack 

Obama to Israel and the West 

Bank later this month will offer 

a momentum to the Middle 

East peace process. 

“We are looking forward to 

welcoming President Obama 

in Jordan soon. And I hope to 

see real momentum in the 

peace process after his visit, a 

strategic national interest for 

both our countries,” the king 

said in an address to Jordanian 

and American businessmen at 

a meeting in Amman. 

Palestinian-Israeli peace 

talks have been deadlocked for 

more than two years. 

The Palestinians insist on 

renewing talks in tandem with 

a freeze on Jewish settlement 

construction in the occupied 

West Bank and east Jerusalem, 

while Israel says there should 

be no preconditions. 

Obama is set to meet with 

Israeli and Palestinian leaders 

in Jerusalem and Ramallah 

during his March 20-22 visit, 

the first foreign policy mission 

of his second term. He will also 

visit Jordan. 

But US officials say he will 

not launch a Mideast peace initiative 

during the trip. 

On Thursday, Obama met 

American Jewish community 

leaders at the White House 

and said there would be no big 

Middle East peace initiative on 

the table. A US official said “the 

president noted that the trip is 

not dedicated to resolving a 

specific policy issue, but is 

rather an opportunity to consult 

with the Israeli government 

about a broad range of 

issues — including Iran, Syria, 

the situation in the region, and 

the peace process.” 

Obama sought to restart 

peace talks in 2011, but the 

effort collapsed within weeks. 

Palestinians refuse to resume 

negotiations unless Israel 

stops building settlements in 

the West Bank and East 

Jerusalem. Netanyahu says 

talks should resume without 

any preconditions, and he has 

even allowed stepped-up construction 

in the territories 

since the UN moved to recognize 

a de facto state of 

Palestine in November. 

The White House did not 

put the meeting with Jewish 

leaders on the president’s public 

schedule. A White House 

official later said Obama 

sought input from the leaders 

on his trip and underscored 

that it would be an opportunity 

for him to speak directly to 

the Israeli people. 

National Jewish Democratic 

Council chairman Marc 

Stanley was among those who 

attended Friday’s meeting. He 

said Obama reiterated his 

“unshakeable support for 

Israel and explained that his 

upcoming trip will be focused 

on discussing with his Israeli 

counterparts the critical issues 

facing the Jewish state, including 

Iran, the peace process, and 

Syria.” In addition to his meetings 

with Netanyahu, Obama 

will also hold talks with 

Palestinian Authority 

President Mahmoud Abbas 

while in the region. He told the 

Jewish leaders Thursday that 

he would emphasize to Abbas 

that peace remains possible, 

though very difficult given the 

current climate in the region. 

While in Israel, Obama is 

also expected to note that 

Israel’s proximity in an 

increasingly dangerous region, 

given the instability in Syria 

and the potential nuclear 

threat from Iran. He’ll likely 

reiterate that all options, 

including military force, 

remain on the table when it 

comes to dealing with Iran, 

while also touting the impact of 

strident economic sanctions. 

Incidentally, On Saturday, 

Abdullah also talked of the 

“landmark parliamentary elections” 

held earlier this year in 

Jordan. “A consultative 

process was launched to 

choose the next prime minister, 

and our first pilot parliamentary 

government will be 

in place soon,” he said. 

“Reform, like democracy, is 

always work in progress.” The 

elections were boycotted by the 

Muslim Brotherhood which 

believes that such reforms do 

not lead to real democracy. 

More than five weeks after the 

resignation of premier Abdullah 

Nsur, no new government has 

been appointed. 

Meanwhile, in a new development, 

the Royal Palace says 

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has 

designated his caretaker prime 

minister to form a new permanent 

Cabinet at the request of 

the newly elected parliament. 

Abdullah Ensour, a former 

liberal lawmaker known for his 

criticism of the government, is 

the first prime minister in 

Jordan’s history to be elected 

by parliament. He has held the 

PM’s post since last October. 

Traditionally, Abdullah selects 

prime ministers, but he relinquished 

that right under 

reforms he initiated to stave off 

an Arab Spring-style uprising. 

ON WAY TO SAUDI ARABIA 

Hundreds of camels wait at Mogadishu’s seaport to be exported to Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. (AFP) 

UN envoy meets S Yemeni 

leaders ahead of dialogue 

AFP 

SANAA 

UN ENVOY to Yemen Jamal 

Benomar met on Saturday 

those leaders from the separatist 

Southern Movement 

who aim to join in a national 

dialogue this month to end 

the country’s political crisis, 

participants said. 

Among those at the meeting 

in Dubai were representatives 

of secessionist Ali Salem 

al-Baid, who later withdrew 

after handing over their list of 

demands. 

The exiled Baid was president 

of South Yemen, which 

broke away in 1994, sparking 

a civil war, before it was overrun 

by northern troops. He 

demands full independence 

for the south, while other factions 

merely want autonomy. 

Among those at 

the meeting in 

Dubai were representatives 

of 

secessionist Ali 

Salem al-Baid 

“Most participants are in 

favour of taking part in the 

national dialogue,” which is 

scheduled for March 18, said 

southern delegate Jihad 

Abbas. 

“Most are also for federalism 

and against the use of violence.” 

Some figures of the 

former South Yemen were 

present in Dubai, such as former 

president Ali Nasser 

Mohammed, and former premier 

Abdel Rahman al-Jifri. 

But another leader, Hassan 

Baum, was absent because he 

had no visa. 

The southern question is 

part of the agenda of the 

national dialogue, which was 

originally scheduled for mid- 

November. It aims to draft a 

new constitution and prepare 

for elections in February 2014 

after a two-year transition following 

the departure of former 

president Ali Abdullah 

Saleh. 

Saleh stepped down last 

year following massive street 

protests. 

Somali pirates release tanker crew 

REUTERS 

MOGADISHU 

SOMALI pirates have released 

a chemical tanker they 

hijacked a year ago with about 

20 crew on board after receiving 

a ransom, the pirates and a 

minister from the semiautonomous 

Puntland region 

said on Saturday. 

The pirates said they had 

abandoned the UAE-owned 

MV Royal Grace, which was 

seized off Oman on March 2 

last year. “We got off the vessel 

late last night. We happily 

divided the cash among ourselves,” 

a pirate who identified 

himself only as Ismail told 

Reuters by telephone. The 

EU’s anti-piracy taskforce said 

its flagship, ESPS Mendez 

Nunez, had sighted the Royal 

Grace during a counter-piracy 

patrol 20 nautical miles off the 

northern Somali coast. The 

tanker was sailing north from 

its pirate anchorage at a speed 

of 4 knots. 

“Shortly afterwards, ESPS 

Mendez Nunez received a 

radio call from the master of 

the MV Royal Grace, who confirmed 

that his ship was now 

free of pirates,” EU Navfor 

said. A medical team boarded 

the tanker with food and water. 

The crew were checked over, 

with two being given medical 

treatment, the taskforce said in 

a statement. It said the Royal 

Grace was now sailing to 

Muscat under escort from 

another EU Navfor warship, 

ESPS Rayo. 

Civil war after the fall of dictator 

Mohamed Siad Barre in 

1991 left Somalia without effective 

central government and 

full of weapons. The turmoil 

opened the doors for piracy to 

flourish in the Gulf of Aden and 

deeper into the Indian Ocean. 

Said Mohamed Rage, minister 

of ports and anti-piracy for 

Puntland - a region in northeast 

Somalia - confirmed the 

ransom and the release of the 

Panama-registered Royal 

Grace. It was not clear what 

cargo the tanker was carrying 

or who paid to free the vessel, 

but typically ship owners and 

the cargo owners pay ransoms 

through insurance policies. 

In 2011, Somali pirates preying 

on the waterways linking 

Europe with Africa and Asia 

netted $160 million and cost 

the world economy about $7 

billion, according to US-based 

think tank the One Earth 

Future foundation. But the 

number of successful pirate 

attacks has since fallen dramatically 

as international 

navies have stepped up patrols 

to protect marine traffic and 

struck at Somali pirate bases. 

United Nations envoy to Yemen Jamal bin Omar (right) with a Yemeni Southern Movement member 

during a meeting, in Dubai, on Saturday. (AFP)

Gulf / Middle East Sunday, March 10, 2013 13 

New Tunisia govt 

faces confidence 

vote on Tuesday 

AFP 

TUNIS 

TUNISIA’S National 

Constituent Assembly (ANC) 

will vote on Tuesday on 

whether to approve the new 

government line-up unveiled 

by Islamist premier-designate 

Ali Larayedh, parliamentary 

spokeswoman Karima Souid 

said on Saturday. “On Tuesday, 

vote of confidence in the ANC 

on the new government,” 

Souid said on Facebook page. 

On Monday, the assembly’s 

agenda must also be approved, 

she added, with dates then to 

be set for a vote on the new 

constitution, whose drafting 

has been deadlocked for 

months, and for parliamentary 

and presidential elections. 

Several political timetables 

drawn up since Islamist party 

Ennahda’s sweeping election 

victory in 2011, after the revolution 

that toppled ex-dictator 

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, have 

not been respected. 

Larayedh, the outgoing interior 

minister who was tapped 

to form a new government last 

month, amid a political crisis 

triggered by the February 6 

assassination of leftist leader 

Chokri Belaid, announced his 

line-up on Friday. 

He said the new cabinet, in 

which key portfolios were 

entrusted to little known independent 

candidates, in a clear 

concession by the Islamists, 

would step down at the end of 

the year after elections are 

held. The remaining portfolios 

were given to Larayedh’s 

Ennahda party and its two secular 

partners from the outgoing 

coalition, which together 

control 109 out of 217 seats in 

the national assembly, enough 

to ensure a vote of confidence. 

But this support is far from 

enough to steer Tunisia from 

the worst crisis since Beni Ali’s 

regime fell in January 2011, 

and to ensure support for the 

much-delayed new constitution. 

Tunisia’s new coalition 

government faces the mammoth 

challenges of drafting a 

much-delayed constitution, 

defusing the threat of radical 

Salafists and tackling unemployment 

and poverty which 

fuelled the 2011 uprising. 

