The Kuwait Vaccination Center at the exhibition grounds in Mishref is witnessing a huge turnout of people who want to get vaccinated in light of the intensified public awareness campaigns on the importance of vaccination including the booster doses, reports Al-Rai daily. Official statistics revealed that 85 percent of citizens and expatriates have been vaccinated.

Around 3,436,600 people or 87.62 percent of the population eligible for vaccination got the first dose; while the number of those fully vaccinated reached 3,326,073 or 84.81 percent and those who got the booster dose reached 1,386,614. Sources attributed the increase in demand for vaccination to rising societal awareness on the importance of vaccination, the travel season, keenness to be protected from the virus, large segment of those qualified to get the third dose, and fourth dose for certain categories.

Sources reiterated the call for the initiative to get vaccinated, including the booster doses, in order to increase the level of protection and expand the scope of herd immunity

The Indian rupee fell to more than 80 per US dollar for the first time on record Tuesday, as the greenback extended its rally and foreign capital outflows intensified. The rupee hit 80.0600 against the US dollar in early trade, Bloomberg data showed, before paring losses on suspected central bank intervention to close at 79.9487.

High inflation and rising interest rates in the United States coupled with fears of an impending recession in the world’s biggest economy have fuelled a broad dollar rally in recent weeks as investors become increasingly risk-averse. Tighter US monetary policy has exacerbated outflows from emerging markets such as India, where foreign investors have withdrawn a net $31 billion in debt and equity this year.

Data released last week showed that US consumer price inflation hit a fresh four-decade high in June, exceeding market forecasts and stoking expectations of another large Federal Reserve rate hike next week. In a written statement to the Indian parliament on Monday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman attributed the rupee’s sharp fall to external reasons.

“Global factors such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, soaring crude oil prices and tightening of global financial conditions are the major reasons for the weakening of the Indian Rupee against the US dollar,” she said. At the same time, the Indian currency has strengthened against the British pound, the Japanese yen and the euro in 2022 so far, Sitharaman added. But higher crude prices have resulted in a deteriorating trade balance in a country that imports 80 percent of its oil.

India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to a record $26.18 billion in June, official data showed last week, largely because of higher crude and coal import prices. In its monthly economic review, the finance ministry said costlier imports could widen the current account deficit and cause the rupee to depreciate further. Consumer price inflation in India, the world’s sixth-largest economy, cooled slightly to 7.01 percent in June after hitting an eight-year high of 7.79 percent in April.

But price rises have persisted well above the central bank’s two-to-six percent target range despite consecutive interest rate hikes in May and June. The central bank has also sold more than $34 billion of its foreign currency reserves in an effort to stabilize the rupee. “The near-term outlook for the rupee will continue to be weak as it tracks developments on the oil and gas front in international markets,” forex market expert K Harihar told AFP.

“The weakness will persist until trade deficit numbers come down or capital inflows counter it,” he said, adding that the rupee could fall to 81 per US dollar without an agreement between Europe and Russia on gas supply. The rupee’s move followed Russia’s Gazprom telling Europe late Monday that it cannot guarantee gas supplies following maintenance work on its Nord Stream pipeline. India’s benchmark Sensex index closed 0.45 percent higher on Tuesday. – AFP

Google on Tuesday celebrated the 113th birth anniversary of famous Malayalam poet Balamani Amma with a Doodle illustrated by Kerala-based artist Devika Ramachandran. The Doodle shows Balamani sitting by a window and composing a poem. Several books can also be seen in the scene.

Balamani was a recipient of multiple awards, including the Saraswati Samman -- India’s most esteemed literary award -- and Padma Vibhushan -- India’s second-highest civilian award. She published more than 20 anthologies of poetry, prose, and translations.

