SUBSCRIPTION THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015 JAMADA ALTHANI 27, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net PACI launches Egypt, Saudis The Real Barca blow revamped mull drills Fouz: The PSG away, Kuwait Finder as Yemen importance of Porto stun mobile app battles rage motherhood Bayern 5Controversy13 37 over maid20 Min 13º Max 30º recruitment company High Tide 10:05 & 22:05 Panel to discuss alleged violations by telecom firm Low Tide 03:15 & 16:00 40 PAGES NO: 16492 150 FILS By B Izzak conspiracy theories KUWAIT: The rejection by the National Assembly’s health and labor committee of a proposal to establish a compa- It’s a disaster ny to recruit domestic helpers has triggered a controversy between the panel and MPs who submitted the proposal. Following last week’s rejection, MP Kamel Al-Awadhi, who is the main supporter of the proposal, said he will ask the Assembly in next week’s session to refer the proposal to its financial and economic affairs committee. By Badrya Darwish But rapporteur of the health and labour panel MP Saadoun Hammad, who is strongly opposed to the pro- posal, said that according to the Assembly charter, the proposal must be reviewed by his committee. Hammad reiterated that the rejection came after Kuwait Investment [email protected] Authority and the state-owned pension fund refused to participate in the company’s capital as was suggested in the proposal. eading the IMF World Economic Report for Supporters of the bill insist the company will resolve a 2015 was very interesting, especially when I large number of problems and violations in the recruit- Rread about the forecast for Kuwait, because ment of domestic helpers and will substantially reduce this is my concern. I was ashamed actually and I the expense of recruiting maids after a sharp rise in cost. went on reading about other countries. In the Awadhi had also said the company is fully backed by a beginning I was comparing my country with the large number of MPs and the government, mainly the most developed and strongest economies in our interior ministry. According to latest statistics, there are region such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. But about 650,000 domestic helpers in Kuwait, the over- it was shocking to me that we ranked not near them whelming majority of them are Asians, mainly from India, but next to the ones that have been suffering for LEBANON: Boys do homework at a UNHCR camp for Syrian refugees in south Lebanon on Tuesday. — AFP Sri Lanka and the Philippines. many years from war (Iraq) or international sanc- In another development, head of the public funds pro- tions (Iran). 21 million Middle East tection committee MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji said the panel I find it really a shame that Kuwait’s economic will discuss alleged violations at one of the three telecom growth prospects rank among these two countries companies in Kuwait. Turaiji said that the committee will in the region. Don’t forget Kuwait has ranked for the children out of school focus on alleged financial violations by the chairman of last 15 years as one of the wealthiest countries in the company - who is appointed by the government - the world per capita and has enjoyed a massive sur- BEIRUT: An estimated 21 million children in the flict, poverty and gender discrimination. who allegedly seized public funds and undermined plus in its budget. Middle East and North Africa are out of school or at risk “At a time of such change and turmoil, this region Kuwait’s relations with a friendly Gulf state which has sub- So what is the reason behind the massive deteri- of dropping out despite improved access to education simply cannot afford to let 21 million children fall by stantial investments in the company. The lawmaker did oration in Kuwait’s economy? Please do me a favor in the region over the past decade, the United Nations the wayside,” said Maria Calivis, regional director for not name the firm. and don’t bluff me by saying that it’s due to the col- said in a report released yesterday. Governments in the UNICEF. “These children must be given the opportunity He said that he has sent a series of questions to the lapse of oil prices. It has not caused our fall. Because region, which includes 20 countries stretching from to acquire the skills they need through education in finance minister about these alleged violations by the oil prices dropped only a few months ago, but Morocco to Iraq, have invested in education in the past order to play their part in the region’s transformation.” chairman, which included appointing a large number of Kuwait has enjoyed many years of strong income. 