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Air transport, services witnessed quantum leap during 2018: DGCA

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Plan to open T2passenger terminal in 2023: Aviation chief

KUWAIT: President of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said yesterday that projects and air transport services sector in the country has witnessed great improvement during 2018 to support Kuwait’s vision 2035 plan. Sheikh Salman noted that Kuwait, in the past 10 years, paid great attention to development of air transport infrastructure due to its substantial economic impact on air transport industry as well as improving airport efficiency which is considered a cultural facade. He added, to help materialize Kuwait’s 2035 vision, the state has injected substantial investments over the last 10 years into aviation sector and plans to inject more in the next two decades. He said that DGCA applies security measures in accordance with international standards at airports, which gives priority of security a high degree of attention and care. He added that the Directorate inaugurated Terminal Four (T4) allocated for Kuwait Airways at Kuwait International Airport initially with the capacity of nearly 4.5 million passengers annually.

“A series of improvements in the main terminal (T1) at Kuwait International Airport during the summer season were implemented to provide the best services to passengers and facilitate their movement and overcome the congestion,” he said. With regard to the new projects, Sheikh Salman said that in the coming period, two new runways, a new control tower with advanced systems, and the construction of a corridor to boost the capacity of Kuwait International Airport will see light. He unveiled a plan to open the new passenger terminal (T2) in 2023, which was designed according to world-class mega airports with a capacity of 25 million passengers annually. He explained that the project provides about 12,000 jobs for engineers, trained and qualified workers, especially for Kuwaiti youth, and will generate additional annual revenues for the state up to $300 million annually.

He pointed out that the development plan also included the operation of the first phase of the new cargo city at Kuwait International Airport on an area of three million square meters to be the largest in the Middle East. “The State of Kuwait is studying putting up a tender for setting up a new airport with capacity of 25 million passengers a year,” Sheikh Salman said, adding “Kuwait will witness a rapid growth in passenger and cargo movement in the coming 20 years.”
He forecasts that up to $12 billion would be invested in the new airport which would generate over 15,000 job openings and offer a great platform for high-qualify training for national cadres by specialized international experts. “To implement such ambitious plan, we would secure specialized international airport operation companies to operate Kuwait Airport terminals”, he said. He also revealed that his department is studying to establish an aviation academy to meet the growing demand for pilots and maintenance technicians in Kuwait. – KUNA

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862 companies sent to court over labor-related violations

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KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Manpower has sent 862 companies to court over labor-related violations since the start of the year, Al-Jarida reported yesterday. Director of the inspection department at the authority Mohammad Al-Ansari said inspections tours resulted in referring 507 companies to court for various violations, while 355 companies were sent to the investigations department. He said the total number of fake companies that were closed during the past two months is nearly 700, with more than 2,000 workers registered on their files. He said 2,870 violating workers were arrested and deported.

Felony case
Ahmadi prosecutor ordered a case filed over the death of a female citizen in her family home to be registered as a felony, and sent the body to the coroner to determine the cause of death, because the body was about to decompose in her room and reason for the family’s delay in informing about her death is not known. A citizen aged 39 told police about the death of his sister three days earlier.

Customs officer charged with bribe
Cooperation between state security and the Drugs Control General Department resulted in the arrest of a customs officer who accepted a bribe and allowed drugs in the country from Iraq. He confessed to receiving KD 30,000, adding he has previously allowed in large quantities of drugs. The suspect was sent to the public prosecution for further action.

Thief arrested
Detectives arrested a thief who escaped from a police station. Investigations are ongoing to find out how he escaped to take the necessary measures against negligence in guarding him. A police source said the suspect took advantage of being outside the holding cell after returning from the prosecution and escaped. Policemen informed detectives, who were able to locate him and arrested him despite fierce resistance, and he was returned to the police station.

Smuggling foiled
Customs officers sent a passenger who arrived from an Asian country to the Drug Control General Department (DCGD) after he attempted to smuggle 2,500 Tramadol tablets. Inspection systems at Terminal 4 (T4) building indicated presence of foreign bodies in the passenger’s luggage, and the Tramadol was found. – Translated from the Arabic press

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Thriving black market to buy ‘teacher’ titles

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KUWAIT: Well-informed sources said the recent Civil Service Commission decisions banning the recruitment of holders of educational degrees who have other professions mentioned in their work permits have created a black market to purchase ‘teacher’ job titles. The sources added that scores of teachers who had arrived in Kuwait years earlier holding visas with other job titles are purchasing the ‘teacher’ title through private institutes and schools for KD 800-1,000 in return for transferring those teachers’ residency visas, so that they can later apply to work at the education ministry.

The sources underscored that during a meeting with CSC, education ministry officials had warned that the decisions would be a golden opportunity for visa traffickers at private schools and institutes, as well as affect local recruitment. “The education ministry also warned that many expats with accredited educational degrees and enough experience arrive in Kuwait using other types of visas, but the CSC did not pay heed”, the sources added.

