Thursday, January 29, 2015
UK jets intercept Russia bombers
Two UK Royal Air Force jets intercepted a pair of Russian bombers flying over the English Channel near British airspace this week, the British defense ministry said Thursday.
Andy Murray’s girlfriend unleashes blue volley
It turns out that it isn't just the players who let the tension of the Australian Open get to them. Kim Sears, the girlfriend of former champion Andy Murray, was caught on camera mouthing off -- apparently about his semifinal opponent, Czech player Tomas Berdych.
PM Nawaz arrives in Karachi for security meeting
KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday arrived in Karachi to discuss the overall security situation in the city and particularly the implementation of National Action Plan, Express News reported.
In the city for just a few hours, the premier will head a high-level security meeting at the Governor House.
PM Nawaz, along with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, will also meet Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders and will be briefed on the killing of MQM worker Sohail Ahmed.
Balochistan gender exclusion: Not a single woman on 1,450 seats
QUETTA:
Authorities in Balochistan may eventually earn the distinction of becoming the first province to have a functional local government system but not a single political or religious outfit thought it fit to nominate any woman candidate for top positions at the city, town or union council levels.
“All were men. There was not a single woman candidate for 1,450 slots of chair and deputy chair of four municipal corporations, 52 municipal committees, 32 district councils, and 635 union councils throughout Balochistan,” said Election Commissioner Balochistan, Sayed Sultan Bayazeed.
“The women were elected merely on the reserved seats no woman contested on general seats of LB polls,” he added.
The coalition partners in Balochistan government—ruling National Party (NP) and its partner the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and PML-N claim to be more moderate parties and believe in granting rights to women — the most oppressed people in Balochistan.
However, these parties did not nominate or encourage women to contest for a leading position in the local government system. There were 2,232 reserved seats for women during the LB polls out of which 2,180 had been elected while 152 were still lying vacant. There was no woman candidate for the 7,168 general seats for councillors in December 2013 LB polls.
The provincial chief of PkMAP, Usman Kakar, blamed low literacy rate and lack of awareness for exclusion of women. “It is simply a male-dominated society and no one knows women leaders, which is why, party supports such candidates which are well known,” Kakar told The Express Tribune. “The political parties in Balochistan are also socially regressive in their views about gender,” he said.
According to the PkMAP provincial chief, the culture of Balochistan is not like Sindh and Punjab where women contest elections on general seats and occupy leading positions. Women are mostly elected on reserved seats whether it is national assembly, provincial assembly or the local bodies in Balochistan. However, he said that PkMAP strongly believes in equal participation by women. Senior vice president of NP Mir Tahir Bizenjo has said there is lack of participation from women in Balochistan politics. “I do not think there is any kind of obstacle for female participation in the elections nowadays as there was four to five decades ago,” he said. However, some women leaders in the coalition government did complain that they are sidelined when it comes to policy making and decision making.
According to Advisor to Balochistan CM on Education Sardar Raza Mohammed Badech the female literacy rate is around 19 per cent and male literacy is about 39 per cent which can give a picture of the exclusion of the women from politics.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
Body parts found in suitcase on sidewalk
Police answering a suspicious package call in San Francisco made a most unpleasant discovery when they opened a suitcase and found it contained human body parts.
US warns Russia, welcomes new EU sanctions
WASHINGTON: The United States warned Russia on Thursday that it is mulling fresh sanctions over the fighting in Ukraine and welcomed an EU move to broaden existing measures imposed on Moscow.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the agreement by EU foreign ministers to expand existing European sanctions “is just a further sign that the actions of the last several days and weeks are absolutely unacceptable and that there will be new consequences put in place.”
The move in Brussels, where EU foreign ministers were meeting, was “building on a large sanctions effort that’s been going on for months now,” Psaki said, dubbing Thursday’s announcement a “positive step.”
She had no prediction about when the next round of US sanctions would come into force, or who would be targeted.
“Sometimes we add names, sometimes we add sectors or companies, and that’s the same thing for the EU,” Psaki said.
“We’ll continue to consider others that we could add.”
