Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) gained the ISO 9001 certificate for aviation data monitoring division, at the air navigation sector affiliated to DGCA. This is the second time for DGCA to win this certificate for organizing quality systems, after implementing International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirement, DGCA added in a statement to KUNA today. The data monitoring division conducted wide updates of its devices and systems to organize flight plans and navigational maps provided to users by airlines’ companies and aircraft operators by implementing a qualification plan that comes in accordance with quality department criteria, it said.
DGCA vowed to continue developing the quality management department to guarantee and ensure the safety, regularity and efficiency of international air navigation in the country, it added. ISO 9001 Certified means an organization has met the requirements in ISO 9001, which defines an ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS). ISO 9001 evaluates whether your Quality Management System is appropriate and effective, while forcing you to identify and implement improvements.
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The Minister of Commerce and Industry Fahd Al-Shariaan will be attending a meeting with the Indian ambassador to Kuwait, Sibi George in an effort to persuade the Indian government to exclude Kuwait from wheat ban exports against recent decision.
Kuwait and India enjoy historic trade relations between two countries, with the possibility of easing a ban on its wheat export as it has done with some other countries, reports Al Rai. Al Shariaan’s move towards India in this regard comes within the framework by the minister to ensure continuation of food grain flows to Kuwait in light of growing price increase in the global market.
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Kuwait’s cabinet on Tuesday said that the country has not seen any cases of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, underlining that stringent precautions are already in place to keep the illness at bay. Holding an extraordinary meeting to discuss the virus, Health Minister Dr. Khaled Al- Saeed analyzed global statistics on the spread of monkeypox, which show that the virus has appeared in a growing number of countries. Health Minister Dr. Khaled Al-Saeed said that Kuwait was taking necessary measures to prevent monkeypox infections. Speaking to the KUNA and Kuwait State Television after the cabinet’s meeting, Al-Saeed reaffirmed that there were no reported cases of monkeypox in Kuwait.
On a different issue, Dr. Al- Saeed indicated that the Ministry of Health was ready for the 2022 Hajj season, revealing that plans were set to enable Kuwaiti pilgrims to perform this sacred Islamic ritual. Vaccinations for COVID-19 and other aliments as well as PCR tests will be readily available at health centers and clinics for pilgrims prior to their departure to the Holy Land in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
On national commitments towards Kuwait’s food security, the cabinet reviewed the objectives of an ad hoc ministerial committee tasked with looking into the matter, which include efforts to ensure the adequate availability of major staples. The cabinet went on to wish the newly elected municipal council success as the body seeks to bring the wishes and aspirations of Kuwaitis to fruition. Kuwaiti Cabinet ratified on Tuesday, in its extraordinary meeting at Al-Seif Palace, headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al- Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, a decree naming several members to be appointed to the Municipal Council.
Appointing four women as Municipal Council members is a “historic precedent”, Minister of State for Municipality Affairs and Minister of State for Communications and IT Affairs Rana Al-Fares remarked on Tuesday. Al-Fares, in a press release, said the appointments show the necessity of empowering Kuwaiti women through selecting those skilled and qualified; help them practice their role in the council. She wished success to the new members at the council, which is likely to start its sessions in June. Earlier today, the Cabinet approved Tuesday a draft decree appointing Sharifa Al-Shalfan, Alyaa Al-Faresi, Munira Al-Amir and Farah Al-Roumi as council members, along with Ismael Behbehani and Abdullatif Al-Daie (KUNA)
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The General Directorate of the Fire Department reported that five fire fighting engines are battling a blaze at the Al-Rai tent market to prevent it from spreading into the surrounding areas.
Approximately 4,000 square metres of the fire site have been damaged. Tents and plastic materials used in tent manufacturing have been reduced to ashes.
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In Kuwait, local media reported a Jordanian family of six who had no source of income was deported.
As per Article 16 of the Foreigners Residence Law, the security services have the authority to deport expats if there is no income source. The family was deported to Jordan including the father, mother, four children aged 7, 5 and 3 as well as an infant.
In Kuwait, both the man and his wife lost their jobs due to COVID-19 and were left without any means of livelihood or shelter as a result of harsh economic conditions. They had to sleep at Shuwaikh beach, and use public toilets.
In response to a complaint concerning an openly sleeping family, security personnel approached them.
