e_Paper, Tuesday, December 7, 2016

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DT 8 World WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016 SOUTH ASIA Imran Khan, Sharif’s party trade charges on ‘Panamagate’ Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf party and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N party exchanged charges and accusations on Tuesday as the Supreme Court heard a case related to financial irregularities revealed in the Panama Papers leaks. Khan claimed his party had successfully proved that Sharif had lied to the nation. HT INDIA Train hit kills 3 elephants, 2 pregnant females in Assam Three wild elephants, including two pregnant females, were killed by a speeding train in Assam early on Monday, officials said. A herd of elephants were crossing the railway track at Hojai in Nagaon district when they were hit by the Kanyakumari-Dibrugarh Vivek Express around 12:30am, nearly 137km from Guwahati. HT CHINA China media: ‘Rookie’ Trump must fall into line Donald Trump is a diplomatic rookie who must learn not to cross Beijing on issues like trade and Taiwan, Chinese state media said Tuesday, warning America could pay dearly for his naivety. Trump’s protocol-shattering call with Taiwan’s president and a subsequent Twitter tirade against Beijing’s policies could risk upending the delicate balance between the world’s two largest economies. AFP ASIA PACIFIC Generals dominate new Thai king’s Privy Council Thailand’s new King Maha Vajiralongkorn appointed top army brass to his powerful advisory body on Tuesday, including three generals linked to the ruling junta. The move illustrates the close military-royal alliance that has defined Thai politics for the last five decades, an era that has seen brief flirtations with democracy punctuated by multiple palace-endorsed coups. AFP MIDDLE EAST Saudi sentences 15 to death for spying for Iran A Saudi court sentenced 15 people to death on Tuesday after convicting them of spying for the kingdom’s regional rival Iran, Saudi media reported. All 15 were Saudi citizens, most of them members of the kingdom’s Shia minority. AFP Mass grief as Jayalalithaa dies • Tribune International Desk Tens of thousands of mourners filed past the coffin of the Indian politician Jayalalithaa Jayaram on Tuesday in an emotional farewell to the former movie star who enjoyed almost god-like status in the state of Tamil Nadu. The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa, described by her party as the Iron Lady of India, died late Monday after suffering a massive cardiac arrest at the weekend following a long period of ill health. Despite being twice jailed over allegations of corruption, the woman known by Tamils simply as Amma, or mother, was a revered figure in her southern fiefdom and one of India's most popular and successful politicians as a populist champion of the poor. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew into the state capital Chennai to pay his own respects, streams of her supporters lined up outside a hall in the centre of the city where her casket was put on display. Populist schemes The southern state had been tense since Sunday after reports that her health had worsened and she had been put on life support. On Monday, scuffles broke out outside the hospital as many of her thousands of supporters there tried to break through the police barricades. When her political mentor and former on-screen love interest MG Ramachandran died in 1987, riots and looting broke out across the state. Ahead of Jayalalithaa's Jayalalithaa Jayaram India’s filmstar politician died on Dec 5 aged 68 after a prolonged illness Served three terms as chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, where she enjoyed an almost god-like status Also seen as an autocratic and secretive leader, battling allegations of corruption on vast scale (briefly jailed twice) Famed for vast sari collection that won her comparisons with the Philippines’ Imelda Marcos In later life, she gained a reputation for reclusiveness, living alone in her palatial residence in Chennai To millions of her followers, Jayalalithaa was simply known as “Amma” or mother AFP Photo: Arun Sankar death, police and security presence was beefed up across Tamil Nadu over fears of an emotional reaction from her followers. Tamil Nadu names successor An hour after her party announced her death late on Monday after a cardiac arrest, state Finance Minister OP Panneerselvam was sworn in to lead economically important Tamil Nadu, a base for auto firms Ford Motor Daimler, Hyundai and Nissan and IT firm Cognizant. Panneerselvam had stood in for Jayalalithaa in the past, but made it clear he was not replacing INDIA Chennai FACTBOX Brexit case in UK SC: How will it work? The British government's appeal against a legal ruling that it needs parliamentary approval to trigger the formal process of leaving the EU is being heard in the country's top court this week. Prime Minister Theresa May has announced that she will invoke "Article 50" of the EU's Lisbon Treaty by the end of March and begin the formal Brexit negotiations with Brussels. But London's High Court ruled last month that the government does not have the constitutional right to start the process without the backing of lawmakers. How does the Supreme Court work and how will the case be argued? Who sits on the Supreme Court? The Supreme Court currently