SUBSCRIPTION SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014 JAMADA ALAWWAL 15, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net 12,000 US re-indicts ‘China’s Twitter’ Advantage participate Indian Sina Weibo ten-man City in NBK diplomat on files for as nine-man Walkathon2 visa11 fraud IPO21 in US Chelsea20 crash Oppn launches rebranded Max 26º Min 16º Popular Action Movement High Tide 12:29 Low Tide Barrak strongly criticizes ruling family, Assembly 06:22 & 18:20 40 PAGES NO: 16106 150 FILS By B Izzak KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti opposition, which boycotted the previous two parliamentary elections in protest against a controversial electoral law, yesterday launched a new political group - the Popular Action Movement. Veteran opposition figures including former speaker Ahmad Al- Saadoun, former opposition MP Musallam Al-Barrak and a number of leading politicians are among the main members of the new group that had been operating as the Popular Action Bloc for the past several years. In a hard-hitting speech, Barrak strongly criticized the ruling family, saying it has failed to run the affairs of the government and called for introducing an elected government that should come through the ballot box- es. Barrak said that it is an illusion for the ruling family to think that it can rule the country through the single- vote law, a dummy Assembly, politicizing of the judici- ary and using political money and riot police. “We are demanding an elected government that is subject to the supervision of the people and which should come through the ballots,” Barrak told the gath- ering that was held at Saadoun’s diwaniya after a book- ing at a local hotel was cancelled a few days ago. Barrak claimed that Kuwait is passing through its worst politi- cal era which means criticism is not sufficient and “we have to work jointly with other political groups”. He announced that the new movement (Hashd in Arabic) will extend its hands for cooperation with all groups. The outspoken former lawmaker alleged that there is a suspicious alliance between the “merchants of corrup- tion and merchants of power”, adding that Kuwait is being destroyed and its wealth stolen. Barrak ridiculed the government’s statement that the welfare state is over, saying that the government has been sending “our money abroad to support dictators”. He said the current struggle in Kuwait is a struggle between the supporters KUWAIT: Former speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun speaks during the launch of the new Popular Action of the state and those of sheikhdom, and the former will Movement at his diwaniya yesterday. (Inset) Opposition leader Musallam Al-Barrak addresses the emerge victorious. crowd. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat Continued on Page 13 Top Kuwaiti fighter killed in Syria Forces enter rebel bastion • Conflict enters 4th year BEIRUT: Activists yesterday said that the Kuwaiti commander of an Al-Qaeda- linked group was killed while fighting US giving government troops and Hezbollah fight- ers inside Syria. The Britain-based Syrian up Internet Observatory for Human Rights said Abu Azzam Al-Kuwaiti, a leader of the Nusra Front, was killed late Friday in fighting oversight around the western town of Yabroud. Amer Al-Qalamouni, an activist in the CAIRO: Egyptian military police soldiers run towards a checkpoint attacked by WASHINGTON: The US government announced area, and the Observatory said yesterday gunmen in Shubra Al-Kheima, a suburb north of Cairo, yesterday. -—AP Friday it was giving up its key role overseeing the Al-Kuwaiti was a key mediator for the Internet’s technical operations, handing over those release of a dozen nuns held by rebels functions to “the global multi-stakeholder commu- earlier this week. His death came as Six troops killed nity”. The move “marks the final phase of the privati- Syrian forces and Hezbollah fighters zation” of the management of the Internet domain advanced in rebel-held Yabroud near the name system, said a statement from the US Lebanese border amid heavy bombard- in Cairo attack Commerce Department. ment from warplanes, artillery and tanks The US agency called for “global stakeholders to as the country’s bloody conflict marked develop a proposal” for a transition to a new plan its third anniversary yesterday, state CAIRO: Gunmen killed six soldiers at a ing their dawn prayers and then planted Abu Azzam Al-Kuwaiti with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names media and activists said. Cairo checkpoint yesterday in a brazen two bombs to target first responders, and Numbers, a non-profit group that took over The conflict, which began amid Arab extremists entered the fight. attack which the military blamed on the the military said in a statement. The some of the functions in 1997 under an agreement Spring protests across the region, started The main Western-backed opposition Muslim Brotherhood