More than two years after 

the mass protests that toppled 

former dictator Zine El Abidine 

Ben Ali and set off the Arab 

Spring revolutions in several 

countries, Tunisia is still struggling 

to rebuild its institutions. 

Parliament remains divided 

over the future political system, 

with the powerful 

Islamist Ennahda party pushing 

for a pure parliamentary 

system while other parties 

demand that the president 

retain key powers. 

Larayedh unveiled a cabinet 

on Friday with key portfolios 

handed to independent 

and little known figures. 

Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (right) with the new Tunisian 

Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, in Tunis, on Friday. (AFP) 

Egyptian workers try to extinguish a fire in a building in the Police Club compound, in Cairo, on Saturday. (EPA) 

Riots in Egypt after soccer 

verdict; 2 killed in violence 

AP 

CAIRO 

IN unrelated violence, at least 

two protesters were killed on 

Saturday in clashes between 

riot police and stone-throwing 

demonstrators on a Nile-side 

street in central Cairo, according 

to national ambulance 

service chief Mohammed 

Sultan. Nineteen others were 

injured in the clashes near two 

luxury hotels and the US and 

British embassies. 

These clashes were incidentally 

unrelated to the massive 

protests going on elsewhere in 

Cairo by soccer fans furious 

with a court decision to acquit 

seven police officials for their 

alleged role in a deadly stadium 

riot last year. The fans 

torched the soccer federation 

headquarters and a police club. 

Earlier an Egyptian court on 

Saturday confirmed the death 

sentences against 21 people for 

taking part in a deadly soccer 

riot but acquitted seven police 

officers for their alleged role in 

the violence. The verdict 

enraged fans in Cairo, prompting 

them to torch the soccer 

federation headquarters and a 

police club in protest. 

The trial over the melee that 

killed 74 people after a soccer 

game in the city of Port Said in 

early 2012 has been the source 

of some of the worst unrest to 

hit Egypt in recent weeks. 

While the violence has largely 

involved fans of rival soccer 

teams, the case has taken on 

political undercurrents 

because many blame the police 

for standing by during the violence 

last year. 

Shortly after the verdict was 

announced on Saturday, fans 

of Cairo’s Al-Ahly club who had 

gathered in the thousands outside 

the team’s headquarters in 

the center of the Egyptian capital 

went on a rampage, torching 

a police club nearby and 

storming Egypt’s soccer federation 

headquarters before setting 

it ablaze. The twin fires 

sent plumes of thick black 

smoke billowing out over the 

Cairo skyline. Two army helicopters 

were used to extinguish 

the fires. 

At least five people were 

injured in the protests, a 

Health Ministry official told the 

MENA state news agency. 

The court’s decision upheld 

the death sentences issued in 

late January to 21 people, most 

Port Said fans. The original 

verdict touched off violent riots 

in the Suez Canal city of Port 

Said that left some 40 people 

dead, most shot by police. 

On Saturday, the court 

announced its verdict for the 

other 52 defendants in the 

case, sentencing 45 of them to 

prison, including two senior 

police officers who got 15 years 

terms each. Twenty-eight people 

were acquitted, including 

seven police officials. 

The acquittal of the police 

officers prompted a wave of 

anger and raised tensions 

already high over political turmoil, 

a worsening economy 

and growing opposition to the 

rule of Islamist President 

Mohammed Morsi. The country 

has faced repeated bouts of 

chaos in the more than two 

years since a revolution that 

ousted autocratic leader 

Hosni Mubarak. 

In anticipation of more violence, 

authorities beefed up 

security near the Interior 

Ministry, which is in charge of 

the police force, with riot police 

deploying in the streets around 

the complex in central Cairo. 

The president of the international 

soccer governing body 

FIFA appealed for calm. 

“I call on football fans in 

Egypt to remain peaceful. 

Violence is never a solution 

and is contrary to the spirit of 

sport,” Sepp Blatter tweeted. 

Earlier at the courthouse 

across town, Judge Sobhi 

Abdel-Maguid read out the 

verdict live on TV, sentencing 

five defendants to life in 

prison and nine others to 15 

years in jail. Six defendants 

received 10-year jail terms, 

two more got five years and a 

single defendant received a 

12-month sentence. 

The court’s decision on the 

nine Port Said security officers 

on trial was among the most 

highly anticipated and potentially 

explosive verdicts. In the 

end, the judges sentenced the 

city’s former security chief, Maj 

Gen Essam Samak, and a 

colonel both to 15 years in 

prison, while the others were 

acquitted. 

Al-Ahly’s fans accuse the 

police of collusion in the killing 

of their fellow supporters, 

arguing that they had advance 

knowledge of plans by supporters 

of Port Said’s Al-Masry to 

attack them. They also accuse 

them of standing by as the Al- 

Masry fans set upon the visiting 

Al-Ahly supporters. 

The court rulings can be 

appealed. Many residents of 

Port Said, which is located on 

the Mediterranean at the 

northern tip of the vital Suez 

Canal, say the trial is unjust 

and politicised, and soccer fans 

in the city have felt that authorities 

have been biased in favor 

of Al-Ahly, Egypt’s most powerful 

club. 

The February 1, 2012 riot 

followed a league match 

between Al-Masry and Cairo’s 

Al-Ahly club, with Port Said 

supporters setting upon the 

visiting fans after the final 

whistle. The deadly melee is 

Egypt’s worst soccer disaster. 

Iraqi authorities cordon off Sunni protest site 

AP 

BAGHDAD 

IRAQI authorities deployed 

security forces around the 

main rallying point for 

Sunni protests in western 

Iraq overnight and warned 

on Saturday that the area 

had become a haven for terrorists. 

The operation was likely to 

further heighten tensions 

between Iraq’s Sunni minority 

and the Shiite-dominated 

government. It comes a day 

after a demonstrator was 

killed when security forces 

opened fire at another 

Sunni-led protest in the 

north of the country. 

Witnesses reported seeing 

a large number of security 

forces, including more than 

20 Humvees, deployed before 

dawn on Saturday around the 

protest area on a highway in 

Ramadi, the capital of the vast 

western territory of Anbar. 

They said the forces, however, 

withdrew from the area later 

in the morning. 

The head of police for the 

western Anbar region, Brig 

Gen Hadi Arzeij, announced 

the crackdown in a televised 

press conference. 

“The protest site has 

become a safe haven for some 

terrorists, terrorist networks 

and killers,” he said. “As security 

forces, we do not allow a 

presence like this regardless 

of any pretext or excuse.” 

For more than two months, 

a site along the highway in 

Ramadi has been the center 

of demonstrations by Sunni 

Arabs against the Shiite-led 

government. 

Iraqi Sunni protesters during an anti-government demonstration, in Fallujah city, western Iraq, on Friday. (EPA) 

The arrest of bodyguards 

assigned to Sunni Finance 

Minister Rafia al-Issawi 

sparked the protests in late 

December, though the 

demonstrations are fueled by 

deeper Sunni feelings of perceived 

second-class treatment 

by Prime Minister Nouri al- 

Maliki’s Shiite-dominated 

government. 

Sunni protesters accuse 

Baghdad of arbitrarily detaining 

members of their sect and 

say they are being targeted 

unfairly by a tough anti-terrorism 

law and policies designed 

to weed out members of 

Saddam Hussein’s former 

regime. Security forces made 

their move after carrying out a 

series of arrests in recent days 

against alleged militants linked 

to the protests, Arzeij said. 

Among those detained was a 

member of Al Qaeda in Iraq 

who told authorities about terrorist 

networks operating in 

Ramadi that were planning to 

carry out attacks, he said. 

Authorities also arrested 

protesters who were carrying 

Al Qaeda flags at a demonstration 

in nearby Fallujah, 

Arzeij said. The Defense 

Ministry said in a separate 

statement that it took actions 

overnight to block al-Qaida 

infiltrators and prevent the 

flow of weapons and explosives 

to the main protest site 

in Ramadi. Army Lt. Gen 

Mardhi al-Mahlawi, the commander 

of Anbar Operations 

Command, said authorities 

would not hesitate to deploy 

troops around the protest site 

again “if the protesters do not 

cooperate.” 

He said foreign journalists 

now would be blocked from 

entering the vast desert 

province without official permission. 

Maliki’s government has 

previously urged security 

forces to show restraint 

toward the protesters, but 

authorities have expressed 

concern that extremists could 

exploit protesters’ feelings of 

resentment. Al-Qaida’s Iraq 

branch and other militant 

groups have voiced support 

for the protest movement. 

On Friday, Iraq’s agriculture 

minister announced his 

resignation after police 

opened fire on Sunni demonstrators 

in the northern city of 

Mosul, killing one protester 

and wounding five others. 

Izzeddin al-Dolah’s resignation 

was the second high-profile 

Sunni departure from the 

government this month. 

Syrian refugees 

in Jordan turn 

to prostitution 

AP 

ZAATARI (JORDAN) 

WALK among the plastic tents 

in one corner of this sprawling, 

dust-swept desert camp 

packed with Syrian refugees, 

and a young woman in a white 

headscarf signals. 

“Come in, you’ll have a good 

time,” suggests Nada, 19, who 

escaped from the southern 

border town of Daraa into 

Jordan several months ago. 

Her father, sporting a saltand-pepper 

beard and a traditional 

red-checkered headscarf, 

sits outside under the 

scorching sun, watching 

silently. 

Nada prices her body at $7, 

negotiable. She says she averages 

$70 a day. 

Several tents away, a cleanshaven, 

tattooed young Syrian 

man, who says he was a barber 

back in the city of Idlib, offers 

his wife. “You can have her all 

day for $70,” he promises. He 

says he never imagined he 

would be selling his own wife, 

but he needs to send money 

back to his parents and in-laws 

in Syria, about $200 a month. 

As the flow of Syrian 

refugees into neighboring 

Jordan is sharply increasing, so 

is their desperation. With Syria 

torn apart by civil war and its 

economy deeply damaged, the 

total number of people who 

have fled and are seeking aid 

has now passed a million, the 

United Nations said this week. 

More than 418,000 of the 

refugees are in Jordan, which 

recorded about 50,000 new 

arrivals in February alone, the 

highest influx to date. 

