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Emsak: Fajer: Shoruk: Dohr: Asr: Maghreb: Eshaa:
N Korean leader makes historic trip to Moscow
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www.kuwaittimes.net
RAMADAN 21, 1432 AH
Gold surges to a new record
Liverpool win, pile misery on Arsenal
Arab Christians shake off fear
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Egypt withdraws its ambassador in Israel Israel ‘regrets’ killing 5 Egyptian troops
‘5 or 6 days’ for Eid KUWAIT: The official Eid Al-Fitr holiday in Kuwait will last for five or six days depending on which day the Muslim holiday begins on at the end of August. According to an article in a local newspaper, quoting a high-level government insider, the government is expected to announce a five-day holiday for public sector workers if the first day of Eid Al-Fitr falls on Tuesday August 30, but a six-day holiday if it begins the next day. Muslims around the world closely watch the skies for the appearance of the crescent moon during the last couple of nights of Ramadan to determine when the Eid Al-Fitr holiday begins. The appearance of the crescent moon signifies that the holiday begins the next day, even if the Ramadan period has not lasted a full 30 days, with the same method being used to determine the beginning of Ramadan. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance reportedly deposited public sector workers’ salaries in their bank accounts last Thursday (August 18) in order to allow Kuwaitis to begin their preparations for the Eid Al-Fitr holiday early.
Ramadan Kareem
When the night equals thousand
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah visits the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ali Thunayyan Al-Ghanem at his house to inquire about his health condition following his return from treatment abroad. — KUNA
By Muhammad Alshareef
CAIRO: Egypt withdrew its ambassador from Israel yesterday, saying that the killing of five Egyptian security personnel while Israeli forces pursued gunmen across the border was a breach of its 1979 peace treaty with the Jewish state. Israel said it regretted the deaths, which followed attacks inside Israel that killed eight people and sparked the most serious crisis in IsraeliEgyptian ties since Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow in February. Israel said it hoped that after Barak’s remarks the Egyptian envoy, who had not yet left, would remain in Tel Aviv. “We hope that the ambassador will not be recalled,” Yigal Palmor, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said. “He’s still here.” Egypt “lays on Israel the political and legal responsibility for this incident, which constitutes a breach of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel”, the cabinet said in an official statement posted on its website. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel regretted the deaths of Egyptian security personnel. Seeking to ease the tension with Cairo, he said he had instructed the Israeli army to conduct a joint investigation with Egypt into the incident. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry will summon the Israeli charge d’affaires to “convey Egypt’s official protest over gunfire from the Israeli side in a way that led to victims falling inside Egypt,” the state news agency MENA quoted a ministry official as saying. He said the Israeli ambassador was not in Cairo. The official said Egypt planned to ask for a “formal joint investigation to uncover the circumstances of the incident and pin down those responsible and take legal procedures to safeguard the rights of the Egyptian victims and casualties”. Continued on Page 13
34 perish as tanks rumble into Homs
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t was narrated that in the days that Musa (alayhissalaam) wandered with Bani Israa’eel in the desert an intense drought befell them. Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens praying for the blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Musa (alayhis-salaam) and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified. It was revealed to Musa that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Bani Israa’eel who had disobeyed Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) for more than forty years of his life. “Let him separate himself from the congregation,” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) told Musa (alayhis-salaam). “Only then shall I shower you all with rain.” Musa (alayhis-salaam) then called out to the throngs of humanity, “There is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for forty years. Let him separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be rescued from the drought.” That man, waited, looking left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that he was the one. The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would die of thirst and that if he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity. He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said: “O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!” As Musa (alayhis-salaam) and the people of Bani Israa’eel awaited for the sinner to step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured. Musa (alayhis-salaam) asked Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala), “O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come forward.” And Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) replied, “O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of Bani Israa’eel with water.” Musa (alayhis-salaam), wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, “Show him to me O Allah!” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) replied, “O Musa, I hid his sins for forty Continued on Page 13
Max 46º Min 29º Low Tide 10:20 & 22:22 High Tide 03:31 & 16:50
Syrian opposition to launch ‘national council’ DAMASCUS: Tanks rumbled into the central Syrian city of Homs yesterday, a day after 34 antiregime protesters were killed, activists said, adding urgency to a UN humanitarian mission expected this weekend. The death toll rose again yesterday when two more people were killed in Rastan, a town between Homs and Hama, as security forces opened fire to disperse a demonstration, an activist said. Meanwhile, opponents of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad opened two days of talks in Istanbul to launch a “national council” to coordinate the fight against his regime, organizers said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human MAKKAH: Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud lays the foundation stone for a new expansion of the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Makkah. — AFP
