Education Ministry has adjusted the schedule for the postponed second round of exams, which will kickstart mid-October. Educational sources revealed to an Arab paper that the postponed exams will be offered to students whose health conditions were preventing them from showing up to their exams on time.

The source also noted that the exams will take place on Sunday, 16th of October.

According to the labor market statistics, the number of male and female workers in the public and private sectors increased by 30,973 workers in the last three months.

The statistic indicated that the total number of workers until June 2022 was estimated at 1,915,865, saying 438,559 of them were Kuwaitis, and 1,477.306 non-Kuwaitis, indicating that the number of workers in the government sector was 457,149, while the number of workers in the private sector was 1,458,716, reports a local Arabic daily.

According to the decision issued by the Minister of Electricity and Water Eng. Ali Al-Mousa to determine the technical specifications and rules governing the use of electric vehicle chargers, and the subsequent publication of the decision and its regulations in the Official Gazette “Kuwait Al-Youm” in Sunday’s the Al-Qabas daily said 60 days separate us from the start of installing electric vehicle chargers in homes and various facilities.

The decision, a copy of which has been obtained by the daily, said vehicle chargers will be allowed to be installed in the first phase of implementing the decision, which extends until December 2025 in 7 destinations — establishments, institutions, government bodies, commercial establishments, investment facilities, administrative buildings in government facilities, fuel filling stations, private housing, highways and main roads.

The decision stipulates chargers should be installed in private housing through alternating current so that the electrical load capacity of one charger does not exceed 22 kilowatts per hour. The decision indicated that the installation of these chargers is conditional on submitting an application to the electrical distribution networks sector in the ministry, as is the case when giving new power supply or to another existing booster, while adhering to the technical specifications as specified by the ministry.

The decision stated that the consumption tariff will be calculated in accordance with the tariff stipulated in Law 20 of 2016 and its executive regulation, with the prohibition of reselling electricity at a tariff exceeding that legally established procedures, provided that the implementation of the decision takes effect 60 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

In the midst of the “domestic labor shortage” crisis that the country is currently facing, many citizens became victims of multiple frauds when some owners of domestic labor offices announced new contracts for female workers from the Philippines at discounted prices compared to the rest of the offices, taking advantage of the citizens’ needs and luring them and they ended up filing hundreds of complaints with the Public Authority for Manpower, which responded by closing some offices and revoking their licenses, reports Al-Qabas daily. The daily has learned that PAM has taken legal measures against some domestic labor offices after some citizens filed complaints against them that the offices had failed to remain committed to their terms and conditions of providing a domestic worker.

Informed sources said that the closed offices did not respond to the request of the Department of Domestic Labor in the authority to visit PAM, so they were administratively closed for 3 months, and their licenses were canceled by the Ministry of Commerce.

The sources added that many complaints were registered against offices which took money from citizens to bring in a domestic worker at reduced prices, which they published through advertisements in the media, and it turned out that they had ended up in signing fictitious contracts.

The specialist in domestic labor affairs, Bassam Al-Shammari, has warned some labor recruiting offices against such manipulations in calling them ‘just a trap to loot citizens’. Al-Shammari told the daily many offices have been deliberately, in the recent period, harming the reputation of other domestic workers recruiting offices through fraudulent operations.

However, the change and rise in the new contracts was concentrated in two nationalities mainly, the Indian and the Filipino. The daily gave following details on the employment of domestic workers for the past six months, saying 26.6 thousand workers came from the Philippines, 23,000 from India and 8 thousand from Sri Lanka – 67.4% of them women; and 61,000 first time workers.

In order to strengthen the deep-rooted, multifaceted friendly ties and growing cooperation between India and Kuwait, three Indian naval ships will visit Kuwait this Tuesday: INS TIR, INS SUJATA, and the Indian coast guard ship SARATHI.

Al-Anba daily reports that the Ministry of Education is studying a proposal to change the school hours in the primary stage to 1:20 pm instead of 1:30 pm. The Undersecretary of the ministry Dr Ali Al-Yacoub referred the proposal of Kuwait Teachers Association to the Public Education Sector, which has been tasked with preparing the response.

Hamad Al-Houli, chairperson of the association, said in the proposal obtained by the daily: "First of all, we acknowledge your desire to strengthen coordination between the ministry and the association, so that we can contribute jointly to the development of education and its outputs.