Known as the grandmother of Malayalam literature, Balamani was born on July 19, 1909, in Nalapat, her ancestral home in Punnayurkulam located in Kerala’s Thrissur district. She never received any formal training or education but was instead schooled at home by her uncle Nalappat Narayana Menon, who was also a popular Malayali poet. He had an impressive collection of books and works that Balamani studied at a young age.

At 19, she married V.M. Nair, the managing director and managing editor of Mathrubhumi, a Malayalam newspaper.

In 1930, at the age of 21, Balamani published her first poem titled Kooppukai. Her first recognition as a gifted poet came from the former ruler of the Kingdom of Cochin, Parikshith Thampuran, who awarded her with the Sahithya Nipuna Puraskaram.

In it’s tribute, Google said in a blog post, “As an avid reader of Indian mythology, Amma’s poetry tended to put a spin on the traditional understanding of women characters. Her early poems glorified motherhood in a new light—she became known as the ‘poetess of motherhood’.”

“Her works adopted the ideas and stories of mythological characters, but depicted women as powerful figures who remained ordinary human beings. Her most famous works include  Amma (1934),  Muthassi (1962) and  Mazhuvinte Katha (1966),” it added.

Balamani’s daughter Kamala Das was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature in 1984.

“Balamani Amma’s poems describing her love for children and grandchildren earned her the titles of  Amma (Mother) and  Muthassi (Grandmother) of Malayalam poetry,” Google’s post read. She passed away in 2004 and her cremation was attended with full state honours.

 The Court of Cassation ruled that the Umm al-Hayman area was unfit for habitation due to the pollution of factories, and proved the government’s mistake in its decisions to approve the area as habitable, reports Al-Rai daily.

The expert management committee assigned by the court confirmed that there were studies and research conducted by the Environmental Protection Council before the establishment of the residential area, which proved that it is exposed to high levels of pollutants that exceed the permissible limits for housing.

The Ministry of Interior said a study conducted by it showed that the period between 7:00 am and 10:00 am was best suitable for cyclists to practice their hobby on Fridays on the Jaber Bridge, but the latter said this time was inconvenient for them and declined the offer from the ministry, reports Al-Qabas daily.

At the same the farmers said the closure of the bridge for vehicles at this time will cause harm to them because this period of time is best suitable for them to transport their goods and fresh produce. In the event of this the ministry came to the conclusion that the bridge will be close for vehicular traffic on Fridays only if government institutions or private companies request permission to hold marathons.

Reports in Annahar daily indicate that the Ministry of Finance has vehemently denied rumors spread on social media platforms about the cancellation of consumer and personal loans; urging the public to obtain information from its official Twitter and Instagram accounts. After watching a video clip of some activists claiming a decision to cancel the above would be issued soon, the ministry confirmed it is keen on taking legal action against anyone who spreads false news.

Social media went viral with the mention of the loans. As far as activists are concerned, the ministry has begun procedures to determine the number of citizens with consumer loans and personal loans so that the total amount - estimated at KD2 billion - can be determined.

Minister of Commerce and Industry Fahad Al-Shariaan has issued a decision to ban the import, manufacture, sale or installation of all types of exhaust systems and their accessories in cars, reports Al- Qabas daily.

According to the decision, sports bodies specialized in engines, approved car agencies, and car spare parts agents licensed to sell them who have obtained a car exhaust agency and the approval from the General Traffic Department are excluded from the ban.

Kuwait Meteorological Department said on Sunday the weather in the country was affected by northwesterly wind, resulting in humidity in areas near the coast and dust in some other parts. 

Yasser Al-Boloushi, an official at the Meteorological Department, stated to KUNA that the temperature was expected to be 46-49 degrees and the wind northwesterly at speed between 8-32km/h, adding that the visibility will gradually improve. Al-Boloushi added that weather tonight was expected to be at 35-37 degrees with northwesterly winds at 8-35 km/h in speed. (KUNA)

According to the Director General of Bash Aviation Company for Travel and Tourism Muhammad Bashir, despite the end of the Eid al-Adha holidays and the end of almost one month since the start of the summer vacation, the prices of flight tickets are still high due to the continuous demand by citizens and residents to travel. This demand has led to an increase in the prices of flights to some preferred destinations from Kuwait by up to 200 percent, reports Al- Anba daily.

