1. law, govt and politics
2. government
3. embassies and consulates

ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015
LOCAL
6
KEPS ‘organizes’ program on
rationalization of water usage
Foundation holds environmental awareness promotion
KUWAIT CITY, Feb
14,
(KUNA):
The
Kuwait Environment
Protection
Society
(KEPS) has underscored the significance
of the water consumption rationalization program that is part of the
society’s efforts aimed
at raising people’s
awareness toward the
environmental issues.
In a statement issued on
Saturday,
the
KEPS’s
Secretary General Wejdan AlOqab said that the program
organized by the society in
collaboration with Issa Ahmad
Al-Hamad’s secondary school
included lectures, presentations and exhibitions that have
positive impacts for students.
The events contributed to helping students know how to preserve environment, she said, noting the society developed several
programs to raise students’ awareness on environmental issues.
She added that some students
made their presentations on the
rationalization of water consumption.
An experiment conducted by
Yusuf Al-Ramzi, a KEPS’s member, on the process of rationalization at houses was also presented
during the events, she said.
Underlined
Photos by Mohammad Khalaf
For his part, Oqail Al-Mehanna,
school’s senior official, underlined the importance of school’s
keenness on developing the talents of students and organizing
several events to make use of
these talents.
He said that the Kuwaiti
National
Committee
for
Education, Science and Culture,
the sponsor of program, as well as
representatives of Ministry of
Electricity and Water lauded the
idea of the program.
He added they look forward to
implementing the idea at several
schools to help students be aware
of issues relating to environment,
health and public services.
Meanwhile, Kuwait Dive Team
(KDT), affiliated with the
Environmental
Voluntary
Foundation (EVF), has organized
a day of environmental awareness
activities at Al-Kout beach south
of Kuwait City.
Female students took part in the
activity, during which “shaem”
fish were released into the sea
waters, as a symbolic act for protecting marine species living in
the territorial waters of Kuwait.
Walid Al-Fadhel, the head of
the divers’ team, told KUNA the
foundation has “achieved real
environmental partnership with
the public schools, through such
voluntary and awareness’ promotion activities to protect the
marine life.” The activity aims to
inculcate among the youth motivation for environmental voluntary works to protect the environment, he said.
The foundation is one several
national bodies involved in
diverse activities aimed at protecting the environment, such as lifting waste on the ground and at the
sea, salvaging living species such
as turtles threatened with extinction and safeguarding coral reefs,
habitat for diverse species in the
national waters.
Top and above: some photos from the ‘Friends of Hearts’ Marathon.
‘Friends of Hearts’
Marathon aims to combat
obesity-related ‘diseases’
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 14, (KUNA):
The Ministry of Health’s role is not
only based on treating patients, but
also on raising people’s awareness
about health problems, Minister Dr
Ali Al-Obaidi said.
While inaugurating the sixth
marathon of “Friends of Hearts”
organized on Saturday by the Chest
Diseases Hospital, Al-Obaidi noted
that the event is part of the ministry’s
program to educate people about
important health issues.
He said that the marathon aims at
strengthening relations between
patients and staff at the ministry,
which is tasked with offering better
services for people.
The minister added that such activities promote the concept of overall
heath, which includes many axes that
guarantee good health, noting the ministry seeks to enhance also the concept
of health culture among citizens.
Organizing health exhibition on the
sidelines of the marathon comes in line
with the ministry’s strategy toward the
prevention of breast cancer and noncommunicable diseases, he said.
For his part, Director of Chest
Diseases Hospital Dr Nader Al-
Use non-Kuwaiti goods only in emergency
Give priority to Kuwaiti products: MoH
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 14: The
Ministry of Health has instructed
the contracting companies in charge
of its projects to use Kuwaiti products as a way of supporting local
products, reports Al-Anba daily
quoting sources.
Sources said the ministry had
emphasized that the companies
should use non-Kuwaiti products
only in case of emergency to guarantee smooth flow of work, but priority should always be given to
Kuwaiti products.
On the other hand, the ministry
has asked the concerned authorities
in the health sector to refrain from
requesting medical equipment or
devices without providing a place or
location for using them. Sources
revealed this decision was taken
after the Audit Bureau uncovered
many violations, which resulted in
storing medical devices in warehouses for a long period without
using them; thereby, exposing them
to damage.
Sources added the ministry
stressed the need to avoid committing any violation in the future and
to stop requests for excessive number of medical devices for hospitals.
Awadhi said that the marathon underlines the significance of sports.
He voiced his gratitude to Minister
Al-Obaidi and the organizing committee’s members for their effort and support to such events.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director of
hospital Dr Hani Al-Mutairi said that
the event was considered an opportunity to raise people’s awareness on
risks of heart diseases and to give
them tips for a healthy diet.
Fines on those
‘caught’ pasting
ads on buildings
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 14: The
Legislative Affairs Committee has
completed a bill to modify law no.
5/2005
of
the
Kuwait
Municipality, reports Al-Qabas
daily.
Report of the committee indicated the bill imposes one month
to three months imprisonment
with a minimum of KD1000 and
KD2000 maximum fine or one of
the two penalties against any person who pastes advertisements on
the buildings or private accommodations or vehicles.
Sources said the committee
mulls cancellation of the
imprisonment penalty, stressing
it does not measure up the violation.
They noted it is not logical to
imprison a person for putting a
sticker or advertisement, because
the violation does not necessitate
such penalty.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary
Finance Committee intends to
approve all modifications submitted by the government regarding
the Stock Exchange Authority
Bill, reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources.
