THULHIJJA 19, 1439 AH THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2018 Max 46º 28 Pages Min 32º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17619 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net The strange, shocking Cheap fares, costly fuel send UN schools for Palestinians Vikas makes history for India, 5 theft of an antique oud 11 India’s airlines into a tailspin 24 reopen despite US funds cut 26 ugly scenes mar Asiad boxing MP plans to grill minister over ‘unconstitutional’ appointment Adasani vows to pursue major ‘corruption’ cases By B Izzak He also said the National Assembly pressed action against the inflated hospitality expenditures of the inte- KUWAIT: Opposition MP Riyadh Al-Adasani said yes- rior ministry and case has also been referred to the terday he will file to grill Minister of State for National public prosecution. He said that such expenditures Assembly Affairs Adel Al-Khorafi at the start of the next amounted to only KD 2 million a year, but in the previ- term starting October, insisting that his appointment is ous two years, swelled to KD 33 million. He said those unconstitutional. Adasani and MP Abdulkarim Al- suspected of being involved in the case have been sus- Kandari had grilled Khorafi over alleged violations in pended pending legal action. the previous term but they did not gather sufficient sup- Adasani said an investigation has been launched by port to file a no-confidence motion against him. the Audit Bureau into allegations that the Cabinet was The lawmaker described his appointment as “politi- giving funds to lawmakers, saying that if proven, the cally suspicious”, adding the minister does not have any case amounts to bribery. He also said that he will con- real work to do. Adasani also warned that if the next tinue to monitor developments regarding violations grilling fails to oust the minister, he will continue to grill committed in the distribution of agricultural land to him unless the government does not dismiss him. He some people, in violation of the law. recalled that in the previous term, he addressed a ques- Separately, Director-General of the Public Authority tion to the prime minister and Khorafi sent a response for Sports (PAS) Humoud Fulaiteh yesterday said a PAS stating that the question was not in line with the consti- delegation held a very positive meeting with officials of tution, “although the question was legitimate and in line the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the Swiss with the constitution”. city of Lausanne on Tuesday. In a statement by PAS, The lawmaker said he will continue to press for legal Fulaiteh, who is heading the Kuwaiti delegation in action against a number of major suspected corruption Switzerland, affirmed there was an agreement between cases like suspected money laundering at the Olympic the authority and IOC officials on “all topics that would Council of Asia, which is based in Kuwait. He said the lift the ban on the Kuwaiti sports permanently”. The issue has already been sent to the public prosecution statement quoted Fulaiteh as saying that execution of the JAKARTA: Bronze medalist Kuwait’s Issa Al-Zankawi celebrates during the awards ceremony for the men’s for legal action, adding that it is illogical that the deal- agreed-upon “roadmap” would begin next week, hoping discus throw athletics event at the 2018 Asian Games yesterday. — AFP ings of one official amounted to KD 12 million and KD 6 there would be no intervention “from other parties to million by another. obstruct” the process. presidential campaign, he said his supporters would Trump warns of probably react violently if he did not win the Republican nomination. “I think you’d have riots,” Trump warned. The Times said reporters were allowed violent change if to listen in on brief comments by Trump during the Monday meeting with ministers and pastors, and heard Reps lose midterms him talk about abortion, religious freedom and youth unemployment. WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump warned But after the press was shown out of the room, evangelical leaders that if Republicans lose control of Trump changed the subject and suggested how the Congress in the midterm elections, Democrats will insti- evangelical leaders could help Republicans win in tute change “quickly and violently”, The New York November, the Times reported. “I just ask you to go out Times has reported. At a meeting with those leaders at and make sure all of your people vote,” Trump said. the White House on Monday, Trump said everything “Because if they don’t - it’s Nov 6 - if they don’t vote was at stake for his conservative agenda if his party we’re going to have a miserable two years and we’re loses in November, according to an audiotape of the going to have, frankly, a very hard period of time meeting obtained by the Times. because then it just gets to be one election - you’re one Democrats “will overturn everything that we’ve done election away from losing everything you’ve got.” and they’ll do it quickly and violently,” Trump said, Trump also welcomed FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to according to the Times report published Tuesday night. the White House on Tuesday, congratulating football’s “They will end everything immediately. When you look governing body for awarding the 2026 World Cup to at Antifa,” he added, referring to militant leftist anti-fas- North America before jokingly waving a red card at cism groups, “and you look at some of these groups, journalists. “I very much appreciate the fact that we these are violent people.” The Times said a White have won a very important event, the World Cup in House spokesman, Hogan Gidley, declined to expand on 2026,” said Trump, who had backed the joint USA- what the president meant. Mexico-Canada bid which triumphed over Morocco at WASHINGTON: FIFA President Gianni Infantino (center) laughs as US President Donald Trump holds a red card It was not the first time Trump has warned of vio- a vote in Moscow on June. during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. — AFP lence if things did not go his way. During the 2016 Continued on Page 24 News in brief Saudi women Demonetization Instagram adds verified accounts grow ventures SAN FRANCISCO: Instagram yesterday set out to ‘a flop’; rupee thwart duplicity with an option to authenticate high- profile accounts at the Facebook-owned image or at US incubator hits fresh lows video sharing social network. Blue badges displayed at Instagram accounts will indicate holders have gone WASHINGTON: Reem Dad, a 22-year-old from Saudi MUMBAI: Indians returned almost the entire amount through a verification process that includes providing Arabia, is developing a platform for pilgrims and of currency withdrawn in the government’s note ban photos of identity documentation. Verification badges tourists to experience a virtual reality tour of Madinah, of Nov 2016, raising fresh questions over the purpose are intended to enable Instagram users to know when one of Islam’s holiest sites. Heba Zahid, 37, is working of a shock move that triggered a sharp slowdown in posts actually come from accounts of celebrities, on GreenDesert, a venture that would be one of the the economy. In its annual report, the Reserve Bank of notable public figures, big brands or well-known first to help create a recycling culture in the Middle India said the total value of notes returned by the organizations. In coming weeks, profiles of accounts Eastern country. Dad and Zahid were among 14 young public was 15.3 trillion rupees ($216.7 billion) or 99.3 with huge audiences will start showing more informa- women social entrepreneurs from the ultraconservative percent of the total of 15.4 trillion rupees of notes in tion, such as when they were created, where it is locat- kingdom who recently attended an intensive program at circulation on Nov 8, 2016. “The figures show the ed, and what ads it may be running. — AFP Halcyon, a Washington-based business incubator, to WASHINGTON: Saudi entrepreneurs Asmaa Alabdallah demonetization exercise was a flop,” said a chief turn their ideas into reality. (left) and Reem Dad stand in front of Halcyon House economist at a bank, who sought anonymity as the The initiative comes after Saudi women were given on Aug 17, 2018. — AFP subject is a sensitive one. “Almost the entire amount Iran arrests ‘dozens of spies’ the right to drive in June, among reforms backed by came back, which showed that people were not Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman raising hopes for the workforce is expected to grow from 22 percent to hoarding money in cash.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned India with TEHRAN: Iran’s intelligence minister said “dozens of greater gender equality despite an ongoing crackdown 30 percent by the end of the next decade. That’s still far on women’s rights activists. “Everything is changing behind most other nations. In the United States, where his so-called demonetization campaign that he said spies” had been arrested as part of a crackdown on aimed to uncover unaccounted wealth and counterfeit espionage and dual nationals and alluded to an agent now... There is space for females everywhere,” said large gaps remain between women and men’s employ- Dad, whose virtual reality program is called Taibah VR. ment rates, wages and job positions, around 60 percent money. The old notes of 500-rupee and 1,000-rupee Iran had placed in the Israeli government. Intelligence denomination ceased to be legal tender from Dec 31, Minister Mahmoud Alavi said Iran had planted the “If a man wants to establish a company or wants to of women participate in the labor force, according to start up something, there’s a process they go through - the Brookings Institution.