GROWING

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8 INDIA OMANDAILYOBSERVER SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18 l 2017 Jats turn down talks offer, crucial meet today HARMONY IN THE AIR CHANDIGARH: Agitating Jat leaders on Friday turned down an offer from the Haryana government for talks even as all eyes were on the future course of the agitation that the Jat leadership will take on Saturday. The Jat agitation, which started on January 29, completed 20 days with no breakthrough in sight over acceptance of their demands by the BJP government in Haryana led by Manohar Lal Khattar. All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) president Yashpal Malik said that the Jat community will decide its next course of action on Saturday. The AIJASS has given a call to observe February 19 as ‘Balidan Diwas’ (sacrifice day) to mark the one year of violence during the Jat agitation last year. Malik said that additional director-general of police (ADGP) Mohammad Akil, who is part of a five-member panel of senior officers set up by the Khattar government to engage Jat leaders in talks, had made an appeal for talks. Malik accused Khattar and his government of not taking the agitation seriously. He said that the Jats will continue to protest peacefully. The Haryana government on Friday deputed senior IAS officers “to guide and support” Deputy Commissioners in eight districts in view of the ongoing Jat agitation. Jat community members have been holding protests across Haryana since January 29 in support of their demands. Their demands include reservation for Jats, jobs to the next of kin of those killed in violence in the Jat agitation last year, withdrawal of cases against them and action against officers who ordered action against the Jats. — IANS The Yakovlevs team performs during the Aero India show at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru on Friday. — Reuters EC notice to Sasikala on petition by Panneerselvam faction NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday sent a notice to AIADMK leader V K Sasikala and sought her reply on the petitions filed by a delegation of MPs from the O Panneerselvam camp challening her appointment as party General Secretary. Sasikala, currently lodged in Parappana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru, has been asked by EC to respond by February 28. “The Commission has directed that your reply on the aforesaid petitions may be furnished latest by 28.02.2017, failing which it will be presumed that you have no comments to offer and the Commission will take appropriate action in the matter,” the EC letter read. On Thursday, a delegation of AIADMK MPs led by Rajya Sabha member V Maitreyan petitioned the EC over Sasikala’s appointment as the party’s General Secretary, which they said was illegal. The delegation comprising of 11 AIADMK parliamentarians told the EC in their petition that as per the party constitution, to become the party General Secretary, one has to be a member for five consecutive years, and pointed out that Sasikala did not fulfil this basic criterion. The petition also mentioned Rule 20 (2) of the party by-law which says that the General Secretary shall be elected by the primary members of the party units of Tamil Nadu and members of other states. — IANS Palaniswami seeking trust vote today CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is all set to seek a vote of confidence on Saturday in the state assembly — that is likely to see some tight-rope walk, with the rival AIADMK faction led by O Panneerselvam joined by opposition parties to vote against the government. The southern state, that has not seen a day without hectic political developments since the past 10 days, is poised for another day of intense political activity with the scene shifting to the state assembly. Palaniswami, 63, a senior leader in the ruling AIADMK of the V K Sasikala camp, was sworn in on Thursday. He needs the support of 117 legislators to continue in the post. The AIADMK party commands the support of 124 legislators, including the Speaker, while the breakaway UP doesn’t need to adopt Modi: Priyanka RAE BARELI: Daughter of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra made a strong attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, saying that the people of Uttar Pradesh do not want to “adopt him”, as there is no dearth of leaders in the state. She was addressing her maiden assembly election rally in the state, along with her brother Rahul Gandhi, in the parliamentary constituency of her mother, Rae Bareli. Referring to Modi’s Thursday speech in Barabanki, where he said he felt honoured to be the “adopted son of Uttar Pradesh”, Priyanka said that “UP does not want to adopt an outsider”. “Youths of this state are talented enough to write their own destiny,” she said, adding that Uttar Pradesh is the “heart and