Modi’s KSA visit to focus on economy, security

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  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

 RIYADH: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to begin his official visit to the Kingdom on April 2.
The announcement of premier’s planned visit to the Kingdom made headlines in Indian media on Sunday.
Modi, 66, is the first prime minister belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to visit the Kingdom.
“The details of the prime minister’s itinerary are being worked out…. and hence I can’t share the details of his visit at this stage,” said an Indian official via phone from New Delhi.
He, however, confirmed that the visit to Riyadh is part of the three-nation tour, that will begin on March 30.
The Riyadh-based Indian embassy refused to share information about the Modi’s visit, saying that the mission will disclose details once they will be officially intimated.
It is widely believed that Modi’s trip to the Kingdom will mainly focus on commercial ties, trade, and security issues that hampering peace and security in the Middle East and the regions in its neighborhood.
According to ‘Indian Express’, an Indian daily newspaper, “the Indian premier will travel to Saudi Arabia as part of his three-nation trip from March 30 during which he will also visit Washington to attend Nuclear Security Summit.”
Starting his visit with Belgium on March 30 for India-EU Summit, Modi will travel to Washington on March 31 before his two-day bilateral visit from April 2 to Saudi Arabia.
The Indian premier’s visit comes nearly six years after last prime ministerial visit to Riyadh, and it assumes significance given the current turmoil in the Middle East.
Apart from being India’s largest supplier of crude oil, accounting for almost one fifth of its need, the Kingdom is also India’s fourth largest trading partner.
Saudi Arabia has the largest Indian diaspora, whose number currently exceeds 2.8 million.
On regional level also, India is also engaged with countries in the Middle East.
To this end, it is important to note that a free trade agreement between GCC and India have been planned.
This agreement, once endorsed, will largely expand economic and investment links between the two regions, mainly the Kingdom and the UAE as New Delhi’s largest Gulf trading partners.
On the other hand, Arab League and India are working closely on a range of subjects.
They have vowed to combat terrorism and called for developing a strategy to “eliminate” its sources and its funding as India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a strong pitch for delinking religion from terrorism, while she was in Cairo and Bahrain recently.

Construction sector reports highest number of injuries

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 JEDDAH: The construction sector has recorded the highest number of work-related injuries for 2015 with 26,982 injuries out of a total of 50.787 in nine different sectors.
A report by the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) revealed that the trade sector came in second place with 9,690 work injuries; then the manufacturing sector with 7,420 work injuries.
The distribution of work-related injuries in collisions totaled 14,902 cases followed by falling accidents with 14.451 cases.
According to GOSI, a work injury is one that occurs to the subscriber during work or due to work. Moreover, every accident that occurs to the subscriber on his way to work from his residence and vice versa is considered a work injury.
Additionally, when subscribers are going from their workplace to the place where they usually eat or pray or vice versa, those are also considered a work injury. Also, a work injury occurs when a subscriber is moving due to a task entrusted to him by his employer, as well as diseases that are proven to be a result of work.
Also, the compensation shall be provided to the injured subscriber or for family members to claim:
Medical care required by the physical condition of the subscriber as well as daily allowances for temporary inability to work if the injured becomes unable to work because of the injury; the monthly revenue and compensation for complete or partial permanent disability resulting from the injury; the monthly returns for family members in addition to the grant given to the family of the injured or in the case of his death.
The GOSI subscribers are not entitled to anything from in compensation unless the injury occurred after the completion of registration at the insurance office.

350,000 Saudi women are employed in private sector

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 JEDDAH: Recent statistics from the Ministry of Labor show that the Saudi private sector employed more than 350,000 women at the end of 2015, and the figure is expected to reach 450,000 by the end of 2016, a local publication reports.
According to sources quoted in the local media, the increase in female employment has been ascribed to the response made by specialized educational institutions to the needs of the labor market. These institutions introduced a set of programs and curricula capable of meeting the needs of the market. The content of their courses was chosen to conform to the needs of the market with a particular emphasis on women’s goals.
According to Hala Halawani, the director of an institute of design in Riyadh, the main objective of the institute is to enable women to receive qualitative knowledge so they can get the required skills to become international designers, and meet the needs of the Saudi labor market. “Overall, the aim is for them to become professionals in the industry,” she concluded.
Speaking about the general curriculum of study and the links with the needs of the labor market in the Kingdom, she said: “We continuously introduce international educational programs to provide women with the necessary skills to enter the labor market and compete in the world of entrepreneurship. This will help to support the national economy and provide job opportunities for girls after graduation. Recently, we opened a laboratory for jewelry design which follows international specifications for quality, for example, and we also developed a photography laboratory in line with international standards.”
She said that her institute offers training in fields required by the labor market that are not based on studies alone but on the realities on the ground. “We receive many requests for employment for our students while they are still studying. International forecasts indicate that the design industry ranked third on the list of the expected international demand for specializations by 2020,” she added.
On the social responsibility of her establishment, she added: “Although it has been only a year since we established the business, we began from the first day of operations by assuming our social responsibility and allocating study positions free of charge for talented students.”
The Ministry of Labor said in a recent report that securing suitable jobs for women was one of the most important goals for Saudi society. The ministry said it works with its partners in the labor system to provide a work environment that is safe for women and compatible with Sharia standards.
Confirming this, the ministry recently held a training workshop at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry during which it reiterated that the labor system — represented by the Ministry of Labor, the Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF), the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training and the General Organization for Social Insurance — works as one unified system to support the employment of Saudis in the private sector.

Danish delegation targets Saudi trade opportunities

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• 
  Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman welcomes Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik André Henrik before talks in Riyadh on Sunday. King Salman hosted a banquet in honor of the crown princeA A

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman held wide-ranging talks with Danish Crown Prince Frederik Andre Henrik here on Sunday.
The two leaders reviewed bilateral relations while discussing various aspects of cooperation between the two countries and agreed on ways to further enhance relations.
King Salman hosted a banquet luncheon for Crown Prince Frederik and his accompanying delegation at his palace.
Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Princess Mary, accompanied by a huge delegation of senior ministers including foreign minister Kristian Jensen and high-ranking government officials and senior business executives, are on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia.

