SUBSCRIPTION MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2016 RABI AL-AWWAL 27, 1438 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Christians Pope comforts Trump to Raiders lose hail religious terror victims dissolve Carr as Texans, tolerance in Christmas foundation Falcons, Giants in Kuwait5 message8 amid probe8 reach20 playoffs Court upholds restoration Min 14º of Shimmari’s citizenship Max 20º High Tide 11:07 & 21:52 Low Tide Panel: ‘Political exclusion’ law unconstitutional 04:42 & 15:55 40 PAGES NO: 17092 150 FILS By B Izzak Issue of illegal residents concerns Amir KUWAIT: The appeals court yesterday upheld a ruling by the lower court that ordered the government to return the citizenship of pro-opposition media owner KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Ahmad Jabr Al-Shimmari, which was revoked by the Jaber Al-Sabah and top leaders are concerned over the government over two years ago. Shimmari’s lawyer and illegal residents’ issue, the interior minister affirmed yesterday. Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, who is newly-elected MP Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei described the also Deputy Prime Minister, stressed the necessity of ruling as historic and called on the new interior minister following up and resolving this issue in line with HH to implement the verdict as soon as possible. the Amir’s instructions. The government refers to the He threatened to seek court action or use constitu- country’s stateless Arabs, colloquially known as tional tools in the National Assembly if interior ministry bedoons, as ‘illegal residents’. authorities rejected or delayed the restoration of the cit- He was speaking during a meeting of the board of izenship to Shimmari and his four children. In a land- the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents’ Affairs. He mark ruling, the lower administrative court said in expressed gratitude to the board members for their October that the revocation of Shimmari’s citizenship efforts in implementing the approved plans and meas- by the government was oppressive and unfair and ures to tackle this subject, according to a statement demanded its immediate restoration. released by the general director of the public relations Initially, Shimmari’s request for restoring his citizen- and security information at the interior ministry. ship was rejected by the lower and appeals court on the HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al- basis that they were not qualified to look into citizen- Hamad Al-Sabah, through the ministerial commission, ship issues, which are sovereign matters. But the court continuously follows up on this topic. For his part, the of cassation later ruled that courts are competent apparatus’ executive chairman presented the atten- enough to hear such cases and ordered the case to be dees of the meeting with the commission’s work looked into from the start. results and statistics it has assembled in preparation Shimmari, the owner of Al-Alam satellite television for “full implementation of the endorsed roadmap” in and Alam Al-Youm newspaper, was stripped of his citi- this respect. zenship over two years ago for allegedly threatening The meeting was attended by Deputy Foreign national security. Several other opposition leaders saw Minister Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah, the Cabinet’s their citizenships withdrawn as part of a crackdown on Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Roudhan, Interior dissent. Their cases are being looked into by other Ministry Undersecretary Lt Gen Suleiman Al-Fahd, courts. Throughout the trial, the government had insist- Kuwait Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff Lt Gen Sheikh ed courts have no legal right to look into nationality Abdullah Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah, Acting Secretary General cases. Newly-elected MPs have vowed to amend the of the illegal residents’ apparatus Lt Gen Najib Al- KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah (center) is seen dur- 1959 nationality law to prevent the government from Othman and a number of experts. — KUNA ing a meeting of the board of the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents Affairs yesterday. — KUNA revoking citizenships without a final court ruling. Continued on Page 13 Kuwait Times explains: PAGE Bankers: Raising rate PAGE NBA Power Rankings boosts competitiveness Syria-bound Russia jet crashes All 92 onboard killed, including 64 from choir MOSCOW: A Russian military plane head- utes after it took off at 5:25 am (0225 GMT). ing to Syria crashed into the Black Sea yes- The ministry told agencies there was no Nov inflation terday, with no sign of survivors among the sign of any survivors at the crash site and 92 on board, including Red Army Choir that 10 bodies had been recovered off the rises by 3.4% members on their way to celebrate the coast of the resort city of Sochi, as authori- New Year with troops. The