KUWAIT GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
Kuwaiti Journalists Tied to Israel: Iranian Ambassador [Jun 4]
“Iran’s outgoing ambassador to Kuwait has accused some of the local journalists of receiving money to attack Iran and defend Israel, Kuwaiti media reported. “They are journalists for hire and promote Zionists,” Ali Jannati allegedly said, arguing that the Israeli government often praised them and that their views were always given prominence on the Israeli foreign ministry website, Al Aan reported on Thursday. “Kuwait’s democracy and press freedom are not found in other countries. The existence of a free press is a highly positive thing and we benefit a lot from opinion pieces and political analyses. We also welcome criticism on domestic and international issues,” he said. “However, there are some fabricated news about the Islamic Republic of Iran and some of the opinion pieces are by journalists paid to write against Iran. Anti-Iran news are concocted and there is no attempt to check their veracity or accuracy,” he said, quoted by Al Jareeda daily. However, no names or references were given by the ambassador at the farewell lunch he hosted for journalists in Kuwait..” [Complete Report]
Kuwait Foreign Assets Soar to $277 bln: Report [Jun 4]
“The foreign assets of OPEC member Kuwait swelled to 277 billion dollars at the end of the fiscal year to March 31, up from 238 billion dollars a year earlier, the Al-Jarida newspaper said Friday. The assets are held in two state-owned funds, the Reserve Fund for Future Generations (RFFG) whose assets grew to 220 billion dollars on March 31 up on 196 billion dollars the previous year. The second fund is the General State Reserve with 57 billion dollars at the end of the last fiscal year up from 42 billion dollars, Al-Jarida said. Finance Minister Mustafa al-Shamali gave a briefing on Kuwait’s financial postion to parliament at a secret session on Thursday and declined to reveal any figures to reporters. Kuwaiti foreign investments, which were estimated to have soared to a record 300 billion dollars in 2008, were severely affected by the global economic crisis. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in its 2009 World Investment Report that Kuwait sovereign wealth fund assets shrank by 94 billion dollars last year due to the economic meltdown. But KIA categorically denied the report without providing any figures..” [Complete Report]
Kuwait Partnership [Jun 4]
“A group of higher education officials from the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) college in Kuwait visited the University of Dayton to explore partnerships between the two schools. PAAET officials Meshal Metle, dean of the College of Business Studies; Wael Alhasawi, dean of the College of Technological Studies; and Muhammad Alhatem, director of quality control, visited the University from May 21 through May 26 to explore ways the two institutions might join forces. “We believe the University of Dayton is an excellent educational opportunity for PAAET students to continue their education,” said Metle. “There are many opportunities to pursue and we look forward to working with our University of Dayton colleagues to make a stronger partnership a reality.”..” [Complete Report]
