Chance of dust, rain forecasted for today
KUWAIT: Strong winds that could lead to hazes of dust with a chance of rain are expected for today, according to the state’s official weather forecast. The Kuwait Metrological Department’s weather prediction for today is partly cloudy to cloudy with moderate to fresh south easterly changing to south westerly wind, with speed of 25 - 50 km/h, causing raising dust with a chance for rain that might be thundery at times during the day.
During the night, the weather turns partly cloudy to cloudy with light to moderate freshening gradually at times south easterly wind, with speed of 15 - 40 km/h, with a chance for scattered rain that might be thundery at times.
Showbiz case
The Court of Cassation abstained from indicting former minister Mohammed Al-Sanoussi of usurping public funds in the Showbiz case. It also suspended a verdict sentencing Shakir Al-Othman and Zeyad Al-Sanoussi for seven years imprisonment and a KD 5 million fine each in the same case. The court set a further hearing to be held May 18 to pass its final verdict in the case. The case pertains with accusations of misappropriation related to a beachside piece of land where a theme park and restaurant used to be located.
Development plans
Development plans would not be feasible unless all state bodies and establishments, namely the media and the press, exerted joint efforts, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Planning and Development, Hind Al-Subaih said. The media is one of the main elements of success that need to highlight success and progress without any flattery, she added.
Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop on planning and the media, Subaih urged the media to avoid frustration-causing remarks, and to promote hope in the souls of the youth by highlighting success and achievements in order to encourage others to seek more success.
Subaih added that a quarterly report about the development plan would be issued by mid-April and distributed to the media after the cabinet reviews it. “I cannot discuss the report in public before my fellow-cabinet members discussed it,” she added, noting that she knows that the report might somehow be leaked to the media and that it would thus cause her some embarrassment with ministers and lawmakers.
Further, Subaih said that she had promised His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah to report about delayed projects so that the reward and penalty principles could be fairly applied. “Change cannot be achieved at once,” she underlined, “it takes time and cannot be achieved by individual efforts... everybody must join hands work together.”
Dr Khaled Al-Mahdi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Planning and Development, stressed meanwhile that the council has a vision to diversify sources of income and reduce reliance on oil from 93 to only 60 percent. He said that the plan is in progress and would be achieved within five years.
Mahdi added that Kuwait’s general policy to improve its indicators in international reports strongly depends on special programs, addressing the remarks mentioned in those objective reports issued by international bodies.