According to reliable sources, the security committee formed by the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled to review the transactions completed in the Residence Affairs Sector during the last period discovered 400 unarchived transactions in the Jahra Residency Department, reports Aljarida daily. They explained that members of the committee, which included officers from the Department of Counterfeiting and Forgery Crimes affiliated to the General Department of Criminal Investigation and officers from the Residence Sector, also uncovered cases of embezzlement of ministry stamps and fines resulting from transactions. They were completed by computer, and no archive was found for them in the administration building.

This meant there has been manipulation in collecting fees or in estimating the number of expatriate workers for citizens and Gulf nationals. The committee also revealed the presence of a female employee of the Jahra Residence Department with residence permits of seven men registered in her name, despite not owning a home. Even if she met the conditions, she would have been granted only a driver and a servant. It was also discovered that another female employee registered in her name five drivers, even though she is married to a citizen and is not allowed to issue work visas under her own name. The committee concluded that there are extensions granted to the visit visas of expatriates of various nationalities, as well as to commercial visit visas that exceed the validity.

Also, they discovered that a Gulf citizen registered in his name seven Bangladeshi expatriates, and their fees have not been collected. The sources affirmed that the committee submitted its report to the First Deputy Prime Minister to refer 20 employees, including officers of various ranks, in the Jahra Residency Department to the investigation authorities, after all the illegally completed transactions were documented, and violations committed by male and female employees were documented by increasing the number of migrant workers registered under their names.

Al-Anba daily reports that the General Administration of Execution makes great efforts in implementing judgments and protecting public money in the administrations of the various governorates and Kuwait International Airport. Meanwhile, the daily continues to publish details of the annual statistics prepared by the Statistics and Research Department of the Information Technology and Statistics Sector at the Ministry of Justice, including the efforts of the General Administration of Implementation of the Ministry of Justice. According to statistics of the Ministry of Justice, 140,005 citizens and residents were prevented from traveling during 2022.

Kuwait Airport Office had the largest share of the travel ban, with 36,145 citizens and residents banned from traveling through Kuwait Airport, according to the statistics. With 28,251 citizens and residents banned from travel, the Capital Governorate had the highest number, followed by Farwaniya Governorate, with 25390 residents and citizens banned from traveling. Al-Jahra Governorate came third in terms of the number of those banned from traveling, with 17,112 citizens and residents, followed by Hawalli Governorate, with 14,495.

With 13,759 people banned from traveling, Al-Ahmadi Governorate ranked second, while Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorate ranked third with 4,853 people banned from traveling. With regard to the implementation of family courts, the number of those banned from traveling reached 6075 citizens and residents due to family court cases.

There are 1448 citizens and residents in Hawalli Governorate, while there are 1129 citizens and residents in Al-Ahmadi Governorate who are prohibited from traveling. In order of number of citizens and residents banned from travel, Jahra governorate had 1077, Farwaniya governorate had 947, the capital had 878, and Mubarak Al-Kabeer governorate had 596.

The Director of the General Department of Criminal Evidence, Major General Eid Al-Owaihan, said the biometric fingerprint project was a dream of the Ministry of Interior, and it has been achieved on the ground, indicating that the project will contribute to setting up a database for everyone who lives in Kuwait and is 18 years old and above; whether for citizens or residents, where previously there was only the decimal fingerprint, while the biometric fingerprint will activate all information and help verify the identity of each individual, reports Al-Rai daily.

During the first 10 days of the Ministry of Interior starting to take biometric fingerprints for citizens and residents, whether for those arriving at the border crossings or those visiting the centers designated for that, Major General Al-Owaihan said, about 100,000 fingerprints were taken, with expectations of an increase in the frequency of fingerprinting, after increasing the number of centers, and moving to open other centers, so that achieving the goal set by the Ministry to fingerprint all citizens and residents within a year.

