Kuwait crowned the Gulf champion

HEADLINE NEWS

Published Date: December 06, 2010

ADEN: Kuwait clinched a timely morale boost ahead of January's Asian Cup with a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the Gulf Cup final yesterday. The two-week tournament, which started on November 22, featured Yemen, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Oman and Qatar.

Ali guided Kuwait to the football 20th Gulf Cup of Nations in Yemen, scoring his side's 1-0 winner in a final against Saudi Arabia on extra time, after a goalless 0-0 draw in original time.

Kuwait remains the most Gulf nation to have won the illustrious regional tournament, earning their 10th title, after an absence of 12 years, with their fierce rival Saudi Arabia, and Iraq winning it three times apiece.

Ali scored his side's goal in the fourth minute of the first half of extra-time, sending Aden Stadium into raptures. The winger sticking to his position on the left, had a run on goal before passing a defender on his way to firing a shot into the top far left corner of goal.

After an intense two halves which began with Kuwaiti dominance in the first half and Saudi in the second, the two teams took the game to extra time after a 0-0 draw. The match between two of the most successful national teams in the Gulf region, was dominated by cautious play, which depended on a tough defense and several counter-attacks.

Having been down by a goal minutes into the second half of extra time, the Saudi side continued the last minutes of the match with 10 men, with striker Mohannad Asiry taking his second yellow card of the match after a desperate attempt to earn a penalty with a dramatic fall to the ground.

Handing out the awards after attending the match were Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of State for Development Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs as well as President of the Olympic Council of Asia Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

As well as winning the 20th title, Kuwaiti midfielder Bader Al-Mutawa won the golden boot award, with the award for best player in the tournament going to winger Fahad Al-Enezi and the golden glove award to Nawaf Al-Khaldi. The last Gulf Cup encounter in a final between both teams was in the 1974 tournament held in Kuwait, which ended in a 4-0 win for the hosts.

Read more »

Kuwait invites Obama to national celebrations

Published Date: December 04, 2010

WASHINGTON: Envoy to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and advisor at the Amiri Diwan, Mohammad Abulhasan, delivered a letter to US President Barack Obama during a meeting with Special Assistant to the President Dennis Ross.

The letter contained an invitation to President Obama, inviting him to Kuwait's 50th Independence Day and 20th Liberation Day celebration as well as the 5th anniversary of His Highness the Amir's assumption to power on Feb 26.
Abulhasan said that he was honored to deliver letters from HH the Amir to the leaders of North American and South American countries that contributed to the liberation of Kuwait.

The first letter to be delivered was the one sent to President Obama, he said, adding that the United States led the international coalition that included Saudi Arabia and 34 other countries that liberated the country.

Kuwait appreciates those countries that defended international justice and the United Nations Charter and contributed to Kuwait's liberation, he stressed.
He noted that the US appreciated the invitation and expressed an eagerness to participate in the celebration.

The US figures who will be invited to the celebrations include former
Presidents George HW Bush, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton, former Vice President Dick Cheney as well as former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and James Baker, he said.

Abulhasan will also visit Honduras and deliver a similar invitation. He pointed out that Honduras sent 500 soldiers to aid in the liberation, demonstrating that the Iraqi invasion did not only threaten Kuwait but world security and stability.

An invitation was also delivered to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Abulhasan said that he hopes the invited leaders and figures would attend the Kuwaiti celebrations. He emphasized that their efforts were appreciated by the Kuwaiti people and leadership. ---KUNA

Read more »

The Pope desires a solar-powered Popemobile, might just get one

Remember how W said Americans were addicted to fossil fuels? Well, Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger (better known by his crew as '265-Cal') is addicted to renewable energy. First he had photovoltaic arrays installed on the roof of an auditorium in the Vatican. Then he had a solar cooling system built into the Vatican cafeteria. Now, the Pope wants his mobile bulletproof shell to be solar-powered. While we'd love to see some PV cells rocking out on the roof of the custom Benz, they probably wouldn't power a whole lot more than his DC Papal reading lights -- to that end, we're hoping he goes the practical route and installs a PV array on top of the Popegarage and simply juices the batteries between sessions of humbly waving to the teeming masses. Whatever he and his crack team of energy specialists figure out, we're sure you'll be able to read all about it in the next volume of The Energy of the Sun in the Vatican, a book that actually exists.

