Gold prices climbed to their highest level in six months last week at $1,875 an ounce, stated a report on Sunday, mentioning that this coincides with release of American employment statistics. The report, issued by Kuwaiti Dar Al-Sabaek Company, attributed the rise of gold prices to the slowing pace of American employment last December where the price reached $1,867 per ounce. Head of strategic planning at the company, Adel Al-Fadhli, explained that American employment

statistics affect the American Federal Reserve’s interest rate. Al-Fadhli further added that employment rate in the US slowed down slightly last December with 223,000 jobs compared to November’s 256,000.

The waning of wage pressures is one of the main factors affecting gold price positively, indicating that inflation is diminishing while income average increases on annual basis with 4.6 percent last month, less than market expectations of five percent. The US dollar index stabilized at 105.22 points whereas the treasury’s 10-year bonds remained at 3.72 percent. As for the local market, the report mentioned that the price for 24 carat gold reached KD 18.37 per gram and the 22 carat gold reached KD 16.84 per gram. -KUNA

 The General Traffic Department held a coordination meeting with the Ministry of Commerce in presence of Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Traffic and Operations Affairs Major General Jamal Al-Sayegh and Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Muhammad Mikhlif Al-Anzi, to reduce negative phenomenon of noise pollution in the country.

During the meeting it was decided to implement an intensive traffic campaign and set up checkpoints to impound violating vehicles who install most obnoxious exhausts. Companies who install and sell exhausts that cause annoying sounds.

Shri Malayil Moosa Koya, an Indian national, won the grand prize in the Al Najma account draw conducted by the Commercial Bank of Kuwait. On Thursday, Moosa Koya won the grand prize of 1.5 million dinars, worth approximately 40 crore Indian rupees.

Moosa Koya, originally from Kerala, worked as a journalist for the Kuwait Times newspaper and is currently the Director of India International School, Mangaf.

 The Kuwait Meteorological Department says Monday and Tuesday there will be light to medium rain, sometimes heavy in some areas on Monday morning and continuing until Tuesday evening, reports Al-Rai daily. The Met weather forecast observer, Abdulaziz Al-Qarawi, said the country will be affected by the progression of an air depression that will be associated with a cold air front from the southwest of the country, as low and medium clouds multiply interspersed with thunderstorms accompanied by light to medium rain, sometimes heavy in some areas. 

Al-Qarawi added that the wind speed will reach more than 50 kilometers per hour, with a decrease in horizontal visibility and the weather will gradually improve with an opportunity for fog formation in some areas.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has not received a request from Almarai Company to increase the prices of its products, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources. Sources disclosed the concerned ministry officials recently issued a directive to inspect the markets to ensure compliance with the approved prices, warning that the necessary action will be taken against whoever is proven to have violated the price control regulations.

Source pointed out that even if Almarai submits a request to increase its prices, the ministry will reject it and this applies to all food companies. Sources affirmed that the officials in these companies fully understand the need to comply with the prices stipulated in resolution number 67/2020 until the committee tasked to study proposals in this regard completes its work.

Meanwhile , the Kuwait Firefighting Force (KFF) has issued licenses for 27 buildings in Zour Refinery, reports Al- Rai daily. This was announced during the recent visit of a delegation from KFF, headed by Deputy Director of the Prevention Sector Major General Khaled Abdullah Fahd, to Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC) in the Zour region. A celebration was also held for handing over the firefighting license to 27 buildings in the largest refinery in the Middle East, in addition to reviewing the company’s plans and preparations for emergencies, and a field tour of the refinery and project sites. Fahd then expressed his gratitude to the company for its full cooperation and commitment to fulfill safety requirements and obtain firefighting licenses, hoping such cooperation serves as a model for other companies.  

