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Kuwait Petroleum International launches operations at Berchem stations in Luxembourg
Kuwait Petroleum International launches operations at Berchem stations in Luxembourg.
KUWAIT CITY, July 8: Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) announced Tuesday the commencement of operations at the Berchem East and West service stations on the Luxembourg motorway — regarded as the largest and most prominent motorway service area in Europe.
In a statement to KUNA, KPI described the launch as a major milestone in its global expansion, following its successful bid for the concession contract earlier this year. With the addition of the two high-traffic stations, KPI has effectively doubled its network on Luxembourg’s motorways, bringing its total presence to 40 service stations. This expansion underscores the company’s commitment to delivering comprehensive and environmentally responsible transportation services across Europe.
KPI CEO Shafi Al-Ajmi said that incorporating the Berchem sites into the company’s network is a strategic step aligned with KPI’s long-term vision to expand the international footprint of Kuwaiti energy. He emphasized that the initiative focuses on customer-centric innovation and praised the dedication of the teams who made the project a reality.
Under the terms of the concession agreement, KPI has assumed full operational control of both Berchem stations. Al-Ajmi noted that the company is working to modernize the facilities into next-generation service centers that reflect KPI’s brand identity. These upgrades include advanced electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the availability of renewable diesel fuel for heavy-duty transport.
“The Berchem stations are among the busiest highway service areas in Europe, serving tens of thousands of travelers daily,” Al-Ajmi added. “Their strategic location along a major European transit route strengthens KPI’s drive toward innovation and sustainable development.”
An official ceremony was held earlier Tuesday to mark the launch of operations, attended by Luxembourg’s Minister of Economy, Small and Medium Enterprises, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, alongside key business partners, KPI leadership, and government representatives. Kuwait’s Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg and Head of Missions to the European Union and NATO, Nawaf Al-Enezi, was also present.
Speakers at the event praised the initiative as a significant step forward in strengthening economic cooperation between Kuwait and Luxembourg, highlighting its role in promoting sustainable development and supporting Europe’s energy and transportation sectors.
Founded in 1983, Kuwait Petroleum International is the international marketing arm of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. It operates more than 4,800 retail fuel and service stations across Europe, supplies jet fuel at over 82 global airports, and manufactures and markets premium engine oils. KPI also holds equity in refineries in Italy, Vietnam, and Oman through strategic partnerships with major global oil companies.
US President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with African leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House on July 9, in Washington. (AP)
WASHINGTON, July 10, (AP): US President Donald Trump singled out Brazil for import taxes of 50% on Wednesday for its treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, showing that personal grudges rather than simple economics are a driving force in the U.S. leader’s use of tariffs. Trump avoided his standard form letter with Brazil, specifically tying his tariffs to the trial of Bolsonaro, who is charged with trying to overturn his 2022 election loss.
Trump has described Bolsonaro as a friend and hosted the former Brazilian president at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020. “This Trial should not be taking place,” Trump wrote in the letter posted on Truth Social. “It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!” There is a sense of kinship as Trump was indicted in 2023 for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election.
The US president addressed his tariff letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who bested Bolsonaro in 2022. Lula responded in a forceful statement that said Trump’s tariffs would trigger the country’s economic reciprocity law, which allows trade, investment and intellectual property agreements to be suspended against countries that harm Brazil’s competitiveness.
He noted that the US has had a trade surplus of more than $410 billion with Brazil over the past 15 years. “Brazil is a sovereign country with independent institutions that will not accept being taken for granted by anyone,” Lula said. Bolsonaro testified before the country’s Supreme Court in June over the alleged plot to remain in power after his 2022 election loss.
Judges will hear from 26 other defendants in the coming months, and legal analysts say a decision could come as early as September. The country’s electoral authorities have already barred Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030. The former president did not comment about Trump’s tariff decision on his social media channels, but wrote that he is being politically persecuted.
Head of the Kuwaiti Financial Intelligence Unit, Dr. Hamad Al-Mekrad, with the representative of the Indian Financial Intelligence Unit, Manish Herat, after signing the Memorandum of Understanding.
KUWAIT CITY, July 9: Kuwait’s Financial Intelligence Unit and India’s Anti-Money Laundering Bureau signed on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aiming to beef up cooperation on information exchange and financial intelligence efforts. In a statement to KUNA, the Kuwaiti financial watchdog’s chief Hamad Al- Mekrad said the deal, signed after a gathering of global financial watchdog body Egmont Group, is a testament to Kuwait and India’s collective commitment to boost transparency and cooperation, based on the principles and guidelines of the global financial organization of intelligence units.
The agreement is a major step forward towards clamping down on financial crime at a time of growing challenges that require greater cooperation and information exchange. The level of cooperation between the Kuwaiti and India financial intelligence units has been on an upward trajectory even before the new deal came to fruition, added the official, expecting the agreement to be instrumental in simplifying the flow of bilateral information exchange, he underlined.
Al-Mekrad noted that the priority now is to expand the scope of international cooperation, enhance the efficiency of information exchange under the highest standards, strengthen technical analysis capabilities, and build partnerships with counterpart units, thus contributing to protecting the national and global financial system from any illicit exploitation.(KUNA)
US President Donald Trump, right, puts his hand on shoulder of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, as Attorney General Pam Bondi, left, looks on during a cabinet meeting at the White House on July 8, in Washington. (AP)
WASHINGTON, July 9, (AP): Sweeping tariffs set to be imposed by President Donald Trump next month may cast a pall over his top diplomat’s first official trip to Asia this week – just as the US seeks to boost relations with Indo-Pacific nations to counter China’s growing influence in the region. Trump on Monday sent notice to several countries about higher tariffs if they don’t make trade deals with the US, including to a number of Asian countries.
The move came just a day before Secretary of State Marco Rubio planned to depart for a Southeast Asian regional security conference in Malaysia. Top diplomats and senior officials from at least eight countries that Trump has targeted for the new tariffs, which would go into effect on Aug. 1, will be represented at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur that Rubio will attend on Thursday and Friday.
State Department officials say tariffs and trade will not be Rubio’s focus during the meetings, which the Trump administration hopes will prioritize maritime safety and security in the South China Sea, where China has become increasingly aggressive toward its small neighbors, as well as combating transnational crime.
However, Rubio may be hard-pressed to avoid the tariff issue that has vexed some of America’s closest allies and partners in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, which Trump says would face 25% tariffs absent a deal. Neither of those countries is a member of ASEAN but both will be represented at the meetings in Kuala Lumpur. Rubio’s “talking points on the China threat will not resonate with officials whose industries are being battered by 30-40% tariffs,” said Danny Russel, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific during the Obama administration.
“In fact, when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week said ASEAN will approach challenges ‘as a united bloc’ – he wasn’t talking about Chinese coercion, but about U.S. tariffs,” Russel said. Among ASEAN states, Trump has so far announced up to 40% tariffs on at least six of the 10 members of the bloc, including the meeting host Malaysia, which would face a 25% tariff mainly on electronics and electrical product imports to the United States.
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