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Paris Saint-Germain beat Marseille on penalties to win a topsy turvy French Champions Trophy in Kuwait on Thursday.PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was the hero of the night, saving two spot-kicks as PSG took the penalty lottery 4-1 after a frenetic end to the match left the two sides locked at 2-2.Desire Doue converted the decisive spot-kick after Chevalier had saved efforts from Marseille's Matt O'Riley and Hamed Traore.PSG had taken an early lead when their Ballon d'Or winning attacker Ousmane Dembele deftly lifted the ball over Marseille 'keeper Geronimo Rulli.Only Rulli's quick thinking prevented Nuno Mendes doubling PSG's advantage minutes later.Rulli's opposite number Chevalier displayed his own goalkeeping prowess when denying Marseille defender Emerson's goal bound shot after the half hour.PSG had Chevalier to thank again when the stopper somehow kept out Igor Paixao's header near the hour mark.But with a quarter of an hour remaining, an ugly challenge by Chevalier triggered a Marseille penalty and, after confirmation from VAR, former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood coolly converted the spot-kick.With the match only three minutes away from penalties, centre-back Willian Pacho's ill-advised clearance flummoxed his 'keeper as Marseille suddenly seemed set to seal their first silverware since their 2012 French League Cup title.But in the fifth minute of injury time Goncalo Ramos poked Bradley Barcola's cross in to level and send the game to penalties, and ultimately victory for Luis Enrique's PSG.This was PSG's record-extending 14th win in the equivalent of France's 'Super Cup' in a game virtually shunned by both sides' fans due to travel costs.A banner unfurled at Marseille's Stade Velodrome last Sunday during their 2-0 upset loss to lowly Nantes in Ligue 1 summed up the general mood of dissatisfaction from supporters hanging over the encounter.It read: "FCT 2026 in Kuwait. And for 2027, on the moon?"The fixture traditionally between the Ligue 1 champions and French Cup winners has led a nomadic existence over the years as the French Football Federation seeks to promote Ligue 1 beyond its borders.Previous editions have been staged in Canada, China, Gabon, Israel, Qatar, USA, Morocco and Austria, amongst other venues.After this awayday in the Middle East the two teams refocus on domestic matters next week, with French Cup outings before PSG, one point behind Lens in second, host Lille next Friday, and Marseille, seven points adrift of PSG in third, travel to Angers.And in Europe, PSG will also be keen to wrap up automatic qualification to the Champions League last 16.The holders are third in the league phase standings with two games remaining while Marseille are 16th and in contention for a play-off spot.With PSG winning both the league and French Cup last season, Marseille owed their presence in Kuwait to being league runners-up in 2024/25, albeit a yawning 19 points behind their arch rivals.

The Minister of Social, Family and Childhood Affairs of Kuwait Dr. Amthal Al Huwailah stated that women in the region and the world are a driving force for positive transformation and for building a more inclusive, just, and equitable future for all, adding that investing in women is not only a commitment to equality but a genuine investment in creating sustainable solutions for entire societies.This came in Dr. Al Huwailah's speech at the opening of the high-level side event "SheBuilds: Women Innovating Social Solutions for an Inclusive Future," held as part of the 2nd World Summit for Social Development, and attended by HE Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Representative to the Gulf States and Yemen and Director of the Unesco Regional Office in Doha Salah El Din Zaki Khaled.Dr. Al Huwailah said that the event celebrates women's creativity in social development and their ability to devise solutions that make a real difference in communities and people's lives. She noted that women-led social innovation is inherently inclusive, grounded in a deep understanding of marginalized groups' needs and dedicated to removing barriers to participation in development.Women do not only come up with ideas, rather they are redefining the very meaning of development and justice from a human-centered perspective, Dr. Al Huwailah continued, adding that the workshop will begin with a brief presentation on women-led innovation in Kuwait, showcasing real-life stories and experiences of Kuwaiti women who have creatively and constructively addressed social challenges.She further said that participants will engage in an interactive experience, a journey of thought and practice that begins with inspiration and culminates in creativity, aiming to empower participants to adopt an innovative mindset in tackling social challenges by transforming ideas into practical, applicable solutions.

Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Culture (MoC), took part Tuesday in the preparatory meeting of the General Cultural Committee of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), held under the chairmanship of Kuwait.This meeting is a precursor to the gathering of the undersecretaries of culture ministries in GCC member states, scheduled to convene ahead of the 29th session of GCC ministers of culture, set to take place tomorrow.The Qatar delegation to the preparatory meeting was led by the MoC’s director of the Department of Culture and Arts Abdulrahman Abdullah al-Dulaimi.The meeting featured a comprehensive review of the agenda, which included 14 items spanning various domains of culture, arts, and heritage, aimed at strengthening joint cultural co-operation.

Kuwait has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces for intercepting the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.In a statement, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the safety of its citizens involved in the mission and is working to secure their safe return.The ministry also called for ensuring the security of all participantsin the flotilla and stressed the importance of upholding international and humanitarian law.Kuwait renewed its call on the international community to take responsibility and exert pressure on Israel to halt its ongoing violations of international law and human rights principles.Oman affirmed that it is following closely the situation of the Omani citizens participating in the flotilla, and reaffirmed its concern for their safety in preparation for their safe return home. It is working actively, through its partners and networks, to ensure the security of the citizens and their safe return to Oman.In a statement by the Omani Foreign Ministry, Oman called for safeguarding all participants in the convoy and ensuring they are not exposed to any risks.Oman renewed its call on the international community to assume its legal and humanitarian responsibilities, to pressure the occupation forces to halt their repeated violations, and to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip without obstruction.Meanwhile, Israel on Friday deported four Italian activists, the first of hundreds detained from an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, shortly after the interception of the group's final boat brought an end to its mission.The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg towards Gaza, where the UN says famine is taking hold.The Israeli navy began intercepting the boats on Wednesday. The military said yesterdat that the navy had stopped all 42 of the fleet's vessels "in an operation that lasted approximately 12 hours", and transferred flotilla members to Israel's Ashdod Port for processing by police.Israel's foreign ministry said it deported four Italian activists who were aboard the flotilla, adding that "the rest are in the process of being deported".Israeli police said "more than 470 flotilla participants were taken into custody by the military police, subjected to rigorous screening, and transferred to the prison administration".Authorities earlier said that none of the vessels had breached the maritime blockade of Gaza."Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29am (0729 GMT) local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza," the flotilla's organisers said on Telegram.They added that Israeli naval forces had "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels — each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza".Among those detained were more than 20 journalists, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), including reporters from Spain's El Pais, Qatar's Al Jazeera and Italy's public broadcaster RAI."Arresting journalists and preventing them from doing their work is a serious violation of the right to inform and be informed," said Martin Roux, head of RSF's crisis desk.

Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah arrived in Doha to participate in the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit scheduled to take place today. Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the accompanying delegation were welcomed upon arrival at Hamad International Airport by His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani and Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the State of Kuwait to Qatar Mohammed Al Zoubi.

Kuwait Bourse closed trading on Sunday as the All Share Index gained 68.20 points to reach 8,784.83 points, an increase of 0.78 percent. As many as 514.3 million shares valued at KWD 104.6 million (roughly USD 319 million) were traded via 24,040 transactions.The Main Market Index went up by 66.27 points to reach 8,002.73 points, up by 0.84 percent, through 316.9 million shares done via 15,462 transactions valued at KWD 46.19 million (roughly USD 140.8 million).The Premier Market Index gained 72.05 points to reach 9,413.99 points, up by 0.77 percent, through 197.3 million shares done via 8,578 transactions valued at KWD 58.4 million (roughly USD 178.12 million).Meanwhile, the bourse Main 50 Index went up by 80.86 points to reach 8,251.41 points, up by 0.99 percent, through stock volume of 250 million shares done in 10,531 deals at a value of KWD 38.5 million (roughly USD 117.4 million).

Kuwait Bourse closed trading on Tuesday as the All Share Index gained 72.42 points to reach 8,712.18 points, an increase of 0.84 percent.As many as 455 million shares valued at KWD 116.9 million (roughly USD 356.5 million) were traded via 27,306 transactions.The Main Market Index went up by 40.42 points to reach 7,881.67 points, up by 0.52 percent, through 223.18 million shares done via 14,110 transactions valued at KWD 39.9 million (roughly USD 121.6 million).The Premier Market Index gained 83.99 points to reach 9,349.85 points, up by 0.91 percent, through 231.9 million shares done via 13,196 transactions valued at KWD 77 million (roughly USD 234.8 million).Meanwhile, the bourse Main 50 Index went up by 71.06 points to reach 8,076.77 points, up by 0.89 percent, through stock volume of 177 million shares done in 8,905 deals at a value of KWD 31.9 million (roughly USD 97.2 million).