The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Cameron tells EU: Let us curb migrant welfare
Britain’s PM links migration curbs to European Union membership

Rocester, November 28
Prime Minister David Cameron hinted on Friday he might recommend a British exit from the European Union if it stops him restricting EU migrants' access to UK welfare benefits, but said he was confident it would not come to that.

In a speech designed to breathe new life into his campaign for re-election next May, Cameron set out a detailed blueprint for limiting EU migrants' access to benefits like tax credits and housing.

In a demand likely to meet fierce resistance from EU leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Cameron said his proposals would require changes to EU treaties, which enshrine freedom of movement as a fundamental principle.

If re-elected, Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain's ties with the EU before holding a referendum in 2017 on whether to stay in or leave the 28-nation union. While making it clear he thought that renegotiation would succeed, he dropped his strongest hint yet that he may campaign for Britain to quit the bloc if he fails.

"I will negotiate a cut to EU migration and make welfare reform an absolute requirement in renegotiation," Cameron said.

"If I succeed in the negotiation that I am going to undertake, I will, as I have said, campaign to keep this country in a reformed EU. (But) if our concerns fall on deaf ears and we cannot put our relationship with the EU on a better footing, then of course I rule nothing out."

Opinion polls show immigration is the number one concern of British voters, many of whom believe it is posing intolerable strain on schools, hospitals and the welfare system.

The issue has fuelled the popularity of the anti-EU, anti-immigration UK Independence Party (UKIP), which this month won its second seat in parliament. Many of Cameron's Conservative lawmakers fear UKIP's rise threatens their re-election chances.

"Our concerns are not outlandish or unreasonable," said Cameron. We deserve to be heard, and we must be heard. Not only for Britain's sake, but for the rest of Europe.

"Because what is happening in Britain is not unique to Britain. Across the EU, issues of migration are causing real concern." He said he wanted employed EU migrants to wait four years before being allowed to access welfare benefits, and for unemployed EU migrants not to be eligible for any help. — Reuters

Eyeing elections

In a speech designed to breathe new life into his campaign for re-election next May, David Cameron set out a detailed blueprint for limiting EU migrants' access to benefits like tax credits and housing

If re-elected, Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain's ties with the EU before holding a referendum in 2017 on whether to stay in or leave the 28-nation union

While making it clear he thought that renegotiation would succeed, he dropped his strongest hint yet that he may campaign for Britain to quit the bloc if he fails

If implemented, proposals would affect over 4 lakh EU migrants, many of them working in low-wage jobs

‘Black Friday’ comes to UK

London, November 28
British police officers were called to stores across the country on Friday as the "Black Friday" shopping frenzy imported from the United States brought surging crowds and fights over sharply discounted goods.

Shoppers compete to purchase retail items on “Black Friday” at an Asda superstore in Wembley, north London, on Friday. Reuters

For the first time, most British retailers have fully embraced "Black Friday" promotions this year, both in store and online, seeking to follow their cousins across the Atlantic and kickstart trading early in the key Christmas period.

With no national holiday in late November, people in Britain had no reason to notice the day until American online retailer Amazon brought its Black Friday sales across the Atlantic in 2010.

Last year marked the first time major UK store groups such as John Lewis, Dixons and Wal-Mart's Asda participated in a serious way, and this year has seen the trend explode across a majority of the British retail sector.

A survey commissioned by Barclays found that 65 % of British retailers that sell both online and in stores planned Black Friday promotions.

The trend is also emerging in continental Europe, with Spanish department store El Corte Ingles using the term "Black Friday", in English, to advertise price cuts and promotions appearing in France and Denmark. — Reuters

Bargains and brawls

Britain's high streets, malls and online sites were awash with discounts on Friday as more retailers than ever embraced US-style ‘Black Friday’ promotions, seeking to kickstart trading in the key Christmas period.

