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News Summary Report Sun/Sept. 09, 2018
Kuwait –Korea Relations
South Korea man infected by MERS virus
A South Korean man, 61, was diagnosed with the potentially deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and is being treated at a hospital in Seoul, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said yesterday.
The patient returned to Seoul on Friday after a business trip to Kuwait from August 16 to Sept 6, according to the KCDC. This is the first time since July 2015 that an outbreak of MERS has been reported in South Korea.
“As far as found by now, 20 people including flight attendants and medical staff have been in close contact with the patient and they are under isolation at home,” KCDC director Jeong Eun- kyeong told a press briefing. The patient, who was suffering from diarrhea, headed directly to Samsung Medical Center from the airport, Jeong said. He is now in an isolation ward at Seoul National University Hospital.
The KCDC director said all flights from Middle East countries have been put into quarantine.
“The KCDC and local governments will do our best to prevent spread of the MERS,” Jeong noted. The infectious disease swept South Korea in 2015 leading to 38 fatalities. MERS is thought to be carried by camels and most of the known human-to-human transmission has occurred in healthcare settings- Arab Times
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Domestic Affairs
Kuwait Marks 4th Anniversary of UN Honoring of His Highness the Amir
Kuwait will celebrate on Sunday the fourth anniversary of the UN honoring and proclamation of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as a “Humanitarian Leader” and of Kuwait as a “Center of Humanitarian Action”.
The well-deserved UN honoring came in recognition of the outstanding contributions of Kuwait, under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah to humanitarian action worldwide.
On September 09, 2014, the then-Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon held a special function at the UN headquarters in New York to express the UN and the International Community appreciation for His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah and Kuwait’s generosity and kindness.
“It gives me great pleasure and honor to be here today to recognize the leadership of His Highness, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of Kuwait. This is a great humanitarian day. We are sitting together with a great humanitarian leader of our world”. Ban said in his speech during the ceremony.
He also lauded Kuwait’s exemplary humanitarian leadership, which saved thousands of lives.
“Kuwait has shown exemplary humanitarian leadership in supporting these operations under the compassionate and passionate leadership of His Highness, the Amir. Kuwait may be a small country in size but she has a big and broad and compassionate heart” – KUNA
Speaker Al-Ghanim Praises His Highness the Amir’s Humanitarian Strategies
Kuwait National Assembly Speaker, Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim stressed that the policy of humanitarian intervention in the areas of conflict was a political approach spearheaded by His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
This came in a press statement by Al-Ghanim on Saturday in a celebration of the fourth anniversary of the UN honoring of His Highness the Amir as a “Humanitarian Leader” and Kuwait as an “International Humanitarian Center”.
His Highness the Amir took the firm approach since the early sixties of the last century to provide relief assistance in the areas of conflict and natural disasters, through humanitarian intervention, Al-Ghanim stated.
He said that “this happened when Kuwait adopted the Syrian humanitarian case and hosted three donor conferences and was one of the major financial contributors, as in the case of the recently held conferences on the reconstruction of Iraq”. Al-Ghanim pointed out that Kuwait, headed by His Highness the Amir, has not only provided periodic assistance by its economic
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funds and governmental and non-governmental charitable organizations, it has also led the campaigns of organized humanitarian interventions worldwide – KUNA
Parliamentary Committees Prepare for the Next Legislative Term
Parliamentary Committees are preparing reports prior to the next legislative term. A number of Parliamentary committees are prepared to hold meetings during this week, the first of which shall be today by the Human Rights Committee to elaborate its works during the past legislative term, complaints filed against it by a father of one of the dead student officers at Ali Al-Salem Military College.
The Financial Committee, on the other hand, tries to discuss the reasons behind the government’s rejection of the draft law of minimizing retirement age. Similarly, the Environmental Committee discusses the mechanism of treating pollution in Kuwait Bay. Also, the Health Committee discusses integration of the Labor Force with the Restructuring Program (MGRP), whereas the Replacement and Parachute Employment issue Committee intends to issue its final report prior to the next legislative term.