Interview
Al-Owaihan said, in an interview with “Al-Rai”, that the Ministry of Interior has prepared an integrated plan that will contribute significantly to the success of this project, by opening 4 centers dedicated to taking fingerprints, and will work to increase them to provide the opportunity for the largest possible number of auditors to take fingerprints, indicating that it is possible to make a prior appointment for fingerprinting through the “Meta” platform and the Ministry of Interior’s website, and that there are instructions by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled and the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Lieutenant General Anwar Al-Barjas, to harness all capabilities and overcome all obstacles in this regard.

He confirmed that work on the old fingerprint is still underway to arrest the perpetrators, remove fingerprints from the crime scene, and arrest violators of the residence law, and explained that with the new fingerprint, the data of the perpetrators or wanted persons will be activated so that they are identified.

The Public Authority for Manpower is currently working on a plan to enable expatriate workers who are registered in companies and establishments whose files has been closed in recent times to transfer their residency to other companies.

These files were ultimately closed due to a lack of a clearly defined automatic procedure for them. However, considering the humanitarian circumstances, it has been decided to allow the transfer of these workers. The condition is that their files must be “cleared” of workers by July this year.

The transfer process will be subject to specific regulations and conditions. Notably, the transfer will only be permitted to valid files with other companies, reports Al Jarida. Additionally, workers will be allowed to transfer from one file to another if more than 12 months have passed since their work permit was issued with the closed/suspended company.

For workers employed by companies holding licenses for small and medium enterprises, it is emphasized that a minimum of 3 years must elapse from the issuance of the work permit as a requirement for transferring their employment. The final decision to accept or reject the transfer will be made accordingly.

These measures taken by the Public Authority for Manpower aim to address the circumstances faced by expatriate workers affected by the suspension of companies. By facilitating their transfer to other companies, consideration is given to their individual situations and the necessity to ensure their welfare.

Al-Qabas daily reports that the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) has added two new indicators to the section on population and labor force indicators on its website. In a press statement recently, the authority explained that the first indicator highlights the Kuwaiti population growth rate according to various years.

The second indicator shows the rate of growth of non-Kuwaitis over the years, with the possibility of identifying specific nationalities.

The PACI explained that, based on the most recent indicators, Kuwaiti population has increased by 939,000. The total number of systems registered in 1990 was 578,511. The total registered until last year was 1.5 million.

Kuwaiti individuals in private families have decreased from 6.44 in 1995 to 4.60 in 2020, decelerated from 6.44 in 1995. Kuwaiti private families have increased to 313,000.

Kuwaitis increased by 28,700 as of the end of last year. The annual increase rate ranged between 25 and 32 thousand people, with the exception of 1993, which witnessed an annual increase estimated at 78,9000 people.

At the end of last year, there were 4.7 million residents, of whom 3.2 million were expatriates, and 32 percent were citizens. PACI has 1.5 million citizens.

They constitute the largest number among the total number of communities in the country, with nine communities controlling the highest presence among the population.

A total of 2.056 million workers are employed in the Kuwaiti market, 24 percent are employed by the government, and 76 percent are employed by the private sector. About 77.2 percent of Kuwaitis contribute to work in the government sector, followed by expatriates in the government sector with Egyptians at 7.9 percent, followed by Indians, Saudis, Bangladeshis, Syrians, Pakistanis, Jordanians, Filipinos, and then Nepalese.” As for the private sector, the Indian community constitutes the highest percentage with 30 percent, followed by Egyptians, Bangladeshis, Kuwaitis, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Nepalese, Syrians, Jordanians, and Saudis. In PACI's study, the percentage of workers compared to the total population was 43 percent.

Kuwait had the lowest contribution from the tourism sector to the GDP among Gulf Cooperation Council countries, according to a recent study, with an average contribution of 6.1% to the GDP, compared with 10.8% in the UAE, 9.8% in Bahrain, 9.7% in Qatar, 9.4% in Saudi Arabia, and 6.8% in Oman.

