Shebab Islamists kill ‘nearly 20’ in Somalia
Migrant language tests, misspells language LONDON— Britain’s Home Office was left red-faced on Friday after unveiling new English tests for migrants — but misspelling the word “language” in its announcement. Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday launched a £20 million ($28.5 million, 26 million euro) language fund to help women, particularly Muslims, who arrive in Britain after getting married but struggle to speak English. He also said women from non-EU countries who fail to pass an English language test after two and a half years in the country could face deportation, drawing criticism from Muslim groups and opposition parties.—Agencies
Edhi deserves Nobel Prize LONDOM— Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousufzai, has begun a campaign to urge world leaders to sign a petition to nominate social activist and philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi for the Nobel Peace Prize 2016. “Edhi has dedicated his life to helping others and his fleet of free ambulances has become a common feature of everyday life in Pakistan. “He is 88 years old and this year I would like to see his life’s work recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize,” Yousufzai said. In October 2014, Malala, then 17, became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in promoting children’s rights.—Agencies
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy hails PM’s stance DAVOS, (Switzerl a n d ) — O s c a rwinner documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy on Friday expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his statements against honour killing in Pakistan. “I just want to thank you for your recent statement saying that you are going to work against honour killings in Pakistan,” Chinoy told Prime Minister Sharif at a meeting with businessmen, held here on the sidelines of World Economic Forum. “As a Pakistani woman, I am honoured to have a Prime Minister who is working on the issue,” said Chinoy who was recently appreciated by the Prime Minister for the nomination of her film ‘A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness’. The Prime Minister had earlier stated that honour killings, the theme of the film, afflict several segments of the Pakistani society.—APP
MOGADISHU—A Somali man cries after identifying the dead body of his sister on the beach following an overnight attack on a beachfront restaurant.
44 drown as three migrant boats sink
Turkey closely watching Russian troops movements near its border
Lagarde to run for second IMF term
the border with Syria,” the government PARIS—Christine Lagarde anATHENS—Forty-four people ANKARA —Turkey is “closely watching” Rus- pecially source told AFP, asking not to be named. drowned after three refugee boats sank Friday off Greece, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to press Turkey to play a bigger part in resolving Europe’s escalating migrant crisis. Germany and Turkey have emerged as crucial players in the biggest migration crisis to rock Europe since World War II, and both Merkel and visiting Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will seek to drive a hard bargain in Berlin where the two countries’ cabinets are meeting. The outcome of Friday’s talks is not only important for Merkel, who faces intense pressure at home to impose a cap on Germany’s refugee intake, but it will also have resonance across Europe where public opinion is hardening against a record asylum seeker influx. —AFP
sian troop movements in Syria near its border, a government source in Ankara said on Friday, after reports that Russian servicemen had deployed in the Syrian border town of Qamishli. Britain-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had said that Russia had sent a number of engineers to Qamishli to strengthen the runway and increase the capacity of an airport just south of the town. Russia’s reported move into Qamishli comes as Ankara and Moscow are experiencing their biggest crisis in years over the shooting down of a Russian war plane by Turkey on November 24. Observers have said that Russia, which has for years been at loggerheads with Turkey over the Syrian conflict, may want to refit the airport as a Russian base, as happened in Hmeimim in Latakia province. Qamishli lies just south of the Turkish border town of Nusaybin. “I can say that Turkey is closely watching every military movement on its borders and es-
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes said in parliament on Thursday that he did not see any threat in Russia’s movements on the border. “We are aware of Russia’s movements. Russia’s movements in Qamishli cannot constitute a threat for Turkey, which is a member of NATO.” But the Turkish army has already reinforced security by digging trenches in the border zone, the Hurriyet daily said. Top Russian military officials, including figures from the GRU military intelligence service, had already visited Qamishli, it added. The Kremlin and Iran are the chief remaining allies of President Bashar al-Assad who Turkey wants to see ousted as the key to ending Syria’s almost five year civil war. Turkey has repeatedly expressed alarm about Russia’s deployment of troops to Syria which Moscow says is aimed at fighting jihadists but is widely seen as buttressing the Assad regime.—AFP
SC lifts hunting ban on houbara bustard STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD—The Supreme Court on Friday lifted a ban on the hunting of houbara bustard, a rare desert bird whose meat is prized among Arab sheikhs as an aphrodisiac. A five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali announced the verdict on the review petitions filed by the federal and provincial governments against the ban. In a 4-1 majority ruling, the court lifted the ban on hunting of the endangered bird however, Justice Qazi Faez Isa wrote a dissenting note opposing the bench’s order. The court held that there was “apparent error on the face of record” and set aside its Aug 19 judgment. In its 16-page judgement, the top court said the “role of the judiciary is to interpret the laws and not to legislate”. “Examination of the laws clearly