10 years, which has helped push up enrollment rates, More than 15 million children already are out of school his retired relatives and friends. He claimed that most of So we shouldn’t feel the pinch of income shortages according to the UNESCO and UNICEF report. But in the region, while another 6 million are deemed at the appointees have no professional or practical relation- for years to come, as the government is very smart progress has slowed in recent years in the face of con- Continued on Page 13 ship with the telecom sector. to set its budget on the basis of $55 per barrel. Continued on Page 13 So the only reason I can imagine is corruption, I’m sorry to say. Of course, the result of corruption is poor planning and a lack of development in every sector. Tell me for the last 20 years, in which area did Oil facilities remain on alert we develop? In infrastructure? No, on the contrary. Hospitals and national health? No. Did we develop our schools and education? No. In our power sys- Egypt signs $1.6bn energy deals with Alghanim tems and energy? No. What else can be said? Nothing. ABU DHABI/CAIRO/KHOBAR: militias in Yemen. The agency they had taken since the start these measures include “secur- exporter, is part of the Saudi- And I don’t think we are ever going to develop State-run Kuwait Petroleum quoted Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled of developments in Yemen. ing all industrial safety and led alliance that has been wag- because now oil prices have dropped and this will Corp (KPC) and all affiliated Al-Sabah, the spokesperson for KPC said at the start of mili- security requirements and rais- ing air strikes on positions of be a good excuse for the government to tighten its firms remain on alert, state the country’s oil sector and tary operations in Yemen led by ing the level of security meas- the Iranian-backed Houthi belt. If we couldn’t develop in the years of booming news agency KUNA said yester- chief executive of the Kuwait Saudi Arabia it had raised secu- ures and to intensify the pro- groups and forces loyal to for- oil prices, how can we do it now? This is a disaster day, three weeks after Saudi Oil Tanker Company, as saying rity around its oil facilities. KPC tection of oil installations in mer President Ali Abdullah for us and for the coming generations. Arabia and Arab allies began oil facilities were continuing acting chief executive officer Kuwait and abroad,” according Saleh. military strikes against Houthi the precautionary measures Mohammad Al-Farhoud said to KUNA. Kuwait, a major oil Continued on Page 13 Rouhani rejects US Congress pressure TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani yesterday dismissed pressure from the US Congress over a preliminary deal on the Islamic Republic’s contested nuclear program, saying that Tehran is dealing with world powers - not American lawmakers. In a speech to tens of thousands of Iranians in the northern city of Rasht, Rouhani said his nation is pursuing a “dignified” agreement with the six-member group, which includes the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. Rouhani’s remarks were an apparent reac- tion to developments Tuesday in Washington, where President Barack Obama bowed to pres- BANGKALAN, Indonesia: Family members of beheaded Indonesian maid Siti sure from Republicans and Democrats and Zainab display a poster bearing her portrait at their family home in East Java agreed to sign compromise legislation empow- province yesterday. — AFP ering Congress to reject a final nuclear deal with Iran. The legislation is now expected to sail through both houses of Congress but it is Indonesia protests unclear how it will affect the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran. Tehran and world powers reached a frame- maid’s beheading work agreement on the deal earlier this month. The deal, which is to be finalized by June 30, is JAKARTA: Jakarta summoned the Saudi al foreigners on death row for drug crimes. meant to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return RASHT, Iran: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waves to the crowd after arriving in this Arabian ambassador yesterday to protest Indonesian President Joko Widodo and for lifting of crippling economic sanctions northern city yesterday. — AFP the beheading of an Indonesian domestic three of his predecessors had previously imposed on Iran. The disputes between the week that Tehran will not sign on to any final Portugal, yesterday. “We will hold the US gov- worker and complain that her family and written to the Saudi king asking for the Obama administration and the Congress are an deal unless all economic sanctions are com- ernment, the US president accountable.” consular staff were not given prior notice victim’s family to forgive Zainab. But the “internal issue”, Rouhani said. “Our partner is pletely lifted.