They were received at the King Khalid International Airport by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar.
A Danish embassy official said that the crown prince is scheduled to take part in a number of business activities with focus on strengthening trade for Danish business concerns in several areas such as sustainability, health, food products, education and design.
Crown Prince Frederik, along with Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Zamil, chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers, is scheduled to jointly open the Saudi-Danish business forum on Monday.
Senior executives from about 44 Danish companies and several interest groups including Confederation of Danish Industry (CDI) and the Danish Agriculture and Food Council (DAFC) to promote Denmark’s export interests will attend the forum.
The Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), in collaboration with the CDI and DAFC, will host the Saudi-Danish Business Forum and Exhibition at a hotel in Riyadh. Danish companies will display their products.
The Danish Crown Prince and his accompanying delegation also visited the historic Al-Dirriyah area. Notably, the Turaif district in the historic area was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2010.
Al-Dirriyah Gov. Prince Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman welcomed the Danish royals in the historic area. They toured the neighborhood and were briefed on various development projects.
Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, meanwhile, received his Danish counterpart at the foreign ministry office and discussed bilateral relations and the current situation in the Gulf and Middle East.
The Danish Crown Prince is scheduled to take part in a number of business activities with focus on strengthening trade for Danish business concerns in several areas such as sustainability, health, food products, education and design, a Danish embassy official said.
Trade relations between the two countries have witnessed remarkable growth in the recent past with further development in trade and investment with the trade exchanges reaching SR2,840 million by the end of 2015. The Danish royals are scheduled to leave for Qatar after their 3-day visit to the Kingdom.

Binladin workers’ salary issue resolved

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 JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor has reached an agreement to resolve the problem of Saudi Binladin Group employees who have been protesting against salary delays.
The decision was taken at a meeting between representatives of the Ministry of Labor (MoL), Binladin group and police in Makkah recently, local media reported on Friday.
Around 2,000 engineers, management staff and workers have reportedly not been paid salaries for four months, leading to an agitation by them.
Khaled Aba Al Khiel, representative of the MoL in Makkah region, is following up on workers’ complaints and will take necessary measures to end the crisis, the report said, quoting sources.
Frustrated with the delay in payment of salaries, more than 1,000 workers protested outside the company headquarters last week.
The MoL signed a trilateral agreement, one of which allows worker to stay at hom until the salaries are paid by the company after deducting the period of absence.
The second option allows anyone who wants to leave the company can seek the settlement of dues and make the final exit. The third choice for workers and staff is that can have a sponsorship transfer.

Nitaqat: 1.7 million Saudis hold private sector jobs

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 RIYADH: The number of Saudi nationals in the private sector, which was only 700,000 in 2011, reached 1.7 million by the end of 2015.
Labor Minister Mufrej Al-Haqabani attributed the increase to the Nitaqat program launched in 2012.
Addressing a meeting at the Qussaim Literary Club recently, the minister said that a new service was being launched to solve labor disputes.
“With the Marina system there will no longer be a need to attend the headquarters in Riyadh to talk about the case and adjudicate on it,” Al-Haqabani was quoted as saying in the local media.
The long-distance lawsuit service will be extended to other cities soon, he said.
Also, around 800 long-distance litigation cases were registered in 47 cities and governorates across the Kingdom benefiting 279 people since the launch of the program.
Explaining the stages of electronic development at the Ministry of Labor, Al-Haqabani clarified that 96 percent of cases were made electronically and 4 percent through the offices across the Kingdom.
The minister said that the Doroub Program for electronic training through Hadaf is in the interest of the national labor, which has made great progress.
It has provided guidance to 39,000 trainees so far, with 480 receiving on-job training. Accredited certificates have been distributed to 4,000 trainees since the launch of the program.

New 3D technology for comfortable smart phone viewing

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BEIJING: Scientists have developed a new display with three-dimensional visual effects, which will enable viewers to watch a 3 D movie on their smartphone without getting a headache or feeling nauseous.

 

The device is based on a "super multi-view technique" which works to reduce viewer discomfort, and also greatly decreases the required number of microdisplays, which makes a compact design possible.

 

"There are many causes for 3D-viewing discomfort, but the most substantial one is the vergence-accomodation conflict," said Lilin Liu from Sun Yan-Sen University in China.

 

Vergence-accommodation conflict is a mismatch between the point at which the eyes converge on an image and the distance to which they focus when viewing 3D images, researchers said.

 

Human eyes are separated by about six centimetres, which means that when we look at an object, the two eyes see slightly different images.

 

Our brain directs both eyes to the same object and the distance at which the eyes' sight lines cross is technically called "vergence distance."

 

Meanwhile, our brain adjusts the focus of the lens within each eye to make the image sharp and clear on the retina. The distance to which the eye is focused is called "the accommodative distance."

 

Failure to converge leads to double images, while mis-accommodation results in blurry images.

 

In natural viewing, human's vergence and accommodation responses are correlated with each other and adjust simultaneously. In other words, vergence and accommodation distance are almost always the same - that is why we can always see an object clearly and comfortably.

 

Conventional 3D displays try to mimic the natural viewing by creating images with varying binocular difference, which simulates vergence changes in the natural 3D landscape.

 

But the accommodative distance remains unchanged at the display distance, resulting in the so-called vergence-accommodation conflict that causes viewer discomfort.

 

"Conventional 3D displays usually deliver some views of the displayed spatial spot to a single eye pupil. That is why accommodative distance remains fixed on the display screen and cannot adjust simultaneously as vergence distance does, causing vergence-accommodation conflict," said Liu.

 

Researchers' solution is to project numerous 2D perspective views to viewpoints with intervals smaller than the pupil diametre of the eye. This means the device can deliver at least two different views to a single eye pupil.