has 11 justices who are selected by an independent commission and must have either been a High Court judge for two years or a practising lawyer for 15 years. However for the first time, all 11 justices are sitting "en banc" to hear the Article 50 challenge. A simple majority is needed for a judgement. What's the case about? It centres on who has the constitutional right to invoke Article 50 of the EU's 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the formal process by which Britain notifies the EU of its intention to leave the bloc, kicking off two years of negotiations. All parties in this case agree the Article 50 process is irrevocable, so as soon as it is triggered, Britain will inevitably leave the EU at some stage. However, some EU and legal experts believe this is a misreading of Article 50 and that Britain could change its mind at some time in the future even after triggering it. What happens if the government loses? If the government loses it will have to secure some form of parliamentary approval to trigger Article 50. This could be achieved through a substantive motion, a proposal put forward for debate and a vote, which would take little time. However, the claimants say there needs to be new primary legislation that passes through both parliamentary chambers, a far more complicated process. Lawmakers could also add amendments demanding additional scrutiny of the government Brexit plans which could complicate their negotiating position. Tamil Nadu became one of India’s most prosperous states under Jayalalithaa’s rule her. He declined to take her place at the head of the cabinet table while she was ill and instead had her picture placed there. His rise to the top job in Tamil Nadu would help allay fears of a power struggle in the AIADMK, built entirely around the cult of Jayalalithaa. • Could parliament block Brexit? Lawmakers in the lower house, the House of Commons, are unlikely to try to block Brexit, as it was backed in a popular vote, and a Reuters survey suggested many MPs who voted to "remain" would now approve the triggering of Article 50 in a parliamentary vote. However, a cross-party group of lawmakers, who support a "soft Brexit" have demanded a greater say for parliament in negotiations and say they might try to pass amendments that guarantee this. The opposition Labour Party has said it would seek amendments to ensure access to the European single market and to protect workers' rights. • Source: Reuters
World Israeli Arabs sign up for IDF • Reuters, Kisufim, Israel A battalion of soldiers crawls across the desert sand with assault rifles cocked. It's a routine exercise, but these are no ordinary troops - they are Arabs who have chosen to fight for the Jewish state. While the vast majority of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are Jews - and nearly all their conflicts have been against Arab nations - a trickle of Israeli Arabs volunteer for the army. Most are Bedouin, a community native to southern Israel. But some are other Arab citizens of Israel, the descendants of Palestinians who remained during the 1948 war of the state's founding, when hundreds of thousands of their brethren fled or were forced from their homes by advancing Israeli troops. "Why did I decide to enlist?" asks Sergeant Yusef Salutta, a 20-year-old Arab from the north of Israel who serves with the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion. The army rarely grants journalists access to the unit. "Because I'm from this country and I love the country and I want to contribute," he said. "Everyone should enlist, anybody who lives here should enlist." The military conscripts young Jewish men and women, but not Arabs. It does not report exact numbers of Arab volunteers, but officials say there are several hundred among the 175,000 active personnel. A silver Star of David necklace hung around Salutta's neck, and he chatted with fellow-soldiers in Hebrew. At a time when Israel is expanding its settlements in the West Bank and Palestinians fear they may never end up with their own state, some Israeli Arabs see volunteering for the military as betrayal. Volunteers say their families are supportive, and that they are prepared to take criticism. "I don't care about them," said Salutta. "I need to be part of the country, to be like everybody else." The head of the IDF Minorities Unit, Colonel Wajdi Sarhan, said some Israeli-Arabs saw service as a way to improve their chances in life. "(It) can get easier when you hold an Israeli soldier or reservist ID card," said Sarhan. "To be a soldier in the army, it's actually an identity certificate of Israeli-ness, which can help integration." He said some recruits faced threats and harassment at home from fellow Israeli-Arabs. In some cases, they are allowed to travel to and from military duty out of uniform. When it comes to Israel's decades-old conflict against the Palestinians, there is no question - if they are required to fight, they must. "I assume that anyone who decided to be a combat soldier in such a unit took this into consideration in advance," said Sarhan. • Trial of ex-Uganadan child soldier to begin • Tribune International Desk Israeli Arab soldiers chat during a drill in southern Israel on November 29 Fails to win support among the population. Takes revenge by massacring entire villages, mutilating civilians, abducting women and children Mid-2000s Chased from