Bangladeshi women trafficking in UAE by the ring forced for sex - working.
The victims are mostly women and they were sexually abused in different places and trafficked to different countries, including UAE with the promise of good jobs….reports Sumi Khan
Lured by the offer of handsome salaried jobs in Dubai, Bangladeshi women are becoming victims of a human trafficking gang, according to police.
Bina Rani Das, Additional Superintendent of Police of RAB-3, said once the women reached Dubai, their passports were seized by the traffickers and they were forced to work as sex slaves.
The RAB-3 have arrested four suspects, including a woman, in connection to the crime from Demra in the capital, Keraniganj on the outskirts of the city and Manikganj district on August 1.
Rape. (File Photo: IANS)
The four suspects have been identified as Shamima Akhter, Shankar Biswas, Sheikh Hanif Miah and Jewel Hossain.
Das further said that the operation to nab the suspects was carried out when the mother of a victim came to the RAB-3 office and lodged a complaint.
The victims said that they were sexually abused in different places, including Dubai, after they were trafficked there in the name of good jobs.
According to the police, the gang trafficks women to different countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the promise of good jobs.
A large number of Bangladeshi women are falling victims to human trafficking every year and the low conviction rate in such cases is encouraging the perpetrators to continue.
Sources said that the gang members prepare all the papers, including passports, visas and tickets, for the targeted women.
However, there is a condition that the matter should be kept a secret from their family members.
Earlier, the trafficking rings used various tactics to traffic women with the support of travel agencies of the country.
Faruk Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told IANS that the trafficking ring is a organised gang of women traffickers and they have been active in Bangladesh for long.
There are many Bangladeshi girls in Dubai. Many of them have fallen ill, but not sent to hospital for emergency treatment, not even back to Bangladesh .
The traffickers who are caught come out of jail taking the opportunity of the loopholes in the law, police officials told IANS, seeking anonymity.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced a historic exploration concession agreement to a consortium of four Pakistani companies…reports Asian Lite News
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced the signing of a historic exploration concession agreement, awarding the exploration rights for Abu Dhabi’s Offshore Block 5 to a consortium of four Pakistani companies – Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), and Government Holdings (Private) Limited (GHPL) – in Abu Dhabi’s second competitive block bid round. The consortium is led by PPL.
The award marks the first time Pakistani companies invest in and explore for oil and gas in an Abu Dhabi concession as well as the first time ADNOC partners with Pakistani energy companies.
The agreement builds on the deep-rooted bilateral relationship between the UAE and Pakistan and underscores ADNOC’s expanded approach to strategic partnerships, including those who can provide access to key growth markets for the company’s crude oil and products.
The exploration concession agreement was signed by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, and Moin Raza Khan, Managing Director and CEO of PPL.
Flag of the United Arab Emirates
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Al Jaber said, “This historic exploration concession award marks a new chapter of energy cooperation in the 50-year old UAE-Pakistan relationship. It represents an important platform upon which we can drive win-win opportunities to support Pakistan’s energy security and further strengthen the strategic and economic ties between our two countries. We are delighted to partner with Pakistan Petroleum Limited and the other members of the consortium on Offshore Block 5.
“The consortium was selected as part of Abu Dhabi’s block bid round where we have once again reinforced our approach to strategic partnerships that contribute the right combination of market access, capital, best-in-class expertise, or advanced technology. We are very optimistic about the potential to unlock significant value with all our partners in this second competitive block bid round as we continue to accelerate the exploration and development of Abu Dhabi’s untapped resources, in line with the Leadership’s wise directives.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the consortium will hold a 100% stake in the exploration phase, investing up to $304.7 million (AED1.12 billion) towards exploration and appraisal drilling, including a participation fee, to explore for and appraise oil and gas opportunities in the block that covers an offshore area of 6,223 square kilometers and is located 100 kilometers north east of Abu Dhabi city.