 

The prototype system consists of 11 elementary projecting units. Each projecting unit is constructed by an organic light-emitting diode micro-display, a rectangular projecting lens, two vertical baffles and a group of gating apertures (liquid crystal panel) attached to the projecting lens.

 

To test viewers' reactions to the prototype system, eight subjects were asked to observe a displayed 3D image of an apple in the lab environment and no headache or discomfort was reported. The findings were published in the journal Optics Express.

Google India launches AMP for faster web access on mobiles

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NEW DELHI: Technology giant Google has rolled out a new open source initiative, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) that will allow web pages on mobile phones to load four times faster using ten times less data.

 

The initiative is supported by publishing houses like Network18, NDTV, India Today, Hindustan Times and DNA among others in India, Google said in a statement.

 

"Access to information is at the heart of Google's mission. Unfortunately, today, the mobile web isn't living up to the expectations people have for getting the information they need, particularly when it comes to speed," Google VP Engineering Search David Besbris said.

 

AMP will allow publishers to deliver content to readers faster with a uniform experience. Citing research data, Google said users abandon websites after just three seconds if the content doesn't load quickly.

 

AMP does away with such problems as it helps improve the mobile ecosystem for users, content providers, creators, advertisers and platforms, it added.

 

Launched in October last year, AMP are just like any other HTML page, but with a limited set of allowed technical functionality that is defined and governed by the open source AMP spec.

 

Google said mobile is influencing and in many cases, defining Indian users' first experience with the Internet.

 

With over 200 million mobile Internet users in India, mobile captured 60 per cent share of all shopping related queries and over 50 per cent share of all travel related queries.

 

Even for YouTube, over 60 per cent of views were now coming from mobile. In the classifieds space, online job listings saw revival with over 41 per cent job related searches coming from mobile phones, Google said.

Spend more time reading news, less time waiting for pages to load. #AMPproject https://t.co/ku5I7Q399f pic.twitter.com/O5lTG3Galy

Delhi court seeks report on Saritha’s allegation

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 NEW DELHI: Delhi court has sought report from Delhi police over solar scam accused Saritha S Nair’s allegation that she had handed over bribe to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in New Delhi. Delhi Tis Hazari court sought the report based on the petition filed by RSS worker Shine Sasidharan.

The plea was for inquiring into the allegation that as per the chief minister’s direction she had handed over the money to his aide Thomas Kuruvila at Chandni Chauk in New Delhi. The court also gave time till March 31 for submitting the report.
Saritha had deposed before the Solar Commission that she had handed over Rs 1.10 crore to Kuruvila at the parking area of the Chandni Chowk mall.

 The petitioner has pleaded for filing case against Oommen Chandy, Thomas Kuruvila and Saritha S Nair under Prevention of Corruption Act. “The conspiracy was hatched at Kerala house and the case should be handed over to a Central agency as it linked more than one state. The plea was made to the court as no action was taken on the complaint submitted to the police,” the petitioner said in his petition.

Job after producing fake caste certificate, SC panel seeks action

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe Commission sought action against those acquiring jobs by producing fake certificates. The commission passed the order on the public interest plea submitted alleging that almost 110 persons have obtained jobs through it. Scheduled Caste and Tribes Commission chairman Justice P N Vijaya Kumar requested the DGP to appoint a special team to probe the incident and submit a report within six months. The commission also sought a departmental inquiry.

Director Rajesh Pillai passes away

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KOCHI: Noted director Rajesh Pillai passed away on Saturday at a private hospital in Kochi . The director has been undergoing treatment for liver cirrhosis for quite some time now. His new film Vetta, starring Manju Warrier and Kunchacko Boban, reached the theatres Friday. The director had had to undergo treatment in hospital several times in the course of the film’s shoot. Rajesh Pillai debuted in film direction in 2005 with the film Hridayathil Sookshikkan. Following that, he directed Traffic in 2011 and it became super hit. Mili, starring Nivin Pauly and Amala Paul, was the film he directed before Vetta. In between the above films, he also completed the Hindi remake of Traffic. Megha Rajesh is his wife.

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt freed from prison in weapons case

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NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt said freedom was “the most amazing thing” after he left prison Thursday upon completing his five-year sentence for illegal weapons possession in a case linked to the 1993 terror attack in Mumbai.
Dutt’s wife Maanyata and noted filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani greeted the actor as he came out of the prison gate in the western city of Pune.
He saluted the Indian national flag at the prison building and thanked fans, including some who came in person to see him, for their support.
“There is no easy walk to freedom, my friend,” he told reporters before leaving in a chartered plane.
At his home in Mumbai, he said that he fought legal battles for 23 years to be a free man. “I wanted to taste freedom. It’s not sinking in yet. To be free is the most amazing thing.”
He said he learned small jobs like making paper bags and entertained other prisoners by spending time as a radio jockey while in prison. He said he plans to spend his time looking after his family and working in films.
Dutt, 56, asked journalists not to describe him as a terrorist as he was sentenced for firearms offenses.
His sentence was reduced by 144 days for good behavior.
Prosecutors said Sanjay Dutt’s guns came from underworld gangs involved in the 1993 terror attack, when 13 powerful bombs packed into cars and scooters exploded across the city of Mumbai, India’s financial capital and home to the Hindi-language film industry. The bombs killed 257 people and injured 720.
Dutt has said he knew nothing about the bombing plot and wanted the guns to protect his family after receiving threats during the religious riots that preceded the bombings.
His mother Nargis Dutt and father Sunil Dutt also were top Bollywood actors.
Sanjay Dutt became wildly popular for his Hindi film roles as a reformed thug who follows the teachings of freedom fighter Mohandas Gandhi.

