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News Summary Report Thurs/ Nov. 01, 2018
Domestic Affairs
His Highness the Amir Congratulates Ikhlas School over Arab Reading Challenge Award
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent on Wednesday, congratulation cables to the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Hamed Mohammad Al-Aazmi and Chairman of Ikhlas School Mohammad Al-Sayegh over recently winning the award of the 4th edition of the Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai.
His Highness expressed his appreciation of the great efforts led the participants to win the prize, wishing them all success to serve Kuwait and raising its flag higher at regional and international forums.
His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent them two similar cables- KUNA
His Highness Amir's speech emphasized sound democracy practices -- min.
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's speech to the third regular session of the 15th legislative term of the National Assembly was comprehensive and directive, and called for practicing sound democracy, Minister of Information Mohamad Al- Jaberi said on Wednesday.
Al-Jabri, also Minister of State for Youth Affairs, made the press statement on the sidelines of meeting with some journalists came to Kuwait on the occasion of opening the session.
His Highness the Amir also called for reforms and accountability, which is a roadmap for a fruitful cooperation between the government and National Assembly, Al-Jabri added.
He noted that Kuwait under His Highness the Amir has become a global hub in settling disputes peacefully and combating terrorism, in addition to helping vulnerable people regardless of their race and religion. The minister welcomed the visiting journalists, lauding their leading role in showing the good image and covering major events in Kuwait – KUNA
Al-Mutair Threatened to Grill Minister of Interior in case of Arresting Al-Harbash and Al-Tabtabaei
MP Mohamed Al-Mutair threatened to grill Minister of Interior, and he called the two MPs, Waleed Al-Tabtabaei and Jama’an Al-Harbash to return to Kuwait after the Parliament rejected termination of their membership.
The decision of the National Assembly has created much Constitutional controversy regarding the legal and procedural steps that should be taken when the two MPs return to Kuwait, especially that they are wanted subject to an absolute and enforceable court sentence, which was issued after lifting parliamentary immunity – Al-Rai
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Rationalization Saved KWD 125 Million: Bu Shehri
Undersecretary of Electricity and Water, Mohamed Bu Shehri urged consumers to rationalize consumption in view of the rise of the costs of electricity and water production.
Bu Shehri said that the total annual subsidies born by the public balance to produce and distribute electricity and water reach nearly KWD two and half. He also remarked that rationalization of 1% of the current consumption shall save the amount of KWD 20 to 30 million.
He clarified that the highest expected load during last summer was 14500 megawatts, with an increase of nearly 5% from the previous summer, however, rationalization efforts suspended annual increase at 1%, and this means savings of nearly 4% of the anticipated increase, and this is equal to nearly 125 million KWD – Al-Rai
Al-Meshaal: We’re Ready to Eradicate Any Obstacles Facing Implementation and Operation of the New Passenger Building
Chairman of Government Performance Follow-up, Ahmed Meshaal Al-Ahmad emphasized that his department is ready for eradicating any obstacles facing implementation and operation of the new passenger building (II) in Kuwait International Airport, and they called those responsible for its implementation to exert more effort to complete it in the pre-determined time.
This was during a field tour made by Al-Meshaal yesterday to follow-up the construction works of the project, which is under the supervision of the MPW. During the tour, Al-Meshaal viewed the latest updates of the project- Al-Anbaa
AIDS fighting cmte launches new campaign
The National Committee on fighting AIDS held its annual awareness campaign entitled "Start a new life" on AIDS at the Avenues Complex on Wednesday.
Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs at the Ministry of Health and Head of the National Committee Dr. Majida Al-Qattan stressed to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) the importance of this campaign to raise public awareness about HIV / AIDS and encourage those who have been exposed to the associated risk factors to conduct medical tests.
Al-Qattan explained that the campaign aims to encourage the public to conduct specialized medical examinations to check on their health and to be able to get the appropriate treatment.
The campaign specifically targeted people who had already been exposed to known risk factors such as unsafe sexual intercourse, drug abuse, especially through needles, a sexually transmitted disease, or physical symptoms whose causes were not identified, she added.
