KUWAIT: The interior ministry decided to defer increasing residency fees and traffic fines to next year, said informed sources, noting that the ministry decided to refer both projects to the parliament for voting in the next parliamentary term. The sources added that the ministry's legal affairs department had already finalized the project on increasing residency fees, while the one on traffic violations is still being studied. A report earlier this year suggested that the ministry proposed increasing fees for visa issuance and renewal charges by as much as 100 percent. The next National Assembly term starts late October.

Compensations

Iraq officially asked Kuwait to postpone paying the remaining compensations for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The request is being made again due to the continuation of a severe economic crisis in Iraq. According to a statement made by the Iraqi foreign ministry, the Iraqi government was fully committed to the bilateral agreements made with Kuwait. The statement also stressed that Kuwait approved the Iraqi request and agreed to the postponement.

KD 18 million

The Ministry of Health has allocated KD 18 million for contracts with cleaning services, hospital and clinics wastes' disposal, cooling warehouses and health offices abroad. The ministry also allocated KD 3.4 million for security contracts providing services at various health facilities and nursing staff hostels. In addition, the ministry allocated KD 1.12 million for training courses in various medical fields, in addition to bonuses for non-Kuwaiti doctors.

By A Saleh