In detail, Bashir explained that Turkey, Egypt, London, Baku and the Maldives top the list of destinations currently preferred by people from Kuwait. The roundtrip costs for those destinations after the Eid holidays are high, given the ongoing high demand. The prices to travel to some of those destinations from Kuwait are not high but the costs of return tickets are high. For example, the cost of a flight ticket to London at present is about KD 390 round trip, but KD 100 one way.

The price of a ticket to the Maldives is about KD 334 round trip with the end of the Eid holidays, but only between KD 75 to KD 130 one way. The price of a one-way ticket to Egypt is currently about KD 172. The cost of a one-way trip from Kuwait to Egypt was about KD 50 recently, and it rose again in the last one-two days to almost KD 100.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has added several new features recently. The company is also developing more features for future versions. Take a look at some of these

DRAWING TOOLS: The company has rolled out three new drawing tools: two new pencils and a blur tool. The blur tool was already available on WhatsApp for iOS, so what's new is the interface of the drawing editor when using these new drawing tools.

REACT TO MESSAGES WITH MORE EMOJIS: The platform currently gives users the ability to react with just 6 emojis. But the company has recently rolled out a new feature that will let users react to messages with any emoji of their choice. Emojis like a robot, french fries, surfing in the sea, etc. are some among them. The feature may take a few days to reach all Android and iOS devices that use WhatsApp, but rest assured that it is finally on its way.

2GB FILE SHARING: Users can share larger files now since the platform has increased the file transfer size from 100MB to 2GB.

512-MEMBERS GROUP CHATS: WhatsApp has doubled the maximum number of participants allowed in a group chat, from 256 to 512 people. This facility to add more people to the groups is slowly being rolled out.

MUTE, MESSAGE PARTICIPANTS DURING GROUP CALL: These group calling features would allow users to mute others during a group call and send messages to specific people. One can also see a banner when someone joins a group call off-screen.

HIDE PROFILE PHOTO, LAST SEEN FROM SPECIFIC PEOPLE: This new privacy setting would allow users to hide their 'profile photos,' 'last seen,' and 'about' information from specific people in their contact lists. Until now, users had three privacy options for one's profile photo, last seen, and About info - Everyone, My Contacts, and Nobody. These are joined by a fourth option called 'My contacts except...' which is also available for Status privacy. But if someone doesn't share their last seen with others, they won't be able to see others either, just like read receipts, with the only difference being that the latter will always remain active for group chats, even if they've turned it off.

MESSAGE EDITING TOOL: The company is readying another important function, the ability to edit a message. It has been quite a while since the app started letting users delete messages, but it never brought the ability to edit them. The upcoming feature will let users fix any typo after sending a message.

HIDE ONLINE STATUS FROM ALL: WhatsApp is also working on a feature that will give iOS users the ability to hide their online status from everyone. As of now, users can choose to display their 'Last Seen' information to contacts, some people, or no one. For a future version of the app, WhatsApp will let users follow a similar approach to the online toggle.

SEARCH SHORTCUTS: With the new shortcut feature, users will be able to make searches straight from the info page of personal contacts and group chats.

VERIFICATION CODE TO PREVENT FRAUD: The under-development feature would add an extra layer of security before logging into a WhatsApp account. That means any successful attempt to log into the user's account from another device requires an additional verification code to confirm. This feature would help to protect those users that may naively share their 6-digit code.

EXIT GROUPS SILENTLY: Currently, when users exit a group, WhatsApp normally adds a system message in the chat to inform all participants that one has exited the group. As per this under-development feature, when users want to exit a group, other people will not be notified in the chat. Only group admins will be able to see who exits the group.

