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SUBSCRIPTION THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013 JAMADA ALTHANI 22, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net British PM Myanmar IBM makes Bayern humiliate presses UAE Muslims face tiny movie Barca to reach president on uncertain future by pushing Champions ‘torture’8 claims after12 new attack molecules27 League20 final Assembly approves laws on Max 30º prices, foreign investment Min 19º High Tide 05:27 & 15:50 Saudi tweeter gets 5 years jail for insulting Amir Low Tide 10:33 & 22:38 40 PAGES NO: 15796 150 FILS By B Izzak conspiracy theories KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday passed a law to enable the government to control prices in some cas- es in a bid to broaden consumer protection methods May Day amid criticism by MPs of the monopoly system that still exists in the country. MPs also overwhelmingly passed a second law to encourage foreign investment inflow into Kuwait and a third legislation giving social and children allowance to Kuwaiti female employees married to non- Kuwaitis provided their husbands do not get it. The law for supervising commodities and limiting the prices of certain commodities when needed was By Badrya Darwish passed in the first reading as MPs demanded a two- week period to introduce some amendments before approving it in the second and final round. The law gives the government the required authority to prevent cheating and artificial increase in prices of commodities, [email protected] especially essential consumer commodities. MPs however said the law is not sufficient to provide complete protection to consumers. MP Khaled Al- esterday the whole world celebrated what’s Adwah said the value of the dinar is slipping and prices called Labour Day. In many countries this day in Kuwait are higher than in neighbouring Gulf states, Yis referred to as May Day. You might wonder which is evidence that there is no sufficient supervision what the origin of the idea was. I read that it started over prices. MP Taher Al-Failakawi said Kuwait’s market in the first years of 1800 during the Industrial and economy “are not entirely free as we claim” because Revolution. Each country has claimed that they initi- customs do not allow anyone to import a commodity ated the first Labour Day. It does not matter who that has an agent in Kuwait, saying if a citizens buys a was first. The idea to dedicate a day to labourers and vehicle from Saudi Arabia, for example, the agent in workers is great. The idea in the past helped regulate Kuwait normally refuses to carry out maintenance or shorter work hours for labourers. Through the years repairs. These practices are in breach of the constitution it has become stronger with the support of labour and the law, he said. unions. This resulted in greater benefits for the Continued on Page 3 labour forces which many of us are enjoying in many different countries today. I do not know why usually this day is accompa- nied by many marches where groups of people Turkmen president express their thoughts in placards which they carry falls from horse, around. I have no idea if this day has started to lose it SANTIAGO, Chile: Demonstrators clash with the police during a May Day march yesterday. — AFP glamour with time. Does it mean anything to work- state media silent ers besides being a day off and people gathering with their families outdoors? In my opinion, maybe May Day protests against MOSCOW: Turkmenistan’s equestrian-mad President Labour Day is respected in the West and not so Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov suffered a spectacular much in the Third World which has been grasped by fall from his horse after a race, according to Internet high unemployment and poverty. Does the Third austerity, ‘slave labour’ videos, but state media in the isolated ex-Soviet state World give a damn for Labour Day? Many such coun- maintained a rigid silence on the incident. Berdymukhamedov suffered the fall seconds after he tries employ young children. Do they observe May MADRID: Tens of thousands of angry protesters staged tra- marches on May 1, called for a light of hope in a France Day? This day could be a mayday, mayday call for won a kilometre-long horse race in Ashgabat on his ditional May Day rallies in several countries of the crisis- “locked in the darkness of Europe”. France “is sinking into an favourite mount Berkarar (The Powerful) at an annual help for the Third World and not the May Day of the wracked eurozone yesterday, as fury erupted at demonstra- absurd policy of endless austerity ... because it’s about West. horse festival on Sunday celebrating the elite Turkmen tions in Bangladesh after a deadly building collapse. always saying yes to Brussels, to Berlin of course, and to Akhal-Teke breed. The videos show a man identified as Of course in the Third World we are not even tak- Although numbers were lower than in previous years, thou- financial moguls in all circumstances,” she said. ing a day off on Labour Day When I say the Third the president and dressed in traditional riding robes sands took to the streets in Spain, some brandishing flags Pope Francis used a private mass in his residence to being thrown to the ground as the horse appears to Work I talk about the Middle East and the Gulf coun- reading “6,202,700”, a reference to the record number out of mark May Day, urging political leaders to fight unemploy- tries. Especially in the Gulf where we have so many stutter just after crossing the finishing line. work in the recession-hit country. “This austerity is ruining ment in a sweeping critique of “selfish profit” which he said The figure lies motionless face down in the race track holidays, we do not need to add another holiday to and killing us,” read one banner in Madrid, blasting the “goes against God”. He slammed as “slave labour” condi- the list. India celebrates this day. Bless the Japanese. sands for several seconds before dozens of black-suited unpopular German-led policy of squeezing budgets in tions in the Bangladesh factory that collapsed last week security officials run from the stands and hide him from For them it is just a day off. In India and Pakistan, response to the eurozone’s three-year debt crisis. killing more than 400 workers, with employees paid just they hold marches. It is a very big day in China too. view. Eventually a van appears and takes him away. The Meanwhile, a strike in Greece stopped ferry services €38 ($50) a month. In Dhaka, protesters held red banners video goes on to show a figure resembling I hope that day will remind people about the and disrupted public transport in Athens as workers and flags chanting “Hang the Killers, Hang the Factory struggles of workers and how to enhance their lives Berdymukhamedov later waving to the applauding marched against austerity in a country whose jobless Owners” after the devastating collapse of the garment fac- crowd in an apparent bid to show all is well. and that it will still be celebrated with the true rate is also around 27 percent. Waving brightly coloured tory, as rescuers warned the final toll could surpass 500. meaning of Labour Day and not just become some- Turkmenistan state media this week reported in great protest flags, nearly 13,000 people answered the call of Police put the number of protesters at the main rally at detail on the president’s victory in the horse race, which thing like Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s unions and leftist groups to rally in the country, facing its more than 20,000, and there were smaller-scale protests day. Labour Day is not about exchanges of presents. won him a cash prize of $11 million, all of which he sixth year of recession and making painful job cuts in elsewhere in the Bangladeshi capital and in other cities. donated to an official horse fund. It is about remembering and appreciating those efforts to appease international creditors.”We only feel In Turkey’s biggest city Istanbul, police fired tear gas around us who build our houses, handle our bank Government newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan insecurity. There is no motive for us to study, nothing is and water cannon at stone-throwing protesters trying to devoted four pages to his victory in a report headlined accounts, take care of our children and prepare the certain,” 21-year-old student Giorgos Tavoularis told AFP. gather for a banned demonstration. More than 30 peo- “The Striving of the Nation, The Striving of the Leader”, food we buy and eat. Unemployment has reached a staggering 59 percent ple, mostly police, were injured and 72 arrests were with six giant pictures of the president in national cos- I hope next year we will take the initiative to cele- among Greece’s under-25s. made as fighting erupted in three neighbourhoods lead- tume. But there was no mention of the president’s brate this day with all the expats in Kuwait with In France, where unemployment has also hit a record ing to Taksim Square - a traditional hub for leftist May potentially serious mishap in the press or on television. more tolerance and appreciation. high of 3.2 million people, the National Front party of Day protests - where the authorities had blocked off the The race was shown on state television, but the footage Have a good day! extreme rightist Marine Le Pen, which also traditionally streets. — AFP (See Page 21) cuts abruptly just after the finish.