Tu-154 plane ties pledged to dispatch an additional 100 KUWAIT: The domestic Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose went down shortly after taking off from the divers to aid in the search. “Fragments of 3.4 percent in November compared to the same month southern city of Adler where it had been the Tu-154 plane of the Russian defense of 2015, the Central Statistical Bureau said in a report refueling, defense ministry spokesman Igor ministry were found 1.5 kilometers from released yesterday. The figure dropped by 0.14 percent Konashenkov said in a briefing broadcast the Black Sea coast of the city of Sochi at a JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) arrives for a week- in November on a monthly basis, compared to October. on the ministry’s website. depth of 50 to 70 meters,” the ministry said. ly cabinet meeting yesterday. — AP The monthly consumer index in November showed It disappeared from radar just two min- Continued on Page 13 stability in six main groups, causing the price index in one group to climb and drop in five others. Price index Furious Netanyahu of the main group (food and beverages) climbed in November by 0.19 percent, compared to the same month in 2015. However, the group saw a drop on a summons US envoy monthly basis estimated at 0.06 percent, while the price index climbed 0.2 percent in the second group (tobac- co) on a monthly basis. 10 others reprimanded The index of the third group (clothing, footwear) JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister member Security Council because the US dropped in November by 1.09 percent year/year and by 0.39 percent monthly. Inflation in the fourth group Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday sum- broke with its long-standing approach of (housing services) rose by 7.4 percent year/year. In the moned the US ambassador to Israel to dis- diplomatically shielding Israel and did not group, home furnishings, equipment maintenance rose cuss the US abstention in a UN Security wield its veto power, instead abstaining. 2.15 percent annually. The health sector witnessed a rise Council resolution demanding an end to Netanyahu put his personal imprint on in the inflation index in November by 1.86 percent settlement-building. Separately, the Israel’s show of anger by repeating at the year/year, while transport jumped by 10 percent yearly, envoys of 10 other nations were called in weekly cabinet meeting what an uniden- but dropped monthly by 0.64 percent. to the Israeli Foreign Ministry to be repri- tified Israeli government official contend- Meanwhile, communication climbed by 0.2 percent manded yesterday, and Netanyahu had ed on Friday - that the administration of on a yearly basis. The index of entertainment and cul- more harsh words for Washington over US President Barack Obama had con- ture increased on an annual basis by 0.16 percent, edu- Friday’s UN vote. An Israeli spokesman spired with the Palestinians to push for cation climbed yearly by 2.7 percent, restaurants and gave no details of when Netanyahu would the resolution’s adoption. The White hotels 2.92 percent, and commodities and various serv- meet US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro. House has denied the allegation. ices 0.92 percent. — KUNA SOCHI: Russian rescuers carry a stretcher with a recovered body on a pier after a The resolution was passed in the 15- Continued on Page 13 Russian military plane crashed in the Black Sea yesterday. — AFP Santa Claus is coming to Tehran TEHRAN: Tehran might not seem like the respect for other beliefs. And of course I like with Iraq in the 1980s. “There were 30 to 35 most obvious pitstop for Santa Claus, but all the chocolates!” martyrs from our neighborhood,” he said. Iranians love the chintzy side of Christmas Shoppers line up for selfies with one of sev- Thousands of Christians have emigrated to and it is also one of the safest places in the eral Santas stationed outside stores on the the United States and elsewhere since the Middle East for Christians. The past month main drag. One Father Christmas, full of the Islamic revolution in 1979, leaving only has seen shoppers flocking to the Armenian festive spirit, breaks into an impromptu dance 120,000 Christians according to the last offi- district of Somayeh - the biggest Christian to a popular Iranian pop song playing outside cial count. Most are Armenian - who are area in the city - to pick up fake trees, and a food stall. Hamed Davoodian owns a grocery Orthodox Christian - along with a few thou- stock up on baubles, reindeer toys and plastic store on the street, and says the community sand Assyrian Catholics. Despite the exodus, snowmen. “It’s really interesting and attrac- never faces any trouble from the authorities. Christians are officially recognized and pro- tive for us,” said Niloufar, a Muslim woman in “Why should we? (Armenians) have been here tected - along with Jews and Zoroastrians - her thirties who was out shopping with her for 400 years.