SUBSCRIPTION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2013 SHAABAN 3, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Violence flares Ruthless as Erdogan India reach cracks down Champions on protests7 Trophy18 semis Gulf to act against Max 43º Min 29º High Tide Hezbollah members 03:05 & 13:07 Measures to affect iqamas, financial transactions Low Tide 07:57 & 20:48 40 PAGES NO: 15837 150 FILS RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council said it will take measures against members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah Nod to set over the Shiite movement’s military intervention against Syrian rebels. The measures will affect their “resi- dency permits, and financial and commercial transac- up telecom tions,” said a GCC statement issued late Monday, citing a ministerial council decision. The GCC statement urged commission the Lebanese government to “assume its responsibilities towards the behaviour of Hezbollah and its illegal and By B Izzak inhumane practices in Syria and the region”. The bloc strongly condemned “the flagrant intervention of KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday passed three Hezbollah in Syria” and its “participation in shedding the important legislations less than a week before the crucial blood of the Syrian people.” ruling of the constitutional court. MPs unanimously Fighters from Hezbollah openly spearheaded a 17- passed in the first reading a law to establish a Kuwait day assault on the Syrian town of Qusair near the telecom commission which will supervise the telecom- Lebanese border which culminated with its recapture munications sector in the country. The new authority will from the rebels last Wednesday. The GCC includes have powers to organize the mobile and landline phone Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the sector in addition to the Internet. United Arab Emirates. The decision is likely to stir fears The Assembly also overwhelmingly passed new among the many Shiite Lebanese who work in the Gulf amendments to the Kuwait Airways privatization law KUWAIT: Protesters set ablaze a defaced picture of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah during a protest in of being associated with the militant group. requiring the government to contribute to the financing front of the Lebanese Embassy yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Hezbollah’s popularity surged among Sunni Muslim of the purchase of new aircraft and to pay its accumulat- Arabs in the wake of the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon, ed debt between 2004 and 2012, estimated at over KD when the Shiite movement put up a strong resistance. 440 million. The new amendments also introduced a Alghanim Motors, Honda But this popularity plummeted as the Iran-backed party new article to the law to allow the government to hold a openly said it supported Syrian President Bashar Al- golden share in the new company. MPs also passed celebrate partnership Assad in his struggle to survive an uprising that began amendments to the housing welfare law to provide in March 2011 and morphed into an armed conflict. unmarried Kuwaiti women or those married to foreign- Saudi Arabia on Monday condemned Hezbollah’s “fla- ers equal rights with Kuwaiti men regarding housing Omar Kutaiba Alghanim, Chief Executive Officer Alghanim Industries, is seen address- care. The government did not vote with the law which ing the press conference held before a grand celebration that gathered 2,000 people grant intervention” in Syria. Like many Arab countries, was passed in the first and second rounds, but to become on Sunday. The event was held on the occasion of celebrating the ‘new and promising’ the kingdom has explicitly voiced support to the rebels effective, the government’s acceptance is crucial. Omar Kutaiba Alghanim partnership between the two companies. More on the event on Pages 10 and 11. in Syria. Damascus accuses Riyadh, along with Doha, of arming the rebels. — AFP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2013 LOCAL X-Ray exposure leads to cancer in four Sabah Hospital doctors KUWAIT: Even as informed sources in the ble limits, besides ensuring that the room health sector made the revelation that remains closed. In the meantime, Minister three of the four doctors working with the of Health Dr Mohammad Al-Haifi ordered a radiology department in the Al-Sabah fact finding committee headed by Assistant health area were afflicted with cancer relat- Undersecretary for medical supplies Dr ed disease as a result of excessive exposure Omar Al-Syid Omer to probe into the to X-rays, and that the fourth doctor was claims made by MP Faisal Al-Kandari in still to be examined, the Ministry of Health which he talked about spurious heart sup- refuted the reports authoritatively. port accessories used for patients who Dr Hana Al-Khawari said that no X-ray underwent heart surgery at the Mubarak equipment is installed or operated without Hospital. the prior approval of X-ray protection The committee has already started its department. Personnel