News in Brief
KD 62mln to repair turbines: Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of Public Works Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim signed on Sunday a KD 62 million ($220 million) contract for maintenance work of the new gas turbine in the southern AlZour power and water distillation plant.
The Ministry said in a press statement that the contract is designed for maintenance work of the gas turbine units and supply of spare parts and consumables.
It added that the implementation of the contract would achieve high-performance flexibility for secure and stable operation of the units. (KUNA) Call for better health care: Kuwaiti Minister of Health Dr. Mohammad Al-Haifi on Sunday called on the undersecretaries of his ministry to speed up the efforts to realize the targets of their programs and action plans.
During his meeting with the senior officials at the premises of the ministry here, the minister highlighted the need for high quality and wide-ranging healthcare for all citizens.
“A citizen must feel tangible results of, and trust in, our efforts to provide them with the best and most decent healthcare,” a press release by the ministry quoted Dr. Al-Haifi as saying. Each of the undersecretaries briefed the meeting on the activities of their respective sectors and the progress made so far. The minister called on the senior officials to define the obstacles and problems facing their respective action plans as a prelude for finding solutions to them in collaboration with other concerned state departments.
He asked them to translate into reality the ministry’s programs for running the service to suit the convenience of all citizens. (KUNA) Plan to tackle high meat rates: The Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh is planning to present a proposal at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers to establish a management board for the Kuwait Livestock Company. The proposal also includes the possibility of buying private sector shares of the company to be 100 percent owned by government, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
According to a source, the minister came up with the idea shortly after the company increased the prices of Australian sheep by KD 15 last week. He said the proposed action will block arbitrary and unilateral decisions as regards prices hike, which is inimical to the interests of consumers.
He stressed that the minister will also present another proposal to establish a specialized food company for flour, livestock and confectionaries under the supervision of the ministry. He indicated “it will give the ministry leverage to control prices, because the current role of the ministry is limited to recording incidents”. He reaffirmed that the minister has scheduled a meeting with the senior ministry officials and officials of the Livestock Company to resolve the prices hike crisis, particularly with the Australian sheep. Focus on Kuwait’s development: Kuwait Ministry of Information’s pavilion at the media exhibition accompanying the 33rd GCC Summit scheduled to kick off in Manama on Monday, exhibits publications and photographs illustrating Kuwait’s development in various fields.
The Kuwaiti participation in the exhibition that was inaugurated Sunday night by the Bahraini Minister of State for Media Affairs, Samira Rajab, displays several cultural, scientific publications, and posters illustrating Kuwait’s history, and achievements under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The pavilion attracted Gulf, Arab and foreign delegations and media figures, as it presented cultural aspects of Kuwait’s development, in addition to highlighting historical relations between Kuwait and Bahrain.
Director of the GCC Department in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information, Mohammad Hassan Al-Baddah told KUNA, that the Kuwaiti pavilion was highly praised by participants and media figures, hoping that it represents Kuwait’s cultural and media development to the highest standards.
Al-Baddah expressed hopes that the 33rd GCC Summit would accomplish aims set to the interest of the Gulf people.
The Ministry of Information’s participation in the exhibition in coordination and cooperation with several cultural, scientific publications, including the Al-Arabi Magazine, the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters and the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development, Al-Babtain Foundation for Poetic Creativity, Public Authority for Industry, Public Authority for Environment, The Center for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies at the University of Kuwait in addition to Publications Department at the Ministry of Information. (KUNA)