FRIDAY, 23rd SEPTEMBER 2005
VOL XXVIII NO. 187 (GGDN 024)
Break-in ordeal for mother
3
Muharraq
bars cattle
on streets
5
Agatha
Christie
‘Queen of
Crime’!
20-21
200 Fils/2 Riyals
India lifts
ban on
Nasrin
BLAST KILLS SIX
book
25
Iran warns of ‘fiery and destructive response’
TEHRAN: Iran yesterday showed off its ballistic
missiles and warned any nation considering
attacking it would face a “destructive and fiery”
response.
On show at an annual military parade were
thousands of troops and a range of hardware
including six of Iran’s Shahab-3 ballistic missiles – which sported banners saying “Death to
America”, “We will crush America under our
feet” and “Israel must be wiped off the face of
the earth”.
The event marked the start of “Sacred Defence
Week” – the anniversary of the outbreak of an
eight-year war with Iraq in 1980.
Iran, meanwhile, hailed as a “significant victory” the European Union’s climbdown from its
demand that the UN’s nuclear watchdog report
the Islamic republic to the UN Security Council.
Opposition from China, Russia, India and the
Non-Aligned Movement stopped the EU sending
Tehran to the highest UN body for possible sanctions over its nuclear programme.
The EU dropped the demand from a revised
draft resolution after nearly 15 of the 35 members of the Vienna-based International Atomic
Energy Agency’s governing board, including
China and Russia, opposed it.
KEEPING BIRD
FLU AT BAY
■Bomb suspect
arrives in London
MANAMA: Bahrain is
■ Issac is brought to the Ciampino airport in Rome
screening imports of
birds to make sure
that potentially lethal
bird flu does not
enter the country, a
top vet told the GDN
yesterday.
LONDON: One of the men suspected of trying
to bomb three London subway trains and a
bus on July 21 was extradited to Britain
from Rome yesterday and arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.
Hussain Osman, a native of Ethiopia known
in Italy as Hamdi Issac, was taken to the
high-security Paddington Green police station in central London.
The 27-year-old suspect, arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder,
attempted murder and offences under the
Explosive Substances Act, will appear at a
top-security court in London today.
The infectious disease,
also known as “avian
influenza”, can be transferred to humans
through contact with live infected poultry.
However, no cases of bird flu have yet been
found here, said Dr Salman Ibrahim, acting
director of wildlife at the Public Commission for
the Protection of Marine Resources,
Environment and Wildlife.
The UAE has banned the import of aquatic
Boy ‘hid in box
to enter Bahrain’
MANAMA: A 17-year-old Yemeni boy is being
held in custody after entering Bahrain by hiding
inside a box in a lorry driven by an Asian across the
King Fahad Causeway.
The suspect, who claims he was only seeking
medical treatment for old injuries, broke his leg
shortly after entering the country last year, also illegally.
He was later deported to Yemen after undergoing
treatment.
He left Sana’a on foot and headed to the Kharj
area in Saudi Arabia where he worked as a farmer.
He then left for Dammam, Eastern Province, where
he spent 15 days before heading to the causeway on
foot and slipping into Bahrain.
He first headed to Isa Town, then returned to
Manama on foot where he worked in a restaurant
for 15 days before police rounded him up following
a tip off, said a report in our sister paper Akhbar Al
Khaleej.
PLUS
By RASHA AL QAHTANI
certain rules and regulations,” said Dr Ibrahim.
“We have to know where they are coming
birds from Asia as part of measures to prevent a from and whether the country has any diseases in
possible outbreak of bird flu.
general. We have to know the whole background
It also placed a temporary ban on the import of
non-poultry wild birds and domestic birds from about where the animal is from.” Only then
would an import licence be granted, he added.
all Asian countries.
“When birds or animals arrive in Bahrain they
“Before any birds or animals enter the country,
the person in charge of bringing them has to follow are taken immediately to quarantine, where they
stay for a certain number of
days according to the type of
animal,” said Dr Ibrahim.
“Then they undergo a number of tests to see whether they
are fit to stay in Bahrain - if not
they have to be put down
immediately.
“Bahrain has put these strict
rules and regulations in place
to prevent the spread of harmful diseases.”
Bird flu viruses do not normally infect species other than
birds and pigs, but killed six
people in Hong Kong in 1997.
This led to the destruction
within three days of Hong
Kong’s entire poultry population - around 1.5 million birds
– to avoid a pandemic.
Indonesia is now battling
■ Masked Palestinian Hamas militants parade during a rally in against the disease, which is
the West Bank City of Ramallah to celebrate Israel's pullout from known to have killed at least
the Gaza Strip. Group leader Hassan Yussef threatened to have four Indonesians since July
Israeli soldiers kidnapped as bargaining chips for the release of and believed to have killed
three children this week.
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Full report – Page 2
■ 11,000 complaints filed
MANAMA: More than 11,000 complaints have
been submitted over the past year to the
Supreme Council for Women. Pleas for
financial aid or housing units topped the
grievances while more than 400 Bahraini
wives married to foreign husbands sought
nationality for their children, said grievances
cell chief Farida Al Maskati.
■ Businessmen warn over reforms
MANAMA: Several Bahraini businessmen
have warned against possible negative
impact of the proposed labour reforms. They
claim Economic Development Board chief
executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al
Khalifa had failed to allay their fears regarding the high fees to be levied on companies
employing expatriate workers. They also
allege that the board had failed to entertain
proposals by the Bahrain Chamber of
Commerce and Industry to involve the private sector in such a challenging project.
■ Hurricane Rita downgraded
MIAMI: The US National Hurricane Centre
yesterday downgraded Hurricane Rita,
which is heading for the US coast, to a category four storm, the second highest on the
five level Saffir-Simpson scale. Meanwhile,
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco urged
coastal residents to flee north as Rita barrelled across the Gulf of Mexico. She estimated that 300,000 to 500,000 people could
end up evacuating.
REALITY SHOW STAR FACES AXE – PAGE 4 ● WORLD-CLASS SWEET IDEA – PAGE 16 ● GERMAN TALKS FAIL – PAGE 23