SUBSCRIPTION SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2016 THULQADA 10, 1437 AH No: 16961 PAY unveils IS abducts Almaz Ayana strategy for nearly 2,000 of Ethiopia youth at civilians in sets 10,000m summer camp north Syria record in Rio 4Blasts hit7 Thailand’s47 tourist cities; 4 killed Min 35º 150 Fils Kuwait embassy ensures safety of citizens Max 49º HUA HIN, Thailand: A series of blasts hit three of the most popular tourist resorts as well as towns in southern Thailand on Thursday and yesterday, killing four people and wounding dozens, days after the country voted to accept a military- backed constitution. Four bombs exploded in the upscale resort of Hua Hin, about 200 km (125 miles) south of Bangkok, on Thursday evening and yesterday morning, killing two peo- ple and wounding at least 24. Other blasts hit the tourist island of Phuket, a resort town in Phang Nga province, and Surat Thani, a city that is the gateway to popular islands such as Koh Samui in Thailand’s Gulf. Hua Hin is home to the Klai Kangwon royal palace, which translates as “Far from Worries”, where King Bhumibol Adulayadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch, and his wife, Queen Sirikit, have lived in recent years. Neither were there during the attacks, as both are in hospital in Bangkok. Yesterday was a public holiday in Thailand to mark the queen’s birthday, which is celebrated as Mother’s Day. No group has claimed responsibility, though suspicion could fall on insurgents in Muslim-majority provinces in southern Thailand. Police detained two men for questioning over the attacks on Hua Hin yesterday, said Police Superintendent Sarawut Tankul of the tourist police at the resort. They were detained because CCTV footage showed them in the area “before, dur- ing and after the bombings”, he said, declining to give more details. Preliminary evidence showed the bombs were low- explosive devices devised to “make an announcement” rather than cause maximum harm, he said. Ahead of the blasts, Police had intelligence an attack was imminent, but had no precise information on location or tim- ing, national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda told reporters in HUA HIN, Thailand: The injured are helped after a bomb blast in the southern resort city of Hua Hin, 240 kilometers (150 miles) Bangkok yesterday. “We just didn’t know which day something south of Bangkok, Thailand. Police are investigating a series of bomb blasts in Hua Hin and other cities in Thailand. — AP would happen,” he said. Meanwhile, the State of Kuwait Ambassador to Thailand Abdullah Al-Sharhan yesterday announced that the embassy Saudi stops three formed an operation room immediately when the nation was Trump retracts ‘claim’ rocked with a string of explosions, noting that the special cham- that Obama created IS women, 7 kids from ber was set up with aim of ensuring safety of Kuwaiti citizens. The ambassador, according to a statement released by the ORLANDO, Fla: After days of alleging repeatedly that joining Syria war Foreign Ministry, affirmed that he and the mission were follow- ing up on situation with the relevant authorities, noting that President Barack Obama literally founded the Islamic State DOHA: Saudi Arabia said yesterday it had prevented three Saudi initial results of these contacts revealed that there were no group, Donald Trump abruptly shifted tone yesterday and women and seven children from traveling through Lebanon to Kuwaiti casualties among the blasts’ victims. insisted his widely debunked claim had been sarcastic. join the conflict in neighboring Syria, the Saudi state news Trump, in an early-morning post on Twitter, blamed CNN for agency SPA reported. The three sisters and their children were He urged Kuwaiti nationals in Thailand to be cautious, reporting “so seriously” that he had called Obama and detained by Lebanese authorities in Beirut and flown back to cooperate with the security personnel and contact the Democrat Hillary Clinton the extremist group’s founder and Saudi Arabia on Thursday after the husband of one of the women embassy if the need arises on the emergency number: most valuable player. He added, in all capital letters: “THEY told police they planned to join the war, SPA quoted an interior 0066918909998 or on the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry’s emer- DON’T GET SARCASM?” gency phone numbers” 98007888 or 98007999. Only hours before, the billionaire businessman had restat- ministry spokesman as saying. Police said the husband, who was the father of three of the Since Sunday’s referendum on the constitution, there have ed the allegation with no mention of sarcasm, telling rally- been attacks in seven provinces using improvised explosive goers in Kissimmee, Florida, that “I’ve been saying that Barack children, had tipped them off on Monday that his wife had left and was a “takfiri”, a term Saudi authorities use for Islamist mili- devices and firebombs, Chakthip said. The devices were simi- Obama