Read more »

Richard Branson launching 'Project' magazine for iPad next week

Is there something in the air? Hot on the heels of Rupert Murdoch's impending The Daily newspaper for the iPad, we're getting word of a Richard Branson-funded, iPad-specific magazine dubbed Project. The magazine will cover entertainment, travel, business, design, and international culture. It's hard to tell if these two announcements are somehow related to each other, or if they imply some sort of shift in Apple's treatment of publications, but either way they do indeed seem to be happening. The full announcement of Project is due for Tuesday next week. 

Read more »

Mohammed Abdulqader Al-Jassem

Journalist jailed for insulting PM

Published Date: November 23, 2010
By B Izzak, Nawara Fattahova, Staff Writers, Agencies

KUWAIT: The Court of First Instance yesterday sentenced leading Kuwaiti writer and journalist Mohammed Abdulqader Al-Jassem to one year's imprisonment with immediate effect, with the veteran journalist subsequently condemning the sentence as "illegal" and predicting that it would be overturned at the appeal stage. Al-Jassem, who was found guilty of insulting and defaming His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah in an article published in 2009, attended yesterday's session accompan
ied by his attorney, Abdullah Al-Ahmad.


After the verdict was announced, Al-Jassem returned home to post his latest article, 'Imprisonment in the time of hypocrisy is a glory,' on his website and to prepare for his incarceration. In its ruling, the Court of First Instance stated that the jail term was effective immediately, meaning that the writer will be imprisoned until the Appeals Court issues its decision. "The police usually call me before coming to arrest me, as I'm a popular person and my residency is known," Al-Jassem told the Kuwait Tim
es. "They may call any time today or tomorrow and I'm ready to go.


Surrounded by his family, Al-Jassem seemed unperturbed by his sentence, despite its severity. "Today I submitted my appeal against the sentence, and I'm waiting for the court to set a date for my next session at the Appeals Court," he said. "I was surprised by the Court of First Instance's sentence as my lawyer presented a 60-page defense memorandum. I'm also surprised at why the court didn't take in consideration the recent sentence of the Supreme Court announced on October 25, 2010 regarding wrong proc
edure.


The article in which Al-Jassem was accused of insulting and defaming the premier was published on the journalist's website a year ago, with the case being filed against him in January of this year. The article in question alleged that Iranian intelligence was interfering in Kuwait's affairs through a leading businessman close to HH the Prime Minister. In the article, Al-Jassem in identified the businessman only as 'M', describing him as a Kuwaiti citizen of Iranian origin.


I think this sentence is illegal, and I'm sure that the Appeals Court will annul it," he asserted. "I think this sentence is a result of the political pursuit supported by the Prime Minister. The court ignored the Supreme Court's sentence in a similar case against me. Also, I see this sentence as being completely invalid as it was published in the media before being officially announced by the judge.


Speaking to other journalists after yesterday's verdict, the leading Kuwaiti writer said, "This is a political case. The Prime Minister has been trying for some time to suppress freedom of speech." Al-Jassem, who is also a lawyer, was previously accused of agitating for regime change in another article published on his website and in three books about Kuwaiti politics. In April, the Court of First Instance sentenced him to six months imprisonment for allegedly slandering the premier at a public rally, bu
t the Appeals Court overturned the sentence three months later.


Al-Jassem is also facing several other legal cases, mostly filed by HH the Prime Minister and alleging slander. In May, he was arrested and detained for 49 days on state security-related charges which alleged that he had undermined the status of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and harmed national interests, meaning that the latest sentence will make this the third time this year for him to be incarcerated.


In his interview with the Kuwait Times, the veteran writer and journalist insisted that prison would not change him, adding that he intends to continue to perform his duty by writing articles whilst incarcerated. Al-Jassem stressed that he has no personal conflicts with or animosity towards the premier. "I have no personal interest or benefit and I'm being imprisoned for loving my country, and punished for not being a hypocrite in a time of hypocrisy," he stated. Putting a positive face on his upcoming
imprisonment, he added, "I think that prison will be an opportunity for me for meditation and a diet, if my colleagues in the prison allow me.