Khan said, “The PPL-led consortium is delighted to be selected for the concession award of Abu Dhabi’s Offshore Block-5. This award is not only a watershed moment for Pakistan and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi towards bilateral energy cooperation and economic links but also offers an opportunity to strengthen strategic cooperation with ADNOC to share technical know-how and expertise.
“We are particularly excited that this consortium comprises the ‘big four’ national exploration and production companies that are fully geared to support ADNOC and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in reinforcing its leading position in the global energy sector.”
Following a successful commercial discovery during the exploration phase, the consortium will have the right to a production concession to develop and produce such commercial discoveries. ADNOC has the option to hold a 60% stake in the production phase of the concession. The term of the production phase is 35 years from the commencement of the exploration phase and the block offers the potential to create significant in-country value for the UAE over the lifetime of the concession.
In addition to drilling exploration and appraisal wells, the exploration phase will see the consortium leverage and contribute financially and technically to ADNOC’s mega seismic survey, which is acquiring 3D seismic data within the block area. The data already acquired over a large part of the block combined with its proximity to existing oil and gas fields, suggests the concession area has promising potential.
ADNOC launched Abu Dhabi’s second competitive block bid round in 2019, offering a set of major onshore and offshore blocks, on behalf of the Government of Abu Dhabi. The award of Offshore Block 5 to the Pakistani consortium concludes this second block bid round, which has seen very competitive proposals submitted for the geographical areas offered.
Following ADNOC’s recent discoveries of 22 billion stock tank barrels (STB) of recoverable unconventional oil resources and 160 trillion standard cubic feet (SCF) of recoverable unconventional gas resources, it was decided not to award an exploration license for Onshore Block 2. ADNOC intends to engage with potential partners for unconventional resource licensing opportunities around this geographical area. This area contains some of the unconventional resources discovered that have production potential ranking alongside the most prolific North American shale oil plays.
As part of Abu Dhabi’s second block bid round, ADNOC awarded Offshore Block 4 to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd.; Offshore Block 3 to a consortium led by wholly-owned subsidiaries of Eni and PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP); and Onshore Block 5 to Occidental. Based on existing data from detailed petroleum system studies, seismic surveys, exploration, and appraisal wells data, estimates suggest the blocks in this second bid round hold multiple billion barrels of oil and multiple trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
PPL operates 15 producing fields across Pakistan and contributes over 20% of the country’s total natural gas supplies. As of June 2020, PPL’s proven recoverable reserves were 1,793.5 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas, 13.3 million barrels (mmbbl) of oil/ NGL/ condensate and 543.1 thousand tonnes (Ktons) of LPG.
Mr Rajeev Shukla, a veteran name in Indian Journalism and politics, pleasantly surprises with his understanding of the diaspora and their roots in his novel – Teen Samundar Paar published recently during the pandemic this year …. Review by Manish Tiwari
One of my most memorable trips was to Fiji where once out of the airport, I had a pleasant surprise to see a Hindi newspaper prominently displayed in the local newspaper corner. Further, as I embarked from the airport, the taxi driver spoke ‘Shudh Hindi’, the kind no one speaks in urban India anymore and we talked about his Indian roots culminating in a discussion about Ramayana.
It was beyond me that this man who had not even visited India in his lifetime, had a Ramayana at home which was not just an ornamental book to be revered but read daily. The struggles of life and politics in Fiji was evident in how the divide between black community and Indians defined the nation as predictably Indians were the business community and the divide was economic as well as cultural. The food was as close to home with the taste still lingering in my mouth and not what goes by Indian food in the restaurants across the globe and the sugarcane juice mixed with Indian masala and lime was exactly like India but without the grime and hygienic.
It was like a paradise for me where you got everything Indian but also clean air and natural bounty without the pollution and population.
Little did I know about the pain and separation and the journey for many to keep that ‘identity’ as a people displaced not by choice and desire to be global but rather born out of abject poverty a century or more ago.
