SUBSCRIPTION SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2016 RAMADAN 21, 1437 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Fighters edge Erdogan meets Poland beat Visa fee, traffic Ramadan TImings into IS border Hamas chief Switzerland fines’ increase Emsak: 03:05 hub; airstrikes amid reports to book Euro pushed to next Fajer: 03:15 Shrooq: 04:50 kill 47 in Syria of Israel deal quarterfinals Assembly term Dohr: 11:51 Asr: 15:24 Maghreb: 18:51 7 8 20 3 Eshaa: 20:24 Germany, France press Min 33º Max 47º UK for quick EU divorce High Tide 04:18 & 15:01 Low Tide Sterling falls to lowest level in decades; Moody’s issues warning 09:42 & 10:23 40 PAGES NO: 16916 150 FILS LONDON: Germany and France led demands yesterday Ramadan Kareem for Britain to negotiate a quick divorce from the European Union, with Paris warning that populism will otherwise My greatest teacher take hold after the vote to leave the bloc sent shockwaves around the world. The European Central Bank added to By Teresa Lesher the pressure by saying Britain’s financial industry, which employs 2.2 million people, would lose the right to serve f Ramadan was a person, she would be the toughest clients in the EU unless the country signed up to its single teacher you ever had - the one who had strict rules, market - anathema to “leave” campaigners who are set to Igave lots of homework, and drilled you until she was lead the next government in London. sure you understood the lessons she was trying to teach. Britain’s decision to leave the EU, the world’s largest Or Ramadan would be your coach who made you train trading bloc, is the biggest blow since World War Two to hard, demanding more of you than you thought you the European project of forging greater unity. In the coun- could handle, challenging you every day until you mas- try itself, divisions widened after the relatively close result tered the moves or continually beat your previous times. in Thursday’s referendum. Scotland’s first minister said she These are the people who not only believed in the val- wanted to open negotiations directly with Brussels, say- ue of what they taught, but even more so, they believed ing the option of a second independence referendum in your capacity for achievement and growth. They should be “on the table”. South of the border in England, worked you hard because they wanted you to succeed. other pro-EU Britons also pondered their uncertain future, They didn’t just want you to pass their test or win the with the Daily Mirror newspaper asking: “So what the hell race, they wanted to change you forever - to transform happens now?” you into a confident, disciplined and ambitious person. Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Friday They wanted you to win. he would resign after Britons voted 52-48 percent to These are the people we feared, obeyed, respected, exit the EU, a result which sent global stock markets and eventually loved. These are the people who impact- plunging, and inflicted the biggest one day drop on ed our lives in untold ways, making us our best selves. We sterling in history. But Cameron promised to stay on as vaguely remember the grueling work and pain of their a caretaker until October while the Conservative Party ways, but we will never forget what we learned about chooses a new leader, saying it was up to his successor ourselves and how they made us feel. Similar in every to notify the EU formally that Britain wanted to leave KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti vendor holds British Pound banknotes at a money exchange shop in Kuwait City yester- way, Ramadan has been my greatest teacher and coach. under the Lisbon Treaty, which provides for two years of day. The British Pound has plunged to its lowest rate since 1985 after the United Kingdom’s vote to exit from Ramadan has returned every year to remind me what I divorce proceedings. the European Union. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat need to do to succeed, and to prove to me that I can do it. Continued on Page 13 In the early years, it was about submitting my will to my Creator’s will. I fasted because the Quran said, “Those of you who see the month shall fast.” (2:185). It was hard, very hard. But I did it. Year after year, I fulfilled the require- Saudi, UAE see Brexit ‘having little impact’ ments. But Ramadan wasn’t satisfied with mere compli- ance. There was much more to learn. I could have cheat- ABU DHABI: Two Gulf states said yesterday they did Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority Governor Ahmed Neighboring United Arab Emirates also said yesterday ed. Nobody could have known for sure if I was really fast- not anticipate their financial institutions to be greatly Al-Kholifey was quoted as saying by state news any effect on its financial institutions as a result of ing. But I didn’t, and that’s when fasting honed my sincer- affected as a result of Britain’s vote to exit the agency SPA. “For the banking sector, we expect that Britain’s EU exit would be limited. “Due to the limited ity and integrity. European Union. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil the impact will be limited, because it is less exposed to interconnectedness between the UAE and UK financial If I were fasting for the people, to fit in or meet social exporter and OPEC heavyweight, said it had already the two aforementioned currencies’ movements,” he systems, there are only few channels through which or cultural expectations, I would have cheated all those made some adjustments to assets denominated in said. uncertainty about future UK and EU relations could times when I missed suhoor and started my fast on an sterling and euros in anticipation of the vote. Saudi Arabia’s foreign assets are mainly denominat- affect the UAE financial institutions,” the country’s cen- empty stomach. The Kingdom had been monitoring the situation ed in US dollars, in the form of securities such as US tral bank said in a statement, asserting it would con- Continued on Page 13 and made the changes as a “precautionary stance,” Treasury bonds and deposits with banks abroad. tinue to monitor developments. — Reuters 23 dead in West Virginia floods CHARLESTON: Heavy rains that pum- husband Ronnie and told him their meled West Virginia left at least 23 peo- house was filling up with water. She fled Five killed as ple dead, and authorities said yesterday to the attic and waited. She smelled nat- that an unknown number of people in ural gas. Then, the house exploded. the hardest-hit county remained unac- Belinda Scott was able to break a vent jihadists storm counted for. Most of the dead and all of and get out onto a porch, then make it the missing, officials believe, were in the onto a tree, which she clung to for hours Somalia hotel county of Greenbrier - home of the before being rescued by state police, her renowned golf resort of the same name. husband told The Associated Press. MOGADISHU: At least five people were killed yes- “The reports we got this morning are “My wife was out there four and a half terday in an attack on a hotel in the Somali capital that Greenbrier County may still have hours hanging in a tree with a house Mogadishu that was swiftly claimed by Al-Qaeda- some folks unaccounted for. It does not burning right beside her, flood waters affiliated Shabaab militants. The assault, the latest appear there are unaccounted for people running all around her,” said Scott. About by the Shabaab group targeting hotels and restau- in other counties, but it’s still a somewhat 500 people were stranded overnight in a rants in recent months, was led by a suicide attacker fluid situation,” said Chris Stadelman, Gov shopping center when a bridge washed driving a car laden with explosives, the jihadists said Earl Ray Tomblin’s chief of staff. out, and dozens of other people had to PETALUMA: Sweepie Rambo, a Chinese crested, is held up by owner Jason Wurtz in an online statement. Stadelman said there were still “lots of be plucked off rooftops or rescued from during the World’s Ugliest Dog Competition in Petaluma, California. Sweepie As night fell in Mogadishu, sporadic gunfire folks in shelters” and that state would their cars. Greenbrier County Sheriff Jan Rambo went on to take first prize winning $1,500. — AFP could still be heard coming from the Naasa apply for federal disaster funds. Scores of Cahill described “complete chaos” in his Hablood hotel after it was stormed by the militants, homes were damaged. county. “Roads destroyed, bridges out, witnesses said. “What we know is that there were at In one bizarre twist, a woman sus- homes burned down, washed off foun- Iran targets ‘vulgar least five victims, including three security guards, tained burns over two-thirds of her body dations,” he said. “Multiple sections of and that six others were injured,” police official after her deluged house blew up. Belinda highway just missing. Ibrahim Mohamed said. “The security forces have Scott of White Sulphur Springs called her Continued on Page 13 Western’ dog owners managed to enter into the hotel and are in the process of restoring security,” Mohamed added. TEHRAN: Dog lovers in central Iran are in culture, we will deal with them firmly.” The attack began at 4:30 pm with a powerful uproar after authorities began confiscat- Dog confiscations in the town began blast followed by two other explosions and then ing their pets in an apparent crackdown three days later, Shahrvand reported.