MULTI-DEVICE LINKING: The new feature being tested in the beta will allow users to talk with the same account on different phones. This is a significant advance from the past when multi-devices could only be run via a desktop client or web browser. Once functional, this feature will allow users to talk with the same account on different phones, or a phone and a tablet.

PREVIEW PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: The company is working on a new way to get the document preview when you share videos and images as documents in chats. Currently, you cannot get a glimpse of an image or video sent as a document without opening it. The preview will be similar to the one that is visible when you share a PDF file as a document on WhatsApp.

POLLS: The new feature will allow you to select a question and add several options to it. This includes adding a question and up to 12 different options for responses. The feature is initially expected to be available for WhatsApp groups only.

REELS: The company is planning to allow Reels inside WhatsApp in future updates. The feature will reportedly allow users to watch Instagram Reels directly from the messaging app. It could be a part of WhatsApp’s integration plan with other Facebook-owned apps.

COMMUNITIES FEATURE: The platform is soon expected to introduce a new Communities feature for Group administrators. The feature is about to provide more control to the Group administrators. With this, admins can create Groups within Groups. The Sub-Groups will also be end-to-end encrypted.

NEW CHAT FEATURE FOR GROUP ADMINS: The new chat feature for group admins will allow them to delete messages sent by other group members. This will be rolled out in a future update. When its functional, the group admins will be able to delete inappropriate messages without the permission of the authors. Also, it will give more power to admins to control the group chats. When an admin deletes a particular message in the group chat, users will receive a notification that says ‘This was deleted by an admin’.

GROUP MEMBERSHIP APPROVAL: The latest beta update also includes an admin approval feature that allows WhatsApp group admins to accept or deny requests from people wanting to join via hyperlink when enabled. When available, the feature must be manually enabled for each group that requires it. The option to toggle it on or off will be available in the group settings as 'Group Membership Approval' and whenever the feature is toggled on or off, all current customers in the group will receive a quick notification to let them know about the change. When the feature is enabled, admins will see group membership requests in a separate subsection in the 'Group Info' section each time someone tries to join the group using a sharable link. Admins can choose which clients to grant access to the group on this page.

READ LATER: Currently, when you archive an individual or group chat, the service hides it in the archive section, so that the chats are not visible on the top of the messaging app. However, when a new message arrives, the archived chat automatically shows up on the top of the screen, which is quite annoying. With this new feature, the platform aims to eliminate these interruptions. Archived chat will not be brought to the top of the messaging app. Read later will also come with an edit button for users to customise settings. The users will also be able to select multiple chats at once to quickly unarchive them.

Well informed government sources said there is no government tendency at the present time to increase the cost of living allowance in light of the resignation of the government and the dissolution of the National Assembly, especially that the state’s general budget is laden with many burdens, especially the fifth chapter devoted to salaries, and that the urgent caretaker government is working hard to take effective measures to address the imbalances of the general budget, and implement a package of programs aimed at reducing expenditures, by rationalizing spending and stopping spending outside the budgeted items, reports Annahar daily.

Sources indicated talking about raising the cost of living allowance, which is currently estimated between 120 dinars and 220 or 250 dinars, is unrealistic, especially since the total annual cost is estimated at 520 million dinars, stressing that any increase in the premium will cost the state’s general budget an amount similar to that and this will put a burden on the treasury especially since the current increase in oil prices is dependent on the geopolitical events that the world is currently going through with the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

Sources said that the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee had previously approved the proposal to reconsider the allowance for the cost of living allowance, and increase it by 100 percent, to 240 dinars instead of 120. However, the government did not take any action in this regard.

The sources explained that raising the cost of living is not currently a priority for the government, as it is working within the framework of 3 main tracks – are reducing budget waste for unnecessary items, repricing services and goods provided to the investment and commercial sector, in addition to re-pricing state owned lands, and collecting State dues. It is worth noting that the general budget has suffered for many years from the crisis of almost total dependence on oil revenues as a major source of budget revenues to the extent that in one year its percentage reached 94 urging the government to take serious steps to reduce dependence on oil revenues as much as possible by increasing non-oil revenues and rationalizing government subsidies.

