RAJAB 4, 1439 AH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 Max 32º 32 Pages Min 16º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17486 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Intragastric balloons helping French ex-president Sarkozy World’s last male northern Spurs beat injury-riddled 5 reduce obesity in Kuwait 6 held in Libya financing probe 23 white rhino dies aged 45 16 Warriors, James lifts Cavs Kuwait woos foreign investment, details progress on Vision 2035 Plan to develop islands holds promise • Boeing to open Kuwait office KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attend the second Kuwait KUWAIT: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah is seen with ministers and senior officials during a Kuwait Investment Forum session at the Jaber Investment Forum at Al-Tahrir Hall in Bayan Palace Al-Ahmad Cultural Center yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat yesterday. — KUNA By Faten Omar and Agencies economic diversity through various steps including jobs and generate annual revenue of more than $35 the country’s geographic location and its new and encouraging small and medium enterprises and billion. He cited an ongoing feasibility study over a enhanced infrastructure. KUWAIT: Kuwait is seeking billions of dollars in for- microbusinesses as well as other ventures,” Kuwait plan to merge the islands project with Kuwait’s Silk Later yesterday, various ministers spoke about the eign direct investment to boost the economy and reduce Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman City enterprise, saying the proposition was highly like- outlook of Kuwait’s “Vision 2035: New Kuwait” and dependency on oil revenues during the second Kuwait Ali Thunayan Al-Ghanem told the forum. Kuwait Direct ly at this point. shed light on the progress to date on each of the pro- Investment Forum, which opened yesterday under the Investment Public Authority (KDIPA) Director General Meanwhile, Boeing announced yesterday a plan to gram’s seven pillars. Minister of Social Affairs and Labor patronage and attendance of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Sheikh Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad open a permanent office in Hind Al-Sabeeh detailed various plans that are in the Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Al-Sabah commended the Kuwaiti SEE PAGE 3 Kuwait this year. Recent studies works, including an anti-corruption project that is part Jaber Al-Mubarak invited foreign investors to invest in leadership for its efforts to diversi- by the giant US aircraft manu- of a national anti-corruption strategy, an integrated Kuwait, noting that Kuwait has taken the necessary fy the economy, indicating that this facturer have shown that by strategic plan for e-government and a study on the measures to facilitate business by reducing customs new policy is not only a political necessity but also part 2035, Kuwait needs 36,000 pilots and around 100,000 fourth structural plan of Kuwait. Sabeeh added a human fees and taxes, simplifying banking and financial trans- of efforts for economic reform. crewmembers, Timothy Keating, Executive Vice capital project will provide innovative curricula and new actions as well as creating the most suitable atmosphere First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister President of Government Operations for Boeing, said jobs, elderly care units will be set up in Hawally and for foreign investors to do business. Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said prelim- in his speech at KIF. Omar Al-Ghanem, CEO of Ishbilya, and general design specifications for buildings “Kuwait is eager to continue its policies to bring in inary studies indicate that a national plan to develop Alghanim Industries and Chairman of Gulf Bank, said will be developed to facilitate the lives of people with more investments. Kuwait has set the course to pursue Kuwaiti islands could help provide more than 200,000 Kuwait has several factors to attract capital, notably disabilities. The talks were part of the first visit by Trump praises the prince to the United States since he became the heir apparent last June to Govt withdraws succeed King Salman. Trump produced military sales in charts to show the depth of Saudi pur- KD 25bn debt chases of US military hardware, ranging talks with MBS from ships to missile defense to planes and fighting vehicles. “The relationship bill; MP slams WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia’s crown now is probably as good as it’s really prince received an effusive welcome at the ever been and I think will probably only anti-expat drive White House yesterday from US President get better. Tremendous investments made Donald Trump, who hailed a “great friend- in our country and that means jobs for By B Izzak ship” with the kingdom and praised US our workers,” Trump told reporters