Encouraging the process of medical examination was one of the three main goals advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce the number of new infections in society, especially since the diagnosis and detection of the disease greatly reduces the chances of infecting other people, she noted.
She noted that the campaign also aims to convey a clear message to the public that AIDS is not a death sentence, as an AIDS patient can live with his illness as a chronic illness that can be
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controlled by appropriate treatment doses.
Al-Qattan reported that the available treatments for AIDS include antiretroviral, a single pill containing three pharmaceutical ingredients taken daily, unless the patient requires additional pharmaceutical preparations - KUNA
Al-Mutair Threatened to Grill Minister of Interior in case of Arresting Al-Harbash and Al-Tabtabaei
MP Mohamed Al-Mutair threatened to grill Minister of Interior, and he called the two MPs, Waleed Al-Tabtabaei and Jama’an Al-Harbash to return to Kuwait after the Parliament rejected termination of their membership.
The decision of the National Assembly has created much Constitutional controversy regarding the legal and procedural steps that should be taken when the two MPs return to Kuwait, especially that they are wanted subject to an absolute and enforceable court sentence, which was issued after lifting parliamentary immunity – Al-Rai
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Economy Kuwaiti oil price up 1 cent to USD 74.92 pb
The price of Kuwait's crude oil went up one cent on Tuesday to stand at USD 74.92 per barrel (pb) after it was at USD 74.91 pb last Monday, said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) Wednesday.
Globally, oil prices went down due to concerns about the impact of the global economic growth and fuel demand will be adversely affected by the US-China trade war.
Meanwhile, the price of the Brent crude went down USD 1.43 to settle at USD 75.91 pb, the same case with the West Texas Intermediate which also was down 86 cents to reach USD 66.18 pb - KUNA
The World Bank
The 2019 Doing Business Report showed that Kuwait's ease of doing business score improved from 61.4 to 62.2. in 2017, as Kuwait improved in three indicators, the World Bank Group (WBG) regional office in Kuwait said on Wednesday.
The improvement was driven by Kuwait's improved score in Starting a Business and Protecting Minority Investor. Kuwait ranks at 97 on the ease of doing business, the office said in a press release.
In a span of one year, Kuwait improved in three indicators. Kuwait's achievement this year is strengthening minority investor protections by requiring an independent review of related-party transactions and clarifying ownership and control structures, it added.
Protecting Minority Investors indicator improved from 81 to 72. Kuwait also, reduced the time required to start a Business from 38.5 to 35 days and it reduced the number of procedures involved with starting a business from 9.5 to 7, it added.
This progress was achieved through online registration and the establishment of a "one stop shop" for all business registration procedures and the elimination of minimum capital requirement (percent of income per capita) from 8.5 to zero, the office noted. Kuwait's rank improved in Getting Electricity from 97 to 95, and it reduced the number of days from 85 to 65 days, it said.
The Government-wide effort to pursue these reforms was led by Minister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Al-Roudhan, and members of the Permanent Committee for Streamlining Business Environment & Enhancing Competitiveness and working groups set up for pursuing business environment reforms in the country, according to the release.
"While Kuwait has made notable improvements, the reform process for improving the business environment in Kuwait is still in early stages and requires continuous cooperation between government agencies, private sector institutions, and civil society to implement the actions adopted in the National Agenda for Improving the Business Environment," said World Bank Resident Representative for Kuwait Ghassan Alkhoja- KUNA
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KDIPA welcomes WB report on improvement of business atmosphere
Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) said the 2019 Doing Business Report of the World Bank Group, came in recognition of the reforms made between June 2, 2017, and May 1, 2018.
The improvement featured clearly in two indicators - starting business and protecting minority investor, the Authority noted in a statement to KUNA, citing the WBG report released earlier Wednesday.
Kuwait ranked 97th on the ease of doing business among the 197 countries surveyed, KDIPA said, attributing the achievement to the relevant decision of minister of commerce and industry.
