EU opens new mission in Kuwait to boost relations, cooperation

THULQADA 12, 1440 AH MONDAY, JULY 15, 2019

28 Pages 150 Fils

ISSUE NO: 17882

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22 Egypt opens two ancient pyramids, unveils new finds

28 Djokovic claims fifth Wimbledon crown in record-breaking final

28 England win World Cup after Super Over drama

EU opens new mission in Kuwait to boost relations, cooperation

Mogherini commends Amir's wisdom, hails Kuwait as force for peace

Zain Saudi Arabia's net income growth soars to record-high

Bader Al-Kharafi: Market capitalization of Zain KSA has more than doubled over the last 12 months

RIYADH: Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA), announces record-high financial results for all key indicators for the first six-months and second quarter ended 30 June, 2019, with the operator serving 8.3 million customers.

Key Operational and Financial notes for the three months ended 30 June, 2019:

1. In June 2019, Zain KSA signed a new Islamic two-year (renewable) Murabaha Junior Credit facility agreement amounting to SAR 2.25 billion with a syndicate of five core Saudi Arabian and regional banks to refinance a US $600 million facility

2. During Q2 2019, the company made an early voluntary payment towards the Senior Murabaha financing agreement amounting to SAR 300 million, reflecting the company's solid cashflow generation; bringing the total repayment amount to SAR 1.425 billion in the past nine months

3. Zain KSA made the first 5G call in

Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi

the Kingdom on its network, successfully exceeding speeds of 1000 Mbps

4. Zain KSA's 5G technology became available at Neom Bay Airport, making it the first airport in the region to offer a 5G network

5. The launch of appealing B2B and individual data monetization initiatives and packages have resulted in an impressive uptake leading to healthy growth in customers, ARPU and revenue. (See Page 11)

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: The EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said yesterday the bloc is increasing its engagement in the Middle East, as she opened a new mission in Kuwait City. The office in Kuwait's tallest skyscraper is the third such EU mission in the Gulf, after Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. "This also sends a message to the whole region; the European Union is increasing its presence and engagement in the Middle East," Mogherini said at the opening ceremony. "What happens to the Gulf matters to Europe and what happens to Europe matters to the Gulf," she added.

The ceremony in the Al Hamra Tower, which is also home to the French embassy, was attended by Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah. The opening, decided several months ago, comes amid a tense standoff between the United States and Iran which has affected the Gulf. "In a moment of regional and global tensions, Kuwait is a voice of wisdom and force for peace and this is what made us natural partners," Mogherini said.

Continued on Page 24

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini pose for a picture in front of a plaque during the opening ceremony of the European representative office yesterday. -- Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 3)

MPs blast Al-Arabiya for insulting Kuwait

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: Lawmakers yesterday strongly lashed out at Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel after they claimed an announcer deliberately slandered and insulted Kuwait. Saudi news anchor Sarah Darandawi was reading a story about Qatar reportedly lowering the price of alcohol in preparation for the World Cup 2022, which Doha is hosting.

After finishing the story, the anchor commented "we are waiting for comments by their friends in Kuwait over this Qatari gen-

erosity", a clear reference to Kuwait's neutral stance in the two-year old feud between Qatar on one hand and Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on the other. The four countries imposed a total boycott against Qatar accusing it of backing terrorists. At the same time, Kuwait's Amir and government remained neutral and have exerted great efforts to end the rift.

Lawmakers and social media activists strongly criticized the announcer, describing her action as "insolence" and insulting to the country, insisting that Kuwait has not taken

sides in the rift but made huge mediation efforts to resolve it. The information ministry issued a statement yesterday strongly criticizing the Dubai-based channel for the insult. It said Kuwait refuses to get involved in matters that do not concern the country, deploring remarks by the news anchor on AlArabiya as tantamount to a grave insult.

Kuwait will always be committed to the unity of the Gulf region through its efforts to quell any internal discord, read a statement by the ministry, which called for an end

Continued on Page 24

News in brief

Ashour: Halt expat recruitment

KUWAIT: MP Saleh Ashour yesterday accused the government of failing to rectify the distorted demographic structure and called for an immediate halt in the recruitment of expatriates and dismissing large numbers of foreign workers who are not needed, who constitute a big burden on public services. Ashour said on Twitter that a report in a local daily said labor offices in Egypt receive 5,000 applicants monthly for jobs in Kuwait, which means 60,000 workers come annually from Egypt alone, and many others from other countries. -- B Izzak