In the US, the Friday following the Thanksgiving Day holiday is called Black Friday because spending usually surges and indicates the point at which American retailers begin to turn a profit for the year, or go ‘into the black’

Gunmen open fire on mosque worshippers

Kano (nigeria), November 28
Gunmen exploded bombs and opened fire on worshippers gathered at the central mosque of north Nigeria's biggest city, Kano, for Friday prayers, witnesses said, in an attack that bore the hallmarks of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

"These people have bombed the mosque. I am face to face with people screaming," said Chijjani Usman, a local reporter who had gone to the mosque in the old city for prayers himself.

The mosque is adjacent to the palace of the emir of Kano, the second highest Islamic authority in the country, although the emir himself, former central bank governor Lamido Sanusi, was not present at the time.

A staff member at the palace who also witnessed the attack said: "After multiple explosions, they also opened fire. I cannot tell you the level of casualties because we all ran away."

A police spokesman in Kano declined to make any immediate comment. There was also no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on Boko Haram, which has for five years waged a campaign to revive a medieval Islamic caliphate governed by sharia law. — Reuters

Ferguson case
Cop in eye of storm to quit

Washington, November 28
The Missouri police officer who killed an unarmed black teen sparking months of protests in the city of Ferguson will never return to policing, his lawyer said.

Darren Wilson is currently in discussions with the Ferguson, Missouri police department on the terms and conditions of his departure, attorney Neil Bruntrager said this week.

"There's no way in the world he can go back to being a police officer," the lawyer said. "It's not a question of if, it's a question of when," Bruntrager said of Wilson's departure.

Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in August claiming he acted in self-defense.

The shooting set off days of racially-charged protests that erupted again this week after a grand jury on Monday announced that Wilson would not be charged over the fatal shooting. — AFP

Attack on Afghan army base kills 6

Kabul, November 28
An Afghan official says six Afghan soldiers have been killed in an attack on a military base in the southern Helmand province that lasted more than 14 hours.

Ghulam Farooq Parwani, deputy head of the Afghan National Army in Helmand, says Taliban insurgents, including suicide bombers, attacked Camp Bastion, formerly occupied by British forces, early today morning.

Seven soldiers were wounded in the attack, Parwani says. More than 20 insurgents, including seven suicide bombers, were killed. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

Also in Helmand, two police officers were killed and two wounded in a suicide attack on their vehicle in Nawzad district, local police spokesman said. In Nangahar province, an official says 31 people were wounded when a mosque was bombed during Friday prayers. — AP

‘Supercell storm’ batters Oz city

Brisbane, November 28
Planes were flipped and roofs ripped off when hail and powerful winds tore through Australia's east coast, leaving an AUD 100 million damage bill.

The storm, which officials said was one of the worst seen in the country and the strongest to hit the city of Brisbane in three decades, rained hailstones the size of tennis balls on cars and buildings flooding streets.

The devastating tempest started as an ordinary cell south of Brisbane on Thursday afternoon and tracked north, encountering moist air from sea breezes that helped it develop into a supercell.

"A supercell has a vortex-the air is spinning around it as it moves up. When that happens, it takes the moisture above the freezing level and keeps it there for a long time," a senior meteorologist said. — AFP

India should not have stalled talks, says Sharif

Islamabad, November 28
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said India should not have cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks, insisting that there was “nothing new” in consulting Kashmiri leaders ahead of a dialogue.

“We had been talking to the Kashmiri leaders in the past whenever Pakistan-India talks are held. This is nothing new as we have to seek the opinion of the Kashmiri leaders on an issue that concerns them the most,” Sharif told reporters on board his aircraft while returning home from the 18th SAARC Summit yesterday.

Consultations held by Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi with Kashmiri separatists led to the cancellation by India of Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh’s visit to Islamabad in September. Since then both countries have maintained that they are willing to engage in a meaningful dialogue provided the other side takes the initiative. Sharif said that India should not have cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks as was agreed upon during his meeting with PM Narendra Modi following his swearing in at New Delhi, The News reported. He said Pakistan wishes to pursue the dialogue process from a position of dignity, honour and self-respect.

“We believe in it and will maintain it at all costs,” he said. Sharif said Pakistan desires a “meaningful” dialogue to resolve the Kashmir dispute. — PTI

40 Indians released from Karachi jail

Karachi, November 28
Pakistan today announced the release of 40 Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen, from a jail here, a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the SAARC Summit.