Sources revealed the committee
will meet on Sunday with the government’s representatives to discuss 39 modifications, besides
other proposals presented by lawmakers in this domain in a bid to
approve whatever is deemed
appropriate.
KUNA photos
Top and above: Some pictures from the program.
Kuwait to provide $224m to 13 projects in Africa
Arab-African panel
convenes in Egypt
CAIRO, Feb 14, (KUNA): The seventh
meeting of the Arab-African partnership
coordination committee convened here on
Saturday at the level of senior officials
under chairmanship of the State of
Kuwait.
The Arab side of the committee comprises Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt, while the
African side consists of Zimbabwe, Chad
and Mauritania.
Speaking to KUNA on the sidelines of
the meeting, Kuwait’s permanent representative Azeez Al-Daihani said the conferees had mainly discussed a host of key
issues pertinent to Arab-African partnership issues.
The agenda primarily involves resolutions adopted by the Arab-African Summit
held in Kuwait in November 2013, chiefly
a brief report on the implementation of initiatives launched by His Highness the
Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on investment and
development in African countries, he said.
During the meeting, the conferees highly appreciated His Highness the Amir’s
humanitarian efforts, and development
and investment initiatives for African
countries, he added.
In this context, the Kuwaiti diplomat
pointed to coordination between concerned agencies in Kuwait on the one hand
and the African Union (AU) and the Arab
League on the other hand over the implementation of development projects in
African countries.
Kuwait has sent messages to Arab and
African countries asking about the appropriate vision and mechanism for the execution of Arab-funded development and
investment projects in African countries in
a way that would surely benefit the people
of Africa, Al-Daihani added.
Since His Highness the Amir’s development initiatives for Africa were launched,
Kuwait has provided African countries
with easy loans worth USD 2 billion over
five years and USD-1-billion investments,
in addition to a USD-1-million prize for
African development research, a senior
Kuwaiti official said.
Kuwait has also extended loans in the
vicinity of USD 285 million to 17 development projects in 17 African countries,
mainly hospitals, schools, roads and dams,
the Chief of the Foreign Ministry’s Africa
Department Hamad Al-Meshan told
KUNA. Furthermore, Kuwait will provide
a total of USD 224 million to 13 development projects in 13 African countries, he
noted.
All these sums only make up over 50
percent of funding pledged in His
Highness the Amir’s development and
investment initiatives for African countries, he added.
End ‘illegitimate’
militia.
They also shouted slogans against Russia,
which is thought to be reluctant to take a hard
line against the Huthis at the UN Security
Council.
Witnesses said the Huthis fired warning
shots to disperse the protest, wounding at least
six people.
Meanwhile, the family of demonstrator
Saleh Awadh al-Bashiri, detained by the Huthis
Wednesday at a protest against their takeover
said he had died from torture wounds suffered
in captivity.
Another two protesters who were held with
him have also been hospitalised after they were
found wounded and left on a street.
Diplomatically, more countries shut their
embassies, with Spain and the United Arab
Emirates becoming the latest to announce
Saturday they had suspended operations at
their missions in Sanaa.
The UAE foreign ministry said it has also
evacuated all staff, following a similar move by
Sunni-dominated GCC leader Saudi Arabia.
“This decision comes in light of the increasingly deteriorating political and security situation” and the “unfortunate events with the
Huthis undermining legitimate authority in the
country,” the UAE said in a statement carried
by the official WAM news agency.
The United States, France, Germany, Italy,
Britain and the Netherlands have also closed
their embassies and withdrawn staff because of
security fears.
And Spain said it was temporarily suspending embassy activity in Yemen “in light of the
current situation of insecurity and instability in
Sanaa”.
The embassy had advised all Spanish citizens to “temporarily” leave Yemen, the foreign
ministry said.
And the Turkish foreign ministry “strongly”
advised Turks in Yemen to leave.
The Huthis had said Western powers had no
reason to shut their embassies, insisting that
security was solid in the capital.
Tehran had also criticised the “hasty action”
of closing the embassies, insisting the Huthis
were fighting “corruption and terrorism”.
Continued from Page 1
GCC foreign ministers, said Yemen was facing the most dangerous challenge since the
2011 revolution.
This dangerous challenge, he added, “imposes responsibilities upon us, which require rapid
action to help the Yemeni people in order to
prevent the country from sliding into chaos or
internal fighting, and threatening its unity and
territorial safety.” All parties in Yemen should
realize that lack of legitimacy and rule of law,
as well as rejectionist policy, will pave way for
violence levels to intensify thus undermine stability and security of the region and the world,
he said.
The legitimate authorities in Yemen should
be supported to restore order nationwide, said
Al-Attiyah.
The GCC foreign ministers are still meeting
behind closed doors.
Kuwait is represented by First Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah
Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
Shiite militiamen behind a power grab fired
live rounds to disperse thousands of protesters
in central Yemen Saturday, as security fears
prompted more foreign governments to close
their embassies in Sanaa.
In the Saudi capital Riyadh, foreign ministers of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries were holding an extraordinary meeting,
with Gulf sources saying they would discuss
developments in their impoverished neighbour.
Matters worsened last week when they ousted the government.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
warned that Yemen is falling apart and called
for Western-backed President Abedrabbo
Mansour Hadi, who resigned last month in
protest at growing unrest sparked by the
Huthis, to be restored to power.
In the city of Ibb, which the militia have held
since last year, protesters chanted: “Huthi, Iran:
Yemen is not Lebanon!”, in reference to predominantly Shiite Iran’s alleged support for the