Because they did not have enough money to pay the apartment rent, and the accumulated rent forced them to leave.
They initially slept in their car, but after it broke down, they slept on the beach. They received food and drink supplies from others. They had no complaints, and their residence permits remained valid.
In light of their lack of income, the MOI administration decided to deport the family.
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An annual ranking of the world's biggest airports is published by AirHelp, a German claims management organization that specializes in airline disruption claims. Kuwait International Airport came placed second on a list of the world's ten worst airports, according to a recent publication...
On-time performance, service quality, and food and shops are the three criteria used by AirHelp to rank the world's biggest airports.
The worst airport in the world is Lisbon Portela Airport in Portugal, followed by Kuwait Airport and Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands.
Fourth on the list was Romania's Henri Coandă International Airport, followed by Malta International Airport, Manchester Airport, Paris Orly Airport, Porto Airport in Portugal, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Canada, and London Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom.
On the other hand, Qatar's Hamad International Airport topped the list of the world's greatest airports, outperforming 131 other airports with an overall score of 8.39 out of ten.
Passengers who rank their dining and retail options on a scale of one to five are also examined.
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The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has officially agreed to lift the ban on 971 job grades for the second contract, out of the 1,303 job grades requested by the Ministry of Education to contract with non-Kuwaiti teachers for the 2022/2023 academic year, reports Al-Qabas daily.
In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Education, CSC affirmed the approval of the continuation to lift the ban on 299 vacant jobs in the remaining second contract of the previous 2021/2022 academic year, and lift the ban on 672 vacancies in the second contracts within the ministry’s 2022/2023 budget, which is the number of end-of-service decisions.
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The draft law on the residence of expatriates, which was recently approved by the Interior and Defense Committee in the National Assembly and related to granting real estate owners residence for a period of 10 years, is a new legislation to be presented for the first time which will help create new liquidity to help diversify the local economy and stimulate real estate transactions, reports Al-Qabas daily. However, some believe that the decision to encourage expatriates to own a property to obtain long-term residency has more negatives than positives if implemented, and it may affect the stability of the state in one way or another, as well as crowding out Kuwaitis who are looking for housing, in light of the housing crisis plaguing the country.
Therefore, the law — according to some experts — needs extensive and in-depth studies through which to determine the controls and conditions, before it is approved in its final version. In line with the decision, it has become necessary to develop legal legislation in relation to the system of non-Kuwaiti ownership of real estate, and the adoption of the mortgage law, as in most countries of the world, and this would move the economic wheel for various vital sectors, including, for example, providing an opportunity for local banks to achieve a volume of business, through good financing, the purchase of land, development and sale of apartments, recovery of contracting and insurance companies, engineering and consulting offices, in addition to revitalizing the building materials market, etc., which must be followed by the creation of job opportunities for thousands of Kuwaitis in these sectors.
Real estate experts considered the decision to grant expatriates who own real estate in Kuwait a 10-year residency as a positive step, which will achieve great benefits at the level of the real estate sector and the local economy in general, most notably supporting the government’s plans for economic diversification, developing the real estate sector, and reducing the percentage of vacant apartments; benefiting from the remittances of expatriates to be used locally in revitalizing the national economy, advancement of the real estate market, advancing economic development and stimulating the movement of real estate transactions and strengthening the legislative and legal environment to achieve the goals of Vision 2035 in its various economic and social aspects.
This is in addition to creating new liquidity to help develop the domestic product away from oil revenues, reviving the investment real estate sector and relieving pressure on private housing rented to expatriates, opening broad horizons for investors and real estate owners, given the expected investment returns to be reaped from the new owner of the real estate, benefiting from real estate fees in the development of the state treasury, the recovery of the work of private sector companies, including banks, insurance companies and contracting, and the creation of opportunities for thousands of Kuwaitis in these sectors and it will give the expatriate a sense of belonging and stability and the desire to invest their money inside the country.
The economists stressed the need for a number of legislations and conditions to be in place before applying the 10-year residency grant to non- Kuwaiti real estate owners, including, for example the ownership of the expatriate should initially be limited to the investment property of one apartment only for the purpose of family housing, determining the area allowed for the property to be acquired, determining the areas of ownership for non-Kuwaitis away from the areas of private housing, that the resident’s financial income allows him to buy the property he wants to own, he should not have been subjected to criminal judgments or breaches of honor and honesty throughout his stay in Kuwait and increasing residence fees and imposing a tax on real estate dealers (if the expatriate is allowed to trade) to contribute to the development of the state treasury.