 In the index for the current year of the best countries for expatriates, Kuwait ranked behind the Gulf countries as well as globally. The UAE ranked first among the Arab and Gulf countries, followed by the Sultanate of Oman, reports Al-Seyassah daily. According to a report issued by the German “Internations” network, which specializes in monitoring the lives of expatriates outside their countries, the UAE ranked first regionally and sixth globally in the list of the best countries for expatriates to live.

It is also considered among the top 10 destinations for expatriates to work. The Sultanate of Oman ranked second in the Arab world and the Gulf region, and 12th globally in the index, which includes 52 countries.

On the Arab and Gulf levels, Bahrain ranked third, followed by Qatar in fourth place, Saudi Arabia in fifth, and finally Kuwait, which fell to the bottom of the global ranking among 52 countries. The index was based on a survey of 12,000 people around the world, covering issues including the extent of expatriates’ satisfaction with quality of life, ease of settling in and working abroad, and personal finance in their country of residence, and others. In addition, expatriates rated their financial resources, especially in terms of the prices and the quality of housing, food and health care.

The labor market for expatriates who are sixty years and above continue to bleed because of the cost of renewing the work permits, which exceed 800 dinars, reports Al-Qabas daily. A recent report issued by the Public Authority for Manpower, in cooperation with the Central Administration of Statistics, revealed more than 4,000 expatriates, 60 years and above have left the country during the first quarter of this year. The government report pointed out that the decline hit all types of workers from this category of workers, whether university graduates or holders of a high school certificate, while their numbers stabilized until last April at 65,000 resident workers.

Employment
The employment of 60 years and above – holders of a general secondary certificate and below – pays large fees in exchange for renewing work permits, residence and health insurance. As for the sectors that witnessed a decline in the labor market, the report pointed out that the sector of administrative and support services activities was the highest in the total number of departures in 3 months, with a decrease of 1,423 workers, followed by the construction sector, which lost 792 workers.

The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector also lost 739 workers, in addition to 257 workers who left the accommodation and food services sector, and 103 others who left permanently after working for years in the manufacturing sector. With regard to those below 60 years workers, the report indicated the “wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles witnessed an increase of 3,406 workers, followed by the professional, scientific and technical activities sector with 2016 workers.” Changes in the labor market in the first quarter of 2022 – of the 1.3 million workers in the private sector 1,423 left the administrative services sector, 792 workers left the construction sector, 3,406 workers joined the wholesale trade and vehicle repair sector and 1,499 workers entered the education sector.

Most of the retail companies have moved their sales activities from traditional stores to the Internet in response to the effects of the pandemic. This shift towards the digital world was accompanied by the emergence of strong opportunities in the field of e-marketing, especially marketing through social media, reports Al-Anba daily. Over the past few years the social media has increasingly played a vital role in the retail sector. In fact, sources believe in one in ten purchase their needs via social media, demonstrating the decline of the traditional retail site in front of the modern digital point of purchase. The results of the “Connected Consumer” report revealed that 55% of consumers prefer digital channels in order to interact with brands, and this percentage has jumped to 65% among young consumers of Generation Z.

Online revenue
Social media has allowed companies of all sizes to reach new audiences, increase their following and increase their online revenue. This trend will maintain its momentum, as 61% of dealers and consumers plan to shop more via social media over the next three years, according to the results of the fifth report from ‘Salesforce’ on the status of the “connected consumer.” Moreover, the report showed that 56 percent of consumers shop more today on social media than last year. This shift in shopping habits highlights the importance of social media as a growing source of shopper traffic and revenue for online businesses, as these media have become widely used as tools to increase profits.