 The Council of Ministers has instructed the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) and other concerned parties to expedite the steps aimed at adjusting the demographics and purifying the labor market of random employment in order to ensure that work permits are not issued to anyone except companies with real activity on the ground, reports Al-Qabas daily. Also, based on a series of measures implemented by PAM to curb visa trading and the entry of marginal workers into Kuwait, the year 2022 ended with many changes in the local labor market, as it witnessed the closure of 3,000 fake companies, and the referral of 800 files to the Public Prosecution for investigations into suspicions of corruption and irregularities.

A report by PAM stated that the year 2022 also included the registration of 14,963 citizens in the automated registration system for job seekers, and 37 percent want to work in the private sector. Despite the state opening the door to receiving workers in all sectors after the closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic workers were the highest number compared to the rest of the fields of work. The year 2022 ended with the door closed on the recruitment of Egyptian workers until further notice due to the abuses of recruitment agencies and the lack of an understanding between PAM and its Egyptian counterpart regarding the reopening of recruitment.

By the end of 2022, the labor market regulations registered about 2.2 million non-Kuwaiti workers, corresponding to 511,000 citizens, only 14 percent of whom are in the private sector, according to the latest report. Domestic workers in the local market accounted for 30 percent of the total employees in the country, and four percent in the government sector, while the rest of the employees are distributed in the private sector in various fields including fishing, agriculture, transportation, service work, administrators, and specialized labor.

Committee
During the past year, the tripartite committee, led by PAM, targeted a number of areas where violators and transgressors of residency and work laws abound, and thousands of violators were arrested. The tripartite campaigns focused their efforts on controlling violating workers in the fish market, scrapyard in Salmi, Sulaibiya farms, Kabd, Mutlaa, Jahra, random markets in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Khaitan, Farwaniya. They cooperated with the Residency Affairs Investigation Department to control violators through social media where they advertise fake jobs for domestic workers.

The committee referred to the deportation prison about 3,000 workers working in massage parlors for men for violating public morals and providing immoral services. Most of them are Asian workers. Other official reports revealed that the authority closed the files of 3,000 fake companies, and referred 800 files to the General Department of Investigations due to suspicions of residency trade and violations of the labor law. It also received hundreds of complaints and communications related to domestic workers and employers. Dozens of them were transferred to the judiciary to complete the procedures and restore the rights of workers.

The facilities in Farwaniya and Hawally were closed for carrying out fictitious contracting operations with citizens, and legal measures were taken against them. In the national employment file, 14,963 citizens were registered in PAM’s employment systems during the past year, of whom 37.1 percent expressed their desire to be appointed to private sector jobs. Compared to the numbers registered in the systems for the past year, the numbers decreased significantly, as in 2021 there were about 29,000 job-seekers, 36.4 percent of whom wanted private sector jobs, which indicates a difference in numbers of up to 14,000 citizens. Cumulatively, the total number of those registered with PAM for more than six months, are not currently working, do not receive a retirement pension, and not registered with an educational institution is 17,353 citizens, and 78 percent of them hold university degrees.

Students who secure admission to an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have often spent most of their adolescent years preparing for the JEE Advanced. During this time, they are under the strict supervision of their parents and mentors and have little exposure to the world outside their coaching classroom. But after getting into an IIT, the pressure of the entrance test is over. 

During my term as the IIT Delhi director, I noticed that some students often feel overwhelmed by campus life and the freedom it offers. As the new academic session has just kicked off across IITs, here are a few things I often suggest students should keep in mind to make their campus life more enriching.

Explore, slow down, enjoy engineering   

Students should explore the options available on campus. Students in an IIT are treated as adults from the first day. There is emphasis on self-learning as opposed to spoon-feeding. Coaching teaches you tricks to solve a problem in the shortest amount of time. Coaching makes you an expert at answering questions. When it comes to academics, it doesn’t matter whether you’re able to answer a question in 10 or 20 seconds. Engineering is all about finding solutions to problems with a certain methodology – and that will be taught as a part of your course. So, slow down and enjoy the study of engineering. 