“The Committee convenes today to elaborate on its works during the last legislative term, files that have been discussed and reports that have been prepared. There are lots of issues that have been achieved, including reform institutions file. We have paid visits to prions and viewed the conditions of prisoners as well as rights of labors. We shall consider some of the complaints submitted to the Committee as we have recently received a complaint from a father of a student officer, who died at Ali Al-Salem College”, said Chief of Human Rights Committee, Dr. Adel Al-Damkhi to Al-Rai Newspaper.
“ The Committee prepares to edit a number of reports during the Parliamentary vacation, including retirement age minimization, which is rejected by the government, and the message submitted by MP, Khalil Al-Saleh regarding financial and economic sustainability program for the government, which is transferred from the Parliament to the Financial Committee. On our part, we have addressed the government, and we are waiting its response on the basics of the sustainability program, its defects, and the reasons of excluding companies’ and businesses’
taxes from the sustainability program after it was part of the reform program”, said Chief of the Financial Committee, Salah Khorshed to Al-Rai.
“We are also waiting the Silk City, and Island Development Projects from the government after it has given some notes on the previous project. Anyway, we expect that conception shall be submitted to be discussed at the next legislative term. Credit information exchange report and insurance sector organization should be prepared as well as the draft law submitted by MP Saleh Ashour, which sets forth that the government should take the approval of the Parliament on any grant or loan whose value is more than KWD 10 million”, Khorshed added.
“The Committee shall resume its discussion of integration of the labor force with the restructuring program. It has listened last week to the point of view of the Minister of Social
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Affairs, Hend Al-Sabeeh, and Labor Syndicates, which represent Kuwaitis working in the private sector, whose majority are against the integration decision since 70 thousand Kuwaitis, their occupational matters, requirements, training and qualification shall be integrated with 3 million expats of the labor force”, said Member of the Health Committee, Osama Al-Shaheen.
“We requested the legal and technical viewpoints of the integration decision, however, we are committed to the suspension decision till the Health Committee completes its report regarding assigning the People’s Assembly the task of studying the integration decision”, Al-Shaheen added.
Environment Affairs Committee examines pollution in Kuwait Bay, especially after the government pledges to submit a plan to treat that pollution by supplying German purification plants to be installed at the terminals of the 58 sewer treatment plants – Al-Rai
NoufEXPO organizes the 1st Consulting Services for Governmental Projects Forum In a joint press release, Dr. Khaled Mahdi - Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development and Engineer Badr Al-Salman – President of the Federation of Kuwaiti Engineering Offices & Consultant Houses announced the convening of the 1st Consulting Services for Governmental Projects Forum. ENCON1 will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad AL-Sabah, the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait. NoufEXPO will organize the event due to be held at Al-Baraka Ballroom of Crowne Plaza hotel from 20 to 22 March 2017.
Dr. Khaled Mahdi said that he is overwhelmed by the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad AL-Sabah. He added, “This patronage represents an invaluable support for the efforts exerted by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development and the Consultant Selection Committee to improve the outcome of consulting services. These, after all, are the basic foundation upon which development projects are built.
All other phases that follow will be guided by the results of the consulting practice. Hence, the level of professionalism that governs the early consulting service phase will contribute to the success of projects’ execution and implementation within agreed specifications, time, and budget. ENCON1 convenes under the notion of “Towards Professional and Transparent Consulting Services” to confirm that these values should govern projects’ life cycle throughout.
These no doubt, help achieving the objectives of Kuwait’s development plan and fulfilling the vision of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to transform Kuwait into a global financial and trade center.”
The Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the supreme Council for Planning and Development continued, “During ENCON1’s opening ceremony; the Consultant Selection Committee will launch the Consulting Firms Portal. This is a comprehensive web portal through which the values of transparency will be enforced throughout all phases of consulting projects. The portal is developed using open data principles and best practices to enforce equal opportunity and disciplined governance on one of the most critical government spending channels represented by development projects. It is Kuwait’s first open data implementation in
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a government entity to ensure full transparency throughout all its financial and administrative procedures.” Al-Anbaa
Caution and Vigilance to Secure Regional Waters
Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Borders Affairs, General Sheikh, Salem Al-Nawaf confirmed the importance of caution and vigilance in dealing with any emergency situations whatever they are in order to ensure security and safety of Kuwait regional waters.