As part of the association's commitment to improving education, we are pleased to present to you the association's and experts' proposal regarding Resolution 17317, which specifies 1:30 pm as the school closing time.

In order to strengthen the deep-rooted, multifaceted friendly ties and growing cooperation between India and Kuwait, three Indian naval ships will visit Kuwait this Tuesday: INS TIR, INS SUJATA, and the Indian coast guard ship SARATHI.

On the 4th, 5th, and 6th of October, naval ships will be docked at Shuwaikh port, giving Indian nationals living in Kuwiat a unique opportunity to see the ships.

On Tuesday, 4th, the Naval ships will be open to public from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. On Wednesday 5th, time slot is from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm and on Thursday, the time slots are from 1 to 2 pm, 2 to 3 pm, 3 to 4 pm and 4 to 5 pm. All Indian nationals with valid civil id must submit their request at the link https://forms.gle/c9KMxtevQSunEghx8 by selecting the date and time slot.

Civil ID will be mandatory for visiting the ship.

Kuwait's Ministry of Health has assured the public that Kuwait is safe from cholera. Poverty and conflict are among the causes of cholera's spread and outbreak, and Kuwait is free of all of these factors.

According to a local Arabic newspaper, maintaining personal hygiene and paying attention to food and clean water are among the most important preventive measures to take.

In this regard, health sources emphasized the need for continuous and direct coordination, communication, and cooperation with the World Health Organization.

One of the symptoms of cholera is acute and severe diarrhea, caused by eating unclean (spoiled) food and drinking impure water.

In order to prevent cholera from entering Kuwait, Kuwait has developed an integrated plan based on detecting, isolating, and treating cases as quickly as possible, as well as identifying those who have been exposed to the disease and testing them for it.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed the consumer price index (CPI) in Kuwait increased by 4.15% last August on an annual basis, reports Al-Qabas daily. In a statement to KUNA on Wednesday, the bureau indicated that inflation rate in Kuwait increased by 0.08 percent on a monthly basis in August due to rise of prices of all main groups that influence movement of the key indices, namely food and education.

Consumer price index (CPI) for the food and beverage group rose in August by 6.89 percent, in comparison to the same month last year (2021), whereas the group of cigarettes and tobacco slightly rose, by 0.07 percent, on an annual basis.

The clothing group rose by 5.67 percent and housing services increased by 2.17 percent, while furnishings climbed by 1.94 percent. As for medical group, it rose by 1.95 percent and transportation increased by 4.3 percent, also in contrast to August in 2021. The communications group increased by 2.03 percent, on yearly basis, and recreation and culture surged by increased by 3.6 percent, whereas education group grew by 19.05 percent.

Restaurants and hotels increased on yearly basis by 2.67 percent, commodities and miscellaneous goods by 3.03 percent. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measurement that examines prices over monthly or annual basis. Generally, it constitutes a basic index for growth and economic recession, where decision makers examine to take decisions at the economic level and work out fi nancial and monetary policies.

The new traffic rules implemented by the Ministry of Interior on delivery companies have been pushed forward for 3 months. Number of Small Medium Enterprise owners interacted with the Ministry of Interior.

The General Department of Public Relations and Security Media announced that the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled, directed to postpone the application of the new traffic requirements of delivery companies till Jan 2023.

Earlier it was scheduled to be implemented on 1st Oct. MP Majid Al Mutairi called on MOI to postpone and reconsider the decision as it would harm Kuwaiti youth and their families. MP Khalil Al Saleh stated that it is important for the government to give attention to SME’s and come out with a fair solution in order to overcome the obstacles.

Al-Anba daily reports that Qatar has the highest per capita wealth in the Arab world - $183,100 per person, according to Credit Suisse Bank's Global Wealth Report. The report stated that Kuwait ranked second with per capita wealth of $171,300; United Arab Emirates (UAE) in third place with $122,800; Bahrain ranked fourth with $98,000; Saudi Arabia took the fifth place with $84,400; Oman ranked sixth; Jordan ranked seventh; Egypt ranked eighth; Tunisia ranked ninth and Iraq ranked 10th.

According to MoneyLink website, Kuwait is among the richest countries in the Middle East because of its abundant supply of crude oil, while its oil reserves have been strategically deployed to maintain a leading position on the list of the world's richest countries.

