18 hindustantimes H INDUSTAN T IMES , NEW DEL H I

TUES DAY, FEBRUARY 20, 20 1 8

world THEY (THE JUDICIARY AND MILITARY) HAVE BECOME MY ENEMIES AND THEY WANT TO
TAKE REVENGE AGAINST ME. BUT I WANT TO TELL THEM THAT I AM NOT AFRAID OF THEM.
> NAWAZ SHARIF, former Pakistan prime minister

photooftheday
MaldivesPrezYameenfor Trump supports
efforts to improve
extensionofemergency gun checks: WH
OPPN BOYCOTTS VOTE Move stalled in Parliament due to lack of quorum Yashwant Raj
HT Correspondent & Agencies
letters@hindustantimes.com
n yashwant.raj@hindustantimes.com
US STUDENTS
CALL FOR
n

WASHINGTON: TheWhiteHouseon
NEWDELHI/MALE: Embattled Presi-
dentAbdullaYameenonMonday
Monday announced that Presi-
dentDonaldTrumpwas“suppor- PROTESTS
n The French Riviera town of Menton is hosting the 85th edition of sought parliamentary approval tive”ofeffortstoimprovefederal PARKLAND: Students
its Fete du Citron or Lemon Festival, on till March 4. This year’s for extending the emergency in background checks on prospec- across the US on Sunday
theme is Bollywood, and an estimated 145 tonnes of citrous the Maldives by 30 days but the tivegunbuyers,daysafterateen- organised rallies and a
fruits were used to prepare the floats and displays. AFP movestalledafteroppositionlaw- ager shooter killed 17 people in a national walkout in sup-
makersboycottedaplannedvote. Florida high school. port of stronger gun
shortstories Yameen imposed the emer- Trump spoke to Republican laws, challenging politi-
gencyonFebruary5for15daysto Senator John Cornyn about a cians they say have
RUSSIA PROBES EXTREMIST LINKS OF annul a Supreme Court ruling
thatquashedconvictionsagainst
bipartisanbillthatheandDemo-
cratChrisMurphyintroducedto
failed to protect them.
Students from Mar-
CHURCH GUNMAN AS I.S. CLAIMS ATTACK nine opposition leaders, includ- improvefederalcompliancewith jory Stoneman Douglas
MOSCOW: Russia is investigating whether the gunman behind a deadly ing former president Mohamed criminal background checks, High School joined oth-
attack on an Orthodox church had extremist ties, the Kremlin said on Nasheed,andorderedtherelease White House press secretary ers on social media to
Monday after Islamic State claimed the shooting. “There is an investigation of those held in prison. The state Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. plan the events.
into whether the attacker was linked to extremist organisations,” Kremlin of emergency was set to end on CornynandMurphyhadintro- Students from the
spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists a day after five women were shot Tuesday. Parliament was ini- ducedthebillin November, days school are planning a
dead near an Orthodox church in Kizlyar. The attack was claimed by IS, who tially told on Monday that the after a gunman killed over two “March for Our Lives” in
referred to the gunman shot dead by police as “a soldier of Islam” in a post extension was for 15 days but the dozen people in a church in Washington on March 24
on the Telegram messaging app. Peskov did not mention IS explicitly, saying president’s office later Texas.Theshooter—aformerUS to call attention to school
only “there are indeed several organisations, including those tied to interna- announced that a 30-day exten- air force personnel — had been safety and ask lawmak-
tional terrorism, who are continuing their destructive activities”. AFP
sion had been sought. n Maldivian opposition supporters during a protest in Male. REUTERS FILE abletopurchasefirearmsdespite ers to enact gun control.
Thirty-nine MPs from the rul- having a criminal history. They also plan to rally