Scores of the Syrian women 

who escaped to Jordan are 

turning to prostitution, some 

forced or sold into it, even by 

their families. Some women 

refugees are highly vulnerable 

to exploitation by pimps or 

traffickers, particularly since a 

significant number fled without 

their husbands ó sometimes 

with their children and 

have little or no source of 

income. Eleven Syrian prostitutes 

who talked to the AP in 

the refugee camp, a border 

town and three Jordanian 

cities asked to remain anonymous, 

citing shame and fear of 

prosecution by police in 

Jordan. Prostitution in Jordan 

is illegal and punishable by up 

to three years in jail, and foreign 

women and men found 

guilty can be deported. 

The majority of the 11 

women say they turned to 

prostitution out of a desperate 

need for money. It’s impossible 

to pin down how many 

Syrian refugees are now working 

as prostitutes in Jordan, 

but their presence is 

inescapable. Syrian women 

outnumbered those from any 

other country.


India 

Somalian pirates 

release 28 

Indian sailors 

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf (centre) after offering prayers at the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer, on Saturday. (REUTERS) 

Khurshid hosts unofficial 

lunch for Pakistani PM 

IANS 

JAIPUR 

PAKISTANI Prime Minister 

Raja Pervez Ashraf was on 

Saturday hosted for lunch by 

Indian External Affairs 

Minister Salman Khurshid 

here, but there were no official 

talks between the two sides. 

“It was a private visit (of the 

Pakistani prime minister). It 

was not an occasion for talks,” 

Khurshid said, addressing 

reporters at the Rambagh 

Palace Hotel. 

Though he said he did not 

discuss the issue of terrorism 

with Ashraf, the external 

Rahul meets 

slain DSP’s 

family, 

assures justice 

PTI 

DEORIA 

CONGRESS Vice President 

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday 

met the family of slain DSP 

Zia-ul-Haq at his native 

village and said they will 

get justice in the case in 

which former Uttar 

Pradesh minister Raja 

Bhaiya has been booked by 

the CBI for murder. 

Heavy security arrangements 

were put in place in 

the village in Deoria district 

for the visit which was kept 

under wraps till the last 

hour. 

“The entire Congress is 

with them in this hour of 

great tragedy and loss and 

they will get full justice,” the 

Congress leader told 

reporters at the burial 

ground where he paid tribute 

to the slain police officer after 

meeting his family at their 

home in Jaffuar tola here. 

Rahul, who was with the 

family for over an hour, is 

believed to have been 

apprised of the events leading 

to the murderous attack 

in Kunda in Pratapgarh district 

last week and the family’s 

struggle for justice. 

The Congress leader drove 

here from Gorakhpur to meet 

the family and offer his condolences. 

Zia’s family members 

refused to divulge 

details of the meeting with 

the Congress leader. 

The sister-in-law of the 

slain officer said his widow 

Parveen Azad was unwell and 

not in a position to speak. 

affairs minister said he would 

take it up at an approprite 

time in future. 

“This was a private visit. It 

was a pilgrimage (for Ashraf). 

This was not the occasion nor 

did I have the authority to discuss 

such issues,” said 

Khurshid adding: “We have 

taken up such issues. We will 

do it in future. We will do it at 

the appropriate time.” 

Khurshid hosted Ashraf, 

who is here on a day-long private 

visit to the Sufi shrine of 

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at 

Ajmer. The luncheon meeting 

was held at the Rambag 

Palace Hotel. 

IANS 

HAFLONG 

AFTER fighting for close to 

two decades, Assam’s insurgent 

outfit, Dima Halam 

Daogah (DHD), is now planning 

to fight the battle of the 

ballots. 

Over 2,000 cadres of the 

armed and civil wing of the 

DHD, led by its chairman 

Dilip Nunisa, formally disbanded 

the outfit on Saturday 

at a public meeting in Dima 

Hasao’s district headquarters 

Haflong. 

“We have decided to come 

overground in response to the 

peace offer of the government 

of India and after realising 

that the problems of the district 

can be solved over talks 

and not by armed revolution,” 

Nunisa told cadres. 

Nunisa said that they would 

participate in the forthcoming 

elections to the Dima Hasao 

Autonomous council. “We are 

almost sure that we are going 

to participate in the polls. We 

Earlier, senior Rajasthan 

government officials received 

Ashraf at the Jaipur airport. 

He arrived in a Pakistan Air 

Force aircraft at around 11.55 

a.m. with his family members 

and a delegation. 

His cavalcade drove down 

to Rambagh Palace Hotel 

amid tight security. 

After meeting Khurshid, 

Ashraf flew by chopper to the 

shrine in Ajmer, over 140 km 

from Jaipur. 

“After staying for about 35- 

40 minutes at the shrine, he 

would return to Jaipur before 

flying back,” said the official. 

Elaborate security arrangements 

have been made in 

Ajmer in consultation with the 

Pakistani security team. At 

least 2,000 policemen have 

been deputed in and around 

the shrine area, and 10 duty 

magistrates have been deputed 

to oversee the security. 

The official added that the 

shrine will be vacated minutes 

before Ashraf’s arrival. 

There will be snipers on 

rooftops in the shrine area 

and also at the windows of 

houses lining the main road 

leading to the shrine. Police 

will be deputed every 50 fifty 

metres of the route. 

The administration has 

will take a final decision 

tonight (Saturday) about participating 

in the council polls, 

scheduled in next few 

months,” he said. 

However, Nunisa said: 

“Our movement for Dimaraji 

will continue. The only difference 

is that it would be a democratic 

movement now 

against the armed movement 

of the past.” 

DHD’s new democratic 

group, Halali Progressive 

Group (HPG), will coordinate 

with the government of India 

and its cadres. 

Dima Hasao is the third 

largest district of Assam and 

is inhabited mostly by tribals. 

ordered closure of the shops 

situated in the area. 

Some groups have planned 

protests during the visit. 

The Ajmer Bar Association 

has demanded that the status 

of “state guest” given to the 

Pakistan prime minister be 

withdrawn. 

The association plans to 

show black flags to Ashraf. 

The spiritual head of the 

Ajmer shrine Dewan Sayed 

Zainul Abedin Ali Khan has 

also created a stir by saying 

that he will boycott Ashraf’s 

visit to protest the beheading 

of an Indian soldier at the 

border. 

Assamese insurgent outfit 

shuns bullet for ballot 

DHD’s new democratic 

group, Halali 

Progressive Group 

(HPG), will coordinate 

with the government 

of India 

and its cadres. 

Peace is necessary for the 

district as a railway line, 

which passes through the district, 

is the lifeline for the people 

of Manipur, Mizoram, 

Tripura and Barak Valley of 

Assam. Plans to extend railway 

lines to the three states 

had been affected during the 

last 18 years due to insurgency 

in Dima Hasao. 

Formed in 1994, DHD had 

been fighting for Dimaraji, a 

separate state for the Dimasa 

community. The outfit had 

signed ceasefire pact with the 

central government in 2003 

and restricted themselves to 

the four designated camps in 

different parts of the district. 

PTI & IANS 

CHENNAI 

A YEAR after their abduction 

by Somalian pirates, 28 Indian 

sailors on board two ships 

have been released and will 

sail for home, bringing huge 

relief to their families. 

Indian Shipping Minister G 

K Vasan made the announcement 

here, saying the government 

secured the release of the 

sailors on board the two vessels 

due to coordinated efforts 

of the Ministries of Shipping, 

External Affairs, Defence, 

Home Affairs, Director 

General Shipping and other 

agencies. 

“I am very happy to 

announce the release of Indian 

seafarers. Due to coordinated 

actions of Ministry of 

Shipping, External Affairs, 

Defence, Home Affairs, 

Director General Shipping and 

other important agencies, on 

Friday we could get release of 

two vessels MV Royal Grace 

hijacked in March 2012 and 

MT Smrini hijacked in May 

2012,” Vasan told reporters 

here. He said 17 sailors on MV 

Royal Grace and 11 on board 

MT Smrini would return home 

this week. 

Observing that piracy near 

coastal Somalia is a cause for 

concern, he said the government 

has been taking utmost 

care to deal with the issue. 

“Our primary concern is to 

bring back our sailors home 

safely.” 

Vasan pointed out that nine 

Indian sailors were still being 

held captive by Somalian 

pirates and the government 

would continue its efforts for 

ensuring their “safe passage”. 

The minister declined to 

divulge details how the 

pirates’ demands were met, 

saying “we are very concerned 

about the safety of the seafarers 

and it was done in a discreet 

way by Ministry of 

Shipping, External Affairs, 

Ministry of Defence and other 

important agencies.” 

A panel will be set up to 

draw up incentives for greater 

movement of cargo through 

coastal shipping and inland 

waterways than road or rail, 

union Shipping Minister G K 

Vasan said in Chennai on 

Saturday. 

Speaking to reporters here 

after participating in the 121st 

meeting of National Shipping 

Board (NSB), Vasan said: “A 

high power committee will be 

set up to formulate an incentive 

scheme to encourage 

movement of cargo by coastal 

shipping or inland waterways.” 

According to him, transport 

of goods by sea is the most economical 

and environment 

friendly model as compared to 

rail or road but it is a challenge 

to bring about a shift in the 

attitude of people towards 

coastal shipping. 

He said another committee 

will be set to review the oil spill 

at the ports. 

In order to recover ships 

that get grounded or to prevent 

them going adrift, Vasan 

said one emergency towing 

vessel (ETV) each will be stationed 

at Mumbai and 

Chennai Ports before the monsoon 

season. 

On the issue of the Mumbai 

based Pratibha Shipping 

whose ship got grounded and 

six sailors lost their lives trying 

to escape in a lifeboat, 

Director General of Shipping 

Gautam Chatterjee said: “The 

licences of six ships of the 

company’s nine ships has 

been cancelled.” 

He stressed that Directorate 

General of Shipping issues 

licences to ships and does not 

have any powers to impound 

or auction off the vessels for 

non-payment of dues. 

Chatterjee said he does not 

have the figures as to number 

of licences that have been cancelled 

and the number of ships 

against whom complaints of 

non-payment of dues are 

there. 

