Srinagar, Jammu Kashmir                                                                                                                                                            31 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                 (Anadolu News)

Five Indians soldiers and three militants were killed in a gunfight which ended Monday after militants stormed a paramilitary camp in the disputed Jammu Kashmir region.

According to Indian officials, three militants entered the 185 battalion paramilitary camp in the southern Pulwama district in the early hours of Sunday.

"Two militants were killed on Sunday. The third one has been killed today. His body has been recovered," Rajesh Yadav, spokesperson of Indian Central Reserve Police Force in Kashmir, told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

Militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility for the attack, according to local news agency GNS.

The Lethpora camp is among the many training centers for paramilitary troops recruited for anti-militancy operations in the disputed region.

The two slain militants who were killed on Sunday are locals from southern Kashmir. According to reports one of them is a 16-year-old whose father is serving in the region's police.

Analysts view the attack as the sign of a shift in the mindset of current militancy in the region.

Sunday's attack was a rare Fidayeen (suicide) attack by local Kashmiri militants where they did not try to escape but rather took positions inside the camp.

"In the sense that they went into the camp and knew that they would be received by bullets, you could think of it as a suicide attack," Yadav told Anadolu Agency. "Both of them however had only three or four months of training and it is unlikely that in such a short time they could be brainwashed into carrying out suicide attacks. But it can be a glimpse of how things are going to be."

The government has suspended the Internet in southern Kashmir.

At least 170 militants have been killed by Indian forces in 2017, the most for a year in the last decade.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of over Kashmir.

Also in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into effect in 2003.

Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.

Ankara                                                                                                                                                                                              30 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                  (Anadolu/AFP)

The Foreign Ministry has criticized the decision of a Greek committee to grant asylum to one of the eight coup plotters who fled to Greece after taking part in last year’s defeated coup in Turkey.

In a written statement released Saturday, the ministry said: "Greece, who granted asylum to one of the eight coup plotters who participated in the July 15 coup bid, has once again revealed through this decision that it is a country that protects and embraces plotters."

It also criticized Greece for not supporting or cooperating with Turkey as one would expect from an ally in the fight against terrorism and crimes.

"This decision, which we consider as a political motive, will undoubtedly have effects on our bilateral relations with Greece and our joint regional efforts," the statement also read.

According to a ruling by the third Independent Secondary Asylum Committee, Suleyman Ozkaynakci, the co-pilot of the helicopter that was used to flee Turkey, had been granted asylum on the basis that there was allegedly no proof that he participated in the coup bid.

The other former Turkish servicemen have not been granted asylum and are currently being held by Greek authorities until the committee makes a ruling regarding them.

The coup plotters had arrived in Alexandroupolis, Greece, aboard a military helicopter hours after the defeated coup in July 15, 2016.

Turkish Justice Ministry has since sent several extradition requests for the former officers.

On Jan. 26, 2017, the Greek Supreme Court decided not to extradite the officers to Turkey. Turkish Foreign Ministry had called the decision “politically motivated”.

The issue was also discussed when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made an official visit to Greece on Dec. 7, 2017.

Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                  (QTF)

Czech tennis star Tomas Berdych arrived in Doha to participate in the 2018 edition of Qatar ExxonMobil Open to be held at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex from January 1 to 6, 2018.

The Tournament Director Karim Alami said “It is our pleasure to welcome Tomas Berdych and we are wising help a successful week in state of Qatar”

“The Czech super star is one of the common faces in our tournament as he participated in more than one edition and gained wide popularity here in Doha not only among the Czech community but from around the world” added Karim Alami.

Berdych reached the semifinals of the last edition where went down fighting against Andy Murray 3-6 4-6. Berdych claimed the title of doubles event at the 2014 edition with his compatriot Jan Hajek when they defeated Alexander Peya  and Bruno Soares 6–2, 6–4 in the final match.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, French player World No. 15 unfortunately having hand injury will not be participating next week in ExxonMobil open. Among other world participating stars include Former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic,  Dominic Thiem Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Fernando Verdasco and Pablo Carreno Busta.