The sources expressed displeasure with the recent CSC decisions, noting that they will have a short-term negative impact on the educational process, adding that CSC had, over the past few days, rejected the recruitment of scores of teachers who had met all recruitment conditions and passed the necessary job interviews, passed all medical tests, completed all formal procedures such as fingerprint tests and resigned from their earlier jobs, only because they have other job titles in their work permits.

“Other teachers’ contracts have been terminated after they were actually assigned to designated schools and officially started work. Who will make it up for the injustice of getting terminated only a few days after recruitment and resigning from previous jobs?” the sources demanded, warning that the education ministry will face a critical shortage of teachers next year, namely in subjects where Kuwaiti teachers are few, taking into consideration it costs the ministry considerable amounts of money to recruit teachers in these subjects from abroad. – Al-Qabas

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Assembly orders probe into Zour refinery, solar project

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Kuwait, Saudis ‘close’ to neutral zone deal – Experts warn of long-term low oil price

KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday approved a motion to ask its public funds protection panel to launch a probe into allegations that the designs of Al-Zour Refinery are faulty. The Assembly gave the committee two months to complete its investigation, which should focus on alleged squandering of public funds, with MP Faisal Al-Kandari claiming that billions of dinars have been squandered. The Assembly also approved a motion to ask the Audit Bureau to examine the contract records and data of the solar energy project in the area of Shaqaya, which was launched a few years ago with the aim to produce 15 percent of Kuwait’s energy by 2030 from renewable sources.

MP Khalil Abul reiterated that a grilling will be filed to question the oil minister, but he did not specify a date. The Assembly however agreed to delay a debate on the issue after a request by the government because Oil Minister Bakheet Al-Rasheedi is in Saudi Arabia on an official visit. The $15 billion Zour project is expected to come on-stream next year. The state-of-the-art refinery has a capacity of 615,000 barrels per day and is part of a huge energy complex near the border with Saudi Arabia.

Rasheedi is in Riyadh to hold talks with Saudi officials over the dispute in the neutral zone, which led to halting production at two oilfields in the zone over three years ago. Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah said the two countries are capable of sorting out the differences in the area, which used to pump over 500,000 barrels per day shared equally by the two countries.

A report in The Wall Street Journal yesterday said Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are close to restarting operations in the neutral zone after the US intervened to broker an agreement, according to oil officials familiar with the discussions. The potential return of the fields would unlock key production capacity as the US considers phasing out exemptions it awarded to some buyers of sanctioned Iranian oil, and as markets see an expected tightening next year.

Washington has been trying for months to broker a deal between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over the contested strip of oil-rich land. The WSJ said Kuwait’s foreign ministry – rather than its oil arm – has been the staunchest opponent to any deal to resume output, according to people familiar with the matter. But the ministry’s opposition softened after the US State Department promised Kuwait it would guarantee its security going forward, according to people familiar with the matter.

“We continue to encourage Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to reach agreement on restarting oil production in the Partitioned Neutral Zone,” a State Department spokesperson said. If an agreement is finalized, the fields would restart pumping in the first quarter, according to people familiar with the matter. Chevron Corp, which jointly operates one of the fields with Kuwait, said it maintains “readiness for a production restart when that time comes.” The US major said yesterday that it “recently undertook an operational readiness review, which tests all elements to ensure a smooth transition”.

Meanwhile, experts warned yesterday that Gulf states, which depend heavily on energy exports for most of their revenues should brace for a long period of low oil prices and subdued economic growth. Signs of an “economic war” between the United States and China, the world’s largest economies, and an expected global economic slowdown starting next year will dampen demand for oil, the experts told a conference in Dubai.

“Oil prices will remain low for a long period,” former Lebanese minister of economy and trade Nasser Saidi told the one-day Arab Strategy Forum. A cooling of the global economy will reduce demand for oil, which coupled with rising competition from renewable energy sources and shale crude will lead to low oil prices, said Saidi, who is now a consultant. “This will negatively impact growth in the whole (Arab) region … The whole area will face a financial and economic crisis,” he said.

The six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) earn more than 80 percent of their revenues from energy. The GCC states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – have lost hundreds of billions of dollars in oil revenues since crude prices crashed in mid-2014. Oil prices later rebounded after OPEC and non-OPEC producers reduced their production. But they slid again when producers boosted output earlier this year to compensate for expected losses from Iran because of the re-imposition of US sanctions.

Oil prices have lost more than a quarter of their value compared with a four-year peak over $85 a barrel seen in October, with benchmark Brent crude trading at around $61 a barrel in London yesterday. World Bank senior vice president Mahmoud Mohieldin warned that economic growth in the GCC region was still dependent on oil price movements. “Now, we are at a time of uncertainty … Growth in Gulf states is forecast at three percent next year … but this could be revised,” following the drop in oil prices, Mohieldin said. He said that the unemployment rate among Arab youths is 30 percent and higher among females, adding that growth is not producing enough jobs.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers decided last week to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day from January to shore up prices, which some analysts warned would hit economic growth. “We think that the OPEC deal will have an overall negative impact on GDP (gross domestic product) growth in the Gulf over the coming quarters,” London-based consultancy firm Capital Economics said last week.

