WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015 LOCAL MUSCAT: The fifth general conference of the Gulf Press Association that was held in Muscat, Oman in cooperation with Oman Journalists Association was concluded yesterday, under the patronage of Chairman of the Tenders Council Dr Rasheed Bin Al-Safi Al-Huraibi. The conference recommended the formation of a committee from the association’s secretariate general to meet the GCC secretary general to explain to him the difficulties the association is facing, and negatively affects its activities, and reach a cooperation formula that helps the Gulf press action, so that Gulf press can contribute better to supporting Gulf causes at this period which is full with changes, being the first line of defence. GPA Secretary General Nasser Al-Othman said there will be several activities in various member countries. Meanwhile, Chairman of Oman Journalists Accosiation Awadh Baqwair said the conference discussed challenges the Gulf press is facing. Kuwait targets economic and investment forums Arab, Int’l Relations Council to send delegation to US Kuwait takes part in Tourism Fair in Spain MADRID: Kuwait will take part in an International Tourism Trade Fair (Fitur 2015) which will be held in Madrid, Spain today. 165 countries and 9,107 international bodies and institutions will be participating in the event. Kuwait is represented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the sixth consecutive year in this event, which is considered as one of the most important fairs in the tourism field. King of Spain Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia will inaugurate the fair which is expected to be attended by more than 200 visitors from various parts of the world, including 120 tourism experts and specialists. The World Trade Organization (WTO) in cooperation with (Casa Arabe) will organize a seminar on Arab tourism, titled “policies and strategies of tourism development in the Middle East and North Africa” with the par ticipation of a number of Arab tourism ministers. — KUNA SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Kuwait is keen on taking part in regional economic forums especially those focusing on the subject of investment, a Kuwaiti official said yesterday. Speaking to KUNA on the sidelines of an economic forum yesterday, Qais Al-Bader, Assistant Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs at the office of the state minister for National Assembly and Cabinet affairs, said Kuwait’s participation in this forum was to get a closer look at the experiences of some Arab countries regarding the subject of investment. Al-Bader heads the Kuwaiti delegation to the forum which is organized by the Arab organization for administrative development - itself affiliated with the Arab League. Among topics being thrashed at this forum, he said, are defining features of investment in the Arab world; the impact capital has on investment; privatization and its ramifications; rules governing contracts; the concept of national security in connection with national economy and the relationship between contracts and court rulings. Taking part in the forum on investment are personnel work- ing in the legal departments in Arab ministries of trade and commerce and investment. Representatives from the Arab private sectors, courts, chambers of commerce and lawyers’ unions also are participating in the forum. Defend Arab interests In another development, Chairman of the Arab and International Relations Council Mohammad Jassem Al-Saqer said in Amman yesterday that the council is considering sending a delegation to the US next March to discuss Arab issues with the US Administration and the decision makers. In a statement to KUNA after the council’s meeting in the Jordanian capital Amman, Al-Saqer said that the visit aims at crystalizing unified Arab stances to defend the interests of Arab countries and rights of the Plantain people. Concerning the results of the meeting, he said that the council in its meeting concluded with forming a comprehensive Arab vision to protect the national issues, adding the council stressed its support for the Palestinian people to obtain their legal rights. The meeting, he said, underlined the necessity of facing the regional challenges through creating a unified Arab front, pointing out that the gathering focused also on a number of issues that concern the Arab region. Asked about the meeting of the council’s members with the Jordanian King Abdullah, Al-Saqer said the king launched before the members an initiative to ensure harmony among countries like Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the GCC member states and some Asian and African countries. The initiative, described by Al-Saqer as a “wise one”, aims at unifying Arab stances in the face of terrorism, he noted. The two-day meeting discussed the latest developments of the Arab psoition. Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi, former Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohammad Bin Isa, former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, former Jordanian Prime Minister Taher Al-Masri and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa took part in the meeting. Also Sudanese Minister of Investment Mustafa Osman Ismail and former Palestinian Minister of Information Mustafa Al-Barghouthi were present in the gathering. — Agencies Ooredoo names 65 applicants for Entrepreneurs Innovation Project KUWAIT: Ooredoo is proud to announce that 291 applicants submitted proposals to the Industrial Project Incubator, a training program operated by the Kuwait Industrial Union. Ooredoo is proud that the applicant numbers reached this level, which is indicative of Kuwait youth’s willingness to participate in advancing the country’s economy with their own projects and innovative ideas. 65 lucky applicants were chosen by a specialized committee, and started the training program on Sunday, with a psychometric assessment test to define their personalities. The project, which is also sponsored by the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, aims to adopt youth innovative ideas and help them starting up their businesses, in cooperation with a number of esteemed industrial organizations and training facilities. Applicants were able to register online since the beginning of the registration period in December until January 14. The applicants who made it will begin an intensive training program that lasts over the period of 4 months. Applicants will be attending workshops, seminars, as well as infield trainings of relevance. The initiative of the Kuwait Industrial Union and its partners aims to contribute in the country’s efforts to vary sources of income, especially in the current economic circumstances. It also aims to empower youth and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of industry. Ooredoo’s participation comes as part of its corporate social responsibility program, which continues to pursue opportunities for enriching communities. Gang arrested with hashish, pills By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A three-member gang was arrested with 1.5 kg of hashish, 100 gm of meth, narcotic pills and money. The arrest was made by the Drugs Control General Department after receiving tips about a citizen dealing with drugs. He was arrested in his house with a bedoon. The citizen injured himself and attacked policemen before being subdued. The drugs were found in his house. Both suspects said they get the drugs from other citizen, who was arrested in his house with a piece of hashish. Al three were sent to concerned authorities. Kuwaiti killed in horrific accident An 18-year-old citizen was killed in a horrific car accident between Bayan and Mishref. A security source said the youth was driving at a high speed, lost control and collided with a water tanker and a luxury car. 8 Iranians detained The coastguards and customs stopped a boat with eight Iranians aboard following a chase that reached Kuwait Towers. The suspects were attempting to enter Kuwait illegally. When the boat was searched, four rare falcons were found. They were sent to concerned authorities. Traffic security lecture First Lt Reem Al-Khalaf gave a traffic security lecture at Al-Wasam kindergarten, where she said the police are an indivisible part of the society’s fabric, and give all they have for the sake of the society and security. She said traffic laws should be respected to safeguard lives, adding that children below 10 should be seated in rear seats. BSI honors NBK employees KUWAIT: The Banking Studies Institute (BSI) recently honored NBK employees who took part in a training course on credit management - one of the training courses BSI provides for bankers in order to get professional accreditation certificates for 20132014. BSI held a special honoring ceremony that was attended by NBK’s HR general manager, Emad Ahmed Al-Ablani and the training section manager, Nahla Al-Sharrad.