Delhi gang-rape victim honoured by America 

US first lady Michelle Obama (left) and Secretary of State John 

Kerry host the International Women of Courage awards ceremony 

at the State Department, in Washington, on Friday. (AFP) 

AFP 

WASHINGTON 

THE Indian gang-rape victim 

whose brutal death 

shocked the nation and the 

world was among nine 

women honoured by the 

United States on Friday for 

their courage. 

The young student, who 

has become known simply as 

“Nirbhaya” or “fearless,” was 

awarded the US 

International Women of 

Courage award posthumously 

after she died of massive 

internal injuries following 

the rape and attack on a 

Shipping Minister G K Vasan 

Delhi bus. 

“Her bravery inspired millions 

of men and women to 

come together with a simple 

message ‘No more,’” US 

Secretary of State John Kerry 

told a ceremony at which the 

23-year-old was honored. 

“We never imagined that 

the girl we thought was our 

daughter would one day be 

the daughter of the entire 

world,” her parents wrote in 

a message to the ceremony 

that was read out by Kerry. 

“While her end was horrendous, 

her case is imparting 

strength to all women to 

fight and to improve the system. 

Women in India and 

the rest of the world refuse to 

be stigmatized and will not 

keep silent any more.” 

Three other women were 

also absent from the event 

held at the State 

Department. 

Tibetan poet Tsering 

Woeser was denied a passport 

by Chinese authorities 

to travel, Vietnamese blogger 

Ta Phong Tan is under house 

arrest and Syrian human 

rights lawyer Razan 

Zeitunah is in hiding for her 

safety. 

“I see how much work we 

still have to do,” Kerry said at 

Vasan pointed out 

that nine Indian 

sailors were still 

being held captive 

by Somalian 

pirates and the 

government would 

continue its efforts 

for ensuring their 

“safe passage”. 

the annual event held to 

mark International Women’s 

Day. 

First Lady Michelle Obama 

said that “when these women 

witnessed horrific crimes or 

the disregard for basic 

human rights, they spoke up, 

risking everything they had 

to see that justice was done. 

“With every act of strength 

and defiance, with every blog 

post, with every community 

meeting, these women have 

inspired millions to stand 

with them and find their own 

voices, and work together to 

achieve real and lasting 

change.”

India Sunday, March 10, 2013 15 

Gowda emerges 

front-runner 

for state BJP 

chief post 

Bitti Mohanty (left), rape accused on the run for six years, was taken into custody by Kerala police, in Kannur, on Saturday. (PTI) 

Rape convict Bitti held in Kerala 

after absconding for 7 years 

PTI 

KANNUR 

NEARLY seven years after he 

jumped bail while serving 

sentence for raping a 

German national in 

Rajasthan, Bitti Mohanty, 

the absconding son of former 

Odisha DGP BB Mohanty, 

was on Saturday taken into 

custody by Kerala Police. 

Mohanty was working as a 

Probationary Officer in a public 

sector bank in Kannur by 

impersonating as a person from 

Andhra Pradesh. He was picked 

up by police last night from 

Pazhayangadi near here. Police 

sources said they had been in 

touch with their counterparts in 

Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and 

Odisha, and from interactions 

with them they were almost 

sure that the person under custody 

was none other than Bitti. 

Kannur SP Rahul R Nair 

told PTI that Rajasthan Police 

have been asked to come to 

Kannur and confirm his identity 

as he was sentenced to 

seven years imprisonment in 

2006 for raping the 26-yearold 

German woman at Alwar. 

For the time being the person 

had been charged with 

cheating, impersonation and 

forgery and would be produced 

before a local court after 

completing the arrest proceedings 

before being handed over 

to Rajasthan police, Nair said. 

Police were tipped off about 

the presence of Bitti here after 

an anonymous letter was 

received by the bank branch 

Mohanty was working 

as a Probationary 

Officer in a 

public sector bank 

in Kannur by 

impersonating as a 

person from 

Andhra Pradesh. 

authorities expressing suspicion 

that the man claiming to be 

from Andhra Pradesh could be 

Bitti. After jumping bail in 

2006, Bitti obtained an MBA 

degree and managed to get into 

the bank as a probationary officer. 

What exposed Bitti was that 

his photo was among the pictures 

of accused in various sex 

crimes shown by television 

channels and floated on the 

Internet in the wake of the Delhi 

gangrape incident, sources said. 

Kerala Home Minister T 

Radhakrishnan said, “Yes, we 

got convincing evidence that 

he is a convict in the case.... We 

are looking at the merits of the 

case. We will proceed against 

him. We are in the right path 

of investigation in the case”. 

Ranjit Thomas, PRO, State 

Bank of Travancore where 

Bitti was working said, “I am 

sorry we are not able to identify 

as such, he was recruited in 

the bank last year through the 

process and on the basis of the 

anonymous letter, we had suspicion 

over the identity of the 

person so we handed over an 

official complaint to the DGP 

Thiruvananthapuram”. 

In 2006, a fast-track court in 

Alwar had taken just 15 days 

from the date of the complaint 

being filed, to convict him and 

sentence him to seven years’ 

rigorous imprisonment. 

Bitti was allowed to leave 

prison on parole after seven 

months on the plea that his 

mother was unwell and wanted 

to meet him. However, he 

went missing. 

Bitti’s father BB Mohanty 

had stood surety for his son’s 

return to prison in 15 days. He 

was suspended for allegedly 

helping his son jump parole, 

only to be reinstated by the 

Odisha government in May 

2009. 

PTI 

BANGALORE 

WITH Assembly elections 

just round the corner in the 

southern Indian state 

Karnataka, the central 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 

held consultations with key 

leaders here on Saturday to 

pick a new state unit 

President, a not-so-smooth 

affair. 

Senior party leader Arun 

Jaitley and the in-charge of 

party affairs in Karnataka, 

Dharmendra Pradhan, 

presided over a meeting of 

the party’s state core committee, 

where factionalism was 

in full play. 

It was attended among others 

by Chief Minister 

Jagadish Shettar, Deputy 

Chief Ministers K S 

Eshwarappa and R Ashoka 

and former Chief Minister D 

V Sadananda Gowda, besides 

senior party leader H N 

Ananth Kumar. 

Eshwarappa announced his 

resignation as state unit 

President on March seven, 

paving the way for a new 

party head. According to 

party sources, Sadananda 

Gowda, who was the state 

unit president when BJP 

installed its first ever government 

in the South in 2008, 

may have emerged as the 

front-runner for the post. 

The sources said Gowda 

has the backing of the party’s 

central leadership. The party 

had sought to put him in the 

saddle last year, to replace 

Eshwarappa, but it was stoutly 

opposed by heavyweight B 

S Yeddyurappa before he quit 

BJP and floated a regional 

outfit Karnataka Janatha 

Paksha. 

Gowda comes from the 

dominant Vokkaliga community 

and it’s considered a 

huge plus. He also comes 

from coastal Karnataka, a 

BJP stronghold though there 

is said to be discontent among 

a section of the party’s rank 

and file in recent years. 

Besides Gowda, the names 

of Ashoka, another Vokkaliga, 

Dakshina Kannada MP, Nalin 

Kumar Kateel, Dharwad 

North MP Prahlad Joshi and 

Karnataka Minister Govind 

M Karjol, were making the 

rounds for the post. 

The sources said it eventually 

was a three-way race 

among Gowda, Ashoka and 

Joshi, though it was said that 

Shettar and Ananth Kumar 

were keen on Karjol, an SC, 

contending that his selection 

would send a “right message”. 

Joshi, a Brahmin who hails 

from the same region as 

Shettar, appeared to have lost 

out, as also Ashoka, whose 

influence is mostly confined 

to Bangalore urban district. 

RSS-supported Kateel has a 

clean image but he is a first 

time MP handicapped by 

political inexperience, the 

sources said. 

Senior party leader 

Arun Jaitley and 

the in-charge of 

party affairs in 

Karnataka, Dharmendra 

Pradhan, 

presided a meeting 

of the party’s state 

core committee, 

where factionalism 

was in full play. 

The announcement on the 

new state unit chief is expected 

to be made in a day or two 

by BJP President Rajnath 

Singh in the national capital. 

Elections in Karnataka are 

due in May and there are 

indications that anti-incumbency 

factor is weighing heavily 

on the minds of the BJP 

leadership. 

Meanwhile, BJP leader L K 

Advani has admitted that 

people are “somewhat disillusioned” 

with his party, about 

which he feels “distressed”. 

He faulted the party’s handling 

of Karnataka affairs in 

the wake of corruption allegations 

against the then Chief 

Minister B S Yeddyurappa in 

2010, in a veiled criticism of 

Nitin Gadkari who was the 

party president at that time. 

Kerala IT gets big response 

at Germany’s CeBIT 

IANS 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 

THE Kerala IT pavilion is getting 

an excellent response at 

the world’s biggest information 

and communications 

technology event - CeBIT 

2013 - being held in Hanover, 

according to an IT official. 

In a release issued here on 

Saturday, IT principal secretary 

P H Kurian, leading the 

Kerala delegation, said CeBIT 

has been a great success: “We 

are receiving positive reviews 

CeBIT brings 

together leading 

professionals in 

the ICT sector, so it 

is also a platform 

for the expansion 

of marketing networks. 

Kerala IT pavilion at CeBIT 2013, in Hanover, Germany. 

from people visiting our 

pavilion and from the meetings 

we are having. We expect 

to see some fruitful investment 

into our IT parks. The 

incubated companies are having 

a great run, showcasing 

their products and services 

and are hopeful of bringing in 

some relevant business as a 

result of participating at 

CeBIT 2013,” said Kurian. 

Over 20 delegates from 

Kerala IT (comprising of 

Technopark and Infopark 

companies and start-up companies) 

are participating at 

the event. 

The five-day event, billed as 

the biggest ICT event in the 

world, began on March 5. 

Companies from around the 

world are showcasing their 

products and services here. 

“CeBIT is the biggest forum 

for smaller companies to get 

in direct touch with present 

and potential clients, so they 

can expand their business 

horizon in the global market 

by showcasing their capabilities,” 

said Technopark CEO 

Girish Babu. 

CeBIT brings together leading 

professionals in the ICT 

sector, so it is also a platform 

for the expansion of marketing 

networks. 

