logo
Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief meets Russian ambassador

Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief meets Russian ambassador

Kuwait Times22-06-2025
By Faten Omar
KUWAIT: The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the State of Kuwait Vladimir Zheltov visited the offices of Kuwait Times and Kuwait News on Sunday, where he was warmly received by the editorial teams and given a tour of the various departments, including the newsroom, the printing press, and the archive room.
During the visit, the ambassador met Editor-in-Chief of Kuwait Times Dr M Ziad Al-Alyan. The two discussed the situation in the Middle East in light of the American strikes on Iran. The Palestinian issue and the Ukrainian crisis were also touched upon.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US-India August trade talks called off
US-India August trade talks called off

Kuwait Times

time20 hours ago

  • Kuwait Times

US-India August trade talks called off

New Delhi plans tax cuts to spur growth in face of US tariffs WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: A planned visit by US trade negotiators to New Delhi from August 25-29 has been called off, a source said, delaying talks on a proposed trade agreement and dashing hopes of relief from additional US tariffs on Indian goods from August 27. The current round of negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement is now likely to be deferred to another date that has yet to be decided, the source with direct knowledge of the matter said. The US embassy in New Delhi said it has no additional information on the trade and tariff talks, which are being handled by the United States Trade Representative (USTR). India's trade ministry did not immediately reply to a Reuters email seeking comments. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations. The new import tax, which will come into effect from August 27, will raise duties on some Indian exports to as high as 50 percent - among the highest levied on any US trading partner. Trade talks between New Delhi and Washington collapsed after five rounds of negotiations over disagreement on opening India's vast farm and dairy sectors and stopping Russian oil purchases. India's Foreign Ministry has said the country is being unfairly singled out for buying Russian oil while the United States and European Union continue to purchase goods from Russia. The Indian government has decided to slash the consumption tax it charges consumers and businesses by October, a top official said, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced sweeping tax reforms to boost the economy in the face of a trade conflict with Washington. The federal government will propose a two-rate structure of 5 percent and 18 percent, doing away with the 12 percent and 28 percent tax that was imposed on some items, said the government official, who declined to be named as the plans are still private. The plan is to bring '99 percent' of all the items that are in 12 percent category to 5 percent, the official said. That tax slab includes butter, fruit juices, and dry fruits, and any cuts to the basket could benefit the likes of Nestle to Hindustan Unilever to Procter & Gamble. The tax cut plan comes amid growing tensions between New Delhi and Washington on steep US tariffs on Indian goods. Modi on Friday made a public appeal to promote domestic products, and his supporters have been calling for boycott of American products. Addressing the nation on its 79th independence day, Modi earlier said that the goods and services tax would be reformed and taxes lowered by Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, set to be celebrated in October this year. 'This Diwali, I am going to make it a double Diwali for you. Over the past eight years, we have undertaken a major reform in goods and services tax. We are bringing next-generation GST reforms that will reduce the tax burden across the country,' Modi said. The final decision will be taken by the GST (goods and services taxes) Council, which is chaired by the finance minister and has all the state's finance ministers as members, the official said. The council is set to meet by October. Citi estimates that about 20 percent of items - including packaged food and beverages, apparel and hotel accommodation - fall under the 12 percent GST slab, accounting for 5-10 percent of consumption and 5-6 percent of GST revenue. If most of these are moved to the 5 percent slab and some to the 18 percent slab, it could lead to a revenue loss of around 500 billion rupees, or 0.15 percent of GDP, potentially taking the total policy stimulus for households in the current 2025-26 financial year to 0.6 percent-0.7 percent of GDP, the brokerage said. — Reuters

51 martyred in Zionist war of extermination
51 martyred in Zionist war of extermination

