THULQAADA 4, 1441 AH THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 20 Pages Max 45º Min 33º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 18165 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net People resorting to barter India, Pak expel embassy Lebanon economic crisis 1983 World Cup win triggered 5 to survive amid pandemic 8 staff in tit-for-tat spy row 16 bites: Refrigerators empty 19 India’s obsession with cricket MP says govt statements on demographics ‘not serious’ Lawmakers slam opposition of judges to law allowing challenges to final rulings By B Izzak composition is for Kuwaitis to be 70 per- of a contract that would have hired 500 dures. cent and expats 30 percent of the coun- expat employees in the oil sector. MP Abdulkarim Al-Kandari said the KUWAIT: MP Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei try’s population. At present, expats num- Meanwhile, several MPs yesterday crit- anger of judges in their statement and calls yesterday played down the value of the ber 3.35 million or 70 percent of the pop- icized efforts by some to influence the for the government to reject the legislation government’s highly ambitious state- ulation, and Kuwaitis make up just 30 per- government to reject a law passed by the or to challenge its constitutionality in the ments on amending the population struc- cent or 1.45 million. Assembly last week that allows challeng- court are actions that distort the image of ture in the country to make Kuwaitis the The lawmaker said that to achieve that ing final court rulings, which is not possi- judges. MP Subaei said the legislation was majority. Subaei said although the prime goal, the number of expats should be ble now. The law was passed unanimously originally a proposal by the government minister has said the government hopes reduced to around 400,000, which does and MPs say it was made by the coopera- and another by lawmakers, and both were to make Kuwaitis 70 percent of the pop- not seem to be realistic. A number of min- tion of the Assembly, the government and merged to reach the final law, which was ulation - although currently they only isters have already announced plans to lay the judiciary. unanimously approved in the Assembly. make up just 30 percent – “we have not off hundreds of expat employees as part of But around 300 judges have signed a Former MP Obaid Al-Wasmi said seen any action or plan to achieve this a process to substitute them with Kuwaitis. statement strongly criticizing the legisla- judges are the only public employees who remote goal”. But Subaei said these efforts lack coordi- tion, saying it undermines the immunity of have the authority to “end a human life”, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah nation and are well short of achieving the judges, could lead to convicting them for and accordingly they should be ques- Al-Khaled Al-Sabah told editors of local target. Oil Minister Khaled Al-Fadhel said criminal offenses and will lead to disrupt- tioned for professional and technical dailies earlier this month that the ideal yesterday that he ordered the cancellation ing court and public prosecution proce- errors while applying the law. MP Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei an unstinting apology for the now-cancelled Adria News in brief #Djokovid: Tennis Tour, where social distancing was minimal and matches were played in front of thousands of fans. MSCI to reclassify Boursa However, criticism was swift and heavy, with star mauled over many voicing concerns over attempts to restart KUWAIT: Morgan Stanley Capital International professional tournaments in August, including the (MSCI) will implement the reclassification of the virus ‘horror show’ US Open Grand Slam is which is scheduled to begin MSCI Kuwait Indexes from Frontier Markets sta- PARIS: World number one Novak Djokovic was on Aug 31. Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric tus to Emerging Markets status. This step will widely condemned yesterday for hosting a tennis and Viktor Troicki all tested positive after taking coincide with “the November 2020 Semi Annual exhibition where he was one of four players to test part in the Adria Tour, where players embraced Index Review (SAIR)”, Kuwait Capital Market across the net, played basketball and even danced Authority (CMA) said in a statement on Twitter positive for the coronavirus, a lapse that sent shud- in a nightclub. account on Tuesday, citing a reminder by ders through a sport struggling to get back on its Continued on Page 16 Novak Djokovic MSCI.MSCI - a leading provider of critical deci- feet. The Serbian star said he was “deeply sorry” in sion support tools and services, issued the reminder earlier in the day. — KUNA Jericho fears Indian guru warned isolation in NEW DELHI: A hugely popular Indian guru tout- ing herbal remedies as a $7 cure for coronavirus was told by the government Tuesday that he need- annexation ed to prove his