INS Viraat 

may rejoin 

service by 

mid-2013 

PTI 

KOCHI 

INDIA’S second aircraft carrier, 

INS Viraat, drydocked at 

Cochin Shipyard Ltd for extensive 

maintenance work and refit, 

is expected to leave for 

Mumbai by this month end and 

hopes to join the fleet around 

mid-year. 

“Viraat,which is part of the 

western fleet, will head for 

Mumbai by March end’, 

Commanding officer Biswajit 

Dasgupta told reporters who 

were taken on a tour around the 

vessel. Refit and maintenance 

work at kochi is nearly over, he 

said. 

On the ship’s extended life 

after the re-fit, he said it can 

TIBETAN 

NATIONAL 

UPRISING 

DAY 

Tibetan exiles residing in 

India during a protest against 

Chinese rule in Tibet, in 

Bangalore, on Saturday. 

Tibetans from all over the 

world on March 10 will commemorate 

the 54th anniversary 

of the Tibetan National 

Uprising Day. (EPA) 

operate for a some more years. 

There is no reduction in its 

capabilities, he said. Dasgupta 

said the re-fit was in two phases. 

The first began at CSL, when 

it arrived in November 2012. 

‘Essential repairs are going 

on. There are some more 

repairs to be done at Mumbai. 

We will start operating by middle 

of the year’, he said.


Abu Qatada held 

for breaching 

bail in London 

UK / Europe 

Greeks stage protest against 

Canadian goldmine plans 

AFP 

LONDON 

RADICAL cleric Abu 

Qatada, once dubbed 

Osama bin Laden’s righthand 

man in Europe, has 

been arrested in London for 

allegedly breaching his bail 

conditions, officials said on 

Saturday. 

The arrest by the UK 

Border Agency came just 

days ahead of the British 

government’s latest bid to 

try to deport Abu Qatada to 

Jordan, where he was convicted 

in absentia of 

involvement in terror 

attacks in 1998. 

Lawyers for Home 

Secretary Theresa May will 

on Monday challenge a ruling 

by the Special 

Immigration Appeals 

Commission (SIAC) that 

Abu Qatada cannot be 

deported over fears that 

evidence obtained through 

torture could be used 

against him in any retrial. 

The cleric was released on 

bail following November’s 

ruling, causing huge frustration 

in London, where 

successive governments 

have been trying to send the 

Jordanian home for a 

decade. 

“The UK Border Agency 

arrested a 52-year-old man 

from north London for 

alleged breaches of his bail 

conditions imposed by the 

Special Immigration 

Appeals Commission,” a 

spokesman for the Home 

Office interior ministry 

said. 

He added that the breach 

will be considered by the 

commission at the earliest 

opportunity. 

A spokesman for the 

Judicial Office later said a 

judge would hold a telephone 

conference with 

lawyers on Saturday afternoon 

to determine whether 

Abu Qatada had indeed 

breached his bail conditions. 

Under the terms of his 

release last year, Abu 

Qatada was placed under a 

curfew and only allowed to 

leave his home between 

8:00am and 4:00pm. He 

also had to wear an electronic 

tag, and restrictions 

were placed on who he 

could meet. 

The Sun newspaper published 

photographs of Abu 

Qatada being led away by 

officials on Friday, and also 

reported that his London 

home had been raided by 

police on Thursday. 

Scotland Yard confirmed 

they had carried out a number 

of searches of addresses 

in the capital. 

Abu Qatada, whose real 

name is Omar Mohammed 

Othman, arrived in Britain 

in 1993 claiming asylum 

and has been a thorn in the 

side of successive British 

governments. 

A Spanish judge once 

branded him the righthand 

man of bin Laden in 

Europe, although Abu 

Qatada denies ever having 

met the late Al Qaeda 

leader. 

Prime Minister David 

Cameron voiced his frustration 

after the cleric’s release 

in November, saying he was 

“completely fed up with the 

fact that this man is still at 

large in our country”. 

Britain initially detained 

Abu Qatada in 2002 under 

anti-terror laws imposed 

in the wake of 9/11 but he 

was released under house 

arrest, sparking a decade 

of court battles to first 

keep him behind bars and 

then remove him from 

Britain. 

The European Court of 

Human Rights ruled last 

year that he could not be 

deported while there was a 

“real risk that evidence 

obtained by torture will be 

used against him” in any 

retrial. 

Terror suspect Abu Qatada, in London, recently. (AFP) 

AFP 

THESSALONIKI (GREECE) 

THOUSANDS of protesters 

on Saturday joined a demonstration 

in Greece’s second 

city Thessaloniki against a 

Canadian gold mining project 

which locals say will cause 

irreversible damage to the 

environment. 

Around 15,000 protesters 

shouted slogans against the 

government headed by conservative 

Prime Minister 

Antonis Samaras in the 

largest demonstration on the 

issue so far. 

“Junta, police, Antonis 

Samaras,” many chanted. 

Among the protesters, estimated 

at around 9,000 by 

police, was a group who 

marched as grim reapers, 

dressed in black and carrying 

scythes. 

“Gold is not bringing us 

closer, it is killing us,” they 

sang. 

Citizens’ groups, backed by 

the radical leftist party Syriza 

that is now the second largest 

in parliament, have been trying 

to scupper the project 

since 2011, when the government 

allowed Hellenic Gold 

— a subsidiary of Canadian 

firm Eldorado Gold — to dig 

in the northern Halkidiki 

peninsula. 

The prime minister on 

Saturday insisted that the 

government did not intend to 

back down. 

“The final decision has 

already been made over the 

Halkidiki investment,” he 

told financial daily Axia. 

But Samaras said the government 

had yet to decide 

over a second Eldorado Gold 

concession in neighbouring 

Thrace which has also met 

with local opposition. 

“The gold investment in 

Perama, Thrace is different. 

We are examining new evidence 

because this is a different 

situation,” he said. 

Last month, dozens of 

hooded activists firebombed a 

Hellenic Gold worksite in 

Skouries, Halkidiki, injuring a 

guard and damaging equipment. 

An operation last week to 

arrest suspects allegedly 

linked to the attack caused 

additional anger when riot 

police fired tear gas into a village. 

Four people arrested during 

the raid will be tried on 

March 20. 

The mayor of Thessaloniki 

and local authorities support 

the Hellenic Gold project, 

which is expected to create 

hundreds of jobs in the recession-hit 

country, whose the 

unemployment rate has 

topped 26 percent. 

Croatian minister quits 

over nepotism claims 

REUTERS 

ZAGREB 

CROATIA’s tourism minister 

resigned on Saturday over 

media accusations his family 

made a large profit from a 

land sale after a change in 

planning law in the region he 

represents. 

Veljko Ostojic is the fourth 

minister in the centre-left 

coalition to step down since it 

took power in December 

2011. 

However, while the resignations 

are a blow for a 

country struggling to recover 

from four years of recession 

ahead of joining the 

European Union, they do not 

pose a threat to the government. 

“After a talk with the 

Tourism Minister Veljko 

Ostojic, Prime Minister Zoran 

Milanovic accepted his resignation. 

The coalition government 

imposed high ethical 

standards and will stick to 

them,” the prime minister’s 

office said. 

According to media 

reports, Ostojic’s sister-inlaw 

earned some 25 million 

kuna ($4.29 million) on a 

land her company bought 

and then sold after changes in 

urban planning in the 

Adriatic peninsula of Istria, 

Ostojic’s sister-inlaw 

earned some 

25 million kuna 

($4.29 million) on a 

land her company 

bought and then 

sold after changes 

in urban planning 

in the Adriatic 

peninsula of 

Istria, which is 

dominated by 

Ostojic’s regional 

party IDS 

which is dominated by 

Ostojic’s regional party IDS, 

which is a member of the 

national coalition. 

Ostojic said he had known 

about the transaction, but 

was not involved in it nor 

took any money from it. 

“I resign due to the pressures 

on me in recent days 

No more austerity: Greek PM 

ATHENS Greek Prime Minister 

Antonis Samaras on Saturday 

promised his recession-weary 

nation that there would be “no 

more austerity measures” as 

international creditors prolonged 

an audit of crisis 

reforms. 

“There will be no more austerity 

measures,” Samaras 

said in a televised speech to 

his conservative party’s political 

committee. 

“And as soon as growth sets 

in, relief measures will slowly 

begin,” Samaras said. 

But he noted that Greece’s 

ailing economy was “out of 

intensive care, not out of the 

hospital.” 

Representatives from the socalled 

troika of Greece’s creditors 

— the European Union, 

the European Central Bank 

and the International Monetary 

Fund — are currently reviewing 

the steps Greece has taken 

to meet its multi-billion bailout 

obligations. (AFP) 

which are based on unfounded 

accusations and lies. Such 

a negative campaign against 

me makes it impossible to 

carry on working in a professional 

manner,” Ostojic said 

in a statement. 

It was not immediately 

known who will replace him. 

Tourism is one of the most 

important industries in a 

country that will join the EU 

on July 1. It accounts for 

almost 20 percent of Croatia’s 

gross domestic product. 

Croatia’s efforts to fight 

crime and graft are being 

carefully monitored by 

Brussels before it formally 

joins the bloc. 

A deputy prime minister 

resigned after being sentenced 

to jail after causing a 

fatal car crash in Hungary, 

and the environment minister 

stepped down after the 

media said she asked the 

head of the state railway company 

to keep the wife of a 

party colleague in her job. 

The former transport minister 

cited health reasons for 

stepping down. 

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, in Istanbul, recently. (AP) 

Critics say the project will 

not only drain and contaminate 

local water reserves but 

also fill the air with hazardous 

chemicals including lead, 

cadmium, arsenic and mercury. 

A picturesque and forested 

peninsula, Halkidiki is a popular 

destination for tourists, 

particularly from Russia and 

the neighbouring Balkan 

PTI 

LONDON 

THE Irish government has said 

it would enact a law by the end of 

July to reform the nation’s controversial 

rules for abortion following 

the death of Indian-born 

dentist Savita Halappanavar. 

The government has 

informed the Council of Europe 

that it plans to publish the bill by 

April and enact the legislation by 

the end of July. 