Earlier this week President Barack Obama pledged to increase pressure on Russia and, in cooperation with US allies including Europe, to look at other options to tackle the issue.
“I will look at all additional options that are available to us, short of military confrontation, and try to address this issue,” he said.
Psaki also condemned intensifying attacks on Debaltseve, in eastern Ukraine, where rebels have almost surrounded the town.
The town lies 13 kilometers (about eight miles) beyond the ceasefire line set in a September accord, she said.
“Over the past week, the separatists have fired countless rockets at the city, killing and wounding scores of innocent people and prompting the Ukrainian government and local NGOs to organize a city-wide evacuation,” Psaki told reporters.
“There can also be no mistake about Russia’s role in the escalation of violence,” she said, adding Moscow had “equipped the separatists with tanks, armored vehicles, heavy artillery, rocket systems and other military equipment.”
Dangers of prisoner exchanges
CNN's Fred Pleitgen looks at the dangers and repercussions of doing a prisoner exchange with a terrorist organization.
U.S fears freed Gitmo inmate returning to militancy
The U.S. military and intelligence community now suspect that one of the five Taliban detainees released from Guantanamo Bay in return for Sgt Bowe Bergdahl in May of last year has attempted to return to militant activity from his current location in Qatar, CNN has learned exclusively. The development has led to an ongoing debate inside the administration about whether there is a new threat from this man, and potentially the other four.
Swapped Bergdahl detainee returned to fight
The U.S. military and intelligence community now suspect that one of the five Taliban detainees released from Guantanamo Bay in return for Sgt Bowe Bergdahl in May of last year has attempted to return to militant activity from his current location in Qatar, CNN has learned exclusively. The development has led to an ongoing debate inside the administration about whether there is a new threat from this man, and potentially the other four.
Fear for hostages as sun sets
A deadline set by ISIS for a prisoner exchange passes -- but the fate of two hostages they have threatened to kill is unknown.
Attacks hit Egypt security targets
At least eight people were killed and more than 30 people injured after two mortar rounds and a car bomb exploded Thursday near security posts in the Al Arish area of northern Sinai, Egyptian state media reported.
What are ‘Yarn bombers’?
An urban art phenomenon is redecorating Chile's cityscape with brightly colored wools and basket stitches.
ISIS: ‘Sundown’ deadline for terrorist release
A new message, purportedly from ISIS, is pushing Jordan to meet one of the terror group's demands before the sun sets Thursday over Mosul, Iraq.
Copa del Rey: Neymar at the double as Barcelona progress into semis
MADRID: Neymar bagged a double as Barcelona booked their place in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey with a 3-2 win over nine-man Atletico Madrid to seal a comfortable 4-2 aggregate victory.
Fernando Torres struck for the hosts inside the first minute to cancel out Lionel Messi’s winner in last week’s first leg, but Neymar grabbed a vital away goal just nine minutes later to mean that Atletico required two more goals to go through.
Raul Garcia made it 2-2 on aggregate from the spot but Los Colchoneros still needed another goal to progress. However, it was Barcelona who struck twice in quick succession to put the tie to bed before half time as first Miranda sliced the ball into his own net before Neymar scored his second of the night.
Atletico captain Gabi was then sent off during the break as players and coaches from both sides clashed at the end of the first period. However, the midfielder did not believe his sending off was warranted and felt it killed off the game. “I just said to the referee it was a penalty and a red card, you will see on TV that you have made a mistake,” Gabi told Canal Plus. “Then he told me that I was sent-off. I didn’t say anything else. The team was left with a numerical disadvantage and you could see that in the second half.”
The home side should have been reduced to nine men earlier when Arda Turan somehow escaped with just a yellow card after throwing his boot at one of the officials in the second half. They did eventually see another red card when Mario Suarez picked up a second booking late on.
