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All have been hit by a boycott campaign over Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip since the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Western brands are feeling the impact in Egypt and Jordan, and there are signs the campaign is spreading in some other Arab countries including Kuwait and Morocco. Videos have circulated of what appear to be Israeli troops washing clothes with well-known detergent brands which viewers are urged to boycott. In Kuwait City on Tuesday evening, a tour of seven branches of Starbucks, McDonald's and KFC found them nearly empty. Previous boycott campaigns in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, had less impact, including those advocated by the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Persons: Mohamed Abd, Reham Hamed, Ahmad al, McDonald's, Jordan, Hossam Mahmoud, Sameh El Sadat, executive's, Issam Abu Shalaby, Farah Saafan, Sarah El Safty, Mai ShamsElDin, Suleiman Al, Ahmed Hagagy, Jonathan Spicer, Aidan Lewis Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Gaza, U.S, Kuwait City, McDonald's, KFC, McDonald's Corp, Reuters, BDS, Starbucks, TBS Holding, Malaysian, Cola, Nestle, Turkish, Israel, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Kentucky, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Cairo, CAIRO, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Amman, Rabat, BDS Egypt, Egyptian, Malaysia, Putrajaya, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Khalidi, Danial Azhar, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Istanbul

☆ Kuwait appoints Fahd Al-Jarallah as finance minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Kuwait on Sunday appointed Fahd Abdulaziz Al-Jarallah as finance minister, the state news agency said, following the resignation of his predecessor in July. Jarallah takes over from Manaf Abdulaziz Al Hajri who was in the role only since April this year. Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak had been acting finance minister after he resigned. Appointed as assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance in August, Jarallah is a businessman who has served on the boards of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait and Noor Financial Investment Company. Among key reforms which have faced delays is a public debt law which would allow Kuwait to borrow from international markets, but which has faced opposition from members of parliament.

Persons: Fahd Abdulaziz Al, Jarallah, Abdulaziz Al Hajri, Saad Al Barrak, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Omar Abdel, Ahmed Hagagy, Rachna Uppal, Hugh Lawson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Sunday, Oil, Ministry of Finance, Commercial Bank of Kuwait, Noor Financial Investment Company, Growth, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Kuwait

☆ Kuwait Airways plans to lease eight Airbus jets within 10 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Ahmed Hagagy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Kuwait Airways (KA.UL) plans to lease eight Airbus (AIR.PA) passenger jets within 10 years, Chairman Ali Aldokhan said on Sunday. The state-owned carrier is examining offers from leasing companies, and the contract duration for the leased planes, all Airbus 321 neo aircraft, will be between eight and 10 years, Aldokhan told a news conference. The plan to lease eight planes is in addition to Kuwait Airways' multi-billion dollar deal with Airbus in 2022 to buy 31 planes, 18 of which it has already received. The cost of jet fuel for Kuwait Airways has increased 38% year-on-year since the beginning of 2023, Aldokhan said. Kuwait Airways is in negotiations with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation on a discount mechanism to reduce the airline's jet fuel costs, CEO Maen Razouqi told the same press conference.

Persons: Ali Aldokhan, Aldokhan, Maen Razouqi, Ahmed Hagagy, Adam Makary, David Goodman, Susan Fenton Organizations: KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait Airways, Airbus, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Tala, Thomson Locations: KUWAIT

☆ Kuwait to set up new sovereign fund to develop mega projects and local economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Ahmed Hagagy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KUWAIT CITY, July 16 (Reuters) - Kuwait plans to establish a new sovereign fund to develop its local economy, spearhead mega projects, and attract funds from foreign investors and the private sector, according to a government plan seen by Reuters on Sunday. The government has tasked the Ministry of Finance and the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) with studying plans for the proposed fund, dubbed Ciyada, Arabic for sovereign, the document says. Ciyada Development Fund will be used to spearhead domestic investments, intended to fuel economic development and diversify Kuwait's economy, the document says. Ciyada would accelerate Kuwait's economic growth, promote transformation and progress in various fields of development, through strategic planning and implementation of major development projects, the document says. Abu Dhabi for instance in 2002 created Mubadala Development Co to diversify the emirate's economy and accelerate development.

