March 6, 2012

Page 1

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012

@alwatandaily

Issue No. 1365

20 PAGES

www.alwatandaily.com

150 Fils with IHT

Islamist MPs seek alternatives to Article 2 amendment • ‘Islamization’ of laws sought instead of amendment due to lack of support • Lawmakers to propose bills for plastic surgery, public dress code and harassment

Mohammed Al-Salman Mohammed Al-Khaldi

Staff Writers

KUWAIT: The political scene in the country is due to be impacted by the interpellation that MP Saleh Ashour intends to file against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah today. The motion, which mainly revolves around four issues, is the first of its kind in the 14th legislative term. Reports have emerged that the interpellation request will be included in the Parliament’s agenda today in order to set a date for its discussion. In the same vein, an official source has informed Al Watan that the government will seek a two-week adjournment of the interpellation, and revealed that a special committee had been set up to examine the issues contained in any interpellation to be submitted. The source added that all the options will be on the table as far as the interpellation is concerned. “The government acknowledges that the majority of MPs will be opposed by the deferral or referral of the interpellation by the Constitutional Court or the Parliamentary Legislative Committee,” the source stated, adding that the premier may cut his visit short if need be. In the meantime, MP Abdullah Al-Bargash declared

his opposition on any plans to refer the interpellation to the Constitutional Court or the Parliamentary Legislative Committee or removing it from the Parliament’s agenda. The Al-Bargash said he is also against discussing the interpellation in a closed-door session, affirming that interpellation is an indisputable right for any MP. In other news, MP Saleh Ashour has addressed a barrage of questions to the Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah demanding answers for the maltreatment of a Shiite cleric at the airport. He also sought to know the reason why the Ministry of Interior had purchased eavesdropping appliances. Additionally, the MP wanted to know, among others inquiries, the circumstances surrounding the mysterious death of a citizen in Jabriya. This comes at a time when the Islamic camp, according to an Islamist MP, has abandoned plans to have Article 2 of the Constitution amended after it has realized the difficulty involved in such a measure, in addition to the lack of the necessary majority support to pass the amendment. Article 2 stipulates that “The Islamic Sharia shall be a main source of legislation,” but Islamist lawmakers have previously announced their intention to have it amended, whereby the Islamic law becomes the sole source of legislation. As a result, the

Obama: There’s still time for diplomacy on Iran

US President offers Netanyahu assurances over Iran

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama, aiming to head off any premature Israeli strike on Iran, sought to assure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that the United States would always “have Israel’s back” but said there was still time for diplomacy. Netanyahu, in a show of unity with an American leader with whom he has had a rocky relationship, said at the White House that both Israel and the United States stood together on the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. “The bond between our two countries is unbreakable,” Obama said. “The United States will always have Israel’s back when it comes to Israel’s security.” The two men, sitting side by side and smiling at each other in the Oval Office, sought to present a united front in the Iranian nuclear standoff after weeks of mounting concern that Israel would preemptively strike Iran on its own. In one of the most consequential meetings of US and Israeli leaders in years, they made no mention of any

differences they may have over red lines that could trigger military action to curb an Iranian nuclear program that Israel sees as a threat to its existence. “We believe there is still a window that allows for a diplomatic resolution,” Obama said. Netanyahu made clear that Israel would be the “master of its fate” in deciding how to deal with Iran, which has called for the destruction of the Jewish state. “It must have the ability to defend itself, by itself, against any threat,” Netanyahu said, echoing remarks Obama made a day earlier in a speech to the powerful pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. Obama has been urging Israel to allow sanctions more time to work against Iran’s nuclear ambitions while balancing that with assurances of his resolve to do whatever is necessary to keep the Islamic republic from becoming a nuclear-armed state. At the White House meeting, Obama told Netanyahu the United States reserved “all options” in dealing with Iran. The president has made clear that would include a possible military component. “We do not want to see a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the world,” Obama said. Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons. -Reuters

Syrian refugees pour into Lebanon fleeing violence

Justice Bloc, which is comprised of Islamist lawmakers, decided to swap the amendment of Article 2 with Article 79 of the Constitution. This latter article stipulates that “No law may be promulgated unless it has been passed by the National Assembly and sanctioned by the Amir.” Islamist lawmakers want to add a phrase to this Article whereby laws passed by the Parliament of His Highness the Amir do not go contrary to the Islamic law. This means instead of amending Article 2 of the Constitution, MPs seek ‘Islamization’ of laws. The official spokesperson of the Justice Bloc MP Badr Al-Dahoum revealed that the bloc will put forth a range of Islamic-oriented bills to prevent harassment in public places, promote decent dress code, regulate plastic surgeries, set up drugs prevention authority among others. Al-Dahoum explained that the dress code bill is intended to prevent women from wearing revealing clothes in public places which includes wearing a bathing suit on the beach. In another development, the Rapporteur for the Parliamentary Legislative Committee Mohammad AlDallal announced that the committee will discuss, as of today, all anti-corruption related proposals, in the presence of the government’s representatives.

