• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

JAMADA ALAWWAL 13, 1439 AH TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 Max 19º 32 Pages Min 05º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17444 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Zain CEO delivers keynote Trump sometimes tweets Bruno Mars surprises Egypt Kung Fu champ Mizo 17 on ‘Investing in creativity’ 11 from bed, eats good food 30 with Grammy sweep 16 craving home recognition Cabinet approves budget with deficit of KD 6.5bn Legal panel says tax on expat remittances unconstitutional By B Izzak be passed by the National Assembly. Just 18 percent of spending will go on devel- Amir attends flag hoisting ceremony KUWAIT: The Cabinet approved its opment projects, Hajraf said. He said budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, pro- Kuwait will not impose value-added tax jecting a huge deficit for the fourth year in or other taxation without parliamentary a row because of low oil prices. Next approval. Only Saudi Arabia and the year’s deficit is estimated at KD 6.5 billion United Arab Emirates have implemented a ($21.6 billion), after a mandatory transfer pan-Gulf decision to impose VAT from of allocations to the Future Generations this year. But Hajraf said the government Fund. Finance Minister Nayef Al-Hajraf may raise charges on public services to told a press conference the government boost non-oil revenues. will withdraw from the state reserve fund Meanwhile, the National Assembly’s and borrow on the domestic and interna- legal and legislative committee yesterday tional debt markets to finance the shortfall. rejected a proposal calling to impose tax- After posting healthy surpluses for 16 es on financial transfers by expatriates to successive years, Kuwait has posted a their home countries, saying such taxes budget deficit in each of the past three are “unconstitutional”. The proposal was years after oil prices began to slide in made by a number of lawmakers, mainly mid-2014. Hajraf said the new budget MP Safa Al-Hashem, who had proposed projects revenues at KD 15 billion ($50 to impose a five-percent tax on remit- billion), up 12 percent on last year’s esti- tances made by expatriates to help boost mates after the oil price rose from $45 to non-oil revenues to finance the budget. $50 a barrel. Oil income is estimated at The Kuwait Central Bank had also KD 13.3 billion ($44.3 billion) on a daily rejected the idea, saying it is not in line production of 2.8 million barrels. Spending with Kuwaiti laws and warned of its neg- KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attends a flag is projected at KD 20 billion ($66.7 bil- ative impacts on the national economy. hoisting ceremony celebrating 12 years since his assumption to power, the 57th lion), marginally higher than last year, the The 3.1 million expatriates living and National Day and the 27th anniversary of liberation at Bayan Palace yesterday. minister said. working in Kuwait send around $18 bil- The ceremony was attended by HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad He said government wages and subsi- lion to their families in their home coun- KUWAIT: Finance Minister Nayef Al-Hajraf speaks during a Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other senior officials. — KUNA (See Pages 2 & 3) dies account for 73 percent of the budget tries every year. press conference yesterday to announce the state budget which takes effect on April 1. It still has to Continued on Page 11 for the year 2018-2019. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat News in brief MoI issues general Ibrahim to keep control of MBC amnesty guidelines KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s Waleed Al-Ibrahim will keep management control of By Hanan Al-Saadoun essary procedures to correspond with the criminal detectives department so regional television broadcaster MBC following his KUWAIT: Director General of the that regular work is not affected. release from detention in a corruption probe, a sen- Residency Affairs Directorate Maj Gen • Grant residency to violators who ior MBC executive told Reuters yesterday. The Talal Maarafi issued a circular yesterday want it if they meet the conditions and executive said Ibrahim’s 40 percent stake in MBC in which he mentioned the procedures of pay fines regardless of the violation would not change and that he was found innocent benefiting from an amnesty decision by period and nationality of the violator of any wrongdoing in the probe. Ibrahim, who at Deputy Premier and Interior Minister (except for travel document holders). the weekend was released along with at least half a Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah to The following will be taken into con- dozen other prominent Saudi businessmen detained allow residency violators to leave the sideration with regards to the violation in the probe, reiterated his allegiance to Saudi country