Moreover, this will secure infrastructure services such as electricity, water, roads and others, establishing a mechanism to prevent the increase in the prices of land and building materials and developing legislation related to the system of non-Kuwaiti ownership of real estate. There is no doubt that there are some concerns that some citizens and economists may have regarding the new draft law, which – if implemented – will encourage expatriates to reside in Kuwait for the longest possible period.
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Due to engineering defects, and inability to complete necessary extensions for the electronic communication network, and to test the final form of the equipment and devices, the handover of Farwaniya Hospital could be delayed for up to 12 months.
According to local Arabic media, "the cause of the delays is due to the non-observance of technical specifications, as well as several changes in the project." The report also stated that an engineering inspection of the building found some needed demolition because of visible faults, and the completion of the connections requires a new change order and a new tender, which delays the delivery of the hospital, which was scheduled at the end of the month to complete its equipment for a period of up to 12 months.
A Ministry of Health source explained that "the Ministry of Health now has two options, either to take over the hospital at the beginning of next month, or to operate some departments in parallel with the launch of a new tender to implement the electronic network, or to refuse to take over the hospital until its work has been completed."
Two allegations of waste of public funds in projects related to the ministry were submitted by the Ministry of Health to the Public Authority for Anti-Corruption in 2020.
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According to local media sources, the National Petroleum Company has advised private Fuel Marketing Companies that charging 200 fills as a fee for filling cars with petrol is prohibited and would be recorded as a violation.
Earlier this year, the fuel marketing company 'Oula' announced that it would begin offering self-service at its petrol stations and would charge 200 fills if they required employee assistance. This is owing to a serious staffing shortfall they are now experiencing.
According to the source, the proposal of imposing a symbolic cost for the entire service was once again dismissed during a meeting between private fuel marketing companies and the national petroleum company.
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Rumors that a citation will be issued if a person drives a vehicle not registered to them have been denied by the General Directorate of Traffic.
According to GTD sources, a local Arabic publication reported that the motorist must produce a valid driver's license and insurance card.
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As a result, there were 560 citations issued in the Mahboula area at the end of last week and part of a campaign organized by the traffic sector. Police arrested a number of motorists at the end of last week.
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Chairman of the parliament’s Committee of Interior and Defense Affairs MP Sa’adoun Hammad says the bill for amending the law of expatriates’ residency is aimed at confronting residency traffickers. He revealed that the bill aims at toughening the penalties against residency traffickers by a jail term of maximum five years and a fine of maximum KD 10,000.
MP Hammad cited articles 18 and 28 of the bill which imposes the aforementioned penalties and doubles them in case the convicted is a public sector official and in case the same crime is committed more than once.
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The meteorological center said on Sunday the weather is forecast to be affected with 55 km/h northwesterly winds as of midday Monday. The chief forecaster, Yasser Al-Bloushi, said in remarks to KUNA that the winds were expected to pick up sporadically, causing visibility to drop less than 1,000 meters, particularly in uninhabited regions. At sea, waves will elevate to more than six feet. Al-Boushi added that the conditions would begin to improve, gradually, starting Wednesday morning. (KUNA)
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Although the Corona epidemic continues to show positive indicators, the vaccination centers received thousands of citizens and residents during the past weeks and 17,000 reportedly took the second dose in 37 days from April 19 to May 26, while more than 56 thousand received the third booster dose during the same period, reports Al-Qabas daily.
The sources pointed to the stability of the general epidemiological conditions and indicators of the Corona virus in the country, after the removal of restrictions related to the epidemic, and the resumption of commercial, social, cultural and other activities, noting that the increase in health awareness and the national vaccination campaign, which was launched in late December 2020, played a major role in the decline of the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic locally, and then gradually return to normal life.
The sources indicated that the proportion of those receiving the two doses out of the total population eligible for vaccination reached 84.3 percent, pointing at the same time that today (Sunday) those who wish to visit the Al-Ahmadi health areas will be received at the Fintas Health Center instead of the health facilities, for those who wish to receive doses of Covid 19 vaccines, noting that this is due to the low rate and volume of turnout. And about the latest statistics of “Corona” locally, Kuwait recorded 53 infections on May 21, with one case in intensive care, and 4 in the wards designated for virus patients, as well as no deaths from Corona complications were recorded, as the daily infection rate for the number of swabs was 3 percent with a cure rate of 99.5%.