Self-learning is key

The shelf life of whatever we teach in the classroom ends within 5 years after a student enters the industry. In 10 years, new technologies will emerge. Hence, it’s important to acquire the skill of self-learning. A college curriculum makes your basics clear and builds the required foundation for this. Even if something changes later on, students can use these foundation courses and the fundamentals for their self-learning. This will stand them in good stead.

Did not get Computer Science? That’s okay

A common refrain of 80 per cent of students in IITs is not getting the Computer Science branch. But engineering is about finding optimal and sustainable solutions for problems.

And for that to happen, all disciplines need to come together. Problems tend to become multi-disciplinary and don’t come with the tag of a discipline associated with them. Multiple departments and people with different expertise need to come together to work on something. I often give students the example of my own research. Most of the technologies we have been able to commercialise from my group have as many as six different department faculty and students involved in it. 

Try new things

Most of the students in IIT are good academically but struggle when it comes to adapting to new things. The Emotional and the Adaptability Quotients (EQ and AQ) are as important as the Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Very often, students who enter the campus have already made up their minds about their life plans. I encourage students to get involved in research activities and projects, get associated with faculty members and discover their interests. 

I think students should explore all the options that are available to them instead of making up their mind in the very first year about what they want to do based on limited information. Minds are like parachutes, they function only when open.

Attend all the lectures you can

Students who get into an IIT can pass exams even if they put in minimum effort. However, I have noticed that there is peer pressure to not attend classes. You are considered cool if you don’t attend classes. But it becomes detrimental to your career as there are many good teachers in the IIT system. What you can learn in that one hour of class lecture, you will have to spend hours learning on your own. So, whether attendance is compulsory or not, attend the classes. I always tell students that as an engineer you should always think about optimisation. If you can learn something in one hour in the classroom, why would you want to spend three hours of your personal time learning on your own?

Get associated with faculty members

Faculty members at many IITs are usually working on research projects. At any point in time, there are 300 to 400 sponsored projects going on in any IIT. If you get associated with any of these projects in the beginning of college, you can eventually contribute to them and open yourself up to research. You might even decide to pursue it as a career later.

BTech is not the end

Less than 5% of students at the IITs stop studying after BTech and take up a job. However, technology innovations require students to pursue certain areas to a deeper level, whether it is quantum computation, biotechnology, or Nanotechnology. To proceed further in that regard, a bachelor’s degree is not enough. You will have to pursue higher studies or work for a company that works in that area. Working for a company can also help you understand some of these concepts by practice. There are several innovation opportunities in some of these deep-technology areas. This will also help you get into areas where there is a higher barrier for entry. 

Hence, I encourage students to pursue higher studies and not stop with a BTech degree. With a BTech degree, what you can do as an innovator is limited. You can start an e-commerce company, you can get into some Fintech company, but you cannot really get into the deep technology innovations because they all require much deeper understanding which cannot be gained at the undergraduate level.

Learn the art of patenting 

India is ranked third in research and 46th when it comes to innovation, and innovation is often measured in terms of patents. We’re not protecting our ideas. Whenever you get good ideas, try to patent those ideas. Even if you develop technology and if you don’t own the patent, no investor will invest in such a company.

Participate in co-curricular activities

Each IIT has an average of 25 clubs including dance, drama, and reading. If you look at the webpage of the board of student affairs at IIT Delhi, you will find a large number of clubs listed and you can become a part of some of these clubs. Many of these co-curricular activities require you to work in teams. I often notice that individual excellence is available in abundance amongst IIT students, but they don’t work well in a team. When you leave the campus, group effort and collaborative efforts always come in handy. Participating in co-curricular activities helps build that spirit of collaboration. 

(The writer is former director of IIT Delhi and currently the Pillay Chair Professor in electrical engineering at the institute)

World food prices fell for a ninth month in a row in December but hit their highest level on record for the full year in 2022, UN data showed Friday.

Food prices soared to a monthly record high in March after Russia invaded agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, a major supplier of wheat and cooking oil to the world.