By B Izzak


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A visit to Mashhad

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Amateur photographer Shaima Marafi visited the historic city of Mashhad, Khorasan, Iran in early December. One of the most famous Iranian cities, Mashhad is a place for religious pilgrimage due to the location of many important mosques, tombs and shrines including the Shrine of Imam Reza within the city and has been called Iran’s ‘spiritual city’ by the former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It is home to a vast array of beautiful architecture. – All photos by Shaima Marafi

The post A visit to Mashhad appeared first on Kuwait Times.

10 things to do on tight budget

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Kuwait is a rich country and the cost of living here is undoubtedly high. But did you know that there are many places and things in Kuwait that you can enjoy on a budget? Sometimes all you need to worry about is food or transportation – if you are not driving!


Remember to make a plan before embarking on a journey around Kuwait, so as to stay on budget. Taxi drivers sometimes charge ridiculously high fares, but you can get the right price if you negotiate. The taxis that are negotiable in price are the beige and white roaming taxis. Call taxis traditionally charge higher fares compared to roaming cabs. Buses are cheaper compared to taxis, but it can take ages to reach your destination, as they have limited frequencies. Moreover, most places to visits are not on bus routes.

KUWAIT: People walk in the traditional Souq Mubarakiya.

Mubarakiya – children’s playground and grilled fish
If you are roaming around Kuwait City, this place is enchanting. Start from the traditional Souq Mubarakiya, where you can enjoy shopping and experience the traditional atmosphere and architecture. In fact, one full day is not enough to roam around Mubarakiya Market. Children can play in the playground outside the fruit and vegetable section of the market.
Some people love to see traditional shops selling traditional stuff. On one side of Mubarakiya are shops selling expensive perfumes, but you can buy them inside the souq for a cheaper price. There are shops that sell abayas and various other clothes and fabrics. The Gold souq is also located in Mubarakiya, including a market for precious stones and metals.
The ground level and basement sections of Mubarakiya have shops selling spices and herbal products, household items, blankets, carpets, ready-to-wear clothing, dates and fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and fish. Restaurants and cafes are plentiful too, and prices are reasonable. Stuff your tummy with delicious grilled fish and shrimp, plus a selection of Arabic, Indian and Iranian cuisine. A budget of KD 5 or even KD 2 is enough for a meal.


Grand Mosque

National Museum, National Library and Grand Mosque
Near Souq Mubarakiya are museums, libraries and the Grand Mosque. You can visit them at no cost, but you need to read about them beforehand as there are no guides available. Artifacts are labeled and explained in both English and Arabic. The National Museum has various sections, including a diorama of life in Kuwait before the discovery of oil. The National Library is a huge building that requires time to explore. You can visit the place and read books inside the spacious and computerized library, but people are not allowed to borrow books from the library and take them out. The four storeys of the building are filled to capacity with thousands of books of various subjects and topics.
The nearby Grand Mosque can be visited for free too. Stroll a bit farther and you’ll enjoy the skyline of Sharq, including iconic buildings such as the Kuwait Stock Market (Boursa Kuwait), Central Bank, Al-Babtain Library, Al-Hamra Tower, the under-construction NBK headquarters and others.

Al Shaheed Park

Al-Shaheed Park
Located in Sharq, Shaheed Park was inaugurated by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on March 2015. It is a beautiful oasis frequented by families. This beautiful garden narrates the story of a land, its history and culture featuring greenery and botanical gardens that promote environment awareness and protection. It has two museums – Thekra and Habitat – which you can tour with a headset that explains every section. Shaheed Park has a visitor center, a lake, walkways and jogging tracks, making it the largest urban park in Kuwait.
By visiting the Habitat – a museum dedicated to the environment and bird migration in Kuwait, visitors can learn about different ecosystems, migratory birds and the effects of pollution through interactive learning stations. An aviary outside the Habitat provides a resting area for numerous migratory birds in Kuwait, and for visitors to see the birds of Kuwait. The Martyr’s Monument lists the names and images of people who died during the Iraqi invasion for young people to remember Kuwait’s past. The park also takes pride in its auditorium, where educational lectures and seminars about culture and science are held. This place too is free of charge to enter.

Kuwait Towers

Kuwait Towers
A five minutes’ drive from Al-Shaheed Park are the majestic and iconic towers of Kuwait. The view from afar is a testament of pride and bravery for many Kuwaitis. The three towers have been tested by time, and stood witness to Saddam Hussein’s aggression during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. If you don’t want to pay for entry to the viewing sphere, selfies will do. The view from the corniche is delightful too.