Kuwaitis spend more than 4 billion dinars ($14 billion) on foreign tourism each year, or about 11% of their gross domestic product. Al-Qabas daily reports that the country's tourism revenues do not exceed the level of 300 thousand dinars per year, according to the study, prepared by the Tourism Enterprises Company and recently reviewed by the Council of Ministers.

Tourism projects have finished drawing out the outline for the establishment of an entertainment city that would yield a viable economic return for the government. Approximately 200 million dinars will be required to implement the project, 120 million of which will be capital expenditures, and 80 million will be infrastructure expenditures, with an exploitation period of 50 years instead of 3 years needed for its implementation.

Approximately 85 million dinars will be contributed to GDP by the project in 2035, about 4 thousand new jobs will be created, and 900 thousand people will visit the entertainment city by 2030, assuming that the internal rate of return is between 11% and 13%, assuming a 50-year lease term is assumed.

According to the study, the government has two options for implementing the project:

- A legislative amendment to the State Property Law that the period of offering to exploit the site be 50 years or more, and then it is possible to achieve an internal return of 15%, so that it is attractive to investors in the private sector.

- Injecting the value of the capital required by the state (building and then contracting with an international operator), noting that Wafra Real Estate Company has expressed its desire to invest in the project.

The new entertainment city will include the following sections:
- Amusement parks
- Sports courts
- Hotel
- Water Park
- Sheikh Zayed Park
- Bird watching area
- Forest huts
- Retail and restaurant area
- Picnic area
- Electronic games hall

The First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled has issued instructions to not renew the residency of an Egyptian couple and their six children and to grant them temporary residency until the end of the academic year, after which they are to be deported, reports Al-Anba daily. He took this decision after receiving a report from the community authorities about domestic disputes between the couple, which led the husband to leave his wife and six children, and stay with one of his friends without leaving any means of sustenance for his family. It reached such an extent that two of his children would take turns going to school in order to take care of an infant who is less than three months old.

According to a security source, one of the children called the Operations Room of the Ministry of Interior, and said her parents left her with her five siblings without food and that they were hungry and did not find anything to eat for two days. The Assistant Undersecretary for Public Security Affairs at the Ministry of Interior Major General Abdullah Al-Rajeeb was immediately informed. He issued instructions that the six children be taken to the police station and provided with meals.

The community authorities, who took care of the children, were notified, and the father was summoned. He revealed that he was unemployed as he had been laid off from work and had financial problems, which resulted in disputes with his wife and was eventually forced to leave the marital home four months ago and stay with his friend. He affirmed that he is committed to the expenses of his children, revealing that he pays the tuition fees and the transportation fees for the bus that takes them to and from their school. As for the mother, she said she was no longer able to take care of the children as she had nothing to spend on them, and so she went to stay with her friend.

In January 2024, Kuwaiti postgraduate students studying at British universities will only be able to obtain residency for their families if they are doing research programs, which usually last longer than two years.

The restrictions are part of the British government's decision to impose entry visa restrictions for the families of international students after record immigration rates in recent years, reports Al-Rai newspaper.

It is expected that the procedures will be implemented in January 2024 after consultation with universities and the higher education sector. Only outstanding postgraduate students in research programs will be allowed to bring their families.

Before completing their studies, students will not be allowed to obtain a work visa instead of a student visa.

According to sources at the British Embassy in Kuwait, visas for companions (spouses or children under 18) of postgraduate students (higher diploma or master's degree) studying in non-research programs (lecture system), for residence in the United Kingdom, will be restricted under the new procedures. It will not affect current postgraduate students or students who plan to begin their studies before January 2024.

According to a statement issued by the General Fire Force's Public Relations and Media Department, a fire was reported to the Central Operations Department this morning regarding the Souk Sharq fish market. The Central Operations Department dispatched firefighters from Al-Hilali and Al-Madinah Fire Stations to put out the fire.

Al-Rai Daily said the fire destroyed a restaurant inside the vegetable section. The site was evacuated immediately, and the fire was extinguished without causing any injuries.

