THULQADA 20, 1440 AH TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2019 28 Pages Max 47º Min 35º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17889 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Multiple-entry Kuwait visas to be Duterte urges lawmakers China thanks UAE for backing Mascots, javelin carriers: Tokyo 3 issued to 400 Iraqi businessmen 9 to restore death penalty 24 Beijing’s Xinjiang policies 25 adds robots to Olympic roster Iran busts CIA spy ring; UK plans Europe-led Gulf force Kuwait calls for restraint amid regional escalations TEHRAN: Iran arrested 17 suspects and “The report of Iran capturing CIA spies is Late on Sunday, Kuwait said that it “fol- reimposed biting sanctions on Iran, which act of “state piracy”. A British warship in sentenced some to death after dismantling totally false. Zero truth,” Trump tweeted. lows with extreme concern” the latest esca- retaliated by increasing its enrichment of the region, HMS Montrose, attempted to a CIA spy ring, an official said yesterday, Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary lation in the Gulf region, KUNA reported. uranium beyond limits set in the nuclear warn off Iranian forces and raced to the as tensions soar between the Islamic Jeremy Hunt yesterday said Britain wanted Kuwait also stressed that “the continuation accord. Trump called off air strikes against scene but arrived too late to be able to republic and arch-enemy the United to establish a European-led maritime pro- of such acts will increase tensions, expose Iran at the last minute in June after the assist. Hunt said a second British warship, States. US President Donald Trump dis- tection force in the Gulf but emphasized maritime safety to a direct threat, which Islamic republic downed a US drone, one of HMS Duncan, that is being dispatched to missed the report as “totally false”. that London was not seeking a confronta- requires the international community to a string of incidents including attacks on the region, would arrive by July 29. Hunt Security agencies “successfully dismantled tion with Iran. “We will now seek to put intensify its efforts to contain the escalation”. tankers in the Gulf. said all British-flagged ships would be a (CIA) spy network,” the head of counter- together a European-led maritime protec- Kuwait called on all parties to exercise The tensions have escalated since British asked to give the British authorities notice intelligence at the Iranian intelligence min- tion mission to support the safe passage of restraint and respect international maritime authorities seized an Iranian oil tanker on when they plan to pass through the Strait of istry, whose identity was not revealed, told both crew and cargo in this vital region,” law to ensure maritime security in the region. July 4 on suspicions it was shipping oil to Hormuz, where Friday’s incident happened, reporters in Tehran. “Those who deliber- Hunt told parliament after Iranian authori- Tehran has been at loggerheads with Syria in breach of EU sanctions. In what “to enable us to offer the best protection ately betrayed the country were handed to ties seized a British-flagged tanker in the Washington and its allies since May 2018, was seen by Britain as a tit-for-tat move, we can”. But he added: “It is, of course, not the judiciary... some were sentenced to Gulf on Friday. “We will seek to establish when Trump unilaterally withdrew the US Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the possible for the Royal Navy to provide death and some to long-term imprison- this mission as quickly as possible,” he said, from a landmark 2015 deal putting curbs on British-flagged tanker in the strategic Strait escorts for every single ship or indeed elim- ment.” The suspects were arrested adding: “It will not be part of the US maxi- Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for of Hormuz on Friday, angering the US ally. inate all risks of piracy.” between March 2018 and March 2019. mum pressure policy on Iran”. sanctions relief. The US administration Hunt described Friday’s incident as an Continued on Page 24 “Today is a historic day for space, science and tech in India launches India,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Sivan said as he hailed the efforts made to fix a fuel leak that forced the earlier launch to be postponed. India historic bid to put was also hailed by its international counterparts. The US state department said on Twitter that the launch was “an rover on Moon incredible achievement!” while the European Space Agency sent congratulations. SRIHARIKOTA, India: India yesterday launched a low- Chandrayaan-2 was launched on India’s most power- cost rocket on a historic bid to put a landing craft on the ful rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle surface of the Moon and join an elite space force. A (GSLV) MkIII. It carried an orbiter, a lander and a rover week after an initial launch was halted just before blast- almost entirely designed and made in India. The coun- off, Chandrayaan-2 - or Moon Chariot 2 - took off from try’s love affair with the film industry saw the media dub the Satish Dhawan Space Centre carrying national pride the rocket “Baahubali” after one of India’s most popular and the hopes of Indian scientists. India is seeking to screen heroes, known for his ability to lift heavy items. become just the fourth nation after Russia, the United Sivan said the mission’s next stage would be critical to States and China to land a spacecraft on the Moon. If the its success, with scientists set to conduct some 15 crucial rest of the mission goes to plan, the Indian probe will maneuvers of Chandrayaan-2 over the next month-and- land on the lunar South Pole in early September. a-half to position it around the moon. “After that, D-day “Every Indian is immensely proud today!” tweeted will come - and that day we are going to experience 15 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has vowed to send minutes of terror to ensure that the landing is safe,” he a manned mission into orbit by 2022. “Special moments said. The lander - named after Vikram A Sarabhai, the that will be etched in the annals of our glorious history!” father of India’s space program - will carry the rover to There were applause, handshakes and hugs in the mis- near the lunar South Pole. ISRO scientists will remotely sion control room as the rocket blasted off from the base control the rover named Pragyaan - “wisdom” in on an island just off the coast of Andra Pradesh state. Sanskrit - as it carries out experiments. It will work for President Ram Nath Kovind watched the launch one lunar day, the equivalent of 14 Earth days, studying SRIHARIKOTA, India: ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2, on board the GSLV, launches at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre alongside 7,000 dignitaries and flag-waving children, rocks and soil on the Moon’s surface. yesterday. — AFP with the crowd bursting into cheers at the spectacle. Continued on Page 24 Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan. “If News in brief Trump offers I can do anything to help, let me know.” Trump also said Pakistan was helping the Correcting ID info made easier US advance the Afghanistan peace to mediate process. “I don’t think Pakistan respected the United States” in the past, Trump said, KUWAIT: In response to many complaints by but “they are helping us a lot now.” expats with regards to obstacles they face includ- on Kashmir It is far from the first time that Trump ing requirement of a certificate from their has offered to intervene in a seemingly embassies proving the information in the passport WASHINGTON: US President Donald intractable international dispute. US is correct, Director General of the Residency Trump yesterday offered to mediate the mediation, which has long been sought by Affairs Department Brig Abdelqader Shaaban decades-long Kashmir dispute between Pakistan, is likely to be rejected outright instructed all residency departments not to India and Pakistan, signaling a shift in by New Delhi. On Friday, Trump said he demand this certificate to correct the passport long-standing US policy that the issue remained at the ready to help South data of expats on ID cards. — Al-Anbaa must be solved bilaterally. Kashmir has been divided between both countries and Korea and Japan solve their lingering dis- China since the end of British colonial rule pute over World War II-era forced labor Rise in domestic helper numbers in 1947, and remains at the root of ten- that has blighted their trade ties. In 2017, sions between the two nuclear-armed he offered to mediate territorial disputes KUWAIT: While official statistics by the interior South Asian countries. “If I can help, I in the South China Sea between China, would love to be a mediator,” Trump said Vietnam and other Asia-Pacific WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump meets Pakistani Prime Minister Imran ministry and Public Authority for Manpower Khan in the Oval Office of the White House yesterday. — AFP reveal that 65,000 domestic helpers left the coun- at the White House, where he was hosting Continued on Page 24 try during the past three years after their con- tracts expired, other official reports have revealed that more than 69,000 domestic workers entered the country since the start of this year - a rate of Israel demolishes 383 daily. Statistics show 718,000 domestic IAEA chief Amano helpers are registered in the interior ministry sys- tem, compared to 648,000 on Dec 31, 2018, which Palestinian homes dies at 72; Amir means their numbers rose by 9 percent in six months.