Tag Archives: Kuwait

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $1.425 billion sale of Patriot air and missile defense system components and upgrades to Kuwait, the Pentagon said on Thursday after notifying Congress of the certification. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the State Department had approved the sale of 84 …

Kuwait’s prosecutors have asked Dubai to release $500 million in funds belonging to a Kuwaiti private equity fund that were frozen as part of a money laundering investigation, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The funds, held at a Dubai-based bank, were frozen at the behest of the United …

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is expected to discuss oil output resumption from the Neutral Zone, which the kingdom’s shares with Kuwait, during a trip to the Gulf Arab state on Sunday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Prince Mohammad will be accompanied by Energy Minister …

The price of Kuwait crude oil went down US$2.82, Wednesday, reaching US$73.77 per barrel, compared to US$76.59 pb last Tuesday, said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation on Thursday. According to the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, the price of the Brent crude went down 27 cents to settle at US$76.17 pb, and the West …

Kuwait has all but stopped shipping crude to the US for the first time since the aftermath of Saddam Hussain’s invasion in 1990, eroding an economic link between Washington and the Arab state. The halt is the latest sign that booming demand for oil in Asia, particularly as the US …

Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah will travel to Washington on Monday and hold talks with US President Donald Trump, the state news agency KUNA announced on Sunday. The visit by the Emir comes at a time when the US is boosting its military power anticipating an armed …

Kuwait and Iraq will soon appoint consultants to study the development of shared oilfields, Kuwaiti Oil Minister Bakhit Al Rashidi said on Wednesday. Production from cross-border oilfields has long been a source of tension between the two Opec nations. In the build-up to Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Baghdad accused …

The Ministers of Finance of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Wednesday reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to support the financial stability in Bahrain. In a meeting held in Manama, the finance ministers reiterated their support to strengthening the stability of public finances and the stimulation of Bahrain’s economic growth. …

Kuwait plans pacts with four Asian countries to recruit domestic labour under clear regulations, Kuwaiti Minister of Social Affairs and State for Economic Affairs Hend Al Sabeeh has said. The move comes amid a reported dispute over rules for employing domestic helpers from the Philippines. Al Sabeeh named India, Bangladesh …

Kuwait’s oil minister, Bakhit Al Rashidi, said on Wednesday that the global oil market was approaching stability based on the current oil production levels after the recent Opec and non-Opec agreement to boost output. “It is clear today based on the current level of production that we are approaching a …

Oil prices are likely to trend lower this week due to the rise in trade tensions as well as the ramping of oil production by major oil producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia, experts said. Saudi Arabia, along with UAE, Kuwait and Russia, are increasing production close to one million …

MAC Cosmetics, one of the world’s largest make-up brands, has fired Kuwaiti social media star Sondos Alqattan over a controversial video in which she criticised the rights of Filipino workers. In a statement sent to Gulf News on Wednesday evening, the company said it did not support Alqattan’s beliefs, and …

A famous Kuwaiti beauty blogger is under fire for complaining about changes to laws to recruit domestic help from the Philippines. Sondos Al Qattan, who has 2.3 million followers on social media, was outraged by the new law imposed by the Kuwaiti government after the Philippine government demanded certain changes. …

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait will announce soon an integrated programme to support Bahrain’s economic reforms and its fiscal stability, a joint statement from the three Gulf states said on Tuesday. The three wealthy Gulf states said they are in talks with the authorities of Bahrain to enhance the financial stability of the …

The UAE and Kuwait are among the most vulnerable for cyberattacks among the Gulf Cooperation Council Council countries in the first quarter, according to a report by cybersecurity firm Trend Micro. Both these countries are rated first and second in ransomware and malware attacks, URL victims and URLs detected. The …

Energy ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait plan to meet on Saturday to discuss Opec matters, about a week after the Saudis and Russia announced a new policy to revive oil production. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih will meet with Kuwait’s Bakheet Al Rashidi and …

Kuwait and the Philippines signed a deal on Friday to regulate domestic workers, after a dispute between the two countries led to a ban on Filipino workers in the Gulf state. “A short time ago we signed an agreement between the two countries on the employment of domestic workers,” Foreign …

Kuwait gave the Philippine ambassador one week to leave the  country and recalled its top diplomat in Manila for consultations, the foreign ministry said. The ministry reiterated in a statement its full rejection and condemnation of the blatant violation of diplomatic norms by the embassy of the Philippines. Embassy staff …

Kuwait has protested to the Philippines following “serious offences” that included conducting operations to whisk domestic workers away from their employers’ homes in diplomatic vans. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it summoned on Friday the Philippines ambassador to Kuwait and handed him two protest notes. A spokesperson for the …

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain has been dead for more than a decade but Kuwait is still receiving reparations for his 1990 invasion, with the latest tranche of $90 million (Dh330 million) approved on Friday. The payment was the first authorised by the United Nations Compensation Commission since 2014 when there …

