MoI mulls hiking visit visa charges to KD 100

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014
www.kuwaittimes.net
RABI ALAWWAL 3, 1436 AH
MoI mulls hiking visit
visa charges to KD 100
50% rise in iqama fees eyed • Ministry firm on updating passport info
IS downs jet, captures Jordanian pilot
BEIRUT: The Islamic State group captured a Jordanian
pilot yesterday after his warplane from the US-led
coalition was reportedly shot down while on a mission against the jihadists over northern Syria. A senior
Jordanian military official confirmed the pilot was
seized, saying his plane went down in Syria’s Raqqa
region, a militant stronghold, early yesterday. “The
pilot was taken hostage by the IS terrorist organization,” official news agency Petra quoted the official as
saying.
Jordan did not say why the plane crashed, but both
the jihadists and the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said it was
shot with an anti-aircraft missile. It was the first coalition warplane lost since air strikes on IS began in Syria
in September. Coalition warplanes have carried out
regular strikes around Raqa, which IS has used as the
headquarters for its self-declared “caliphate” after seizing control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.
The IS branch in Raqa published photographs on
jihadist websites purporting to show its fighters holding the captured pilot. One showed the pilot, wearing
only a white shirt, being carried from a body of water
by four men. Another showed him on land, surrounded by almost a dozen armed men. A photograph was
also released of the pilot’s military identification card,
showing his name as Muath Safi Yousef Al-Kaseasbeh,
his birth date as May 29, 1988, and his rank of first
lieutenant. The jihadists claimed to have shot down
the warplane with a heat-seeking missile.
Continued on Page 13
RAQQA, Syria: A Jordanian pilot (center) is captured by Islamic State fighters after they shot down a warplane from the US-led coalition with an anti-aircraft missile. — AFP
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KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry’s assistant undersecretary
for citizenship and residency affairs Maj General Sheikh
Mazen Al-Jarrah said that a special committee had been
formed to study increasing family, commercial and
tourist visit visa fees to KD 100, as well as increasing residency fees. The Interior Ministry is also firm on collecting
fines from expats who failed to update their passport
data, as various embassies are trying to reach compromises to delay the procedure for a while.
High-ranking security sources said the special committee will review the residency law and fix it by activating all resolutions that had been previously ignored. “The
committee will directly report to Sheikh Mazen,” stressed
the sources. The sources highlighted that the bill under
study would review all regulations concerning residency,
labor and dependant visas, as well as the fees that have
not been amended in over 40 years and “do not reflect
the present”, taking into consideration setting some
‘humanitarian’ exceptions that will be currently needed.
The sources explained that according to the new bill,
fees would be increased by 30-50 percent, “which is fair”
as they put it, noting that some proposals would be
made concerning expats who do not meet the dependant visa salary conditions but have children while residing in Kuwait, and will be referred to the security leadership for approval.
Commenting on the fines being imposed on expats
who fail to update their passport information as per a
decision linking residency to passport validity, the
sources stressed that the decision was final and that
there would be no laxity in “collecting state funds from
violators”. They added that according to law number
17/1959, expats will not get residency in Kuwait unless
they hold valid passports and their passport information
is documented in the interior ministry’s database.
Continued on Page 13
KNPC commissions new gas plant
Qatari, Egyptian
officials discuss
reconciliation
BETHLEHEM: Clergymen walk in Manger Square outside the Church of the
Nativity as Christians gather for Christmas celebrations in this West Bank city
yesterday. — AFP
Christmas pilgrims
gather in Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM: Pilgrims from across the
world descended on Jesus’s birthplace in
Bethlehem yesterday to begin the global
celebration of Christmas after a violenceplagued year brought suffering to many
Middle Eastern Christians. The not-so-little West Bank town was bustling with
activity ahead of the biggest night of the
year which will culminate in midnight
mass at the Nativity Church built over
the spot where Mary gave birth to Jesus.
In Manger Square outside the church,
a man dressed as Father Christmas was
handing out sweets and the wail of bagpipes rang out as troops of Palestinian
scouts marched past a giant green
Christmas tree decorated with red, black
and silver baubles - the colours of the
Palestinian flag. But for many faithful
across the region, the festivities will be
tinged with sadness following a year of
bloodshed marked by a surge in the persecution of Christians that has drawn
international condemnation. “For many
of you, the music of your Christmas
hymns will also be accompanied by tears
and sighs,” Pope Francis wrote in a long
letter addressed to Christians in the
Middle East.