“I liked the way the team reacted after conceding in a strange way in the first minute,” said Barca boss Luis Enrique. “Neymar showed the attitude he always does. He is a player with a lot of confidence and helps us all in all phases of the game.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
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Time to address the Afghan refugee issue
Keeping in view the recent terrorist attack in Peshawar and related multifarious security challenges posed by the millions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, the recent demand by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from Kabul and the international community to ensure the immediate repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan is of extreme significance. Simultaneously, the Senate’s subcommittee on interior has also expressed its dismay over the non-availability of exact figures with Pakistani authorities of Afghans living in Pakistan. According to Pakistani authorities, including the interior ministry, the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees and NADRA, there are around 1.6 million registered and approximately 1.4 million unregistered Afghans living in Pakistan. But the number of illegal Afghans who do not have their Proof of Registration (PoR) cards is greater than the estimate.
The concern shown by the highest office of Pakistan and the parliamentary body regarding Afghan refugees and illegal inhabitants are welcome but one doubts the seriousness of the government in repatriating millions of Afghans. A large number of Afghans have been living in Pakistan since the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in December 1979 and the ensuing civil war. Their number had reached 4.5 million — the largest refugee population anywhere in the world. Although Pakistan and the UNHCR have been claiming that half of these refugees were repatriated in the last decade, these claims seem to be exaggerated. The millions of children, born to Afghan refugees, could not be counted. One can, therefore, observe a huge number of Afghans living in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan. Consequently, with little regard to Pakistani laws and regulations, Afghan refugees have become a serious threat to Pakistan’s security.
Security is a multidimensional concept. Today, the human, political, economic, sociocultural and ecological aspects of security are equally important as is the traditional focus of security — physical protection. Against this backdrop, millions of aliens in Pakistan, pose serious security threats. The foremost threat is that Afghans have had little regard for the political, constitutional and democratic systems and institutions of Pakistan. Historically, Afghans have been averse to living under organised states and institutions. Thus, socialised in a near stateless and largely tribal milieu in Afghanistan, the first generation of Afghan refugees transmitted that culture while living in Pakistan. Resultantly, in Pakistan, Afghan refugees enjoy complete freedom, and have been known to have violated the country’s laws. Its upshot has been the role of Afghans in the activities of the TTP. The rise of the TTP, the TNSM and other groups in Fata and K-P, where Afghan refugees have had the largest concentration, is not a mere coincidence.
In addition there are strong feelings among Afghans that Pakistan has been responsible for the miseries of Afghanistan. Living with this belief there are times when Afghans consider exploiting our resources as their ‘natural’ right.
To a certain extent, the vicissitudes of international and regional geopolitics compelled Pakistan to host such a huge number of Afghans. However, giving them total freedom to live in Pakistan interminably and exploit its resources has been a policy aimed at creating wholesome feelings among the anti-Pakistan Afghans. We also wanted to create ‘strategic space’ for Pakistan inside Afghanistan. But the repercussions of such strategies have been pernicious for Pakistan. Proliferation of religious extremism, terrorism, tribalisation of our society and the spread of the Kalashinkov and madrassa culture are direct consequences of Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan and hosting of millions of Afghans on our soil.
It may take decades to repair our systems and institutions destroyed by the presence of millions of Afghans. More difficult would be to tailor our social institutions to suit our traditional values of tolerance and respect. However, this is not possible without a vivid policy decision at the highest level. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s demand and the senate’s expression of concern in this regard are not sufficient.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
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Decision-makers and cynics
There is always something at stake, to state the obvious; wars are never a win-win solution. The question is how much are we ready to give away to win this war, which is almost ours now? I use the word ‘almost’ because there are a large number of people, who still think we have dragged it home; then there are those who provide the much asked for ‘political will’ to support the idea and then those who keep our rough history in sight and remain sceptical in willing to do so. The underlying reason here is not only the lack of trust between institutions and their individual gains and losses but also the fact that failure after failure to rein in terrorism has reduced our thought process into mere cynicism.
To be more specific, incidents of violence on a larger scale do not just happen. Not being able to explain why they happened will make the act of violence seem arbitrary, difficult to explain and open to interpretation, which is bound to cause more confusion and result in anger. On the other hand, if the solution only addresses part of the problem, the results, as logical consequences, will also be partial, especially for a society that’s already as divided as ours, not just politically but ideologically as well. The National Action Plan ought to have been more revolutionary than reactionary and should have included more than just emotional support and certain legislative amendments. This war is not just physical but ideological as well. While terrorists are killed and hanged, it’s the ideology that creates more terrorists.
