09
The govt on average reached 10.8 people from one contact and con-
Public anger forced out Lebanese govt
Since October, there have been mass demonstrations seeking departure of the entire sectarian-based leadership over entrenched corruption
AGENCIES
BEIRUT, 11 AUGUST
A
ngry Lebanese have
demanded the
removal of what they
see as a corrupt rul-
ing class to blame for the
country's woes, adding that
the government's resignation
on Monday did not come
near to addressing the tragedy
of last week's Beirut explosion.
A protest with the slogan
“Bury the authorities first”
was planned near the port,
where highly explosive mate-
rial stored for years exploded
on 4 August.
“May God protect Lebanon,
he said, repeating the last
phrase three times. As he
spoke, protesters demon-
strated in the streets near
parliament for a third straight
day.Diab, announcing his cab-
inet's resignation, blamed
endemic corruption for the
Pompeo opens anti-China,Russia tour in Czech
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRAGUE, 11 AUGUST
US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo is in the Czech Repub-
lic at the start of a four-nation
tour of central and eastern
Europe expected to focus on
threats to the region posed by
Russia and China.
Amid post-election vio-
lence and concerns about
significant democratic back-
sliding in nearby Belarus,
Pompeo plans to use his visit
to push his hosts to counter
Russian and Chinese influence.
Russia and China are active
and seeking greater roles
throughout the continent in
the energy, infrastructure and
telecommunications sectors,
a trend the United States is
keen to reverse.
Pompeo on Tuesday was
opening his visit in the Czech
city of Pilsen, where he was
Turkey vows to press ahead with energy search amid tensions with Greece
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANKARA (TURKEY), 11 AUGUST
Turkey vowed Tuesday to
press ahead with searching for
oil and gas in the eastern
Mediterranean Sea, saying it
plans to issue new explo-
ration licenses for the area
despite an escalating dispute
with Greece over drilling rights.
The Greek government,
meanwhile, was calling for an
emergency meeting of the
European Union's Foreign
Affairs Council on the situa-
tion.
Tension remained high
between NATO allies Greece
and Turkey, both of which
have warships shadowing a
LEISURE
10 MINUTE CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Torso (5)
4 Despised (5)
8 Opposition front bench
members (6,7)
9 Big and ungainly (7)
10 Lacking feeling (4)
13 Formally approve (6)
14 Desert plant (6)
15 Bottle stopper (4)
16 Poison (7)
20 Fierce encounter (7,6)
21 Cuddly toy (5)
22 Irish county (5)
SOLUTIONS TO YESTERDAY’S CROSSWORD
ACROSS 14 Tyrant,
1 Week, 17 By far,
4 Need (Weak- 19 Enlarge,
kneed), 8 Sec- 21 Civil servant, 4 Nudity,
ond to none, 22 Cyan,
23 Some.
10 Adamant,
11 Oakum,
12 Catnap,
By arrangement with The Independent
Figures in parentheses denote
the number of letters in the words required
explosion and which com-
pounded a deep financial cri-
sis that has collapsed the cur-
rency, paralysed the banking
system and forced up prices.
“I said before that corrup-
tion is rooted in every junc-
ture of the state but I have dis-
covered that corruption is
greater than the state," he
said, blaming the political
elite for blocking reforms.
Talks with the Interna-
to visit the Patton Museum and
memorial to the World War II
liberation of western Czecho-
slovakia by U.S. troops.
In his talks, Pompeo will
likely face questions about the
Trump administration's deci-
sion to reduce the U.S. mili-
tary presence in Germany.
President Donald Trump
wants to withdraw thousands
of American troops from bases
in Germany and redeploy
some of them eastward,
including to neighboring
Poland, the last stop on Pom-
peo's week-long trip.
Two of Pompeo's other
The Greek govern-
ment was calling for
an emergency meet-
ing of the EU's Foreign
Affairs Council on the
situation.
Turkish research vessel that was
sent to carry out seismic
research for energy resources
in an area Greece says is on
its continental shelf.
Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey
planned to conduct search
operations on the western
edges of Turkey's continental
shelf. He said the work would
be done on behalf of both
Turkey and Turks in ethnically
BEETLE BAILEY/Mort Walker
RED EYE/Bill Yates & Mel Casson
DOWN
1 Elephant's tooth (4)
2 Pure (13)
3 Finish work (Informal)
(5,3)
4 Tramp (US) (4)
5 Hard-to-say phrase (6,7)
6 Store of information (8)
7 Peruse (4)
11 Crazy (8)
12 Cosmetic treatment (4,4)
17 Impolite (4)
DADDY DAZE/John Kovaleski
18 Nautical hail (4)
19 Tax (4)
DOWN 13 Airplay,
2 Elegant, 15 Acronym,
3 Krona, 16 Demean,
18 Five,
5 Economy, 20 Lives.
6 Lock,
7 Permitted,
9 Hatchback,
tained the spread. Trace, test & quarantine system was truly world-
class and can be compared to South Korea's system.
tional Monetary Fund have
stalled amid a dispute between
the government, banks and
politicians over the scale of vast
financial losses.
The moment typified
Lebanon's political dilem-
ma. Since October, there have
been mass demonstrations
demanding the departure of
the entire sectarian-based
leadership over entrenched
corruption, incompetence
three destinations the Czech
Republic and Austria
also share a border with Ger-
many, while Slovakia borders
Austria, the Czech Republic
and Poland. Germany is point-
edly not on Pompeo's itiner-
ary.
In Prague on Wednesday,
Pompeo will meet Czech Pres-
ident Milos Zeman and Prime
Minister Andrej Babis to dis-
cuss nuclear energy cooper-
ation and efforts to counter
malign actions of Russia and
communist China, the State
Department said.
Energy and the tenuous
political situation in the Balka-
ns will top Pompeo's agenda
with Slovenian officials in
Ljubljana, where he is expect-
ed to deliver a statement with
the foreign minister about
the security of 5G networks,
the department said.
In Vienna, Pompeo will
divided Cyprus, which also has
objected to Ankara's explo-
ration activities.
We are fully determined to
continue our seismic research
and drilling efforts, Cavu-
soglu said during a joint news
conference with his visiting
Azerbaijani counterpart.
We will defend to the end
the rights of Turkey and of Turk-
ish Cypriots in the Eastern
Mediterranean and in Cyprus,
and we will make no conces-
sions.
The Turkish government
announced on Monday that
its research vessel Oruc Reis
and two support vessels would
be operating in the Mediter-
ranean Sea between Cyprus
CLAIMS 'CONCRETE' MEASURES LEAD TO 'SUCCESS' AGAINST CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
and mismanagement.For
many Lebanese, the explosion
was the last straw in a pro-
tracted crisis over the col-
lapse of the economy, cor-
ruption, waste and dysfunc-
tional government.
"It does not end with the
government's resignation,"
said the protest flyer circulating
on social media. "There is
still [President Michel] Aoun,
(Parliament Speaker Nabih)
Berri and the entire sys-
tem."Many people in Lebanon,
and on social media, felt Mon-
day's announcement by Diab
would do little to change the
political situation.
"It's a good thing that the
government resigned. But we
need new blood or it won't
work," silversmith Avedis
Anserlian said in front of his
demolished shop. "I don't
think it [the government's
resignation] will make a dif-
ference. All the ministers in
meet Austrian Chancellor
Sebastian Kurz to review trade
relations and regional secu-
rity. Pompeo will also hold talks
with the head of the Vienna-
based UN nuclear watchdog,
the International Atomic Ener-
gy Agency, which is charged
with monitoring Iran's adher-
ence to the 2015 nuclear deal
from which the U.S. has with-
drawn.
The Trump administra-
tion is trying to convince
other members of the U.N.
Security Council to indefi-
nitely extend an arms embar-
go on Iran that is due to expire
in October, under terms of the
nuclear deal.
In Warsaw, Poland, Pom-
peo plans talks with President
Andrzej Duda, who recently
won a narrow reelection after
a bitter campaign that con-
cerned human rights advo-
cates and others.
and Greece until August 23.
The vessel arrived in the area
Monday morning, escorted by
Turkish warships.
Greece slammed the deci-
sion as an illegal act that
infringed on its sovereign
rights, saying the Turkish
research vessel was inside an
area covered by the Greek
continental shelf.
