
Amir chairs Supreme Defense Council
KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council that discussed regional developments and the latest events in the area, following a ceasefire between Iran and the Zionist entity. During the meeting, HH the Amir was briefed on efforts exerted by various authorities in the country and the coordination between them to face any emergency.
HH the Amir also provided the council members with directives to take all necessary measures and precautions to preserve national security and stability. HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, along with senior ministers and defense officials, attended the meeting.
Kuwait welcomes US President Donald Trump's announcement of the ceasefire between Iran and the Zionist entity, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, applauding the United States' and Qatar's efforts that led to the agreement. This announcement is a first step towards de-escalation and restoring security and stability in the region, the ministry said, expressing hope that it would reflect positively on efforts to stop the Zionist aggression on the occupied Palestinian territories. Kuwait reiterates its strong support for dialogue and diplomacy in resolving regional and international conflicts, the ministry concluded.
During the past two days, the defense council held meetings under the chairmanship of HH the Crown Prince and HH the Prime Minister. Authorities in Kuwait have stepped up emergency measures at all levels during the armed hostilities to ensure the security and protection of the country. Specialized centers have been closely monitoring radiation and pollution levels following Zionist and US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear plants.
HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad received on Tuesday a letter from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In the letter, the UK prime minister stressed his country's support to the Kuwait in light of the current regional circumstances, affirming the need to reach a final solution to end the ongoing conflict for the sake of the region's stability. HH the Prime Minister commended this gesture, expressing his appreciation for the role played by the UK.
Meanwhile, the civil aviation authority reopened Kuwait's airspace late Monday night following a brief closure after Iran fired ballistic missiles on a US airbase in Qatar. National carrier Kuwait Airways announced on Tuesday it has resumed its regular flight schedule after the ceasefire following a change in some flights during the fighting that lasted 12 days. KAC had made some changes to flights to Jordan and Lebanon during the confrontation.
Minister of Commerce and Industry Khalifa Al-Ajeel, along with Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of Family and Childhood Affairs Dr Amthal Al-Huwailah, inspected the central operations room of the ministry's control sector. This room is directly linked to the interior ministry through a live monitoring system, enhancing the ministry's ability to promptly and effectively monitor and follow up on market activity.
Al-Ajeel stressed that maintaining market stability is a national responsibility that requires concerted efforts from all relevant entities. He affirmed that the ministry continues its around-the-clock efforts through
its inspection teams, which are intensifying their field visits to ensure that suppliers and commercial outlets comply with laws and regulations, in order to preserve market stability and protect consumer rights.
During the visit, the two ministers were briefed on the operations inside the room and the reports submitted by field teams. Al-Ajeel emphasized the importance of continuous readiness and full coordination with relevant authorities to ensure the availability of goods and to monitor the movement of food markets and other related sectors.
He noted that the ministry of social affairs has been requested to instruct cooperative societies to cooperate and coordinate with the central operations room. This collaboration would support inspection efforts and facilitate market monitoring and the flow of goods, while maintaining each party's responsibilities within a framework of institutional coordination. Al-Ajeel reassured citizens that essential goods are available and that the strategic stock remains stable, confirming that the situation is under control according to approved plans and that markets are well-supplied to meet consumer needs.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Kuwait Times
3 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Gazans mourn as Zionists kill Al Jazeera journalists
GAZA: Gazans gathered on Monday for the funeral of five Al Jazeera staff members and a sixth reporter killed in a Zionist airstrike, with Zionist entity calling one of them a 'terrorist' affiliated with Hamas. Dozens stood amid bombed-out buildings in the courtyard of Al-Shifa hospital to pay their respects to Anas Al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent aged 28, and four of his colleagues, killed on Sunday. A sixth journalist, Mohammed Al-Khaldi who worked as a freelance reporter, was also killed in the strike that targeted the Al Jazeera team, according to the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya. Their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds with their faces exposed, were carried through narrow alleys to their graves by mourners including men wearing blue journalists' flak jackets. Zionist entity confirmed it had targeted Sharif, whom it labeled a 'terrorist' affiliated with Hamas, saying he 'posed as a journalist'. Al Jazeera said its employees were hit in a tent set up for journalists outside the main gate of a hospital in Gaza City. The four other staff members killed were Mohammed Qreiqeh, also a correspondent, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa. 