Rajeev Shukla, a veteran name in Indian Journalism and politics, pleasantly surprises with his understanding of the diaspora and their roots in his novel – Teen Samundar Paar published recently during the pandemic this year.
The heartbreak and the pain of being displaced centuries ago and the struggle to keep that identity and connection in spite of all challenges beautifully creates the backdrop of the novel though eventually it becomes a feel good novel about a women taking what is rightfully hers in a world where her family has been wronged.
Mr Shukla has a style which is a rare combination of serious journalistic impulses mixed with racy narrative style which makes this novel a potboiler but without losing its sensitive moorings in the pain and journey of a diaspora wronged in many ways but strong enough to survive it all and still retain that Indian ness which defines the people from the subcontinent.
Vishwanath named after the famous deity from Benaras, becomes the Prime Minister of Trinidad and eventually betrayed by his own kin is the central plot of the novel and how Sylvia his daughter eventually returns to avenge the wrongdoing, forms the second half of the book. There are too many parallels close to real life figures as Rajeev frequently draws from his extensive foray into Cricket and life of politics to create characters who I am sure he has met along his way. He tries to thinly disguise them but quite often spells them out in an effort to make the narrative relevant and believable. The narrator – Prashant comes close to real life election psephologist – Prashant Kishore and Shukla makes him, his alter ego for the purpose of the novel. I am sure his close friends will find other characters whom they identify.
Author Rajeev Shukla with Manish Tiwari
This is a new phase of writing in Hindi with a global backdrop but with great comfort and understanding of the people and culture and how the new Indians who are rich and can afford ‘luxury cruise’ are still struggling with sexual morality and the inherent hypocrisy embedded in the Indian way of life. Shukla’s writing wades through this in the backdrop of holidaying Indians on the global luxury cruise while keeping his narrative focused on the story of Silvia in a racy way and that is the strength of the novel that its immensely readable and likeable but it doesn’t pretend to be literary and is rather a happy story.
The love story of Silvia and Smith is another area which has not been touched upon by Indian writers as a love story between an Indian and a black African origin West Indian.
Living in the UK, I have often come across highly educated and well to do Indians who are almost traumatised by the thought of their son or daughter getting married to a black boy or girl. They consider this possibly as the worst outcome and secretly dread it even if they are not able to voice it in the age of politically correct mores of public life. Rajeev Shukla deftly deals with this subject and shows great sensitivity in bringing out the nuances of a love affair between an Indian girl who is never expected to fall in love with a black man. However, at times this becomes too simplistic and too good to be true. Nevertheless, Rajeev deals with a social taboo which the Indian diaspora needs to look at. Even a man as educated and well-heeled as Rajat Gupta who led McKinsey found it difficult for his daughter to marry an African American as he talks about in his book. The political and racial divide between South Asian diaspora and the black communities abound and is a proof that Indians are as racist or perhaps more than their white counterparts.
That said, this is a great read for the diaspora and I wish Mr Shukla, success with this novel which doesn’t have a precedence in Hindi literature and is actually quite contemporary and doesn’t have any pretensions to be literary and hence is a great read. It starts with a storyline much like Akhilesh’s acclaimed Hindi novel Nirvasan (Exile) and eventually becomes a racy feel good story more in the tradition of Hindi thrillers.
The references to London makes you relook at this city and one can’t help but notice that the writer has a great love for this city and its Indian denizens who make this city an all-out Indian affair. He perhaps knows more about the city and its secrets than many of us and he should certainly do a novel based in London and its Indian characters.
Rajeev Shukla is both a politician and a journalist of a rare kind who retains his humanity above all but he is equally a keen observer of the diaspora and a great story teller as is evident with this book. I am sure this novel will capture the imagination of the diaspora if translated in English and available to the young readers, a challenge in our oversubscribed digital age. Needless to say it will also make for a great Netflix series.
The Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh censured the attacks that took place in Kabul, Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News
The Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh has strongly condemned the attacks that occurred in Kabul, Afghanistan recently.