But prices have dropped since then, with more relief brought by a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July that lifted a Russian naval blockade on Ukrainian grain exports.

The Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday its price index, which tracks the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, fell to 132.4 points in December, a 1.9 percent drop from November.

It was also one percent lower than in December 2021.

But the index was 14.3 percent higher overall in 2022 compared to the previous year as it reached an all-time high of 143.7 points.

“Calmer food commodity prices are welcome after two very volatile years,” FAO chief economist Maximo Torero said in a statement.

“It is important to remain vigilant and keep a strong focus on mitigating global food insecurity given that world food prices remain at elevated levels,” he said.

Torero said many staples are near record highs, with prices of rice rising and “still many risks associated with future supplies”.

World prices of maize were 24.8 percent higher on average in 2022 than in 2021, according to the FAO. Wheat was 15.6 percent more expensive.

But maize prices fell in December, mostly due to “strong competition” from Brazil, the FAO said.

Wheat was also down for the month “as ongoing harvests in the southern hemisphere boosted supplies and competition among exporters remained strong”.

The FAO’s vegetable oil price index reached a new record high in 2022 but fell 6.7 percent month-on-month in December to its lowest level since February 2021.

Dairy and meat prices hit their highest levels since 1990, the agency said. While meat prices fell 1.2 percent in December, those of dairy rose 1.1 percent for the month. – AFP

A Kuwaiti newspaper reports that Kuwait has launched an online complaint system for domestic workers.

The Public Authority of Manpower (PAM), according to Al Qabas, has implemented a six-service system that includes the processing of complaints filed by employers and recruiting offices.

An online service for issuance of clearances, extending a worker's residency, and employment transfer is also available, according to the source.

Due to one-time restrictions prompted by the global COVID-19 epidemic, Kuwait, a country with around 4.6 million people, has sought to diversify its domestic labour market in recent months.

The number of non-Kuwaiti employees, including doctors, in the Ministry of Health totaled 38,549, reports Al-Rai daily. Minister of Health Dr Ahmad Al-Awadi confirmed that the ministry strictly complies with Civil Service Commission (CSC) Resolution No. 11 of 2017 on the Kuwaitization of public sector jobs. He said the ministry has been implementing the Kuwaitization plan stipulated in the resolution for a period of five years.

Also, in response to the question of MP Essa Al-Kandari, the minister stressed that the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) is fully committed to the policy; indicating both the ministry and PAFN have not employed any non-Kuwaiti consultant. He added the number of non-Kuwaiti employees in the authority reached 52 who are under subcontracts and 20 under the expertise contract.

He disclosed that majority of non-Kuwaiti employees in the ministry are in the medical, technical and health support jobs; affirming these employees are necessary due to the expansion of hospitals and additional medical services.

In the administrative sector, several decisions were issued in the last four fiscal years to terminate non-Kuwaitis who occupy jobs stipulated in the Kuwaitization policy as per the percentages specified by the CSC.

Director General of the General Traffic Department, Major General Youssef Al-Khadda, announced the withdrawal of 3,000 driving licenses from expatriates who had changed their profession, or those who were proven to be ineligible to acquire licenses because they did not fulfill the conditions set by the General Traffic Department, since the issuance of the decision on December 15, 2021, reports Al-Jarida daily. The sources stressed the audit process for the withdrawals continue through GTD or through the Sahel website, since a link has been established between the GTD and the Public Authority for Manpower with regard to changing professions, in addition to the coordination between the traffic departments which prevents the expatriate from renewing the car registration document in the event of a license withdrawal.

This was disclosed by the senior GTD official during a meeting which he holds on Tuesdays every week with citizens and residents in the presence of the Assistant Director General for Planning and Research Affairs, Brigadier General Khaled Mahmoud, the Assistant Director General for Technical Affairs Brigadier General Muhammad Al- Adwani, and the Assistant Director General for Education Affairs Brigadier General Hammoud Al-Roudhan, upon instructions of the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Acting Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Al- Khaled. Al-Khadda indicated that the number of licenses registered on the GTD computer has reached 2.3 million, stressing that there are no exceptions and no one can bypass the ministry’s decisions.