Fahaheel, Egaila malls and Kuwait Magic
If you’re done strolling around Souq Mubarakiya, head south to Fahaheel. There are fewer places to visit there, but along the way by Road 40 or 30, you will be treated with some desert views and many malls. A few kilometers before reaching Fahaheel, Egaila is a large area with more than 10 malls side by side. One full day to visit the malls will not be enough.
Apart from the Kout and Yaal malls, there is a traditional bazaar in the heart of Fahaheel, where you can bargain for a selection of products. There are authentic Kuwaiti products too, from fruit baskets to cooking pots to carpets. If you like visiting fish markets, you can observe the early morning auction at the fish market near Kout Mall.
Relatively close by in Abu Halifa is an entertainment and amusement complex called Kuwait Magic. It has a diverse selection of retail shops, restaurants and children’s games, fun rides and entertainment. Kuwait Magic was a popular destination for many children in Kuwait before The Avenues and the likes were built. The charges are minimal for the games and rides. The seaside area is also very pleasing and relaxing. You can jog or walk along the corniche and enjoy the weather or a coffee from one of the cafes.

Wafra
If you are fond of the countryside, try Wafra. It’s a far-flung area, but you will love the sight of camels grazing in the desert. You can see some farm workers displaying fresh produce by the roadside, which they sell at cheap prices. Some Wafra farmers even give their harvest to visitors for free. Arabic and Indian food can be easily found at nearby restaurants, while popular fast food chains also have branches on the highway to Wafra.
Low budget places to visit and things to do in Kuwait are plenty. Kuwait is not as expensive as some perceive it to be.

By Ben Garcia

The post 10 things to do on tight budget appeared first on Kuwait Times.

The fight against public smoking: universities

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Smoking was once a public activity that could be seen all over Kuwait – in the airport and hospitals, at the mall and restaurants and in universities and coffeeshops. Over the last few years, however, more and more regulations are being put in place to restrict smoking in public and limit the harmful effects of smoking on public health. Smoking has been banned completely from hospitals and smokers are now confined to small, special glassed in rooms at the airport.


In another step towards limiting smoking in public places, the Deputy Director General for Technical Affairs at the Environment Public Authority (EPA) Mohammad Al-Enezi said the authority will now be checking universities and colleges to implement the executive regulations of the environment protection law that bans smoking inside educational institutions. These include universities, colleges and applied education institutes. Anyone caught smoking on campus or in building annexes will have to pay a fine of KD 50, while the institution will have to pay KD 1,000 for its failure to protect its premises from smokers.


Kuwait Times spoke with students at some universities for their reactions. “The university needs this law, as some students smoke in the classrooms before the start of lectures as well as in the corridors, squares and cafeteria. Such behavior harms both the smokers and the students around them. Many students who do not smoke are bothered by this,” Mohammed Al-Assi said. He added that if the new law is applied, it will make smokers smoke less and protect students from passive smoking. “Some of us suffer from allergies and asthma and smoking in the campus causes us harm. The law will protect the health and safety of other students.”


Awni Harb, a smoker, said smoking is a personal choice, adding, “I always smoke in open-air places and not inside the building. I make sure that my habit does not hurt any people around me.” Harb suggested that smoking rooms should be provided in universities, colleges and other institutions, and students who smoke outside these rooms should be penalized.


Samar Saleh said female smokers are much worse, as they mostly hide and smoke inside bathrooms and classrooms. “Many female smokers do not want to be judged, so they will smoke inside the women’s washroom or an empty classroom. “The cafeteria is the worst – when I go there to spend my spare time, I find students smoking so much that it seems like a coffee shop and not a university,” she said.


Saleh believes that such laws will not be applied. “There are ‘no smoking’ signs all over the university, but students smoke anyway. The law will only be ink on paper and there will be no application of the decision. I wonder how the university issues a decision banning smoking and hangs signs in the corridors, but is not committed to it. If this happens within the university, which should teach students a culture of respect for laws and to abide by them, what about other institutions and facilities? I see a lot of students smoking on the campus as well as professors and administrators – this is a wrong behavior that must be stopped,” she told Kuwait Times.
In August 2018, prices of tobacco products rose by 13.5 percent compared to the same month last year, according to the Central Statistical Bureau. Meanwhile, 70 percent of students in Kuwait are smokers, according to the most recent health ministry statistics. The figures also show that the smoking rate among the population’s males reached 24.5 percent, while it is 1 percent among females. As for shisha (hookah) smoking, its spread is estimated at 2.2 percent among men and 0.2 percent among women.
Kuwait has a high rate of population growth with a young population (55 percent of Kuwaitis are 20 years old or younger). The majority of smokers (68 percent) started smoking regularly when younger than 20 – significantly more men (70 percent) than women (33 percent) began to smoke regularly before they reached the age of 20. The duration of smoking is 15 years for men and 12 years for women.


The World Health Organization estimates that smoking kills seven million smokers every year. The prevention and treatment of tobacco addiction have been targeted by WHO as priorities for intervention in developing countries. It has been estimated that unless immediate steps are taken to reduce smoking rates, the number of deaths due to tobacco use will rise to 10 million per year over the next 30 to 40 years, and 70 percent of these deaths will occur in developing countries. Several reasons have been suggested for this recent and continuing smoking epidemic in the developing countries of Asia and the Middle East.

By Faten Omar

The post The fight against public smoking: universities appeared first on Kuwait Times.