claims before further marketing. Baba Ramdev, a supporter of Prime Minister JERICHO: Mamoun Jasr has grown hundreds of Narendra Modi, said the remedy would be avail- date palms near Jericho, but now the farmer fears able from next week through his lucrative Patanjali being marooned on a scrap of Palestinian land if Ayurved company, claiming it was 100 percent Israel forges ahead with its plans to annex the successful on nearly 300 test patients. — AFP Jordan Valley. A qualified accountant, Jasr has spent the past decade on an ambitious mission to learn Erekat’s nephew killed how to cultivate his fields as an “act of resistance” against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. His palm grove now boasts 1,300 trees planted ABU DIS: The nephew of a senior Palestinian offi- near the oasis city of Jericho, home to 20,000 cial was shot dead Tuesday at a checkpoint in the Palestinians. But the nearby area is also dotted with occupied West Bank after Israeli police claimed he Israeli settlements, which Prime Minister Benjamin drove his car at speed toward a policewoman. The Netanyahu says will be annexed along with the fer- deceased was identified as Ahmad Erakat, nephew tile Jordan Valley. When Netanyahu unveiled a map of Saeb Erakat, secretary-general of the Palestine of his plans in September, the premier pointed to a Liberation Organization (PLO). Ahmad, 27, was long blue zone to be annexed, leaving a brown “executed” by the Israeli police, his uncle told AFP, speck in the middle: Jericho. JERICHO: Palestinian farmer Judeh Aseed from Jericho’s agricultural union stands in a palm grove in this adding that he held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Continued on Page 16 West Bank city on June 21, 2020. — AFP Netanyahu responsible for “this crime”. — AFP UN chief cautions Israel the world stage. But when AFP visited Bodybuilders his sunny home in an upscale gated UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General community in eastern Cairo, Asab Antonio Guterres has urged Israel to drop plans in Egypt feel chuckled modestly that he was not in to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, saying top shape. “I’ve taken it upon myself... it would be a “most serious violation of interna- to use the lockdown to start compet- tional law,” in a report made public Tuesday. In pain, no gain ing again at the end of the year, since the document, Guterres says an Israeli annexation I have a lot of time on my hands these would be “devastating” for hopes of fresh negoti- CAIRO: Egypt’s musclemen are frus- days,” he told AFP. ations and an eventual two-state solution. — AFP trated with working out from home Egypt has been under a night-time due to coronavirus restrictions and curfew for the past three months to are raring to get back to gruelling stem the spread of the novel coron- Egypt eases restrictions routines at their gyms, where they avirus, but the number of infections also earn a living. With massive biceps continues to rise. The North African CAIRO: Egypt will partially reopen cafes, restau- and a gleaming six-pack, Mohamed country, with a population of over 100 rants, places of worship, cinemas and sporting clubs Ali – who goes by his nickname Asab, million, has officially recorded over on Saturday, relaxing a lockdown to curb the spread a reference in Arabic to his bulging 58,000 COVID-19 cases and 2,365 of coronavirus, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli veins – is normally an enthusiastic deaths. Gyms have been shuttered as announced. A night-time curfew that was imposed in exhibitionist. part of nationwide restrictions, but late March will now run from midnight to 4 am, The 33-year-old is a personal that has not deterred Asab from hit- Mabouli said in a televised address Tuesday, trainer and veteran participant of sev- ting his home gym hard. announcing a slew of decisions taking effect on June eral bodybuilding championships with He is re-sculpting a taut physique 6TH OF OCTOBER CITY: Bodybuilder coach Mohamed Nassim, a 33-year-old 27. Madbouli warned that shisha smoking is still Egypt’s national team, which has a through an extremely demanding Syrian exile, takes part in a training session in a public park on the outskirts of banned to prevent the spread of the disease. — AFP history of garnering gold medals on Continued on Page 16 the Egyptian capital on June 15, 2020. — AFP 2 Established 1961 Thursday, June 25, 2020 Local EU official praises Kuwait’s preventive measures to confront COVID-19 Kuwait’s $60 million helped Iraq, Palestine and Syria KUWAIT: The European Union Ambassador to as sectorial and regional cooperation, he added. establish an EU brand in Kuwait Dr Cristian Tudor praised preventive The Ambassador noted that Kuwait was the first the country to overcome GCC condemns measures taken by the Kuwaiti government in in the Gulf region to sign a cooperation agree- a widespread miscon- face of the COVID-19 pandemic.