Ukraine says Russia has sent in troops, Obama appeals to Putin

Armed men patrol near the regional parliament building in the Crimean city of Simferopol March 1, 2014. PHOTO: REUTERS

SIMFEROPOL / KIEV: Ukraine accused Russia on Saturday of sending thousands of additional troops to the southern Crimea region, which has a majority ethnic Russian population, and said it had placed its military in the region on high alert.

Russia said unidentified gunmen sent by Kiev had attempted overnight to seize the Crimea region’s Interior Ministry offices and that people had been wounded in the attack. It accused Kiev of a “treacherous provocation”.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk urged Moscow to cease what it called provocative actions, echoing a warning by US President Barack Obama who said any military intervention following the overthrow of Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovich would have costs for Moscow.

Armed men wearing combat uniform with no identification markings control two airports in Crimea, which hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and have taken over the regional parliament in what Kiev described as an occupation by Moscow’s forces.

“It is unacceptable when armored Russian military vehicles are out in the centre of Ukrainian towns,” Yatseniuk said at the start of a government meeting in Kiev.

“We do not give in to provocative actions, we do not use force and we demand that Russia stop its provocative actions and return the troops to base.”

Russia says any movements by its military in Crimea are in line with agreements with Ukraine in the lease of the naval base in the port city of Sevastopol and accused Kiev of trying to destabilize the Black Sea peninsula.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Kiev-backed gunmen had attempted to take over the offices of the Crimean Interior Ministry. It said people had been wounded but gave no details. There was no confirmation of such an action from other sources.

“With decisive actions by self-defense groups, the attempt to seize the interior ministry building was averted. This confirms the desire of prominent political circles in Kiev to destabilize the peninsula,” it said in a statement.

Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksander Turchinov, said on Friday that Russia was following a scenario like the one before it went to war with fellow former Soviet republic Georgia in 2008 over two breakaway regions. The regions are now fully beyond the control of Tbilisi.

Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh told Saturday’s government meeting that Russia had “recently” brought 6,000 additional personnel into Ukraine and that the Ukrainian military were on high alert in the Crimea region.

Several military transport planes and about 10 military helicopters had entered Ukrainian airspace on Friday without permission, he said

South Korea proposes regular family reunions with North

A visitor (L) looks towards the north through a pair of binoculars near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, 55 km (34 miles) north of Seoul. PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL: South Korean President Park Geun-hye made a formal proposal to North Korea on Saturday to hold family reunions regularly, uniting families separated since the 1950-53 Korean war, a sign Seoul is seeking to improve relations with the North.

The reunions used to be held roughly annually, but until this February had not taken place since 2010 when tensions between the two Koreas spiraled after the South said the North sank one of its naval vessels.

The latest family reunion was held between February 20-25 at the Mount Kumgang resort just north of the border and a total of 813 family members met in tears and joy.

“I propose to North Korea to make family reunions regular in order to ease the deep sorrow of the separated families as soon as possible. North Korea too has separated families and I believe it also has to relieve their pain and agony,” said Park in a speech marking the March First Independence Movement Day.

“There is not much time left for these elderly Koreans. The event in which separated families reunite should not be a special occasion any more, said Park.

“One people and one reunified Korean peninsula is the completion of the March First spirit and will contribute to the peace of North East Asia and the world.”

This year commemorates the 95th year of the declaration of the nation’s independence from Japanese colonization on March 1 1919.

There have been 19 family reunions since the first in 1985,during a previous thaw in relations between Seoul and Pyongyang, but the events have never been regular and have ebbed and flowed with the state of Korean relations.

Last Thursday, days after the six-day family reunion came to a close and annual US and South Korean joint military exercises began, North Korea fired four short-range missiles over the sea off its eastern coast.

The North has denounced the joint military exercises as a preparation for war while Seoul and Washington have said the annual drills are defensive in nature.

Russian parliament approves use of 'stabilising contingent' in Crimea

A woman holds a sign during a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in Kiev, on Saturday. PHOTO: AFP

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday secured a vote in upper house of parliament for the use of Russian troops as a ‘stabilising contingent’ in Crimea, the Kremlin said, despite warnings from the US not to intervene.

“In connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine and the threat to the lives of Russian citizens… I submit to the Federation Council a request to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory until the normalisation of the political situation in that country,” the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying in the document.

Putin said that Russia also had to protect servicemen from its Black Sea Fleet which is based on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea “fully in line with an international accord”.

The request was made on the basis of point “G” of the first part of section 102 of the Russian constitution on allowing the use of Russian troops beyond the borders of the country.

There were no further details on the document and Putin has yet to speak publicly about the situation in Ukraine since the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych last week.