First Deputy PM, UK ambassador discuss New Kuwait 2035 plan

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Sheikh Nasser leaves to China on official visit

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah speaks with British Ambassador Michael Davenport during their meeting on Wednesday. — KUNA photos

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah discussed the New Kuwait 2035 development plan and issues of mutual significance with British Ambassador Michael Davenport and the visiting military attache. The plan, which represents His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s vision, “aims to build the Kuwait of the future on a path that corresponds with the development being witnessed in the outside world,” Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.


During the talks, Sheikh Nasser hailed the UK’s deep expertise and capabilities on this matter, particularly its success stories in the creation and management of global economic expanses, such as Hong Kong and Gibraltar. Partnership opportunities with Kuwait aimed at mobilizing its economic activity amid these plans were discussed as ideas and consultations were exchanged, without overlooking the aspects of security and their relevance to these suggestions. Security was mentioned as a prerequisite for enhancing investor confidence, added the statement.


Separately, Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad left yesterday to the People’s Republic of China for an official visit. Sheikh Nasser was seen off by Chief of Army General Staff Lieutenant General Mohammad Al-Khudher, Ministry Undersecretary Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Sabah and Deputy Chief of General Staff Colonel General Sheikh Abdullah Nawaf Al-Sabah. – KUNA

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Residency Affairs chief chairs high-level meeting

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KUWAIT: Maj Gen Talal Maarafi chairs a high-level meeting with officials at the Residency Affairs Department.

KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Residency Affairs Maj Gen Talal Maarafi chaired a high-level meeting with officials at the Residency Affairs Departments to discuss ways of improving the process of work at residency affairs and service centers around the country. Meanwhile, the ministry’s Relations and Security Department denied reports claiming that Maarafi had held a similar meeting on Wednesday.

A news service had reported on its website that Maj Gen Maarafi met with heads of residency departments and received a detailed report about crowds of people applying to extend one month visit visas for their relatives, which affected work progress in those departments, according to the report. Furthermore, the report suggested that Maarafi announced during the meeting extending the family visit visas for parents and wives’ parents to three months instead of one.

However, the Interior Ministry denied yesterday that any decision was made, and urged media outlets to avoid reporting any news unless it is released by the Relations and Security Media Department. In other news, statistics issued by the Residency Affairs Department showed that the total number of who visited Kuwait this year reached 2.2 million, including visitors using commercial, touristic and family visit visas.

Meanwhile, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hind Al- Sabeeh announced that a new decision on expat labor visa transfer in the private sector would be issued soon. She added that the Public Authority for Manpower’s new board of directors had already approved some resolutions on regulating the local labor market, adding that those resolutions would be revealed soon.

On another concern, the ministry’s assistant undersecretary for social development affairs Hana Al-Hajri announced that the ministry offered for public bidding two tenders to maintain, develop and rehabilitate wedding halls in various governorates. Responding to social media comments about the deteriorated situation of those halls, Hajri added that most of them were in the same condition of lack of maintenance and old furniture when the ministry took over the responsibility for running them. “Special technical teams immediately started making reports about the halls’ conditions, and the ministry is currently awaiting the finance ministry’s approval to fund the two tenders,” she explained.

By A Saleh

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Forged degrees’ suspect sentenced to five years in jail

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KUWAIT: The criminal court yesterday sentenced an Egyptian man, who works for the Ministry of Higher Education and is identified as the prime suspect in a university degrees’ forgery case, and another accomplice to five years in jail. The court also sentenced a citizen who had his degree forged and used it in applying to a public prosecutor job to five years in jail as well.
Notably, the Ministry of Higher Education had announced on July 18, 2018 that they discovered a number of fake university degrees issued in an Arab country, noting that they arrested an expat working for the ministry involved in the matter.

34 street vendors arrested
A joint inspection committee yesterday launched an inspection campaign in Kabd, which resulted in arresting 34 street vendors, said the Public Authority for Manpower’s official spokesperson Aseel Al-Mezyad said, noting that 21 of the suspects were in violation of the private sector residency laws, while 13 were absconding domestic helpers. “All suspects were referred to relevant authorities,” Mezyad added, noting that the authority receives complaints about peddlers and beggars on a 24/7 basis on its hotline number 66626716, as well as on its social media accounts. The joint inspection committee comprises members from the from the Public Authority for Manpower and Ministry of Interior.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

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307 landmine sighting reports in six weeks

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Public warned from approaching foreign objects in desert

KUWAIT: This picture released by the Interior Ministry yesterday shows an explosive unearthed by recent heavy rains that hit the country and Flames engulf a vehicle at Jaber Al-Ahmad desert area yesterday.

KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry’s relations and security media department yesterday repeated earlier warnings to the public from approaching or handling any foreign objects they might find in desert areas, noting that those might be dangerous explosives washed out by the recent heavy rain. The department added that in the period from November 1 to December 13, 2018, it has so far received 307 reports about sighting objects suspected to be military waste, further explaining that when bomb squads arrived to the scenes of the reports, they discovered that the objects were in fact landmines and cluster bombs that were immediately dealt with. The department also urged the pubic to immediately call the emergency hotline 112 on finding any foreign objects, and to stay off the site until a bomb squad arrives.