Resilient Kingdom will defeat threats

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RIYADH: The situation in Saudi Arabia is stable and the nation will survive and succeed despite regional threats and uncertainty, Prince Turki Al-Faisal has said.
“We are all partners in the consolidation of our Islamic values and trustees in the preservation of our state,” he said.
“We’re imbued with the determination and firmness to succeed under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman,” said the prince, who is the chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
Prince Turki made these remarks during a lecture at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the King Saud University.
He also said that the security of the Kingdom depends on a number of factors such as the preservation and strengthening of its social fabric and the unity of the Saudi leadership and the people.
It also depends on the Kingdom’s ability to fulfill the aspirations of the Saudi people and ensure legitimate freedom and social justice, he said.
Moreover, it also depends on the Kingdom’s ability to come up with viable policies in economy, education, security and culture and to strengthen national identity, he said.
As the Kingdom faces military challenges, the Saudi leadership has started to develop downstream industries to ensure economic stability, said Prince Turki Al-Faisal.
Such measures will help the Kingdom to reduce its reliance on the oil industry, he added.
The prince said that GCC countries must step up cooperation in various fields to promote economic integration.

Hezbollah ‘training Houthis for new terrorist attacks’

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 DUBAI: The Lebanese-based Hezbollah is involved in terrorist activities in Yemen and is planning terror attacks in Saudi Arabia, according to Al Arabiya News Channel.
It said the government in Yemen confirmed that Hezbollah is directly caught up with the war tearing through the country between legitimate forces and terrorists.
The insurgency is being led by Houthis and militias affiliated with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The video cited by Al Arabiya featured a Hezbollah commander referred to as “Abu-Saleh,” who is responsible for training Houthi terrorists. Training revolved around terror operations to be staged in Saudi Arabia in the future.
Also Thursday, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the rising death toll among Hezbollah cadres in Syria has pushed Tehran toward sending more Iranian troops to the battlefronts there.
A higher number of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) troops are now fighting alongside Bashar Assad’s forces, especially after the increase of Hezbollah deaths on Syrian battlefronts.
Citing the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Asharq Al-Awsat also said that not less than 865 Hezbollah combatants were killed between September 2012 and February 2016 in Syria.
According to the report, Saudi officials said that Iran is using Afghan refugees to fight along with Hezbollah and Assad’s forces in Syria.
Iran sent thousands of Shiite Afghan refugees to fight alongside Iranian troops and Hezbollah. Refugees in Iran are being threatened with deportation back to Afghanistan if they did not join the battle in Syria, said the report.
Thousands of Afghan troops are joining the “A-Fatimiyin” brigade — the second largest group of combatants fighting next to the Assad regime, according to the report.
An Iranian agency recently gave details of 68 Iranian soldiers killed last month in brawls against the Syrian opposition. Most of them died in Aleppo’s northern rural areas, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

Flashback: US forces enter Kuwait to end Iraqi occupation

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FILE – In this Monday, February 25, 1991 file photo, a Kuwaiti military helicopter herds Iraqi prisoners, arms in the air, across a stream in southeastern Kuwait, as Operation Desert Storm continues. Official sources reported the number of Iraqi troops surrendering at 18,000 – and growing.

KUWAIT: In Feb 1991, after months of building an international coalition, US forces entered Kuwait to end the Iraqi occupation of its smaller, oil-rich neighbor. The ground operation to end Iraq’s nearly seven-month occupation lasted only 100 hours, despite fleeing Iraqi forces lighting hundreds of massive blazes at Kuwaiti oil wells. As today marks the 25th anniversary of the US advance into Kuwait, The Associated Press is making available its story by correspondent Denis D Gray about the military operation, as well as historic photographs of the conflict.

WITH US MARINES ADVANCING INTO KUWAIT: US Marines surged into Kuwait through mine-sown defensive barriers Sunday, wrecking an Iraqi division and taking 4,700 prisoners, spokesmen said. Some units reached the outskirts of Kuwait City. The Marines lost three dead in the first day of fighting, officers said. The 2nd Marine Division reported one killed and eight wounded; the 1st Division two dead and nine wounded. A pilot was missing after his plane crashed. “I myself am amazed” at the light casualties, said Lt Col Jan Huly, 2nd Division spokesman. “We expected it to be a lot more so far.”

Iraqi casualties were not known, but Huly said the frontline Iraqi division the 2nd Marines faced as they broke through the defensive barriers “doesn’t exist anymore”. The size of the Iraqi division was not known. Huly said its commander apparently was captured or surrendered. The 2nd Marine Division said it took at least 1,500 Iraqis prisoner; the 1st Division reported more than 3,200 Iraqis captured.

The assault, apparently the largest Marine operation since World War II, involved the two divisions based along Kuwait’s southernmost border with Saudi Arabia. The military did not say how many Marines were involved, but a division has 6,000 to 15,000 men. Wearing full chemical protection outfits and moving behind tanks and plows, the Marines pushed through walls of sand, trenches, barbed wire and minefields as deep as 600 yards. One officer said some Marines encountered chemical gas, apparently from mines.

The Iraqis have sown an estimated 500,000 mines in southern Kuwait, and some were believed to include chemical agents. But the Iraqi forces appeared to be using only conventional explosives in their artillery shells. Huly said forward elements of the 2nd Division, including tanks and artillery batteries, were already near Kuwait City and were consolidating their positions. Lead units of the 1st Division, operating to the west, drove deep into Kuwait late Sunday after breaking through Iraqi lines northwest of the Al-Wafra oilfields, according to a pool report. “Things are going very well,” said Col John Stennick, chief of staff for the division. “We thought we’d have to fight harder to get this far. The best news is that so few of our people have gotten hurt.”

An expected amphibious assault from Marines in the Arabian Gulf had yet to be launched. The USS Nassau and about 20 other ships in the amphibious task force awaited orders in the northern Gulf. Rear Adm. John B LaPlante, commander of the group, said he did not expect assault orders “in the near term.” Before sunset Marine units were still pouring through six lanes cut through the breaches. Markers were placed in the desert so that the assault force would not stray into zones sown with mines.

