MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2012
@alwatandaily
Issue No. 1455
12 PAGES
www.alwatandaily.com
150 Fils with IHT
Al-Assad dismisses Houla massacre accusations
DAMASCUS: President Bashar Al-Assad dismissed on Sunday accusations his government had any role in the brutal Houla massacre, as he charged forces outside Syria of plotting to destroy the country. In a rare televised address to parliament, Al-Assad, dressed in a smart suit and tie, said even “monsters” were incapable of carrying out massacres such as last month’s killings near the town of Houla in central Syria. At least 108 people, including 49 children and 34 women, were slaughtered in the massacre which started on May 25 and spilled into the next day, triggering international outrage. Assad’s defiant speech came as Arab leaders called on the United Nations to act to stop bloodshed in Syria, and France raised the prospect of military action against Damascus under a UN mandate. “What happened in Houla and elsewhere are brutal massacres which even monsters would not have carried out,” the Syrian leader said. “The masks have fallen and the international role in the Syrian events is now obvious,” he said in his first address to the assembly since a May 7 parliamentary election, adding the polls
were the perfect response “to the criminal killers and those who finance them”. Al-Assad also paid tribute to civilian and military “martyrs” of the violence in Syria, saying their blood was not shed in vain. “We are not facing a political problem but a project to destroy the country,” Al-Assad said, adding there would be “no dialogue” with opposition groups which “seek foreign intervention.” “Terrorism cannot be part of the political process,” said Al-Assad, who had last spoken in public in January. In Sunday’s speech which lasted more than an hour, he dismissed the impact in Syria of uprisings sweeping the Arab world, saying those demonstrating and fighting against his rule were paid to do so. “Some are unemployed, they receive money for participating in demonstrations,” he said. As Arab leaders called for UN action, France, which spearheaded a NATO air assault against Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi last year, said it has not excluded military intervention in Syria. France “has not excluded military interven-
Al-Rujaib faces second grilling
Staff Writers
KUWAIT: The Parliament on Sunday witnessed heated debates, as MPs launched scathing attacks on the government. Amid this atmosphere, MP Riadh Al-Adasni filed a new motion to question the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Ahmad Al-Rujaib, which revolves around five main issues, including alleged irregularities at Orphans Care, the deterioration of the sports situation in the country, bogus companies, weak oversight and malpractices involving the operations of cooperative societies. This makes Al-Rujaib’s interpellation akin to the one filed earlier against the former Finance Minister Al-Shamali, who later resigned following a grueling questioning session. Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly, the lawmaker stated that his interpellation motion is backed up by supporting documents, while claiming a sharp increase in the level of corruption under the new minister. Al-Adsani also brushed aside the idea of merging his interpellation with that of MP Al-Saifi Al-Saifi who also filed a motion to grill the same minister. He informed the press that his motion has been included in Parliament’s scheduled session for June 19. For his part, Al-Saifi affirmed that the issues contained in his interpellation differ from Al-Adsani’s, even though both of them are targeting Minister Al-Rujaib. Reportedly, the government is of the view that the motion is marred by constitutional and legal loopholes, particularly with regard to his claims over the issues of sports and cooperative societies. Parliamentary sources reported that Al-Adsani’s interpellation will be announced to lawmakers during the session tomorrow (Tuesday), so that it can be included in the agenda, though 48 hours have not passed since the motion was filed. The precedent, according to the sources, reflects the intention to merge the two interpellations or discussing them during the scheduled June 19 session. The sources, in the meantime, alluded to differences among MPs regarding the legality of this step. Moreover, MP Obeid Al-Wasmi hinted at a possible motion to question His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah over press reports suggesting that the government is likely to rebuff the Jaber University and blasphemy Laws, as well as backtrack on plans to set up a fund to support owners of small businesses. The lawmaker posted on his twitter that the move can be interpreted as reflective of the government’s lack of respect for its own decisions or that it is not the real government. “In both cases, this is unacceptable,” the MP said.
