Kuwait US air strikes Australia thrash trigger final India to book forces on push on Tikrit World Cup final alert 8 12 47 Min 17º Max 27º FREE www.kuwaittimes.net NO: 16472- Friday, March 27, 2015 Another Gulf war? See Page 10 SANAA: A Houthi Shiite fighter stands guard as people search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa Airport yesterday. (Inset) Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz (left) and Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz (center) arrive for a meeting with Saudi air forces officers. — AFP Sheikh Ahmad apologizes to end videotapes saga By A Staff Reporter In a brief statement on state-run their families. Kuwait television, Sheikh Ahmad The surprising turn of events came KUWAIT: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al- expressed deep regrets and apologies for just a day after a heated assembly debate Sabah yesterday unexpectedly ended the the Amir and the crown prince and the over the issue in which speaker Marzouk one-year saga over the so-called coup judiciary in addition to the two former Al-Ghanem and several MPs called for plot videotapes by offering an apology to senior officials he accused of plotting a taking severe legal actions against Sheikh the country’s leaders and to the men he coup—former premier Sheikh Nasser Ahmad, a senior member of the ruling accused saying the documents and tapes Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and ex- family. he got turned out to be fake. assembly speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi and Continued on Page 9 Local FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015 Local Spotlight Happy birthday Twitter! By Muna Al-Fuzai [email protected] witter celebrated its ninth birthday last week. The of Twitter users. In March 2012, 88 percent of tweets religious controversy. Some young people rush to make Tservice was made available to the public on July 15, from the Arab region came from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, judgments over official decisions, and they fall into the 2006, and since then, this social media app has UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. trap of legal violations and imprisonment. They learn been a hotbed of controversy, breaking news and indi- Twitter unfortunately has a few negative aspects. It is their lessons the hard way and must understand that vidual inputs. Unfortunately, it has also become a reason used as a source to spread false information, propagan- freedom should be exercised responsibly and there are to send activists to prison, especially in Arab countries da and hate speech, which can easily be believed by limits to this freedom. including Kuwait. inexperienced Twitter users. Rumors on Twitter reflect a The application has made it easy for people to com- Marking the occasion, Twitter wrote in a blog post: moral and cultural problem. municate with each other around the world freely and “At our nine-year mark, we continue to believe that Twitter increased in popularity during the Arab revo- benefit from their views and ideas, but at the same time, Twitter is what it is because of the people who use it”. lutions in 2011 as it was an efficient tool to organize ral- things can transform from a heated debate to a gladiato- The company added that “Twitter reflects both the lies and demonstrations. In Kuwait, Twitter has had a rial arena. This is especially true in Arab societies, world at large and the world immediately around us”. huge impact over political and social decision-making. because we are not accustomed to accept the opinions This was a clever note - after all, it is all about us and how During the 2012 National Assembly election campaign, it of others on topics such as democracy, freedom and cul- we use this tool and its popular features like hashtags. became a key component in spats between candidates. tural differences. I prefer Twitter over other social media sites because The problems started when some corrupt candidates For Kuwait, Twitter is more like an electronic it’s faster than any other application in spreading news hired people to create fake Twitter profiles to spread diwaniya, and everyone is still training to accept the and following up views. It is an open yard for all to unverified information and petty rumors against their opinions and dissent of others. It will take time, but express ideas regardless of their location or age. Also, as opponents. Kuwait being a small, passionate country in eventually, our days will not be complete without this a columnist, I believe Twitter provides unique access to terms of electoral districts, it was no surprise that these unique social media app. global events that reach people all around the world. In fake profiles mislead the public on several occasions. Thank you Twitter and happy birthday! the Arab world, Gulf states occupy the top five positions Twitter at times becomes an arena of political and Local FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015 Just kiddin’, seriously To my readers person would have his/her own favorite sec- By Sahar Moussa tion to read. They used to browse me page by page, searching with interest and curiosi- ty for news as if they were searching for pirate treasure. I felt their enjoyment and excitement. I accompanied them wherever [email protected] they went; they cherished me by holding me under their arm or pockets. They took me still remember those days when the print- where ever they went, in their cars, trains Iing press was invented. I will never forget and buses. I built strong connections with the first time I smelled the ink and the people all over the world ever since I came metal of the machine and was brought to alive. life. How can I forget the hands of the men But today, I’m afraid that things have who gathered me page by page with care changed. Unfortunately, as days passed and and love? I contributed in spreading news as our world became dominated by technol- and helping people know about the things ogy, my world began crumbling until I began happening around them. I shared the good to teeter on the edge of extinction. I joined and bad news with them. I felt their pain, dis- the list of endangered species. appointments and even failures. But I also I was superseded by social media and shared their joy, successes and victories. I abandoned for the sophisticated ‘e-paper’. was like a member of every household - join- You can read the ‘e-paper’ on big computers, ing the family in their debates and argu- laptops and almost on all kinds of smart- ments. I snooped into people’s privacy and phones. The internet is a must in order to shared some of the intimate moments. I read the ‘e-paper’ online or else you can’t started wars and brokered peacemaking. I read it. helped in building political empires, but also I have no doubt that reading an ‘e-paper’ was capable of bringing them down. is easier and you can get news faster. But it is People used to do rituals when they held also as cold as any machine you touch. It between a ‘newspaper’ or ‘e-paper’ is like tidbits on their smartphone but for the full me. Either they bought me from kiosks on lacks the intimacy and the rituals of choosing between a real friend or a robot. depth of a story, they still turn to me. My the street or found me thrown on their front newsprint blackening your fingers. Above all, Which would you prefer? legacy is also my future. People still want the doorstep in the early morning hours. The first if for some reason there is no internet, the ‘e- Luckily, it’s not only nostalgia that is win- human touch of the news in front of them at thing they used to do was to check my front paper’ will fail you. I’m not defending myself, ning back readers. Slowly people are grow- the breakfast table. I may not be in vogue, page. Since people vary in their tastes, each but I never failed anyone before. Choosing ing sick of the e-paper. They may like quick but I will never go out of style. Salam Local FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015 Kuwait’s love for the beautiful game By Aakash Bakaya answered almost immediately when Madrid equalized with a brilliant play. If the place nearly took off earlier, it now here was a special buzz in the air on Sunday. Phone certainly exploded. It was like a firecracker burst next to my Tcalls were constantly being made, texts were rapidly ear - a kid in front of me jumped up from his chair and exchanged and meeting spots were being decided. If started punching the air like a crazy person. He finished his you were a football fan, there was no way you were sitting at celebration by throwing a crumpled tissue from his hand home, because it was one of world football’s biggest nights - all the way across the café. The last 20 minutes of the first Barcelona vs Real Madrid, the coveted ‘El Clasico’. Few sport- half were electrifying, and now it was the Barcelona fans ing events manage to live up to their lofty expectations, but who were uneasy - not only were they on the back foot, El Clasico is the rare gem that can - and apart from the stadi- they now knew they were outnumbered in this café. ums themselves, Kuwait is a brilliant place to experience this The second half belonged to Barcelona and it was only a clash of giants.