The volume of the latest heavy rainfall exceeded 106 mm per day, Al-Ojairi Scientific Center said on Monday. Director General Yousef Al-Ojairi said in a statement the volume of torrential rain throughout Kuwait exceeded the amount of rain that fell in a day during the notorious “Al-Haddama” rainfall in 1934, as well as the unprecedented torrential rainfall in 1997, 2013 and 2018.

Ojairi said rainfall in some areas of Kuwait reached 61 mm daily, higher than the record in 2018 of 58 mm, with a total of 126.8 mm throughout the season. The 1934 Al-Haddama rain swamped Kuwait and inflicted heavy damage, affecting 18,000 people. – KUNA

Kuwait is preparing to become a transit station for nationals of many countries wishing to perform Umrah and Hajj in coordination with the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

The Al-Qabas daily reported that a meeting will be held after Ramadan to discuss the most important points of the project, which aims to receive 1 million pilgrims annually via Kuwait from several countries.

According to sources, several countries, including Iraq, Iran, Bosnia, and Chechnya, will be able to send their citizens into Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah if the project is approved.

It is believed that this project will have a great economic impact on the country, and that a mechanism will be approved for the passage of pilgrims only, or allowing them to enter and reside in the country for a specified period if they pay visa fees.

Once the project is approved, the Ministry of Interior will determine the mechanism for Umrah performers and pilgrims to enter the country.

To meet the needs of the citizens and residents on the occasion of the approaching Eid Al-Fitr, Kuwait's Central Bank announced it would provide new Kuwaiti currency notes in different denominations to all local banks.

It has been stated by the bank that individuals who wish to obtain new currency notes can do so during the bank's official working hours.

Also, the Central Bank will install ATM machines at various commercial complexes, including Avenues, 360 Mall, Assima Mall, and Al-Kout, starting from the middle of this month until the second day of Eid Al-Fitr.  

 A total of 154 million dinars was collected by the state budget in 2022 from expatriates renewing their annual residency or obtaining residency for the first time, according to a government report jointly issued by the Ministry of Interior, Manpower, Civil Information and Insurance, and the Central Administration for Statistics.

The report revealed that 1.4 million expatriates working in the private sector renewed their residency during the year, contributing approximately 109 million dinars, while 22.2 thousand expatriates who joined the workforce paid 2.7 million dinars for their residency.

Domestic workers in the family sector paid 15 million dinars for the renewal of their annual residency and health insurance, while 520,000 expats who came on family visa paid an additional 28.6 million dinars, according to the government report, reports Al Qabas. According to a government report, the financial payments for residency renewal from expats have decreased who obtained residency under Article 24, “self sponsorship,” and Article 19, “Company Partners.” The number of expats under Article 24 was 2352, and under Article 19, it was 773. The state paid 6.3 million dinars for the 97,880,000 expats working in the government sector, with the majority working in medical services, human health, and education, at a rate of 76.5%. The presence of residency law violators, totaling more than 133,000 residents, caused an annual decline of 3.5 million dinars in residency revenues.

Renewing work permits, health insurance, residency, and civil cards for a registered worker in Kuwait costs around 70 dinars per year, while domestic workers pay a reduced annual fee of 20 dinars. The cost for family residence permit, self sponsorship, company partners is between 55 and 65 dinars per year.

 The State of Kuwait will implement a voluntary cut of 128,000 barrels per day from the month of May till the end of 2023, in coordination with some OPEC and non-OPEC Participating Countries in the Declaration of Cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister and Oil Minister Bader Al-Mulla said in a press release Sunday. This voluntary cut is a precautionary measure in addition to the reduction in production agreed at the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting on October 5, 2022, the minister added. Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Oil Minister Dr. Bader Al-Mulla said that the voluntary reduction of production from the countries participating in the OPEC+ agreement is a proactive move to bolster the stability of oil markets amid developments in global economic conditions and their accelerating effects.

