Nod to Laws on Prices, Investment Authority
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SUBSCRIPTION THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2013 RAJAB 20, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Rise of Police snare US accuses Federer, Al-Qaeda French ‘Most currency Serena show Sahara Wanted’ 6 weeks exchange of no mercy at terrorist9 after10 jailbreak laundering21 $6bn French20 Open Nod to laws on prices, Max 41º Min 28º investment authority High Tide 04:12 & 14:55 First woman tweeter gets 20-month suspended term Low Tide 09:31 & 22:23 40 PAGES NO: 15824 150 FILS By B Izzak KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday passed a law stipu- lating to set up a public authority for promoting foreign invest- ment to replace the foreign investment office in a bid to attract more foreign direct investment flow into the country. The authority will be under the ministry of commerce and industry and its main objective is to clear obstacles that hinder foreign investors from doing business in Kuwait, which has the lowest FDI inflow among the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. The assembly also passed a law that allows authorities to moni- tor and determine the prices of commodities in the country as a means for protecting consumers from artificial increases of prices. Pressing to complete the study and approval of a series of legislations before parliament goes into summer recess at the end of next month, MPs passed other laws and decided to hold extra sessions and extend the duration to make the Assembly end sessions at 4.00 pm instead of 2.00 pm. MPs passed a law that provides salary and remuneration increases to servicemen who are below officers to equate them in this regard with high ranking officers. They also passed a controversial law for elec- tions at cooperative societies, giving each voter only a single vote despite protests by officials at the cooperative societies and at the cooperative union. MPs also demanded that the government should suspend appointments made by the resigned oil minister Hani Hussein in the oil sector, but the government used its constitutional right to delay the discussion of the issue for two weeks. The Assembly could not complete the debate on proposed amendments to the Kuwait Airways privatization law due to a lack of quorum. During the debate, the government rejected calls by MPs that KAC should be given the $500 million Iraq has paid in compen- sation over damages to the national carrier, with Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali insisting that the compensation has already been deposited with the government. Shamali however said that the government will pay all the losses incurred by KAC in the past several years and which are estimated at KD 440 million. Under the law, the government is responsible to meet any shortfall in the budgets of state-owned establishments. Meanwhile, the criminal court yesterday sen- tenced the first female opposition tweeter for 20 months in jail but suspended the implementation of the prison term against the payment of KD 200. The tweeter, Sara Al-Derees, was JERUSALEM: A woman holds her son as she reacts while Israeli bulldozers destroy a Palestinian home in the Arab east Jerusalem’s neighborhood of Beit Hanina yes- accused of insulting HH the Amir through remarks on her Twitter terday. Palestinian homes built without a construction permit are often demolished by order of the Jerusalem municipality. Palestinians claim that it is impossible account. If the appeals court confirms the conviction, Darees will to obtain permits. — AFP have to serve the jail term. Nepal marks 60 years PAGE US spelling bee starts PAGE since Everest conquest with a new challenge Buddhist mobs attack Muslims in Myanmar LASHIO, Myanmar: Religious riots armed with sticks were roaming the shook eastern Myanmar for a second streets of Lashio looking for Muslims day yesterday with one man hacked to yesterday, while an AFP reporter saw death and four injured, a top official two houses ablaze. A Reuters reporter said, after an orphanage and mosque saw scores of young men and boys on TOKYO: Egyptian-born Osunaarashi raises his arms were burnt down. Police fired warning motorbikes and on foot marauding in joy after becoming the first African to be promot- shots to disperse rioters after the fresh through the city of 130,000 people in a ed to the jyuryo, the elite division of Japan’s ancient Buddhist-Muslim clashes in the town of mountainous region about 700 km sport of sumo, at Otake stable yesterday. — AP Lashio in Shan state, according to presi- from the commercial capital Yangon. By dential spokesman Ye Htut. “The early evening, Muslims shops and deceased is a man. He was hacked to homes were still burning in one quar- Egypt sumo death with a knife,” Ye Htut told AFP, ter. “I