CR IP TI ON BS SU
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
UN reveals Asia-Pacific rape crisis
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THULQADA 5, 1434 AH
Filipino rebels dig in, take more hostages
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Pyramids are quiet: Visiting Egypt in crisis
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Syria accepts weapons plan, bombs Damascus Rebels dismayed; Russian initiative backed by China, Iran
BHUBANESWAR: International sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture on the issue of Syria with a message “Let peace Prevail” at Puri beach yesterday. — AFP
Child bride dies of internal bleeding 8-year-old marries 40-year-old SANAA: An eight-year-old Yemeni girl died of internal bleeding on her wedding night after marrying a man five times her age, a social activist and two local residents said, in a case that has caused an outcry in the media and revived debate about child brides. Arwa Othman, head of Yemen House of Folklore and a leading rights campaigner, said the girl, identified only as Rawan, was married to a 40-year-old man late last week in the town of Meedi in Hajjah province in northwestern Yemen. “On the wedding night and after intercourse, she suffered from bleeding and uterine rupture which caused her death,” Othman said. “They took her to a clinic but the medics couldn’t save her life.” Othman said authorities had not taken any action against the girl’s family or her husband. A local security official in the provincial town of Haradh denied any such incident had taken place. He did not want to be identi-
fied because he was not authorized to speak to the press. But two Meedi residents contacted by Reuters confirmed the incident and said that local tribal chiefs had tried to cover up the incident when news first broke, warning a local journalist against covering the story. Many poor families in Yemen marry off young daughters to save on the costs of bringing up a child and earn extra money from the dowry given to the girl. A UN report released in January revealed the extent of the country’s poverty, saying that 10.5 million of Yemen’s 24 million people lacked sufficient food supplies, and 13 million had no access to safe water and basic sanitation. Human Rights Watch urged Yemen’s government in December 2011 to ban marriages of girls under the age of 18, warning it deprived child brides of education and harmed their health. —Reuters
Europe questions US leadership will
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Jordan MP opens fire in parliament AMMAN: A Jordanian lawmaker is accused of chasing a fellow deputy through the halls of parliament yesterday, firing at him with an automatic rifle before being overpowered, officials said. No one was hurt in the fracas, which reportedly erupted as a result of a personal dispute between the two men, but prosecutors in the capital Amman have charged alleged shooter Talal Sharif with attempted murder, an official said. Both men, like many in the 180-seat chamber, were prominent members of the traditional Bedouin tribes with no particular ideological agenda. Jordan’s parliamentary debates can often turn rowdy, with lawmakers hurling shoes or bottled water at each other. Over the summer, a deputy tried to point his gun at another lawmaker during a televised debate but was overpowered by colleagues. This is the first time however that a firearm has actually been discharged. Yesterday’s shooting angered Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who instructed parliament speaker Saad Hayel Srour to hand over Sharif to police custody, according to a royal palace statement. Amman prosecutor Abdullah Abol-Ghanam charged Sharif with attempted murder, possession of a firearm without a license, resisting police arrest and disturbing public order, according to an official in his office who could not be named because it was an ongoing case. If convicted, he faces 15 years in jail. The official said Qusai Al-Dmeisi, the other deputy who was the target of the shooting, had lodged a complaint with the prosecutor earlier in the day. He said Sharif was detained for 15 days, pending questioning. — AP
Max 44º Min 24º High Tide 02:05 & 15:01 Low Tide 08:55 & 21:03
PARIS: Syria accepted a Russian proposal yesterday to give up chemical weapons and win a reprieve from US strikes, while its warplanes bombed rebel positions in Damascus for the first time since the West threatened military action. The Russian diplomatic initiative, which apparently emerged from off-the-cuff remarks by the US secretary of state, marks a sudden reversal after weeks in which the West appeared finally headed towards intervention in a two-and-a-half year old war. France said it would put forward a UN Security Council draft resolution for Syria to give up its stockpiles of chemical arms, threatening “extremely serious” consequences if Syria violates its conditions. Syria’s rebels reacted with deep dismay to the proposal, which would halt Western military action to punish President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces for a poison John Kerry gas attack that killed hundreds of people in a Damascus suburb last month. US President Barack Obama, for whom the proposal provides a way out of ordering unpopular strikes days before contentious Congressional votes, said it could be a “breakthrough”. Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem, visiting Moscow, as saying Damascus had agreed to the Russian initiative because it would “remove the grounds for American Continued on Page 15
Iran replaces hardline top security secretary TEHRAN: President Hassan Rowhani yesterday appointed decorated admiral and exdefense minister Ali Shamkhani to replace hardline Saeed Jalili as secretary of the key Supreme National Security Council, media reported. The SNSC is responsible for dictating defense and security policies under guidelines set out by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and for marshalling the country’s resources to confront domestic and foreign threats. Until now, it has been heavily involved in Iran’s showdown with world powers over the country’s nuclear ambitions, particularly under Rowhani’s predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It is expected that the SNSC’s direct involvement will be reduced but not eliminated after Rowhani last week tasked the foreign ministry with taking lead on future nuclear talks. Jalili, who lost to Rowhani in the June 14 presidential election, acted as the SNSC’s secretary since 2007 in a period talks between Iran and so-called P5+1 group of world powers failed to produce a breakthrough. His performance in the talks
and inability to make concession was criticized during the presidential campaign. While being replaced as SNSC secretary, Jalili is not expected to leave the council, as he, along with Rowhani, are both special representatives of Khamenei to the council. Shamkhani, an ethnic Arab, was reformist expresident Mohammad Khatami’s defense minister for two four-year terms until 2005. His record also includes serving as head of the now-abolished ministry for the Revolutionary Guards under then premier Mir Hossein Mousavi in the 1980s and commanding Iran’s naval forces in the 1990s. His appointment comes as Rowhani, who took office last month, has expressed a desire to improve strained ties with the Arab world, particularly tarnished over Tehran’s support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar AlAssad. In 2000, Shamkhani was awarded the Abdelaziz Second Grade Medal by Saudi Arabia-whose relationship with Tehran has been tense in recent years-for his role in “fostering the Saudi-Iranian ties” during the Khatami presidency. — AFP
Gulf losing billions to insurance fraud
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