This was in Al-Mulla’s statement, which was conveyed through a statement by the Ministry of Oil, after he headed Kuwait’s delegation participating in the 48th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC), which was held Monday via videoconference. Among those developments is the rapid pace of rising global interest rates, global debt levels, the banking crisis and geopolitical developments, Al-Mulla said, noting that OPEC+ focuses on supporting the stability of oil markets. OPEC+ continues the policy of reducing production by two million barrels per day until the end of 2023, as decided at the 33rd ministerial meeting of OPEC+ on the fifth of October 2022, he mentioned.

He commended the initiative of the countries participating in the voluntary reduction under the OPEC+ agreement, which will be implemented from next May to the end of 2023. The Kuwaiti delegation participating in the meeting, in addition to Al-Mulla, included Kuwait’s Governor to OPEC Mohammad Al-Shatti, and the National Representative of Kuwait to OPEC Sheikh Abdullah Sabah Salem Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak also said that Moscow would extend a voluntary cut of 500,000 barrels per day until the end of 2023, reports Al-Jarida daily.

The UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and Algeria said they would voluntarily cut production over the same time period. The UAE said it would reduce production by 144,000 barrels per day, and Kuwait announced a reduction of 128,000 barrels per day, while Iraq said it would reduce production by 211,000 barrels per day, and the Sultanate of Oman announced a reduction of 40,000 barrels per day.

Algeria said it would cut its production by 48,000 barrels per day. The Saudi Ministry of Energy said in a statement that the Kingdom’s voluntary reduction is a precautionary measure aimed at supporting the stability of the oil market. Meanwhile, oil prices soared nearly 6% on Monday after Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers said they will cut production by 1.15 million barrels per day from May until the end of the year. Shares in Asia were mixed.

U.S. benchmark crude oil rose $4.24 to $79.91 per barrel, or 5.6%, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose $1.30 to $75.67 per barrel on Friday, ahead of the weekend meeting where members of the so-called OPEC+ group of oil exporting countries decided on the cuts, which are in addition to a reduction announced last October that infuriated the Biden administration. Brent crude, the pricing basis for international oils, gained $4.35 to $84.24 per barrel, or 5.4%.

The cuts in oil output immediately pushed prices higher and were expected to boost gas prices, adding to strains in many countries where high fuel prices are a heavy burden. Higher oil prices also will complicate the efforts by central banks to rein in inflation. “This will create both political waves across Europe and even higher general inflation in the USA, leading to renewed pressure on the Federal Reserve to keep hiking rates aggressively,” Clifford Bennett, chief economist at ACY Securities, said in a report.

 After receiving several complaints about cooperative societies banning expatriates from entering to shop and buy products during the holy month of Ramadan, Kuwait Times found expats are allowed to enter co-ops in many areas, but several Police Co-operative Societies are denying people entry unless they are Kuwaitis or working for the interior ministry.

Security guards are stationed at all entrances of Police Co-ops to check people’s civil IDs. Kuwait Times tried to speak with the co-op’s administration, but they refused to talk. One of the employees, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Kuwait Times the rule has been implemented since the beginning of Ramadan. Head of the Consumer Protection Association Meshaal Al-Mane told Kuwait Times this is an illegal decision, even if it is only applied at the interior ministry’s cooperative societies, affirming that banning expatriates from entering and limiting products to citizens only is against the law.

Mane explained cooperative societies are businesses with a commercial license from the commerce ministry, and they are also subject to the same market laws as other businesses. “The law must be implemented. As a representative of consumers in Kuwait, whether expats or citizens, we are obligated to protect their rights to enter any facility in the country and have the privilege to buy and shop,” he said. “Let us assume the opposite had happened, and a Kuwaiti was denied from entering a supermarket abroad. Is not that considered against the law?” Mane pointed out.

“This decision is against the laws of consumer protection and the ministry of commerce and industry and human rights. Let’s assume that their claims that the co-ops are crowded is true. This is an administrative matter and must be organized administratively and not by random decisions, especially by preventing a consumer from buying their needs in the month of Ramadan,” he said. Mane revealed he has informed the undersecretary of the ministry of commerce about the incidents faced by expats and informed him about Consumer Protection Association’s objection to such behavior.