movement of health ministry said six soldiers were with the US government. The decision comes with off as protests that turned into an armed group, the Syrian National Coalition, Egypt’s deposed Islamist president killed. Live television footage showed Washington under pressure following revelations insurgency and eventually became a full- vowed in a statement yesterday marking Mohamed Morsi. The attack came two military sappers safely detonate a bomb about vast surveillance programs operated by the blown civil war that activists say has the conflict’s third anniversary “to bring days after gunmen killed a soldier in near the checkpoint in the northern secretive National Security Agency to collect intelli- killed more than 140,000 people and has down the Assad regime that is the main Cairo, as militants once based in the Sinai neighbourhood of Shubra al-Kheima. gence and other data through a variety of methods. seen 2 million people flee the country. source of the Syrian people’s suffering”. Peninsula increasingly widen attacks that One of the devices was placed next to a ICANN leaders said during a conference call that Peace talks between the government of The coalition’s chief Ahmad Al-Jarba have killed more than 200 security men dead soldier’s body, a private television the move by the US was a sign that the organization President Bashar Al-Assad and Syria’s attacked Assad’s main backer Iran, as well since the army overthrew Morsi last July. station quoted an interior ministry offi- has matured and that it was in the works long divided opposition haven’t found a as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Shiite fight- The assailants opened fire on military cial as saying. Continued on Page 13 diplomatic solution to the crisis, which ers who came from Iraq to fight with policemen yesterday as they were finish- Continued on Page 13 has seen sectarian violence rise as Islamic Continued on Page 13 Jet’s disappearance ‘deliberate’ KUALA LUMPUR: A missing Malaysian airliner was apparently deliberately diverted and flown for hours after vanishing from radar, Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday, stopping short of confirming a hijack but taking the excruciating search for the jet into uncharted new territory. Najib said investigators believed “with a high degree of certainty” that sys- tems relaying Malaysia Airlines flight 370’s location to air traffic control were manually switched off before the jet veered westward in a fashion “consistent with deliberate action”. But a grave-looking Najib told a press conference watched around the globe that he could not confirm whether the plane had been forcibly taken over. “Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I MEDAN: An Indonesian student writes a message wish to be very clear: We are still investigating all pos- expressing prayers and wishes for passengers sibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its onboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 KUWAIT: A rainbow arcs over Kuwait City yesterday after heavy rain. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Continued on Page 13 yesterday. — AFP SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014 LOCAL KUWAIT: The annual walkathon of the National Bank of Kuwait in progress. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat 12,000 participate in NBK Walkathon By Nawara Fattahova walkathon - 10 winners in each category - who 35), green (ages 36-49) and burgundy (ages 50 received medals. They also received cash and above). KUWAIT: More than 12,000 people participat- prizes worth KD 300, KD 200, KD 100 and KD The participants praised the organization ed in the annual National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) 50 for the last seven finishers in each category. of the walkathon, but many were confused Walkathon yesterday. This year’s slogan was ‘If Other prizes were given to attendees as well. about the position they ranked. “I arrived 10th We Can Make a Change, So Can You’. Sudden The walkathon started in the morning with but I was not given any ticket with a number heavy rain along with hail fell in the middle of the children at Green Island. The participating as I expected. The woman after me was given the race, but by the arrival of most categories kids were divided into four categories accord- a ticket with number 11, and when I asked, to the finish line, the rain had stopped. ing to their ages from 5 to 14 years old, wear- they said I’m the 10th but I will get the num- This was the 20th year of the walkathon. ing jerseys with new colors this year - neon ber later. So I’m confused, especially that this is The number of participants increases every pink, orange, purple and neon green. my first time participating in this event,” said a year, and this year saw an increase of 2,000 The walking distance was different for each participant form Ukraine who didn’t want to people in all categories.