SHAABAN 23, 1442 AH MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2021 16 Pages Max 31º Min 18º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 18401 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Easter marked under curbs Maoist rebels kill 22 Indian Logjam deepens at ports as Oyarzabal salutes fans after 5 as Pope urges jabs for poor 6 security forces in gun battle 8 pandemic strikes shipping 16 Sociedad win Copa del Rey Plot to ‘destabilize’ Jordan foiled amid wave of arrests Amir calls King Abdullah, supports all measures taken to preserve stability, security AMMAN: Jordan said yesterday it had foiled a progress and prosperity under the wise leadership plot to “destabilize” the kingdom involving a half- of HH the Amir. brother of King Abdullah II and arrested at least The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry on Saturday said 16 suspects. Hamzah bin Hussein - a former crown the country is standing side by side with Jordan. prince stripped of that title by the monarch in Kuwait supports Jordan in all measures and deci- 2004 - and the others had worked with foreign sions taken by King Abdullah and Crown Prince parties to “undermine the security” of Jordan, Hussein to maintain security and stability of the Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said. kingdom, the ministry said in a statement. Stability Washington, Gulf allies and the Arab League were and security of Jordan are an integral part of quick to stress their support for Abdullah’s pro- Kuwait’s security and stability, the statement noted. Western government in Amman, seen as an anchor Prince Hamzah, 41, had Saturday released a of stability in the Middle East. video message via the BBC in which he accused the HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad authorities of nepotism and corruption and charged Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday called King Abdullah, that he had been placed under house arrest. Hamzah during which he renewed Kuwait’s stance with in his message - sent via a satellite link from his Jordan and its support of all the actions and deci- Amman palace - lashed out at Jordan’s “ruling sys- sions taken by King Abdullah and Crown Prince tem” and said several of his friends had been arrest- Hussein to preserve the security and stability of the ed, his security detail removed and his Internet and kingdom, based on the close and solid ties between phone lines cut. the two brotherly countries. HH the Amir prayed to He denied being part of “any conspiracy or the Almighty to protect Jordan from all evil and to nefarious organization” but said the country of 10 perpetuate the grace of security, safety and pros- million people had “become stymied in corruption, perity under the wise leadership of the king. in nepotism and in misrule” and that nobody was King Abdullah expressed his deep thanks and allowed to criticize the authorities. The official appreciation to HH the Amir for his support, which newspaper Al-Rai warned yesterday that Jordan’s embodies the long-standing historical ties that bind “security and stability” were a “red line that must AMMAN: A Jordanian street vendor reads a local newspaper yesterday with a headline on its front page the two countries and the two brotherly peoples. He not be crossed or even approached”. reading ‘Army: No one is above the law’. — AFP prayed to God to bless him and Kuwait with Continued on Page 2 els. “Encouragingly, early monetary, pru- “improved public sentiment and bright- Central Bank dential and fiscal policy interventions since ened economic prospects”, Hashel added. the outbreak of the pandemic have On the domestic front, contact-intensive Call for probe ensured that the country’s productive businesses have been “adapting”, he said. sees positive capacity remains broadly unscathed, offer- This is demonstrated in the rise of online into lawmakers’ ing hopes of a swift recovery once the sales, restaurants being an example. The growth in 2021 pandemic is brought under control,” he recovery in oil prices, reaching their high- told The Banker in an interview. est levels in more than a year, also bodes ‘illegal’ income KUWAIT: Central Bank of Kuwait In spite of the economy being ham- well for Kuwait’s oil and non-oil gross Governor Dr Mohammad Al-Hashel By B Izzak pered due to lockdowns and the recent domestic product growth, he mentioned. expects the country to witness “positive drop in oil prices, particularly in the first With regards to monetary policy meas- growth” during 2021, but conceded it will KUWAIT: Opposition lawmaker Saleh Al- half of 2020, the government-led inocula- ures taken to face the crisis, the Central “take time” to return to pre-pandemic lev- tion campaign, currently underway, has Continued on Page 2 Mohammad Al-Hashel Mutairi yesterday submitted a proposal calling to form a parliamentary committee to investi- gate allegedly illegal income and benefits of travelled in order, oldest first, each members of the National Assembly, suspected to Parade takes aboard a separate vehicle decorated in be the price for taking certain political stances. ancient Egyptian style. Both pedestri- Mutairi said that his proposal calls to investigate ans and vehicles were barred from all local and foreign money transfers into the pharaohs to Tahrir Square, site of the current account of MPs and their close relatives since museum, and other sections of the the start of the current National Assembly in new home route. Images of the slick parade and December. an equally carefully choreographed The proposal also calls to investigate all CAIRO: A procession of floats carried opening ceremony were broadcast live forms of commercial and industrial benefits and the mummified remains of 22 pharaohs, on state television, to rousing music. licenses the lawmakers or their close relatives including Egypt’s most powerful The mummies entered the grounds have received since the start of the current ancient queen, through Cairo Saturday of the new museum to a 21-gun salute, Assembly. The lawmaker said he has sent a evening, in an eye-catching parade to after a slightly shorter than expected question to Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al- a new resting place. Under hefty secu- journey time of around half an hour. Ghanem inquiring about the number of employ- rity, the mummies were driven on Emblazoned with the name of their ees who have been employed in the Assembly floats seven kilometers across the allocated sovereign, the gold and since December. capital from the iconic Egyptian black colored carriages were fitted The question comes after allegations by Museum to the new National Museum with shock absorbers for the trip, to opposition MPs and activists that the nephew of of Egyptian Civilization. ensure none of the precious cargos CAIRO: Carriages carrying 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies depart from the an MP, a close ally of Ghanem, was recently Dubbed the “Pharaohs’ Golden were accidentally disturbed by uneven Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square on Saturday during a parade on their way to the appointed at the Assembly in violation of the Parade”, the 18 kings and four queens surfaces. — AFP (See Pages 12 & 13) new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in historic Fustat (Old Cairo). — AFP law. The MP has not commented on the report. Mutairi also demanded in another proposal that the Assembly’s human rights committee rapidly sprouting cyber cafes in Dubai, should be asked to investigate a latest US UAE wants in one of the UAE’s seven emirates. Department of State report, which claimed that That’s when Khan, who has a strong thousands of stateless people paid KD 51 million background in technology, decided to in bribes to a top official to obtain travel docu- on gaming found Gamers Hub Media Events ments. The report said the money was paid to a (GHME) to host e-Sports tournaments senior interior ministry official by bedoons to industry in the Middle East and North Africa. obtain the so-called article 17 passport, allowing “We’re here for the gamers, we are them to travel. Some of those who got the pass- DUBAI: From a brand new facility in here for our sponsors, and we are here port were barred by the law. Dubai, young gamers are hosting vir- to give the best experience possible,” A number of opposition MPs yesterday tual regional eSports competitions said 45-year-old Khan, who is CEO of mounted pressure on Ghanem and called on him sponsored by global brands as they the company. to resign, or they will start procedures to dis- shoot to become major players in the In an effort to diversify its oil- miss him. Although there is no mention in multibillion-dollar industry. Indian dependent economy and boost its soft Kuwaiti laws about the dismissal of the expat Saad Khan said he realized there power, the United Arab Emirates and was “huge opportunity” in promoting its legion of young expats have in Assembly speaker, opposition lawmakers insist DUBAI: Geraint Bungay, CEO of Boss Bunny Games, speaks during an interview Continued on Page 2 eSports in the region four years ago, recent years jumped into a range of when he saw people crowding into Continued on Page 2 at his company’s premises on March 1, 2021. — AFP 2 Established 1961 Monday, April 5, 2021 Local Kuwait Amir congratulates Egyptian President on ‘Pharaohs, Golden Parade’ Sheikh Nawaf receives state officials at Seif Palace KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sabah meets His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.