don’t know where the Muslims adding that the security forces were are. They all ran away,” said Kyaw Soe wrestler gets taking action to halt the unrest. Several Win, a Buddhist resident of a mixed TUNIS: An activist from the women’s movement Femen is lead away by a episodes of religious violence have neighbourhood where motorbikes and Tunisian police officer as she demonstrates in front of the Ministry of Justice to exposed deep rifts in the Buddhist- household possessions lay burning in protest against the jailing of a Tunisian member yesterday. — AP promoted majority country and cast a shadow the streets. Nearby, a man with a sword over widely praised political reforms and a stick combed through the TOKYO: The first professional sumo wrestler from either since military rule ended two years ago. remains of one burned-out shop. Africa or the Arab world was given a boost yesterday, Trio in Arab world’s Residents said Buddhist mobs Continued on Page 15 winning promotion to the sport’s second highest divi- sion in Japan. The Japan Sumo Association promoted 21-year-old Egyptian Abdelrahman Ahmed Shaalan, first topless protest who goes by the ring name of “Osunaarashi” (Great Sandstorm), to the “jyuryo” division, made of wrestlers TUNIS: Three young European women some of who tried to cover up the ranked between 43rd and 70th. “I am very glad,” Shaalan with topless protest group Femen were women. A group of lawyers linked to the told reporters in Japanese at his stable in downtown arrested yesterday after baring their hostile crowd attacked some of the jour- Tokyo. “I will work hard and aim higher still by practising breasts in Tunis, a first in the Arab world nalists, accusing them of giving a plat- more and more.” that sparked scuffles outside the Tunisian form to the topless activists. As the The 189 cm (6 ft 2 in) grappler, who weighs in at 145 capital’s main courthouse. Standing on a young women were being transferred kg, made his debut in March last year and has lost only wall in front of the railings outside the from one office to another within the six of his 49 regular matches in seven tournaments courthouse, the women, two French and court building, the lawyers sang the since. In the latest tournament, held in Tokyo this the other German, shouted: “Free Amina,” Tunisian national anthem and shouted month, he won all seven matches. But the going will get in support of a young Tunisian woman “Get out!” a rallying cry during the tougher from now on, with wrestlers in the top two divi- detained while protesting against hard- January 2011 revolution that ignited the sions fighting 15 times in every tournament. A devout line Islamists and awaiting trial today. Arab Spring. Muslim, Shaalan will again fast during this year’s “Breast Feed Revolution” read graffiti on “An inquiry has been opened and they Ramadan, the Islamic holy month when adherents can- the women, who wore only denim micro will be placed under arrest and brought not eat or drink in daylight hours. “I’ll be alright. I can shorts and black shoes, and “Femen to trial,” justice ministry spokesman Adel handle it,” he said about this year’s Ramadan, which is Extremist” was daubed on their backs. Riahi told AFP, without specifying what set to clash with the July tournament. The police swiftly arrested them and the women might be charged with. Shaalan belongs to one of about 40 sumo stables. took them inside the building, before a Indecency in Tunisia is punishable by six His position in the top 70, known as “sekitori”, affords crowd of journalists. The Femen protest, months in jail. The French consul in him his own room, having previously shared with other LASHIO, Myanmar: People gather around a burning mosque in this city in also intended to highlight the difficulties Tunisia, Martine Gambard-Trebucien, wrestlers. northern Shan State, late Tuesday. — AP facing women in socially conservative told reporters she had met the women Continued on Page 15 Tunisia, provoked the anger of onlookers, Continued on Page 15 THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2013 LOCAL Crumbling infrastructure blamed for water cut KUWAIT: Sources at the Ministry The sources said the produc- and there were no quick solu- of Electricity and Water blamed tion capacity at the water distil- tions. Instead, it required a thor- the crumbling infrastructure of lation stations has reached 500 ough change in the network’s the old water network as being million imperial gallons per day, infrastructure, something being responsible for the continued but they do not produce more done by the ministry currently. water cut offs in certain areas in than 400 million due to the sta- The sources said that there is a the country. They said the net- tions’ inability to accept such a huge variation in water consump- work cannot cope with the huge amount of produced water.