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The interior ministry stated that driving a vehicle registered in the name of another individual is not deemed a traffic offence.
Before driving, a driver must ensure that he or she has a valid driver's licence and vehicle registration, according to the rules.
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Two months prior to the completion of Kuwaitization of government jobs with the exception of the positions of teachers, doctors and service jobs, informed sources revealed the prevention of the issuance of work permits to government agencies, which included the final number of jobs, as of this Sunday, with the aim of implementing the state’s directions in the Kuwaitization process and reducing the disposable jobs in the private sector, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
The sources stated that the decision for the suspension was issued the day after the meeting held by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf with the leaders of the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) following reports of an increase in unnecessary manpower in some private institutions and even in government institutions.
The sources said, “It included the prevention of the issuance of work permits for the ministries of Interior and Defense and some government agencies, for the positions of jurists, engineers and accountants in addition to other professions, and the use of national cadres instead.
The aim of this is to reduce the use of non-Kuwaiti employees in these professions, including the private sector, especially in companies that had previously failed to comply with the specified conditions, including providing the dues of their workers, which caused embarrassment to the country and contributed to the socalled human trafficking”.
The sources revealed that the Directorate General for Immigration and Residency Affairs has begun adopting the decision, which is effective so far. They said, “It reduced the authority of the leaders in this regard due to the presence of a large imbalance in the demographic structure”, which made it imperative for the Ministry of Interior and PAM to quickly control matters away from the interventions of stakeholders and residency dealers from some large companies before small companies and individuals. The sources stressed that the prevailing situation is no longer sustainable, and requires concerted efforts to stop the idleness and crimes caused by some illegal workers in the country.
They indicated that the decision of the Civil Service Council issued in line with the directives of the Council of Ministers regarding the Kuwaitization of government jobs will be completed next August. The sources explained that the decision will complete the Kuwaitization process for government jobs, with the exception of teachers, doctors and service jobs in the same proportions stipulated in the Civil Service Council’s decision.
The Kuwaitization decision includes all disciplines of information systems and technology jobs, maritime jobs, literature, media, arts, public relations, development jobs, administrative follow-up, statistics, and administrative jobs. Kuwaitization comes within the framework of Civil Service Council’s Decision No. 11/2017 regarding the rules for Kuwaitization of government jobs. It was issued according to the directives of the Council of Ministers, which aims to achieve 97 percent in jobs, 88 percent in law, politics and Islamic affairs, and 95 percent in financial, economic and commercial jobs.
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Al-Safafir, one of the oldest and believed to be the only heritage market in the Gulf, where people can purchase their copper, steel or aluminum needs, including barbecue tools, is literally struggling for survival because the market now looks abandoned for various reasons – the main reason being the shortage of skilled and experienced manpower due to non-graduate expatriates, 60 years and above having left the market after the government introduced new rules and regulations for renewal of work permits, reports Al- Qabas daily.
Al-Safafir market
During a field tour of this market, the daily found something was amiss, there were no buyers or customers, the market wore an empty look and most of the shop owners were seen yawning and others looking to entertain customers. They complained of lack of sales which coincides unfortunately, with the rising prices of raw materials needed to manufacture various.
The workers say the price levels of raw materials have increased by about 80 percent compared to two years ago, which has resulted in a rise in the prices of manufactured products, noting that among the tools used in manufacturing are iron, wood, steel, aluminum and kirby, and that these materials are imported from China, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (Dubai) and the Sultanate of Oman as well. In the past, the cost of shipping was around 200 dinars and took from one to two months to arrive, but now it has risen to 1,200 dinars — the cost of shipping the 20-foot container and now takes 4 months to arrive.
