KUWAIT: The Sawaber Complex (right) in downtown Kuwait City. —Photo by Athoob Al-Shuaibi

KUWAIT: The Finance Ministry's Assistant Undersecretary for Expropriation Affairs Fahd Al-Sholah said the total cost of repossessing Al-Sawaber complex in downtown Kuwait City is KD 110 million. Sholah added that the complex's total area is 22,800 sq m and contains 528 apartments, of which the owners of only 15 have not yet finished transfer procedures.

No strike

Chairman of Kuwait Nursing Association Bandar Nashmi Al-Enezi denied any strike action among nursing staff and stressed that all nurses' demands would be made through legal channels, leaving strikes as the last resort. Enezi also hailed the Ministry of Health's (MoH) Undersecretary for the support he showed to the nursing profession, such as the decision of giving them two-day weekends. He also noted that Kuwait Nursing Association will soon meet MoH officials to discuss various problems.

Road projects

The Ministry of Public Works' (MPW) Assistant Undersecretary for Road Engineering Ahmad Al-Hassan said 23 partial road openings would be made until the end of 2017, and that the ministry will coordinate with the traffic department over all openings so as to ensure the safety of road users. Meanwhile, MPW's Director of the First Ring Road Development Project Khaled Al-Salem said around 20 percent of the project has been completed and that construction works were going according to schedule despite some obstacles, adding that it is set to be concluded by the end of 2019. Salem explained that the road, also known as 'Sabah I Road,' includes three tunnels.

Court orders

The appeals court yesterday fined cleric Hussein Al-Maatouq KD 20,000 in a state security case filed against him over charges of violating the national solidarity law. Maatouq had brought up in a Friday sermon the topic of investigations with the suspects arrested in the Abdaly cell case. He was accused of instigating sectarian tumult that could have prompted some youth to commit illegal acts. Meanwhile, the administrative court yesterday ordered Kuwait University to appoint a female citizen as a teaching assistant at the College of Science and temporarily compensate her with KD 1,001 for rejecting her appointment.

Foreign Ministry

Chairman of the parliament's budgets and final statements committee Adnan Abdulsamad said the committee's meeting with the foreign minister was adjourned because First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah is accompanying His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah during his current state visit to Oman. "The foreign ministry did not inform us of its wish to postpone the meeting to enable the minister to attend it, although it was notified of the committee's wish to meet with the minister early enough," Abdulsamad said, noting that the meeting was scheduled to discuss the ministry's final statement for 2015-2016 and related State Audit Bureau's remarks about violations that have continued without rectification for years.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi and A Saleh