News Summary Report Tues/May 07, 2019
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
Amir Meets Members of Kuwaiti Humanitarian Friendship Society
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palace yesterday Minister of Social Affairs Saad Al-Kharaz and President of Kuwait humanitarian Friendship Society Ahmad Al-Sarraf, as well as the society’s members. Our visit aims to introduce ourselves and the Kuwaiti Humanitarian Friendship Society to His Highness the Amir”, Sarraf said in a press statement.
He said that the humanitarian work of the society aims to provide assistance to those who deserve it inside the country, pointing out that the Kuwaiti humanitarian Friendship Society is a charitable and non-profit society that cares about humanitarian projects.
Kuwait Times
Al-Ghanim Industries launches Education Fund
Al-Ghanim Industries, one of the largest privately-owned companies in the region, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) and Arab Open University (AOU) to provide underprivileged youth access to higher education, enabling them to expand their career opportunities in the future.
The Education Fund is currently supporting 25 students pursuing higher education at the Arab Open University. The students were nominated and awarded through a competitive selection process led by the Kuwait Red Crescent Society.
Kuwait Times
Bushehri Discussed with MPW Undersecretary Mechanism of Implementing Development Projects
Informed sources said that the Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Housing Affairs, Dr. Jenan Boushehri met with the new MPW undersecretary, Eng. Ismael Ali Ahmad and discussed with him several projects of the ministry and the mechanism of work that will be implemented in the current and next phase, sources said.
Dr. Bushehri recommended to accelerate implementation of the development plan, the most significant of which is the passenger building of the new airport, infrastructure projects and the housing cities.
Eng. Ismael Ali promised the Minister of Public Works to resume the executive program that is prepared for the ministry’s projects.
Sources expect that Eng. Ismael Ali will meet the undersecretaries next week to discuss the latest updates in all sectors.
The Cabinet has approved in its session that day of the week appointment of eng.
Ismael Ali Ahmad as undersecretary of the MPW in place of eng. Awatef Ghunaim.
Al-Anbaa
ECONOMY
Kuwait Oil Price down 53 Cents, Stands at $ 70.18 pb
The price of Kuwaiti oil went down 53 cents to $ 70.18 pb on Monday after being at $ 70.71 pb last Friday, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said Tuesday.
The price of the Brent Crude went up 39 cents to stand at $ 71.24 pb, the same case with the West Texas Intermediate, which also went up 31 cents to settle at
$ 62.25 pb.
KUNA
More Delay in the Environmental Fuel Project --- Experimental Operation in March 2020
The clean environmental fuel project, which is considered as one of the biggest Ahmadi Port and Abdullah Port refineries update will experience more delay, Al- Qabas has been informed from official oil sources.
The experimental operation of the project will not be before March 2020, however, its real operation will be by the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021.
The project was supposed to end at the beginning of 2018.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and KNPC are holding emergency meetings to impose penalties on some contractors of the project and to put them at the black list, sources added.
Further, sources remarked that some contractors might immediately be dismissed from the project.
Despite the recurrent promises from the successive ministers of oil to operate some units, till this date not production unit has been operated at the refinery, sources added, remarking that the continuous delay of the project will result in huge financial losses and enormous harms on the public funds due to:
1- Extending the period of purchasing petrol from abroad to satisfy the local needs. This causes much embarrassment to the State of Kuwait as it is one of the big oil exporting countries.
2- The state bears the costs of huge loans due to the continuous delay. There are huge liabilities and amounts resulting from such loans. The public funds will bear huge interests resulting from such loans, which will be paid without any financial flows from the project.
3- The state of Kuwait will be deprived from billions of profits due to non- operation.
4- The State of Kuwait is not able to collect delay fines from the contractors because they exceed the maximum limit, which is 3% from the original value of the project.