dur- defense sales to Saudi Arabia as a boost ing a picture-taking session with the KUWAIT: Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem told the to American jobs In Oval Office talks, crown prince. National Assembly yesterday that the government has Trump and Prince Mohammed bin Salman As they talked, US senators debated a withdrawn a draft law to allow it to borrow up to KD discussed an agreement last year for $200 resolution seeking an end to US support 25 billion. Ghanem gave no reasons for the govern- billion worth of Saudi investments with the for Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen’s ment action or whether it plans to submit a new draft United States, including large purchases civil war. Some members of Congress of US military equipment. Trump said the law in the future. Under Kuwaiti law, the government have been critical of the Saudi campaign, WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump holds a defense sales chart during a military sales contributed to the creation cannot make any domestic or foreign borrowing with- particularly the humanitarian situation and meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the of 40,000 American jobs. out a law passed by the National Assembly. The exist- Continued on Page 11 White House yesterday. — AFP ing law has expired and the government must depend on new legislation to borrow in order to finance a budget deficit due to low oil prices. 2014 when IS militants overran large The announcement came during an Assembly ses- India confirms swathes of territory in Iraq and captured sion that was filled for most of the time with strong Mosul. The government had for years exchanges between several lawmakers, who accused insisted they were believed still alive and each other of corruption or being agents of influential deaths of 39 the latest announcement sparked criti- Continued on Page 11 cism from some relatives of the dead. The workers in Iraq victims were mostly from poor families in India’s northern state of Punjab and had NEW DELHI: The bodies of 39 Indian been working for a construction compa- construction workers kidnapped in Iraq ny in Mosul when they were rounded up. in 2014 by the Islamic State group have “We got to know that these people been found in a mass grave, India’s for- were moved from Mosul to Badush by eign minister said yesterday. Sushma their captors,” Swaraj said. When India’s Swaraj told the upper house of parlia- junior foreign minister Vijay Kumar ment the workers had been murdered by Singh and Iraqi government officials IS. Their bodies had been found in the went to Badush, someone told them to grave in the village of Badush northwest inspect a mound in the village, the minis- of the city of Mosul and taken to a local ter added. “They said that they had organization for DNA testing. buried many people there (in a mass KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al- “Yesterday they told us that 38 samples grave). We reached there and requested Ghanem and MP Riyadh Al-Adasani share a light had matched. The 39th had a partial Iraqi authorities to use a deep penetra- moment with a lawmaker at the National Assembly match as he didn’t have any immediate tion radar, which detected many bodies AMRITSAR: Seema (left), her sons Karan and Arjun and her mother-in-law Jeeto yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat family,” said Swaraj. under the surface,” she told parliament. react in the village of Chawinda Devi yesterday following confirmation that her hus- The workers were abducted in June Continued on Page 11 band Sonu had been killed in Iraq. — AFP 2 Established 1961 Local Wednesday, March 21, 2018 Kuwait 9th among Arab cities in Quality of Living index Recommendation to allow expats to own properties property would not be made at the expense of citizens By A Saleh i ments such as crime rates, healthcare, education, public Own properties and that the ministry of state for housing affairs will con- services, recreation, housing and personal freedom. Official sources said a report prepared by the tinue building new cities to provide housing to them. KUWAIT: The 2018 Quality of Living index issued by According to the survey, Baghdad, Khartoum, Sanaa Cabinet’s economic affairs committee includes a proposal Mercer Consultancies showed that Kuwait City kept its and Damascus were ranked as the worst Arab cities in to allow expats own their own properties in Kuwait. The 6.5 Ring Road 9th rank amongst Arab cities and is ranked 126th world- terms of quality of life, coming 231st, 229th, 227th and sources added that the committee approved the proposal Head of the public authority for roads and land trans- wide, while Riyadh stood 165th worldwide and Jeddah 225th respectively. The survey also showed that Vienna on grounds that it would activate the real estate market, port Ahmed Al-Hessan threatened to withdraw the 6.5 168th.