SUBSCRIPTION WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 MUHARRAM 26, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net PM: GCC unity Four killed Iran, West eye FIFA criminal necessary to in Jerusalem chances of complaint face regional synagogue historic deal reignites challenges2 attack 7 in final8 talks World20 Cup row Private schools get nod Min 11º Max 29º to run afternoon shifts High Tide 09:42 & 21:48 Children of Kuwaiti mothers allowed to attend govt schools Low Tide 03:46 & 15:33 40 PAGES NO: 16347 150 FILS KUWAIT: Education Minister Dr Bader Al-Essa indicated MPs hail Amir’s efforts, Saudi envoy back in a press statement yesterday that the ministry was contemplating allowing private sector schools to oper- By B Izzak ate second shifts in the afternoon and evening hours to teach students, thereby alleviating the crush of atten- KUWAIT: MPs yesterday hailed the efforts and wisdom of dance in the morning shift. Such schools should have HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who suc- the proper staff to teach in these later shifts, said the ceeding in resolving a dispute between the Gulf minister, noting that this decision will be effective for Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which paved the way for the scholastic year 2015-2016. holding the annual GCC summit next month in Qatar. The The Ministry of Education has also decided to allow praise came during a National Assembly session yesterday children of Kuwaiti mothers married to non-Kuwaiti res- during which MPs agreed to allocate time to welcome the idents to attend government schools from the primary Amir’s efforts that succeeded in bringing the GCC leaders stages up through high school, Essa said yesterday. The together at an unscheduled meeting in Riyadh two days ago. decision also applies to children of Kuwaiti mothers Following the meeting, Saudi Arabia, United Arab married to illegal residents (bedoons) and is effective Emirates and Bahrain agreed to return their ambassador to for the school year 2014-2015. Those who qualify will Doha after they had withdrawn them in an unprecedented have a few conditions to fulfill, among them the neces- move in March to protest what they called Qatar’s interfer- sity to have a valid civil ID card. — KUNA ence in their internal affairs. The meeting was preceded by a shuttle mediation by the Amir who visited the four nations. Media reports said yesterday Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to News Qatar resumed his duties in Doha. Saudi ambassador Abdullah Al-Aifan told the daily Asharq Al-Awsat he was in brief “back in Doha, in the presence of all the Saudi diplomatic staff”, adding that relations between the neighbors are “back to normal”. Central Bank: No curbs “On your behalf, we salute the goodwill efforts exerted on derivatives trading by His Highness the Amir in bringing the Gulf ranks togeth- KUWAIT: Kuwaiti banks must comply with regulatory guide- er and containing any unwanted developments in the rela- lines when trading derivatives but are not otherwise restrict- tions of its members,” Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem said. He ed from doing so, the Central Bank told Reuters yesterday, said that the Amir’s efforts played a major role in opening a effectively confirming that a ban had been lifted. The state- KUWAIT: Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah (right), Oil Minister Ali Al-Omair (left) and MP ment from the governor’s office of The Central Bank of Kuwait new page in Gulf relations that Roudhan Al-Roudhan attend a session at the National Assembly yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Continued on Page 13 (CBK) came after a newspaper reported yesterday that a ban brought in following the global financial crisis on trading derivatives with foreign banks had ended. “As per CBK circular dated October 12, 2006, banks in Kuwait are allowed to swap Riyadh fears IS wants sectarian war foreign currencies against Kuwaiti dinars in addition to out- right transactions and foreign exchange forward transactions,” RIYADH: Tighter security in Saudi Arabia exporter, birthplace of Islam and a cham- the statement said. “We would like to clarify that instruments has made it hard for Islamic State to tar- pion of conservative Sunni doctrine, are meant to be plain vanilla in nature and used for hedging get the government so the militants are Saudi Arabia represents an important ally or trading purposes. Therefore, such instruments are neither instead trying to incite a sectarian conflict for Western countries battling Islamic complex/structured derivatives nor speculative in nature. As is via attacks on the Shiite minority, the State and a symbolic target for the mili- normal, banks are expected to maintain adequate internal Saudi Interior Ministry said. Last week the tant group itself. controls and comply with CBK regulations when dealing in Sunni group’s leader Abu Bakr