Ireland’s stringent anti-abortion 

laws reignited protests and 

debate after 31-year-old 

Halappanavar died as a result of 

a miscarriage at University 

Hospital Galway back in 

October 2012. 

Halappanavar died due to 

blood poisoning after Irish doctors 

allegedly refused to terminate 

her 17-week-long pregnancy, 

telling her that “this is a 

Catholic country”. The family of 

Halappanavar claims her death 

was avoidable as she had asked 

for an abortion several times 

before she died. 

An independent review into 

her case had highlighted a 

states. 

Another Canadian company, 

TVX, began an operation 

in Halkidiki nearly two 

decades ago before pulling 

out in 2003. 

Abortion law in 

Ireland by July 

“litany of failures” by hospital 

staff. 

The Strasbourg-based 

Council monitors the implementation 

of judgements made 

by the European Court of 

Human Rights, which had ruled 

in December 2010 that Ireland 

was under a legal obligation to 

put in place legislation or regulation 

on the issue. 

Despite the fact abortion has 

been legal in circumstances 

where there is a substantial risk 

to the life of the mother since a 

1992 Supreme Court ruling, successive 

Irish governments have 

failed to enact legislation to give 

full effect to the ruling. 

In the aftermath of 

Halappanavar’s death, a committee 

set up by the Irish 

Parliament heard submissions 

in Dublin earlier this year on 

drafting new abortion laws. 

The nation’s Health Service 

Executive (HSE) had also 

announced a plan to roll out the 

Irish Maternal Early-Warning 

System this month as a response 

to the death of the Indian dentist, 

who died at Galway 

University Hospital. 

Chimney raised on Sistine Chapel as conclave nears 

REUTERS 

VATICAN CITY 

VATICAN workers hoisted a 

chimney onto the roof of the 

Sistine Chapel on Saturday in 

readiness for the conclave of 

Roman Catholic cardinals 

that will elect a successor to 

Pope Benedict. 

The conclave begins on 

Tuesday, with the 

sequestered cardinals using 

the chimney to tell the outside 

world whether or not they 

have chosen a new leader - 

black smoke signifying no 

decision and white smoke 

announcing a new pontiff. 

The rust-coloured pipe was 

attached above the terracotta 

tiles of the roof of the frescoed 

chapel clearly visible from the 

nearby St Peter’s Square, 

where traditionally thousands 

of believers gather to 

see how the secret balloting is 

progressing. 

Although no clear favorites 

have emerged to take the 

helm of the troubled 1.2-billion-member 

Church, the 

conclave is expected to be 

wrapped up within just a few 

days. 

No conclave has lasted than 

more than five days in the 

past century, with many finishing 

within two or three 

days. Pope Benedict was 

elected within barely 24 

hours in 2005 after just four 

rounds of voting. 

Benedict triggered the election 

last month with his shock 

decision to abdicate because 

of his increasingly frail health 

- the first pontiff to step down 

in six centuries. 

He leaves his successor a 

sea of troubles - including 

seemingly never-ending sex 

abuse scandals, rivalry and 

strife inside the Vatican 

bureaucracy, a shortage of 

priests and a rise of secularism 

in its European strongholds. 

Inside the chapel, workmen 

were carrying out the final 

preparations to make the 

room, one of the most famous 

in the world, ready for the 

conclave. 

Two stoves were installed 

and attached to a single flue 

leading up to the roof. One, 

made of cast iron and used in 

every conclave since 1939, 

will be used to burn ballots. 

The second stove is an electronic 

one with a key, a red 

start button and seven tiny 

temperature indicator lights. 

Flares will be electronically 

ignited inside it to send out 

either white or black smoke. 

Workmen on Saturday 

were also putting the finishing 

touches to specially built 

rows of tables where the cardinals 

will sit facing each 

under the gaze of Jesus in 

Michelangelo’s massive Last 

Judgment panel on the wall 

behind the altar. 

Nearly 150 red-hatted cardinals 

held a sixth day of 

preliminary meetings, 

known as “general congregations”, 

on Saturday to discuss 

the many challenges 

besieging their Church and 

to sketch the ideal profile of 

the next pope. 

Some 115 of their number - 

all those aged under 80 - will 

enter the Sistine Chapel on 

Tuesday to start the formal 

voting process. One ballot will 

A member of the fire and rescue service sets a chimney on the roof 

of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, on Saturday. (REUTERS) 

be held on the first day, with 

four votes a day thereafter 

until one of their number 

receives a two-thirds majority, 

or 77 votes. 

The names of several possible 

front runners have been 

mentioned by church officials 

ever since Benedict’s resignation. 

Amongst the most mentioned 

are Italy’s Angelo 

Scola, Brazil’s Odilo Pedro 

Scherer and Canada’s Marc 

Ouellet. U.S. cardinals such 

as Timothy Dolan or Sean 

O’Malley have also been cited 

as “papabile”. 

With the vast majority of 

Catholics now living outside 

Europe, there is growing 

pressure for a pontiff from 

another part of the world. 

Many Vatican observers 

believe a Latin American, 

Asian or African pope could 

bring attention to the poverty 

of the southern hemisphere in 

the same way the Polish-born 

John Paul put a spotlight on 

the East-West divide.

Pakistan / South Asia Sunday, March 10, 2013 17 

19 killed in two 

suicide attacks 

in Kabul during 

Hagel’s visit 

Pakistani Christian women hold a placard during a demonstration to condemn the torching of Christians homes, in Lahore, on Saturday. (AP) 

More than 100 Christian homes 

set ablaze by mob in Pakistan 

AFP 

LAHORE 

THOUSANDS of angry protesters 

on Saturday set ablaze 

more than 100 houses of 

Pakistani Christians over a 

blasphemy row in the eastern 

city of Lahore, officials said. 

Over 3,000 Muslim protesters 

turned violent over derogatory 

remarks against Prophet 

Mohammed (PBUH) allegedly 

made by Sawan Masih, a 28- 

year-old Christian, three days 

earlier, police official Multan 

Khan said. 

The exact number of houses 

in Joseph Colony, a 

Christian neighbourhood in 

Badami Bagh area, were not 

immediately known but 

police and rescue officials said 

they belonged to low to middle-class 

families from the 

minority community. 

Pakistan’s President Asif 

Ali Zardari and Prime 

Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf 

have ordered an immediate 

inquiry into the attacks. 

“Police arrested Masih, a 

sanitary worker, on Friday 

night while the incident actually 

happened on Wednesday 

evening,” Khan told AFP. 

He said that the arrest was 

made when Masih’s barber 

friend Shahid Imran complained 

that he had made 

blasphemous remarks about 

Prophet Mohammed 

(PBUH), adding that 

Christians had fled the area 

on Friday evening, fearing a 

backlash. 

Protesters began to assemble 

in the area on Saturday 

morning and later set on fire 

houses and other items 

including furniture, crockery, 

auto rickshaws, bicycles and 

motorbikes belonging to local 

Christians. 

“Thick clouds of smoke 

engulfed the small houses, 

mostly consisting of one or 

two rooms, and many of them 

looked like charred shells,” 

said an AFP reporter at the 

scene. 

Police said protesters burnt 

25 houses but Dr Ahmad 

Raza, in-charge of local rescue 

operations, and the independent 

Human Rights 

Commission of Pakistan 

(HRCP) put the number at 

more than 100. 

“At least 160 houses, 18 

shops and two small churches 

were burnt by protesters,” 

Raza, who was busy in rescue 

operations in the area, told 

AFP. 

Expressing grief and anger 

at the attack, HRCP chairwoman 

Zohra Yusuf put the 

number of houses burnt during 

the protest at over 100. 

Police baton-charged the 

protesters to disperse them 

from the neighbourhood. 

There was no loss of life 

reported during the violence 

but 20 policemen were slightly 

injured during clashes, officials 

said. 

Private Pakistani TV channels 

showed footage of violence 

from the scene as many 

masked members of the mob 

damaged or burned down 

households. 

The Pakistani President 

Asif Ali Zardari and Prime 

Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf 

have both ordered an investigation 

into the violence. 

“President Zardari called 

for a report into this unfortunate 

incident and said such 

acts of vandalism against 

minorities tarnish the image 

of the country,” his 

spokesman Farhatullah 

Babar said in a statement. 

Prime Minister Ashraf also 

ordered an “expeditious 

inquiry and measures to stop 

recurrence of such incidents 

in future”, his office said in a 

statement. 

Provincial law minister 

Rana Sanaullah said in 

Lahore that the government 

would not spare those 

involved in the attack. 

“These people committed a 

serious crime... there was no 

moral, legal or religious 

ground to indulge in such an 

act,” he told private Express 

News TV channel. 

Yusuf criticised the provincial 

government in a statement 

and said “it totally failed 

in providing protection to a 

minority community under 

siege”. 

Shamaun Alfred Gill, a 

spokesman for the All 

Pakistan Minorities Alliance, 

also condemned the incident 

and demanded that the government 

provide security to 

Christians. 

Blasphemy is an extremely 

sensitive issue in Pakistan, 

where 97 percent of the population 

are Muslims, and allegations 

of insulting Islam can 

prompt violent outbursts of 

public anger, even when 

unproven. 

AP 

KABUL 

MILITANTS staged two suicide 

attacks that killed at 

least 19 people on Saturday, 

the first full day of US 

Defence Secretary Chuck 

Hagel’s visit to Afghanistan. 

They were a fresh reminder 

of the challenges posed by 

insurgents to the US-led 

NATO force as it hands over 

the country’s security to the 

Afghans. 

“This attack was a message 

to him,” Taliban spokesman 

Zabiullah Mujahid said of 

Hagel, in an email to 

reporters about the bombing 

outside the country’s 

Defence Ministry in Kabul. 

Hagel was nowhere near 

that attack, but heard it 

across the city. He told 

reporters traveling with him 

that he wasn’t sure what it 

was when he heard the 

explosion. 

“We’re in a war zone. I’ve 

been in war, so shouldn’t be 

surprised when a bomb goes 

off or there’s an explosion,” 

said Hagel, a Vietnam War 

veteran. Asked what his message 

to the Taliban would be, 

he said that the US was going 

to continue to work with its 

allies to insure that the 

Afghan people have the ability 

to develop their own country 

and democracy. 