Citizen Ali Wahabi expressed his anger at the decision that prevents expatriates from entering cooperative societies, pointing out it violates the constitution and is discriminatory. “Kuwait is a humanitarian country. It has sufficient stocks, so there is no reason to prevent expatriates from entering. This decision must be canceled immediately, because it has negative repercussions at the local and global levels,” he said. Nada Maged, an expat who used to buy from the Police Co-Op in Zahra, said: “This started three days before Ramadan, when the Police Co-op denied entry to expats. They checked the IDs and prevented anyone from entering except Kuwaitis and interior ministry personnel.”

Acting Deputy Director General of Farwaniya and Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorates Eng Nawaf Al-Kandari said a field tour was carried out recently in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh to remove everything that distorts public view or encroachments on State properties; resulting in the closure of seven shops for not adhering to the conditions and controls set by Kuwait Municipality, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, reports Al-Jarida daily. Al-Kandari indicated in a press statement that the inspectors continue their field tours to monitor those violating the rules and regulations of the Municipality, and then take legal measures.

On the other hand, the Municipality confirmed taking the necessary measures regarding the video clip posted on social media showing the removal of a container from its designated area and placing it in the middle of the street in Khaitan.

All individuals behind the violation will be held accountable. The Municipality said the oversight team rushed to the place and after investigating, it was found that containers were removed from the places allocated for them. It added that removal stickers were placed on vehicles, which blocked the parking of the garbage truck to empty the containers, in preparation for impounding them if the owners do not cooperate.

The WhatsApp instant messaging application is still being used by scammers today, but they have advanced to a higher level.

Al-Jarida daily reports that it has returned to the fore in terrifying and dangerous ways, so users should be careful and pay attention and delete it immediately.

Internet experts have received reports that fans of chat apps are once again being targeted by the dreaded 6-digit code texts.

Despite the fact that hackers have used this fraudulent technique in the past to gain full access to devices and personal data, they are warning now of its seriousness.

According to them, the trick starts when you receive a message from a real friend that seems like a normal conversation with you, but at the same time you receive a 6-digit code.

According to Mirror, the friend will say that the code was accidentally sent to your device. Please forward it to him.

You must stop and end the conversation immediately if this happens to you, as your friend's phone is definitely hacked.

Additionally, they explained that the scam works because WhatsApp will not allow a new device to access an account without a random 6-digit code.

These are the numbers hackers need to access your account through the green app. It is noteworthy that once you send them the code, WhatsApp believes that it is a real attempt to log into your account and because of your action, the platform will also enable hackers’ smartphone chat.

And if hacked, it means that hackers will access your calls and messages, and they can target friends and family and request money via Paypal links.

There are some vital tips that all WhatsApp users should know to avoid falling victim to this attack, the most important of which is setting up two-step verification. To give an extra layer of protection to your account: Tap Settings > Account > 2-Step Verification > Enable.

According to an official at the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), news about suspending 16,000 work visas for expatriates in the private sector pending validation of their academic certificates is inaccurate; citing sources, Al-Qabas daily reports that the authority works continuously to verify the integrity of certificates issued by private sector workers according to procedures and laws.

According to sources, there is no plan to suspend 16,000 work visas to ensure their procedures remain fair, stressing that the authority continues to suspend those whose papers or academic certificates are invalid, and each case is audited separately. The authority is working hard to organize the labor market, facilitate procedures for young Kuwaiti business owners, and continue demographic changes.

Sabah Al-Jalawi, the head of professional accreditation at the Kuwaiti Association of Accountants and Auditors, has stated that certificates and academic qualifications of expats in Kuwait holding accountant positions are currently undergoing an audit. This is the first joint cooperation between government agencies, namely the Public Authority for Manpower, and public benefit associations to verify academic qualifications and link them to work permits.

Al-Jalawi stated, based on the initial figures 18,000 expatriates have obtained work visa as accountant. Currently, 13,000 graduation degrees are being examined, and 5,000 individuals with accounting titles in their work permits have not provided proof of obtaining a suitable educational qualification for their profession.

