SAFAR 21,1440 AH TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018 26º 28 Pages Max 150 Fils Established 1961 Min 15º ISSUE NO: 17670 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Weakened Merkel to step Burgan Bank announces Must try harder: France vows ‘I was no longer indispensable’ 6 down as chancellor in 2021 13 another strong quarter 19 to end school neglect of Arabic 28 at Real Madrid, says Ronaldo New Indonesian plane with 189 on board falls out of clear skies No sign of survivors • Pilot had asked to return to Jakarta • Amir sends condolences JAKARTA: All 189 passengers and crew aboard a crashed Indonesian Lion Air jet were likely killed in the accident, rescue officials said yesterday, as they Amir to open new announced they had found human remains and would continue the grim search through the night. The Boeing-737 MAX, which went into service just months Assembly term; ago, vanished from radar 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta, plunging into the Java Sea moments after 2 MPs withdraw it had asked to return to the Indonesian capital. Websites that display flight data showed the plane speeding up as it suddenly lost altitude in the minutes grilling of premier before it disappeared, with authorities saying witnesses saw the jet plunge into the water. “My prediction is that By B Izzak nobody survived because the victims that we found, their bodies were no longer intact and it’s been hours KUWAIT: HH the Amir so it is likely 189 people have died,” search and rescue Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- agency operational director Bambang Suryo Aji told Jaber Al-Sabah opens the reporters. Some 40 divers are part of about 150 per- new term of the National sonnel at the scene, authorities said, with the plane Assembly today amid signs of wreckage some 30 to 40 m deep in the water. tensions easing between law- HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- makers and the government Jaber Al-Sabah expressed his deepest condolences. after two opposition MPs The Amir extended his sympathies in a cable he sent to withdrew a grilling against Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, saying he was dis- MEDAN, Indonesia: Merdiana Harahap (right) is consoled yesterday over the loss of her husband, a passenger the prime minister. traught over the lives lost in the tragedy. Continued on Page 24 onboard the ill-fated Lion Air flight JT 610. — AFP Continued on Page 24 10-yr anniversary sees Zain KSA record its best profit of SAR 48m • Bader Al-Kharafi: “Turnaround program focusing on operating efficiencies, network upgrades and fiber roll-out, innovative B2B and data monetiza- tion initiatives, and customer service paying off” • Q3 revenues up 8 percent year-on-year to SAR 1.952 billion • Q3 EBITDA up 15 percent year-on-year to SAR 728 million • Zain KSA’s financial results will be consolidated within the Q3 results of Zain Group, bolstering the Group’s financial indicators on various levels RIYADH/KUWAIT: Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA) has recorded its best-ever quarterly results since inception, for the three months ending Sept 30, 2018, with several key financial indicators showing record growth levels, reflecting the implementation of the operator’s turn- around strategy. This milestone was achieved as the Zain Vice-Chairman & Group CEO, Bader Al-Kharafi company celebrated a decade of commercial operation of mobile voice and data services in the kingdom. • EBITDA of SAR 728 million, up 15 percent Zain KSA’s strong performance in the third quarter of • Net profit of SAR 48 million, up from SAR 3 million 2018 (Q3, 2018) was driven by a focus on operating effi- Zain KSA recorded revenues of SAR 1.952 billion in ciencies, investment in network upgrades and fiber Q3, 2018, an 8 percent increase when compared to Q3, (FTTH) expansion, customer service and acquisition 2017. This revenue, the highest ever recorded by Zain strategies, new service developments and data monetiza- KSA in a quarter, also reflects a 6 percent rise in rev- tion initiatives, continued growth in the Enterprise (B2B) enues over Q2, 2018. Notably, the operator recorded a segment, as well as the benefit of the pilgrimage season. significant 15 percent increase in EBITDA to reach SAR 728 million during Q3, 2018 (another milestone), up Key performance indicators at Zain KSA for Q3, from SAR 631 million in Q3, 2017, reflecting an EBITDA 2018 compared with Q3, 2017: margin of 37 percent, up from 35 percent in Q3, 2017. • Revenues of SAR 1.952 billion, up 8 percent Continued on Page 24 Erdogan opens ‘giant’ new Istanbul Airport ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday opened Istanbul’s new international airport, which his government says will eventually become the world’s largest. “The new airport will be the pride of our country and an exam- ple to the world,” Erdogan said at a lavish opening ceremony featuring several heads of state. At the