In the first attack, a suicide 

bomber on a bicycle struck 

outside the Afghan Defense 

Ministry early Saturday 

morning, just as employees 

were arriving for work. 

About a half hour later, 

another suicide bomber hit a 

joint NATO and Afghan 

patrol near a police checkpoint 

in Khost city, the capital 

of Khost province in eastern 

Afghanistan, said 

provincial spokesman 

Baryalai Wakman. 

Nine Afghan civilians were 

killed in the bombing at the 

ministry and 14 wounded, 

and two Afghan policemen 

and eight children died in 

the blast in Khost while 

another two Afghan civilians 

were wounded, according to 

a statement from President 

Hamid Karzai’s office. 

Karzai condemned the 

bombings, calling them un- 

Islamic. “The perpetrators of 

such attacks are cowards 

who are killing innocent 

children at the orders of foreigners,” 

he said in a statement 

emailed to reporters. 

Karzai usually uses the term 

“foreigners” to refer to 

Pakistan, which he blames 

for failing to crack down on 

Taliban militants who take 

sanctuary there. 

Hagel’s first visit to Kabul 

as Pentagon chief comes as 

the US and Afghanistan 

grapple with a number of 

disputes, from the aborted 

handover of a main detention 

facility ó canceled at the 

last moment late Friday as a 

deal for the transfer broke 

down ó to Afghan President 

Hamid Karzai’s demand that 

US special operations forces 

withdraw from Wardak 

province just outside Kabul 

over allegations of abuse. 

The prison transfer, originally 

slated for 2009, has 

been repeatedly delayed 

because of disputes between 

the US and Afghan governments 

about whether all 

detainees should have the 

right to a trial and who will 

have the ultimate authority 

over the release of prisoners 

the US considers a threat. 

The Afghan government 

has maintained that it needs 

full control over which prisoners 

are released as a matter 

of national sovereignty. 

The issue has threatened to 

undermine ongoing negotiations 

for a bilateral security 

agreement that would govern 

the presence of US forces 

in Afghanistan after the current 

combat mission ends in 

2014. 

US military officials said 

Saturday’s transfer ceremony 

was canceled because 

they could not finalize the 

agreement with the Afghans, 

but did not provide details. 

Suu Kyi urges party 

unity amid squabbles 

Rescue workers collect belongings at the site of a bomb attack inside a mosque, in Peshawar, on Saturday. (REUTERS) 

5 killed, 28 hurt in Peshawar bomb blast 

AFP 

PESHAWAR 

A BOMB blast inside a Sunni 

Muslim mosque on Saturday 

killed five people and wounded 

28 others in Pakistan’s 

northwestern city of 

Peshawar, officials said. 

The explosion took place 

while people were saying 

afternoon prayers in the 

mosque located in the densely 

populated Mohalla Baqar 

Shah area of Peshawar city. 

“The death toll rose to five 

after a blast victim died of his 

wounds in hospital,” local senior 

police official Khalid 

Hamdani told AFP. 

Earlier another local police 

official, Imran Shahid, said 

the bomb was planted inside 

the mosque. 

He said there were up to 40 

people in the building at the 

time of the blast. 

Prime Minister Raja Pervez 

Ashraf condemned the bombing 

and said “such acts of terror 

cannot weaken the 

nation’s resolve to wipe out 

terrorism from our society”, 

an official statement said. 

Peshawar is vulnerable to 

bomb blasts and Taliban 

attacks as it runs into the 

semi-autonomous tribal belt, 

considered a safe haven for 

Taliban, Al Qaeda and other 

insurgents fighting both in 

Pakistan and across the border 

in Afghanistan. 

The attack comes six days 

after a car bomb killed 50 people 

in a mainly Shiite Muslim 

neighbourhood of Karachi, 

the fourth in a series of major 

attacks on the minority Shiite 

community since January 10 

that have killed more than 

250 people. 

AFP 

YANGON 

MYANMAR’S opposition 

leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 

Saturday called for her oncebanned 

party to unify amid 

concerns that internal squabbles 

could undermine its push 

for power at historic polls in 

2015. 

Speaking at the first ever 

congress of her popular but 

politically callow National 

League for Democracy (NLD) 

party, Suu Kyi urged a revival 

of the “spirit of fraternity” 

which saw it build a huge base 

during iron-fisted junta rule. 

But she acknowledged 

“there was some fighting” 

within the party, something 

analysts attribute to the reluctance 

of an elderly cabal of 

senior advisors — veterans of 

the democracy struggle — to 

give way to an eager younger 

generation. 

“We have to act with 

restraint,” the Nobel Laureate, 

who is expected to be re-elected 

as party chairman once 

final votes are tallied Sunday, 

said in urging delegates not to 

fight over positions. 

“The spirit of fraternity is 

very important. We have been 

strong in the past because of 

this spirit.” 

Although hugely popular in 

Myanmar some experts question 

whether the NLD is ready 

to run an impoverished nation 

whose economy, education 

and health systems were left 

in tatters by the corrupt former 

junta. 

The party is expected to win 

national elections in 2015, if 

they are free and fair. 

The party is 

expected to win 

national elections 

in 2015, if they are 

free and fair. 

But experts say it must first 

resolve internal divisions 

which again flared ahead of 

the conference as four members 

were banned from 

attending, accused of trying to 

influence the voting. 

Hundreds of delegates, 

many clad in the orange jackets 

of NLD party members, 

heard Suu Kyi address the 

issue of party chairmanship — 

a position she currently holds 

— and urge delegates to elect a 

“leader who is in accord with 

this era, in accord with this 

country and the party”. 

The congress is the latest 

sign of the dramatic changes 

seen in Myanmar since a 

quasi-civilian regime, led by 

former general Thein Sein, 

took power in 2011, ending 

years of isolation and heralding 

a flood of aid and investment. 

The 67-year-old Suu Kyi has 

not ruled out ambitions of 

becoming president, with elections 

set for 2015, but a constitutional 

rule now bars her from 

the role as she was married to a 

Briton and has two sons who 

are foreign nationals. 

But doubts persist over 

whether her opposition party 

can remodel itself for the challenges 

of government, with 

many senior members — 

known as the “NLD uncles” — 

in their 80s and 90s refusing 

to make way for younger 

members. 

“We are not ready at this 

moment to become a government, 

we have to try to be 

ready before 2015,” said 

Sandar Win, lower house NLD 

MP and former 88 generation 

activist. 

A western diplomat observing 

the congress said the NLD 

must build its “capacity” in the 

lead-up to polls.


US / Americas 

Obama to continue outreach to Republicans 

AFP 

WASHINGTON 

US PRESIDENT Barack 

Obama on Saturday expressed 

his determination to continue 

outreach to his Republican 

opponents in order to facilitate 

approval by Congress of his 

key agenda items. 

The pledge came after the 

president met key Republican 

lawmakers this week to discuss 

a range of issues including 

drastic budget cuts known 

as “the sequester,” gun violence, 

the economy and immigration 

reform. 

“Making progress on these 

issues won’t be easy,” Obama 

said in his weekly radio and 

Internet address. “But I still 

believe that compromise is 

possible. I still believe we can 

come together to do big things. 

And I know there are leaders 

on the other side who share 

that belief.” 

On Wednesday, in a rare 

break from the rancor that has 

driven two years of paralyzing 

Washington rows over taxes 

and spending, the president 

met a dozen Republican senators 

for dinner at an exclusive 

Washington hotel a few blocks 

north of the White House. 

The group included 

Senators Lindsey Graham, 

John McCain, Kelly Ayotte, 

Pat Toomey, Bob Corker and 

Tom Coburn, congressional 

sources and Obama aides said. 

The White House also said 

Obama footed the bill. 

The next day, Obama took 

his political charm offensive 

up another notch, welcoming 

at the White House Paul Ryan, 

Attorney General Eric Holder (left) and Vice-President Joe Biden (right) listen to President Barack Obama, in Washington, recently. (AP) 

a former vice presidential 

Republican nominee and 

author of a bold, but controversial 

plan to put the nation’s 

finances in order. 

The meeting, which also 

included Democratic House 

budget committee member 

Chris Van Hollen, focused on 

ways to rein in budget deficits 

and cut the $16.4 trillion 

national debt. 

In his address, Obama gave 

an upbeat assessment of these 

contacts and vowed to continue 

them. 

“We had an open and honest 

conversation about critical 

issues like immigration 

reform and gun violence, and 

other areas where we can 

work together to move this 

country forward,” the president 

said. “And next week, I’ll 

attend both the Democratic 

and Republican party meetings 

in the Capitol to continue 

those discussions.” 

He said he was confident 

Democrats and Republicans 

could agree what kind of goals 

they wanted to pursue. 

“A strong and vibrant middle 

class,” said Obama. “An 

economy that allows businesses 

to grow and thrive. An 

education system that gives 

more Americans the skills 

they need to compete for the 

jobs of the future. An immigration 

system that actually 

works for families and businesses. 

Stronger communities 

and safer streets for our 

children.” 

Though Republicans have 

publicly welcomed signs of 

Obama’s outreach, the differences 

between the two sides 

remain deep. 

After securing higher tax 

rates for the wealthy last year, 

Obama wants to raise revenues 

through closing tax 

loopholes used by the rich and 

corporations to combine with 

reductions in spending to 

reduce the deficit. 

We had an open 

and honest conversation 

about critical 

issues like 

immigration 

reform and gun 

violence. 

Many Republicans however 

warn that they will not permit 

any tax increases. 

The question now is 

whether Republicans could be 

persuaded to raise more revenue 

in a large deal encompassing 

reforms to entitlement 

social programs dear to 

Democrats or in a sweeping 

reform of the tax code. 

The president’s outreach 

followed sharp criticism from 

former election campaign 

rival Mitt Romney, who 

argued in a television interview 

last week that Obama 

was squandering a “golden 

moment” to fix the nation’s 

fiscal problems because he 

was too focused on winning a 

political victory. 

“The president is the leader 

of the nation,” Romney said. 

“The president brings people 

together, does the deals, does 

the trades, knocks the heads 

together; the president leads. 