Al- Qabas
VIVA Inaugurates its New Branch in T4, Kuwait International Airport VIVA Telecom Company inaugurated its new branch in T4, Kuwait International Airport with the attendance of VIVA CEO, Eng. Mezyad Al-Harbi and the executive manager of Incheon Korea for Airport Services, Kwang Su Lee.
This branch will provide a service for all passengers. VIVA employees will be available 24 hours, 7 days of the week to help clients and to respond to their inquiries.
VIVA through its many branches serve a great category of clients. It aims to provide comfort to its clients and to satisfy their needs and requirements, said Al- Harbi.
Inauguration of a new branch at the newly inaugurated T4 in Kuwait International Airport will narrow spaces between VIVA and its clients to be very close to them whenever they are and this will allow them to complete their transactions easily and to periodically identify the latest offers, services and products, he added.
Al-Anbaa
Kuwait Finance Minister Meets IMG, WB Chiefs in Paris
Kuwait Finance Minister Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf held talks in Paris Tuesday with International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Director General Christine Lagarde and World Bank Group's President David Malpass, on a host of economic issues of mutual interest.
Speaking to KUNA after the meetings, Al-Hajraf said he and Lagarde discussed IMF's contributions to address economic conditions around the world.
He said the meeting with Malpass touched upon Kuwait's program at the World Bank and how to develop it.
The meetings took place on sidelines of Paris Forum, organized by the Paris Club.
KUNA
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Al-Khaled Discussed Enhancing Humanitarian Work with China
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister at MOFA Kuwait Deputy Chairman of the International Federation of the Red Cross Societies and Red Crescent and Chairman of the Chinese Red Cross Society, Dr. Chen Cho on the occasion of visiting Kuwait.
During the meeting, they discussed close relations and cooperation between Kuwait and the International Federation and the prospects of future relations and cooperation between both sides.
Furthermore, they discussed means of enhancing mutual humanitarian work in the various vital fields, and also means of supporting humanitarian activities.
Al-Anbaa
Kuwait asserts right of states to use of nuclear technology for peaceful means Kuwait reiterated the right of all countries who signed the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to develop, research, obtain, and use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
This came in a speech delivered by First Secretary Mona Behbehani at the Third Preparatory Committee of NPT Review Conference, due in 2020.
The review is on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and improving the effectiveness of the Treaty.
Behbehani added Kuwait maintains that such right must be fully consistent with the legal obligations of countries and agreements concluded with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In this regard, she praised IAEA's role, noting on the importance of the Agency's technical cooperation programs, which contribute to building national capacities of developing countries and guarantee the transfer of nuclear technology with peaceful uses to achieve their development goals.
Kuwait has long paid special attention to technical cooperation activities and has contributed to the Agency's activities, the renewal of its laboratories and its peaceful uses initiative, Behbehani said, stressing on the importance of providing resources for the continuity of technical cooperation programs.
Behbehani noted that Kuwait has contributed USD 10 million to the efforts made by the newly opened low-enriched uranium bank in Kazakhstan out of its belief in the inherent right of states to peaceful use of atomic energy and access to the resources that enable it.
Behbehani also stressed that no agreements should be used to restrict the right of States to the peaceful use of atomic energy.
However, Behbehani underlined the importance of subjecting all nuclear facilities in the Middle East to the Agency's comprehensive safeguards system.
The diplomat also stressed the need for Israel to accede to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon State and to place all its nuclear facilities and installations under the Agency's comprehensive safeguards system in order to strengthen international efforts to make the Middle East a nuclear-weapon-free zone.
KUNA Sources:
KUNA: http://www.kuna.net.kw/Default.aspx?language=en
Al Rai: http://www.alraimedia.com/
Kuwait Times: http://www.news.kuwaittimes.net/website/
Arab Times: http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/
MEED: http://www.meed.com/
Al Anbaa: http://www.alanba.com.kw/newspaper
Al-Seyassa: http://al-seyassah.com/
Al-Anbaa: https://www.alanba.com.kw/newspaper/
Al-Jareeda: http://www.aljarida.com/