A draft agreement between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait regarding a railway link project between the two countries has been authorized by the cabinet of Saudi Arabia.

A report published in the Arab Times in early May 2023 quoted local Arabic language newspaper Al Qabas as saying that French transportation consultancy Systra had been selected to conduct a feasibility study for a high-speed rail link between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Kuwait will also connect to the GCC Railway via Saudi Arabia with its 111-kilometer-long 'Gulf track' extending from its southern Nuwaiseeb port, on the Saudi-Kuwait border, to Shadadiya. Stage 1 of Kuwait Railway Network project includes Gulf track, for which a study and design tender will be released 15 January 2023 with a closing date of 30 May 2023.

In a development that serves a large segment of microbusiness owners, the Minister of Commerce and Industry Muhammad Al-Aiban issued a decision through which he reorganized licenses for activities of a special nature in a way that would reduce the burden of rents for headquarters for a large segment of business owners, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to informed sources, the number of activities expected to be covered by the decision exceeds 60 commercial and handicraft activities.

There is no need for the owners of these activities to rent official premises to practice their commercial activity, provided that the they undertake it without the need for workers, a commercial store, or the approval of other regulatory authorities such as the municipality, the Ministry of Interior, the Public Authority for Industry, and others.

The activities intended in the decision cannot register or recruit expatriate workers. Regarding the entitlement of holders of commercial licenses of a special nature to support national manpower, the sources said the decision to disburse labor support is not in the hands of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as they will not be granted “national manpower support” for these activities, unless the Public Authority for Manpower issues a decision allowing them to do so. The sources said this decision would restrict the activity of fictitious office rental brokers, as there are those who rent a fake office or for a short period with the aim of obtaining a commercial license. adding that this measure will stop tampering with this file.

The following was stated in resolution No. 82/2023 regarding licensing activities of a special nature:

Article 1: In the application of this decision, it means companies carrying out activities of a special nature by their owners without the need for workers, a commercial store, or the approval of other regulatory authorities. It is within the framework of facilitating and supporting projects, and as an exception to the requirements stipulated in the executive regulations of the aforementioned commercial store licensing law.
Article 2: The application for licensing the companies mentioned in the previous article should be submitted through the ministry’s “single window center” along with the required documents in accordance with the laws and decisions in force, with the exception of submitting a rental contract or receipt if the following data is submitted:

1. A proof of the legality of the home address of the applicant, or the chosen domicile of the applicant, whether it is a law firm or an auditor’s office.
2. Any other documents for which a decision is issued by the minister or whomever he authorizes.

Article 3: The provisions of this decision apply to companies established before and after its issuance. The license is issued for a period of three years.

Article 4: With the exception of the provisions contained in this decision, the provisions of the relevant ministerial decisions remain valid. Article 5: The concerned authorities – each within the scope of their competence – shall implement this decision. It shall come into effect from the date of its issuance. It shall be published in the official gazette.

Conditions for obtaining a license are as follows:
1 – Commercial licenses of a special nature are not issued to public sector employees, and are granted to citizens only registered under chapters 3 and 5, and to retirees.
2 – Permitted commercial licenses must require approvals from bodies other than the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
3 – The applicant for a license who is registered under Chapter 5 is not entitled to labor support for the activity of a special nature.
4 – The owner of the license must practice the work himself. It is forbidden to register or recruit workers for the license.

The following are some of the activities that are allowed to be practiced without a headquarters:
■ Software and web design
■ Consulting activities that do not require the approval of professional bodies
■ Artistic activities such as translation, drawing, calligraphy, photography and booking concerts, events and museums
■ Designing fashion clothes, jewelry, gold artifacts and precious stones
■ Home and office decoration design
■ Organizing sports tournaments and booking stadiums and tickets.

