KUWAIT: MP Ahmad Al-Fadhl said yesterday that some foreign countries have been "blackmailing" Kuwait lately over allegations of mistreatment of domestic helpers in the country. The lawmaker acknowledged that there were a few cases of abuse of domestic helpers "like in all countries of the world", but this should not be allowed to be exploited to blackmail Kuwait.

Fadhl criticized Al-Durra Company for the recruitment of domestic helpers from abroad, formed by a law passed by the Assembly to help cut maid recruitment costs for families in the country, saying the company has failed to carry out its job. Meanwhile, MP Majed Al-Mutairi submitted a draft law calling to increase government financial assistance to Kuwaiti university students from KD 200 monthly to between KD 250 and KD 400 monthly based on the year of study.

By B Izzak