Al-Nawaf conducted a monitoring tour on marine boats at Kuwait Bay, accompanied by manager of operations department, marine colonel, Talal Al-Moenes, and manager of marine formations, marine colonel Omeir Al-Rashidi – Al-Rai
Kuwait University Prepares to Receive 35,797 Students
Kuwait University (KU) announced on Saturday that it was prepared to receive 35,797 students for the college year 2018/2019, starting on Sunday.
KU said, in a press release, that all of its facilities and staff were ready to welcome the students.
Earlier this week, thousands of kindergarteners, elementary and intermediate students began their school year – KUNA
KRCS: Leadership’s Directives for Charity Work Puts Kuwait in Prominent Position Chairman of the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS), Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer praised the efforts of Kuwait charity work under directives of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, which helped Kuwait to secure a prominent positions global.
This came in Al-Sayer’s statement to KUNA on Saturday, marking the 4th anniversary of the UN honoring of His Highness the Amir as a “Humanitarian Leader” and Kuwait as a center of humanitarian action.
In recent years, His Highness the Amir showed great ability to address the humanitarian files in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and other countries, Al- Sayer said.
Al-Sayer applauded the diplomacy of His Highness in urging the international community to resolve the humanitarian crises and launching repeated humanitarian appeals in favor of victims.
Kuwait has become a role model for charity and humanitarian work worldwide, Al-Sayer said, as the role of KRCS proved that human values were an important pillar in international relations and rapprochement between peoples.
The relief assistance provided by KRCS this year reached about 731,207 affected persons in various countries around the world, amounting to $ 10.642, 618, Al-Sayer said.
KRCS had spared no effort to support the Palestinian people in many fields to alleviate their sufferings, as the society works under the guidance of His Highness the Amir to reach all the needy in all cities of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, he added- KUNA
Prices of Pharmaceuticals Brought Down by 5 -86 pct –MOH
Minister of Health, Sheikh Dr. Basel Al-Sabah said Saturday the drug pricing committee of his ministry finalized a four-stage survey of the new prices of pharmaceuticals.
Under the survey, the prices of 3,126 pharmaceuticals were brought down by five -86% from
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the rates approved by the GCC drug pricing committee, he said in a statement.
“The first stage of the survey covers the prices of drugs of heart, blood vessels, endocrines and diabetes given their crucial effect in the treatment of chronic diseases, which are prevalent in the GCC region, were reduced by up to 84%, he revealed.
“ The prices of 675 drugs for treatment of skin, chest and digestive system disorders were reduced by up to 83%. “ The prices of 1034 compounds for the treatment of communicable diseases, tumors and inflammation as well as the immune system disorders were reduced by rates amounting to 86%”, Sheikh Dr. Baser went on – KUNA
Economy Kuwait Oil Price down 48 Cents to $ 73.88 pb
The price of Kuwaiti oil went down 48 cents to $ 73.88 per barrel (pb) Friday as opposed to
$ 74.36 pb the day before, said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) Saturday.
Meanwhile, Brent Blend contracts went up eight cents to settle at 76.58 pb and the West Texas Intermediate was 16 cents up to $ 67.96 pb – KUNA
11.2 % of Buildings in Kuwait Are Vacant
Al-Shall’s report focused the issue of buildings and real estate units in Kuwait. The report indicated that the total number of buildings in Kuwait – subject to the last issue of the Public Authority for Civil Information for buildings and real estate units is 203.8 thousand buildings by the end of June 2018 in comparison to nearly 202.4 thousand buildings by the end of 2017.