As part of its responsibilities to supervise and regulate private health institutions; the Ministry of Health has confirmed the closure and withdrawal of the licenses of five private health centers, 40 private clinics and 20 private pharmacies for committing violations, reports Al-Qabas daily. The ministry took this step as per the recommendation of specialized inspection committees that uncovered the violations and the results of investigations conducted by the Medical Liability Authority.

According to the ministry, the above mentioned pharmacies were proven to have violated law number 28 of 1996 on regulating the pharmacological profession and its amendment – law number 30 of 2016,. It has been discovered that some of these pharmacies are managed by other people, not the owners or holders of a license to operate pharmacies. The closed health centers and clinics violated Medical and Allied Professions Law number 70 of 2020, as well as the decisions on regulating the private medical sector and health licensing.

The number of individuals who are in violation of the Residency Law reached 130,100 last week, reports Al-Anba daily quoting a reliable source. The source said the latest statistics of the Ministry of Interior showed that the number of expatriates under Article 18 visa (private sector employees) reached 1,408,030; while those under Article 20 (domestic workers) reached 783,372 and those under Article 22 (family or dependent visa) reached 512,306.

The source added that the Indian community is still the largest in the country, followed by the Egyptian community and then the Filipino community

Addressing the concerns shared by several locals and residents, security sources clarified the intention behind the newly deployed biometric system at various border crossings and airports. The objective is to construct a comprehensive database for the Ministry of Interior, they disclosed.

With 49 biometric devices installed across land, sea, and air entry points, along with two dedicated centers in Umm Al-Hayman and Jahra, the ministry aims to enhance national security. Spearheaded by First Deputy Prime Minister and acting Minister of Interior and Defense, Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled, the project aims to facilitate a seamless travel experience.

Security sources reassured that this new move would not pose any hindrance to citizens or residents regarding their travel or residency renewal. The act of collecting fingerprints wouldn't obstruct anyone from entering or leaving the country. The ministry's current agenda is to develop a security database comprising all entrants, be they citizens, residents, Gulf nationals, or even visitors. The next phase will involve recording ten fingerprints of the country's residents and linking them with their residency renewal process.

The implementation of the biometric system has demonstrated impressive accuracy, efficiency, and a high-speed data collection process for everyone who underwent fingerprinting. This effective approach has been witnessed amidst the significant rush at land, air, and sea ports.

The Department of Land and Air Ports has successfully registered a massive number of travelers, including citizens, residents, and visitors, using the fingerprinting method which typically takes no more than three minutes. In cases of unrecognized fingerprints due to injuries or other issues, facial and eye scans are conducted, which takes approximately five minutes.

In an attempt to ease the anticipated congestion during the summer travel season, authorities have made provisions for Kuwaiti nationals to take their fingerprints at one of the two centers in Umm Al-Haiman and Jahra. Operating 24/7, these centers will alleviate congestion at border crossings. The fingerprint system applies to all individuals who are 21 years old or above. Complete data captured by these biometric devices is sent to the Criminal Evidence Department, creating a special database linked with the Gulf security system.

There exist agreements among GCC countries to share data about individuals wanted in security-related cases. The prime objective is to identify counterfeiters, apprehend individuals wanted by security, and record the security data of the person undergoing fingerprinting.

In coordination with the General Department of Information Systems, the Criminal Evidence Department has installed 49 scanning devices across land ports, sea ports, and airport terminals. The staff managing these devices have been thoroughly trained for the project to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and speed, thereby preventing any travel delays.

It's noteworthy that the Ministry of Interior has successfully completed a project to develop a comprehensive central biometric system for Kuwait, which includes fingerprints, palm, face, iris, and electronic signatures of all individuals.

The project was overseen by Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled, who closely monitored the final stages of the project. This initiative also includes a thorough overhaul of entry and exit procedures for travelers and vehicles, the establishment of secure data centers, provision of automated devices to simplify procedures, and the ability to check local and international blacklists before authorizing travel.

As a result of the Corona crisis, the Civil Service Commission has decided to pay 180 dinars as a screen allowance to all teachers from GCC countries who worked during the distance learning period.

