Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 14 June 2017
Iraq: Food poisoning strikes hundreds at camp for displaced

By BALINT SZLANKO ately be reconciled. Amira
SINAN SALAHEDDIN Abdulhaliq of the UNHCR
Associated Press said it was unclear when
HASSAN SHAM U2 CAMP, the meals had become
Iraq (AP) — Food poison- contaminated, whether it
ing at a camp for dis- was during its preparation,
placed residents of Mosul packaging, transportation
has made more than 700 or distribution.
people sick, with hundreds “So far, we have received
hospitalized, Iraqi officials around 800 cases. Around
said Tuesday. 200 have been transport-
The incident at the Hassan ed to the hospitals in Irbil,”
Sham U2 camp, about 20 she said. Irbil Gov. Nawzad
kilometers (13 miles) east Hadi said the food was
of Mosul, has become part prepared in an Irbil restau-
of the ongoing dispute be- rant by a local NGO, Ain el
tween Saudi Arabia and Muhtajeen, and funded by
Qatar. Saudi media ac- a Qatari charity known as
cused a Qatari charity of RAF. In Saudi Arabia, which
supplying tainted food to has been leading a recent
the residents of the desert campaign to isolate Qatar,
camp.Iraqi Health Minis- state media quickly seized
ter Adila Hamoud told The In this frame grab from video, a man comforts his daughter as a doctor treats her after she was on the issue with coverage
Associated Press that 752 taken ill with suspected food poisoning in the Hassan Sham U2 camp for displaced people lo- that implied Qatar was
people in the camp be- cated about 20 kilometers (13 miles) east of Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Iraq’s health poisoning refugees delib-
came ill following a Mon- minister, Adila Hamoud, told The Associated Press in Baghdad that 752 people had been taken ill erately.On Twitter, Saudi
day night iftar — the meal and at least two died after they took part in a Monday night meal to break the Muslim dawn-to- state television accused
dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
breaking the dawn-to-dusk (AP Photo/Balint Szlanko) RAF of supplying tainted
fast by Muslims during the meals and posted images
holy month of Ramadan. The Health Ministry report- from other causes. The pro- first reported one death it said showed the camp’s
At least 300 people remain ed that no one had died vincial governor said there but later said nobody had children “poisoned by the
in serious condition, he from food poisoning. Two had been one death. The died. The conflicting re- terrorist Qatari RAF organi-
said. deaths cited earlier were U.N. refugee agency at ports could not immedi- zation.” q
Egypt committee approves deal on islands’ transfer to Saudis

By HAMZA HENDAWI Union in downtown Cairo tary rule,” they screamed. protests of el-Sissi’s presi- ment to the defense and
Associated Press and gathered on the steps They were on the steps for dency when the agree- national security com-
CAIRO (AP) — leading down to the street, several minutes before po- ment was announced in mittee, which will study
Egyptian police and pro- chanting anti-government lice attacked them. April 2016. the document and make
testers opposed to a dis- slogans. They were staging Police officials later said an Critics say parliament, a recommendation on
puted 2016 agreement to a sit-in protest inside the unspecified number or ar- which is packed with his whether the house should
transfer two Red Sea islands building, according to the rests were made but that supporters, is defying a fi- ratify or reject it.
to Saudi Arabia clashed witnesses. all those detained were nal court ruling that struck The government says
late Tuesday in downtown They said the policemen later released. down the transfer in Janu- the islands of Tiran and
Cairo, just hours after a par- punched and kicked pro- The officials spoke on con- ary. Sanafir were always Saudi
liamentary committee ap- testers and beat them with dition of anonymity be- Parliamentary approval is but were placed under
proved the deal. sticks. cause they were not au- nevertheless expected and Egypt’s protection amid
Witnesses said plainclothes Before the violence broke thorized to speak to the pro-el-Sissi lawmakers say Arab-Israeli tensions in the
policemen moved to dis- out, the protesters were media. The witnesses insist- the chamber has a consti- 1950s. Critics have linked
perse dozens of protesters chanting slogans against ed on anonymity because tutional right to ratify any the transfer to the billions of
soon after they emerged Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, they feared reprisals. international agreement. dollars in Saudi aid given to
from inside the head- Egypt’s general-turned- The planned transfer of the Tuesday’s vote in the leg- el-Sissi’s government, say-
quarters of the Journalists’ president. “Down with mili- islands sparked the biggest islative and constitutional ing it amounts to a sell-off
committee — 35 for, 8 of sovereign territory.
against — approved both The announcement of
the content of the agree- the agreement, during a
ment and the legality of its visit to Cairo by the Saudi
referral to parliament for king in April 2016, was fol-
ratification. lowed by the largest anti-
The vote, by show of hands, government protests since
came on the third day of el-Sissi took office in 2014.
an often raucous debate Hundreds of demonstrators
by committee members, and activists were arrested,
with rival lawmakers ac- with most later released.
cusing each other of trea- Shortly before Tuesday’s
son and working for foreign vote, a small group of law-
governments. At times yers opposed to the agree-
the shouting gave way to ment protested amid tight
pushing and shoving. security outside the down-
Hours later, a plenary ses- town Cairo offices of the
sion referred the agree- lawyers’ union. q