Greek warships were in
the area and were monitoring
the Oruc Reis, and the mili-
tary was on alert, officials
said. Greek Prime Minister Kyr-
iakos Mitsotakis's office said
the country's foreign minis-
ter be requesting an emergency
meeting of the European
Union's foreign affairs min-
PAKISTAN PLANNING MINISTER ASAD UMAR
KOLKATA WEDNESDAY 12 AUGUST 2020
Lebanon are just a face. Behind trict a few hundred metres from
that are the militias who con- the port.
trol everything," Rony Lattouf, "As the prime minister said,
a shop owner in Beirut, said. the corruption is bigger than
"It's these militias that the state," said Mokdad.
decide on things in Lebanon. "They're all a bunch of
People have to make a pow- crooks. I didn't see one MP
erful move to remove them," [member of Parliament] visit
he added, standing in front of this area. MPs should have
his collapsed shop not far come here in large numbers
from the port.Forming a gov- to raise morale."In the wake
ernment amid factional rifts of the disaster, documents
has been daunting in the past. have come to light that show
With growing public discon- that top Lebanese officials
tent and the crushing finan- knew about the existence of
cial crisis, it could be difficult the stockpile in the heart of
to find someone willing to be Beirut near residential areas,
prime minister. and did nothing about it.
Beirut residents, mean- It still wasn't clear what
while, continued to pick up the caused the fire in a port ware-
pieces as search operations for house that triggered the explo-
the missing continued. Offi- sion of the chemicals, which
cials have said the blast could created a shockwave so pow-
have caused losses of $15bn, erful it was felt as far away as
a bill Lebanon cannot the island of Cyprus more
afford.Ihsan Mokdad, a con- than 200 kilometers across the
tractor, surveyed a gutted Mediterranean.
building in Gemmayze, a dis- From one minute to the
COOLING OFF
Men, some clad in masks stand underneath a roadside shower in Baghdad on Tuesdsay to cool
off due to extremely high temperature rises amidst a heatwave. n AFP
isters. The spokesman for the called the European Union to
EU's executive arm, Peter a meeting to support its unfair,
Stano, said such requests were unlawful and aggressive poli-
always an issue of consulta- cies,” Celik said on Twitter.
tions among the member “The European Union
states and that the appeal
would be reviewed once
should not allow Greece to turn
the whole of Europe into a
Greece makes a formal request. 'Greek theater,' he said on
We agree that the situation Twitter. Greece and Turkey have
in the eastern Mediterranean traditionally had testy relations
is extremely worrying and and have been at odds for
needs to be solved in dia- decades over a wide variety of
logue and not in a series and issues.The two have come to
sequence of steps that are the brink of war three times
increasing the escalation and since the mid-1970s, includ-
the tension, Stano said. ing once over drilling explo-
Omer Celik, the spokesman ration rights. Recent discov-
for Turkish President Recep eries of natural gas and drilling
Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, plans across the east Mediter-
criticized Athens for calling on ranean have led to renewed
the EU. As usual, Greece has tension.
NEED TO KNOW
Ambulance
FD Block Association (Amb)
9830452536, 9830181286
Happy Calcuttans 24400160
City Point Nurses Centre
2567-4113, 9831142623
People’s Relief Committee Police/Fire
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Delivery 25423005
BOC India Ltd. 9831277777 S.P. (South 24-Pgns) 2479-
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Blood Banks Bhawani Bhawan
24791761/9, 24791933
Ashok Laboratory 24720333 Fire Service Station Salt
Central Blood Bank 23510619 Lake: 2357-5293;
rabble and Scrabble Tiles are registered trademarks. All
rights in the game are owned in the U.S.A by Hasbro Inc.,
in Canada by Hasbro Canada Inc., and elsewhere by J.W.
Spear & Sons Limited, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc.