life of Rahul Gandhi”. Cheered by the crowd, Priyanka went on to ask what the Prime Minister has done for Varanasi as its representative in the Lok Sabha. She urged the people to vote for a leader who works for the people and does development and not for one who makes false promises. Priyanka also slammed Modi over demonetisation. “With a clap of hands, he created serious problems for the poor and the women,” she said and sought support and votes for the Samajwadi Party- Congress alliance. After addressing the rally in Maharajganj, Priyanka went to Fursatganj from where she flew back to New Delhi. Campaigning ends: Campaigning for the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections came to an end at 5 pm on Friday. There are 826 candidates contesting for 69 seats, spread across 12 districts. — IANS group led by former Chief Minister Panneerselvam has 11 legislators. The other opposition includes DMK with 89 members, Congress — eight, Indian Union Muslim League with one, and one seat is vacant. The DMK has said it will vote against the government, while the Congress has said it will wait for the party high command’s directive. However, the Congress has indicated it will vote against the Palaniswami government. The DMK (minus its President M Karunanidhi who is unwell has 88 legislators to vote), Along with the Congress and Indian Union of Muslim League, the opposition group comes to 97. The Panneerselvam camp has the support of 11, taking the tally against Palaniswami to 108. If there is some cross-voting to the tune of 10 legislators from Sasikala’s camp then it could be the end for Palaniswami. The assembly has a total strength of 234 of which one seat is vacant. On Friday, the Chief Minister’s support base suffered erosion by one legislator. AIADMK legislator representing Mylapore constituency and former The AIADMK party commands the support of 124 legislators, including the Speaker, while the breakaway group led by Panneerselvam has 11 legislators Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi arrives at an election campaign rally at Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh on Friday. — AFP Director-General of Police (DGP) R Nataraj said he would vote against Palaniswami. Following Nataraj’s about-turn at the last minute, Palaniswami’s support base is down to 124 legislators. Meanwhile, a week after he was sacked from the AIADMK, former party Presidium Chairman E Madhusudanan on Friday in turn “dismissed” General Secretary V K Sasikala, Chief Minister Palaniswami Deputy General Secretary T T V Dinakaran, Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha M Thambidurai, A Navaneethakrishnan, Thangamani, N Dalavai Sundaram, Valarmathi, R B Udhayakumar, C Ve. Shanmugam and S Venkatesh — from the party’s primary membership. The vote of confidence is being held following a split in the AIADMK party after Panneerselvam revolted against General Secretary VK Sasikala charging her of forcing him to quit. Sasikala is now in a jail in Bengaluru after being convicted in a corruption case. On Thursday, Palaniswami was sworn in as Chief Minister and 30 ministers also took oath. — IANS Taj Mahal turning yellow: NGT UP govt NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal on Friday slapped fines on Uttar Pradesh government agencies for not replying to a plea claiming that large-scale garbage burning is turning the Taj Mahal yellow. The Tribunal had asked the state government’s Urban Development ministry, Agra municipal authority and its District Magistrate to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The decision came after an NGO named Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE) claimed that a Pul alleges graft by SC judges, Cong leaders NEW DELHI: Late Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul had named some sitting as well as former Supreme Court judges and senior Congress politicians in a 60- page suicide letter he left behind at the time of his death last August. His wife has demanded a CBI probe into the corruption charges levelled by Pul. “We want a central investigation agency — the CBI or the National Investigation Agency — to investigate the case. Every politician and judge named in the letter should be brought into limelight and action taken against them for demanding bribe,” his wife Dangwimsai Pul told the media here. The suicide note written by Kalikho Pul in Hindi mentions the names of several Congress politicians both at the Centre and in Arunachal Pradesh along with Supreme Court judges, including ex-Chief Justices of India H L Dattu and Altamas Kabir, for demanding bribe. Dangwimsai — the first wife of Pul — has demanded a new FIR in the case as the state government did not probe the death of Pul “properly”, despite an FIR by the family. She alleged the current state government threatened her against demanding a CBI probe. On being asked who was