'Anas Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against civilians and IDF (Zionist) troops,' the military said in a statement. 'The IDF had previously disclosed intelligence information and many documents found in the Gaza Strip, confirming his military affiliation to Hamas,' it said. It published a graphic showing what it said was a list of Hamas operatives in northern Gaza, including Sharif's name, as well as an image of him emblazoned with the word: 'Eliminated'. It also published a list it said showed Sharif had been paid $200 by Hamas after an injury, as well as a list it said was a Hamas battalion's phone directory that included Sharif's number. Sharif was one of the channel's most recognizable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports on the now 22-month-old war. 'One of the bravest' A posthumous message, written in April in case of his death, was published on his account on Monday morning saying he had been silenced and urging people 'not to forget Gaza'. According to local journalists who knew him, Sharif had worked at the start of his career with a Hamas communication office, where his role was to publicize events organized by the militant group that has exercised total control over Gaza since 2006. Following online posts by Zionist entity's Arabic-language military spokesman Avichay Adraee on Sharif, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called in July for his protection, accusing Zionist entity of a 'pattern' of labeling journalists militants 'without providing credible evidence'. It said the military had leveled similar accusations against other journalists in Gaza earlier in the war, including other Al Jazeera staff. 'International law is clear that active combatants are the only justified targets in a war setting, so unless the IDF can demonstrate that Anas Al-Sharif was still an active combatant, then there is no justification for his killing,' Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ's chief executive, told AFP. AFP has contacted the military for comment. Al Jazeera called the attack that killed Sharif 'a desperate attempt to silence voices exposing the occupation', as it described Sharif as 'one of Gaza's bravest journalists'. It also said it followed 'repeated incitement and calls by multiple Zionist officials and spokespersons to target the fearless journalist Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues'. Reporters Without Borders says nearly 200 journalists have been killed in the war so far. International reporters are prevented from travelling to Gaza by Zionist entity, except on occasional tightly controlled trips with the military. The strike on the journalists came with criticism mounting over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to expand the war in the Gaza Strip. The security cabinet voted last week to conquer the remaining quarter or so of the territory not yet controlled by troops, including much of Gaza City and Al-Mawasi, the area designated a safe zone by Zionist entity where huge numbers of Palestinians have sought refuge. The plan, which Zionist media reported had triggered bitter disagreement between the government and military leadership, drew condemnation from protesters in Zionist entity and numerous countries, including Zionist allies. Notably, the plans caused Germany, a major weapons supplier and staunch ally, to suspend shipments to Zionist entity of any arms that could be used in Gaza. Recognizing Palestine Australia and New Zealand said they would join a growing list of Western nations in recognizing a Palestinian state. Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday. 'A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,' he told reporters in Canberra. 'Until (Zionist entity) and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary. 'Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality.' According to an AFP tally, at least 145 of the 193 UN members now recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian state, including France, Canada and Britain. 'There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it,' Albanese said. He said that Australia's decision was predicated on reassurances from the Palestinian Authority that there would be 'no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state'. The Palestinian Authority, however, does not have a presence in Gaza, which has been governed by Hamas for nearly two decades. Zionist ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said the decision was symbolic, rather than 'genuine progress towards peace'. 'Let us be clear: this decision will not change the reality on the ground,' Maimon said in a statement on social media. 'Australia elevates the position of Hamas, a group it acknowledges as a terrorist organization, while weakening the cause of those working to end violence and achieve genuine, lasting peace.' Just hours earlier, Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized international calls to recognize Palestinian statehood, saying it would 'not bring peace, it will bring war'. 'To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it and buy this canard is disappointing, and I think it's actually shameful,' he said. International concern is growing about the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings of mass starvation. Albanese further criticized the Zionist government on Monday, saying it continued to defy 'international law and deny sufficient aid'. As the global movement to recognize a Palestinian state grows, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country would carefully consider whether to do the same over the next month. He added that New Zealand's recognition of a Palestinian state was a 'matter of when, not if'. 'The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is rightly at the forefront of the global agenda,' he said. - AFP


