KUWAIT: Oil companies received verbal orders to stop appointments, promotions and transfers until further notice. This is a standard protocol followed whenever the parliament is dissolved or the cabinet resigns to insure that no violations are committed and maintain transparency and impartiality, sources said. Current vacant posts are not expected to be filled until a new parliament is elected, the sources added. —Al-Rai

Fertilizer plants closed

The Petrochemical Industries Company informed its staff that fertilizers’ plants will be closed between December 2017 and March 2018. A total of 360 Kuwaiti employees working at those plants will be transferred to other sectors, while 580 contracted expatriate workers are likely to be assigned to other duties such as operating the polypropylene and aromatics plants, the company said in a letter to employees. —Al-Anbaa