One particular decision, which has caused a massive public uproar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, after the 16/12 attack in Peshawar, is the decision to arm teachers in schools. We’ve seen a number of confused decisions with the government all over the place, issuing orders and then taking them back under public pressure. Nobody denies the fact that schools and teachers need to be protected and trainings in self-defence, as well as dealing with emergencies, are the need of the hour. But arming teachers is not the solution. The introduction of the AK-47 into culture during the Afghan war has left its impact in ways unimaginable that we at least have two dozen words to refer to the Kalashnikov in the tribal areas, which is a dozen more than the words we have to describe colours in the Pashto language. For every decision taken, there are two basic questions that need to be asked — how beneficial is this for the people for whom the decision is taken? And even more importantly, how will this help in controlling terror attacks?
In all fairness, it’s a very difficult situation, the kind which probably has no precedent. There is an international dimension to it as well. While difficult situations demand difficult decisions, those can only be made when the people involved and the decision-makers are on the same page. Unfortunately, that has not happened the way it should have and while petrol, economic woes and power outages will keep the masses distracted, the dark shadows of terrorism will force us to gather under the same roof again and again. A permanent resolve does require a clearer understanding of the consequences of decisions made so far; there will be questions which will need to be answered if this war is to be actually won and trust regained. If not, the cynicism will grow to a point of disbelief.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
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UK inquiry seeks to find if Russia put polonium in spy’s tea
A UK public inquiry into the 2006 death of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko opened Tuesday at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, after years of wrangling over what evidence can be heard.
Fear for hostages as sun sets
A deadline set by ISIS for a prisoner exchange passes -- but the fate of two hostages they have threatened to kill is unknown.
Creativity depends on where you are from
MONTREAL: When it comes to creative juices, some people have a faster flow than others as creativity is closely tied to culture, new research at the Concordia University has found. The study compared nearly 300 individuals from Taiwan, a collectivist society, and Canada, a more individualistic country.
Results show that those from individualist societies generate a greater number of ideas as compared to their collectivist counterparts, although the cultures were on nearly equal footing when it came to the quality of that creative output. “We found that the individualists came up with many more ideas. They also uttered more negative statements – and those statements were more strongly negative. They also displayed greater overconfidence,” said Gad Saad, professor at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business.
For the study, the team recruited students from two universities in Taipei and Montreal. When it came to the quality of ideas produced, the collectivists scored marginally higher than the individualists. “This is in line with another important cultural trait that some collectivist societies are known to possess – namely being more reflective as compared to action-oriented, having the reflex to think hard prior to committing to a course of action,” Saad explained.
Studies like this one are instrumental in understanding cultural differences that increasingly arise as the globe’s economic centre of gravity shifts towards East Asia, the authors concluded. The paper was published in the Journal of Business Research.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
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Abbasi claims saying no to ‘Baby’
Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi said on Monday that he was offered a role in the Bollywood film Baby last year, which he did not accept due to the movie’s anti-Pakistan slant. He said that he is in favour of Pakistani artistes working in Indian films in general, but not in a film that has an anti-Pakistan theme.
Abbasi took to his official Facebook page and posted, “I was offered this Indian film Baby last year and I immediately said no to it seeing a slight anti-Pakistan element in its storyline.” The post further read, “I am in favour of our artistes working in Indian films, but if any film has even a slight anti-Pakistan theme, please think like a Pakistani first and then an artiste.”
The Pakistan Film Censor Board has banned the exhibition of Baby. The team behind the film, which stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role, was in a state of shock over its ban in the country. While producer Bhushan Kumar was still wondering why, actor Anupam Kher emphasised the need to move beyond borders and look at the universal problem of terrorism. “The film is about anti-terrorism. Sometimes, it is important to go beyond territories and understand who the enemy is; is it a country or a bunch of people?” Kher told IANS.