Huly said that Iraqi opposition was “very mild”. He said the only known 2nd Division Marine death came when an artillery breach either exploded or struck the gunner in the head. He had no details, and there was no information available on the deaths in the 1st Division. The spokesman ascribed the low allied casualties to superb US equipment and training and poor Iraqi morale. “We’ve got our act together, he doesn’t. He’s only shooting rounds randomly,” Huly said.

Stiffer Opposition
He warned, however, that the Marines would probably face stiffer opposition as they moved deeper into Kuwait, where Saddam Hussein has deployed some of his better troops, including the elite Republican Guard. The Iraqis are said to have manned the front lines largely with conscripts. “I don’t think we’ve gotten into the real battle yet,” said Huly. “The tough guys are still ahead of us.” He said entire units, complete with their weapons and other equipment, were surrendering after putting up minimal resistance, and the morale of the prisoners taken so far “is about boot-top level”.

Huly said the POWs were being placed in a temporary compound south of the breach, and attempts were being made to whisk them to rear areas. “There are so many we can’t talk to them all,” Huly said. Among the prisoners was an officer believed to be commander of the frontline division overcome by the Marines, Huly said. He did not know if the officer had been captured or surrendered. As the assault force drove forward, it came under fire from Iraqi artillery and ground troops. Helicopter gunships and allied warplanes swooped in to knock out the Iraqi gunners as they emerged from dug-in positions, Huly said.

Allied aircraft included Harrier jump jets, A-6 attack fighters, A-10 tank killers and Cobra helicopters. He said B-52 bombers, which played a major role in the aerial strikes, were not being used in close support of the ground troops. Lt Gen Walt Boomer, the Marine commander, said the 1st Marine assault began at 4 am Sunday (8 pm EST Saturday), the starting time for the allied ground war. The 2nd Marine started its attack about 1 1/2 hours later, under an unexpected downpour and after a night of allied artillery, rocket and air strikes. The rain later gave way to clear, sunny skies.

Huly said three Marine tanks – each with a crew of four – were damaged or destroyed. One Marine AV-8B Harrier crashed at night and the pilot was missing, Boomer said. Boomer said the Marines encountered chemical gas that apparently was released by buried mines nine miles north of the Saudi border. Huly said the troops went into battle wearing full chemical protective gear, which includes a suit, gas masks, boots and gloves. Troops have also been taking anti-nerve gas and anti-anthrax pills for several days.

The way was prepared for the Marine advance on Friday morning when other Marine units slipped into Kuwait on foot through the minefields to establish a safe route for advancing armor. The Marines preceded their attack with loudspeakers urging Iraqis to surrender. Smoke continued to pour from the Umm Qadir oilfield in southwest Kuwait, which was allegedly set ablaze earlier in the war by Iraqi forces. But Huly said it posed no problems for the assault force. “They can see well enough to shoot at us, and we can see well enough to shoot at them,” Huly said. The spokesman also played down the effects of the rainstorm. Allied warplanes continued to pour in supporting fire under heavy cloud cover. –AP

War crimes rampant in Syria’

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 United Nations: Condemning rampant war crimes in Syria’s nearly five-year-old war, a report by a UN commission of inquiry said Monday that accountability for these horrors must be part of the peace process.
“As the war is poised to enter its sixth year, its horrors are pervasive and ever-present,” the panel said in its 11th report on human rights violations in Syria.
Civilians remain the “primary victims,” often targeted for deliberate attacks by all sides, and the lives of Syrian men, women and children have been ravaged, the report said.
“War crimes by the belligerents are rampant,” it added. “Accountability is an essential part of this process,” the report said.
Daesh on Monday released the last of some 230 Assyrian Christians kidnapped a year ago in Syria after the receiving millions of dollars in ransom, Christian officials said.
Younan Talia, of the Assyrian Democratic Organization, told The Associated Press that about 40 remaining Christian captives were released early Monday and are on their way to the northeastern town of Tal Tamr.
Younan said the release came after mediation led by a top Assyrian priest in northern Syria.
The extremists captured the Assyrians, members of an ancient Christian sect, last February after overrunning several communities on the southern bank of the Khabur River in northeastern Hassakeh province.
Kidnapping for ransom is a main source of income for the extremists. In November, Daesh said it killed a Norwegian and a Chinese captive after demanding ransom for their release two months earlier.
Talia said Daesh demanded a ransom of $18 million for the Assyrian Christians. He said the figure was later lowered following negotiations. He said he did not know the final amount.
Osama Edward, director of the Stockholm-based Assyrian Human Rights Network, said 42 Christians, mostly young women and children, were released. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said 42 were released, including at least 17 women.
A Syrian Christian figure said the worldwide Assyrian community launched a campaign for the captives’ release shortly after they were abducted.
He said a bank account was opened in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil and donations began to flow in from around the world.
Multiple explosions hit a southern district of Damascus on Sunday, state television and witnesses said, and a monitoring group reported casualties.
The blasts hit Al-Tin street in Sayeda Zeinab, state TV said in a newsflash. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were four explosions.

New Saudi-made plane ’to take off next year’

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 RIYADH: A new military transport aircraft manufactured locally will be tested next year after 18 months of development and design.
This is according to Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
The AN-132 is the result of cooperation with Ukraine and would see 80 planes produced, partially in the former Soviet nation, he said.
The AN-132 is a modern version of the military transport plane AN-32, with modern engines and electronics that would make it more fuel-efficient and able to take off and land in various environments, he was quoted as saying by a local publication.
This coincides with Saudi Arabia signing five agreements with several companies affiliated with the Saudi Company for Development and Technical Investments, which is completely owned by the Public Investment Fund.
The agreements were signed with leading technology and manufacturing companies to establish five companies specializing in military and civil industries, satellite and radar production, and clean energy.
Prince Turki said two of the five agreements would see the manufacture of Black Hawk and Antonov aircraft, which would see a significant transfer of technology, and the production of these planes in the Kingdom.
This partnership is an expansion of a current agreement between KACST and Antonov to develop and manufacture AN-132 planes.
KACST would own 50 percent of the intellectual property, he said.
A Saudi company combining Technical Space Company and US Digital Globe has been set up to manufacture and market a number of small satellites for space photography. KACST aims to develop and manufacture six satellites.
Another deal was signed with Aselsan Turkish company to develop and manufacture radars and electro-visual devices in the Kingdom.
The pact includes training of staff. The company would provide maintenance and development services to the military and security sectors.