Continued on Page 13
Medevac chopper in
action for first time
KUWAIT: The Chest Hospital carried out a mock evacuation with the participation of the air ambulance for the first time yesterday. — Photo by Hanan
Al-Saadoun (See Page 4)
CAIRO: Egyptian and Qatari intelligence officials have
met in Cairo to discuss reconciliation as part of Saudibrokered efforts to end an 18-month standoff over
Doha’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood, security
and diplomatic sources said. The sources said Qatar’s
intelligence chief - Ahmed Nasser Bin Jassim Al-Thani
- was present at the talks where a possible meeting
between the Egyptian and Qatari heads of state early
next year in Riyadh or Cairo was discussed.
Gulf states agreed in November to end a dispute
with Qatar over its promotion of “Arab Spring” revolts.
Saudi Arabia, which has showered Egypt with billions
of dollars in aid, has pushed for a similar rapprochement between Qatar and Egypt. Qatar was a backer
of elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of the
Muslim Brotherhood. Ties between the two countries
deteriorated after then-army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi
overthrew Morsi last year and cracked down on the
Brotherhood.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
consider the Brotherhood a threat to their ruling systems. To Egypt’s irritation, Qatar has sheltered exiled
Brotherhood leaders. Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and
Bahrain, Egypt withdrew its ambassador to Qatar this
year. While the others agreed to normalise ties under
the November deal, Cairo has yet to follow. Evidence
has mounted in recent days that Saudi mediation
could reach fruition. On Saturday, Sisi - now president
- met a special envoy of Qatar’s emir. Then on
Monday, Qatari-owned Al Jazeera television - which
denies Egypt’s charges of being a Brotherhood
mouthpiece - suspended broadcast of its Egyptfocused channel.
Continued on Page 13
KUWAIT: Kuwait National Petroleum Company employees work on the company’s new LPG TRAIN-4 Project at the Ahmadi refinery plant complex yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat
KUWAIT: Kuwait has commissioned a
new natural gas plant that will raise the
state’s production capacity to more than 2
billion cubic feet a day, officials said yesterday. The new liquefied petroleum gas
plant will be capable of processing 805
million cu ft (22.8 million cu m) of gas and
106,000 barrels of other gas products daily, the deputy CEO of national refiner
Kuwait National Petroleum Co, Mutlaq AlAzemi, said. The plant, known as LPG
Train-4, was constructed by Daelim, a
South Korean firm, at a cost of $900 million. Azemi said Train-4 would be one of
the Gulf’s largest LPG plants and would
also produce propane, butane and other
products.
Kuwait already has three smaller plants
with a total capacity of 1.5 billion cu ft, the
majority of which is associated gas produced along with crude oil. All of Kuwait’s
gas goes to petrochemical manufacturing
and to fuel power plants, Azemi said.
Although it has plentiful domestic
reserves, Kuwait has to import gas in summer to meet an increased demand from
power stations. Azemi added that Kuwait
planned to increase production of natural
gas in the near future, he said, raising its
daily output to 4 billion cubic feet by
2030. The state has signed a technical
service contract with petrochemical giant
Shell to boost production from a number
of gas fields in its northern region. — AFP
Oman promises ‘true’ Arabia
MUSCAT: From desert camping to luxury
hotels, turtle-watching, and even the Arabian
Peninsula’s first Italian-style opera house,
Oman is hoping to carve out a place on the
global tourist track. Heavily reliant on energy
exports, the tiny Gulf sultanate is keen to
diversify its economy, especially as the drop in
global oil prices begins to bite. But despite its
natural beauty and rich culture, Oman’s
tourism industry has a long way to go. “Oman
reflects the true Arabian history and culture,”
said Amina Al-Balushi, an assistant director
with the tourism ministry. “We really need to
capitalise on this,” she said, adding that the
ministry is preparing a 25-year tourism strate-
gy to be unveiled next year.
Western tourists like 46-year-old Marc Jost,
who has made five trips to Oman, need no
convincing. “I can’t get enough,” the Swiss visitor told AFP as he strolled in the Mutrah Souk,
a historic covered market in the capital
Muscat. “The weather is always good. People
are very nice.” Bordering Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates and violence-wracked
Yemen, Oman has been an island of stability
under Sultan Qaboos, who has ruled since
overthrowing his father in a bloodless coup in
1970.
Qaboos, now 74, has won praise at home
and abroad for transforming a former back-
water into a modern state. In 2011, Oman was
caught up in the Arab Spring protest movement which touched much of the region.
Several civilians died in demonstrations that
shook the government, leading Qaboos to
implement a series of reforms and to arrest
scores of activists.
One of the biggest challenges facing the
country now is its reliance on oil which
accounts for 75 percent of state revenues after the price of crude nearly halved since
June. The drop has put pressure on the government, which needs a higher oil price than
most other Gulf states to balance its budget.
Continued on Page 13

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