JAMADA ALAWWAL 22, 1440 AH MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2019 28 Pages Max 27º Min 16º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17744 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Kuwait urges dialogue to end Children find solace in Plastic dhow sails along Kenya Dominant Djokovic wins 321political standoff in Venezuela music in wartime Yemen 24 coast to highlight waste crisis 28 seventh Australian Open Court says article 16 ruling is correct, must be implemented Panel makes changes to early retirement law By B Izzak ing that article 16 violated the constitution. The court agreed and scrapped the article and called for dealing Zain KSA 2018 profit soars to $89m KUWAIT: The constitutional court yesterday said a with any consequences that may have resulted from ruling it issued last month declaring article 16 of the using the article. RIYADH: Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain SAR 1.1 billion ($292 million), reflect- National Assembly charter as unconstitutional is cor- However, several opposition MPs said the court had KSA), announces historical record- ing a 54 percent EBITDA margin, up rect and must be implemented without delay. In a new exceeded its mandate by encroaching on the powers of high financial results for all key 86 percent from SAR 590 million verdict, the court, whose rulings cannot be challenged, the Assembly and insisted that the court cannot scrap indicators for the full-year and ($157 million) recorded in Q4 2017. rejected an objection submitted by MP Waleed Al- the membership of the two lawmakers. Yesterday’s rul- fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2018, Net income for the three months Tabtabaei asking the court to suspend the implemen- ing is likely to end the legal controversy over the mem- with the operator serving 8.1 mil- reached an unprecedented SAR 399 tation of its earlier ruling and subject it under legal bership of Tabtabaei and Harbash, who have been liv- lion customers. For the full-year million ($106 million), reflecting a revision. ing outside the country since the jail sentence was 2018, Zain KSA generated rev- marked improvement on the loss of The new verdict clearly means that the member- issued against them. enues of SAR 7.5 billion ($2 bil- SAR 45 million ($12 million) record- ships of MPs Tabtabaei and Jamaan Al-Harbash must In another development, the Assembly’s financial lion), a 3 percent Y-o-Y increase of ed for Q4 2017. be revoked and by-election called to elect two mem- and economic affairs committee yesterday made a SAR 225 million, while EBITDA for Bader Al-Kharafi, Zain Vice- bers to replace them. This is the most likely scenario number of changes to the controversial early retire- the year increased by 20 percent Chairman and Group CEO and when the Assembly convenes for its regular session on ment law, the head of the panel said. MP Salah Y-o-Y to reach SAR 3 billion Vice-Chairman of Zain KSA, com- Wednesday. The controversy began last summer when Khorsheed said the committee agreed a proposed two ($800 million), reflecting an EBIT- mented: “Zain Saudi Arabia has the court of cassation, whose rulings are final, sen- percent deduction from the pension of Kuwaiti DA margin of 40 percent. Net experienced an incredible year tenced Harbash and Tabtabaei and a dozen other employees who opt for early retirement should not income soared to reach SAR 332 placing the company in a much opposition activists and former lawmakers to jail terms continue for life. Khorsheed said the committee said million ($89 million), reflecting a Bader Al-Kharafi stronger fiscal position that will only for storming the Assembly building in Nov 2011 follow- the panel decided that the deduction must stop at the 27-fold increase on the 2017 full- get better. The year shall go down ing a protest. age of 65 for men and 60 for women who retire five year net income of SAR 12 million 2 billion ($546 million), a 19 percent as a milestone for us and shall be The membership of the two lawmakers should have years ahead of the official retirement age. This has ($3.1 million). increase to the same three-month looked back on many years from been revoked after they were convicted, but the remained as the main stumbling block for the passage For the fourth quarter of 2018, period in 2017. now as the year Zain KSA truly Assembly decided in a vote to retain their membership of the law in its second and final reading. Khorsheed Zain KSA recorded revenues of SAR EBITDA for the quarter reached came into its own.” (See Page 11) on the basis of article 16 of its internal charter. A case said the law will be sent to the Assembly for voting on was immediately filed at the constitutional court argu- Wednesday. News in brief Manila vows to Majority believe in 2035 vision crush ‘terrorists’ KUWAIT: Around 87 percent