Qatar schools attract Saudi teachers with top salaries

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 JEDDAH: Qatar’s Supreme Edu-cational Council (SEC) has been offering top wages to attract Gulf citizens, particularly Saudis, Bahrainis and Kuwaitis, to its schools.
In an interview with a local publication, Yousef Al-Marri, a teacher, said he applied for a teaching job with the Qatari state for a salary of SR10,000 a month with housing. However, he said he could not take his family along because of the expensive traveling costs.
“I worked at a private school in Alkhobar for a salary of SR6,000 a month ... but I faced numerous challenges,” he said.
“So I decided to apply for this job, especially because of the many benefits, including medical treatment, housing and transport.”
Teacher Abdulkarim Al-Omari said he applied for a job in Kuwait and was seconded by the Saudi Ministry of Education for about two years ago. “Now, we have other opportunities to improve our situation and increase training opportunities and experience.”
The SEC had announced on its website teaching and administrative jobs, on the condition that that the employee not have any other job.

Dar Al Arkan gets key ratings downgrade

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Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the corporate family rating of Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Development Company (DAAR) to B1 from Ba3 and the company's probability of default rating (PDR) to B1-PD from Ba3-PD.

The outlook on the ratings is negative, said statement from the ratings agency.

"The rating downgrade and negative outlook reflects our view of the interlinkages between the weakening operating and macroeconomic environment that could continue to negatively impact Dar Al Arkan, remarked Rehan Akbar, the assistant vice president at Moody's, analyst and a lead analyst for Daar.

"This follows the firm's weaker than anticipated financial performance in 2015 and we believe that market conditions will remain challenging over the coming 12 to 18 months," he noted.

"Dar Al Arkan in our view will be able to adequately address its SR1.5 billion ($400 million) of debt maturities due in 2016 primarily through internal cash sources,." explained Akbar.

"The B1 rating also assumes that management will continue to pursue financial policies that build up cash buffers ahead of its SR3.9 billion ($1.03 billion) in debt maturing in 2018 and 2019," he added.

Moody's said the rating action was in response to a combination of factors including the uncertain economic outlook for Saudi Arabia and Daar's weakening credit profile.

Moody's forecasts that Saudi Arabia's real GDP growth rate will fall to 1.5 per cent in 2016 from an expected 3.4 per cent in 2015.

The Government of Saudi Arabia's recent fiscal consolidation measures including budget cuts and the reduction of energy subsidies, combined with geopolitical tensions, is likely to further weigh on investor sentiment in 2016, said the ratings agency.

Indonesian police arrest 41 suspected Islamic militants

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  Indonesian police officers stand guard outside the house of a suspected militant following a raid in Malang, Indonesia, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. (AP Photo)
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  Indonesian police officers stand guard outside the house of a suspected militant following a raid in Malang, Indonesia, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. (AP Photo)
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  Indonesian police officers stand guard outside the house of a suspected militant following a raid in Malang, Indonesia, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. (AP Photo)

Jakarta, Indonesia: Indonesian police have arrested dozens of suspected Islamic militants on the main island of Java as authorities get set to tighten anti-terrorism laws following last month's deadly attack in Jakarta. Central Java police spokesman Col. Liliek Darmanto says police early on Saturday arrested 36 men who were attending military-style training at an alleged jihadi camp on the remote slopes of Mount Sumbing. Police are investigating the men's possible links to Islamic radicalism. Officers seized air rifles, knives, jihadi books and flags in the raid. Separately, police say five men were captured late Friday in Malang, a hilly city in East Java province. Indonesia's government has submitted to parliament a new anti-terrorism law that would enable authorities to hold suspects involved in radicalism and extremism for up to six months.

• Indonesian police officers stand guard outside the house of a suspected militant following a raid in Malang, Indonesia, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. (AP Photo)
• 
  Indonesian police officers stand guard outside the house of a suspected militant following a raid in Malang, Indonesia, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. (AP Photo)

Saudi Arabia considering 'sin tax' on cigarettes

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Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is planning to impose ‘sin tax’ on tobacco products in proposed measures against smoking.

If so, cigarette prices in Saudi Arabia would double, and in what they believe would discourage consumption.

However, such a move has already met opposition by members of Saudi society who believe young men and women may engage in illegal practices such as theft to buy cigarettes.

According to a report in English daily Saudi Gazette, supporters of the proposal say cigarettes are a gateway drug that may lead to more serious addictions.

They have called on the government to restrict access and increase the prices to make it inaccessible.

These supporters believe that such a move will reduce overall tobacco consumption.

They stress that any move to increase prices should be followed with awareness campaigns that utilise modern technology to encourage people to quit smoking.

The Anti-Smoking Society (Naqaa) has exerted great efforts and helped many smokers, both men and women, kick the habit.

The Kingdom spends over SR5 billion every year on medical treatment of smoking-related diseases.

Tobacco use causes lung cancer and heart disease.

Globally, 6 million people die every year as a result of tobacco use while 600,000 die of passive smoking.

Civil Defence warns of unsettled weather across UAE UAE WAM

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Abu Dhabi: General Commander-in-chief of Civil Defence at the UAE Ministry of Interior, Major General Jasim Mohammad Al Marzouqui, warned of exceptionally unstable weather conditions across the country.

He urged citizens and residents to exercise caution due to potential landslides and flash flooding caused by torrential rain and hailstorm that lashed the UAE yesterday, and reiterated calls for compliance with safety requirements.

People planning wilderness or camping trips are advised to monitor weather changes and avoid areas where rainwater is pooling up, including valleys, natural water canals and areas submerged in water, the official said.