threatening them, Dangwimsai said: “I can’t take the names, but certainly they are people close to the ministers in the current Arunachal government.” In his 60-page suicide note, a copy of which is with IANS, Pul said H L Dattu was allegedly paid Rs 28 crore in 2012 to stay an order against the former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, despite the Gauhati The suicide note written by the Arunachal CM, mentions the names of several Congress politicians both at the Centre and in Arunachal Pradesh High Court ordering a CBI inquiry against Tuki after finding him guilty. Similarly, another ex CJI Altamas Kabir had given a decision in favour of Arunachal contractors regarding a Public Distribution System (PDS) scam. The Central government and Food Corporation of India termed the decision wrong, he alleged in the letter. Pul also alleges that on the directions of former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, he in 2009 had given Rs 6 crore to President Pranab Mukherjee, then Union Finance Minister. Mukherjee was paid the money after he cleared an advance loan of Rs 200 crore to Arunachal Pradesh. “In 2008, I, on the directions of Dorjee Khandu, was compelled to give Rs 37 crore to Congress Treasurer Moti Lal Vora,” said the suicide note. The suicide note which brings to light several irregularities and scams in Arunachal Pradesh also mentions that Pul was contacted by some (unidentified) people, demanding Rs 86 crore to give a SC ruling in his favour, an offer which Pul said he denied. Pul had become Chief Minister on February 19, 2016, after he along with 29 (19 Congress and 11 BJP) MLAs defected to the People’s Party of Arunachal Pradesh (PPA) — a state outfit — to form a new government, bringing down the existing Congress government led by Chief Minister Tuki. However, the Supreme Court reinstated the Tuki government on July 13, following which Pul and his supporters returned to the Congress and supported Pema Khandu as the Chief Minister. — IANS joint report of IIT-Kanpur, Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Wisconsin has revealed that the dust and carbon produced from the large-scale municipal solid waste burning is turning the Taj Mahal’s white marble yellow. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar earlier sought a reply from the concerned authorities regarding the same. The bench has given a last opportunity to the authorities to file the response. “Let reply be filed within two weeks subject to payment of Rs 20,000 each as cost to CPCB,” the bench said. — IANS
ANALYSIS SS 9 SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18 l 2017 OMANDAILYOBSERVER Red blooms and warm glows at Pyongyang show A SEBASTIEN BERGER humble two-room hut nestles beneath snowladen trees, a warm red glow emerging from within, reminiscent of a Christmas Nativity. It is, according to North Korean orthodoxy, the mountainside birthplace of Kim Jong- Il, who inherited power from his father and passed it in turn to his son, current leader Kim Jong-Un. The image of the Day of the Shining Star, as the occasion is known, is a recurring motif at the Kimjongilia flower festival in Pyongyang, appearing in mosaics and models surrounded by the eponymous red blooms. Guide Ri Yun-I had no doubts. “The great leader general Kim Jong-Il was born in a secret camp on Mount Paektu,” she said — a volcano straddling the Chinese-Korean border seen as the spiritual birthplace of the Korean nation. Such origins would be appropriate for a man destined to lead the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as the North is officially known. “Our great general Kim Jong-Il devoted his whole life only for the prosperity of the country and our people’s happiness,” said Ri. “Our people Around 700,000 people are expected to cram into the exhibition hall in Pyongyang over seven days, and its passages were packed on Friday as soldiers and civilians made their way past the displays, many in jovial mood strongly miss him.” But outsiders beg to differ, pointing instead to Soviet records putting his place of birth as a Siberian village where his father was in exile, and a year earlier than Pyongyang’s 1942. Officially, it is 75 years since Kim Jong-Il was born, and the North is marking the anniversary with skating and synchronised swimming shows, fireworks and the flower festival — with no mention of the killing this week in Malaysia of Kim Jong-Nam, his first-born son and Kim Jong- Un’s half-brother. Around 700,000 people are expected to cram into the exhibition hall in Pyongyang over seven days, and its passages were packed on Friday as soldiers and civilians made their way past the displays, many in jovial mood. The Kimjongilia, a large begonia, was the unquestioned dominant feature, with 100,000 potted blooms on show. Each stand was supplied by a different organisation or individual, ranging from the North’s