According to him, the association has partnered with a specialized company to investigate academic certificates through Dataflow. He disclosed that in the first phase of the project, the majority of forged certificates were from India, totaling 40 certificates, reports Al Qabas. He also stated that they anticipate the number of individuals targeted by the “accreditation of accounting titles” project to increase in the upcoming period to 30,000 expats holding accounting titles, whose certificates will undergo screening and auditing in collaboration with the workforce.

According to Al-Jalawi, the members of the accreditation committee are all Kuwaitis who are part of the Association of Accountants and Auditors. Additionally, there is collaboration with Kuwait University to conduct exams for applicants seeking accreditation in accounting professions, which is a first.

In terms of requirements, Al-Jalawi specified that individuals seeking an accounting title in targeted professions must present evidence of obtaining a bachelor’s or diploma in the respective field, which will be reviewed by the concerned committee. Those registering for the first time must also take specialized exams conducted by Kuwait University. Passing the exam on the first attempt guarantees the acquisition of the title, and applicants have two more opportunities if they fail the first exam. They can also apply for courses provided by the association.

As for individuals with expertise, Al-Jalawi affirmed that a specialized committee conducts personal interviews, particularly for those with over a decade of experience in accounting.

He highlighted that individuals intending to enter Kuwait with accounting titles must prove their academic qualifications and present them to the appropriate committee before being issued a visa to enter the country.

After ten days since announcing the plan of flexible working hours in most government agencies, the Ministry of Communications decided to start implementing the decision, starting Sunday, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to the decision, the working hours start at 9:45 am and the time of departure is 3:15 pm, indicating that flexible working hours include all employees except those working in shifts.

The decision stipulates each employee must put in four and a half hours of work. In this regard, sources told the daily that the Ministry, throughout the past period, was confused about the flexible working hours mechanism and had sent a letter to the Civil Service Commission on March 29 regarding the official working hours during the month of Ramadan, inviting it to report on the possibility of adopting the flexible working hours system. The sources indicated that the flexible working hours allowed government agencies to choose more than one of the scheduled work times.

 The weekly report issued by the ‘Al-Shall’ Center said that more than a quarter of the total expatriate workers in Kuwait are domestic, as their number in 2022, according to the Central Administration for Statistics, reached about 753,000, of whom 347,000 are males and 406,000 females, reports Al-Jarida daily. The report indicated that India leads the male labor sector with about 239,000 and the Philippines lead the female sector with about 199,000.

The Indian labor occupies 44.8 percent of the total domestic labor, and the Philippines 26.6 percent, indicating that India, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka account for about 94.9 percent of the total employment out of 10 nationalities, including Ethiopia (1.1 percent), Benin (0.6 percent), and Sudan (0.2 percent).

The report added, “If the numbers of domestic workers with other categories of expatriate workers are combined according to their nationalities, the number of Indian workers would have reached about 835,000, which is equivalent to 29.9 percent of the total labor force and about 35.6 percent of the total expatriate labor force, followed by the Egyptian labor force with about 483 thousand, representing 17.8 percent of the total employment, then Kuwaiti workers with about 443 thousand, or 15.9 percent of the total, then the Philippines fourth with 267 thousand, and Bangladesh fifth with 241 thousand.

Security Media of the Ministry of Interior announced that the General Department of Residence Affairs Investigation raided a fake office for recruitment of domestic workers.

According to Al-Rai daily, the office, which is run by a taxi driver and a cleaner, helps domestic workers escape and find work.

According to the newspaper, the two men also dealt in domestic visas.

The Minister of the Interior has formed a committee to withdraw driving licenses from expatriates whose salary is less than 600 dinars and who do not hold a university degree, a step that has taken by surprise a wide segment that serves the country and confuses the actions taken in this regard, reports Al-Jarida daily. The Ministry will reportedly implement the decision retroactively to deal with traffic jams. However, private sources say traffic crisis is solved by improving roads and building bridges and tunnels, not by discriminatory decisions.