“Pakistan is releasing 40 Indian prisoners (5 civil prisoners and 35 fishermen) tomorrow, who will be repatriated to India through Wagah. This will bring the total number of Indian prisoners released during this year to 191, which includes 6 civil prisoners and 185 fishermen,” a Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.

“Our organisation is providing transport to take them to Wagah border with a packet containing clothes for their families and Rs 10,000 in cash to each of the released prisoners,” Anwar Kazmi, a spokesman of Edhi Foundation charity, said. “The Indian prisoners released from Malir jail will arrive in Lahore today evening and spend night at Kot Lakhpat Jail. They will be handed over to the Indian authorities tomorrow,” a Pakistan Ranger’s spokesman said. — PTI

133 killed in tribal clashes in Sudan

Khartoum, November 28
At least 133 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in clashes between two groups belonging to an Arab tribe in Sudan's West Kordofan state, a tribal leader said on Thursday.

The clashes between Awlad Omran and Al-Ziyoud groups of the Arab Mesiria tribe began with a dispute over land, Mukhtar Babo Nimr, the leader of the tribe, told Reuters by phone.

"They used guns and heavy weapons in the fighting in the Kwak area of the state of West Kordofan," he added. Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Arab tribes, many of which were armed by the government in Khartoum to help end an insurgency by mainly non-Arab rebels in Darfur, have turned their guns against each other in a surge of conflict over resources. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

Wife awarded $530 million in record British divorce
London: The estranged wife of a London financier has been awarded $530 million in one of the biggest divorce settlements seen in a British court. Details of the payment to US-born Jamie Cooper-Hohn, 49, emerged after a draft judgment was given to lawyers ahead of a final ruling. Cooper-Hohn had separated from hedge fund manager Chris Hohn, 48, after being married for 15 years and the two had fought over assets worth over £700 million. AFP

An aerial view shows volcanic smoke spew from Mount Aso in Aso, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan. Reuters

S’pore riots: Indian to be caned for instigating crowd
Singapore: An Indian national in Singapore was on Friday sentenced to receive three strokes of cane in addition to an earlier 25-month jail term for his involvement in Little India riots last December, the country's worst street violence in 40 years. Samiyappan Sellathurai, who was sentenced to 25 months imprisonment on August 14 for his involvement in the riots, would be caned for he had also instigated the crowd. PTI

Pak court bans houbara hunting in Balochistan
Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Friday ordered cancellation of permits to foreigners, including Arab royals, hunting for a rare bird that conservationist warn is at the risk of extinction in the southwestern Balochistan province. The Balochistan High Court (BHC) issued the order on petitions filed by two citizens, who challenged the hunting of the houbara bustards and other birds by Arab royals in the province. PTI

Namibia govt confident of victory in first e-vote
Windhoek: Namibia's ruling party has predicted an easy victory in Friday's presidential and legislative elections, billed as the first e-vote in Africa. The South West Africa People's Organisation was forged from the embers of the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid struggle and has won every election since Namibia's independence from South Africa in 1990. AFP

Thai Parliament votes to ban commercial surrogacy
Bangkok: Thailand's Parliament has voted to ban commercial surrogacy after outrage erupted over the largely unregulated industry following allegations an Australian couple abandoned a baby with Down's syndrome. A draft bill passed its first reading in the country's military-stacked Parliament. PTI

Indian jailed for molesting minor in Bahrain
Manama: A 31-year-old Indian man has been jailed for three years for molesting a minor girl in Bahrain. The man, who works at a cafeteria, was convicted of molesting the 11-year-old by the High Criminal Court here. He kissed the schoolgirl on the lips at the cafeteria in East Riffa when she ordered breakfast. PTI

Russian warships enter English Channel
Moscow: A flotilla of Russian warships led by a large submarine hunting ship entered the English Channel on Friday in what naval officials said were preparations for a regular series of exercises. Russia's Northern Fleet said its four vessels were led by the Severomorsk destroyer and the Alexander Otrakovsky amphibious landing ship. AFP