JAMADA ALTHANI 8, 1440 AH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2019 28 Pages Max 19º Min 08º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17758 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Kuwait keen on empowering Embattled Aussie PM suffers US presents Mideast vision Qatar unveils falcon Falah as 39women for leadership: Aqeel historic defeat over refugees 24 in Warsaw, but no converts 27 world championship mascot Saudi king supports Palestinian state with E Jerusalem as capital Pakistan, India eye investments from Saudi crown prince visit RIYADH/NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: Saudi King Salman said yesterday the kingdom was committed to an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital ahead of a US-led conference on Middle East peace and security. The monarch was speaking during a meeting with visiting Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh. King Salman said his country “perma- nently stands by Palestine and its people’s right to an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital”, reported the official Saudi Press Agency. The pledge comes as the United States is expected to offer hints of its proposals for peace between Israel and the Palestinians at a conference in Poland. Announcing the two-day conference last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that foreign ministers from around the world would attend to take up the “destabi- lizing influence” of Iran in the Middle East. But with most major European powers sending low- level representation, the United States and Poland have toned down the agenda, saying the gathering is not focused on Iran but rather looking more broadly at the Middle East. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who has been putting the final touches on a “deal of the century” for the Middle MAKKAH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wipes the marble wall East, will make a rare speaking appearance on Thursday. RIYADH: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz greets Palestinian President inside the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in this holy city Kushner, whose family is close to Israeli Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas before a meeting yesterday. — AFP during his inspection of expansions to the site. — AFP Benjamin Netanyahu, is not expected to unveil the pro- posal until after the April 9 election in Israel. Kushner will remains livid over his landmark 2017 decision to recog- calls a more balanced policy. economy off oil exports. He is also expected to visit reportedly visit the Middle East at end of this month, dur- nize Jerusalem - claimed by both peoples - as Israel’s Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed China, Malaysia and Indonesia during the tour. ing which he will make a stop in Saudi Arabia. capital. The Palestinian government - which has labeled bin Salman is expected to announce investments in ener- Prince Mohammed is expected to sign agreements, The Trump administration faces an difficult task in the Warsaw conference an “American conspiracy” - has gy and infrastructure during a visit to India and Pakistan mostly linked to a refinery and the power sector, during selling any deal to the Palestinian Authority, which refused talks with the United States until it starts what it in coming days as part of his efforts to wean the Saudi Continued on Page 24 Adasani had said that he learnt that some local government, citing former MPs Nabil Al-Fadhl and News in brief Adasani: Inflated banks informed the finance ministry’s fiscal intelligence Abdullah Al-Tameemi. unit that the accounts of an undisclosed number of law- In late 2011, the public prosecution interrogated 13 Burial bill dies on council floor makers had been inflated and suspected of irregulari- MPs over a suspected large-scale corruption case in accounts of two ties. He said the issue was investigated by the country’s which those lawmakers were accused of accepting mil- KUWAIT: The Municipal Council rejected a pro- secret service and now the unit has referred the lions of dinars in political bribes. But the former MPs posal to bury expatriates in cemeteries according to MPs being probed accounts of two lawmakers for further investigations were freed and the case was shelved over a lack legis- the governorate they resided in, as some council and legal action. He said he will continue to follow up lation to prosecute the culprits. members abstained from voting. Council Chairman KUWAIT: Opposition MP Riyadh Al-Adasani said the issue until all culprits are investigated and held to Meanwhile, head of the legal and legislative com- Osama Al-Otaibi said “abstaining is considered a yesterday that the finance ministry has referred the account. The lawmaker however gave no names. mittee MP Khaled Al-Shatti urged other panels yester- rejection according to the law and there were not case of two lawmakers whose bank accounts were Adasani has in the past two weeks threatened to day to complete the study of draft bills cleared by his enough votes to pass the proposal”. “I reject this allegedly illegally inflated to “concerned authorities” for grill the ministers of finance and interior if the sus- panel in order to speed up the approval of laws. He discrimination, as there should not be any divisions investigation. The lawmaker confirmed that “two cases pected case was not referred to the public prosecu- also said he expects a key legislation on the religious in burying the dead. Matters should be left as they have been sent to the concerned authorities for further tion for pressing charges. He said that he will continue personal law for Shiites to be finalized during the cur- are - this does not befit the image of Kuwait,” legal investigation,” and added that more cases must be to press for the trial of a number of lawmakers who rent term. The bill was cleared by the legal committee Councilman Meshal Al-Hamdan said. — Al-Rai followed and referred for investigations. openly said they had accepted payments from the in the last term. New parking fees at Terminal 4 there was “probably some good news, KUWAIT: Directorate General of Civil Aviation Trump mulls but who knows?” Director Yousef Al-Fauzan announced new parking The money, along with other border fees at Terminal 4 parking lots, noting that the first deal to avert security measures, was presented as a hour would cost 500 fils, 500 fils for the second hour workable deal to satisfy both sides and and KD 1 per hour or part of an hour thereafter in the allow Trump to shelve his threat to shut short-term parking area. He said KD 2 would be col- govt shutdown down swaths of government on Friday. lected daily in the long-term parking area. In case of The funds would allow 55 miles of new losing the parking ticket or parking without obtaining WASHINGTON: US lawmakers walls along the border. Hundreds of one, the motorist will pay a fine of KD 10 plus the reached a preliminary deal to provide miles of barriers already run along the parking fees. “Vehicles parked in no-parking zones some funding for President Donald US-Mexican border but Trump says far will be towed and impounded,” he warned. — A Saleh Trump’s Mexico border wall but waited more is needed to bring what he often yesterday to see if he accepts the com- calls an “invasion” of migrant criminals promise and cancels a threatened gov- under control. Democrats say Trump OPEC oil production falls ernment shutdown. At nearly $1.4 billion vastly exaggerates the crime problem for wall construction, the budget agreed and uses the issue to whip up his right- PARIS: Global oil cartel OPEC said yesterday it by Republican and Democratic lawmak- wing voter base. sharply reduced crude oil production last month, ers was far less than the $5.7 billion that In December, Trump tried to pressure after heavyweight Saudi Arabia slashed output and Trump wanted. Trump has not given a Congress into approving the $5.7 billion exports fell in crisis-hit Venezuela. In its monthly definite answer, telling a crowd of sup- by refusing to sign off on funding swaths porters at a rally in the Texas frontier of government that have nothing to do report, OPEC said it produced 797,000 fewer bar- EL PASO: US President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on Monday. — AFP rels per day in January than in the previous month, a city of El Paso late Monday only that Continued on Page 24 decrease in line with the cartel’s pledge to curb out- put in a bid to boost sagging prices. The decrease by the group of 14 producer countries brought total Australia. I will die in Australia and I love production to 30.81 million barrels per day in the Freed footballer Australia,” he said. month. — AFP A throng of well-wishers decked in #SAVEHAKEEM T-shirts cheered and returns to cheers sang the football anthem “You’ll Never Russia mulls soldier smartphone ban Walk Alone” as they greeted the 25- in Australia year-old defender at Melbourne Airport, MOSCOW: Russian lawmakers yesterday backed a after an overnight flight to freedom bill that would ban soldiers from using smartphones MELBOURNE: Refugee footballer aboard Thai Airways flight 465. Araibi while on duty to post online or give information to Hakeem Al-Araibi made a triumphant was detained at a Bangkok airport on media. The bill bans troops from carrying “electron- return to Australia yesterday, ending a Nov 27 at the request of Bahraini ic devices” that can post video and photos online or harrowing two months in Thai detention, authorities who accuse him of offences reveal their geo-locations.