Putin’s move came after the heads of both the lower and upper houses of parliament on Saturday urged him to take measures over the situation in Ukraine and in particular the overwhelmingly pro-Russian peninsula of Crimea.

Federation Council speaker Valentina Matviyenko said earlier that it is possible “to send a limited contingent of troops to ensure the security of the Black Sea Fleet and Russian citizens.”

Meanwhile, the speaker of the State Duma lower house Sergei Naryshkin read out a request in the name of all MPs for Putin to use “all possibilities” to restore stability in Crimea.

Ukraine’s new Defence Minister Igor Tenyukh said Saturday the Russian forces are already in the country, accusing Russia of sending 30 armoured personnel carriers and 6,000 additional troops into Crimea.

Unlike most legislations in Russia, the use of armed forces abroad only requires the approval of the rubber-stamp Federation Council without any need for a preliminary okay from the State Duma lower house.

The Kremlin has been rattled by the sudden overthrow of Yanukovych and the installation of pro-EU and sometimes staunchly anti-Russian new authorities in his place, fearing a permanent loss of influence in Russia’s ex-Soviet neighbour.

US President Barack Obama on Friday warned that “there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine”

Bilateral ties: Britain pledges support in fight against militancy

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Philip Barton. PHOTO: GOV.UK

ISLAMABAD: 

Britain is standing ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism and discussions are already under way on how London can help Islamabad enforce the recently announced internal security policy, the country’s high commissioner Philip Barton said on Friday.

Barton was speaking to the media men a day after he officially presented his letter of credentials to President Mamnoon Hussain as Britain’s top envoy to Pakistan.

The envoy said it was not for him to comment on policies devised by the government of Pakistan to tackle militancy. “[But] we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Pakistan government as they tackle terrorism in the country and we will support the government as it takes forward its efforts in this area,” he said.

Barton termed the internal security policy, unveiled by Chaudhry Nisar in parliament as part of Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Policy, a ‘very important’ strategy against terrorism. “We are already in discussions with the government on how we can support it in the implementation and delivery of that strategy.”

He said Britain has already been collaborating with Pakistan on security issues in the past. “[The collaboration is] in terms of discussing strategy on how to best tackle the problem and deriving practical ways such as providing assistance on how you can bring criminals to justice,” Barton said.

Barton reiterated his commitment of focusing on three areas: trade, education and security. He said the two countries are aiming to raise bilateral trade and investment to £3 billion per year by 2015. In order to achieve this target, he said, he will focus on making British businesses aware about good business opportunities in Pakistan.

Turkish parliament delivers blow to schools run by Erdogan rival

Students walk past photographs of modern Turkey's secular founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk hanging on a wall at a university in Turkey. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s parliament passed legislation to shut down private preparatory schools, many of which are an important source of income and influence for an Islamic cleric that prime minister Tayyip Erdogan accuses of running a covert campaign to topple him.

Lawmakers late on Friday set a deadline of September 1 2015 to close the schools, news channels reported, which millions of students attend to prepare for entrance examinations to win limited spots at state high schools and universities.

The government has accused cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers wield influence in the police and judiciary, of concocting a graft scandal to compromise Erdogan and his government. The scandal broke with police raids on December 17 but ties between the ex-allies have been tense for several years.

The government’s initial moves to shut down cram centers late last year escalated those tensions ahead of the March 30 municipal election, seen as a critical test of support for Erdogan after 11 years in power.

Education is central to US-based Gulen’s Hizmet, or service, movement’s mission. Their respected prep schools help spread influence across a nationwide network, and shutting them will deprive Hizmet of a chief source of financing.

Followers of Gulen, who preach respect for science, democracy and dialogue with other faiths, have forged a powerful socio-religious community network active. Gulen, who says he has no plans to form a political party, denies any involvement in the graft investigation.

Erdogan remains by far Turkey’s most popular politician. In parliament he faces a weak opposition and, supporters argue, at the polling stations his success in driving Turkey’s economy could eclipse any damage from corruption accusations.

Erdogan has said that abolishing the cram schools is part of a larger reform of an “unhealthy” educational system that ranks Turkey below the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average in literacy, math and science.

The law allows some of the cram schools to become private schools, giving them free access to properties that belong to the Treasury, and for the Education Ministry to recruit some of the teachers to work in public schools.

Pakistan among top three contributors in NEPA, Microsoft

“Pakistan is one of the top three countries [in NEPA] for Microsoft in terms of contribution to the business,” said Aamer Kaleem. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: 

Pakistan is among the top three contributors to Microsoft’s business in North Africa Eastern Mediterranean and Pakistan (NEPA) – one of 13 business regions for the company worldwide – according to a top official of the Washington-based technology giant.