French star player Jo-Wilfred Tsonga has participated in many previous editions of Qatar ExxonMobil Open and was crowned champion in 2012.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                  27 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                    (QNA)

Saad bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi, President of Ashghal said on Wednesday that a total of QR21.8 billion were allocated for the authority's projects in 2018.

He added a total of QR11.08 billion were allocated for establishing highways, QR8.88 billion for infrastructure and road, as well as QR1.84 billion for sewer pumping stations.

In a statement made on the occasion of the visit of  QatarPrime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani to the authority today, Al Mohannadi said that the authority's achievements in 2017 were multiples more than those achieved during the previous four years. He highlighted that more than 60% of what was achieved took place in the period after last June. He added that they will complete 90 percent of all projects related to the World Cup 2022 during 2018.

The President of Ashghal said that one of the coming year's top priorities will be to prepare the infrastructure for residential areas, in line with the directives of HE the Prime Minister of adding new areas to the infrastructure plan for lands belonging to citizens. A total close to 5000 pieces of land will be added to the plan and provided with the necessary infrastructure.

Ashghal will carry out a total of 19 infrastructure projects in 12 areas during 2018. Those projects will serve 15,108 pieces of land. The authority will also finish another 11 infrastructure projects in 11 areas, serving 5,644 pieces of land.

The authority will complete 113 new kilometers of highways in 2018, including 20 new main intersections. Walking and bike lanes will reach more than 210 Km in 2018. There will be a new highway that will help lower traffic in February 22 road.

On the sewage projects, he said that there will be 279 points that will prevent the grouping of rain fall in those areas. There will also be four new projects for pumping and sewage treatment. Three other projects will be completed in 2018. The year 2017 saw the establishment of 14 mosques, three health centers, and 16 schools. There will be a total of nine projects in the health and education field that will be completed in 2018.

On encouraging local construction firms to increase their participation in those projects, President of Ashghal said that there will be a total of five projects offered to small construction firms in line with the directives of  the Prime Minister.

A total of 47 factories will also be refurbished to boost Qatari industrialists and producers. He also stressed the authority's commitment to completing the work with the highest levels of quality.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                    28 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                          (QNA)

The board of directors of the Qatar press center held its first meeting on Wednesday.

The meeting was held after an approval was obtained to establish the center as a private institution of public benefit in accordance with the provisions of the law No. 21 of 2006 regarding private foundations for the public benefit and its amendments. Various media and the press establishments in Qatar had submitted an application to set up the center with aim to develop media and journalism fields and take care of the affairs of media professionals in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, which made investment in the human being a priority.

In a statement, the board of directors said that Saleh bin Afsan Al Kuwari was elected the Chairman and Dr Majid Al Ansari as his deputy, while Dr Muhammad Saleh Al Misfer, Dr Rabia Sabah Al Kuwari and Abdulaziz Al Mahmoud were selected as board members. Sadiq Mohammed Al Amari was elected Secretary of the Center, while Abdullah bin Hamad Al Athba was elected Director General of the Center.

The statement pointed out that the selection of the headquarters of the center will be done soon, and that all media professionals and journalists in Qatar are invited to become its members.

The center will be a media and journalism club in Qatar. It will hold events throughout the year, conduct research and media studies and establish partnerships with relevant authorities, centers and clubs worldwide.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                    (QNA)

Al-Watan Qatari newspaper praised in its editorial Tuesday the unprecedented economic renaissance witnessed by the State of Qatar due to the robust planning, diversification of economic sources, facilities and incentives to attract investors to invest in the State, creation of economic ideas and investment plans and the economic participation of the people of the State to contribute to the economic renaissance in the country.