 Kuwait is a small country geographically, but it enjoys an open economy backed by oil reserves of about 102 billion barrels, which account for six percent of global reserves. Oil income contributes almost half of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 90 percent of government income. Kuwait plans to increase oil production to four million barrels per day in order to increase its wealth, the website revealed.

As part of the "Smart Recruitment of Skilled Labor" project, for which the Public Authority for Manpower has obtained approvals to include it in the development plan and to implement it with the assistance of other relevant government agencies, PAM sources disclosed the theory tests for professions for expatriates seeking to work in Kuwait or rather are recruited to work in Kuwait will take place in the countries of origin while the practical tests will happen once the workers arrive in Kuwait and the result will be taken into consideration before the worker is eligible for a work permit

According to sources, more than 20 professions in high demand in the labor market have been identified, and other professions will gradually be added.

As stated by the sources, the project aims to ensure that skilled labor is recruited to upgrade the labor market, as well as preventing, as much as possible, the entry of untrained marginal workers, who have actively contributed to the imbalance in the country's population structure. In case the worker failing the practical tests the sponsor will be obliged to pay the return fare to the point of departure.

According to the sources, the project aims to accredit professional tests academically, determine the success and failure rates, and then make a decision about whether or not to hire the worker. In addition to developing an automated test system, modernizing professions and professional and standard descriptions in response to labor market needs, and adopting laws and decisions ensuring compliance, we will also implement an automated test system.

In addition, the inputs from the labor market are sifted through tests of its workers, their follow-up, and their upgrading of their professions to meet the demands of the market and technology.

As a continuation of the Smart Recruitment of Skilled Labor project, for which the Public Authority for Manpower has obtained approvals to include in the development plan and to implement it in cooperation with other relevant government agencies, responsible sources in the authority said the theoretical tests for professions for which expatriate workers are recruited will take place in the labor exporting countries in cooperation with the Kuwaiti embassies in these respective countries.

However, PAM stressing upon arrival in Kuwait the worker will have to appear for the practical test before he is eligible for a work permit. The sources indicated that more than 20 professions that are in high demand in the labor market have been identified but will slowly include other professions. The sources stated that the goal of the project is to ensure the recruitment of skilled labor that contributes to upgrading the labor market, in addition to preventing, as much as possible, the entry of the untrained marginal workers, who have actively contributed to the imbalance that affected the population structure in the country.

In case the worker fails the practical tests the sponsor will be obliged to pay the return fare to the point of departure. The sources added that the most prominent objectives of the project are the academic accreditation of professional tests, determining the success and failure rates on which the authority’s decision is based on whether or not to bring in the worker, with the development of an automated test system, as well as the modernization of professions and professional and standard descriptions according to the needs of the labor market, and the adoption of laws and decisions that guarantee compliance.

The Embassy of India in Kuwait during an event on Sept 29 at the embassy premises announced the ‘Next Destination Indore’ the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 which is scheduled to be held in Indore on January 9, 2023 and a state felicitation event on Madhya Pradesh to promote the 3 Ts engagement in collaboration with Invest India. This event comes on the heels of the Namaste Kuwait, a mega Indian cultural event which showcased some of India’s best dance performances by more than one thousand artistes spanning over 14 hours of over 120 performances.

Ambassador HE Sibi George addressing the invited guests and media
Speaking at the event the Ambassador of India to Kuwait, HE Sibi George signed off the launch of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 campaign which is celebrated every year on January 9 to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India. It also commemorates the return of the greatest Indian pravasi of all times, Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on Jan 9, 1915. Since 2015, its format has been revised to celebrate PBD once every two years and to hold themebased Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Conferences during the intervening period with participation from overseas Diaspora experts, policymakers, and stakeholders.  

The 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the Indian envoy said, was held during January 21-23 2019 at Varanasi. On January 9, 2023 the Indian diaspora across the globe will come together in Indore, one of the most beautiful cities of India. The theme of PBD 2023 is ‘Diaspora: Reliable Partners for India’s Progress in Amrit Kaal’. Five plenary sessions on (i) Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovation and New Technologies; (ii) Harnessing the potential of women Diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building; (iii) Goodwill through craft, cuisine and creativity; (iv) Enabling Global Mobility of Indian Workforce – Role of Indian Diaspora: and (v) Trade and Investment. “I am sure,” the ambassador said, “that our talented and experienced Diaspora in Kuwait can contribute immensely in each of these sessions. I invite our Indian community in Kuwait to plan a visit to Indore in January.” During the event, Ms Anchita Kethwas, Second Secretary, Commerce, Investment and Education gave a detailed presentation on Madhya Pradesh, singling out Indore which is ranked as ‘the cleanest city in India’ and the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh presenting a happy blend of historical past and promising rapid future modernization and investment facilities.