Suspended
He said granting driving licenses to resident students or those who have completed their studies remain suspended, and there are no exceptions to this decision, which also applies to housewives, but they have an exception according to the husband’s job. He disclosed the law is applied firmly and rigorously and pointed out that the GTD has installed about 400 traffic cameras in the country’s various main and external roads, and some internal roads for streets that witness heavy traffic, including 10 modern sixth-generation cameras installed at some intersections, in addition to 100 other cameras for which a contract has been signed and will be soon installed.

He pointed out that the General Traffic Department added the feature of monitoring violations of not wearing a seat belt, using a mobile phone while driving, and driving a vehicle recklessly, stressing that the sixth generation cameras and the features equipped with these cameras will contribute to protecting lives and property.

Al-Khadda explained that the death rate resulting from traffic accidents during 2022 was much lower than the number of deaths in 2021, referring to the reason for the decrease in the death rate to the fact that drivers have become more aware than before and the general behavior of vehicle drivers has changed through awareness campaigns or through violations that are registered against them. Meanwhile, the General Traffic Department announced that the mobile traffic control cameras uncovered 3,920 over speeding violations on Nuwaiseeb Road within two weeks, reports Al-Rai daily.

Following the launch of KuwaitSat-1 into space, the national team is already working on KuwaitSat-2, a second identical satellite. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of congratulations to Dr. Abdulwahab Hamad Al-Adwani, Minister of Education and Higher Education and Scientific Research. The Amir expressed his sincere congratulations on the launch of Kuwait's satellite (KuwaitSat-1) into space on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, Florida.

The Acting Head of the Physics Department, Dr. Hala Khaled Al-Jassar, and members of the project team from various scientific departments at Kuwait University were praised by His Highness the Amir for their efforts. His Highness the Amir also praised the role of Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), in achieving this outstanding scientific achievement, which would contribute to the development of the capabilities of national cadres in the field of space science and its research. His Highness prayed to the Almighty to grant everyone success in serving the dear country, wishing the Kuwaiti youths more achievements, development, and good health. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also sent congratulatory cables to Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Hamad Al-Adwani, and to the national project team for the first Kuwaiti satellite.

His Highness the Crown Prince congratulated the minister and the team on Kuwait's successful launch of its first satellite into space yesterday, Tuesday, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida. In a statement on Wednesday, the Arab Parliament congratulated Kuwaiti leadership and people on the successful launch of KuwaitSat-1. Speaker Adel Al-Asoomi said in a statement that this great achievement was added to the list of Arab countries’ accomplishments. He affirmed that the State of Kuwait, through its wise leadership, had bolstered its strong status within the Arab, regional, and international spheres through this recent project. Al-Asoomi wished the Kuwaiti leadership and people evermore success and welfare.

According to Dr. Yasser Abdulrahim in an interview at his office, he and his team of scientists are working on the first parts of the second satellite, tentatively due for launch in three years. It will be Kuwait's first attempt to become among nations that have made headway in the realm with the launch of the second Cube Sat 2 type satellite on Tuesday. The first Cube Sat 2 satellite was launched into space on Tuesday, marking Kuwait's first attempt in this regard. The satellite is expected to examine solar panels, which will be designed and built by Kuwait University, and will be equipped with a high definition camera, the Hyper Expected type, which will transmit information as well as pictures about the atmosphere levels and the sea level.

As an additional step to eradicate the phenomenon of private tuitions, the Ministry of Education has called on the Ministry of Information to take necessary legal measures against a number of magazines that publish advertisements for private tuitions.

