SUBSCRIPTION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2014 SAFAR 25, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Kuwait believes Australian Bush dynasty Small Qatar in Egypt’s hostage-taker launches the big ability to face had violent, latest US new player challenges3 unsettled7 past presidential13 bid in18 sport Carnage as Taleban storm Min 13º Max 24º Peshawar school, kill 141 High Tide 07:31 & 19.55 Low Tide Victims of Pakistan’s bloodiest attack mostly children 01:50 & 13:14 40 PAGES NO: 16375 150 FILS PESHAWAR: Taleban insurgents stormed an army-run from the editor’s desk school in Pakistan yesterday, killing at least 141 people, almost all of them children, in Pakistan’s bloodiest ever Not in our name terror attack. Survivors described how the militants went from room to room shooting children as young as 12 dur- ing the eight-hour onslaught at the Army Public School By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan in the northwestern city of Peshawar. The attack, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP) as revenge for a major military offensive in the region, was condemned [email protected] by the US, UN and major Western powers as well as Pakistan’s arch-rival India. The Pakistani government and military reaffirmed am at a loss for words to describe the Taleban car- their determination to defeat the TTP, which has killed nage yesterday at a school in Peshawar. The mer- thousands since it began its insurgency in 2007. Chief Iciless slaughter of dozens of innocent children is military spokesman General Asim Bajwa said 132 stu- beyond anything the human mind can comprehend. Whatever issues the Taleban have with the govern- See Pages 10 &11 ment, indiscriminately killing defenseless students and teachers is beyond the pale. dents and nine staff were killed, and 125 wounded. This What did these monsters think they would gain exceeds the 139 killed in blasts targeting former prime by this senseless bloodletting? Definitely not sympa- minister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi in 2007. thy for their cause! This heinous massacre has only Teenage survivor Shahrukh Khan described his narrow resulted in alienating the long-suffering Pakistani escape from the militants as they rampaged through the masses, deepening their disgust and revulsion school, hunting for people to kill. The 16-year-old said he against the Taleban, who claim to be fighting for jus- and his classmates ducked below their desks when four tice. gunmen burst into their room. “I saw a pair of big black The Taleban also claim to be fighting in the name boots coming towards me, this guy was probably hunt- of Islam - is this what Islam teaches? Is this the brand ing for students hiding beneath the benches,” Khan told of Islam they want to impose on Pakistan and the AFP from the trauma ward of the city’s Lady Reading rest of the region? In every religion, society and cul- Hospital. Khan decided to play dead after being shot in ture, the rules of war forbid the killing of women and both legs, stuffing his tie into his mouth to stifle his children. After years of bombing girls’ schools and screams. “The man with big boots kept on looking for killing polio workers, the Taleban yesterday shat- PESHAWAR: A Pakistani man carries an injured student at a hospital following an attack by Taleban gunmen students and pumping bullets into their bodies. tered every rule in the book, and this may be a turn- on a school yesterday. — AFP Continued on Page 13 ing point in the bloody recent history of Pakistan. Also, coming on the heels of a siege in Sydney by a so-called Islamist radical, incidents like these only help reinforce anti-Muslim stereotypes in the minds Kuwaiti ship’s of the world. Islam is being held hostage - literally - by extremist groups and individuals who are doing a captain held great disservice to Muslims by tarnishing the image of our peaceful religion and fanning the flames of CAIRO: The captain and first officer of a Kuwaiti con- Islamophobia around the world by their killings and tainer ship have been detained for four days after their beheadings. The fact that most victims of such terri- ship collided with a fishing vessel in the Red Sea, killing ble atrocities are Muslims proves that these godless 13 Egyptians, a public prosecutor said yesterday. The terrorists have no religion and only seek to further prosecutor said on Monday that initial enquiries their own perverted ideologies. showed the fishing boat had capsized following the Let us all unite and strongly condemn these collision with the Kuwaiti ship, which had just passed through the Suez Canal on its way south. The prosecu- mindless acts against innocents. We have had tor is also questioning the rest of the container ship’s enough of this