Kuwait Parliament’s financial and economic affairs committee approved bills on Sunday stipulating fees on expatriates’ financial remittances to parties outside the country. Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted MP Salah Khorshed, the committee chairperson, as saying in a statement that the commission approved the bills with consent of two-thirds of the members …

Banks across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are expected to see stabilisation of the financial profiles and performance from the second half of 2018 after two years of significant pressure, according to S&P Global Ratings. While analysts expect to see further easing of liquidity and funding with improvement in asset …

Gulf Arab energy companies issued record debt this year as producers opted to exploit lower borrowing costs to fund expansion plans. Oil and gas producers, pipeline operators and refiners in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar borrowed $28.7 billion through bonds and syndicated loans in …

Tehran has reportedly requested Tunisia to mediate in the enduring tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. A report in the Kuwaiti daily Al Jarida on Wednesday said that Mohammad Irani, the Director General for the Middle East and North Africa at the Iranian foreign ministry, was dispatched to Tunisia as …

A long-standing business partner of the UAE, Kuwait has over the past 18 months made renewed efforts to establish its companies in the emirates. The Kuwait Business Council (KuwaitBC), a private sector initiative that is run as a non-governmental organisation (NGO), was set up in May 2016 to assist Kuwaiti …

Qatari Emir Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Hamad Al Sabah discussed in Doha the latest developments regarding the Kuwaiti mediation to resolve the Gulf crisis, the official news agencies of both countries said. …

Saudi Arabia says it has suspended dialogue with Qatar, shortly after a phone call between the Qatari leader and the Saudi crown prince. The two sides had discussed holding talks to resolve the Qatar crisis, which has seen Doha cut off from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE. However, …

The Kuwaiti emir will visit Donald Trump next month to discuss the Qatar crisis, in which Sheikh Sabah has been leading mediation efforts. The trip to Washington on September 6 will be Sheikh Sabah’s fourth since he became the emir in 2006, and comes as the US administration is throwing its weight behind …

Kuwaiti authorities have begun taking measures against North Korea, including stopping direct flights to and from Pyongyang, state news agency KUNA cited an official source in Kuwait’s foreign ministry as saying on Thursday. The official source said the measures included stopping entrance visas for North Korean workers and stopping the …

The four Arab countries which have cut ties with Qatar said on Sunday they were ready for talks to tackle the dispute if Doha showed willingness to deal with their demands The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) met in the Bahraini capital …

Beirut- Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (Shair & Partners) has reached a momentous milestone,celebrating 60 years of ongoing success, innovation, and leadership in planning, design, project management and consultancy. To mark this achievement, a press conference, followed by a luncheon, was held on November 16, at Phoenicia Hotel- Beirut, Lebanon, in the …

The Levant News — Visiting commander of the US Combined Joint Task Force Lieutenant General James Terry and Kuwait Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohammad Khaled Al-Kheder dicussed the status of bilateral relationships and common issues in the interest of both parts yesterday. In a press statement, the Ministry …

The Levant News — A sigh of relief has been bestowed upon 50,174 Kuwaiti employees who work in private sector as Government has set to distributed 34 million KD among them ahead of Eid as a special social allowance, as reported by Manpower and Government Restructuring Program. A sum of …

THE LEVANT – A Kuwaiti, who had been held for 13 years at the controversial US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, arrived home Thursday as Washington steps up releases, his father said. Fawzi al-Odah had been one of just two Kuwaitis still detained in the holding centre for US …

THE LEVANT IN COLLABORATION WITH MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS  – Kuwait’s emir said on Tuesday a fall in oil prices cast a shadow over the OPEC member state’s economy, showing the need to diversify sources of income that rely heavily on petroleum. In a speech to the opening of parliament, Sheikh …

Source: The National – The new joint US-UAE financial counter-terrorism task force will be focused on combating extremist fund-raising and financial networks in the region, Abu Dhabi’s ambassador in Washington has said. The initiative comes as the US steps up efforts to choke off money flowing to ISIL from individual …

THE LEVANT – Kuwait has arrested several suspected members of the Islamic State group and is monitoring dozens more under its commitment to the US-led international coalition against the jihadists, media reported Thursday. The Gulf state’s secret service has arrested at least five suspected members of IS which has seized …

THE LEVANT – Kuwait briefly detained a prominent preacher less than two weeks after the United States included him on a sanctions list on suspicion he was funnelling money to militants in Iraq and Syria, his lawyer said on Monday. Shafi al-Ajmi, who was detained on Sunday on the border with Saudi Arabia while returning home from a pilgrimage, was …

THE LEVANT -Kuwait has revoked the citizenship of 10 people, including activists, the government said Monday in the second such move in less than a month as part of a crackdown on dissent. The decision announced after a cabinet meeting did not identify those affected by the decision, but local …