Ghanaian plane crashes, at least 10 dead
ACCRA: A cargo plane has crashed while attempting to land at an airport in Ghana’s capital, slamming into cars and a bus loaded with passengers on a nearby street and killing at least 10 people, officials said. The crash on Saturday night happened in Accra near the Kotoka International Airport, which sits near newly built highrise buildings, hotels and the country’s defense ministry. Al Jazeera’s Yvonne Ndege said that witnesses had described the aircraft smashing through the airport perimeter fence before hitting the bus.
At least 10 people were killed in the crash, all in vehicles on the road struck by the plane, said Billy Anaglate, a spokesman for the Ghana Fire Service. Ambulances took the injured to nearby hospitals. The Boeing 727-200 was operated by Nigerian cargo airline Allied Air, Doreen Owusu Fianko, managing director of Ghana Airport Company, told reporters. “The aircraft collided with a mini Mercedes van resulting in 10 confirmed fatalities,” she said, adding that all four crew of the aircraft had survived the More on 5 accident.
tion” in Syria, but only under a UN mandate, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, while urging Russia to drop its backing for AlAssad. He said that “the Russians have to understand that the future of Syria is not to be considered” with Al-Assad still in power. “Until then we have to increase pressure, increase sanctions, mobilize public opinion and isolate (Assad) as much as possible - and make those who still support him lose interest, and I’m thinking of Russia of course,” Le Drian said. UN chief Ban Ki-moon called on Sunday for broad international talks on the rising Syrian crisis, urging Security Council members to consider Arab League demands for stronger UN action in the strife-torn country. “Our priority at this time is to help the Syrian people... I want to welcome a wider international discussion on the future course of actions,” Ban told reporters after a meeting with Organization of Islamic Cooperation chief, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
The royal barge ‘Spirit of Chartwell’ carrying Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family sails during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames in London on June 3, 2012. (AFP) More on 9
Progress rate of Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital estimated at 32%: Safar
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Indian guitar players raise their instruments in unison after making a new Limca record for “largest guitar ensemble” in Guwahati on June 3, 2012. (AFP)
Blast at Nigerian church kills 15
KANO: A suicide bomber who tried to drive an explosives-packed car into a church in northern Nigeria on Sunday killed at least 15 people, including himself, and injured 40, officials said. Speeding up his vehicle, the attacker approached a checkpoint near the church in Bauchi State, which has previously been hit by Islamist group Boko Haram and where tension between Muslims and Christians has led to violence in the past. “We have a checkpoint not far from the church which prevented the bomber from gaining access to his target,” said state police commissioner Mohammed Ladan. “So he rammed the car into a security gate and the car exploded,” Ladan added. Bauchi’s State Emergency Management Agency said in a statement that it found 15 dead bodies at the blast site and evacuated 40 injured people to a nearby hospital, adding that the area around the church had been cordoned off by police. Witnesses said the force of the blast near the Harvest Field of Christ church on the outskirts of Bauchi city caused the building to collapse on the worshippers inside. Residents said that when the building came down, some fled outside seeking refuge, but ran into a raging fire. “There was confusion as residents and churchgoers tried to flee. Some of them out of fright fell into the fire caused by the explosion,” said resident Timothy Joshua. Another witness, who requested anonymity, said the bomber had an accomplice who tried to escape the scene after the blast went off, but was chased down and killed by enraged residents. Police could not confirm this account. -AFP
Lebanese army deploys in Tripoli after 15 killed
Protests sweep Egypt, prosecutor to appeal sentences
CAIRO: Hundreds of Egyptians occupied Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Sunday after a night of rage as the state prosecutor said he would appeal sentences handed down to Hosni Mubarak and his security chiefs. A judge sentenced Mubarak, 84, and his interior minister Habib al-Adly to life in prison on Saturday for involvement in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that ousted them from power last year. Mubarak was cleared of graft charges, six police chiefs were acquitted, and Mubarak’s sons Alaa and Gamal had corruption charges against them dropped on a technicality, prompting protesters to take to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria and other Egyptian cities. The state prosecutor’s office said he had ordered “the start of the appeals procedure” against sentences in the trial, but did not clarify whether it would appeal all the verdicts or just the acquittals. Mubarak’s defense has also said it would appeal. Around 20,000 people took to Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square on Saturday af-
ter the verdicts were issued. Some of the demonstrators slept in tents or out in the open overnight on the vast intersection, epicenter of the 18-day revolt that forced Mubarak to resign on February 11 last year. A tearful Mubarak, who enjoyed near absolute power for three decades, was flown by helicopter to Tora prison on Cairo’s outskirts after the verdict but then refused to leave the aircraft. A security official said Mubarak “suffered from a surprise health crisis” but was finally convinced to go to his cell. Chants of “Void, void” and “The people want the judiciary purged” erupted after the sentencing. There were similar protest rallies in Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, and other parts of Egypt, where many were in shock at the police chiefs’ acquittal. Rights groups also slammed the verdict. Mubarak’s sentence “is a significant step towards combating long-standing impunity in Egypt” but the security chiefs’ acquittal “leaves many still waiting for full justice,” Amnesty International More on 3 said.
