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RAMADAN 21, 1440 AH SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2019 28 Pages Max 45º Min 25º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17842 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Kuwaiti serviceman dies as World most expensive drug: Hamilton snatches dramatic 3 Coast Guard boat capsizes 24 Novartis $2 m gene therapy 28 Monaco pole with record lap IMSAK 03:09 Fajr 03:19 Dhur 11:45 Asr 15:20 Magrib 18:39 Isha 20:09 Trump bypasses US Congress to sell arms to Saudi, UAE, Jordan US orders new troops to Mideast to counter Iran ‘threat’ WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump, declaring crisis there,” said Senator Chris Murphy. a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, Murphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to com- Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in plete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales. Several of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. The Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said Trump administration informed congressional committees they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, through the “holds” process would eliminate Congress’ United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congres- selling weapons where they liked. sional review of major weapons sales. Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on Members of Congress had been blocking sales of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the said the administration’s action was “unfortunate” and United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge likely to damage future White House interactions with civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as Congress. “I would have strongly preferred for the human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journal- administration to utilize the long-established and codified ist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. arms sale review process,” McCaul said in a statement. Lawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a state- this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding ment that US partners in the Middle East needed the up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a “one- law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency. time event.” It is not the first time Congress and Trump “President Trump is only using this loophole because he have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of knows Congress would disapprove ... There is no new powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The AT SEA: Photo shows an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the ‘Jolly Rogers’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103 mak- ‘emergency’ reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in House and Senate voted to end US military support for ing an arrested landing on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian Continued on Page 24 the Gulf of Oman. - AFP Tearful May quits after three years of Brexit turmoil LONDON: Her voice breaking, Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation on Friday after three years of Brexit turmoil, dramatically increasing the likeli- hood of Britain crashing out of the EU within months. May, who took over in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referen- dum, was forced to make way following a Conservative mutiny over her ill-fated strategy to end Britain’s near five-decade membership of the European Union. “It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit,” May LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May reacts said outside her Downing Street office, holding back as she announces her resignation outside 10 Downing tears. “It will be for my successor to seek a way for- Street in central London. — AFP ward that honors the result of the referendum.” May, 62, who will be among the country’s shortest- replacement is elected by the party before July 20. Any serving post-WWII prime ministers remembered for new leader of the party, which won the most votes in presiding over one of the most chaotic periods in its the last election, automatically becomes prime minister. KUWAIT: Photo shows worshippers praying at the Grand Mosque yesterday morning. The ‘qiyam’ prayers began modern political history, said she would step down as Gaffe-prone Brexit cheerleader Boris Johnson, who at mosques around Kuwait in the early hours of yesterday - marking the beginning of the last ten days of the head of the Conservative Party on June 7. She will resigned as foreign secretary last summer over May’s holy month of Ramadan. remain in Downing Street in a caretaker role until a Continued on Page 24 Iran and Saudi Arabia have traditionally enforced for the first time in January 2018 for a regular Ramadan Kareem Ahead of women’s rules banning women from entering stadiums. domestic football league match. No countries from the region will be among the 24 The move was part of reforms introduced by teams taking part in the tournament in France from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that included WCup, female fans June 7, but at least there are signs of flexibility in the allowing women to drive and take part in other Ramadan - ‘Then & region toward a sport igniting more and more female sporting and artistic events. However, the king- struggle in Mideast interest across the globe. dom’s strict brand of Islam still mandates separa- Now’ Kuwaiti style In Iran, rules have been relaxed since the 1979 tion of the sexes in public and women football fans DUBAI: Two weeks ahead of a potentially game- Islamic revolution and women are selectively are only admitted to special sections of stadiums changing women’s World Cup, football remains com- allowed to attend some matches. But the fact that a and must wear full Islamic veils. Even so 15,000 By Mariam-Joyce DSouza pletely male-dominated in large parts of the Middle ban has yet to be officially lifted indicates there is women, penned in special sections, were among the East and North Africa, where female fans are still bat- still disagreement over the issue among senior fig- 62,000 fans who attended the Italian Super Cup brief into how the Holy month of Ramadan is tling for a level playing field. Women fans face obsta- ures in the Islamic republic. Ultra-conservative between Juventus and AC Milan played in Jeddah in celebrated and enjoyed in this part of the cles in many parts of the region where rival powers Saudi Arabia allowed women into a football stadium January.— AFP Aworld. Ramadan in Kuwait has its own set of unique customs kept alive by the people. The Kuwaiti people conjure the past with all its beautiful details - from the traditional costumes and dishes, to the special Ramadan celebrations which have a Oil slick spotted after delightful effect on the little ones and the not-so-lit- tle-ones alike. And throughout the past years, these Ramadan-related rituals have been maintained to Saudi tanker sabotaged retain their inherent traditional color. I found HELSINKI: A Saudi tanker damaged linked to the vessel Amjad and we have informative article online which explained some of off the coast of the United Arab Emirates had a third party verify that for us,” these customs in great detail. in mid-May appears to have leaked a Keranen said, adding that images taken trail of oil, satellite images released on by the European Space Agency satellite Ramadan in the past & today Friday show. Radar satellites operated by Sentinel-2 also seem to confirm the Like elsewhere in the Muslim world, people in the Finnish company Iceye pho- presence of oil around the ship. Kuwait fasted during the day and prayed during the tographed the vessel Amjad on May 14, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid night. They would recite the Quran and were proud two days after it and three other ships, Al-Falih said after the attack there were of the number of times they completed reciting it including another Saudi tanker, were no casualties or any oil spill from the during the holy month. Some of them would com- mysteriously sabotaged in the Sea of tankers. The oil in the pictures could be plete reading the whole Quran six or seven times, Oman. fuel from the engine. The strikes on the and they spent the nights praying Taraaweeh (vol- Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE, ships were followed two days later by untary night prayers). Even today, the Kuwaiti peo- both close allies of the United States, drone attacks on the key Saudi east- FUJAIRAH: Photo shows Saudi oil tanker after it was damaged in alleged ‘sabotage ple exhibit their generous nature, as they spend have yet given details on the exact west oil pipeline, which Saudi Arabia attacks’ in the Gulf. — AFP large sums of money in charity by serving Iftaar nature of those attacks, which come denounced as an attack on the security meals in the Masjids. During the nights of Ramadan, amid heightened tensions between of the world’s oil supplies.