Search results

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah returned to Kuwait late December from his latest trip to Italy for medical treatment. It was his fourth trip to Italy in 2022.

Kuwait’s National Assembly (parliament) agreed on 14 December to look into alleged graft in two controversial defence contracts: a $9bn deal with Leonardo in 2016 to supply 28 Eurofighter Typhoons and a deal to buy 30 Caracal helicopters from Airbus.

Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah went back to Italy on 12 December, for what was officially termed a “private visit”. It comes just over seven weeks after the emir returned from his last trip to Italy for medical tests and was the fourth time he had travelled to the country in 2022.

The Kuwaiti government survived its first parliamentary grilling since the 29 September general election, when public works minister Amani Bugammaz was quizzed by member of parliament (MP) Hamdan Al-Azmi on 29 November over alleged conflicts of interest, wasting public money and giving false information to parliament.

The High Court of Bombay rejected an interim application by Kuwaiti Sheikha Fadiah Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah to evict three Mumbai businessmen from a property in the Indian city in November. The case dates back to 2013, when the Kuwaiti royal family sought to force the men from the Al-Sabah Court apartment block on Marine Drive in the Mumbai and pay compensation.

Recently-appointed Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) chief executive Sheikh Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah has reshuffled the senior management of the state-owned group’s main subsidiaries, in the latest sign of change in the country’s energy sector.

Kuwait executed seven people at the Central Prison on the morning of 16 November, including four locals and citizens of Ethiopia, Pakistan and Syria. The Public Prosecution said their various crimes included murder, kidnapping, possession of unlicensed firearms and adultery. It was the largest number of executions since 2017.

Kuwait’s Sheikha Majda Jaber Hamoud Al-Sabah has launched a non-profit organisation to tackle mental health issues. Majda said she was motivated to start the Houna Initiative after suffering an episode of severe depression several years ago

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah arrived back in Kuwait, after his latest visit to Italy for medical checks. He has made at least two other trips to Italy this year, but until now officials had only described them as “private visits”

The United States has approved a deal to sell a $3bn air defence system to Kuwait.

Concerted opposition from Kuwait’s National Assembly forced Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed to quickly rethink his cabinet. Senior figures including Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal have since called for an end to disputes over “petty matters” but the parliamentary arithmetic suggests further clashes between the executive and the legislature, and between liberals and conservatives, is more likely than not.

More than half of the seats in the National Assembly changed hands in the late-September election, with opposition and Islamist groups emerging as the main winners.

The Kuwait Air Force received two more Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3 jets in late September, part of a $9.6bn order for 28 of the multi-role fighter aircraft signed in late 2015.

The recent death in London of disgraced former Kuwait pensions boss Fahad Al-Rajaan – convicted in 2019 for embezzling funds from the Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) – has meant efforts to recover the missing assets are now likely to shift to other family members and accomplices.

GSN Risk Grade – B↓2↓ Candidates line up: A total of 376 candidates have registered for the National Assembly (parliament) election, which is due to be held on 29 September. At least one candidate has since been ruled out, after police arrested an un-named former MP who was standing in the second constituency, accusing him of attempting to buy votes.