JAMADA ALAWWAL 14, 1439 AH WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2018 Max 20º 32 Pages Min 03º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17445 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Eight-month-old IMF chief warns of public Colorful makeover puts slum India thrash Pak to reach 6 girl raped in Delhi 18 frustration in MENA states 32 in Mumbai on tourist map 13 final of U-19 World Cup Saudi Arabia recovers $107bn in graft purge 56 people still in custody • All detainees have left the Ritz-Carlton RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s attorney general Saturday after striking an undisclosed conspiracy theories said yesterday $107 billion has been financial agreement with the authorities. recovered so far in a major crackdown on He remains chairman of the Kingdom Qadsiya win Crown Prince Cup high-level corruption and that 56 suspects Holding Company in which he owns a Exploiting kids were still being investigated. Sheikh Saud 95-percent stake. Al-Mojeb said he has completed inquiries Some critics have labeled Prince into 381 high-profile corruption suspects Mohammed’s campaign a shakedown and and decided to keep 56 in custody and power grab, but authorities insist the free the rest. Those released include indi- purge targeted endemic corruption as the viduals proven not guilty but also others country prepares for a post-oil era. But who had agreed financial settlements with Prince Mohammed also appears to have By Badrya Darwish the government after admitting corruption won widespread approval for the purge charges, he said. among ordinary Saudis, partly because the Total settlements with the suspects had government has said it will use some of the topped 400 billion riyals ($107 billion) in money it seizes to fund social benefits. [email protected] various forms of assets handed over that “What has happened is great, it will be included property, securities and cash. In counted as a win for the government. November, the authorities launched an Whoever the person is, he is being held unprecedented anti-graft swoop that net- accountable, whether a royal or a citizen,” ately I’ve noticed on social media - espe- ted hundreds of members of the extended said Abdullah Al-Otaibi, drinking at a cially Facebook and WhatsApp - that peo- royal family, top businessmen and officials. Riyadh coffee shop yesterday. Lple are using children under eight to publi- The anti-corruption drive was led by “The total number of subpoenaed indi- cize special causes - be they political, commer- Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old viduals reached 381, a significant number cial, social or fun. Even celebrities sometimes use crown prince and author of the “Vision of whom were called to testify or provide children to publicize their activities or to enter- 2030” program of social and economic evidence,” the attorney general said yes- tain. I know in show business, we see children all reforms in the ultraconservative nation. terday in a statement released by the infor- the time. But what is taking place now, particular- Among those detained was one of the mation ministry. Mojeb said he had decid- ly on social media, is unregulated and unsavory. desert kingdom’s most high-profile and ed to “keep in custody those individuals - KUWAIT: HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah hands the Children are being used left, right and center, wealthiest men, Prince Al-Waleed bin 56 in total - where the attorney general Crown Prince Cup to Qadsiya Club captain Saleh Al-Sheikh after Qadsiya beat and families are very happy to see their kids Talal. The man dubbed the Warren has refused to settle with them due Kuwait Club yesterday. — KUNA (See Page 16) become popular and get likes, without thinking Buffett of Saudi Arabia was released on Continued on Page 11 about the harm they may be doing to their chil- dren. They don’t understand that this child will grow up possibly psychologically impacted from public services and reduce subsidies as a way of MPs against Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind the experience. financing the budget deficit, projected to be KD 6.5 bil- Al-Sabeeh amid clear signs that the minister will defeat Imagine a child recorded talking about the MP threatens lion for the 2018/2019 fiscal year. The minister also said the motion. Fewer than 15 MPs have said they will sup- horrors of the Syrian conflict. Yes, it’s a reality that government wages and subsidies to public servic- port the motion, while to succeed, it requires the back- that children are suffering and living in these to grill PM if es, power and fuel account for as much as 73 percent of ing of 25 MPs. The motion was filed following a harsh miseries, unfortunately. But to use him to spending, estimated at KD 20 billion for the next fiscal marathon grilling over alleged financial and administra- get attention seems wrong to me. It’s abusive to year starting April 1. tive violations by the minister. the child because you are in a way stealing the charges hiked Hajraf said these measures may be necessary until The three grillers - MPs Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei, child’s innocence. Maybe it’s justified sometimes By B Izzak the National Assembly approves the debt law to allow Mubarak Al-Hajraf and Khaled Al-Otaibi - have claimed to attract attention to the suffering of children in the government to borrow from domestic and interna- the minister failed to take appropriate measures to rebal- war zones. But it’s a very thin line. KUWAIT: Opposition lawmaker Riyadh Al-Adasani tional markets. The bill has been sent to the Assembly. ance the demographic structure, which is massively tilted In Hollywood, there are regulations that are yesterday threatened to grill Prime Minister HH Sheikh Kuwaiti MPs have strongly opposed government plans in favor of expatriates, who form around 70 percent of meant to protect child actors. But nowadays on Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah if the government hikes to hike prices of fuel and power and impose value- the state’s 4.5 million populace. They also accused the social media, what are the protections? I don’t public charges or reduces subsidies to increase costs on added tax (VAT) and other measures to finance the minister of failing to check visa traders who recruit thou- think there are any kinds of protections, and on citizens. Adasani said that if the government resorts to budget deficit resulting from low oil prices. Adasani sands of expatriate workers for money and leave them the contrary, families are overexcited to see their such measures in order to boost non-oil revenues, he will said he will review the financial statements and high- without work, thus increasing the number of expats. The kids getting a hundred likes or if their images or grill the premier as he did last year over the same issue. light faults in them at a press conference tomorrow. minister categorically denied the charges and said she videos go viral. All they care about is the likes, Minister of Finance Nayef Al-Hajraf said on Monday Meanwhile, the Assembly holds a special session has taken several measures to check the growth of expa- not what the child likes. And children pick up on that the government may resort to hiking charges for today to vote on a no-confidence motion filed by 10 triates and has referred dozens of visa traders to court. that. And this is the dangerous area. I have a friend who objected to my ideas. She said she puts her kids on social media all the time, pute and demanded that Qatar, which demanding what was upsetting me. I explained to US praises ties denies the charges, change its behavior. her, on the contrary, that I loved to see her chil- But US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dren on Facebook because they are not being and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have used to entertain adults and talk about adult with Qatar, calls been working to bring the dispute to an issues. They are either painting or knitting or end and bind both Qatar and its oppo- doing things that kids do, and this will encourage for Gulf unity nents into a deeper mutual alliance. other kids. Yesterday, these diplomatic efforts There’s nothing wrong with children showing WASHINGTON: The United States produced the first of what may become their skills and achievements online to a limited praised Qatar for its improved counterter- an annual US-Qatari Strategic Dialogue, degree, like horseback riding, swimming, running, rorism cooperation yesterday and warned hosted by Tillerson and Mattis for their singing or whatever, because this can inspire oth- that its rift with Saudi Arabia and other counterparts from Qatar. In opening ers to do good things. I’m not objecting to these Gulf neighbors has hurt the fight against remarks, both sides stressed the impor- types of activities or other stuff like that. I’m only extremism. Saudi Arabia and its allies tance of unity in the Gulf Cooperation objecting to exploiting children to talk about launched a diplomatic boycott of Qatar Council. “As the Gulf dispute nears the things and to gain a notoriety that can be harmful. and closed their frontiers last year, accus- eight-month mark the United States Children who gain this kind of attention may be ing the gas-rich emirate of cozying up to remains as concerned today as we were attracted to other harmful things, and will not live Iran and sponsoring Islamist groups. at its outset,” Tillerson said, opening the WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (second right) shakes hands with their childhood.