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THULHIJJA 10, 1440 AH SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 2019 28 Pages Max 48º Min 31º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17905 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net NOTICE Eid Mubarak to all our readers! Kuwait Times will not be published from August 12-14, 2019. Our next issue will hit the newsstands on Thursday, August 15, 2019. However, readers can stay updated on breaking news and events on our digital media channels including our website www.kuwaittimes.net and on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. 2.5 million hajj pilgrims scale Mount Arafat to atone for sins Amir extends Eid greetings to citizens, expats, Arab and Muslim leaders MOUNT ARAFAT: Nearly 2.5 million head, part of the tight security precau- Muslim hajj pilgrims converged on tions taken by the pilgrimage’s Saudi Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia yesterday hosts. The hajj is one of the five pillars to atone for their sins and seek God’s of Islam which every Muslim is required forgiveness, marshalled by tens of thou- to complete at least once in their life- sands of stewards in a bid to prevent any time if they are healthy enough and repetition of previous years’ deadly have the means to do so. stampedes. Movable crowd control bar- HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah riers were erected all around the foot of Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah extended the rocky hill outside Makkah, also greetings to citizens and expatriates on known as Jabal Al-Rahma or Mount of the advent of Eid Al-Adha, a statement Mercy, where the faithful arrived on foot by the Amiri Diwan said Friday. The and in a seemingly endless line of buses. Diwan added HH the Amir extended Raising their palms skywards, the pil- similar greetings to Arab and Islamic grims set off on the climb to the summit nations, wishing those countries and where they held prayers to atone for Kuwait evermore progress and pros- their sins in a ritual that is regarded as perity. HH the Amir yesterday the high point of the annual hajj. exchanged cables of congratulations “Really, I am very satisfied,” said with Arab and Muslim leaders on the Lassina Coulibaly, a 47-year-old Malian occasion of Eid Al-Adha. The Amir business employee. “Fatigue is part of addressed heartfelt and sincere greet- the pilgrimage,” added the father of sev- ings to the leaders, wishing all Arab and en. Clutching brightly colored umbrellas, Muslim countries perpetual security, pilgrims first braved the blazing sun and stability and prosperity. then heavy downpours that many wel- “I came last year during Ramadan, comed as a blessing. Some burst into now I am there for the hajj,” said tears as they chanted prayers. Indonesian pilgrim Zakir Uddin. “It is an Thousands of faithful had spent the night honor, praise be to God,” added the 27- under the stars, sleeping on prayer rugs year-old cook. Like other male pilgrims, or pieces of cardboard. he wears a seamless white garment that Trucks were parked at regular inter- covers only one shoulder and empha- vals on the route leading up to the hill, sizes unity regardless of social status or distributing bottles of water and meals. nationality. The women wear loose Thousands of workers prepared to dresses, most of them white, exposing clear the rubbish that littered the only their faces and hands. MOUNT ARAFAT: Muslim pilgrims pray on Jabal Al-Rahma (Mount of Mercy) at Mount Arafat southeast of the holy city of Makkah during the cli- ground. Helicopters crisscrossed over- Continued on Page 24 max of the hajj pilgrimage yesterday. — AFP sources. Fighting resumed early yesterday Hadi is based in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Southern Yemen but has since abated, residents said. The com- There was no immediate comment from batants are both part of the Saudi-led pro- the Western-backed coalition led by Saudi government coalition that has been battling Arabia that intervened in Yemen after the separatists seize the Iran-aligned armed Houthi movement in Houthis ousted Hadi’s government from pow- Yemen since March 2015, indicating a rift er in the capital Sanaa in late 2014. Alliance all govt camps within the alliance. The war has killed tens of member the United Arab Emirates, which has thousands and pushed the poorest Arabian armed and trained thousands of southern ADEN: Yemen’s southern separatists took Peninsula nation to the brink of famine. separatist fighters, earlier called for calm and control of all government military camps in “It is all over, the (Southern Transitional for the two sides to focus on opposing the Aden yesterday, officials said, after four days Council) forces are in control of all the mili- Houthis. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin of clashes between nominal allies who have tary camps,” an official in President Abd- Zayed called on UN special envoy Martin turned on each other, complicating UN Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government told Griffiths, who is trying to de-escalate tensions efforts to end the four-year war. The sepa- Reuters. He said the two sides had agreed the across Yemen, “to deploy efforts and exert ratists also surrounded the all-but empty separatist forces would not try to seize the pressure” to that purpose. presidential palace of the internationally rec- palace, located in the predominantly residen- The Norwegian Refugee Council said the ognized government that is temporarily based tial Crater district, while government forces battles had trapped civilians in their homes in the port city, a government official and would refrain from attacking them. The sepa- with dwindling supplies of food and water. another local official told Reuters. ratists also took over the house of Interior The aid group said prolonged fighting in At least eight civilians were killed on Minister Ahmed Al-Mayssari after he was Aden, a gateway for commercial and aid sup- Friday in fighting between the separatists and evacuated from his residence with the help of plies, could impact efforts to tackle the ADEN: Yemeni supporters of the southern separatist movement pose for a picture in government forces, according to medical coalition forces, government officials said. Continued on Page 24 Khor Maksar in this southern port city yesterday. — AFP Iran unveils new India monsoon floods kill 100 US sex trafficker NEW DELHI: Floods have killed at least international tourist magnet, state police ‘overhauled’ air 100 people and displaced hundreds of spokesman Pramod Kumar told AFP. Epstein commits thousands across much of India with the In neighboring Karnataka, at least 24 defense system southern state of Kerala worst hit, authori- people have been killed with nine people ties said yesterday. With rains predicted to missing. The western states of Maharashtra TEHRAN: Iran unveiled a new air defense suicide in prison worsen in coming days, the government and Gujarat have also been badly hit by system yesterday it says is capable of ordered military teams to form rescue annual monsoon storms. Media reports detecting missiles and drones at a range of NEW YORK: Disgraced units and airlift food to stranded villages said at least 27 people have lost their lives 400 km, ISNA news agency reported. The US financier Jeffrey Epstein across Kerala. At least 48 people have died in Maharashtra, with several major roads “Falagh” is a locally overhauled version of has committed suicide in since Thursday in floods in Kerala, where closed by floods. the imported “Gamma” surveillance radar, prison while awaiting trial the beaches and hill resorts are a major Continued on Page 24 the semi-official news agency said, in an A handout picture shows the Iranian on charges that he trafficked apparent reference to a Russian-made sys- army’s new missile defense system underage girls for sex, offi- tem of that name. It had been inoperable called “Falagh” on display at an undis- cials and US news media due to “sanctions, lack of spare parts and closed location. — AFP reported yesterday. Epstein, the inability of foreign engineers to carry a convicted pedophile who out repairs”, it added. missiles within a 400-kilometre range,” befriended numerous politi- The unveiling comes at a time of rising ISNA quoted army air defense force chief cians and celebrities over tensions with the United States, which have Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard as the years, was found unre- Jeffrey Epstein escalated ever since US President Donald saying during the unveiling ceremony. The sponsive in his cell at the Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal Falagh was also capable of connecting to Metropolitan Correctional Center from “an appar- with Iran and reimposed sanctions. Iran the Islamic republic’s air defense network ent suicide”, the US Department of Justice said. shot down a US Global Hawk drone with a and completing the coverage of the S-300 He was discovered around 6:30 am (1130 GMT) surface-to-air missile in June for allegedly missile system it acquired from Russia, the violating its airspace, which the United news agency said. Iran installed the S-300 and rushed to hospital in New York where he was States denies. system in March 2016 following several pronounced dead, it added in a statement. “The FBI “This radar is capable of identifying and years of delay after a nuclear agreement is investigating the incident,” the department said. finding all types of cruise missiles, stealth reached with world powers allowed the lift- The New York Times and other media quoted KOCHI, India: Residents are evacuated from their homes to a safer place on a wood- aircraft, drone systems and also ballistic ing of international sanctions. — AFP Continued on Page 24 en boat in the Indian state of Kerala yesterday.

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