“We grieve for the loss of Afghan and British civilians and American service members at the hands of Daesh/ISIS terrorists. The tragic loss of life is only compounded by the fact that those killed were endeavoring to evacuate or working to conduct that humanitarian mission,” the Coalition said in a statement.
Afghan security force members are seen at the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan
“The Coalition and its partners continue to stand shoulder to shoulder, as we did when we fought to achieve the territorial defeat of Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Daesh/ISIS remains a determined enemy and we will continue to take necessary action to ensure its enduring defeat. To that end, we are focused on leveraging the Coalition’s expertise and the efforts of its working groups to counter Daesh/ISIS’ global branches, including Daesh/ISIS-Khorasan, and to identify and bring their members to justice.
“We will continue working closely together under the auspices of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS to effectively counter this dangerous threat. In that effort, we will draw on all elements of national power military, intelligence, diplomatic, economic, law enforcement to ensure the defeat of this brutal terrorist organization. We will continue to apply robust counterterrorism pressure against Daesh/ISIS wherever it operates,” added statement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) conducted a farewell ceremony for the Ambassador of Mali to the UAE and Ambassador of Spain to the UAE…reports Asian Lite News
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) today held a farewell ceremony at the Emirates Palace Hotel for Boukary Sidibe, Ambassador of Mali to the UAE, and Antonio Álvarez Barthe, Ambassador of Spain to the UAE, to commemorate the end of their terms as ambassadors of their countries.
At the start of the ceremony, Aliaa Al Mehrezi, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry for Protocol Affairs, made a speech commending the distinguished efforts of both ambassadors to enhance relations between their countries and the UAE while wishing them luck and success in their future endeavours.
Farewell Party for Mali, Spain Envoys
She conveyed the appreciation of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, for them and his best wishes in their future assignments.
The two ambassadors thanked the Emirati officials and hailed the wise policy of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The two diplomats highlighted the most important achievements accomplished between their respective countries and the UAE in all domains.
Farewell Party for Mali, Spain Envoys
They also praised the developing bilateral ties between the UAE and their respective countries and thanked Emirati officials for their cooperation and support, which contributed positively to their assignment of enhancing the distinguished ties between their countries and the UAE.
The event was attended by Arab and foreign diplomats and officials from the ministry.
Ending their20-year presence, the United States forces pulled out from Afghanistan on Monday, leaving the Taliban in control of the country, reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said the international community will “push as one voice” for the safe passage of Afghans who want to leave.
Johnson’s comments came after the UN Security Council urged the Taliban to allow people to leave the country, the BBC reported.
Ending their20-year presence, the United States forces pulled out from Afghanistan on Monday, leaving the Taliban in control of the country. The British troops also left over the weekend.
In a draft resolution adopted on Monday evening, the UN Security Council also urged the Taliban not to allow Afghanistan to become a base for terrorism.
And it called on all parties to allow “full, safe and unhindered access” for the UN and charities to deliver humanitarian aid.
The resolution, drafted by the UK and France, was passed with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions, from China and Russia.
Prime Minister Johnson said the passing of the resolution “makes clear that the international community stands with Afghans”.
“There can be no return to repression or terror. We will push as one voice for safe passage, humanitarian access and respect for human rights,” he wrote on Twitter.
But Dame Barbara Woodward, the UK’s ambassador to the UN, said the militants would be judged “on the basis of their actions on the ground, not their words”.
She said the immediate priority is ensuring that all those who wish to leave Afghanistan can do so safely. “We have been clear that the Taliban must adhere to their own stated commitments to ensure safe passage, beyond 31 August,” she said.
She also said that the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country requires urgent attention.
“We are coordinating closely with partners to strengthen efforts to support humanitarian assistance and ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian workers and organisations,” the ambassador added.
“The gains of the last 20 years must be protected, and human rights, including those of women and children and minorities, safeguarded. This resolution lays down a marker that the international community will be watching closely.”