is the founder.” It’s a claim that Trump repeated at lar to those used by separatist groups in southern Thailand, least a dozen times in three cities since debuting the attack- tants. The children were aged between one and 10 years old, the statement added. The Saudi public has grown increasingly angry but that did not conclusively show they were the perpetra- line Wednesday during a rally outside Fort Lauderdale. tors, he said. Police ruled out any links to international terror- In fact, Trump had refused to clarify that he was being at bloody images broadcast of Syria’s violence and the govern- ment has sought to stop its citizens from joining what some of ism, as did Thailand’s Foreign Ministry, which said in a state- rhetorical or sarcastic when asked about the remark during ment yesterday: “The incident is not linked to terrorism but is interviews. On Tuesday, when conservative radio host Hugh them see as a holy war against the Syrian government. Riyadh has backed the rebels battling Assad while being an act of stirring up public disturbance.” Bangkok-based ana- Hewitt tried to steer Trump toward explaining he really lyst Anthony Davis, at security consulting firm IHS-Jane’s, meant Obama’s Mideast policies created conditions that IS mindful of the blowback it previously suffered after radicalized questioned the police assertion that the attacks were an act of exploited, Trump wanted none of it. — AP Saudi nationals returned home from foreign conflicts ready to wage war on their own government. — Reuters local sabotage. — Agencies LOCAL SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2016 News Photo In Brief of the day KU chief and Malaysian universities’ heads meet KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait University Director Dr Hussein Ahmad Al-Ansari has discussed means of promoting academic coopera- tion with heads of Malaysian universities. In a statement to KUNA yesterday, Al-Ansari said he took part in the forum’s sessions of universities’ presidents recently held in Malaysia, adding that it discussed innovation and sustainable development of universi- ties. The forum’s sessions focused on means of enhancing coop- eration and sharing expertise among universities, and on putting new visions so as to find solutions to challenges facing higher education institutions, he noted. He said that he visited Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and International Islamic University Malaysia, adding that he was briefed on their facilities, research capabili- ties, libraries and laboratories. He noted that he discussed with university’s officials means of bolstering cooperation. Kuwait’s Ambassador to Malaysia Saad Al-Asousi held a dinner banquet in honor of Al-Ansari in which a number of deans and professors at Malaysian universities attended. Kuwait University Director Dr Hussein Ahmad Al-Ansari pictured with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Malaysia Saad Al- KUWAIT: Photo shows the Amricani Cultural Center. The graceful buildings facing the sea in Kuwait City Asousi. — KUNA reflect the commitment to community in the country’s past and future. From medical buildings to cultural facilities, the buildings that make up the Amricani Cultural Centre have served the people of Kuwait since the late 1930s.— KUNA Kuwait oil down 52 cents - to $38.94 pb KUWAIT: The price of Kuwaiti oil was down by 52 cents Thursday to reach $38.94 per barrel, compared with $39.46 Iraqi sorceress nabbed the day before, said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) yesterday. The price declined on Thursday after the KUWAIT: Criminal detectives have put detectives stormed the place and was rushed to Mubarak hospital. Medical International Energy Agency issued its monthly report in an end to the activities of an Iraqi sorcer- caught her red-handed with the marked report states that he had a broken nose. which the growth forecast of demand for crude oil lowered ess who specialized in ending marriages, money and some talismans which she to 1.2 million barrels per in the upcoming year, compared troubling homes and manipulating gave to the undercover detective. All Drug suspects nabbed with 1.4 million barrels this year. The agency said that crude men. The woman was caught red-hand- the people on queue flee the scene Jahra police patrol noticed two persons oil prices declined to $45 million per barrels this August due ed at her home. Detectives confiscated immediately she was arrested. Um who were walking unsteadily along the to a rise in supply and an increase in demand. It showed that large quantities of sorcery materials. Rasan confessed that she took thou- street, so they were stopped for an ID the global demand last July witnessed a rise of up to 800,000 Officers also found out that she has sands of dinars from her clients. check. Police found out that they were barrels per day, either inside or outside the OPEC, “despite transferred thousands of Kuwait dinars under the influence of drugs.