The education ministry said yesterday that a second student was diagnosed with swine flu at a foreign school and has received treatment and sent home. The new student is a ninth grader at an American school. Last week, a fifth grade girl student was found to be infected with the virus. Sources said that the two students are studying at the same school. The ministry said that the school has sterilized the classroom and took all necessary preventive measures.

Meanwhile, the government was expected to take a final decision on whether to delay the reopening of schools for intermediate and primary students as has been suggested by various sources. Undersecretary of the education ministry Tamadur Al-Sdairawi said yesterday that a decision to delay schools depends on the recommendation of the health ministry.

MPs have been pressing the government to delay for between one and three weeks the reopening of intermediate and primary schools as a precautionary measure against a possible outbreak of the swine flu among students.

In another development, the National Assembly financial and economic affairs committee meanwhile delayed the approval of the capital market bill until next Monday. The bill aims to set up an independent authority to oversee the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Head of the committee MP Mohammad Al-Mutair said that the committee will start considering bills and proposals on bank loans for citizens immediately after finishing the capital market law. The statement came amid reports that the government has shown some leniency towards the issue and may accept a com promise formula on the issue.

MPs want the government to purchase all bank loans on citizens and then reschedule them over a long period without interest. Lawmakers have linked resolving this issue to approving the economic stimulus law. But secretary of the committee MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari said that the government has no intention until this moment of purchasing the bank loans for citizens and the only tool available now is the fund set up to aid defaulters.

In another development, the legal and legislative committee yesterday approved a proposal that stipulates to give employed Kuwaiti women who have children a leave with half pay. Head of the committee MP Hussein Al-Huraiti said the committee also approved a proposal to set up a fund to aid Kuwaiti students who are studying at their own expense. The committee also rejected a banks' decision to stop granting loans to Kuwaitis who are under 21 years of age and are unemployed, Huraiti said.

Kuwaittimes