Saudi begins Grand Mosque expansion JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has begun the biggest expansion yet of Islam’s holiest site, the Grand Mosque in Makkah, to raise its capacity to 2 million pilgrims, the state news agency SPA said. “King Abdullah inaugurated in Makkah (on Friday) the start of the expansion... which is the largest of all previous expansions combined,” SPA said. It did not say how much it will cost to add 400,000 square meters to the mosque’s area or how long the
project will take. The Grand Mosque is the main attraction for over 6 million pilgrims who enter Makkah each year and is the focal point for a transformation is modernizing one of the oldest cities in the region with high-rise skyscrapers and residential blocks. The mosque is built around the Kaaba shrine, which existed centuries before Islam emerged over 1,400 years ago. Continued on Page 13
Rights earlier put the death toll from Friday’s crackdown on anti-regime protests at 34, with most of the victims falling in the Homs area where tanks took positions yesterday. “Several tanks took up positions at dawn in the district of Al-Khalidiyeh,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. “Throughout the night and this morning shots were heard from Al-Khalidiyeh to Baba Amr and Inshaat,” he added, referring to two other central locations in the city. Security forces were also conducting arrests in the city of Latakia yesterday, the Observatory said, adding that many of those picked up were minors. Continued on Page 13
Gaddafi ‘days are numbered’ BENGHAZI: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s days are numbered as rebel forces make steady gains on the battlefield, and opposition leaders must work together to prepare for power, a senior US official said yesterday. “It is clear that the situation is moving against Gaddafi,” US assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman told a news conference after meeting Libyan rebel leaders at their headquarters in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi. “The opposition continues to make substantial gains on the ground while his forces grow weaker,” Feltman said. “It is time for Gaddafi to go and we firmly believe that his days are numbered.” The United States has recognized the rebels’ National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya’s legitimate authority. Feltman called on its leaders to uphold human rights and ensure
an inclusive and representative government after Gaddafi goes. They should work together now and plan to establish the rule of law, set up transparent and accountable institutions and provide safety and services. Washington has helped the rebels by backing a NATO bombing campaign against Gaddafi’s troops, although US forces have played a backseat role since the initial days of the bombing, leaving French and British warplanes in the lead. Feltman said the United States supported efforts by a UN envoy to negotiate a solution, but Gaddafi had yet to agree to the demands of Washington and others that he leave power. Meanwhile, rebels battled for towns on either side of the besieged Libyan capital Tripoli yesterday, and fighting spilled across Continued on Page 13
in the
news 35 Afghans killed
Qaeda vows ‘100 attacks’
21 die as bus plunges into gorge
KANDAHAR: A total of 35 Afghans were killed and 27 others injured yesterday when a speeding bus overturned on a highway in southern Afghanistan, officials said. The smash happened just outside Kandahar city in the Daman district of Kandahar province on the main road connecting it to the capital, Kabul. Kandahar provincial governor Tooryalai Wesa blamed the loss of life on the “carelessness of an unprofessional driver” who was driving too quickly at the time of the accident. “Today at 3.30 am, 35 passengers were killed and 27 other passengers were wounded in a traffic accident when a bus rolled over,” the Afghan interior ministry said in a statement. Afghanistan’s roads are perilous and many vehicles in the country are old, meaning that high casualty road traffic accidents are relatively common.
BAGHDAD: Al-Qaeda in Iraq has vowed to carry out “100 attacks” across the country, starting in the middle of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, to exact revenge for the death of Osama bin Laden. The terror group’s statement was released on militant websites late Friday. It said the attacks will avenge bin Laden, who was killed by US forces in Pakistan in May, and other slain senior al-Qaida leaders. “By God’s will, the campaign starts in the middle of the fasting month (of Ramadan) and ends by God’s will after 100 attacks exactly,” it said. The statement said the campaign would include “varied attacks, including raids, martyrdom operations (suicide attacks), roadside bombs, silenced guns and snipers, in all cities, rural areas and provinces” across Iraq. Monday marked the middle of Ramadan.
SRINAGAR: At least 21 people were killed and over a dozen more injured yesterday when an overcrowded minibus plunged into a gorge in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said. The accident took place in southern Poonch district, a police spokesman said, adding that 15 injured passengers were in a critical condition. “So far we have 21 confirmed deaths,” the spokesman said, adding that it was feared the toll would rise. The speeding bus rolled down into a gorge while negotiating a sharp curve in the mountains of Poonch, police said. “The seriously injured people have been shifted to (winter capital) Jammu,” the spokesman said. Senior police and civil officials of the district are supervising relief and rescue operations. Bus accidents are common in the Himalayan region because of a combination of bad roads, overcrowding and poor vehicle maintenance.
KANDAHAR: Afghan men try to identify the bodies of victims of a bus accident at a hospital in Kandahar yesterday. — AP