Car fire
A citizen sustained serious hand and neck burns when his vehicle caught fire at Jaber Al-Ahmad desert area yesterday, said security sources, noting that Doha firemen rushed to the scene and dealt with the blaze. The man was rushed to hospital for treatment and further investigations are in progress to determine the cause of the fire.
Another fire broke out in a first floor apartment in Hadiya, said security sources, noting that firemen from Manqaf and Qurain fire stations rushed to the scene where they had to evacuate the entire house and deal with the blaze. No casualties were reported.
In the meantime, a fire broke out in the basement of a 500-square-meter complex in Hawalli. Security sources said that firemen from Hawalli brigade rushed to the scene where they evacuated all the complex’s visitors and controlled the fire successfully. The basement included food stuff, refrigerators and other inflammable materials, the sources added. No casualties were reported.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

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Foreign investors can own, trade in local bank shares

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KUWAIT: The ministry of commerce and industry has issued a decision allowing foreign investors to own and trade Kuwaiti banks’ shares. But the approval of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) should be obtained, if ownership exceeds five percent of the bank’s capital, the ministry in a press statement yesterday.

The latest move comes in accordance with decree 694/2018, which notes that non-Kuwaiti investors shall be allowed to own and trade in Kuwaiti banks’ shares.
The decision stated that ownership of a foreign investor shall not exceed five percent in any Kuwaiti bank, whether directly or indirectly.

The ministry added that the Capital Markets Authority said that its promotional tours in many countries and with many international investors generated inquiries about the ease of investing in the Kuwaiti market.

It pointed out that those foreign investors spoke about existence of obstacles or restrictions imposed on foreign investors, including the maximum percentage of non-Kuwaiti investors’ ownership in a single bank, which is supposed to not exceed 49 percent of the bank’s capital only after obtaining prior approval of the Cabinet and consulting the Central Bank of Kuwait. – KUNA

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Qout Market reopens after sudden closure

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KUWAIT: Stalls of the popup Qout Market are seen in Safat Square yesterday. – Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Two weeks after it was abruptly shut down by the Municipality, the Qout Market was back yesterday at Safat Square in Kuwait City. It is one of Kuwait’s most popular, well-known, locally-created urban markets, and focuses on encouraging support for local businesses, farmers, entrepreneurs and artisans. Organizers declined to comment on the market’s closure hours before its opening in the parking lot of Discovery Mall on Dec 1, but vendors yesterday told Kuwait Times about its impact on their small businesses.

“I had prepared products for the market, so the closure by the Municipality resulted in some material losses. But we understand the sudden circumstances,” said Um Talal, founder of ‘Figs and Olives’, who mixes Jordanian olives with a host of Kuwaiti ingredients. She started her business three years ago from home and participated in Qout Market for the second time.
Hessa Al-Habshi, founder of ‘Elate Tearoom’, said she found other ways to sell what she had already prepared. “This is my second year with Qout Market and I understand that such things are normal with popup markets. My products were already prepared, but I managed to sell them on Instagram, so the closure did not affect my business,” she said. Abbas Al-Mohri and Salam Sheshtari, co-founders of ‘West Village Coffee’, also said they managed to sell their coffee through their distributors and other channels. West Village Coffee was launched five months ago, and this is their first participation in the Qout Market.

Noaf Hussein, co-founder of Qout Market, did not comment on the closure, but said vendors are carefully chosen to offer new and good quality products to people. “We can tell a bit about their personality through the emails the vendors send. We have our own rules and regulations to accept businesses that participated today in the market. They have to be about food, farm and craft. This market is for small and medium businesses, where we always choose to display local products over brands and franchises,” she told Kuwait Times.

By Faten Omar

The post Qout Market reopens after sudden closure appeared first on Kuwait Times.

Ordeal of 79 stranded Indian nurses ends

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KUWAIT: The ordeal of 79 Indian nurses stranded in Kuwait for the last two years without jobs or iqamas has ended after the government legalized their residence and completed the formalities for employment at health ministry hospitals. “It is like a new lease of life for us. We are getting our residencies stamped. We have also been offered jobs in MoH hospitals,” a visibly joyful nurse told Kuwait Times on the condition of anonymity. The nurses sounded optimistic that they will be able to move on, putting two years of traumatic experiences behind them.


They also visited the Indian Embassy and expressed their gratitude to the officials for helping them in redressing their grievances. “Out of 79 nurses, 70 will be joining various health ministry hospitals in the coming week. The employment of the others is in different stages of processing,” said an Indian embassy official. The aggrieved nurses had raised the issue with Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj during her visit to Kuwait in October. The minister discussed the matter with top authorities in Kuwait including Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah. After talks with the officials, Swaraj had said she expected a speedy resolution to this “compassionate and serious” issue.