Al- “Islamic State and Al-Qaeda are doing these instruments,” the statement added. While the statement Baghdadi called for attacks against the their best to carry out terrorist acts or said there was no new circular or rules governing the trading Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, which has crimes inside Saudi Arabia,” Major General of derivatives, the fact the regulator was referring to legisla- declared Islamic State a terrorist organisa- Mansour Turki, security spokesman for tion in place prior to the 2008 ban can be interpreted to mean the market is reverting to previous rules. tion, joined international air strikes the Interior Ministry, told Reuters. “They against it, and mobilised top clergy to are trying to target the social fabric and denounce it. He spoke after an attack on trying to create a sectarian conflict inside Viva Kuwait chairman Shiite civilians, the first since 2006 by mili- the country.” The attack by gunmen in the says telco to list Dec 14 tant Saudis based inside the kingdom. Eastern Province district of Al-Ahsa on DUBAI: Viva Kuwait, the country’s No.2 mobile phone Islamic State has not claimed the Nov 3 killed eight members of the king- operator by subscribers, will list its shares on the Kuwait shooting and the Saudis have not held dom’s Shiite minority who were marking Stock Exchange on Dec 14, nearly six years after it com- the group responsible but they arrested their holy day of Ashoura. Turki said he pleted an initial public offer of shares, the company’s more than 50 people including some was not aware of any evidence that it was chairman said yesterday. In a statement carried by who fought with Sunni jihadis in Syria or coordinated with Islamic State operatives Kuwait’s state news agency (KUNA), Adel Mohammad had been previously jailed for fighting outside Saudi Arabia. Al-Roumi said the firm’s listing is an important strategic with Al-Qaeda. As the world’s top oil Continued on Page 13 DUBAI: A woman walks past luxury towers in the Marina district on step towards its development, adding the company ful- Monday. — AP filled all the technical and legal requirements to list. Roumi added the bourse is currently reviewing arrange- ments with parties connected to the listing, including Amnesty slams taking the necessary precautions and procedures to ensure a seamless listing process. He did not elaborate further. Viva Kuwait, an affiliate of Saudi Telecom, raised UAE repression 25 million dinars ($85.9 million) from selling half its shares to Kuwaiti nationals in its IPO in Sept 2008, beginning services later that year. NICOSIA: Amnesty International yes- Dozens of Emirati and Egyptian terday accused the United Arab Islamists have been jailed after being Emirates, which hosts a Formula One convicted of forming cells of the KKR, CVC pick advisers race this weekend, of repression it said Muslim Brotherhood, which is out- in race for Americana is the “ugly reality” behind the glitz and lawed in Egypt, and accused of seeking DUBAI: KKR & Co and CVC Capital Partners have chosen glamour of the event. In a report titled to overthrow the Gulf monarchies. Goldman Sachs and HSBC to advise them on their joint bid for “There is no freedom here: Silencing Amnesty said more than 100 activists a majority stake in Kuwait Food Co (Americana), sources famil- dissent in the UAE,” the human rights and government critics have been iar with the matter said yesterday. The private equity firms are watchdog speaks of a “climate of fear” charged or jailed for politically moti- facing off against Saudi Arabia’s Savola Group as the only and the “extreme lengths” the authori- vated national security or cybercrimes remaining bidders for control of one of the Gulf’s largest food HELSINKI: Sebastian Nystrom, head of Product Business at Nokia Technologies, ties go to in order to stamp out oppo- offences since 2011, and that more firms. Second-round bids for the Al-Kharafi family’s almost 67 percent stake were submitted on Oct 10. Americana, which presents Nokia’s new N1 Android Table at the Slush 2014 event yesterday. — AP sition or calls for reform. “Millions of than 60 remain behind bars. “The scale has a market value of around $4 billion, said in a Nov 4 bourse spectators from across the world are of the crackdown has been chilling filing that a major shareholder was in preliminary talks with expected to tune in to watch the Abu and the truth is that the UAE’s dreadful “various parties” to sell its holding in the Kuwaiti firm. But it Nokia plots comeback Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix this treatment of activists critical of the said no agreement had been reached and did not name the weekend - yet most of them will have government, and their families, has groups in talks with Al Khair National for Stocks and Real little clue about the ugly reality of life gone largely ignored by the world,” Estate Co, an entity owned by the Kharafi family.