Tourism, Al-Watan said, is one of the most important economic sources that the State seeks to develop as the Advisory Council in its regular weekly session on Monday discussed the Cabinet's memorandum on a number of draft laws, including a draft law on the establishment of the National Tourism Council which provides for the establishment of a national council for tourism to be under the supervision of the Prime Minister in order to create the best conditions for the implementation of the national strategy for tourism and to promote comprehensive tourism development plans.

The paper pointed out that the tourism sector is now one of the largest economic sectors in the world and that the objectives of issuing legislation in this regard are to develop tourism in general, expand its activities and attract investments to this vital sector and update its laws, regulations and organizing procedures that contribute to diversifying the economy in Qatar which is a strategic goal for the State.

In conclusion, Al-Watan praised the efforts exerted by the State's institutions for further economic growth and for attracting investments and investors from both home and abroad.

Nicosia, TRNC                                                                                                                                                                                 28 Dec 2017

The Greek Cypriot Archbishop Hrisostomos II has been accused of "instilling bigotry and spreading hatred instead of love," following a divisive memorandum that was read and shared in all the churches at Christmas.

As reported in the Greek Cypriot daily newspaper Haravgi, under the headline “Archbishop’s Bigotry Message," Archbishop Hrisostomos again stated in his Christmas message that he was against the Cyprus negotiations.

Hrisostomos also made the unfounded and baseless assertion that, “Refugees were sent to the Greek Cypriot side by Turkey in order to change the national and cultural identity of the Greek Cypriots”.

The AKEL party in South Cyprus accused Hrisostomos II of "instilling hatred and bigotry" and emphasized that “extreme and separatist political views are criminal offenses."

Describing the statements of Archbishop Hrisostomos II as an outrage to the church, Christian values, and Greek Cypriot society, AKEL further stated that being silent in the face of these provocative statements by the Archbishop would be connivance.

They criticised the Greek Cypriot Leader Anastasiades, the Greek Cypriot administration and all other politicians who do not take a stand to publicly condemn the Archbishop’s words as being complicit in supporting his highly divisive views

Riyadh                                                                                                                                                                                               27 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                              (Aljazeera News)

Turkey's prime minister and Saudi Arabia's king have called on the Islamic world to "act with unity" against a US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Binali Yildirim and Salman bin Abdulaziz "emphasised the importance of Jerusalem's status" during a meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, saying the Muslim world should remain united to protect the rights of Palestinian "brothers", according to a statement from the Turkish prime minister's office.

Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia have strongly criticised US President Donald Trump's decision.

Trump's announcement on December 6 drew widespread international condemnation and triggered protests in the occupied Palestinian territories and in cities across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

The status of Jerusalem - home to sites holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians - is one of the core issues in the perennial Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Both sides claim the city as their capital.

A resounding majority of the UN General Assembly last week defied unprecedented threats from the US and voted to declare Trump's decision "null and void".

Yildirim and Salman agreed that the December 22 resolution was a "strong message by the international community", according to the Turkish statement.

Saudi state-owned SPA agency said Salman and Yildirim "reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries, means of enhancing them, and latest developments in the region".

It did not offer additional details.

Yildirim's two-day visit comes amid signs of strains in relations between Ankara and Riyadh.

Turkey has been seeking closer ties with Iran, a country Saudi Arabia considers its main regional rival, and has also backed Qatar during the six-month blockade imposed against the Gulf nation by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

Galip Dalay, an Istanbul-based analyst, said Wednesday's talks between Yildirim and Salman were an attempt to "create an atmosphere of dialogue rather than accusing each other through the media on certain issues".

Both countries were aware of their status as major powers in the region and knew "that one cannot easily start an all-out disagreement with the other," Galip said, adding, "This visit will not solve all the troubles ... It is a sign of good intentions rather than the settling of the major issues.

"If this visit produces anything, it is going to be a process."

Yildirim was also expected to meet Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday.