from Jan 29 until Feb 22 from period: Arabia and the ruling family, the executive said. any airport or border post without pay- • Regular and temporary residencies During his 83 days of detention, Ibrahim was well ing fines. as well as visit visas must have expired treated, the executive said, adding that his boss was before Jan 24, 2018. now free to travel but planned to stay in Riyadh for The circular includes: • People who entered the country a couple of weeks to handle business. • Every department should designate with visit visas on Jan 23, 2018 or earlier a certain number of employees to should leave before Feb 22, 2018. KUWAIT: Filipinos line up outside the Philippines Embassy in Siddiq to obtain travel receive violators and complete the nec- Continued on Page 11 documents yesterday. (See Page 5) Iran hijab protester freed One last-minute surprise candidate did come forward TEHRAN: A woman arrested for posing without a Sisi set for new - the head of Egypt’s liberal Ghad party, Mussa headscarf in public in defiance of Iran’s Islamic Mustapha Mussa. But given that he backs the president, dress code has been released after nearly one his token candidacy would appear meant to ensure that month in detention, a lawyer said yesterday. Nasrin term as presidential Sisi will not be the only name on the ballot paper. Before Sotoudeh, a renowned human rights lawyer, told becoming president, Sisi was defense minister and head AFP she saw the woman’s file at the prosecutor’s nominations close of the army that toppled his Islamist predecessor office and was told by a judicial official that she Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Ironically, he was appointed by had been “freed”. The woman has not been seen in CAIRO: Egypt’s Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi looks set to romp the man he ousted, and the crackdown on the Islamist public since she stood on a pillar box at one of to victory in a March presidential election fast becoming Muslim Brotherhood that followed Morsi’s removal was Tehran’s busiest thoroughfares without a head- a referendum on his first four-year term, despite a last- long and bloody. scarf or long coat required under Islamic law. The minute candidate entering the fray yesterday. The former Ahead of the March election, all potential presidential woman’s identity was initially not known but yes- army chief who toppled his Islamist predecessor in 2013 contenders have either been hobbled or thrown in the terday Sotoudeh identified her as Vida Movahedi, won 96.9 percent of the vote in an election the following towel because they feel the entire process has been adding that she received confirmation of her year, and is setting the stage for a similar performance. rigged. “He wants to be the only candidate in the run- CAIRO: A member of the Egyptian special forces release from other sources. Voting takes place from March 26-28, and the deadline ning,” said Hassan Nafaa, Emeritus professor of political stands guard in front of the National Election for nominations was 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) yesterday. Continued on Page 11 Authority yesterday. — AFP Qatar Airways agrees to disclosures out government participation according to WASHINGTON: Qatar is expected to agree today Old enmity tips religious sect. to release detailed financial information about its The tension reached boiling point yes- state-owned Qatar Airways, US State Department Lebanon into terday as footage of Aoun’s son-in-law, officials said late on Sunday, a move that follows Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, calling pressure from US airlines for it to disclose any Berri “a thug” was circulated on social potential subsidies it has received. Under an under- another crisis media. Berri’s camp reacted with fury, say- standing to be announced today, Qatar Airways will ing Bassil had crossed “red lines”. BEIRUT: An old enmity between the Supporters of Berri from the Amal move- issue audited financial reports within a year and Lebanese president and parliament speak- within two years must disclose significant new ment he has led for decades protested by er is fuelling a political row that threatens setting tyres ablaze in Beirut. The crisis has transactions with state-owned enterprises, US offi- to paralyze government and inflame sec- cials said. The largest US carriers contend three spiraled since December when Aoun tarian tension in the run-up to elections in signed a decree promoting dozens of army Gulf carriers are being unfairly subsidized by their May. The dispute between President governments with more than $50 billion in subsi- officers without the signature of Shiite Michel Aoun, a Christian, and the Shiite Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, a mem- dies over the last decade. Qatar, Etihad Airways and Parliament Speaker Nabih reflects person- Emirates, have denied those accusations.

Load more

  32

Copy Link