IS ambushes Iraqi Shia­led UK man who encouraged ingProgressive PartyoftheMal- Tuesdayonrubberstampingthe foreign secretary Ahmed Sareer National Security Council. “The president spoke to Sena- for gun control, mental
force, kills 27 fighters rape jailed for 32 years divesattendedasessiontodebate emergency. onFebruary 15,we weregiven to The statement expressed the tor Cornyn on Friday about the health issues and school
BAGHDAD: Islamic State militants LONDON: A British academic who Yameen’sproposalbutallopposi- InNewDelhi,therewasnooffi- understand the emergency government’sdisappointmentat bipartisan bill he and Senator safety on Wednesday in
have ambushed a group of Iraq’s blackmailed victims into sending tionlawmakersboycottedit.The cial reaction from the external would not be extended and the opposition MPs boycotting the Murphy introduced to improve Tallahassee, the state
Shia-led paramilitary fighters, him increasingly depraved images MPs sent the proposal to Parlia- affairs ministry to Yameen’s government would reach out to vote and saidthe disengagement federalcompliancewithcriminal capital. REUTERS
killing at least 27. The Popular which he shared on dark web ment’snationalsecuritycommit- move to extend the emergency. all opposition parties,” the offi- oftheopposition“willcripplethe background check legislation,”
Mobilization Forces, an umbrella forums was jailed for 32 years on tee, which met behind closed “We will not respond to it unless cial said. Parliament’sabilitytodecidethis Sanderssaid.“Whilediscussions
group of mostly Shia militias, said Monday after admitting 137 doors and approved the move. weknowwhethertheemergency A statement from the presi- issue”. It added that “these are ongoing and revisions are tees Americans the right to bear
on Monday the attack took place offences, which included encour- The opposition pointed out is extended or not,” an official dent’s office said Yameen had actions will further deepen the being considered, he is suppor- arms.Duringthe2016campaign,
the previous night in al-Saad- aging the rape of a four-year-old thatthemoveneededaquorumof said. soughttheextensionoftheemer- current constitutional crisis”. tive of efforts to improve the fed- Trump aligned himself with the
ounya area, southwest of the boy. Dr Matthew Falder, 29, a
43 MPs in the 85-member Parlia- Another officialsaidthemove gency “as the threat to national Ruling party MP Ahmed eral background check system.” gun lobby and in February 2017,
northern city of Kirkuk, when the geophysicist employed as a
ment. With only the 39 PPM law- went against an understanding securityhasnotdiminished,and Nihan told the local media the It is a significant step for signedinto lawabillrevokingan
paramilitaries were conducting researcher at Birmingham
overnight raids. The PMF said the University in central England, makerspresent,theproposalwas betweenthetwosides.“Whenthe the constitutional crisis has not state of emergency “does not Trump,whoranforpresidenton Obama-eraregulationthatmade
attackers were disguised in army duped victims by masquerading notputtoavoteonMonday.AFP Indian envoy to the Maldives, been resolved”. It said the exten- become void because the Parlia- thepromiseofprotectingtheSec- it harder for people with mental
uniforms. It said the clashes lasted as a depressed female artist on reported the MPs would vote on AkhileshMishra,metMaldivian sion was also advised by the ment does not approve it.” ondAmendment,whichguaran- illnesses to purchase firearms.
for at least two hours and that forums and mainstream online

‘Damage by Tibet shrine

some of the militants were killed advertising websites. He fooled
while others fled the area.