“Pakistan is one of the top three countries [in NEPA] for Microsoft in terms of contribution to the business,” said Aamer Kaleem who is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Worldwide Communications Sales Team at Microsoft Corp and based in Chicago.

The CTO stated this during an interview with The Express Tribune earlier this month. He was in Karachi to address Pakistan’s corporate customers in an event about unified communications, which also featured their flagship enterprise solution ‘Lync’.

Kaleem’s visit endorses the company’s official stance that Pakistan is a growing market for the tech giant with a lot of business opportunities.

It is perhaps for the same reason that MS sent to the country the man who has global responsibilities to drive revenue and deployments for Lync business – the CTO along with his local team briefed corporate customers about worldwide enterprise communication trends and discussed how customers in Pakistan could benefit from Microsoft Lync.

Besides contribution to the business, there are several other trends that are driving the company’s interest in the market.

In the NEPA region, a cluster of up to 10 countries, Pakistan ranks very high in technology adoption and in solutions applied by the customers, Kaleem said.

“Pakistan is a new emerging market with a huge potential,” Kaleem said. Though it may sound strange but sometimes people here get the latest products first than the mature market, he added. “Pakistani customers are more nimble; they are more adaptive to technology [compared to the regional markets].”

Talking about market potential for Lync, Kaleem said Pakistanis are very hungry to consume more in communications “just like they have used WhatsApp and Viber”. In terms of enterprise, Lync is no different, he said drawing a contrast with such social media apps.

The CTO’s optimism about the Pakistani market is understandable as their enterprise solution is already getting some attention.

“In Pakistan, a majority of the top tier banks are using Lync,” Kaleem said. The customers who have adopted Lync as a collaboration platform include banks, telecommunication companies and educational institutes, he said – the customers are ready to take communication to the next level now, he said. For example, he said a provincial government in Pakistan was going for citizen connection and is using these communication platforms from Microsoft. “I have seen this happen in a developed country like Canada and USA,” Kaleem said.

Explaining the technology, Kaleem said Lync has multiple elements. “It has software element offering software to software or PC to PC collaboration and then there is telephony system, which is new to market,” he said. The purpose of this event was to introduce the telephony part to the customers, he said.

The software giant launched Lync in 2007 and rebranded it three years ago. With the acquisition of Skype, Microsoft now has 350 million active users. While Skype is a consumer product, the company is branding Lync as its enterprise product.

Lync can be used for the emergency services management, Kaleem said responding to the question how the country can benefit from the product. Secondly, he said, it can be used for good governance. Lync offers consumer solutions, which can benefit politicians, social institutions, healthcare institutions, education sector and law enforcement agencies, he said – these institutions can provide useful information to the public using this platform.

While the country remains on the radar of tech giants like MS for it forms a large customer base for technology products, its talented workforce also serves as a base to export bright minds these organizations.

“In Microsoft, there are a lot of Pakistanis on senior positions,” Kaleem said. “That’s mainly because they have proven their worth, and not because they are Pakistanis.”

Corporate results: PSO’s after-tax profit grows 150% in six months

Net sales rose 14% to Rs612 billion in July-December 2013-14 against Rs535 billion in the same period last year. CREATIVE COMMONS

KARACHI: 

After-tax earnings of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) rose 150% to Rs15.8 billion in the first half of current financial year compared to Rs6.31 billion in the corresponding period of previous year.

This record six-month profit eclipsed earnings of Rs12.6 billion in the entire financial year 2012-13, said PSO in a statement on Friday.

PSO’s board of management, which met at the company’s headquarters to review its performance, declared a dividend of Rs4 per share and 10% bonus shares.

Net sales rose 14% to Rs612 billion in July-December 2013-14 against Rs535 billion in the same period last year. “We believe higher sales of furnace oil and motor spirit are the key drivers of topline growth,” said Topline Securities in a report.

The main factor behind the earnings was huge other income, which grew to Rs14.7 billion compared to Rs3.3 billion in the first half of 2012-13.

According to the statement, PSO led the market with a share of 63% while its share in black oil and white oil stood at 75% and 53% respectively during the six-month period.

Sales of furnace oil and motor gasoline grew 13% and 15% respectively. A decline of 6.4% in sales of high-speed diesel in the first quarter was followed by a growth of 3.5% in the second quarter, resulting in 1% decline over the six-month period.

PSO said it achieved substantial cost efficiencies as distribution and marketing expenses rose only 4%.

The positive impact of sales and cost efficiency was partially offset by depreciation of the rupee against the dollar by about 6.5%. This resulted in an exchange loss of Rs2.2 billion compared to Rs0.96 billion in the same period last year.