inau- guration - which coincided with the 95th anniversary of modern Turkey’s founding by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - Erdogan also revealed that the airport would be ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the opening named “Istanbul”. “Istanbul is not ceremony of Istanbul’s new international airport in the Arnavutkoy district only our biggest city but also the yesterday. — AFP most valuable trademark of our country,” he said. flag carrier Turkish Airlines into an the 103.9 million passengers moving The airport, one of a number of aviation giant. But the airport will through the world’s current busiest mega-projects built under only offer flights to five destinations airport, Hartsfield-Jackson in the US Erdogan’s rule, will be little used until an expanded opening on Dec city of Atlanta. until next year. Erdogan has cham- 29, from when it is expected to han- The opening ceremony was pioned the €10.5-billion ($12-bil- dle up to 90 million passengers a attended by several leaders includ- lion) project in his bid to make year, rising to up to 200 million ing Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Istanbul a global travel hub linking when all facilities are completed in Borisov and Sudanese President Europe, Asia and Africa and turn 2028. That would be nearly double Continued on Page 24 2 Established 1961 Local Tuesday, October 30, 2018 Amir congratulates UAE on French ambassador discusses bilateral relations with Kuwait KhalifaSat successful launch By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: After nearly a year in the KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh ment. His Highness the Amir Sheikh office, the French Ambassador to Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent Sabah wished the UAE leadership and Kuwait gathered local media on yesterday a cable of congratulations to people more progress and development Sunday to discuss her mission to the President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa within the space exploration field and Kuwait and her stint as her country’s bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on the successful other domains to fulfill their compatriots’ envoy. Marie Masdupuy said French launch of KhalifaSat from the Japanese aspirations and dreams. His Highness the and Kuwaiti political relations are Tanegashima Yoshinobu 1 site. In his Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad deeply-rooted, strong and reputable, cable — also addressed to Vice Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the as meetings between the two peoples President of the Emirates, Prime Minister, Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak continue regularly. and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables. “Dialogue with Kuwaitis is easy Al-Maktoum and UAE Crown Prince In other news, His Highness the Amir since it is based on mutual respect Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan sent a cable of congratulations to the and genuine friendship. We are hap- — His Highness Sheikh Sabah lauded the Federal Republic of Brazil’s President- French Ambassador to Kuwait py to see eye-to-eye and we respect Marie Masdupuy unprecedented achievement by the elect Jair Bolsonaro on his election each other’s views on both regional Emirates in the field of space exploration. victory. In his cable, His Highness the and global issues,” she said. “We The satellite, fully manufactured and Amir wished the new President’s suc- have institutional political consulta- treatment of childhood diabetes. She assembled by Emirati hands, reflected the cess and good health as well as further tions at the level of foreign ministries, said during the marking of diabetes UAE’s vast development in the space development of the two friendly coun- and at the level of respective direc- month in November, they are expect- exploration field, affirmed His Highness tries’ ties. His Highness the Crown tors. We have parliamentary visits ed to sign a bigger cooperation deal the Amir who indicated that the launch of Prince and His Highness the Prime His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- and exchanges of expertise; the last in same field, but this time with the the satellite should make the people of Minister sent similar cables to Brazil’s Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah one was a few months ago by the ministry of health in Kuwait. “We are the UAE proud of their grand achieve- President-elect. — KUNA Kuwaiti side. The next scheduled visit preparing the same memorandum will be early next year. The program, between the Ministry of Health headed by the head of the legislative (MoH) in Kuwait and its French coun- committee, was intense, and visitors terpart,” she said. were happy about the result of their In the defense and security field, KCCI hosts seminar on business visit and they want to make more Masdupuy said a military exercise such visits,” she said.