bloodshed done in our name. crew about the collision. — Reuters Bourses battered as oil falls OPEC will not step in: Kuwait • IMF upbeat KUWAIT: A fresh wave of panic sell- investors are not rational anymore,” ing wiped out $49 billion of stock said Sebastien Henin, head of asset market value across the Gulf Arab management at The National economies yesterday as the price of Investor in Abu Dhabi. Since OPEC Brent crude oil dropped below $60 a decided to maintain its production barrel for the first time since 2009. unchanged on November 27 and oil The stock market losses came on top prices dived, all seven of the Gulf of over $200 billion of value already bourses have been hit hard. Dubai destroyed since the end of October. has dived 31.5 percent, the Saudi Most of the frenzied selling has been bourse is down 19.2 percent and by retail investors who fear govern- Abu Dhabi stocks have fallen 18.9 ments will cut spending in line with percent. The Qatar exchange has falling oil revenues. dropped 17.1 percent, Oman has lost The falls in some markets, particu- Ali Al-Omair 15.3 percent and Kuwait has shed larly Dubai, were reminiscent of below the key 3,000-point mark. The 11.7 percent. The tiny Bahrain bourse sharp dives seen in the aftermath of DFM Index closed down 7.3 percent has lost less than five percent. the 2008 global financial crisis and on 3,083.69 points, a 12-month low. “The reason for the fall is very the Dubai foreign debt crunch. The Heavyweight Emaar properties and clear - the steep decline in oil prices Dubai Financial Market led the way construction giant Arabtec lost the helped by a pessimistic outlook for in a free fall, shedding more than maximum allowed 10 percent. Many the world economy,” senior Saudi eight percent during trading - the other stocks did the same. economist Abdulwahab Abu- biggest single-day loss in more than “We are in the panic mode now, Dahesh said. five years - but resisted dropping there is no more support and Continued on Page 13 Mudej grilling fizzles out By B Izzak alleged administrative and financial irregularities and the situation of KUWAIT: The debate of the grilling the Kuwait Stock Exchange. against Minister of Commerce and Mudej said after the grilling that Industry Abdulmohsen Al-Mudej he was prepared to face a grilling ended yesterday without a no-con- every week provided a similar fidence motion, meaning that the “democratic environment” is guar- minister survived without any polit- anteed. He stressed that he has ical consequences. At the end of answered the issues raised in the the debate that lasted about five grilling with complete transparency hours, a number of MPs submitted and clarity. MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji, a list containing 15 recommenda- Abdulmohsen Al-Mudej who submitted the request to grill tions calling on the minister to revise and follow up the minister, produced scores of documents and comments made by the Audit Bureau, follow up the showed footage to prove a large number of allega- affairs of the free trade zone and study the subject of tions against the minister, who was a senior member food subsidies in addition to studying a number of Continued on Page 13 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2014 LOCAL Zain concludes partnership with Knowledge Club 2014 KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommuni- initiative. Mariam Ali, Zain’s Chief cations company in Kuwait, announced Commercial Officer, received a token of the successful conclusion of its lead Vigor Events’ appreciation on behalf of sponsorship of the Knowledge Club 2014 Zain with the attendance of the compa- in line with its continuous ‘Zain ny’s Human Resources Director, Nawal KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Knowledge Conference’ initiative. The Bourisli. of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, accompanied by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri. The meeting series of events, which were held from The conference was also attended by was attended by Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah.— KUNA May - December 2014, were organized a group of local and international by Vigor Events and hosted an array of experts who shared their experiences in local and international business experts. the challenging world of business, and Zain’s support of this initiative was highlighted the role played by innova- Amir patronizes Sheikh Salem inspired by the company’s desire to offer tion in the development of individual its employees additional skills and capa- skills and corporations. The industry bilities. Emerging from its Human leaders also spoke of the role of success- Al-Ali Informatics Award session Resources strategy of equipping its staff ful leadership in elevating businesses.