Traffic jams happen due to poor street planning. Returning to decisions targeting vulnerable groups in the country, and trying to address the problem of traffic jams with easy discriminatory decrees, is not the solution. Al-Jarida has learned from its sources that the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Acting Minister of Defense, Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid, has formed a committee to study the status of expatriate driving licenses and review data, revealing that the ministry will place a “block” on the license of any expatriate who does not hold a university degree and whose salary is less than 600 dinars and withdraw this license. The sources said that this decision will put about 300,000 licenses under the guillotine of withdrawal, noting that when it enters into force, it will be applied immediately and retroactively, causing endless confusion and chaos for those whose licenses have been withdrawn, as well as their business owners who are also citizens.

The sources say dealing with traffic jams does not require difficult discriminatory solution that includes unfairness to a wide segment of expatriates serving the country and contributing to its business process, pointing out that when countries of the world think about dealing with the traffic problem, they do not take into account the possibility of reducing the number of vehicle drivers, and rightly so.

Unjustly, inasmuch as it searches for radical multi-faceted solutions, including improving roads, constructing bridges and tunnels, improving the work mechanism of public transport companies, and regulating the taxi sector, in addition to many other elements, that do not include this repeated approach that puts Kuwait in the crosshairs of international accusations regarding the treatment of immigrants. In late 2021, Al-Jarida launched a campaign against the decision of the former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant General Sheikh Faisal Al-Nawaf, when he instructed the traffic sector to “filter” driving licenses for expatriates and link them to academic qualifications and job titles, in preparation for withdrawing them from those who do not meet these conditions, which resulted in about canceling this unfair trend that is coming back today with force.

Trade between India and Malaysia can now be settled in Indian Rupee in addition to the current modes of settlement, the foreign office announced on Saturday. This follows a decision by the Reserve Bank of India in July last year to allow the settlement of international trade in Indian currency.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the RBI's initiative is aimed at stimulating the interest of the global trading community in the Indian Rupee by weaning them off the US dollar. India International Bank of Malaysia, based in Kuala Lumpur, has operationalised it by opening a Special Rupee Vostro Account through its corresponding bank in India, which is the Union Bank of India.

Malaysia is the 27th largest investor in India with foreign direct investment of USD 1,161 million from April 2000 to September 2022. Bilateral trade touched USD 13.86 billion in April-November 2022.

“This new mechanism is also aligned with Malaysia’s foreign exchange policies (FEP) as part of which Malaysian banks are allowed to undertake the settlement of international trade in goods or services in any foreign currency, subject to the rules and regulations of Bank Negara Malaysia,” the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur said.

The mechanism will allow Indian and Malaysian traders to invoice their trade in rupees, though how the Malaysian counterpart would benefit by receiving Indian currency was not immediately clear. At present, Indian exports to Malaysia include machinery, instruments, electronic goods, fresh vegetables and meat.

In a bid to alleviate the escalating issue of traffic congestion on Kuwait's roads, authorities are gearing up to evaluate the driving licenses of all expatriates residing in the country. Local Arabic news outlet, Al Jarida, reports that this initiative aims to revoke nearly 300,000 driving licenses held by expats.

Top-level officials have issued stringent guidelines for the revocation of driving licenses for expatriates who do not possess a university degree and earn less than 600 KD per month. This measure is expected to significantly reduce the number of vehicles on the roads, thereby easing traffic jams and streamlining transportation in Kuwait.

As the country grapples with the challenges posed by increasing traffic, this proactive step to reassess expatriate driving licenses demonstrates the government's commitment to finding viable solutions for maintaining smooth road transportation. It remains to be seen how this decision will impact the expat community and the overall transportation system in Kuwait.

If your visa designation changes in Kuwait, it could potentially impact your eligibility to possess a driving license. Nevertheless, you can follow specific procedures to recover your license after a change in your visa status. In this article, we will detail the process of regaining your driving license in Kuwait after a visa designation change, common causes for losing a driving license, and advice on how to avoid such issues.

Step 1 - Regaining your driving license after a visa designation change in Kuwait:
a. Visit the General Traffic Department (GTD): Approach the GTD in the governorate where your driving license was initially issued., and inquire about your blocked driving license. Present your civil ID at the counter , and the staff will provide you with a document containing your details.