Taliban celebrate US withdrawal
Taliban on Tuesday fired their guns in the air in celebration as the United States completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, after 20 years of military presence.
“Parts of Kabul erupted in celebratory gunfire after the last US C-17 aircraft lifted off from Hamid Karzai International Airport right before midnight shortly after the last aircraft departed,” CNN reported.
General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of the US Central Command, made the withdrawal announcement at a Pentagon news briefing.
“I announce the completion of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the end of the military mission to evacuate American citizens and Afghans… The last C-17 lifted off from Hamid Karzai Airport on August 30 this afternoon at 3:29 pm (local time), he said.
Following US troops withdrawal, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has also said the last American soldier left Kabul airport at 9 pm Afghan time.
Gunfire in dark skies of Kabul #Afghanistan as Taliban militants celebrate the withdrawal of all US troops after 20 yrs.
US went in to overthrow Qaeda / Taliban in 2001, leaves with Taliban back in power in 2021: pic.twitter.com/D2paqBmWoy
The UAE boasts a conducive ecosystem that provides business leaders with fresh and well-informed perspectives on important dynamics that are disrupting ‘business as usual’…reports Asian Lite News
Haitham Abdulbaqi, a Lebanese investor and businessman who is the founder, chairman, and CEO of the Taif Al Emarat Perfumes Group, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the UAE has – in a record time – taken robust measures to diversify its industrial and manufacturing base.
He noted that investors are turning to the UAE as a rapidly growing global financial and economic hub, thanks to the forward-looking policies of its wise leadership, who are always working to develop appropriate frameworks to attract foreign capital and latest technologies, especially in vital sectors, for the benefit of the national economy as well as the investors, both Emiratis, and foreigners.
The founder of the Dubai-based company praised the visionary vision of the UAE wise leadership and their trend-setting efforts to provide a robust legislative environment that keeps pace with the rapid changes taking place in the global economic landscape.
“These business-friendly policies provide significant support for companies operating in the UAE, and enhance their competitiveness and ability to access global and regional markets,” he added.
Since 2001, research progressed, enrolment of female students as well as research burgeoned on topics from cancer to geology…reports Asian Lite News.
The withdrawal of US forces and return of the Taliban in Afghanistan has stoked much fear and dejection among research scientists who predict huge losses not only in terms of funding but also of science.
During their reign from 1996-2001, the fundamentalist group brutally enforced a conservative version of Islamic Sharia law, characterised by women’s-rights violations and suppression of freedom of expression, Nature reported.
But after they were overthrown in 2001 by a US-led coalition and a new government elected in 2004, international funding including from the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development and other organisations poured into Afghanistan and universities thrived.
Since 2001, research progressed, enrolment of female students as well as research burgeoned on topics from cancer to geology.
But with the regime now taking over again, scientists fear for their lives and the future of research. While many are fleeing out of the country, those who remain face lack of funding and the threat of persecution for being involved in international collaborations, or because of their fields of study or their ethnicity, the report said.
News reports claim that billions of dollars in overseas finance for Afghanistan’s government, such as assets held by the US Federal Reserve and credit from the International Monetary Fund, have been frozen.
“The future is very uncertain,” geologist Hamidullah Waizy, a researcher at Kabul Polytechnic University was quoted as saying.
“The achievements we had over the past 20 years are all at great risk,a added Attaullah Ahmadi, a public-health scientist at Kateb University in Kabul.
In the last 20 years, some three dozen public universities have been established or re-established since 2010, and tens more private universities have been set up.
Even the student population at public universities grew to 170,000 in 2018 from 8,000 in 2001, and one-quarter of these were women, the report said.
Further, the number of research papers also increased to 285 in 2019 from 71 in 2011, according to Scopus – a database of peer-reviewed literature.
But now “there will be a stagnation of science and research progress”, Shakardokht Jafari, a medical physicist at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, who is originally from Afghanistan.