Sri Lanka enlists 11 ex­LTTE

members in volunteer force
COLOMBO: At least 50 northern
Tamil youth, including 11 former
LTTE members, have been
enlisted to serve the Sri Lanka
Army’s volunteer force, the
military spokesman said on
Monday. They will not be wearing
the military uniforms but would
be entitled to pension and other
related benefits, a military
spokesman said, adding that they
will be deployed for agricultural
work carried out by the army. PTI
inthenews
GEORGE CHRISTENSEN
Australian police probe lawmaker who made social
media post brandishing a gun
them into sending him their
naked images. REUTERS
Three Iranian police killed
in clashes with protesters
LONDON: Three police officers
were killed on Monday in clashes
with protesters in northern
Tehran, police spokesman Saeed
Montazer al-Mahdi said on state
television. The clashes were
between security forces and
dervishes of the Gonabadi
denomination who had gathered
in front of a police station,
demanding the release of some of
their members. REUTERSI
OXFAM: EX­HAITI
DIRECTOR HIRED
SEX WORKERS
LONDON: British aid charity
Oxfam on Monday released its
internal report into a scandal in
Haiti that has shattered its repu-
tation,revealingthataformertop
officialadmittedtopayingforsex
andthreestaffphysicallythreat-
ened a witness.
The 2011 report into aid work-
ers deployed to Haiti following
the devastating earthquake the
previous year, revealed that
sevenstaffwereaccusedofusing
prostitutes at an Oxfam-funded
residence.
Country director Roland Van
Hauwermeirenadmittedpaying
forsexandwasoffereda“phased
Three Billboards
wins big at Bafta
fire more than reported’
The British Academy of Film and
Television Arts (Bafta) awards were
handed out in London on Sunday. Here
Sutirtho Patranobis
are some of the major winners
n spatranobis@hindustantimes.com
n BEST FILM n OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri BEIJING: Damagecausedbythefire
at Jokhang temple in Lhasa, one
of the most holiest and ancient
sites in Tibet Autonomous
Region (TAR), could be more
widespread than official reports
acknowledge, activists said on
Monday. Fire broke out at the
temple on Saturday, the second
dayoftheTibetanNewYear,also
known as Losar.
ChinesemediaonSundaysaid
the fire at Lhasa’s Jokhang tem-
Three Billboards director Martin McDonagh and producers ple, a site many Tibetans revere n A fire broke out at the Jokhang temple in Lhasa on Saturday. HT FILE

1
n
Christensen, from the rural-based Nationals anddignifiedexit”ofresignation as the most sacred, has been put
Peter Czernin and Graham Broadbent. REUTERS
Party, posted a picture on Facebook of himself ifhecooperatedwiththeinquiry. outandareasaroundithavebeen The statement comes amid somesourcessayingthiswasthe
aiming a gun, taunting left-wing green LEADING LEADING SUPPORTING
The report said three Oxfam opened after a temporary clo- concerns that the 1,300-year old Meru Nyingpa monastery in the
supporters and asking: “You gotta ask yourself, ACTRESS ACTOR ACTRESS
employees were involved in sure.“AfirebrokeoutatJokhang temple, a UNESCO world heri- alley ways of the Barkhor, and
do you feel lucky, greenie punks?” “physically threatening and Temple in Lhasa, southwest tage site that houses cultural thenspread.Onesourceintouch
intimidating” a witness who China’s Tibet Autonomous treasuressacredtoTibetans,was withan eyewitnesssaidthatsev-

2
The reference was to a line from the Clint Eastwood movie Dirty
Harry. Greens Party leader Richard Di Natale reported the post to
spoke to the investigators. Region, on Saturday. The inci- badly damaged in a fire that eral buildings nearby had been
Australian police on Sunday Four staff were fired for gross dent took place at around 6 pm engulfed large parts of it. “There burnt to the ground, although
misconduct and three others, local time and the blaze has been arefearsthatthedamagemaybe thatcould notbeconfirmed,” the
Frances Gary Oldman Allison Janney
including Van Hauwermeiren, put out. The authorities said more widespread than the ICT statement said.