of Kuwaitis feel the country’s 2035 vision fulfills their aspirations, the after twin church ministry of information said yesterday. According to an IPSOS poll, 83 percent of nationals feel that it is incumbent upon the government to provide a sup- bombings kill 20 portive environment for more job opportunities, 67 percent agree that the government should provide MANILA: The Philippines vowed to destroy those services in a prompt and orderly manner, while behind twin bombings that killed 20 people during a another 58 percent are apprehensive that corruption Sunday church service in the country’s restive south, six could hinder national development plans. Ninety days after a referendum on autonomy for the mainly percent of Kuwaitis are cognizant of the enormity of Muslim region returned an overwhelming “yes” vote. The a project to develop Kuwait’s northern islands, say- attack wounded 81 and was one of the deadliest in recent ing the success of the project will help bring the years in a region long plagued by instability. It came amid vision to fruition. — KUNA (See Page 3) hope and excitement about the ratification of a devolu- tion plan that aims to bring development, jobs and peace to one of Asia’s poorest and most volatile places. The first explosion went off inside the cathedral on Pregabalin, gabapentin by prescription Jolo island, in Sulu province, and was followed by a sec- ond blast outside, which was detonated as security KUWAIT: Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah JOLO, Philippines: Philippine security personnel carry a body bag containing the remains of a blast victim after two forces raced to the scene, officials said. bombs exploded at a church yesterday. — AFP yesterday issued a decree on the distribution of all Continued on Page 24 pharmaceutical preparations containing pregabalin and gabapentin. Assistant undersecretary for phar- maceutical and food control at the ministry Dr Abdullah Al-Bader said the decree stipulates that these medicines should be distributed with a pre- Sudan’s Bashir says protesters scription specifying the name of the medicine with the name of the doctor and his signature. He explained that the drugs should be for a maximum of trying to copy Arab Spring 60 days in one prescription. He added these drugs CAIRO: Protesters in Sudan are trying to unnamed “harmful organizations” for work- will be distributed only by specialists in rheumatoid imitate the Arab Spring uprisings that shook ing to destabilize the region. “We do not arthritis, psychological treatment, diabetes and the region in 2011, President Omar Al-Bashir claim there is no problem, but it is not of the endocrinology. — KUNA said yesterday during a visit to Egypt. size or dimensions that some of the media Bashir is facing the most sustained chal- portray. This is an attempt to copy the Arab lenge since he came to power in a coup in Spring in Sudan, these are the same slogans 1989. Demonstrators have turned out almost and appeals and the very wide use of social daily across the country to call for an end to media sites,” he said. Citing what he said Malaysia stripped his rule. Bashir’s trip to neighboring Egypt is was the “harmful agitation” that such coun- his second foreign visit since unrest began tries had witnessed, he added: “The on Dec 19. He has also visited Qatar. Sudanese people are alert and will not allow of para swim event Speaking next to his Egyptian counter- for any intrusion or attempt to destabilize part Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Bashir blamed the security of Sudan.” over Israel stance In Khartoum sit-ins began in some pub- lic squares in response to an appeal from a PARIS: Malaysia has been stripped of the right to host professionals’ association that has led calls for protests. One of the slogans used by the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships for Sudanese protesters - “The people want the threatening to refuse to allow Israeli athletes to take fall of the regime” - was made famous by part, the International Paralympic Committee said yes- uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and other Arab terday. The decision was taken after the Malaysian states. Sudanese security forces have authorities “failed to provide the necessary guarantees deployed tear gas, stun grenades and live that Israeli Para swimmers could participate, free from ammunition to disperse protests, as well as discrimination, and safely in the Championships”, the arresting hundreds of people IPC said in a statement. Authorities say at least 30 people have IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “When a host died in the unrest while rights groups and country excludes athletes from a particular nation, for local opposition figures say at least 45 have political reasons, then we have absolutely no alternative been killed.