The ambassador took this opportunity to thank those “who help us make history, our artistes, our coordinators and volunteers and of course our ICSG team led by Rajpal Tyagi.” He also felicitated some of the coordinators of the Namaste Kuwait event “who helped us make that historic journey in Kuwait.”

 Kuwaiti voters, men and women, will go to the polls Thursday, in five electoral constituencies, to cast their votes and elect members of the National Assembly for the 17th legislative term of 2022. Voters will bear responsibility to reshape the course of the political scene and choose the right candidates that would best serve them and the nation. While being presented with the ballot paper, voters would recall His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s speech, which was delivered on his behalf by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, stressing on choosing the strong, trustworthy, and faithful in Almighty Allah and then his country, and who puts the interest of Kuwait and its people above all.

Among the 305 candidates running for the National Assembly elections, Kuwaitis will choose 50 members to represent them in Parliament, with 795,920 eligible voters. The voting process, which takes place according to the one-vote system, will start from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. local time, after which heads of the electoral committees will announce the end of the voting process, and beginning of counting followed by the announcement of the official results.

The Kuwait Civil Service Commission (CSC) announced Wednesday that October 9 will be a public holiday on the occasion of the Prophet (PBUH) Birthday. The CSC added in a statement that all government offices and institutions would suspend work on this day.

Bodies with work of special nature will decide their own holiday accordingly, taking public interest into account. Work will resume on Monday, October 10. (KUNA)

The State of Kuwait celebrates Thursday the second anniversary of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s proclamation as the country’s top leader, its guide toward further development and modernization. The occasion coincides with elections for membership in the National Assembly’s 17th legislative term, in line with His Highness the Amir’s visionary guidance calling for revising the political situation for attaining higher national interests.

His Highness the Amir, in a declaration made on his behalf by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on June 22, announced constitutional dissolution of the National Assembly (parliament) and called for general elections according to constitutional and legal schedules. His Highness the Amir stated, “Our goal behind the constitutional dissolution is a certain and sincere desire to see the people say their word on remedying the political process path anew by sound election of their representatives.”

The declaration was a followup to His Highness the Amir gracious initiative, publicized by the government on November 7, 2021, when His Highness Sheikh Nawaf practiced his constitutional right granting amnesty for a number of citizens. The announcement was designed to bolster cooperation between the executive and legislative authorities and gear up all the potentials for serving the homeland and the citizens

In order to ensure that car rental offices in all governorates of Kuwait comply with the laws and the decisions issued by the Interior and Commerce ministries in order to protect citizens and consumers, a joint committee has been formed by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The committee said it will conduct intensive joint inspection campaigns to targeting car rental offices on an ongoing basis to achieve its objectives, reports a local Arabic daily.

According to an Arab daily, the High Court recently ruled that theft and beating under the guise of a policeman is far more serious and affecting society than other crimes, since it influences public opinion and destroys confidence in the security forces, which may destabilize security in the country.

During a ruling issued by the Misdemeanors Department, led by Judge Salem Nasr Al Haid, those accused of impersonating detectives were sentenced to two years of hard labor for beating and theft. The court refused to present the defendants’ defense with evidence of the victims’ waiver and reconciliation with them, and their claim that there was no harm done on them after the suspect returned the stolen items to the victims. According to the report, the waiver submitted by the victims is not applied and has consequences according to Articles 109 and 241 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Trials.

On the other hand, the Eighth Circuit of the Criminal Court, headed by Counselor Fawzan Al-Anjari, issued its ruling yesterday in the case of bringing about 700 bottles of wine by sea on board a famous citizen’s yacht. After the Filipino captain admitted to bringing the contraband alone, the court expelled the owner of the seized yacht early last May and sentenced the expat to 5 years of imprisonment with labor, enforcement, and deportation from the country after he completed the trial. The Kuwaiti captain received one year in prison with labor and enforcement.