Interestingly, actor Mikaal Zulfiqar is soon to be seen in the film that Abbasi claims he rejected. In an earlier interview with The Express Tribune, Zulfiqar had described his role in the film as “short and sweet.” He had shared that he received a call from an Indian casting director for the film, and got on board with it as soon as he heard its details.
“I committed to the film when I was told that I was going to star alongside talented actors, such as Anupum Kher and Akshay Kumar,” he had stated. Zulfiqar was hopeful that the controversy surrounding Baby pertaining to its content would “settle down,” so that people can enjoy the film as a mode of entertainment.
Despite having done a handful of Bollywood films, Zulfiqar has no aspirations to establish himself as an actor in India. “As an artiste, there is nothing better than doing a film in one’s own country, and I would always give first preference to my local industry,” he had commented. Zulfiqar mentioned that he was supposed to star in a couple of Pakistani films towards the end of last year, but the projects didn’t materialise.
Zulfiqar attributed the decision to not pursue a career in Bollywood to the nature of the audience and the ever-changing political climate of Pakistan and India. “Indian audiences are a little bold and Pakistani audiences are a little sensitive. So, I would not want to do anything that offends people of my homeland,” he had proclaimed.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
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Elie Saab revisits the Paris of the Middle East
Tulip prints, light-as-air silk gowns and as many sparkles as stars in a Middle East night sky – Elie Saab’s haute couture show may have taken place in Paris on Wednesday, but his inspiration was clearly his native Beirut, reported AFP.
The Lebanese designer’s elegant outfits have a solid fan-following among the wealthy and the famous, several of whom attended the show in a museum a slipper’s throw from the Eiffel Tower. Among them were American burlesque star Dita Von Teese, French actor Clotilde Courau, and Alain Delon’s daughter Anouchka, seated under a tropical arrangement of greenery, birdsong and Arabic music.
His collection was “a tribute to the city that I love: my Beirut,” Saab said. More accurately, it was a tribute to a Beirut he remembered from his childhood, back when the capital was known as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’ for its beauty, marred in a 1975-1990 civil war and today still on the brink of turmoil because of regional conflicts and tensions.
He shared that, every time he gets to work on his couture wardrobes, a vision of his mother in an evening gown spurs him on. “With every new collection I conceived, the striking image of my mother in this tulip print silk dress reappeared endlessly.” His ensembles were more subdued. Lace, feathers and thousands of tiny sequins were worked in dozens of different ways.
Collection by Karl Lagerfeld
Saab, a favourite of the well-heeled on the red carpet, served up more of his trademark romantic gowns in shades of powder blue, beige and pinks. The showstopper was the wedding gown with the delicacy of butterfly wings, entirely encrusted with tiny sequins and pearls in a palm-frond pattern in pale pink, green and silver.
While Saab drew inspiration from his hometown for the collection, Karl Lagerfeld’s show for Chanel at Paris Fashion Week offered escapism from the ongoing global political tumult. The line majored on bare midriffs, a floral dreamscape and eye-popping shades of electric blue, tangerine and canary yellow, reported Reuters. Life-sized grey paper buds opened to reveal exotic multi-coloured blooms, and clusters of oversized hand-stitched flowers hanging heavily from hems of coats, exploding from shoulders or swinging from full skirts cut below the knee.
Thousands of pale pink sequins adorned a slinky skirt and matching bolero length short-sleeved jacket, their weight slowing the gait of the model. Oversized bouquets of flowers, in eclectic combinations of blue, crimson and pink, or tangerine and red, sprung from the shoulders of dresses in periwinkle silk, or red and orange. More subtle shades of dusty pink, grey and ivory also made their appearance in delicate petals, imparting lady-like chic to long tunics and coats.
“Especially after this dark, horrid beginning of the year, there was something like this needed, I think,” said Chanel’s creative director, noting that his ideas were conceived well before 17 people were killed in violence that began on January 7 at the Paris offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. It took six months to create the hundreds of flowers used in the collection, the German designer said. “I live in a protected world, so I can keep something like a dream reality,” he conceded.