Persons: Mubadala, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's, Ahmed Hagagy, Hadeel Al Sayegh, David Holmes Organizations: KUWAIT CITY, Reuters, Sunday, Ministry of Finance, Kuwait Investment Authority, Ciyada, Kuwait Investment Office, Reserve Fund, Fund, Government, International Petroleum Investment Co, Mubadala, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Thomson Locations: KUWAIT, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi

KUWAIT, June 6 (Reuters) - Kuwait on Tuesday holds its second legislative election in nine months in a bid to resolve a grinding political crisis that has seen parliament repeatedly dissolved and reinstated, hindering economic reforms. Kuwait's last election was in September 2022, when opposition candidates made gains and which was called to replace the 2020 parliament which had been dissolved in a bid to end political bickering. The 2022 vote was nullified in March and parliament was reinstated under its 2020 composition. Frequent political deadlock in Kuwait, the Gulf region's oldest and most lively legislature, has for decades led to cabinet reshuffles and parliament dissolutions. "In terms of moving past this political impasse, political reform is often discussed, but there is little agreement about what type of reform would be best" Freer said.

Persons: state's, reshuffles, Courtney Freer, Freer, Lisa Barrington, Ahmed Hagagy, Bernadette Baum Organizations: National Assembly, Emory University, Monetary Fund, Debt, Thomson Locations: KUWAIT, Kuwait, dissolutions

☆ Kuwait court reinstates previous parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Ahmed Hagagy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KUWAIT, March 19 (Reuters) - Kuwait's Constitutional Court on Sunday ruled that last September's parliamentary election, in which the opposition made gains, was void and that the previous assembly must be reinstated. Kuwait's crown prince last year dissolved parliament and called early polls in an effort to end prolonged domestic political feuding that has hindered fiscal reform. However, Justice Mohammad bin Naji on Sunday said the court had declared that dissolution of parliament as void and had annulled the early elections held in September. "The constitutional authority of the dissolved parliament shall be restored as of the date of this ruling," he told the court session attended by reporters. "Kuwait does not deserve such farces," MP Saleh Ashour said on Twitter after the court ruling.

☆ Kuwait aims to build political cohesion with new amnesty for jailed critics
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ahmed Hagagy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KUWAIT, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Kuwait's emir has pardoned dozens of jailed critics under a new amnesty as the Gulf state builds on efforts to end domestic political feuding that has hampered fiscal reforms and as tensions surface between the new government and parliament. The amnesty decreed by Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, published in the Official Bulletin on Wednesday pardoned 34 Kuwaitis, most of them convicted for voicing public criticism. Kuwait bans political parties but has given its legislature more influence than similar bodies in other Gulf monarchies, and political stability in the U.S.-allied country has traditionally hinged on cooperation between the government and parliament. Opposition MP Mubarak Al-Hajraf, who has submitted a request to question the finance minister, in a Twitter post thanked the emir and the crown prince for the "generous amnesty". Reporting by Ahmed Hagagy Writing by Ghaida Ghantous Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Libyan oil production at 1.2 mln barrels per day, oil minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KUWAIT, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Libya is producing about 1.2 million barrels per day of oil, oil minister Mohamed Oun told reporters on the sidelines of an OAPEC meeting on Monday. "We hope to return to 2010 levels, which was 1.6 million bpd, within two or three years," he added. He added that he hoped that Libya's decision to lift force majeure on oil and gas exploration, which was announced last week, would encourage foreign oil companies to return to the country. Reporting by Ahmed Hagagy, writing by Ahmad Ghaddar in Dubai; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jazeera Airways plans to get around $2 bln from banks for Airbus deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KUWAIT, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Jazeera Airways is planning to get around $2 billion from commercial banks to fund 70% of a deal it has with Airbus (AIR.PA) for 28 A320neo airliners, the Kuwaiti carrier's chairman told Reuters on Monday. Reporting by Ahmed Hagagy; writing by Lina Najem; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kuwait crown prince says 'petty' political squabbling must end
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Ahmed Hagagy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There has been enough waste of painstaking efforts, precious time and squandered money," Sheikh Meshal said in the address, visibly crying at the end. Kuwait, an OPEC oil producer, bans political parties but has given its legislature more influence than similar bodies in other Gulf monarchies. Opposition figures made big gains in legislative polls in September after Sheikh Meshal dissolved parliament in a bid to end the stalemate. Before that he appointed Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as prime minister at a time opposition lawmakers stepped up pressure for a new premier and parliament speaker. Sheikh Meshal pledged on Tuesday that the government would not interfere in the selection of the parliament speaker or parliamentary committees.

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