Kuwait to partake in Earth Hour on March 31

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti team for resisting global warming at Volunteer Work Center announced that Kuwait is participating in the international event “Earth Hour” on March 31, 2012 wherein more than 133 countries are expected to partake in this event. Team member Amar Bahman said that this is Kuwait’s fourth participation where it aims at increasing the environmental awareness amongst society members, particularly regarding the atmospheric changes and its current and future influence on the earth. The team will organize the event in coordination with International Fund for Wild Life. Bahman added that Earth Hour is an international day where a large number of companies participate in by switching off all unnecessary lights for one hour. The event doesn`t aim at conserving power, but to prove how human beings are able to reduce emission of carbon dioxide which is produced by burning fossil fuels that can be considered as the main cause behind global warming.He affirmed that such step contributes effectively in raising people awareness and urging the governments to reach to clear agreements to solve global warming problems.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Parliament Speaker Ahmad Al Saadoun at the 18th Arab Inter-parliamentary Union (AIPU) conference which took place in Kuwait on Monday, March 5, 2012. More on 2

12 Kuwaitis on Arabian Business list of 100 Most Powerful Women in 2012 KUWAIT: Twelve Kuwaiti women were highlighted on Arabian Business list of 100 most powerful Arab Women in 2012. Chief Executive Officer of the National Bank of Kuwait Sheikha Al-Bahar was ranked first locally and eighth internationally. She was the only Kuwaiti woman in the Top 10 which was mostly dominated by UAE and Saudi Arabia. The list included Sheikha Hessa Al-Sabah, Soad Al-Humaidi, Maha Al-Ghunaim, Maha Mulla Hussein, Fouziya Al-Duraiy, Rola Dashti, Riham Fouad Al-Ghanim, Ghousoun Ghassan Al-Khaled, Manar Al-Hashash and Hussienya Al-Hashim. More on 2

Thousands contest Putin’s victory at Moscow rally

More on 3

Australian state toughens law for Muslim veils

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Nose job, lies force Egyptian lawmaker to quit

An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube on March 5, 2012, shows a man carrying an injured girl on March 4, 2012, in the mainly rebelheld city of Rastan in central Syria. (AFP)

QAA, Lebanon: More than a thousand Syrian refugees have poured across the border into Lebanon, among them families with small children carrying only plastic bags filled with their belongings as they fled a regime hunting down its opponents. The UN refugee agency said Monday that as many as 2,000 Syrians had crossed into Lebanon in the last two days. Associated Press reporters in one More on 4 border village saw families crossing with only a few possessions.

CAIRO: Egypt’s ultraconservative Islamic Al-Nour party said Monday one of its lawmakers has resigned from parliament because he got a nose job and then lied about it, claiming he was beaten. Lawmaker Anwar Al-Balkimy told police he was attacked last week during an attempt to steal his car while he was driving on a highway on Cairo’s outskirts. He said his attackers also robbed of him more than $16,000. That led to an outcry against Egypt’s government for failing to prevent such crimes, a stream of visitors to the wounded lawmaker in his hospital room and prominent pictures in local newspapers of his heavily bandaged face. Then it turned out there was no carjacking, no beating and no robbery. Al-Balkimy just had a nose job.

The problem with that is that his party follows a strict line of Islam that forbids cosmetic surgery as meddling in God’s work. Al-Nour had to issue an apologetic statement admitting one of its brand-new lawmakers with the beard of a religious Muslim had lied about such an issue. Al-Nour party spokesman Nader Bakar was quoted on the group’s official Facebook page telling a local television station that the lawmaker was also expelled from the party. The state prosecutor is waiting for Al-Balikimy’s diplomatic immunity to be lifted to begin investigating the claim of attack. If found guilty of lying, he could face prison on charges of falsely “creating anxiety among the public” and “worrying public officials.” -AP

Picasso painting worth $80 million up for sale in UK

Pokot youths perform a dance at the Gallmann nature conservancy near Kinamba, Laikipia, Northern Kenya on March 4, 2012. High Priest Shinso Ito and a group of Shinnyo-en priests arrived in Kenya to perform a Buddhist fire and water ceremony for the first time ever in Africa.The ceremony was attended by over 300 spiritual leaders and was streamed live on the internet to millions of viewers and devotees globally. (AFP)

LONDON: An important early work by Pablo Picasso painted when he was just 19 or 20 has been put up for sale by its aristocratic Welsh owners, and is estimated to be worth around 50 million pounds ($80 million). The intention to sell “Child With a Dove”, a 1901 work which marked the beginning of the Spanish artist’s “blue period”, was posted on the website of the Arts Council England which has some say over whether important works of art are allowed to be sold abroad. The painting, depicting a child holding a dove next to a colored ball, belongs to the Aberconway family, and was loaned to the Courtauld Gallery in London only last year, according to the Sunday Times, which first reported the intended sale. More on 16

Supporters of Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin wave flags as they gather in central Moscow March 5, 2012. (Reuters)

MOSCOW: Thousands of protesters chanting “Russia without Putin” took to the streets of Moscow and St Petersburg on Monday to challenge Vladimir Putin’s victory in a presidential election which international monitors said was unfair. Putin, who secured almost 64 percent of votes on Sunday, portrayed his return for a third term as president as a strong mandate to deal with the protests although the Kremlin made some conciliatory moves towards the opposition that were ignored. Police detained at least 50 people at an unsanctioned rally of about 3,000 people in St Petersburg, witnesses said. Police said they had detained 50 in central Moscow but allowed a protest by thousands more people to go ahead nearby. “Yesterday was not a vote. The crowd, waving flags and anti-Putin banners, roared back: “No!” “They fear us ... but we do not fear these monsters,” Nemtsov said. Hundreds of Putin supporters staged rallies closer to the red walls of the Kremlin, singing songs, waving Russian flags and chanting See also 5 the prime minister’s name. -Reuters

Research shows social media makes you shy NEW YORK: Social media doesn’t always make people more social. In fact, when it comes to making certain purchases, the mere presence of a social media icon - such as one representing Facebook or Twitter - will scare people off. That’s according to research that found the presence of a Facebook “Like” button or a Twitter symbol on a shopping website increases the likelihood that consumers will buy some products and reduces the likelihood that they will buy others reports LiveScience. According to the study, consumers who saw a social media icon near a product that might embarrass them were significantly less likely to buy that product than those who saw the same product without the icon. On the other hand, consumers who viewed products they would be proud to show off were significantly more likely to buy than those who saw the same More on 15 product with no such icon.


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