Jeddah                                                                                                                                                                                               26 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                        By Tariq Al-Maeena                                                                                                                                                                    (Daily Saudi Gazette)

A study by some Saudi economists indicates that the expat dependents fee is a vital means to solve the issue of unemployment in the country.

As part of the government’s Fiscal Balance Program, a resident’s dependent is to pay SR 1,200 for one year as of July 1, 2017. The monthly fee for each dependent is SR100 this year. It will increase by SR 100 per month every year reaching SR400 per month per dependent by 2020. This is expected to generate SR1 billion in revenue by the end of the year and SR65 billion by 2020 based on the current number of expat dependents. The finance ministry projects a government budget balance in 2020.

With foreign workers having sent their families home on final exit, that target may be elusive. The byproduct of the decision to impose fees on expat dependents will be high remittances and less spending in the Kingdom, a fallback bound to have negative repercussions on the economy. Less spending may result in less startups which in turn will add to the unemployment dilemma. My guess is that the projected revenue collection from the expat dependents fee will be negative, as most foreign workers will send their families home.

At an Asian consulate where not long ago a throng of people lined up all the way down the street, the Consul General explained to me that that was the latest wave of expatriates who had decided to take advantage of the amnesty program for illegal resident aliens and leave the country without any jail terms or monetary fines. He told me that contrary to the first amnesty program that was announced by the late King Abdullah in April 2013 and of which many illegal residents had taken advantage, this time around, the processing of expatriates was mainly concentrated on facilitating the departure of the dependents of expatriates whose residency status for some reason or the other was not up to par with the requirements set by the Kingdom.

“It’s the dependents fee levy that has created this number of people, you know,” he continued. “Household heads have come to the conclusion that it is not economical to keep their families here as annually the fees per individual are going to increase, burdening the expatriate worker further. Better now than later is what most are telling the consular staff, as they prepare papers for their dependents’ departures.”

The Kingdom, the world’s largest exporter of oil, has since launched an economic diversification plan and slashed state spending in an attempt to cope with a deficit resulting from the plummeting of crude oil prices, its main source of income. The ambitious “Vision 2030” unveiled in April 2016 aims to broaden its investment base and diversify the once oil-dependent economy. Vision 2030 has seen the country impose taxes, including value added taxes to goods, increase fees and charges and set up new industries to boost the sluggish economy.

An estimated 11 million foreigners work in the Saudi private sector, with 2.3 million of their dependents based in the Kingdom, according to the Public Authority for Statistics. Spurred by this new tax or levy or whatever one chooses to call it, about 670,000 foreign workers are expected to leave Saudi Arabia by 2020, a report prepared by Banque Saudi Fransi revealed. According to the report, some 165,000 expats are expected to leave the country every year. In addition, the report said that the new fees imposed on the dependents of workers would add about SR 75 billion to the budget over the next three years.

Now this is painting the canvas with a broad brush because it is apparent that with a shrinking expat population we cannot expect an increase in revenue through the levying of a dependents fee. When an expat family leaves this country, many things happen. The money that is being earned and spent here is now being remitted outside. The money that had previously been used to vitalize the local economy through a multitude of channels and avenues has suddenly been turned into a wire transfer to a distant land.

This projection of income is seen by some as misguided, as it cannot happen, unless the Kingdom becomes a huge industrial complex that attracts local and international investments. That can only be achieved in a period of at least 10 years. That is why taxation of expats before we turn into a productive economy that depends on industry is like putting the cart in front of the horse. This is a sign of oversight among the economic consultants who run our country’s affairs.

Indeed, with a calculator on hand if we begin to take stock of the numbers of departing expatriate dependents and the loss of revenue resulting from their exodus, the numbers may not be encouraging. Wouldn’t a more profitable option be to allow long-term and law-abiding expats to apply for citizenship or grant them permanent residency? The colorful diversity and economic muscle of this society would be greatly enhanced.

— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena