SUBSCRIPTION WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014 MUHARRAM 12, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net UN launches A lifetime of Syria’s Double tragedy campaign perks in UAE better-offs as Protectionist to end help cushion seek fun as races to win statelessness7 wealth13 gap war14 grinds on Melbourne20 Cup Death penalty for Kuwaiti Max 33º Min 17º duo who killed roommate High Tide 10:48 & 22:39 Low Tide Victim, suspects were students at University of Sharjah 04:29 & 16:44 40 PAGES NO: 16333 150 FILS By A Saleh and Agencies The Real Fouz makes SHARJAH: Two Kuwaiti students, including a member Kuwait Times debut of the royal family, were sentenced to death yesterday by the Sharjah Sharia Court for the torture and murder Kuwait Times is pleased of their roommate. Kuwaiti Mubarak Meshaal Al- to announce a collabora- Mubarak, 19, a first-year student at the University of tion with one of Kuwait’s Sharjah, died at the University City Hospital in Sharjah most beautiful and well- on Feb 24 last year after suffering internal bleeding, known local personali- burns and multiple fractures sustained following several ties, The Real Fouz. days of physical abuse. The victim’s family had asked the Known for her amazing judge to give the duo the death sentence. beauty tips, lifestyle The verdict was issued by Judge Hussain Al-Assofi. advice and much more, The suspects, ruling-family member Y S, 20, and H A, 19, The Real Fouz will be were found guilty of depriving the victim’s freedom, tor- offering Kuwait Times’ readers a weekly column on ture and premeditated murder. A third man, who fled a range of topics. (See Page 37) the UAE, was fined 1,000 dirhams in absentia for cover- ing up the crime and failing to report it to the authori- ties. Y S and H A admitted to investigators they tortured Mubarak, who was sharing an apartment with one of News them, and claimed that they did it over a financial dis- in brief pute. They also claimed that the victim was harassing the sister of one of the suspects. It is understood that Mubarak had borrowed 100,000 dirhams from one of Belgium bars Suwaidan the suspects. Authorities indicated this explained why for alleged anti-Semitism Mubarak maintained his silence despite four days of tor- BRUSSELS: Belgium yesterday banned a Kuwaiti preacher ture and did not report the matter to the police. from attending an event in Brussels, accusing him of making Police also found a six-minute video recording on anti-Semitic remarks and being a threat to public order. one of the student’s mobiles that showed the victim Tareq Al-Suwaidan, described as a leader of the Muslim KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Shiites flagellate themselves as they take part in a traditional mourning event during being physically abused and tortured. Brotherhood in the state, was due to speak at the Brussels Ashoura commemorations yesterday at a husseiniya in Daiya. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 3) Continued on Page 13 Muslim Fair this weekend. But Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon ordered officials to “take the necessary steps to forbid Tareq Al-Suwaidan access to the area or Gunmen kill 8 to stay in it”, his office said in a statement. “It was the only decision possible,” Jambon and Prime in attack on Minister Charles Michel said in the statement. “This preacher has Saudi Shiites unacceptable anti-Semitic beliefs and his presence here is a threat to Tareq Al-Suwaidan public order.” Reacting to the 4 killed in shootout Belgian ban, he said on his Facebook page yesterday: “Under pressure from the Zionist lobby, the Belgian government RIYADH: Masked gunmen killed eight Shiite worship- has decided to block my access to its territory (even though pers in Saudi Arabia during a major religious festival, I have a valid visa).” The event he was meant to speak at police said yesterday, in an unprecedented attack high- draws thousands of people. lighting sectarian tensions in the Sunni-dominated kingdom. Two suspected militants and two security offi- cers were later killed in a gun battle. Police said 15 peo- State tenders carried ple were detained after the shooting late Monday in out properly: Minister Eastern Province, which came as Shiites prepared to KUWAIT: The entire process of fielding tenders for mega mark the peak of Ashoura, one of the holiest festivals of state projects is completely their faith. Nine other worshippers were wounded in above board and is carried out the attack. with the utmost transparency, Three assailants fired machineguns and pistols at the Minister of Public Works and crowd in the village of Al-Dalwa, police told the official Electricity and Water Abdulaziz SPA news agency. Footage posted online showed Al-Ibrahim said yesterday. He corpses lying in pools of blood after the attack in the was referring to the tender for oil-rich eastern region, where most of