3
Di Natale asked Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to force Chris-
tensen to take it down, noting the timing of the post just days after were allowed to quit.
17 people were killed in the deadliest high school shooting in the US. Details of the Haiti scandal
surfaced earlier this month and
have engulfed Oxfam. A senior
executive has resigned and the
McDormand Darkest Hour I, Tonya
Three Billboards there are no casualties and the authorities acknowledge,” the “TheChineseauthoritiestook
cause of the fire remains InternationalCampaignforTibet several hours to confirm the fire
SUPPORTING DIRECTOR EE RISING STAR unclear,” China’s broadcaster (ICT) said in a statement. attheJokhang, aUNESCOWorld
ACTOR (chosen by the public) China Central Television said in “Thefireapparentlybeganina Heritage site,” ICT’s Kate Saun-
a brief report. building near the Jokhang, with ders said.

Iran rescuers find

British government has warned
itmustreformbeforebidding for
any new taxpayer funds. PA K I S TA N AT T O R N E Y G E N E R A L

‘Another notification
Oxfam has denied trying to

plane wreckage
cover up the allegations but Sam Rockwell Guillermo Del Toro Daniel Kaluuya
admitteditcouldhavebeenmore Three Billboards The Shape Of Water Get Out

needed to bar JuD, FiF’

open at the time. AFP

SOUTH AFRICA

Hunt widens for Gupta brothers

n Members of an emergency and rescue team search for the plane in
the Zagros mountains.
TEHRAN: Iranian search and res-
cue teams on Monday reached
REUTERS
dawn on Monday. The station
said the weather had improved,
JOHANNESBURG/CAPE TOWN: South
Africa has widened a corruption
probe into allies of ex-president
Jacob Zuma to other countries
including India, China and
Dubai, the police minister said.
Fikile Mbalula’s announce-
mentonSundaycameafterSouth
Africa issued an arrest warrant
for one of the brothers of the
Gupta business family, close
associates of scandal-plagued
Zumawhowasforcedfrompower
last Wednesday. Mbalula told
public broadcaster SABC that
AjayGuptaandanotherfourpeo-
ple who are being sought in con-
nectionwiththecasewereallout
of the country.
While there was no indication
thattheyfledthecountryfearing
arrest, Mbalula vowed they will
“be followed up” through Inter-
polwiththepossibilityofextradi-
tion to face trial in South Africa.
He said two of the suspects
were of Indian descent and one
other was Chinese. All are
thought to be in India, China or
Dubai.
ONE‑TIME BONANZA
ATUL CHALLENGES
FREEZING OF ASSETS
Atul Gupta, one of three Gupta
brothers, is challenging a court
order freezing 10 million rand
($859,025) in his bank account,
according to court papers.
Prosecutors were authorised
tofreeze220millionrand,includ-
ing10millionwhichtheysaidwas
illegally transferred to Atul
Gupta’s bank account, as part of
an investigation into fraud at a
state-backed dairy project in the
Free State province. AGENCIES
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan govern-
ment will have to issue another
notification to formally ban the
JuD and FIF despite the amend-
mentoftheAnti-TerrorismActto
list groups sanctioned by the UN
Security Council, attorney gen-
eral Ashtar Ausaf Ali has said.
After the president issued an
ordinance on February 9 to
amendthelawtolistgroupssuch
as the JuD and FiF, the interior
ministryissuedanotificationthe
following day to freeze and take
overtheassetsofboththegroups.
However, Ali told The News
thatanotificationfromtheminis-
tryisrequiredtobanbothgroups.
Thenotificationforseizingthe
assets of the JuD and FIF, both
linkedtoallegedMumbaiattacks
mastermind Hafiz Saeed, didnot
place the groups in Schedule I of
the Anti-Terrorism Act. Since n Imran Khan AP
this formality has not been com-
pleted, the police too cannot take
legal action against both groups, Third time lucky?
Imran Khan weds
the daily reported.
“Althoughthefederalgovern-
ment has decided to freeze the
assetsofJuDandFIFthroughthe
law, itdoesnotempowerthepro-
vincial police to register cases
spiritual advisor
against their activists. So we’ve ISLAMABAD:Cricketer-turned-poli-
taken over their assets but not tician Imran Khan has
registered cases against their announced his third marriageto
activists,” a senior police officer Bushra Maneka, a ‘pir’ or faith
told The News. HTC healer, in Lahore on Sunday,
with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-In-
saf(PTI)partyreleasingpictures
of the ‘nikaah’ ceremony.

