Kuwait gets new finance minister

The head of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has been appointed finance minister, replacing the former minister who quit for health reasons.

Prime Minister Al Sabah said al-Nuri quit on health grounds

Badir al-Humaidhi on Monday took the oath of office in front of the ruler Amir Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah, according to the state-run Kuwait News Agency.

 

Prime Minister Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah told the Kuna agency that the former minister, Mahmud al-Nuri, had submitted his resignation about a year ago but it was not accepted.

 

Al-Nuri resubmitted it recently and “his health reasons left us no choice but to accept his wish,” Shaikh Al Sabah said, without elaborating.

 

Director-general

 

Al-Humaidhi has been director-general of the fund, the government’s lending arm, since 1986.

 

On Wednesday, Anas al-Rshaid, a mass communications teacher at Kuwait University, was appointed information minister.

 

The US-educated teacher replaced Muhammad Abu al-Hassan, who resigned in January ahead of a questioning in parliament by hardline lawmakers.