Saudi Arabia’s two the new airport, which he million Shiites live. Bloodstains were seen on the carpet assured has not been awarded Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim of the hall where the commemorations were being to any entity yet. He said it was held. Seven of the eight people were killed at the Shiite premature to say which company is going to build the place of worship in Dalwa. The other person was found project, noting that a committee would be formed shot dead in a car in a neighbouring village, a ministry shortly to determine who would get the tender for this spokesman said. Twelve others were injured. vital project. Continued on Page 13 Gulf energy subsidies worth $160bn a year KUWAIT: Arab states in the Gulf, which pump a fifth of the Alwaleed says world’s crude oil, spend more than $160 billion on energy subsidies annually, a top World Bank official said yesterday. “Gulf states spend around 10 percent of their gross domestic oil reliance product every year on energy subsidies including fuel and electricity. That amounts to $160 billion,” said Shantayanan ‘dangerous’, Devarajan, the bank’s chief economist for Middle East and North Africa. “The GCC and other MENA states must start calls for SWF cutting energy subsidies now otherwise problems associat- ed with them will get worse,” Devarajan told a news confer- JEDDAH: The fall of crude oil prices below $80 a bar- ence in Kuwait on a World Bank report on subsidies. The rel proves Saudi Arabia’s reliance on petroleum rev- report said the Middle East and North Africa region, which is enue is “dangerous”, billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin home to 5.5 percent of the world’s population and boasts Talal said yesterday. “Clearly the fact that the price of 3.3 percent of its GDP, accounts for 48 percent of global oil went down to below 80 proved that we were cor- energy subsidies. rect by asking the government to have other sources of Americana shareholder income,” Alwaleed told in talks on stake sale reporters in the western Saudi DUBAI: Kuwait Food Co (Americana) said yesterday that a city of Jeddah. “Saudi Arabia major shareholder, Al Khair National for Stocks and Real depends 90 percent on oil, Estate Co, was in preliminary talks with “various parties” to which is not right, it’s wrong sell its stake in Americana. The company, which has a market and it’s dangerous, actually,” value of around $4.3 billion, did not identify the parties but added the prince, who is a stressed that no final agreement had been reached and no nephew of King Abdullah. binding commitments had been made. Al-Khair is owned by The prince is one of the the Al-Kharafi family, which controls Americana with a 66.8 Alwaleed bin Talal world’s richest men, whose percent stake. Several factors may affect the completion of a investments span a range of deal for Al-Khair, Americana said, including a review by the sectors including global media and hotel brands. He franchiser of franchising contracts granted to Americana; is also a philanthropist known for his outspoken views regulatory and legal approvals, including one by the US in the conservative kingdom. His comments came as Department of Justice; and the determination of a fair price the benchmark US crude price hit a three-year low of for the company. Continued on Page 13 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014 LOCAL KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince with HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace yesterday. —KUNA HH Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah with CBK Governor Mohammad Al-Hashel Crown Prince receives top Kuwaiti figures, foreign guests KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Kuwait (CBK) Mohammad Al-Hashel, Finance Gnassingbe addressed to HH the Amir Sheikh a letter from Mauritanian President Mohamed Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah and Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Minister Anas Al-Saleh and Togolese Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah about Ould Abdelaziz addressed to HH the Amir Undersecretary of HH Crown Prince for received at Bayan Palace yesterday His Economy and Finance Minister Adji Oteth means to bolster bilateral relations. Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Protocols Sheikh Mubarak Sabah Al-Salem Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al- Ayassor. HH the Crown Prince also received and focuses on bilateral relations. The meet- Al-Humoud Al-Sabah. HH the Crown Prince Ahmad Al-Sabah. HH Sheikh Nawaf also Ayassor handed over HH the Crown Prince Mauritanian Minister of Economy and ings with Togolese and Mauritanian ministers also received Deputy National Assembly received Governor of the Central Bank of a letter from Togolese President Faure Development Sidi Ould Tah who handed him were attended by Deputy Minister of Amiri Speaker Mubarak Al-Khurainej.