central bank — whose stand featured a red map of a unified Korea, decked out in lights — to an 11-year-old schoolboy. Two stands held flowers presented in the names of overseas “friendship and solidarity” organisations or foreign embassies and leaders, with pride of place given to the President of the Syrian Arab Republic and the general secretary of the central committee of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party. “Our people cultivate very many Kimjongilias greeting the birthday of the great general Kim Jong-Il,” explained Ri. The flower was bred by Japanese botanist Kamo Mototeru, who Ri said “visited our country several times and he witnessed the reality of our country”. As a result he “admired the brilliance of General Kim Jong-Il” and so presented him with his creation. His father Kim Il-Sung had previously been honoured in 1965 with the Kimsungilia, a purple orchid named after him by Indonesian leader Sukarno. Kim Jong-Il died in 2011 and regular visitor Kim Nam-Hui said that he was “someone we all follow like our father and miss so much”. In the 29-year-old teacher’s opinion, the Kimjongilia is “the most beautiful flower in the world”. But, she said, “We come to this flower festival out of our longing for the general Kim Jong-Il and the longing for our nation, rather than because of the beauty of flowers.” — AFP In harmony with wildlife US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the White House in Washington, DC. News media takes it on the chin again U GRETEL JOHNSTON S President Donald Trump held a news conference at the White House on Thursday in what the press corps had believed would be a routine announcement of his new choice to be labour secretary. Instead, it turned into a tour-de-force of his combative style, with the former reality television star hammering the media and championing his accomplishments as if he were still stumping on the campaign trail. After nearly four weeks in office Trump delivered an overwhelmingly positive selfcritique of his presidency thus far, in sharp contrast to criticism from all political camps except the Republican base and his ardent supporters. To hear him tell it, he has only been keeping promises he made to the American people. “There has never been a presidency that’s done so much in such a short period of time,” he crowed. “And we have not even started the big work yet.” Among the highlights he touted were announcements about jobs returning to the country, record highs on Wall Street and a tremendous surge of optimism in the business world. He cited a poll by Rasmussen putting his approval rating at 55 per cent — selecting the highest of three prominent polls, with the other two, Gallup and Pew Research, placing his approval rating at 40 per cent and 39 per cent. At the same time he claimed he “inherited a mess” and ticked off a litany of problems both domestic and international. While reporters questioned the resignation of his national security adviser over his dealings with Russia and contacts his aides had with Russians during the campaign, Trump denied any involvement with Russia. His energy would go into fixing things, including relations with Russia: “We’re going to take care of it all,” he said. After US President Donald Trump’s first solo news conference, the US news media were left wondering where to start their summation of the 77-minute Q&A. While picking up the pieces from the tongue-lashing they received, some asked whether it was the new normal Above all else in Trump’s almost streamof-consciousness pronouncements were his complaints about the “dishonest” and “out of control” media. He griped about the “tone” some television reporters used, a “nasty” story on the front page of the New York Times and the “hatred and venom” that he said flowed from a CNN broadcast in particular. “I sort of enjoy this back and forth — I guess I have all my life — but I’ve never seen more dishonest media than frankly, the political media,” Trump said. His election victory, he said, was thanks to his news conferences and speeches, not because voters listened to “you people,” he said, adding, “that’s for sure.” It was surprising that Trump for the first time as president opened the floor for what turned into a rollicking session, with reporters hands flying into the air, hoping to be called on, as they realised the president was ready to spar. Surprising because the day before during a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he ignored reporters from major newspapers and television networks, calling only on those who have been friendly to him. While much of what he said was familiar or taken straight out of his campaign handbook, he did give reporters something they hope for the most in such a setting: news. He said he would issue a new “executive action” next week, implying that it would be more narrowly tailored than the controversial