It stressed the need to stop giving these magazines a publishing license in light of the escalation of the phenomenon that the ministry has not yet been unable to put an end to its spread despite the many steps it has taken previously to eliminate it, reports Al-Qabas daily. The Ministry of Education, represented by the Public Education and Legal Affairs sectors, sent the Ministry of Information a letter in which it stated that the Public Education Sector obliges all male and female teachers affiliated with it to stop giving private lessons, demanding that it be provided with the work information of these teachers, their work centers, and copies of their civil cards in order to take the necessary action.

The Ministry of Education had taken a number of practical steps in the past to limit the exacerbation of private lessons, which culminated during the pre-examination period. These steps included issuing annual warnings before and during the start of the school year for teachers working in the field, and the threat of taking deterrent measures, starting with writing the pledge when the teacher signs the work contract, the opening of evening remedial centers in all regions at low prices, and ending with the opening of an educational channel that displays scientific and literary lessons for male and female students

MP Muhammad Hayef Al-Mutairi confirmed that the recent meeting of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah with the lawmakers yielded positive results, particularly in terms of strengthening cooperation between the executive and legislative authorities. He disclosed that they discussed a number of issues; such as the amnesty, writing off citizens’ loans, cancellation of interest on the loans of retirees, increasing the minimum pension of retirees, and opening the family visa application for expatriate medical professionals and teachers.

He added the lawmakers submitted their recommendations during the meeting and they are now waiting for the government’s response. Meanwhile, rumor has it that His Highness the Prime Minister told the MPs this could be his last meeting with them. Some parties regarded such move as a hint that the National Assembly will be dissolved soon. On the other hand, MP Faisal Al-Kandari thinks the meeting is not positive, considering His Highness the Prime Minister said the MPs’ queries are disturbing the ministers who are extremely busy. He argued the lawmakers have the absolute right to question the ministers who are obligated to respond regardless of the number of queries, stressing that responding to such queries is part of the ministers’ duties.

He believes the intention to dissolve the Assembly is due to the previous discussions on important and urgent bills like the proposal to write off the loans of citizens. He also raised doubt on the estimate of the total value of citizens’ loans – KD 14 billion, because the total amount does not exceed KD 2 billion as per his calculation. He affirmed he is open to the idea of dissolving the Assembly, as it entails making the people decide. MP Soud Al-Asfour said the meeting was fruitless, because the government failed to present a vision regarding the people’s demands. He asserted the government should be fully prepared for such meetings. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

According to Elham Akbar, Director of the Ministry of Health's Evaluation and Measurement Department, the annual evaluation process for employees working at the Ministry of Health will begin within one month from now until the end of January 2022. According to Al- Anba daily, Kuwaitis, expatriates, and Bedoun working in all sectors of the ministry will be evaluated. Based on the directives of the Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi and the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Mustafa Reda, this year's evaluation will be electronic. In coordination with the Digital Health Affairs Sector headed by Eng Ahmed Al-Gharib, Akbar said secret numbers were sent via e-mail to employees to keep pace with digital technology.

Through the new electronic system or through the Ministry of Health's electronic portal, which facilitates the evaluation process, they will be able to complete the evaluation process of employees' efficiency for 2022 from January 1, 2023 to January 31, 2023. By installing the evaluation system on computers in ministry facilities, expatriates can access the evaluation system at any time and from any computer instead of the previous system they used. According to Akbar, the ministry strives to complete the annual evaluation by the end of February 2023 as part of the electronic transformation process. As soon as the results are approved by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, they will be announced “electronically” on the Ministry of Health website by the beginning of March. The Ministry of Health website allows any employee to access the website and obtain their annual assessment and print it out.

In response to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health's Circular No. 96 of 2022, Akbar urged everyone to be careful when completing the employee's annual competency assessment without favoritism. Due to the moral and material consequences that result from the evaluation result for the employee, it is essential that everyone receives his right based on the principle of justice. Akbar said the new electronic system in the Evaluation and Measurement Department enables the ministry to follow up on the evaluation process in all sectors and facilities of the Ministry of Health. Every employee has the right to complain about the results of the annual evaluation after they are announced electronically.