Lagerfeld noted that his ideas were conceived well before 17 people were killed in violence that began on January 7 at the Paris offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, but seemed well-timed. It took six months to create the hundreds of flowers used in the collection.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
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Raahi sets off on its musical journey
KARACHI:
“With us, what you see is what you get,” says Louis J Pinto, popularly known as Gumby, as he announced his newfound band Raahi, featuring some of the most renowned artistes of the music industry. The four-member band, which comprises guitarist Omran ‘Momo’ Shafique, vocalist Ahsan Bari, bassist Sameer Ahmed and drummer Gumby, is set to make its debut with their first live performance at The Second Floor’s (T2F) event ‘Good Clean Fun’ on January 30.
Unlike other groups and artistes, Raahi has adopted an impromptu style of recording music, which makes their music both raw and fresh. “We don’t listen to a tune or chord and take two or three days to think about it to produce something. When we come to the studio, we are simply told to record our respective parts,” said Omran, former frontman of the band Mauj and Coke Studio band member.
On a recent visit to the band’s studio during a jamming session ahead of their first live gig, the band members spoke about how the group was formed and what they have in store for audiences. Gumby stated, “I got a [musical] project and asked Sameer (former Karavan member) and Ahsan (of Cornetto Music Icon fame) to be a part of it. Omran joined us after he visited my studio one day, while I was recording for musician Shuja Haider. He liked the idea of a band and got on board with the project.”
Gumby added that although the project didn’t materialise, the band members felt an instant connection between them and decided to continue making music in their own unique way. He shared that after having made music and performed for other musicians for many years, they felt now was the right time to make the music they want to. Commenting on the band’s style of music, Gumby held, “We’re not here to make experimental music as we know what we are doing. If we wanted to make experimental music, we wouldn’t have been releasing an album and performing live.”
Ahsan Bari
The drummer, who has been affiliated with platforms such as Coke Studio and Uth Records, said that all the band members have proven their mettle in the music industry as professionals. “We’ve been performing and making music for artistes, such as Meesha Shafi and Ali Azmat. Just from Coke Studio alone, Omran and I have 130 to 140 hits to our credit,” commented Gumby. “Ahsan and Sameer, too, have their own projects, such as Sounds of Kolachi. I knew Ahsan from before and liked his work with Sounds of Kolachi. He is a brilliant vocalist.”
Omran Shafique
The band shared that they will release an album by doing live shows, through which they hope to earn money. On the question of whether concerts are a lucrative endeavour in Pakistan, they responded in the affirmative, referring to the recently-held Karachi Eat Food Festival. “At least, 10,000 people attended the festival each day, which is proof that people want to go out. I know that 65 to 75 per cent of the artistes in the industry would have quit if there were no live performances,” noted Gumby.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 30th, 2015.
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Saudi Arabia wants to hold an all-male Olympic Games
Saudi Arabia on Thursday expressed its desire to hold an all-male Olympic Games, The Telegraph reported.
A consultant for the Saudi Olympic Committee on Thursday said that the Saudi society “can be very conservative. It has a hard time accepting that women can compete in sports.”
Prince Fahad bin Jalawi al Saud, the consultant to the Saudi Olympic Committee, in his comments suggested that the oil-rich country could jointly bid with Bahrain – which could then be a host to women’s events.
“Wearing sports clothing in public is not really allowed. For these cultural reasons, it is difficult to bid for certain big international events,” the Prince said.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in its recommendations for reform last year, had allowed for joint bids in 2020. However, Saudi Arabia’s suggestion was not permitted.
In a statement released by the IOC president, Thomas Bach, it said the oil-rich country would only be allowed to bid if it followed the rules barring discrimination.
“A commitment to ‘non-discrimination’ will be mandatory for all countries hoping to bid for the Olympics in the future,” the IOC president said.
“This was made very clear in the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms and will even be in the host city contract,” he added.
Bach said the bid would not be admissible if this was not applied, and that Saudi Arabia, and countries like it, should work on permitting female athletes to participate freely.
“You cannot simply ‘outsource’ certain issues to another territory,” he added.