Uganda. Disperses across South Sudan, Sudan, the D. R. Congo and Central African Republic 2005 1987 International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for war crimes and crimes against humanity for Kony and 4 other commanders, including Dominic Ongwen The Lord’s Resistance Army Over 30 years of terror, the LRA has killed at least 100,000 people and conscripted more than 60,000 child soldiers, according to the UN Founded by Joseph Kony to fight Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and create a state run according to Kony’s version of the 10 commandments 2010 C. AFRICAN REPUBLIC 500 km DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO US deploys special forces to help regional armies hunt Kony. He escapes, allegedly to Darfur (Sudan) Source: maps4news.com/©HERE SOUTH SUDAN UGANDA LRA rebels thought to now number several hundred, living in small groups in the rainforests of central Africa Dominic Ongwen Joseph Kony LRA leader, selfproclaimed prophet Still at large Has a bounty of 5 million dollars on his head REUTERS on trial at the International Criminal Court Charged with 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Pleads not guilty Aged 41 Abducted as a child by the LRA Became LRA n° 3 and head of operations. Accused of directing bloodthirsty attacks on civilians in northern Uganda and the DRC Surrendered to US special forces in C. African Republic in 2015 Abducted by gunmen as a 10-yearold boy on his way to school, Dominic Ongwen rose to become one of the most feared commanders in Uganda's brutal Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The former child soldier, now in his early 40s, went on trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday for crimes committed in Uganda, including keeping sex slaves and recruiting child soldiers. Ongwen, known as the "White Ant", is the first leader of the brutal Ugandan rebel army led by the fugitive Joseph Kony to appear before the ICC, created to try the world's worst crimes. The son of school teachers, he was abducted as a child before being forced into the rebel army and allegedly becoming a willing perpetrator of violence. He rose swiftly through the LRA ranks, quickly being singled out for his murderous loyalty and tactical ability and taking command of one of the army's four brigades. Ongwen is accused of carrying out massacres, rapes, mutilations and abductions in quick and lethal raids. Ongwen's men, with trademark dreadlocks, mismatched uniforms and AK-47 rifles fitted with bayonets, also allegedly carried out thousands of abductions of children. Between 2002 and 2003, Ongwen is thought to have directed bloody campaigns in northern Uganda that butchered or abducted thousands. He is also accused of playing a central role in revenge attacks on civilians in the troubled Democratic Republic of Congo. In recent years, however, he was reportedly sidelined after falling out with Kony over his execution of another commander. Wanted by the ICC for almost a decade, Ongwen surrendered to US special forces in the Central African Republic in January 2015 after Washington offered a $5m reward for his capture. • 9 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016 DT USA Obama targets Trump in final speech on terror fight President Barack Obama delivers his final address on the fight against terrorism Tuesday, in a speech aimed at his successor who has not yet publicly outlined his own anti-terror strategy. Obama will touch upon his failed bid to close the Guantanamo military prison and his continued strong opposition to the use of torture, positions greeted with scorn by President-elect Donald Trump. AFP THE AMERICAS Venezuela opposition withdraws from crisis talks Venezuela’s opposition Tuesday withdrew from the latest round of negotiations with authorities aimed at easing an economic and political crisis, insisting the government first honour earlier pledges. “We are staying in the dialogue system but we are not going to take part in today’s meeting,” said Jesus Torrealba, leader of the opposition MUD coalition. AFP UK EU negotiator eyes October 2018 for Brexit deal The EU’s chief negotiator set a target of agreeing a Brexit deal with UK by October 2018 assuming London keeps a promise of formally launching the process by the end of March. Michel Barnier, giving a first news conference on Tuesday after two months in office, said the two-year deadline for final withdrawal fixed in Article 50 of the EU treaty meant there would be less than 18 months to run negotiations themselves. REUTERS EUROPE Putin approves new cyber-security doctrine Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed off on a broad-ranging plan aimed at bolstering the country’s defences against cyber-attacks from abroad and cracking down on perceived foreign influence. The Kremlin’s new “information security doctrine” comes as attention has focused on the rise in state-sponsored hacking after the US blamed Moscow for cyber-attacks. AFP AFRICA Egypt busts organ trading racket, arrests 45 Egypt has uncovered a network accused of illicit international trafficking in human organs, arresting 45 people and recovering millions of dollars in a dawn raid on Tuesday. Among those held were doctors, nurses, middlemen and organ-buyers, involved in what the ministry described as the largest organ-trafficking network exposed. REUTERS
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