While many researchers have gone into hiding, or plan to cross into neighbouring countries, some are also seeking asylum overseas. In August alone, humanitarian organization Scholars at Risk (SAR) in New York City received more than 500 applications from people in Afghanistan, the report said.
So far, 164 institutions globally have agreed to host scholars, and SAR has appealed to US and European governments to fast-track visas and continue evacuation flights, said Rose Anderson, director at SAR.
However, several researchers report that the Taliban is in discussion with university heads about restarting classes. There are also suggestions that women might be allowed to continue their studies, although the Taliban has ordered that women and men be taught separately, and some universities have proposed introducing partitions in classrooms, the report said.
This comes days after Tokyo and Taipei held the first-ever security talks….reports Asian Lite News
Four Chinese vessels entered Japanese territorial waters off Senkaku islands, said Japan’s coast guard on Monday.
This comes days after Tokyo and Taipei held the first-ever security talks.
According to the Japan coast guard, the vessels were reportedly approaching a Japanese fishing boat.
The Coast Guard said the four Chinese ships entered Japan’s waters off Uotsuri Island and Minamikojima Island, two of the Senkaku Islands, one after another starting at around 2:40 a.m, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
It said that, as of 3:30 a.m., three of the vessels were sailing 12 to 17 kilometres south of Uotsuri Island. It says the other was traveling about 15 kilometers south-southwest of Minamikojima Island.
Japan controls the Senkaku Islands, however, China and Taiwan continue to claim them. Tokyo maintains the islands are an inherent part of its territory as per history and international law.
On Friday, the ruling parties of Taiwan and Japan held their first diplomatic and defence policy discussion, with representatives of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) pledging to support Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Global Times reported.
China, which considers Taiwan as its integral part, lodged a strong opposition to the security talks and urged Tokyo to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Beijing has been increasing its maritime activities in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea over the past few months, partly in response to Beijing’s concerns over the increasing US military presence in the region because of escalating Sino-US tensions.
Beijing’s rising assertiveness against counter claimants in the East and South Sea has resulted in unprecedented agreement across the Indo-Pacific. (ANI)
The British government is facing strong criticism for reportedly leaving behind hundreds of Afghans who were eligible for relocation in the UK behind…reports Asian Lite News.
UK Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood has called the evacuation of personnel and Afghans who worked for the British troops during the 20-year-long presence of the US-led coalition in the country a “humiliation.”
“After 20 years, we are now out, and we have very little to show for it. We lacked the strategy, the statecraft, the patience to see it through. This manner of our departure is a humiliation,” Ellwood, who chairs the parliament’s Defense Select Committee, told Sky News on Sunday evening, as the last plane with people evacuated from the Central Asian country was about to land at the Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire, England.
The lawmaker and former soldier said that there is a “litany of concerns” about Operation Pitting, as the mission to get UK citizens and eligible Afghans out of Afghanistan following the Taliban (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) takeover was code-named.
The British government is facing strong criticism for reportedly leaving behind hundreds of Afghans who were eligible for relocation in the UK behind.
According to the opposition Labour Party, thousands of letters and emails relating to Afghan refugees were not opened by Foreign Office officials dealing with the operation.
HISTORY TURNS A NEW PAGE
Our exodus from Afghanistan has left the world a more dangerous place.
It symbolises how weak the West has become -a belated reality check that the high water mark for post-WW2 western liberalism is now behind us.
Junior Foreign Minister James Cleverly on Monday admitted receiving a “huge influx of correspondence” from charities, individuals and members of parliament, but said that the government’s priority was to evacuate those who had received approval and had been called forward.
“Obviously, the priority was for the people who were at the airport, who had the right documentation, to actually get on the airplanes when we still had control of the airport”, Cleverly told Sky News.
According to the UK Ministry of Defense, nearly 15,000 British nationals, Afghan staff and their families, and others at risk were evacuated from Kabul since Operation Pitting began on August 13. (ANI/Sputnik)