The first time Saudi Arabia sent two female athletes – who were accompanied by male guardians and also participated with their hair covered — to the Olympic Games was in 2012, in London – due to pressure from the IOC.
However, these athletes were then called out as ‘prostitutes’ by conservatives on social media.
Further, in last year’s Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, the country only sent an all-male team. And in December 2014, a woman masquerading as a man at a football game was arrested.
Women in Saudi Arabia are banned from going to sports events, and sports is absent from girls’ curriculum in school.
Bangladesh cinemas ban actor Shakib Khan for protests against Hindi-language films
DHAKA: Bangladesh cinemas will boycott movies starring the nation’s top actor after he led protests against the first screening of a Hindi film in decades in the country, an official said Thursday.
Bollywood blockbuster “Wanted” opened in cinemas on the weekend after Bangladesh’s censor board cleared its nationwide release, following a 50-year ban on Hindi-language films.
But the screenings sparked protests outside cinemas along with wildcat strikes by hundreds of Dhaka actors, directors and others, who said the release would cripple the local film industry, known as Dhallywood.
Bangladesh heartthrob Shakib Khan led the marches on cinemas, where protesters ripped up Hindi film posters and pleaded with fans queuing at ticket booths to boycott the film.
“We’ll stop Hindi films at any cost,” Khan was quoted as saying by a local daily newspaper Thursday.
Bangladesh cinema owners reacted sharply, saying they would not show any movies starring Khan and the other protesters and defended their decision to screen highly-popular flicks from neighbouring India on financial grounds.
“We’ve released Hindi films because we’re now facing (an) existential crisis,” said Saiful Islam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Motion Pictures Exhibitors Association.
“It’s unfortunate that Shakib Khan, Misha Shawdagar and other actors and directors have used violence to try to prevent us from showing Hindi films.”
Chowdhury said the country’s 350 film theatres “have decided not to show any films by Shakib Khan” along with Shawdagar and several directors.
A court last year ruled “Wanted” could be shown in Bangladesh, despite a prohibition on Hindi films dating back to a brief war between India and Pakistan in 1965 when Bangladesh was part of East Pakistan.
The censor board gave “Wanted” the final go ahead in November for screening this year.
Although pirated CDs of Indian films are hugely popular in Bangladesh, the ban on Hindi movies continued after the country gained independence in 1971.
The government briefly lifted the ban in 2010 after caving into pressure from struggling cinemas, hundreds of which have shut down in recent years because of poor ticket sales.
But it was quickly re-imposed following furious protests by local actors and directors, who claimed the Bangladesh film industry was at risk from the imports.
Chowdhury said the government had recently lifted the ban again under a free trade deal between South Asian countries.
Given the censor board’s clearance of “Wanted”, he predicted that importers would be more emboldened to start bringing in more Hindi films.
Khan said Thursday the ban should remain to protect local movie industry, which produces around 60 films a year.
President’s Cup Gold League: Babar Azam guides SBP into final
KARACHI: A splendid Babar Azam-century took SBP into the final of the President’s Cup Gold League as they defeated Karachi Dolphins by nine wickets in the first semi-final at the National Stadium of Karachi on Thursday.
The 20-year-old continued his excellent run in the tournament as he hit his third century on the trot to steer SBP into the finals.
Dolphins were put in to bat by SBP captain Muhammad Naveed but kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were dismissed for 214.
Zafar Gohar, the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 15 scalps to his name, dismissed three Dolphins’ batsmen for 34 runs, while Rizwan Haider and skipper Naveed also took two wickets apiece.
Wicketkeeper Muhammad Hassan was the only Dolphins’ batsman to cross fifty as he made 65 before being run out by Haider, who also dismissed Saad Ali on 21 and Muhammad Waqas on nine. That brought about a lower-order collapse as the last six Dolphins’ batsmen were dismissed in just 10 overs.
Chasing 215, Azam’s 146 off 120 balls ensured that SBP cruised through. Abid Ali provided able support from the other end with 58 off 79 balls as the two were involved in a 175-run partnership that meant that the only remaining regional side in the tournament didn’t even get a whiff in the second half.