Meanwhile, liberal MP Aseel Al-Awadhi said yesterday that she will coordinate with other lawmakers and civil society organizations in a bid to amend all laws governing press and publications to abolish jail sentences against writers. Awadhi's announcement came after the lower court yesterday Al-Jassem's sentenced. "The people of opinion should not be sent to jail" Awadhi said in a statement. She however insisted that she was not objecting to the court verdict and to the principle that all people, including
officials, can resort to court seeking justice.


Awadhi said that she is seeking to amend the laws of press and publications, audi-visual and the penal code to ensure that writers and thinkers do not go to jail for expressing opinions. Awadhi expressed concern over the rising trend to chase people for expressing their views and political activists in Kuwait, adding that public personalities are increasingly becoming sensitive and less tolerant to criticism.


She stressed that those who accept public office should be receptive to criticism and should face opinions with opinions and objectively refute criticism as a key element of transparency. Awadhi said that she believes that the ceiling of criticism in politics should be higher than any other field. On his part, spokesman for the opposition Popular Action Bloc MP Mussallam Al-Barrak strongly criticized Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah for filing lawsuits against opponents.


It appears that Sheikh Nasser is consuming all his time chasing his critics rather than devoting time to running the affairs of the country" Barrak told reporters. The sentence against Jassem was issued over an article he posted on his website a year ago. Titled "Nasser the 17th", Jassem alleged that Iranian intelligence are interfering in Kuwait's internal affairs through a prominent Kuwaiti businessman of Iranian origin, who is also very close to the prime minister

Read more »

KUWAIT: Telecom privatization accompanied by crackdown on civil liberties

In the atabian Gulf, at least, capitalism does not equal freedom. 

In Kuwait, the government has announced plans to privatize phone and mail services while at the same time increasing censorship. It has begun shutting down all pornographic websites, and on Saturday, three ministries issued a joint ban on photography cameras with large lenses in public places, according to a Kuwaiti media report.

Kuwait's communications minister, Al Busairdi, announced plans to privatize landlines and postal services within the next two years, the UAE-based daily Gulf News reported.

A wider crackdown on illicit Web content seems to be part of the package as well. It will partly be conducted with the help of the provider of Blackberry services, Research in Motion, Al Busairdi said.

"The three telecom operators in Kuwait have also decided to install filters to block pornographic sites," he was quoted as saying by Gulf News. "Kuwait has also reached an agreement with Research in Motion (RIM) to provide information about any phone number, in accordance with the law."

According to a study conducted last year by the Harvard University-sponsored OpenNet Initiative, Kuwait is one of the quickest-growing telecom markets in the region. But it witnessed a setback in 2007 when one of Kuwait's largest telecom operators moved its headquarters to Bahrain because of Kuwait's lack of an independent telecommunications sector, the report said.

The study also said that Kuwait practices selective filtering of Internet content, blocking sites deemed immoral and politically sensitive or considered to foment terrorism. The Kuwaiti censorship apparatus also targets gay and lesbian websites and those that present critical reviews of Islam or religion.

Photographers in Kuwait have also begun to feel the sting from the new ban on the use in public of professional cameras with big lenses, enacted by the ministries of information, social affairs, and finance.

They recently concluded that such photography should be restricted to usage for "journalism purposes only" in public places, including on the streets and in shopping malls, according to the daily Kuwait Times.

Mohamed Eisa, an amateur photographer in Kuwait, told the Kuwait Times that he began to face problems the day he bought his professional camera. Since then, he only takes pictures of animals or still life since "these subjects don't mind having their picture taken and don't make a scene."

Still, the ban appears confusing to some who don't understand why the authorities would ban only professional cameras and not smaller digital or mobile phone cameras which basically have the same capabilities as the professional ones.  

-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Photo: A view from above the Kuwaiti capital, Kuwait City. Credit: Getty Images

Read more »