Astronomer Adel Al-Marzouq said the holy month of Ramadan is expected to start on March 23 and last for 29 days. “Fajr prayer will be at 4:30 am and Maghrib will be at 6:01 pm, or a fast of 13 hours and 31 minutes on the first day of Ramadan,” he said.

Adel Al-Marzouq also said that the Eid al-Fitr prayers will be on Friday, April 21 at 5:31 am

The Commerce and Industry Ministry has received memos from local and GCC dairy companies requesting price increases due to cost increases in neighboring countries.

"The first request was by a GCC country, but other regional companies soon followed, as the ministry is about to study these requests during this month. "The ministry will review the requests to raise product prices as well as other requests, including the ceiling proposed during the COVID pandemic in 2020," sources told Kuwait Times.

"The ministry believes the requests are reasonable, given the rise in global prices following the COVID pandemic and the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine," the sources added.

The interior ministry’s traffic department announced the installation of new traffic cameras with improved features to detect over speeding, running red lights, illegal U-turns and stopping in yellow box junctions, as well as using the phone while driving and failure to fasten seatbelts.

MP Khalil Al-Saleh has submitted a proposal to grant full salary for married Kuwaiti women during their maternity leave and extend the breastfeeding leave from two months to six months. 

MP Adel Al-Damkhi has proposed adding drug and alcohol tests to the pre-marriage medical examination. He explained this proposal is aimed at strengthening protection for the family and society from the dire consequences of drug and alcohol consumption. MP Hani Shams submitted a proposal to establish a public park on the land between blocks six and seven in Mubarak Al-Kabeer.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Ahmed Al-Saadoun has informed the MPs that he received a letter from State Minister for National Assembly, Housing and Urban Development Affairs Ammar Al-Ajmi about the intention of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to meet with the MPs on Tuesday at the Assembly Office as part of the coordination between the legislative and executive authorities.

On the other hand, MP Abdulaziz Al-Saqaabi has forwarded queries to First Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister and acting Defense Minister Sheikh Talal Khalid Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah about the measures taken to ease travel procedures for those planning to watch the Gulf Football Cup that will be held in Basra, Iraq. He wants to know if the Interior Ministry has coordinated with other concerned institutions in this regard. He also asked Minister of Commerce and Industry Mazen Al-Nahed about the preparations of Kuwait General Administration of Customs (KGAC) for the upcoming Gulf Football Cup.

In addition, Assembly Speaker Ahmed Al-Saadoun sent a cable to his Cuban counterpart Esteban Lazo Hernández on the occasion of the National Day of Cuba. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff

The Global Peace Index ranks the safest and most peaceful countries in the world. This report is published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace, which defines itself as “an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable and tangible measure of human well being and progress.” A total of 163 countries are featured in the GPI report. The report researches countries to determine which are the safest and which are the most dangerous.

Globally Iceland remains at the top of the list of the most peaceful countries in the world, having maintained its position since 2008.
2. New Zealand — 1.269
3. Ireland — 1.288
4. Denmark — 1.296
5. Austria — 1.300
6. Portugal — 1.301
7. Slovenia — 1.316
8. Czech Republic — 1.318
9. Singapore — 1.326
10. Japan — 1.336
11. Switzerland — 1.357
12. Canada — 1.389
13. Hungary — 1.411
14. Finland — 1.439
15. Croatia — 1.440
16. Germany — 1.462
17. Norway — 1.465
18. Malaysia — 1.471
19. Bhutan — 1.481
20. Slovakia — 1.499

Kuwait ranked second in the Arab world and 39th globally in the list of the 10 safest Arab countries for the year 2022, while the State of Qatar topped the Arab list and ranked 23rd in the global rankings. Jordan ranked third and 57th in the world, while the UAE came fourth and 60th in the world, and Oman ranked fifth in the Arab world and 64th in the world, followed by Morocco on sixth, Tunisia on seventh, Bahrain ranked eighth, Algeria ranked ninth and Mauritania was on 10th followed by Saudi Arabia.