He urged people to refrain from swimming in floodwater and crossing valleys filled with water, avoid low-lying lands and beds of valleys, and keep an eye on their children.

The civil defence commander also urged people not to use radio devices and cell phones in open areas during lighting and thunderstorms.

The Civil Defence broadcasts instructions and updates via official websites and accounts on social networking sites Instagram and Twitter, including those Ministry of Interior’s.

Official sources including the National Meteorological Centre provide weather bulletins and advisories for the public to help avoid potential risks and enhance safety.

Student of Sree Krishna College killed by falling tree

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THRISSUR: A student of Guruvayur Sree Krishna College was killed after a tree of the campus fell on top of her. Six students including five girls sustained injuries and have been admitted in the ICU of the Amala Medical College. The condition of two is stated to be serious. Those involved in the accident are students of Sreekrishna College.

The student killed has been identified as Anusha, daughter of Ashokan of Chittilappilly. Three of the students injured has been identified as Layana, Haritha and Shruthila.
The accident happened when the B Zone Kalolsavam of Calicut University was underway. The girl killed was a first year degree student. The tree of the college uprooted in the strong winds.

The tree uprooted when students were arriving at the venues. Some cars parked there have been damaged. The Kalolsavam which started yesterday has been suspended following the incident. Heavy winds were blowing here since yesterday.

Cherussery Zainuddeen Musliyar passes away

 
>Kozhikode: Cherussery Zainudheen Musliyar, general secretary of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, passed away at private hospital here on Thursday. He was 79. He had served as the Pro chancellor of Darul Huda Islamic University, Chemmad in Malappuram. He is survived by wife, two sons and two daughters. The funeral will be held at 4.30 p.m at Darul Huda Islamic University, Chemmad.

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela agree oil output freeze plan

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DOHA: Russia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining in — a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production.
Saudi, Russian, Qatari and Venezuelan oil ministers announced the proposal after a previously undisclosed meeting in Doha — their highest-level discussion in months on joint action to tackle a growing oversupply of crude and help prices recover from their lowest levels in more than a decade.
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi, said freezing production at January levels — near record highs — was an adequate measure and he hoped other producers would adopt the plan. Venezuela’s Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino said more talks would take place with Iran and Iraq on Wednesday in Tehran.
“The reason we agreed to a potential freeze of production is simple: it is the beginning of a process which we will assess in the next few months and decide if we need other steps to stabilize and improve the market,” Al-Naimi told reporters.
“We don’t want significant gyrations in prices, we don’t want reduction in supply, we want to meet demand, we want a stable oil price. We have to take a step at a time,” he said.
Oil prices jumped to $35.55 per barrel after the news about the meeting but later pared gains to trade below $34 as expectations for an immediate deal faded.
Iran has pledged to steeply increase output in the coming months as it looks to regain market share lost after years of international sanctions, which were lifted in January following a deal with world powers over its nuclear program.
The fact output from Saudi Arabia and Russia — the world’s two top producers and exporters — is near record highs also makes an agreement tricky since Iran is producing at least 1 million barrels per day below its capacity and pre-sanctions levels.
“We think other producers need to freeze straight away including Iran and Iraq. We believe this step is meant to stabilize the market,” said Qatar’s Oil Minister Mohammed Al-Sada.
Iraq also has long said it expected its production to rise further this year but last month it said it was ready reduce its fast-growing output if all OPEC and non-OPEC members agreed.

IRAN KEEN TO BOOST OUTPUT

The Doha meeting came after more than 18 months of declining oil prices, knocking crude below $30 a barrel for the first time in over a decade from as high as $115 a barrel in mid-2014.
The slump was triggered by booming US shale oil output and a decision by Saudi Arabia and its OPEC Gulf allies to raise production to fight for market share and drive higher-cost production out of the market.
Saudi Arabia has long insisted it would reduce supply only if other OPEC and non-OPEC members agreed, but Russia, the No. 2 exporter, has said it would not do join in as its Siberian fields were different from those of OPEC.
The mood began to change in January as oil prices fell below $30 percent barrel.
While Venezuela has been the hardest-hit producer, current oil prices are a fraction of what Russia needs to balance its budget as it heads toward parliamentary elections this year. Saudi finances are also suffering badly, running a $98 billion budget deficit last year, which it seeks to trim this year.
But while talking about potential cooperation with OPEC, Russia raised its output to a new record high in January.
“Even if they do freeze production at January levels, you have still got global inventory builds which are going to weigh on prices. So whilst it’s a positive step, I don’t think it will have a huge impact on supply/demand balances, simply because we were oversupplied in January anyway,” said Energy Aspects’ analyst Dominic Haywood.

Teacher uses students for armed robberies

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JEDDAH: The police have arrested an expatriate teacher and his four student accomplices for carrying out a string of robberies in the city.
The Arab teacher had recruited three students from his school and one from another for his criminal activities. They robbed several shops at gunpoint after threatening to shoot their victims, the police disclosed, according to a report in a local publication on Monday.
The perpetrators robbed shops in the neighborhoods of Al-Sanabel, Tahlawi and Quwaizine wearing masks and gloves. One shop manager, a Pakistani national, had reported to the police that three armed men robbed his shop, while another waited outside in a car.
Brig. Masood Al-Adwani, director of Jeddah’s police department, found that similar robberies had taken place in other parts of the city and put a team of detectives on the case.
The police got a breakthrough in the case when one father reported that his son was involved in various criminal activities. The police arrested him and he then confessed and provided information on his accomplices.
The police officers then set up a sting operation and arrested three of the gang members driving in a rented car, with gloves, masks and guns found in their possession. They later found the fourth student.
Col. Ati Al-Qurashi, spokesman of Makkah police, said Jeddah police had launched the action after receiving reports of a string of armed robberies. The four students were aged between 17 and 22.
“The primary evidence pointed to the involvement of an Arab national who rented cars under his name for the other criminals to use. All the accused persons were referred to the competent authorities for further procedures,” said Al-Qurashi.