As with their Kuwaiti counterparts, only teachers working in government schools are eligible, according to Al-Rai.

The administrative sector of the Ministry of Education has submitted a list of names to the CSC for approval.

In the meantime, the educational areas have listed the names of teachers who are shortlisted for replacement and their services will be terminated before May 31.

Some sources have rumored that the ministry's financial sector would pay teachers' salaries and dues until next September instead of at the end of the year.

A recent study found that rising temperatures erode human sleep globally and steal precious hours from people’s sleep. It warns that sleep hours will decrease further with rising temperatures, especially for the elderly, females and low-income communities.

The study, published by the scientific journal “One Earth”, included 47,000 adults in 68 countries, and found a significant change in sleep duration when the nighttime temperature rose above 50 degrees (10 degrees Celsius), as it is in nights when temperature exceeds 86 degrees. On average, people sleep 14 minutes less, reports Al-Rai Daily.

Over longer periods of time, the loss is more significant, according to the study, which showed that people already lose an average of 44 hours of sleep per year, and as warming continues, people will be under intense pressure to get a good night’s rest.

According to the study, the nighttime temperature has risen faster than the daytime temperature in many places around the world. By the year 2099, individuals worldwide may lose between 50 and 58 hours of sleep per year.

The study indicates that there is no evidence of the human body adapting to high temperatures. The elderly and females are most affected, along with poor communities.

She stated that without air conditioning in poor communities, and if greenhouse gas concentrations are not stable until the end of the current century, each person could lose two weeks of sleep per year on average due to the high temperature each year.

She pointed out that we often take sleep for granted. However, not getting enough sleep can increase our risk of many serious health problems, such as poor mental health, obesity, heart problems, or even early death.

According to the study, lack of sleep is associated with decreased cognitive performance, decreased productivity, impaired immune function, negative cardiovascular outcomes, depression, anger, and suicidal behavior.

The study warned against air conditioning use because it exacerbates global warming by increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

The study found that continued urbanization will further amplify ambient heat exposure.

The study recommends a focus on heat-resilient urban planning, environmental design, and biopsychosocial interventions to fairly protect the world’s urban population centers and vulnerable communities from exposure to high nighttime temperatures.

Public Authority for Manpower announced that work in open areas will be banned from June 1 to August 31.

Authority informed that the ban will be from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm under direct sunlight to protect the workers from the scorching heat during the summer.

The Ministry of Health has recently taken strict measures to address violations in private health facilities across the country. In an effort to uphold quality standards and ensure public safety, the ministry has closed several establishments and revoked their licenses. These actions were taken based on the findings of specialized inspection committees, which identified various infractions within the targeted facilities. This comprehensive crackdown includes the closure of 5 private health centers, 40 medical clinics, and 20 private pharmacies.

Private Health Centers:
The inspection committees discovered numerous violations related to the operation of private health centers. These violations ranged from improper management of medical services to non-compliance with regulations governing the practice of the medical profession. The closure of these centers aims to safeguard the integrity of the healthcare system and ensure that patients receive appropriate and lawful treatment. By revoking the licenses of these centers, the Ministry of Health sends a clear message that adherence to standards is of paramount importance.

Medical Clinics:
In addition to the private health centers, the ministry's inspection committees identified violations within 40 medical clinics. These violations pertain to the practice of the medical profession, including the provision of auxiliary services. It is crucial to maintain high-quality healthcare services across the country, and the closure of these clinics serves as a reminder to uphold professional ethics and comply with regulations. The Ministry of Health emphasizes the significance of maintaining the public's trust in the medical profession and aims to prevent any substandard practices that may compromise patient well-being.

Private Pharmacies:
Among the facilities affected by the recent enforcement actions are 20 private pharmacies. The inspection committees found evidence that these pharmacies were being managed by individuals who were not the original license holders. Such unauthorized management raises concerns regarding the quality and safety of pharmaceutical services. To ensure the delivery of reliable and trustworthy healthcare products, the Ministry of Health has revoked the licenses of these pharmacies. This step serves to protect the public from potential risks associated with improper management and unregulated pharmaceutical practices.