As for globally, according to the Global Safety Index, Europe had the lion’s share in the Global Safety Index report issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace for the safest countries in the world for the year 2022, as the list of the top 10 included 7 European countries, while no Arab country ranked 23rd.

The United States ranked 129th in the Global Peace Ranking for 2022. The United States’ ranking has fallen every year since 2016, a drop usually attributed to a decrease in life satisfaction, rising political division, and an increasing wealth gap. While Britain fell one place in the global safety index, as the index measures the crime rate in society, security control and the murder rate, as well as the increase in the percentage of those imprisoned for violent crimes and the rate of obtaining weapons.

Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Russia and South Sudan are the least peaceful countries in the world

List of safest and peaceful countries in the world

1 Iceland
2 New Zealand
3 Ireland
4 Denmark
5 Austria
6 Portugal
7 Slovenia
8 Czech Republic
9 Singapore
10 Japan
11 Switzerland
12 Canada
13 Hungary
14 Finland
15 Croatia
16 Germany
17 Norway
18 Malaysia
19 Bhutan
20 Slovakia
21 Netherlands
22 Belgium
23 Qatar
24 Bulgaria
25 Poland
26 Sweden
27 Australia
28 Mauritius
29 Spain
30 Taiwan
31 Romania
32 Italy
33 Estonia
34 United Kingdom
35 Latvia
36 North Macedonia
37 Lithuania
38 Costa Rica
39 Kuwait
40 Ghana
41 Albania
42 Mongolia
43 South Korea
44 Vietnam
45 Gambia
46 Uruguay
47 Indonesia
48 Botswana
49 Montenegro
50 Sierra Leone
51 Laos
52 Serbia
53 Greece
54 Timor Leste
55 Chile
56 Zambia
57 Jordan
58 Bosnia And Herzegovina
59 Equatorial Guinea
60 United Arab Emirates
61 Panama
62 Moldova
63 Cambodia
64 Oman
65 France
66 Malawi
67 Cyprus
68 Namibia
69 Argentina
70 Senegal
72 Rwanda
73 Nepal
74 Morocco
75 Liberia
76 Gabon
77 Paraguay
78 Angola
79 Ecuador
80 Bolivia
81 Jamaica
82 Dominican Republic
83 Armenia
84 Madagascar
85 Tunisia
86 Tanzania
87 Uzbekistan
88 Trinidad And Tobago
89 China
90 Sri Lanka
91 Kyrgyzstan
92 Tajikistan
93 Eswatini
94 Papua New Guinea
95 Georgia
96 Bangladesh
97 Kazakhstan
98 Cuba
99 Bahrain
100 Lesotho
101 Peru
102 Togo
103 Thailand
104 Turkmenistan
105 Benin
106 Guatemala
107 Guyana
108 Ivory Coast
109 Algeria
110 Guinea Bissau
111 Republic Of The Congo
112 Mauritania
113 Djibouti
114 El Salvador
115 Haiti
116 Belarus
117 Honduras
118 South Africa
119 Saudi Arabia
120 Kenya
121 Uganda
122 Mozambique
123 Guinea
124 Nicaragua
125 Philippines
126 Egypt
127 Zimbabwe
128 Azerbaijan
129 United States
130 Brazil
131 Burundi
132 Eritrea
133 Palestine
134 Israel
135 India
136 Chad
137 Mexico
138 Lebanon
139 Myanmar
140 Niger
141 Iran
142 Cameroon
143 Nigeria
144 Colombia
145 Turkey
146 Burkina Faso
147 Pakistan
148 Venezuela
149 Ethiopia
150 Mali
151 Libya
152 North Korea
153 Ukraine
154 Sudan
155 Central African Republic
156 Somalia
157 Iraq
158 Dr Congo
159 South Sudan
160 Russia
161 Syria
162 Yemen
163 Afghanistan