January 27 executive order on immigration that has been halted by a court. Trump also said that an immigration programme to stop the deportation of people who arrived in the US as children, but never became legal immigrants, had been difficult for him, saying “we’re gonna show great heart.” The president who is so fond of using Twitter to bypass the media, told reporters he would let them ask him questions about his proposals because he liked to take his message “straight to the people.” And even with all the bashing, in his inimitable way, he said some reporters were “fantastic,” adding that he would make a good reporter himself. — dpa A HEAD OFFICE VISHAL GULATI nimals in the wild mostly avoid any encounters with humans — and when they do attack people, it is usually in self-defence, says legendary field biologist George Schaller. And it would be wrong to declare tigers and leopards that attack humans as “man-eaters”, Schaller, who believes he’s still young at 83, said. Thus, there is a need for training the communities settled on the periphery of wildlife parks and sanctuaries because the wild animals — be it the tiger or the leopard or the elephant — don’t want trouble from the humans, said Schaller. “And if a tiger is a man-eater, then its killing is certain,” he added. German-born Schaller, who devoted six decades to conservation of wildcats and their ecosystems, is currently the Vice-President of Panthera, an organisation founded in 2006 for conserving the animals. Schaller, who is wild at heart, said in India — a storehouse of biodiversity — development is a big issue. “India is saying it’s doing a lot for the preservation of wildlife. But it is really disturbing that 200 sq km of forest area of the Panna tiger reserve (in Madhya Pradesh) which is being diverted for non-forest purposes. After the 1990s, the country’s image in preserving forests is going down,” said the biologist-cum-author, who travelled to Central Africa to study the mountain gorilla when he was 25. It is greed and corruption that threaten nature more. The problem, in fact, across the globe is that oil, mining and timber companies are prepared to pay anything to operate in sensitive areas. Sadly, governments and officials succumb to their pressures. “I know people (supposed conservationists) who prefer to sit in their offices (rather than go into the field). Conservation has not to do only with animals. It also has to do with economics and politics.” Schaller, who has studied wildlife in several reserve forests and national parks in India, said the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is the most vulnerable to poaching for international trade owing to its proximity to the Nepal border, a major trade link to the Chinese traditional medicine market. Estimates say India supports the highest population of tigers in the wild, accounting for 2,226 of the estimated 3,890 worldwide. Schaller, who has worked for nearly two decades on studying endemic wildlife in the Tibetan Plateau, said the snow leopard also needs protection from pastoral communities. “The Spiti Valley (in Himachal Pradesh) and the Hemis National Park (in Jammu and Kashmir) support a good population of the snow leopard,” said Schaller, who spent most of his time in the field in Asia, Africa and South America. — IANS Tel: 24649444, 24649450, 24649451, 24604563, 24699437 Fax: 24699643 SALALAH OFFICE Tel: 23292633 Fax: 23293909 NIZWA OFFICE Tel: 25411099 P.O. Box 955, P.C. 611 Website: omanobserver.om ESTABLISHED ON 15 NOVEMBER 1981 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili ADVERTISING AL OMANEYA ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS, P.O. Box 3303, P.C. 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman Tel: SWITCHBOARD: 24649444 DIRECT: 24649430/24649437/24649401 Fax: 24649434 DISTRIBUTION AGENT Al OMANEYA for Distribution & Marketing, P.O. Box 974, P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman Tel: 24649351/24649360 Fax: 24649379 e-mail: editor@omanobserver.om PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising P.O. Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman subscribe@omanobserver.om Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer.
Page 1 and 2: SATURDAY | FEBRUARY 18, 2017 | JUMA
Page 3 and 4: ENTERTAINMENT 3 SATURDAY l FEBRUARY
Page 5 and 6: LEISURE 5 SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18 l
Page 7: ASIA 7 SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18 l 201
Page 11 and 12: WORLD 11 SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18 l 2
Page 13 and 14: AMERICAS 13 SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18
Page 15 and 16: SATURDAY | FEBRUARY 18, 2017 | JUMA
Page 17 and 18: FOOTBALL 17 SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18
Page 19 and 20: OO 19 SATURDAY I FEBRUARY 18 I 2017

GROWING

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?