shows that permanent ban on hunting of houbara bustard is not envisaged.” It is the provincial governments, the court said, which exercise discretionary power to classify animals as ‘protected’ or ‘game’ species. Balochistan Act, 2014 places houbara bustard both in protected and game animal categories, the court noted. The Red List of International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) places houbara bustard in the category of “vulnerable” below “near threatened” and “least concern” categories and above “endangered”, “critically endangered”, “extinct in the wild” and“extinct” categories, the court said, adding that IUCN considers hunting primarily using falconry as a principal threat to its conservation. “Even IUCN recognizes sustainable use of the natural resources,” the court said, maintaining that “considering the economic backwardness of the areas where
these migratory species land, it is very hard for conservation efforts to be successful without uplifting the economic well-being of those areas.” The Wildlife Department should take steps for the consevation of all threatened animals, the court said. A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by then chief justice Jawwad S. Khawaja had on August 19 banned hunting of the houbara bustard in a decision welcomed by wildlife campaigners and conservationists. The court also ordered the cancellation of all existing permits in this regard. The ban had resulted from a petition that recalled that Pakistan had imposed a permanent ban on the hunting of houbara bustards under the Third Schedule of the Pakistan Wildlife Ordinance 1971, after declaring the species a protected bird. But despite the ban, licenses or permits were being issued to VIP dignitaries of Gulf states for hunting the species.
nounced Friday that she will run for a second term at the head of the International Monetary Fund, after winning strong backing from across Europe. “Yes, I am running for a second mandate,” the former French finance minister confirmed in an interview with France 2 television. “I’ve had the honour of receiving support since the opening of the procedure,” she said, pointing in particular to endorsements from France, Britain, Germany and China. British finance minister George Osborne on Thursday tweeted that he was “delighted to nominate” her for a new term. He described the 60-year-old as “an outstanding leader with (the) vision and acumen to steer (the) global economy in years ahead”. The German finance ministry said Lagarde had proven to be a “far-sighted and successful crisis manager in difficult times”. US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew refrained from a formal endorsement, but expressed strong approval of her performance. “I think she has done a great job,” he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Lagarde noted that the United States customarily waits until the end of the election process before backing a candidate, but pointed to recent expressions of support from Washington. “The words of the US Vice President (Joe Biden) the other day in his public intervention were very glowing — almost embarrassing — and the treasury secretary has said he hopes to enjoy working with me,” she told France 2.—AFP
MOGADISHU—Islamist Shebab gunmen killed around 20 people in a popular beachside restaurant in Somalia, police said Friday, as neighbouring Kenya mourned soldiers killed by the Al Qaedalinked group last week. In the attack in Mogadishu, five gunmen detonated a bomb before storming the busy restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers late on Thursday. “They killed nearly 20 people, including women and children,” Somali police officer Mohamed Abdirahman said, describing it as a “barbaric and brutal attack against innocent civilians”. Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke condemned the “savage” attack. Last week the insurgents stormed a Kenyan army base at El-Adde in southwest Somalia, in the latest incident of an AU Mission in Somalia base being overrun by the group. A Shebab statement said that more than 100 Kenyan soldiers based at the mission were killed and others captured. Kenya has so far refused to say how many of its soldiers
were killed, injured or remain missing. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday visited wounded soldiers recovering in hospital in the capital Nairobi and praised the “bravery and dedication” of the “fallen heroes” in an address to dignitaries and relatives of the dead and injured. The Lido beach area in Mogadishu is full of restaurants, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city. After a huge explosion, gunmen burst into the restaurant on Thursday evening as diners were sitting down for their evening meal at the start of Somalia’s weekend. “The fact that they have chosen this location during a weekend night shows how merciless the Shebab militants are,” Abdirahman added. “They wanted to kill more civilians — but the security forces rescued most of the people.” The Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab claimed responsibility for the attack, in which four of their gunmen were also killed, and one captured.—AFP
Two elite force cops shot dead STAFF REPORTER P ESHAWER —Unidentified motorcyclists shot dead two cops of Khyber-Pakhtunwa (K-P) Police’s Elite Force Unit in Rashid Garhi area of Yakatot police station in the outskirts of Peshawar on Friday. Elite Force constable Shahzeb and his colleague, Special Police Officer (SPO) Ihsanullah, were traveling on a motorcycle to work when three unidentified armed men opened fire at them. “Shahzeb is a resident of Garhi Qamardin area of Peshawar and he reached
Rashid Garhi to take his friend Ihrasullah with him on his bike. Both were on their way when three armed men attacked them and escaped from the scene,” said an official of Yakatot police station. “Both officials were immediately shifted to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) but died before reaching the hospital,” he added. Earlier this month, a police rider squad on patrolling duty was attacked in Garhi Qamardin area of the provincial capital, due to which one of the policemen lost his life while another received serious injuries.