Step 2 - Go to the Asma Muroor Maktab Wakil office: Meet with the manager  at the Asma Muroor Maktab Wakil office, who will direct you to the appropriate office. Provide necessary documents: Submit your original driving license, passport, Civil ID, and a copy of your updated employment contract, which reflects the new designation.The officials there will check your original documents and unblock your driving license online.

Step 3 - Prepare a BADLE TALAF application: Visit any typing center to type up a BADLE TALAF application, which should mention your current designation. Get your sponsor's signature on the application.

Gather necessary documents: Carry a salary certificate in Arabic, as well as all original documents supporting your previous and current designations.

Pay the required fee: Purchase a 5 KD stamp for the designation change.

Step 4 - Submit your application, the 5 KD stamp, and other necessary documents to the concerned GTD office. They will then issue a new driving license.

By following these steps, you can efficiently unblock and regain your driving license in Kuwait after a designation change on your visa. Remember to share your experience to help others who may encounter similar situations.

 The victims of electronic robbery crimes in the country lost about KD50 million in the last 15 months — KD38 million in 2022 and KD12 million from the beginning of 2023 until Monday, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting a reliable security source. The source told the daily that about 20,000 citizens and expatriates have fallen victim to cyber crime gangs over the past 15 months, indicating that majority of the victims are elderly and those who lack experience in modern technology.

The source stressed the need to be armed with informational and technological awareness in order to avoid falling into the trap of cyber robbery gangs, which have become a threat to the security of individuals and institutions. He pointed out the Cybercrime Department faces a major challenge in raising awareness to protect privacy, especially after the spread of artificial intelligence applications in this field. He explained that cybercrime aims to harm electronic infrastructure by disrupting digital systems or stealing data of public and private institutions. He said people’s data can be obtained easily now due to the presence of social networking sites. He underscored the importance of strengthening cybersecurity in government and private institutions, unifying efforts, raising public awareness, and developing information security techniques and systems to address cybercrimes and raise safety indicators in various fields and levels.

The source confirmed that majority of cybercrime victims are elderly, as this age group has no sufficient experience with technology to confront the professional methods used globally in electronic fraud, especially since WhatsApp messages and anonymous calls are the most common means for fraudsters to seize the funds of this category.

The source also warned about the danger of downloading applications, which give remote access to smart phones without knowing how to use them, as misusing them enables anyone to have full access to the content of the mobile phone remotely.

Consequently, the Ministry of Interior warned citizens and expatriates about fraudulent operations that surfaced recently; carried out by some weak-minded people from outside Kuwait who impersonate police officers while using telephone numbers and electronic communication apps.

In a press statement, the ministry advised the public to be wary of such gangs; reiterating that any official authority in the country — whether banks or security agencies — does not require citizens or expatriates to provide bank data that are considered the property of the customers and may not be disclosed to any party. Also, the source warned of fraud and swindling by impersonating K-Net Company, stressing the need to verify each link before paying, and the need to distinguish between a trusted link and a fake link.

In an effort to prevent scammers from accessing users' banking information, Kuwait's Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) warns against opening fake links, sending short messages, or sending sponsored ads using the ministry's name. The ministry said in a press release that it does not ask users to provide personal banking information or an image of their ATM card when they file a complaint via its digital platforms or the government's Sahel app.

Additionally, it does not send verification or OTP messages to complainants. The ministry advised the public to make sure that the link they received ends with “moci.gov. kw”, not with “.net or .com” or any other domain extension. When submitting commercial complaints and reports, please use the official portal of the ministry’s commercial control and consumer protection sector “ccas. Alternatively, you can download the government (Sahel) app by going to moci.gov.kw.

Al-Rai daily reports that the Civil Service Commission is waiting for approval from the Ministry of Finance to increase wages and salaries under the 'strategic alternative' project.

Sources explained that this study is part of the government's work program under the title "Manpower" for the 17th legislative term (2022-2026). According to the study, implementing the strategic alternative will take place over three stages, and procedures for implementing the first stage will be initiated after the CSC study has approved the plan.