One of the shop owners in the market stated that the season of work and activity and sales movement in this market, is from October to March. These six months are the most active months for this market, during which shop owners can make profits. He indicated that the percentage of profits on orders in this market ranges between 20-30 percent, noting that most of the work is through wholesale orders for shops, companies and associations, which in turn sell them at a higher margin. As for dealing with individuals, the profits may reach 30-40 percent
During our tour of the market the daily noticed that a number of shops were closed for a period of time by government order and when asked about the reason, it became clear that its owners were unable to pay rents for months, which is what the majority of workers in this market fear the most. One of the shop owners said that this market in Kuwait is the only one of its kind in the Gulf in terms of quality and manufacturing, as customers come from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain to buy their needs of metal products. Shop owners said the market today is facing many challenges and difficulties including the increase in the prices of raw materials is not less than 80% compared to the past two years, the political conditions and the Russian- Ukrainian war have caused the prices of raw materials to rise as well, and a further rise is expected, lack of skilled workers in manufacturing due to the Corona crisis, changing the manufacturing pattern from handicraft to using machines and equipment, not opening the door for visas to bring in new trained and professional workers to advance this market and increase in the salaries of workers from 200 and 250 dinars to 400 dinars, which constitutes another burden on shop owners.
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The Residency Affairs stated that residency holders of Article 20 (Domestic Workers) are not permitted to stay out of Kuwait for more than 6 months. Their residencies will be terminated as per regulations. The accounted period incudes any date before and to December 1st, 2021, which will be terminated on May 31st, 2022 regardless of validity of residence.
The department clarified that the sponsors could approach MOI (residency affairs) centers at their governorates to request extension before May 31st, 2022. The department took the initiative to issue a reminder to aid the public and encourage them to do the necessary at earliest.
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The Ministry of Interior is planning to impose penalties on some foreign sponsors because the people they brought into the country on visit visas have not left, reports Al- Anba daily. The daily added, as a punishment, theses sponsors will not be issued any kinds of visas, including family visas for a period of two years.
A source stated that these procedures are being studied by the Ministry of Interior based on instructions from the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Lieutenant- General (Retd) Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf. This came after reports were submitted to him by the Residence Affairs Sector, headed by Brigadier General Walid Al- Tarawa, which disclosed that 14,653 expatriates entered on visit visas during the past three years until the first of May 2022 and did not leave.
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Barely 72 hours have passed since the Cabinet’s decision to form a ministerial committee to enhance the food security system, prevent price hikes, confront crises, and plan for self-sufficiency in some commodities. The chicken crisis in cooperative societies and supermarkets continues to worsen, as prices have risen more than 25 percent, reports Al-Qabas daily. While the markets witnessed a noticeable shortage of live and frozen chicken, demands have increased for more effective government measures to control the situation, and work to provide sufficient quantities of this vital commodity and limit the rise in its prices. Officials in the cooperative sector and supermarkets attributed these price hikes to the ongoing repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
They revealed that some poultry companies raised their prices due to the increase in the feed prices and the impact of this on more than one sector. The officials highlighted the widespread demand of citizens and residents to buy local and imported chicken, which has led to a scarcity of some types in the markets and fresh chicken stores. They explained that the demand for buying live and frozen chicken increased by 40 percent in some cooperative societies, supermarkets and slaughterhouses.
The demand was not limited to local chickens, but also Brazilian chicken, the quantities of which decreased significantly recently, especially in light of the fierce competition among different countries to import from them. In addition, this is aimed to deal with the needs of commercial markets, especially with the ongoing repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and its impact on the arrival of feed and food items to many countries including Kuwait.
The daily monitored the increase in the price of one kilogram of fresh local chicken. The cost has increased from about KD 0.750 per kilogram to between KD 1 and KD 2.5 in some stores. The sellers attributed the reason behind this to the high prices of feed and transportation costs, indicating that the demand of citizens and residents has increased despite the high prices. In cooperative societies and supermarkets, there was a shortage of some types of local and imported chicken, compared to the months of March and April. It was also noted that the price of jumbo chicken from some local companies was sold at KD 1.300, and the smaller one cost KD 1.200.
Consumers indicated that this increase in the prices of poultry and eggs in some coops and wholesale markets was not expected to happen in such a sharp way. A remarkable observation made during the tour of the markets was that consumers bought large quantities of chicken to store in their homes. The scene brought back memories of the purchase frenzy that occurred at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of consumers expressed their astonishment at the discrepancy in the prices of chicken cartons, as they were sold at KD 10 in Shuwaikh and KD 12 in the cooperative societies. They called for the need to tighten control over the markets, reduce prices, and take more measures to protect consumers.
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