The health ministry had signed a contract with 80 nurses from India in 2015, who reached Kuwait in early 2016. Although, they were assigned to various hospitals, the Civil Service Commission cancelled their appointments over alleged financial irregularities in recruitment. Since then, 79 nurses remained virtually in limbo without jobs or residencies, while one managed to leave the country. “We took the matter very seriously and pursued it relentlessly to find an early solution to the problem. We held several rounds of discussions with officials in the foreign, social affairs and labor and interior ministries before reaching a solution,” the embassy official added.

By Sajeev K Peter

The post Ordeal of 79 stranded Indian nurses ends appeared first on Kuwait Times.

The Arabian horse: A treasure of local, international appeal

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KUWAIT: The Arabian horse is known for its local, regional, and international appeal, making it one of the most sought after breeds globally. The Arabian horse played an important role in the history of the Arab and Muslim civilizations with various documents, books, and pieces of poetry praising its elegance, beauty, and worthiness in the battlefield, sport arenas, and travel paths.

Speaking on the importance of the Arabian horse, head of records at the Kuwaiti Arabian horse center Bait Al-Arab (the house of Arabs) Abdullah Al-Barhi said that the Arabian horse still maintained its presence as one of the most important breeds of horse in the world. Arabs and orientalists in the past knew that this breed was of excellent quality and people nowadays are keen on devising ways to keep the progeny pure, said Barhi. In the 1970s, World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO) was established to protect this breed and maintain its excellence, revealed Al- Barhi who added that in 2018, the organization’s member states numbered at 80 countries. In Kuwait, the number of pure Arabian horses was at 26 horses in 1996, he indicated, adding that after 20 years later, the number jumped to around 10,000 horses this year with over 1,700 owners.

Meanwhile, owner of Al-Kenouz (treasures) Arabian Horse Stable Saleh Al-Atwai and his colleague Abdulaziz Al-Attwai both said that the process of breeding Arabian horses was meticulous, with horse owners making sure that it was done between pure breeds. There are five main breeds of Arabian horses ‘Al-Kahailan’, ‘Al-Saqlawi’, ‘Al-Hadban’, ‘Al-Dahman’, and ‘Al-Aiban’, the stable owners said, revealing that the US was the biggest breeder of Arabian horses with 12,000 horses annually. — KUNA

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Kuwait Airways inaugurates premium lounge at T4 building

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KAC-Incheon coordination to make T4 a role model for modern airport administrations

KUWAIT: Officials inaugurate the new Bayan lounge at the T4 building yesterday. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) inaugurated yesterday the new state-of-the-art Bayan lounge at the terminal 4 (T4) building, which is dedicated exclusively to first and business class passengers. The opening was held in presence of Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s Chairman Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah.

KAC is keen on enhancing Kuwait International Airport, keeping up with latest developments, and preserving Kuwait’s well-regarded international reputation, Sheikh Salman said in a statement. He expressed his gratitude to KAC and all its staff for making a quantum leap in the national carrier’s services to travelers, wishing the Corporation further progress and development.

Meanwhile, KAC’s Chairman Yousef Al-Jassem stated that opening the new premium lounge is one of the corporation’s latest accomplishments and part of its efforts to enhance its various services. The highly efficient lounge was constructed and completed within just 70 days, Jassem noted, adding the project was implemented in coordination with the South Korean-based Incheon International Airport Corporation.

The KAC-Incheon coordination would attain DGCA’s goals in making T4 building a role model for modern airport administrations, he said. Such significant achievements are part of implementing the directions of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince, and His Highness the Prime Minister to swiftly complete and achieve all services, added the executive official. Furthermore, he affirmed KAC’s continued keenness to improve its services and keep up with the latest aviation inflight entertainment. – KUNA

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Municipality targets roaming vendors

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KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality’s public relations department said its emergency team carried out a campaign against roaming vendors in order to keep them out of open yards, especially in front of embassies. Head of the team Meshaal Al-Malek said the campaign resulted in confiscating and destroying five tons of foodstuff. The vendors were sent to concerned authorities.

Drills
The coastguard will carry out live ammunition exercises on Dec 17-18 from 8 am until 2 pm, and warned sea goers against approaching the area, adding marine patrols will prevent anyone trying to approach the area to ensure the safety of everyone.

A drunk man went berserk after he lost control over his vehicle at a gas station and hit a gas pump, then attacked workers, before others were able to catch him. The Indian man, who was driving around while drinking, entered the station and hit the pump, then started blaming workers for the incident. Police arrested him and he faces several charges.

Theft
An Egyptian man stole KD 3,000 which he was supposed to hand over to his friend’s family in Egypt, but kept it for himself. When his friend went to his house and confronted him, he denied receiving any money and kicked his friend out, Al-Rai reported. The victim lodged a complaint and attached a transfer receipt to it. The suspect was arrested after confessing he received the money and said he had spent it.

Car stolen
A citizen lost his car and wallet while in a Farwaniya diwnaiya. He filed a complaint but did not accuse anyone. He told police he had his wallet and car key next to him, but after he returned from the toilet, he noticed the key and wallet were missing. When he went out, he discovered the car had disappeared, Al-Rai reported.