Blackout in Sindh areas due to power line break STAFF REPORTER SUKKUR—Five districts lost power supply as branches of Guddu Thermal Power Plant’s 132KV main transmission line broke, falling in the river. More than five key towers came crashing down leading to the power cut. The transmission line leads to Sukkur and Hyderabad grid stations. Sources said that live wires collided due to strong gushes of wind. Five districts including Ghotki, Khairpur, Sukkur and Dadu have no electricity for more than eight hours. Reportedly, main trans-
former of Guddu Thermal Power House in Kashmore had caught fire on Thursday. Electricity was suspended to Lahore Electric Supply Company and different parts for more than six hours as transmission lines in Sheikhupura had tripped. The outage affected number of cities including Attock, Jhelum, Multan and Faisalabad, said officials. On the other hand, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali informed the National Assembly that construction work on Dasu Dam project would be executed in the next few months. He said that the project cost is Rs 486,093.30 million.
Davos elite alarmed at prospect of nominee Trump D AVOS — ”Unbelievable”, “embarrassing” even “dangerous” are some of the words the financial elite gathered at the World Economic Forum conference in the Swiss resort of Davos have been using to describe U.S. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. Although some said they still expected his campaign to founder before his party picks its nominee for the November election many said it was no longer unthinkable that he could be the Republican candidate. Some noted that whatever the outcome, a heated campaign, which has also seen self-
proclaimed Socialist Bernie Sanders provide a tough challenge to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, could alter the U.S. political environment, giving vent to new populist anger on both sides of the political divide. Trump’s nationalist rhetoric, particularly proposals to ban Muslims from entering the United States, tax goods made abroad and build a wall on the Mexican border, were never the sort of thing to appeal to the free trade crowd that typically gathers at events like the annual Davos economic forum. “Clearly it is not a rhetoric that is inviting for integration,”
said Chile’s Finance Minister, Rodrigo Valdes, referring to his comments on the campaign trail. “In Chile we have a deep view that integration of the Americas is a good thing, whether it is goods, financing and yes people. So I’d be happier with a more welcoming rhetoric.” Among the present and former government officials in the Swiss resort was Eric Cantor, former Republican majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, now vicechairman of Moelis & Co, an investment bank. Like much of the Republican party’s establishment, he had cold words for
Trump. “He’s not serious. He’s amazing at promoting his personal brand and reflecting an underlying anger at home,” Cantor said. “Trump Fever is an unsustainable phenomenon that will not translate into a victory for the candidate.” But for Ray Nolte, chief investment officer of Skybridge Capital, a $13 billion hedge fund whose founder has supported other Republican candidates including Jeb Bush, such establishment pronouncements sound like wishful thinking. “Is Donald going to be the nominee? I don’t know. It’s sure looking that way now,” Nolte said. “Any-
one here (at Davos) who is in the mainstream says there is no way he could possibly get the nomination. When I hear that, it probably means it is going to happen.” Noting the challenge to Clinton from Sanders, which he said could pull her to the left on issues like financial regulation, Nolte said institutional investors were already paying attention to the prospect of increased U.S. political volatility from the election. Arianna Huffington, whose Huffington Post news website once insisted on covering Trump, a former reality TV star, as an entertainment figure rather than a politician,
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said the site reversed its policy once he announced his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States, which made him too “dangerous” to ignore. “I feel the mainstreaming of Donald Trump, instead of him being treated as an extreme, dangerous candidate, is really the most troubling aspect of American politics right now,” she said. “He’s being interviewed on all the main shows, and he’s being asked questions about what his first State of the Union address would be like if he wins, instead of actually being forced to answer the tough questions about his
policy, especially his policy of wanting to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., which is so dangerous, so un-American and should really be the center of the coverage of Trump.” For Dominic Barton, global managing director for business consultancy McKinsey, Trump has turned the political campaign itself into “entertainment”, which could hurt the global image of the United States. “It’s a bit embarrassing globally. But I think there’s a big difference between the rhetoric and the reality, and I think most people will see that and discount it.—Reuters