Singapore to pay bonus to all citizens after surplus budget

the site of a plane crash that
authorities say killed all 65 peo-
ple on board, Iran’s Press TV
reported.
The Aseman Airlines ATR-72,
a twin-engine turboprop used for
short-distance regional flying,
went down on Sunday in foggy
weather, crashing into Mount
Dena in a remote area of south-
ern Iran. The airliner said all on
board Flight EP3704 were killed,
including six crew members.
The crash of the aircraft,
brought back into service only
months agoafterbeing grounded
for seven years, was yet another
fatal aviation disaster for Iran,
which for years was barred from
buying necessary airplane parts
due to Western sanctions.
Press TV said search teams
reached the crash site before
though it was still windy. The
semi-official Tasnim news
agency cited the military as say-
ing Russia had helped locate the
crash site. Russia and Iran are
close military allies.
Other Iranian news outlets
and officials did not confirm that
the crash site had been reached.
Transport minister Abbas
Akhoundi left Tehran on Mon-
day to visit the site of the crash,
stateTVreported. Hewasquoted
as saying the cause of the crash
was still “not clear.”
Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokes-
man for Iran’s civil aviation
organization, said a seven-mem-
ber delegation from France was
scheduled to arrive in Tehran on
Monday to investigate the cause
of the crash, the official IRNA
news agency reported. AP
HT Correspondent
n letters@hindustantimes.com
NEWDELHI : All Singapore citi-
zens aged 21 and above will get
a one-off “SG Bonus” of up to
S$300 each as the 2017 budget
came in with a surplus of
almost S$10 billion (US $7.6
bn), the city-state’s finance
minister said on Monday.
Finance minister Heng
Swee Keat made the
announcement during his
budget speech in Parliament,
describing the bonus as a
“hongbao”, the Mandarin
word for a monetary gift given
on special occasions.
He said this “reflects the
government’s long-standing
commitment to share of the
fruits of Singapore’s develop-
ment with Singaporeans”,
according to Channel News
Asia. The “SG Bonus” will cost
the government S$700 million
(US $533 million).
The bonus will be paid
according to people’s assessa-
ble income.
About 2.7 million people will
get the payouts, which are due
by the end of 2018. Those with
an income of S$28,000 or below
will be eligible to receive
S$300, those whose incomes
ranging from S$28,001 to
S$100,000 will receive S$200,
and those with incomes in
excess of S$100,000 will receive
S$100.
Singapore’s revised budget
for fiscal 2017 showed a sur-
plus of S$9.61 billion, thanks to
contributions from statutory
boards and higher-than-ex-
pected stamp duty. The sur-
plus will also be used in other
ways. Heng said S$5 billion
will be set aside for the Rail
Infrastructure Fund to save up
for new railway lines that
Singapore is building.
Khan, 65, had been visiting
Bushra,alsoknown as PinkiPir,
to seek spiritual guidance after
meetingheracoupleofyearsago,
media reports have said.
The photos of the ceremony
showed Khan, clad simply in a
dark blazer and white shalwar-
kameez, sitting on a sofa next to
Bushra, who was covered from
headtotoebyaveil,withonlyher
eyes visible. Several others,
includingPTIleadersAwnChau-
dhry and Zulfi Bukhari, were
present. PTI spokesperson
FawadChaudharysaidKhangot
married with Maneka in “a sim-
pleceremony”heldatthehomeof
the bride’s brother. Bushra’s
mother and other family mem-
n S$2 bin will be set aside for premium subsidies for Eldershield, bers and friends joined the cere-
an insurance scheme that helps senior citizens. AFP FILE mony. Khan’s sisters did not
attend. IMTIAZ AHMAD