Fight
Three men, two Egyptians and a Bangladeshi, beat a man and injured his head following a money-related dispute. The victim lodged a complaint claiming he was beaten with a thick stick, and gave the address of the three assailants to police, who arrested them, reported Al-Rai.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun and Agencies

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Ministry to provide points to charge electric cars

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KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water began cooperation with Public Authority for Industry and a car company to prepare the regulations that must be implemented in order to provide points to charge electric cars within the main ministry’s perimeter walls, Assistant Undersecretary for Administrative Affairs Mohammad Al-Sharhan said, adding that the ministry plans to use these cars for its employees.


Meanwhile, informed sources said the government has not decided so far the implementation of the second part of Cabinet decision 32/2016 to restructure oil prices. The Cabinet asked the committee for restudying various types of subsidies given by the state to review fuel prices every three months to be at par with global prices. Sources said Kuwait is the last country in GCC to restructure gas prices, while comparative figures indicate that prices in Kuwait remain the lowest even after the adjustments. – Al-Anbaa

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Challenges, high demand behind soaring fish prices: Union

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KUWAIT: Responding to recent rumors about fishermen’s activities, Kuwait Fishermen Union issued a statement to refute those allegations, and stressing its keenness on the quality and price of local products. The union also attributed soaring fish prices to the challenges fishermen face as well as the high demand for local fish, in addition to the recent local fishing and shrimping bans while reducing fisheries by 50 percent. The statement also stressed that local fish is cheaper than imported and frozen ones and that their taste and freshness are incomparable. The statement added that if the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) changes the fish auction timing to be held after Isha prayers instead of after Fajr prayers, prices would drop by 30 percent.

In other news, Kuwaiti Farmers Union’s Chairman Abdullah Al-Dammak said the problem of power outages in Abdali and Wafra farms will be resolved soon, adding that the union recently met Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) assistant undersecretary for power grids affairs Mutlaq Nayef Al-Otaibi, who promised to resolve the problem by the beginning of the summer. Dammak added that Otaibi promised to deploy 100 MEW engineers and technicians to handle the problems mainly resulting from tall trees that intermingle with power towers. He also noted that one of the problems facing technicians is the absence of farm owners on their farms except on weekends, since farm workers do not usually allow them in during other times.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi

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Two businessmen remanded in custody over real estate fraud charges

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State departments study labor market’s needs by 2020

KUWAIT: The public prosecution remanded in custody two businessmen charged of selling bogus real estate to citizens inside and outside Kuwait. The prosecution said the two founded several companies and used them for real-estate fraud. The criminal court also ruled to keep a former football player in jail on charges of insulting HH the Amir on Twitter. The defendant has denied those charges.

Meanwhile, the criminal court sentenced the former chairman of the police co-op society to 15 years in jail and seven Egyptian and Yemeni men to jail terms ranging between seven and 10 years for embezzling KD 1 million, and fined all the accused KD 1.680 million. In the meantime, the co-op’s current chairman Maj Gen Mansour Al-Awadhi began reviewing contracts signed with several companies including for surveillance cameras, which has a value of over KD 100,000, while its actual cost is no more than KD 5,000. Awadhi will report to concerned authorities to investigate suspected violation of public funds.

Labor market’s needs
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh ordered the formation of a permanent committee to coordinate between Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Public Authority for Manpower, the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, the Central Statistics Bureau and other governmental monitoring bodies to handle public and private labor market’s needs by 2020 in a way that matches the ‘New Kuwait 2035’ vision. The minister asked for a full study to be made by the end of the current fiscal year including offering more incentives to encourage citizens to work for the private sector, well-informed sources said.
The sources added that more focus would be on vocational and technical education for dropouts to provide technicians needed. The minister also stressed the importance of linking educational outputs with the actual needs of the labor market and integrating citizens with special needs in mainstream jobs. Meanwhile, CSC sources said Sabeeh met CSC officials to resolve employment problems and enforce the replacement of expats with citizens, namely in advisory positions, who could be replaced by retired citizens.

Foreign students
Minister of Education Hamed Al-Azmi stressed that Kuwait University (KU) is still the only government university in Kuwait and that this compels it to accept all students matching admission conditions, which is usually far beyond its capacity. Azmi explained that according to KU’s admission policy, 90 percent of admitted students are Kuwaitis and those who receive similar treatment, and only 10 percent are non-Kuwaitis, which reduces KU’s rankings in terms of serving foreign students. Azmi noted that a committee had been formed in 205 and reformed in 2017 to boost Kuwait University’s international ranking and that a special plan was set and included in KU’s strategy for the years 2018-2022.

Bachelors
Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Hossam Al-Roumi said that the total number of complaints filed concerning bachelors residing in private residential areas is 117, including 18 in Mubarak Al-Kabeer, 15 in Ahmadi, 31 in Jahra, four in Hawalli and 76 in Farwaniya.

By A Saleh

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