This means that there is a 0.7% growth rate of buildings during the first six months of the year 2018 (1.4% on an expected annual rate), which is less than the recorded annual growth level by the end of 2017 in comparison to the end of 2016, which reached nearly 1.6% - Al-Qabas
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External Affairs Agreements with USA Enhance Cybersecurity
Chairman and CEO of the Public Authority for Telecommunication and Information Technology, engineer, Salem Al-Azenah indicated that MOUs that were signed with US corporations and US Department of State help introduce artificial intelligence and cloud computing to all government institutions, and they further enhance cybersecurity and cooperation in combating crimes in information space.
Al-Azenah clarified to Al-Rai that the MOU signed with “Amazon Web Services” covers cloud computing and digital transformation. He further indicated that the MOU signed with Microsoft covers artificial intelligence and Internet of Things, noting that applications of both MOUs include all government institutions, irrespective of their sizes, and this shall promote government administrative work, optimize productive efficiency, and improve cybersecurity.
He added that both of them provide cybersecurity technology on networks, systems, cloud computing, cyber-attacks and exchange of experiences, however, the letter of internet with US Department of State is concerned with exchanging of information and sharing the best practices of cybersecurity and mutual education, training and initiatives. This is in addition to cooperation regarding combating cyber-crimes, and cyber defense- Al-Rai
Kuwait Funded $ 65.5 Million Gas Plant Boosts Jordan’s Energy Security
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) port worth $ 65.5 million funded by Kuwait is among the most superlative projects the Gulf state has undertaken in Jordan, with the aim of providing Amman with diverse energy sources.
As a testament to the camaraderie both nations have long enjoyed, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has christened the gas terminal, which has increased the Hashemite Kingdom’s dependence on gas for electric power by 90%, after Kuwait’s leader, His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
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The gas port, located in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, South of the Capital Amman, has been instrumental in transforming the coastal metropolis into a regional energy hub.
According to a number of Jordanian officials interviewed by KUNA, the gas plant has already paid ultimate dividends three years after its inception, helping inject new growth into Jordan’s ailing economy.
The gas plant has been instrumental in pushing Jordan closer to achieving its “strategic goal”
of ramping up natural gas supply through curbing reliance on heavy fuel, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Hala Zawati told KUNA.
She revealed that the processing plant has churned out 22 shipments of natural gas thus far this year, 19 of which have already been consumed, which is equivalent to 328 million cubic feet per day – KUNA
Cooperation Protocol between Information Academy and the Egyptian TV and Radio Institute
Chairman of Integrated Information Academy, Madi Al-Khamis signed a cooperation protocol with manager of TV and Radio Institute in Egypt, Dr. Khaled Fath Allah, as a deputy of the Chairman of the National Authority for Information, Hussein Zain, as a confirmation on relations and cooperation between the two institutions.
“The protocol shall be a chance to submit a number of training activities, which serve those working in the information field to train and qualify them in a professional way to serve Arab mutual issues and to correct the mental image of Arab peoples towards Arab media”, said Al- Khamis, noting that the protocol includes cooperation in various media, cultural and mutual production between those working in the two institutions to achieve excellence and benefit”.
He added that cooperation with the National Authority for Media, which has a significant history shall be fruitful as it has experiences and capabilities that shall be beneficial for trainees – Al-Rai
Macarov a New Ambassador for Russia in Kuwait
The Russian Ambassador to Kuwait, Alexander Solomatin, who ended his tenure in Kuwait, lauded the depth of relations between Russia and Kuwait and its development on all levels, noting that the period he worked in Kuwait as Ambassador for his country to Kuwait was an important station in his occupational life.
Solomatine lauded the generosity he was received with since his arrival to Kuwait and the complete facilities that were given to him by Kuwaiti authorities, presided by HH the Amir of Kuwait to perform his work perfectly.
Solomatine also expressed his satisfaction from development that is achieved in the mutual relations between the two countries during the past five years.
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Solomatine indicated that the new Russian Ambassador to Kuwait is called Nicolai Macarov, noting that he is one of the orientalists and that he is son of the Russian Ministry of Affairs, who has experience in Kuwait as he worked in it before – Al-Anbaa
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