Terry Nicholl, Vice President, Middle East, Africa and Europe at Salesforce, believes that forward-looking retail companies should make sure to boost their investments in social media to ensure that their businesses can keep pace with the future, but about 45% of trade managers feel unprepared. To move forward on the path of leveraging emerging digital channels such as metaverse, tik tok and modern online social storefronts. The question for many is, where does the road begin? In order to target the right audience, companies first need to know where they are located. Determining the location of the audience that is shopping through digital channels is only the first step, as companies then need to identify the platforms used by the target audience and the places they are likely to buy from, while making sure that the company’s brand, its communication messages and services are consistent across other digital channels.

Many citizens and residents felt an earthquake early on Saturday morning around the nation, mostly in the Ahmedi area. The Kuwait National Seismological Network reports that at 2:36 am on Saturday, a 2.9-magnitude earthquake was felt south of Ahmadi.

The network also stated that the earthquake took place 8 kilometres beneath the surface.

Health sources said that the new Farwaniya Hospital, which is to be taken over soon, will be dedicated to treating citizens only, providing integrated health care and service similar to what is available at the Jaber Hospital. The sources told Al-Rai that the hospital will serve citizens of the Farwaniya Governorate, and will include all medical specialties.

The operational plan will be in stages as was done at the Jaber Hospital. The hospital will include advanced operating rooms, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery and maternity wards, and specialized wards, as well. The services will also include for the first time in Kuwait, an integrated physiotherapy and rehabilitation department.

The sources explained that the healthcare for expatriates of the Farwaniya region will be temporary through the old hospital, until the opening of the health insurance hospitals, which will provide care for the largest part of them, while the remaining segment of them working in the government sector will be distributed them among other health facilities in a fair and practical manner, that does not put pressure on any of the ministry’s facilities.

Considering the series of heinous crimes that have spread fear and anxiety among people in the past days and weeks, the time has come to not be silent about the matter any longer. In an effort to put an end to the nightmare of drug addiction and drug trafficking that has become a concern for citizens and expatriates, the Ministry of Interior is working on taking a set of strict measures and decisions in the next stage.

According to well-informed security sources, the ministry has issued instructions to expel any Gulf national or resident who is proven to have used narcotic substances. This comes as an urgent step to reduce the repercussions of this phenomenon on society by taking all necessary legal measures against these abusers and preventing them from entering the country again. The sources said, “After the shocking and horrific rise in the number of drug users of Gulf, Arab and foreign nationalities as per the latest statistics, the ministry has started expelling them from the country after confirming and verifying their use of narcotic substances through tests conducted on them to prove their abuse. Kuwait will not allow them to reside on its land, as they pose a real danger to the youth, and their presence threatens to spread the scourge of the abuse and promotion of these drugs.

There are instructions not to allow intermediaries to interfere at all in the matter and to hold legally accountable any employee who is negligent in their work”. The sources explained that the Drug Control General Department has a complete record of the drug users and promoters of narcotic substances who have been released from prison after the implementation of the penalties. They are under the microscope and control of the combatants, and anyone among them who return to the abuse of narcotic substances will be referred to the court again, and then will be imprisoned.

It is unfortunate that a large number of drug users and promoters of narcotic substances did not quit this scourge and returned to prison again. This is because they quickly returned to drug abuse and trafficking after they were released from prisons when their sentences ended. The sources highlighted the issuance of strict instructions to seize drug users, refer them to the concerned authorities, take all legal measures against them, and prosecute drug dealers. They called on citizens and residents to report drug dealers by calling the hotline No. 1884141 of the National Anti- Narcotics Committee, or the emergency No. 112, affirming that the reports will be treated with utmost confidentiality and secrecy. By Munif Nayef Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies

The Kuwait Meteorological Department expected the country to be affected by very hot air masses, with moderate northwesterly winds that will be active during the day on Thursday, causing dust at times, especially over open areas. Head of the Marine Forecasting Department at the department, Yasser Al-Balushi, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that this is due to the extension of India’s seasonal depression, which supplies the region with these very hot air masses, but the atmosphere is witnessing some changes, starting in the evening, as the country is affected by a relatively humid air mass, especially on the coastal areas.