from this depart- meetings and begun checking everything KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yesterday Voluntary ment inspect the room before installing the concerning heart equipments which Al- Work Center Chairperson Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and members of “Senyar 7” marine environment cam- equipment and again verify all parameters Kandari spoke about and will prepare a paign. His Highness lauded the members of the campaign for their role in the protection and safe-keep of the marine environ- after it is installed and operated. The radia- report on an urgent basis to be submitted tion is measured and kept within permissi- to the minister. ment. The meeting was attended by head of the Crown Prince Diwan Sheikh Mubarak Al-Faisal Al-Saud Al-Sabah. —KUNA Seven groups vie for expat insurance hospitals project Close contest likely at auction on July 8 KUWAIT: Seven groups applied for the purchase of expatriates under a government-supervised medical Authority, issued another tender, with new specifi- documents necessary to enter the bidding for a proj- insurance program is one of the many mega projects cations. The project’s budget dropped from KD318 ect to establish health insurance hospitals for expatri- included in Kuwait’s 5-year Development Plan. The million (for three hospitals with a total bed capacity ates in Kuwait, a local daily reported yesterday, quot- term mega project is used for those projects that of 1,600) to KD230 million (for three hospitals with a ing sources familiar with the subject. require capital of more than KD100 million. The total bed capacity of 230). Moreover, the new ten- The sources, who spoke to Al-Qabas on the condi- health insurance hospitals project involves building der was opened to both local and foreign investors, tion of anonymity, said the seven groups were KIPCO, three hospitals that will provide comprehensive while the earlier one was only for local Agility, National Real Estate Company, Arabi Holding medical services to Kuwait’s expatriate community, companies.Despite that, only local companies Group, Yiaco Medical Company (KFH Group), Jiblah as part of the government’s efforts to reduce the expressed interest to invest in 26 percent of stocks Holding Company (Al-Sayer Group), and Al-Essa pressure on the currently overcrowded public med- in the shareholding company that will be estab- Audience during the lecture at DDI Medical Equipment Company. The groups are set to ical facilities. lished to build the hospitals. The government will contest an auction on July 8, in which, it is believed, When strategic investors showed no interest own 24 percent of the stocks, and the remaining 50 “coalitions and withdrawals” might happen. after the project was first put out to tender, the gov- percent will be offered to the public through an ini- The project to establish hospitals exclusively for ernment, represented by the Kuwait Investment tial public offering. ‘Health Effects of VIVA extends support Desert Dust Storms’ KUWAIT: Dr Douglas W Dockery, Professor to the Amiri Hospital of Environmental Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health presented a lecture KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-grow- and are offered devices that provide titled “Health Effects of Desert Dust Storms” ing telecom operator, continues to comfort. VIVA will continue to find dif- yesterday at Dasman Diabetes Institute. extend its support to the development ferent ways to help enhance the over- This lecture was organized in collabora- of the Kuwait health sector, as it makes all health services in Kuwait and work tion with Harvard School of Public Health a contribution to supply the Amiri towards a more prosperous one.” and Dasman Diabetes Institute to further Hospital with more than 200 new This initiative comes in line with shed light on dust storms in the area. Dr. medical chairs. VIVA’s mission to lend a helping hand Dockery reiterated in his lecture “These The Amiri Hospital Manager Dr to Kuwait’s health sector and assist in storms cause economic disruption, and Afrah Al-Saraf, paid a visit to the VIVA the development of its facilities, anecdotally are associated with asthma Dr Kazem Behbehani, Director General headquarters and was welcomed by through equipping them with the attacks and other exacerbations of respirato- of DDI and Dr. Douglas Dockery from ry conditions. Episodes of elevated particu- the Chief Executive Officer at VIVA required devices to offer a more com- Harvard Eng. Salman Al Badran, to express her prehensive service to the patients. late air pollution from urban, industrial, and gratitude and appreciation for this Worthy to note, VIVA recently motor vehicle sources has been consistently dust storms have shown increased cardio- contribution and support. donated 265 wheelchairs to different shown to be associated with increased num- vascular and respiratory hospital admissions Chief Executive Officer at VIVA Eng health facilities in Kuwait that were in bers of deaths, hospital emergency visits, and mortality.