Malaysia’s
former FM,
wife charged
next, the world changed for with graft
people in Beirut, said Basma PENANG (MALAYSIA),
Tabaja, deputy head of the 11 AUGUST
International Committee of the
Red Cross's delegation in Malaysia's former finance
Lebanon on Tuesday. minister accused the gov-
The explosion, which oblit- ernment of taking political
erated the capital's port, dam- vengeance on Tuesday after
aged thousands of apartments a third graft charge was filed
and offices in the capital and against him and his wife was
came on top of an unprece- charged with money laun-
dented economic and finan- dering.
cial crisis the country the Lim Guan Eng was part of
country has been mired in a reformist government oust-
since late last year, com- ed in March and the new gov-
pounding the nation's col- ernment under Prime Min-
lective distress.Meanwhile, ister Muhyiddin Yassin is
behind the scenes contacts got supported by graft-tainted
underway Tuesday for the parties defeated in the 2018
formation of a new govern- general election.
ment, a day after Diab At a news conference after
resigned. Diab's government, his court hearing, Lim was vis-
which was supported by the ibly upset as he told reporters
militant group Hezbollah and that Muhyiddin's govern-
its allies, unraveled after the ment had targeted his fam-
deadly blast, with three min- ily to break his spirit.
isters announcing they were “They are caught in the
quitting. crossfire. This is complete-
ly excessive, just too much.
Go for me but leave my fam-
ily alone, Lim said.
His wife, Betty Chew, was
more emotional as she
slammed as frivolous and
baseless the charges against
them, calling it cruel and
terrible.Lim, 59, pleaded not
guilty to abusing his position
as chief minister of Penang
state to obtain gratification
for his wife related to a work-
ers' dormitory project.
Chew pleaded not guilty
to three charges of receiving
$ 88,584 in unlawful pro-
ceeds linked to the same
project. A business acquain-
tance of Chew was also
charged with abetting Lim.
Chew is a lawyer, and Lim said
the money was her legal fees.
He was earlier charged with
soliciting bribe and abus-
ing his power related to a $
1.5 billion undersea tunnel
project. Both projects were
approved during Lim's tenure
as Penang chief minister
from 2008-2018, before he
became finance minister.AP
Taliban warn against attacks on freed prisoners going home:
Ahead of an upcoming release of Taliban detainees held in
Afghan prisons, the insurgent group warned the government
in Kabul on Tuesday against any attacks on those released,
saying such incidents would jeopardise the peace talks. AP
TENDER
District Information & Cultural Officer, Murshidabad, invites 2 (two)
separate online e-tender from bona fide, resourceful agencies for
organizing various types of publicity works as follows:
SI.No. NIT No. Subject Tender Id
01. No. 303/INF/MSD Publicity through 2020_ICAD_291423_1
Dt.: 29-07-2020 temporary hoarding
02. No. 304/INF/MSD Publicity through 2020_ICAD_291437_1
Dt.: 29-07-2020 miking by
e-Rickshaw
Details of which can be downloaded from http://wbtenders.gov.in
from 31-07-2020 at 6-00 p.m. Bid submission end date: 14-08-2020 at
5-00 p.m. Corrigendum if any would be published in website only.
Sd/-
District Information & Cultural Officer
Murshidabad
Life Care 2284-6940 Howrah 2666-8111; Behala Police Toll Free No. 1073
Peoples Blood Bank 2497-6285 Transport Deptt. No.
2455-5164/ 5557 6451-6718
RK Mission Seva Pratisthan Civic Services
2475-3636/39 Kolkata Municipal CESC Fault Reporting
Corporation: 2286-1000 1912 and 4403-1912
Water: 2543-1602
Trains
Calcutta Telephones Howrah Station Old Complex
Changed Number 1331/1332 (Auto Telephone
Announcement Numbers), 1310, 2638-
1951,1952,1953 7412/3542/2581 (manual).
Sealdah: 2350-3535/3537
Taxi Refusal Shalimar Station: 2668-1121,
Eastern Railway and South-
SMS 575756: Complaint and Eastern Railway: 139.
registration
SUDOKU
irections Make a 2 to
7 letter word from the
letters in each row.
Add points of each
word, using scoring
directions at right, 7-
letter words get 50- Sudoku is a number-placing
point bonus. "Blanks"
used as any letter puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with
have no point value. several given numbers. The
All Judd’s words are
in The Official object is to place the numbers 1
Scrabble Players to 9 in the empty squares so
Dictionary(Merriam-
Webster) and OSW that no row, no column and no
Official Scrabble answer to 3x3 box contains the same
Words(Chambers).
number. The difficulty level
Judd’s solution previous
increases through the week.
tomorrow.
10-25-12
puzzle