The effect of the very hot air masses continues and causing dust at times, especially over open areas.

Regarding the weather Thursday, Al-Balushi stated that it will be very hot, with northwesterly winds to fluctuating light to moderate speed, sometimes active, ranging between 12 and 42 kilometers per hour, causing dust on open areas, and the expected maximum temperatures between 45 and 47 degrees Celsius, and the sea will be light to moderate. The waves are between 1 and 5 feet high. He stated that the weather in the evening will be hot and relatively humid on the coastal areas, and the winds will fluctuate to northwesterly, light to moderate, with speed between 8 and 35 kilometers per hour, and the expected minimum temperature is between 34 and 37 degrees Celsius, and the sea will be light to moderate, and waves and heights between 1 and 4 feet.

Maximum temperatures
He added that the weather on Friday will be relatively hot and humid over the coastal areas, with northeasterly to fluctuating winds, light to moderate, with speeds between 8 and 35 kilometers per hour, and the expected maximum temperatures between 44 and 46 degrees Celsius, and the sea will be light to moderate, and waves will rise between 1 and 4 feet. He indicated that the weather Friday night will be hot and relatively humid on the coastal areas, with light to moderate southeasterly winds, with speeds between 8 and 28 kilometers per hour, and the expected minimum temperature between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius, and the sea will be light to moderate in waves and a height between 1 and 3 feet.

Al-Balushi said that the weather during the day on Saturday will be very hot, with northwesterly to southeasterly light to moderate winds, with speeds between 10 and 30 kilometers per hour, and the expected maximum temperatures between 45 and 47 degrees Celsius, and the sea will be light to moderate, and its height is between 1 and 3 feet. He pointed out that the weather on Saturday night will be hot to hot and relatively humid on the coastal areas, with northwesterly winds turning to light to moderate southeasterly, with speeds between 8 and 28 kilometers per hour, and the expected minimum temperature between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius, and the sea being light to moderate in waves and height is between 1 and 3 feet. (KUNA)

Since the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) closed the zoo in March 2020 “until further notice”, as a precautionary measure to prevent the outbreak of the corona virus and limit its spread at that time, the authority has not announced any specific date for its reopening, which was receiving about 170,000 visitors annually before the pandemic, from all segments of society and age groups, and was considered one of the most important tourist and recreational facilities in the country, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The daily said, the citizens now demand the restoration of this recreational outlet and its reopening to visitors, pointing out that it is not logical to close recreational facilities without announcing a timetable for their reopening. After doing away with the restrictions related to the repercussions of the pandemic months ago and resuming most recreational activities in parks, complexes, malls, restaurants and others, it has become necessary to know the fate of the zoo, which has an area of 180,000 square meters, and is rich in many types of animals and birds and reptiles, in addition to a tram that takes visitors around the zoo moving on the green track. The zoo on the first and second days of any holiday in the past received about 2,000 visitors.

According to informed sources, the opening of the zoo again will take some time, given the need to restore and develop its facilities, especially animal cages, electrical installations, toilets and infrastructure in general. The sources pointed out the completion of these works require time between 6 to 12 months, in the event that these works are completed immediately. The sources added that the park contains 190 species of animals, birds, reptiles and mammals, with a total of about 1,500 animals, and these animals were not affected by any diseases or losses during the period of closing the park more than two years ago, indicating that this is due to the conclusion of a contract with a company to supply food inside cages throughout those years. The sources pointed out that the zoo is awaiting more government attention, to ensure the opening of this recreation within a short time, noting that the documentary cycle between government agencies may be one of the reasons for the slow completion of its maintenance work.