The improvement in the protecting minority investors’ indicator is the fruit of cooperation between the Capital Market Authority and the competent authorities to increase transparency and in financial disclosures, and highlight the role of investors in management.
KDIPA appreciated the efforts of Kuwait Municipality to facilitate starting business and issuing licenses for construction.
It also commended the efforts of "the standing committee on improvement of business atmosphere and competitiveness of Kuwait" to enforce the national agenda called "Tahseen (improvement) Program." The program, backed by the WBG, was approved by the cabinet last year; it ensures intra-agency collaboration to realize the objectives of reforms, the Authority went on.
KDIPA called for leveraging the capacity building program geared for civil servants with a view to further enhancing the performance of government bodies and promoting the role of SMEs in the national economy.
It also called for benefiting from the recommendations of the 2019 Doing Business Report particularly in the axis of "training for reform" in order to attract more foreign direct investment and attain the target of economic diversification. KUNA
Kuwaiti oil prices to average $67-77 per barrel, says analyst
Current conditions in the global oil market indicate that the price of Kuwaiti crude oil would remain within the range of $67 to $77 per barrel, according to an analyst.
The price of a barrel of Kuwaiti crude is roughly equivalent to Brent crude, which costs between $72 to 82 a barrel, Mohammad Al-Shatti said yesterday, adding that ‘limited oil supply’
is a factor that could buoy the price of Kuwaiti crude.
The oil expert drew a correlation between geopolitical conditions in the region and the stability of the oil market, pointing out that as unrest grows, oil production grinds to a halt. He predicted that oil prices would soon pick up again, given the fact that the “core structure of the market remains solid.” On the reasons behind the decline in oil prices, Shatti pinpointed the decline of China’s currency against the US dollar as a major factor, in addition to the rise in US stocks of crude oil.
The current conditions in the market have pushed oil prices towards a state of ‘Contango’, a situation where the future price of a commodity is above the expected spot price, the analyst
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explained. “Oil producing nations could keep production limited as a tactic to ensure stability in the market,” Shatti added, highlighting OPEC’s forecast of slower oil demand growth in 2019- Kuwait Times
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External Affairs Kuwait calls for peaceful solution to E. Ukraine crises
The State of Kuwait called for a peaceful solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine in accordance with UNSC resolutions and the Minks agreements, said a Kuwaiti diplomat Wednesday.
In his speech during a UNSC meeting on Ukraine, Kuwaiti Permanent Representative at the UN headquarters in New York Mansour Al-Otaibi said that a solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine must go through efforts by sides well respected by the international community.
The State of Kuwait supports Ukraine's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity through UNSC resolution 2202 and the Minsk peace protocol, he added.
A comprehensive and balanced solution through dialogue and the Normandy contact group will ensure that the accords agreed upon in the Minsk protocol will be implemented, said the Kuwaiti diplomat who called on both Russia and Ukraine to steer the situation politically and avoid more conflicts.
He indicated that the announcement of elections in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, on November 11, was against the tenets of the Minsk protocol.
Ambassador Al-Otaibi reiterated calls for ending the situation in eastern Ukraine peacefully and avoiding violence at all cost.
The Kuwaiti diplomat commended the improving security situation in the area despite light weapon clashes, stressing that it was important to allow healthcare and relief aid to reach people in need in eastern Ukraine- KUNA
Kuwait and India Inked Visa Exemption Treaty and MOU for Domestic Labor
Kuwait and India inked yesterday a treaty regarding mutual exemption of visa for holders of diplomatic passports, and especially formal ones. They also inked a MOU regarding cooperation in using domestic labor.
This came in view of the visit of India FM Sushma Swaraj, their meetings and dialogues with the political leadership in Kuwait.
His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad received in Bayan Palace yesterday morning deputy Foreign Minister, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled and the Indian FM, Sushma Swaraj.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs, Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah. Both ministers also reviewed the latest regional and international developments and several issues of mutual interest – Al-Rai
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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/
