Kuwait shuts newspaper critical of government

Kuwait has scrapped the commercial licence of leading newspaper Al-Watan, which has been highly critical of the government, citing its failure to comply with legally required financial terms. Al-Watan, owned by a member of the Al-Sabah ruling family, said on its website, which was still operating, that it had challenged the decision in court.
An urgent hearing had been set for Wednesday, it said. The decision was issued late Monday by the ministry of commerce and industry, which said the newspaper had violated minimum capital requirements. Under Kuwaiti law, the commercial licences of companies with losses worth more than 75 percent of their capital are cancelled.