500 hectares recovered from land thieves in Jeddah

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JEDDAH: A special committee has recovered 5 million square meters of land in southern Jeddah, part of the Al-Khamra Scheme, from land thieves, with seven citizens now facing prosecution.
Samir Basirin, chairman of the committee, said that the land had been forfeited by a citizen because of various violations, according to a press report on Monday.
He said the committee has to deal with significant resistance from some people. They often build on the occupied land, placing women and children, or expatriate workers in the buildings to fool buyers into believing they own the property.
In Makkah recently, there were several women and children placed on a 60,000-square-meter piece of land to prevent the municipality from removing them. They were basically being used as human shields, said Basabrin.
Basabrin said many citizens who sympathize with these transgressors are not aware that the land has been earmarked for agriculture or industry. These plots are subdivided and sold to unsuspecting buyers.
He said citizens wanting to buy land have to check deeds properly and should not be satisfied with documents that have not been attested. They should also not be fooled by various buildings on the land, such as stables.
He said these land thieves are aggressive and often threaten members of the committee, verbally and physically. If this happens then the police are brought in to deal with the situation. Lawsuits are launched in some cases, he said.

National Center for heart diseases to be established 

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RIYADH: The Ministry of Health (MoH) will set up a National Center to combat heart diseases in the Kingdom. Hamad Al-Duweila, deputy minister of health, has said.
The Saudi Health Council will lend maximum support for the smooth functioning of this new organization, he said. 
The minister’s announcement came during the inauguration of the 27th Congress of the Saudi Heart Association here on Saturday. 
Al-Duweila said the MoH has been carrying out all its activities under the slogan “Citizens’ Health First,” covering all sectors of health and providing the best of services to citizens. 
Quoting statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Al-Duweila said that some 17.5 million or 31 percent of deaths in the world are due to heart diseases. 
About Saudi Arabia, he said 46 percent of the deaths recorded in the Kingdom are due to cardiac problems. He said people in the Kingdom should learn to adapt to healthy lifestyles to prevent non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension and heart and renal problems.
Regular exercises and abstention from smoking are some of the good habits people should develop, he said. 
Schools play an important role in educating children about various health issues, Al-Duweila said. The MoH will build better partnership with the schools through the Ministry of Education in ensuring that the generation next is health conscious, he said. 
“We are focusing on a program for early detection of the disease, which would reduce the number of fatalities in the Kingdom,” he said, adding that the ministry has provided all facilities and services to heart patients in their own hometowns.
Specialized treatment centers are being opened in peripheral areas such as Arrar, Jazan and Najran with support centers in Makkah, Madinah and also in the Eastern Province.

Indian students, teachers protest after nationalist violence

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NEW DELHI: Students, journalists and teachers protested inside a university campus in the Indian capital Tuesday, demanding the release of an arrested student leader and denouncing violence by Hindu nationalists.
The uproar has once again sparked allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party are displaying intolerance and cracking down on political dissent in the name of patriotism.
Police cordons blocked right-wing Hindus from entering the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, where thousands of students have been protesting for days.
Police also arrested Delhi University lecturer S.A.R. Geelani before dawn. He and JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar are accused of sedition for participating in events where slogans against India allegedly were shouted along with criticism against the 2013 secret hanging of a Kashmiri separatist convicted of attacking Parliament.
Some participants at Tuesday’s protest held placards with slogans such as “When Dictatorship is a fact, Revolution becomes a right.” They shouted “JNU, JNU” while pumping fists into the air.
The students objected to Hindu nationalists saying they were anti-India.
“We have always stood for the nation,” 22-year-old English literature student Heba Ahmad said. “We were standing against this government, not the nation.”
Few JNU students were attending classes, according to PhD science student Pamchui, who goes by one name.
“I am feeling safer now, as there is security outside the campus,” she said by telephone from inside the campus.
Outside the campus gates, protesting Hindu hard-liners pushed against police barricades in an unsuccessful effort to get onto the university grounds. One man at the Hindu rally angrily questioned how students receiving a higher education at a large university could be criticizing the country.
“Shame on you,” Samarjit Banerjee shouted toward the students behind the gates. “Shame, shame.”
On Monday, the protests erupted into pandemonium when mobs of lawyers and BJP supporters attacked students and journalists outside the courthouse where Kumar was appearing.
The BJP supporters called the journalists and students anti-nationals, and demanded they leave India and go to archrival Pakistan. Some journalists and students were beaten and had their cell phones snatched out of their hands and broken. Police said they were investigating allegations from both sides, and that no one reported any serious injuries.
Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani told reporters that “the nation can never tolerate an insult to Mother India.” The home minister, Rajnath Singh, tweeted that anyone shouting anti-India slogans “will not be tolerated or spared.”
Singh also accused Pakistani Hafiz Saeed of supporting the anti-India slogans, which the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group dismissed in a YouTube video.
“The Indian minister is misleading his own people and the world” in trying to blame Pakistan for its problems, says Saeed, who is wanted in India and the United States for his alleged role in the 2009 attacks in Mumbai.
An editorial in The Indian Express said the home minister’s “invoking Hafiz Saeed to corner students is divisive and dangerous.”
Protests against the 2013 hanging of separatist Afzal Guru occur regularly in India’s portion of Kashmir, where many among the region’s Muslim majority along with several rights activists have questioned whether he was given a fair trial.
Academics at foreign universities extended support for the JNU students.
“As teachers, students, and scholars across the world, we are watching with extreme concern the situation unfolding at JNU and refuse to remain silent as our colleagues (students, staff, and faculty) resist the illegal detention and autocratic suspension of students,” said a statement posted on a blog run by academics and signed by 455 scholars, many of them JNU alumni of Indian descent.
Journalists also marched through central New Delhi, after several reported they were attacked while trying to cover Monday’s protests. Journalist unions accused police of standing by during the attacks.