Kuwait News Agency
7 hours ago
- Kuwait News Agency
Kuwait Cabinet approves decree-law for protecting public funds
KUWAIT, Aug 12 (KUNA) -- The Kuwaiti Cabinet on Tuesday approved a draft decree-law revising Law 1/1993 for protecting public funds, which is considered a national priority and duty for the government. It is also designed to close the loopholes of the previous law, which were revealed by practical applications, to update the legal drafting and widening the scope of criminalization and objective and procedural protection of public funds. The legislation was approved during the Cabinet's customary weekly meeting held at Bayan Palace under the chairmanship of Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah. The Cabinet also approved a draft decree-law amending Law 38/1980 with a view to speeding up litigation and coping with digital transformation. During the meeting, Minister of Oil Tareq Al-Roumi kept the ministers posted on the Kuwait Oil Company's recently launched artificial intelligence-used innovation center, which is part of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation's digital transformation strategy in the energy field. Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Abdullatif Al-Meshari elaborated on the 80-km Al-Sabriya City project, which provides 55,000 housing units. The minister described the city as one of the largest housing and development projects in northern Kuwait. For his part, Minister of Electivity, Water and Renewable Energy and Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs Dr. Sabeeh Al-Mukhaizeem briefed the cabinet on the Public Authority for Partnership Projects (PAPP)'s signing of the second and third phases of the Al-Zour North Power Plant Project, in collaboration with a consortium that includes ACWA Power company and the Gulf Investment Corporation. Meanwhile, the Cabinet decided to suspend work at all ministries, government bodies, public institutions, and agencies on Thursday, September 4, 2025, on the occasion of the Prophet's Birthday. Finally, the ministers reviewed and approved a set of subjects and matters on the agenda and decided to refer some of them to relevant ministerial committees for considering them and then reporting to the cabinet. (end) mt

Kuwait Times
7 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Norway fund drops investments in 11 Zionist entity companies
Decision 'in response to extraordinary circumstances' in Gaza OSLO: Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, said Monday that it was selling its investments in 11 Zionist entity companies, following reports it had invested in a Zionist jet engine maker even as the war in Gaza raged. The announcement follows an urgent review launched last week following media reports that the fund had built a stake in a Zionist jet engine group that provides services to Zionist entity's armed forces, including the maintenance of fighter jets. 'All investments in Zionist companies that have been managed by external managers will be moved in-house and managed internally,' the fund said. Nicolai Tangen, chief of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which manages the fund, said the decision was taken 'in response to extraordinary circumstances'. 'The situation in Gaza is a serious humanitarian crisis. We are invested in companies that operate in a country at war, and conditions in the West Bank and Gaza have recently worsened,' Tangen said in a statement. Norway's wealth fund, also known as the oil fund as it is fuelled by vast revenue from the country's energy exports, is the biggest in the world with a value of around $1.9 trillion, with investments spanning the globe. Last week, Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported that the fund had invested Zionist entity's Bet Shemesh Engines Holdings, which makes parts for engines used in Zionist fighter jets. Tangen later confirmed the reports, and said the fund had increased its stake after the Zionist offensive in Gaza began. The revelations led Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store to ask Finance Minister and former NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg for a review. NBIM said it had investments in 61 Zionist companies at the end of the first six months of this year, 11 of which were not in its 'equity benchmark index'—which is set by the finance ministry and used to gauge the wealth fund's performance. In a statement, it added that it had decided last week that 'all investments in Zionist companies that are not in the equity benchmark index will be sold as soon as possible'. The fund also said that it had 'long paid particular attention to companies associated with war and conflict'. 'Since 2020, we have been in contact with more than 60 companies to raise this issue. Of these, 39 dialogues were related to the West Bank and Gaza,' NBIM said. It said that monitoring of Zionist entity companies had been intensified in the autumn of 2024, and that 'as a result, we have sold our investments in several Zionist companies'. 'We have now completely sold out of these positions,' the fund said, adding that it continued to review Zionist entity companies for potential divestments. The review will also lead to improved due diligence, it added. The fund, which owns stakes in 8,700 companies worldwide, held shares in 65 Zionist companies at the end of 2024, valued at $1.95 billion, its records show. In the last year it sold its stakes in a Zionist entity energy company and a telecoms group over ethics concerns, and its ethics watchdog has said it is reviewing whether to divest holdings in five banks. Norway's parliament in June rejected a proposal for the fund to divest from all companies with activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. – Agencies