KSE price index down 71.86 points, largest drop in 10 months
Compiled by Al Watan Daily
KUWAIT: Kuwait’s index experiences its largest drop in 10 months as global market declines and a downbeat outlook for the local economy spur investors to sell. Price index decreased 71.86 points rising to the level of 6,121.96 points, weighted index down 3.8 points declining to 400.9 and the KSX index put on 9.4 points reaching 960 points. Number of trades amounted to 3,594, value of traded stocks 18,452,509.488 Kuwaiti dinars and volume of exchanged shares 186,060,558. Telecoms operator Zain drops 1.4 percent and Islamic lender Kuwait Finance House (KFH) dips 1.3 percent, with both stocks now trading at around 2009 levels. “In Kuwait, not much is happening economically and that is weighing on the market,” says Shahid Hameed, Global Investment House head of asset management for the Gulf region. “First-quarter corporate results were not strong. The main index is an all-price index so it doesn’t really show what has happened to bluechip stocks.” Three main indices of the national bourse were red upon closing Sunday’s session. Trading started at Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) with an all-red board on Sunday, with the price index reading 6,092.8 points at 9:45, on a down of 101.02 points, the weighted index reading 397.75 points on a slip of 6.95 points, and the KSX 15 index reading 952.03 on a loss More on 6 of 17.37 points.
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‘Smart bomb’ drug attacks breast cancer
Participants start the National Cancer Survivors Day march in Chicago, June 3, 2012. The participants, which included cancer survivors, as well as members of the health community, family and friends, walked a distance of three miles (5 km) during the morning’s festivities. (Reuters)
CHICAGO: Doctors have successfully dropped the first “smart bomb” on breast cancer, using a drug to deliver a toxic payload to tumor cells while leaving healthy ones alone. In a key test involving nearly 1,000 women with very advanced disease, the experimental treatment extended by several months the time women lived without their cancer getting worse, doctors planned to report Sunday at a cancer conference in Chicago. More importantly, the treatment seems likely to improve survival; it will take more time to know for sure. After two years, 65 percent of women who received it were still alive versus 47 percent of those in a comparison group given two
standard cancer drugs. That margin fell just short of the very strict criteria researchers set for stopping the study and declaring the new treatment a winner, and they hope the benefit becomes more clear with time. In fact, so many women on the new treatment are still alive that researchers cannot yet determine average survival for the group. “The absolute difference is greater than one year in how long these people live,” said the study’s leader, Dr. Kimberly Blackwell of Duke University. “This is a major step forward.” A warning to hopeful patients: the drug is still experimental, so not available yet. Its backers hope it can reach the marMore on 8 ket within a year.
Judge Kamal Bashir Dahan (center), head of Libya’s Supreme Court, meets with members of the Constitutional Chamber in Tripoli June 3, 2012, in which the court agreed to review the constitutionality of a new law that criminalizes the glorification of ousted leader Muammar Gadhafi or any of his supporters. (Reuters)