Visions of 

drones in US 

sky worry 

lawmakers 

REUTERS 

SALMON 

WORRIES that drones 

could be deployed to spy on 

citizens without warrants 

have prompted lawmakers 

in Idaho and more than a 

dozen other states to push 

measures restricting their 

use by police and just about 

everyone else. 

Bills moving through legislatures 

in states such as 

Idaho, Montana and 

Arizona would outlaw the 

use of pilotless aircraft to 

gather evidence about suspected 

criminal activity 

unless police have obtained 

warrants. 

Provisions in Idaho and 

elsewhere would also ban 

authorities - or anyone else - 

from using drones to con- 

The unmanned 

aerial vehicle 

industry forecasts 

will drive 

$89 billion in 

worldwide expenditures 

over the 

next decade. 

duct surveillance on people 

or their property, including 

agricultural operations, 

without consent. 

Drones shot into the public 

spotlight this week when 

a commercial pilot reported 

spotting one as he was landing 

his passenger plane at 

New York’s John F. 

Kennedy International 

Airport, and drone policy 

surfaced as an issue during 

efforts to confirm new CIA 

director John Brennan. 

The numbers and uses of 

domestic drones are now 

restricted but they are 

expected to be widely permitted 

in coming years, raising 

fears about misuse of 

devices that can carry cameras 

which capture video 

and still images by day or 

night. 

As US regulators prepare 

to let drones take flight, local 

and federal lawmakers are 

scrambling to impose safeguards 

on an emerging market 

that the unmanned aerial 

vehicle industry forecasts 

will drive $89 billion in 

worldwide expenditures 

over the next decade. Moves 

to protect privacy come as 

cash-strapped law enforcement 

agencies eye miniature 

unmanned aircraft costing 

as little as $30,000 as 

money-saving, low-manpower 

tools that could 

locate illegal marijuana 

farms, seek missing children 

and track dangerous 

fugitives. While lawmakers 

in Idaho, Montana and 

Arizona said they celebrate 

advancements in the technology 

and even campaign 

to have their cities and 

states selected as dronetesting 

sites, they have been 

flooded with calls from constituents 

worried about eyes 

in the sky. 

“We’re trying to prevent 

high-tech window-peeping,” 

Idaho Senate Assistant 

Majority Leader Chuck 

Winder said. The 

Republican is the sponsor of 

a measure to be heard by a 

Senate panel that ensures 

police have reasonable suspicion 

of criminal activity as 

well as a warrant before 

deploying drones. In the 

national consciousness, 

drones are most closely identified 

with the use of armed, 

unmanned aircraft by the 

United States for counterterrorism 

operations against 

Islamist militants in countries 

like Pakistan and Yemen. 

Abu Ghaith may not shed much light on current Qaida plots 

AP 

WASHINGTON 

SULAIMAN Abu Ghaith, the 

charismatic al-Qaida 

spokesman, fundraiser and 

son-in-law to Osama bin 

Laden, is likely to have a vast 

trove of knowledge about the 

terror network’s central command 

but not much useful 

information about current 

threats or plots, intelligence 

officials and other experts 

say. 

Abu Ghaith pleaded not 

guilty Friday to conspiring to 

kill Americans in propaganda 

videos that warned of further 

assaults against the United 

States as devastating as the 

Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the 

World Trade Center and the 

Pentagon that killed nearly 

3,000 people. 

Believed to be more of a 

strategic player in bin Laden’s 

inner circle than an operational 

plotter, Abu Ghaith 

would be the highest-ranking 

al-Qaida figure to stand trial 

AFP 

CARACAS 

VENEZUELA marched on 

Saturday towards a bitter 

election to succeed Hugo 

Chavez after his political heir 

took over as acting president 

in a ceremony disputed by the 

opposition following the leftist 

leader’s funeral. 

The “most likely” date for 

the election is April 14, a 

source in the national electoral 

council told AFP before 

the panel was due to meet on 

Saturday to make a decision. 

The meeting comes one day 

after Nicolas Maduro, 

Chavez’s handpicked successor, 

was sworn in as acting 

leader in a ceremony largely 

boycotted by the opposition, 

branding the move unconstitutional. 

The political hostilities 

began just hours after 

Venezuela and more than 30 

foreign leaders gave Chavez a 

rousing state funeral, with 

Maduro delivering a fiery 

eulogy promising to be loyal 

to his fallen leader “beyond 

death.” 

Chavez lost his battle with 

on U.S. soil since 9/11. 

Intelligence officials say he 

may be able to shed new light 

on al-Qaida’s inner workings ó 

concerning al-Qaida’s murky 

dealings in Iran over the past 

decade, for example ó but 

probably will have few details 

about specific or imminent 

ongoing threats. 

He gave U.S. officials a 22- 

page statement after his Feb. 

28 arrest in Jordan, according 

to prosecutors. They would 

not describe the statement. 

Bearded and balding, Abu 

Ghaith said little during the 15- 

minute hearing in U.S. District 

Court in New York ó in lower 

Manhattan just blocks from 

Ground Zero ó and displayed 

none of the finger-wagging or 

strident orations that marked 

his propaganda in the days 

and months after 9/11. 

Through an interpreter, 

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan asked 

whether he understood his 

rights. Abu Ghaith nodded 

and said, “Yes.” Asked whether 

he had money to hire an attorney, 

he shook his head and 

said no. He nodded and said 

yes when asked whether he 

had signed an affidavit 

describing his financial situation. 

Kaplan promised to set a 

trial date when the case 

Nicolas Maduro (left) with a replica of Simon Bolivar’s sword 

during Hugo Chavez’s funeral ceremony at the military academy, 

in Caracas, on Friday. (AP) 

Senator Lindsey Graham looks at a picture depicting Abu Ghaith 

(left) sitting with Bin Laden, in Washington, recently. (EPA) 

cancer on Tuesday at the age 

of 58, leaving behind a divided 

country after a 14-year 

presidency whose oil-funded 

socialist policies delighted the 

returns to court on April 8. 

Bail was not requested, and 

none was set. Abu Ghaith’s 

lawyer declined comment 

after the hearing. 

The fact that the defendant 

is being tried in federal district 

court is controversial in itself. 

poor and infuriated the 

wealthy. 

The firebrand leftist leader 

named Marduro, 50, his 

political heir before leaving 

for Cuba in December for a 

new round of cancer surgery, 

urging Venezuelans to vote 

for him if he died. 

Maduro has emulated his 

mentor’s combative style ever 

since, displaying the same fire 

as he addressed the National 

Assembly after his inauguration, 

railing against capitalism 

and the opposition. 

The former vice president 

vowed “absolute loyalty” to 

Chavez before donning the 

presidential sash, his voice 

cracking as he declared: 

“Sorry for our pain and tears, 

but this presidency belongs 

to our comandante.” 

He urged the electoral 

council to “immediately” call 

an election and stated: “From 

here we go to the street to 

build the strength that gives 

continuity of this socialist 

Republicans are criticizing the 

Obama administration for 

bringing Abu Ghaith to New 

York instead of sending him to 

the military detention center 

at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 

President Barack Obama 

has promised to close 

Guantanamo, where terror 

detainees generally have fewer 

legal rights and due process 

than they would have in a U.S. 

federal court. But critics say a 

suspect like Abu Ghaith 

should be held at Guantanamo 

and treated as an enemy combatant 

rather than a “common 

criminal” with full rights in an 

everyday court. 

A month after 9/11, Abu 

Ghaith called on every Muslim to 

join the fight against the United 

States, declaring that “jihad is a 

duty.” “The Americans must 

know that the storm of airplanes 

will not stop, God willing, and 

there are thousands of young 

people who are as keen about 

death as Americans are about 

life,” he said in the Oct. 9, 2001, 

speech. 

Venezuela eyes first post-Chavez election 

revolution of the 21st century.” 

The assembly burst into 

chants of “Chavez, I swear, 

my vote is for Maduro!” 

Before he was sworn in, his 

most likely challenger, opposition 

leader Henrique 

Capriles, denounced the 

inauguration as a “constitutional 

fraud” and abuse of 

power by the government. 

“Nicolas, nobody elected 

you president. The people 

didn’t vote for you, kid,” said 

Capriles, 40, who lost to 

Chavez in the October presidential 

election. 

The opposition has argued 

that the constitution calls for 

the National Assembly 

speaker to take over as interim 

leader. 

Chavez beat Capriles by 11 

points but the Miranda state 

governor gave the opposition 

its best result ever against the 

former paratrooper, garnering 

44 percent, or 6.5 million, 

of ballots.

The Last Word Sunday, March 10, 2013 19 

QATARI YOUTH FEST A HIT IN LONDON 


DOHA 

A THREE-DAY Qatari Youth Exhibition 

was held in London from March 8-10. It 

was inaugurated by the Minister of Culture, 

Arts and Heritage HE Dr Hamad bin 

Abdulaziz al Kuwari on Friday. Organised 

by the Qatar Youth Activities and Events 

Department and held under the slogan 

“Our Youth Abroad”, the event attracted a 

huge number of visitors. 

Events held during the 

London youth exhibition in 

showed the creative side of 

the Qatari people in many 

areas including music, art 

and craft, to name a few. 

Talking about the objectives behind the 

venture, Kalifa Abdulrahman al Heel, director 

of public relations at the ministry and 

member of the supervisory committee of 

the exhibition, said that the ministry was 

keen to organise such a programme to 

reach out to Qatari youth studying abroad 

and to provide communication channels to 

lessen their feeling of alienation. 

The Qatari-UK 2013 event aimed at creating 

new partnerships in areas such as 

education, sports, science and promoting 

art and culture. In addition, the Qatari 

Youth Week also tried to support economic 

and environmental development of the 

country in accordance with Qatar National 

Vision 2030. 

Events held during the London exhibition 

showed the creative side of the Qatari 

people in many areas including music, art 

and craft, to name a few. 

Incidentally, the activities and events 

planned for a similar event to be held in 

Doha this year will include British art exhibitions 

sponsored by Qatar Museums 

Authority, cultural events at Katara and 

screening of some British films at Doha 

Film Institute.

20 Sunday, March 10, 2013

'Build bridges, cut pedestrian deaths' - Qatar Tribune

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