Kuwait Times

time21 hours ago

  • Kuwait Times

51 martyred in Zionist war of extermination

51 martyred in Zionist war of extermination RAMALLAH: Health authorities in the Gaza Strip announced Saturday that 51 Palestinians were killed and 369 others wounded in the past 24 hours amid the ongoing Zionist military campaign. In a press statement, the authorities said 17 of those killed and 250 injured were struck while waiting for humanitarian aid, raising the total number of Palestinians killed in such incidents to 1,898 and the injured to over 14,113. With the latest figures, the overall death toll from the Zionist aggression since October 7, 2023, has climbed to 61,827, while 155,275 have been wounded. The authorities further reported that between March 18, 2025, and Saturday, 10,300 Palestinians have been killed and 43,234 wounded. A new child fatality due to famine and malnutrition was also recorded, bringing the total to 240, including 107 children. Meanwhile, Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Zionist decision to approve new settlement units in the West Bank and around occupied East Jerusalem. In a statement Friday, the ministry said the move 'poses a serious threat to regional security and stability' and constitutes a blatant violation of ternational law, including UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice affirming the illegality of settlements and annexation of occupied Palestinian lands. Kuwait stressed that such unilateral actions undermine international efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, while urging the UN Security Council and the international community to shoulder their legal and moral responsibilities to halt violations and protect the Palestinian people. In a related development, foreign ministers of 31 Arab and Islamic countries, together with the secretaries-general of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), issued a joint statement Friday rejecting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks on 'Greater (Zionist entity).' The statement, broadcast by Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the remarks as a flagrant breach of international law, a threat to Arab national security, and a destabilizing factor for regional and global peace. The ministers also denounced Zionist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's approval of a settlement plan in the E1 area and his 'racist, extremist' statements rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. They stressed that Zionist entity has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territories and reaffirmed their commitment to UNSC Resolution 2334, which condemns all settlement activities. The joint statement further cited the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice confirming the illegality of occupation and the need for its immediate end, alongside reparations for damages caused. The ministers warned of the dangers of continued settlement expansion, settler violence, and attempts to alter the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites, including Al-Aqsa Mosque. They stressed that such actions fuel violence, undermine peace prospects, and threaten to escalate conflict with unpredictable consequences for regional and international stability. Reiterating their rejection of genocide, forced displacement, and systematic starvation policies in Gaza, the ministers called for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access. They urged an end to the blockade and full accountability for violations against the Palestinian people. The statement affirmed that Gaza is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and underscored the need for the Palestinian Authority to assume governance responsibilities across Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with Arab and international support under the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The joint communiqué urged the international community, particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council and especially the United States, to act decisively to stop aggression, prevent further escalation, provide protection for Palestinians, and enable them to exercise their legitimate rights — foremost among them the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The statement was endorsed by the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria, Bangladesh, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen, as well as the Secretary-General of the Arab League, the OIC, and the GCC.- KUNA

European leaders to join Ukraine's Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump
European leaders to join Ukraine's Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump

Arab Times

timea day ago

  • Arab Times

European leaders to join Ukraine's Zelenskyy for meeting with Trump

KYIV, Ukraine, Aug 17, (AP): European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington for talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, with the possibility of US security guarantees now on the negotiating table. Leaders from France, Britain and Germany are rallying around the Ukrainian leader after his exclusion from Trump's summit on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their pledge to be at Zelenskyy's side at the White House on Monday is an apparent effort to ensure the meeting goes better than the last one in February, when Trump berated Zelenskyy in a heated Oval Office encounter. "The Europeans are very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated and so they want to support Mr Zelenskyy to the hilt,' said retired French Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former head of France's military mission at the United Nations. "It's a power struggle and a position of strength that might work with Trump,' he said. Special US envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Putin agreed at the meeting in Alaska with Trump to allow the US and European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense mandate as part of an eventual deal to end the 3 1/2-year war. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that "we welcome President Trump's willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine. And the 'Coalition of the willing' -- including the European Union -- is ready to do its share.' Von der Leyen was joined Sunday by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in saying they will take part in Monday's talks at the White House, as will secretary-general of the NATO military alliance, Mark Rutte. The European leaders' demonstration of support could help ease concerns in Kyiv and in other European capitals that Ukraine risks being railroaded into a peace deal that Trump says he wants to broker with Russia. Neil Melvin, director of international security at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said European leaders are trying to "shape this fast-evolving agenda.' After the Alaska summit, the idea of a ceasefire appears all-but-abandoned, with the narrative shifting toward Putin's agenda of ensuring Ukraine does not join NATO or even the EU. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC's "Meet the Press' on Sunday that a possible ceasefire is "not off the table' but that the best way to end the war would be through a "full peace deal.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store