The Ministry of Health has taken decisive action against violations in private health facilities to maintain the integrity of the healthcare system and safeguard public health. The closure of 5 private health centers, 40 medical clinics, and 20 private pharmacies reflects the ministry's commitment to upholding professional standards and ensuring the well-being of patients. By addressing these violations, the ministry sends a strong message that non-compliance with regulations and unauthorized management will not be tolerated. The public can trust that the Ministry of Health is actively working to maintain the highest standards of quality and safety in the private healthcare sector.

The Kuwaiti Cabinet held Monday its weekly meeting, chaired by His Highness Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. After the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Dr. Khaled Al-Fadhel said: The Cabinet touched on the results of the participation of the Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in the Arab 32nd Summit, which was held Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah.
The cabinet stressed that the State of Kuwait reaffirms its support for Arab League Council Resolution No. (8914), welcoming the final statement of the Jeddah meeting and the statement of the Amman meeting. It also expressed hope that Syria’s return to the Arab League will help end the crisis and the suffering of the Syrian people.
The Cabinet confirmed the dates for the Islamic Eid Al-Adha holiday, where state bodies nationwide will be closed starting from Arafat Day on Tuesday, June 27 until Sunday, July 2, with work resuming the following day on Monday. Discussing current developments around the world, the cabinet condemned the storming and ransacking of the residence of the Kuwaiti military office chief in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, in addition to the Qatari embassy, slamming these incidents as “acts of aggression” that target diplomatic missions.

The Cabinet went on to urge authorities in Sudan to take appropriate measures aiming to protect diplomats in the African country, while ensuring that such incidents do not occur again.(KUNA)

In confirmation to the article published earlier regarding the Ministry of Interior’s announcement to designate four centers in addition to the border crossings to implement the biometric system, the Department of Public Relations and Security Media of the Ministry of Interior stated that, as part of the security authority’s keenness to secure the border crossings with the latest security means and technologies, and in accordance with the national project to protect the country’s security, the Ports and Borders Security Sector has activated the biometric system, which includes taking scans of the face and eyes and fingerprints of those entering the country through the Kuwaiti ports, reports Al-Rai daily. The department explained that the biometric system will be applicable for everyone who are 18 years and above, according to the procedures for issuing nationality in Kuwaiti law. All individuals – citizens, residents or visitors – arriving in Kuwait through the various ports will be subject to this system.

Facilitate
In the interest of the security authority to facilitate the citizens and travelers, four centers affiliated with the General Department of Criminal Evidence have been allocated with the cooperation of the General Department of Information Systems in Jahra, Ali Sabah Al-Salem, Farwaniya and West Mishref areas. They will be open daily for 24 hours.

The investigation management center will be open from 8:00am to 8:00pm to complete the biometric procedures. Biometric devices have also been provided by the General Department of Criminal Evidence at the air, land and sea border crossings.

Citizens and residents must book an appointment through the “Meta” platform, and visitors through the Ministry of Interior’s website https://meta.e.gov.kw/En/ to visit the centers designated to complete the biometric procedures (for those who wish to do it before traveling). Travelers through all kinds of ports are allowed to leave without completing the biometric procedures, as its work is limited to arrival (when returning from travel).

Work is underway to open new sites and centers, which will be announced in the near future. Meanwhile, ten days after its implementation, the new security system set up at the border crossings and centers designated by the Ministry of Interior is working efficiently, within the framework of the technical project aimed at controlling security and preventing the entry of wanted individuals and forgers, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting security sources.

They explained that a total of 65,000 citizens, Gulf nationals, residents and visitors have been entered in the biometric system since its launch on May 12 in all of the country’s land, air, and sea entry ports. All these individuals had returned to Kuwait after traveling overseas.