Azam, the tournament’s top scorer with 450 runs, told The Express Tribune that his focus was to try and help his team win. “I avoided playing lose shots, which is why I did not go for any big hits,” said Azam. “This has helped me lead the battings charts with three consecutive centuries. Our bowlers bowled well and the low target meant there was less pressure on the batsmen.”
Azam and SBP now turn their focus to the final on February 1, where they will face the winner of today’s semi-final between KRL and NBP.
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Super Over reinstated for World Cup final
DUBAI: The upcoming cricket World Cup final will be decided by a Super Over in the event of a tie, announced the sport’s governing body announced on Thursday.
The move is a return to the playing condition in force at the last World Cup in 2011, abandoning a proposal to have ‘joint winners’, made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last year.
“The ICC Board reinstated the use of a Super Over in the event of a tie in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final,” said an ICC press release.
The ICC said a Super Over – in which both teams play one over of six balls – was the best way to decide the winner if the sides cannot be separated by the regulation 50 overs each.
“This now replicates the arrangements for the World Cup 2011 final and other recent ICC events where a winner will be determined on the day of the final [weather permitting], and a Super Over was the most credible way to separate the two sides,” said the statement.
The ICC also approved a change to the application of code of conduct offences relating to slow over-rates, so that captains do not carry any prior minor over-rate offence ‘strikes’ or suspensions from other series into a major tournament.
ICC approves dates for major events
The ICC yesterday approved the dates for major tournaments for the next four years, up to the 2019 World Cup in England.
England will also host the 2017 Champions Trophy one-day tournament and India the 2016 World Twenty20.
The World Twenty20 qualifier will be hosted jointly by Ireland and Scotland from July 6 to July 26 this year.
Bangladesh will host the U19 World Cup from January 22 to February 14 2016, while the World Twenty20 will be held in India from March 11 to April 3, 2016.
The Champions Trophy will be held in England from June 1 to June 19, 2017, while the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 will be held in England from August 4 to 27.
The 2018 edition of the Junior World Cup will be hosted by New Zealand from January 12 to February 4, 2018.
The World Cup Qualifiers 2018 were given to Bangladesh, who will host the event from March 1 to April 4.
The ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2018 will be hosted by the West Indies from November 2 to 25, while the men’s 2019 World Cup will be held in England from May 30 to July 15.
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England, India battle for tri series final spot today
PERTH: India and England clash today in Perth with the winners taking their place in the tri series final against Australia in the shadow of the looming World Cup.
The hosts are enjoying extra time to prepare for Sunday’s final at Perth’s WACA ground while the tourists go at each other again.
England thrashed India by nine wickets in their last encounter and ran Australia close in their second meeting last week in Brisbane.
And that has put captain Eoin Morgan in a confident mood ahead of the World Cup, which England kick off against Australia in Melbourne on February 14.
Morgan says he fancies another crack at Australia before the big event. “The opportunity to play Australia on Sunday is huge,” he said.
Learning how to live with lengthy breaks before important matches could prove critical for the World Cup, which carries on till March 29, added Morgan.
“Having too much cricket on your mind can sometimes create an issue. The less the guys have to think about it, the better.
“And the more we can get used to time off going into the World Cup, it would be really useful.”
For India, hamstrung batsman Rohit Sharma, who hasn’t played since scoring 138 against Australia at the MCG on Jan 18, will again be missing.
But Sharma, who trained in Perth yesterday, could be fit for the final if India get through.
India are winless in the series so far, but skipper MS Dhoni feels his team are slowly building after comprehensively losing the Test series to Australia.
Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan has suffered a poor tour and is under pressure to hold his place for the World Cup after averaging just 17 across 11 innings in Test, one-day and warm-up matches.
But Dhoni is backing the 29-year-old to find some form today. “Form is something people don’t really see — it’s an abstract,” claimed Dhoni. “You can come into form and go out of form very quickly.
“You just have to spend that 10 to 12 minutes of quality time in the middle, and everything will fall into place.”
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Malaysia officially declares passengers and crew ‘presumed dead’
The government of Malaysia makes the loss of MH370 official, but the search for the missing plane will go on.