PACI wants to set up new centers

KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Civil Information has written to the finance ministry about opening service centers for expats just like those for Kuwaitis. Informed sources said PACI deals with more than 3.3 million expats from all governorates to register their data and issue civil IDs. PACI wants specialized companies in this field to open these centers and link them with the main database, maintaining data privacy at the authority. The role of these centers will only be to update and enter data. PACI will not bear the cost of establishing these centers, but will fix the fees and provide supervisors. -- Al-Rai

Airport sees 12% rise in passengers

KUWAIT: Kuwait International Airport's passenger traffic rose by 12 percent in June compared to the same period a year earlier, the Civil Aviation Authority said yesterday. Some 1.36 million travelers converged on Kuwait airport last month, compared to 1.2 million passengers in the same period last year, according to the Deputy Director General for Air Transport Safety Emad Al-Jalawi. The number of arrivals spiked to 586,700 passengers versus 505,600 in the same period last year, with 778,200 departures in comparison to 716,700 in 2018. He added around 10,672 flights took off from and landed at Kuwait International Airport in June, compared to 10,071 flights the previous year, while freight volume was 14.5 million kg. -- KUNA

Kuwait moves to

protect seaports

amid tensions

KUWAIT: Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) signed Saturday a cooperation protocol with the ministry of defense, enabling the navy to prepare security plans for the protection of ports nationwide. "The protocol was signed at a time the region is experiencing a critical security situation," KPA Director General Sheikh Yusuf Abdullah Al-Sabah said in a statement. "Therefore, we need collaboration of efforts between the two sides (KPA and navy) in order to maintain security of Kuwaiti sea ports, and to make sure we are ready for any emergency," he added.

The protocol, signed at Mohammad AlAhmad Naval Base, stipulates training of navy forces on towing and guiding of ships

approaching Kuwaiti ports or leaving them, explained Sheikh Yusuf. Relations between Iran and the West have become increasingly strained after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar last week and London said its warship HMS Montrose had to fend off Iranian vessels seeking to block a British-owned tanker from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The most recent incidents followed a spate of attacks on tankers since May around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, which the United States has blamed on Iran and are denied by Tehran. The two foes came close to direct military conflict last month when Iran shot down a US drone and President Donald Trump ordered retaliatory air strikes, only to call them off minutes before impact. Tensions have risen sharply since Washington stepped up economic sanctions against Iran and moved to bring its oil exports to zero as part of a "maximum pressure" policy to make Iran halt actions that it said undermined regional security. -- Agencies

KUWAIT: Representatives of the ports authority and navy sign a cooperation protocol on Saturday. -- KUNA

Qatar's coastguards take part in the inauguration ceremony of the new building of the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security yesterday. -- AFP

Qatar opens

biggest coast

guard base

SEMAISIMA, Qatar: Qatar inaugurated its largest coastguard base yesterday as a standoff between Iran and the United States continues to boost tensions in strategic Gulf waters. Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa

Al-Thani and commander of US Naval Forces in the Middle East Vice Admiral Jim Malloy attended the ceremony at the Al-Daayen naval base in Semaisima, 30 km from Doha on Qatar's eastern coast.

Qatar, a key US ally in the region, is home to Washington's largest Middle East military base. Malloy, commander of the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, said the new base was "a wonderful opportunity for us to interface more strongly with the Qatari coast guard". Tensions in the Gulf - through which nearly a third

Continued on Page 24

Muslims in

Assam fear

for future

KAMRUP, India: Born in India 71 years ago, Mohammed Rehat Ali is still traumatized a month after his release from a detention camp, struggling to shake off a fear for the future shared by millions many of them Muslims - under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The push to render stateless people described as "infiltrators" by Modi's right-hand man has been limited to the north-eastern state of Assam, but his Hindu nationalist party wants to replicate it nationwide, alarming Muslims, who critics say are the real focus.

"I have never expected that I would have to prove my citizenship. I am an Indian citizen, we are born here in Assam and living here for generations," Ali, an illiterate farmer, told AFP. But when he was unable to produce the required documents, a "Foreigners' Tribunal" declared

ASSAM, India: In this photograph taken on July 1, 2019, Mohammed Rehat Ali holds a supreme court order declaring him an Indian citizen. -- AFP

him a Bangladeshi and sent him to a detention camp. After three years, his sons secured his release by appealing to a higher court, but only after selling their land and cattle to raise legal fees.

He is one of the lucky ones. Over four million others in the state of 33 million where immigration has been a hot topic since British colonial rule - were left off a draft "National Register of Citizens"

Continued on Page 24

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