Notice Board

Mobile internet in Kuwait is among the 10 fastest in the world

 
 
 

In September, Kuwait ranked tenth globally and fourth in the Arab world and the Gulf in terms of internet speed using a mobile phone, with an average speed of 95.04 megabytes per second, according to the speed test website. The ranking of Kuwait fell two places compared to last month, while Saudi Arabia moved up only one position.

Kuwait ranked 20th in global internet speed using fixed broadband, with 112.5 megabytes per second, and second in the Arab world behind the UAE, which ranked first and 12th globally. 

 

 
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8% urban land in Kuwait only exploited

 
 
 

 The number of houses in Kuwait has reached about 159,000, which constitutes 74.76 percent of the total of 213,000 buildings scattered in various governorates, reports Al-Rai daily. According to data received from the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), 140,000 homes are designated for housing, 102,200 for housing and commercial, and 1,170 for commercial.

The number of vacant homes in Kuwait is 6,922. There are about 3,800 temporary buildings, 1,600 buildings under construction, and 35,300 other buildings classified under other items. According to the latest statistics of the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW), the number of housing requests amounted to about 94,900.

 
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Security devices for detecting deportees at Kuwait Airport

 
 
 

The cost of maintaining security devices for detecting deportees is estimated at KD228,500, reports Al-Anba daily.

The Ministry of Interior has requested approval from supervisory authorities for direct contracting (contract number 18/2021-2022) for the maintenance of security devices to detect deportees through fingerprinting at Kuwait Airways building (T4) under the Criminal Evidence General Department.  The ministry added that the project will be implemented in two phases.

 
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National Holidays 'carnival' Are Being Prepared By The Government

 
 

Government institutions have begun preparing for next February's national holidays, as directed by His Highness the Prime Minister.

According to a local Arabic newspaper, the Council of Ministers has assigned the Tourism Projects Company to organize, prepare, and hold celebrations during national holidays. This is in coordination with government agencies.

Tourism Enterprises Company members, members of the Interior, Defense, Health, Media, Education, Social Affairs ministries, PAM, and Kuwait Municipality have formed a coordinating committee.

Government agencies have been directed to communicate with the TEC and coordinate celebration activities with the festival requirements.

 
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Rescue Teams Prepare For The Rainy Season

 
 

In preparation for camping season and cooler weather, volunteer response and rescue teams prepare to offer assistance to those in need. Assist sea and desert goers in case of trouble, clean beaches, organize traffic, and assist in the search for missing personnel through these fast-responding teams. All members of these teams confirmed their readiness to provide the necessary services to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). Mohammad Al-Hajri, head of Kuwait's Sqour Al-Sabah rescue team, commented that the team helps with vehicle lifting in the desert and at the beach, and provides assistance to state bodies during crises such as the Coronavirus pandemic or heavy rains.

In addition to stating that they are prepared for such conditions, Al-Hajri added that they possess heavy-duty equipment of all types. Currently, the team is made up of 30 volunteers, whose phone numbers can be found on the team's social media accounts. According to Al-Hajri, voluntary work strengthens social solidarity and topples the culture of no work without profit. Rakan Al-Hamad, Head of Kuwaiti Response and Rescue team, told KUNA that the idea for the team was sparked when they noticed the hiked-up price of towing winches, which could reach KD 50 in remote areas.

According to Al-Hamad, his team can not only assist vehicles but also provide first aid and help animals, as well as organize first aid training courses and green initiatives. Those who are 18 and older and possess a vehicle can join the team, provided they undergo an interview process and are able to supply the necessary equipment. Additionally, all new members are given a training course to prepare them for the work ahead. Al-Hamad praised voluntary work as an exemplary way to spend free time, since it benefits youth and society at large.

 
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Kuwaiti Women Married To Expats: Statistics

 
 

Official statistics indicate that, as of the end of June 2022, there will be 15,100 children of Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men, a number that is being widely discussed in the country, particularly for non-Kuwaiti wives and children of Kuwaiti women married to foreigners.

The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) reports that 19,429 Kuwaiti women are married to non-Kuwaitis. It includes 17,429 Kuwaiti women married to Westerners, 688 Kuwaiti women married to Asians, 379 Kuwaiti women married to North Americans, 246 Kuwaiti women married to Europeans, 57 Kuwaiti women married to South Americans, 49 Kuwaiti women married to Africans, and 39 Kuwaiti women married to Australians.

There are 4,329 Kuwaiti women who are married to non-Kuwaiti men without children, according to statistics.

Kuwaiti women have 2,552 children with one child, 2,571 children with two children, and 2,519 children with three children.

A total of 2,282 Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men have four children, 1,915 have five children, 1,249 have six children, 894 have seven children, 527 have eight children, 324 have nine children, and 267 have more than nine children.

Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaiti men reached 20,128 in mid-2021.

 
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Kuwait Will Experience Light To Moderate Rain Today And Tomorrow

 
 

Kuwait's Meteorological Department predicted light to moderate rain today and tomorrow, with winds exceeding 50 kilometers per hour in some areas, and sea waves up to six feet high in some areas. The chances of rain continuing into tomorrow morning are high.

Abaziz Al-Qarawi, the administration's weather forecast observer, said the country is experiencing depressions of air coming in from the direction of the Red Sea, which causes low and medium clouds to multiply, interspersed with thunderstorms, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

As well, Al-Qarawi explained that rain is expected to return from noon on Thursday again, including light to moderate rain, thunderstorms at times, high humidity, and fog in some areas.

He urged everyone to follow the weather forecast on the website www.met.gov.kw, especially during weather fluctuations, and to monitor weather warnings. 

 
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Expats medical examination working in a private sector

 
 
 

 The Ministry of Health (MoH) intends to make the private sector involved in the medical examination of expatriate workers as a long-term solution to overcrowding in the existing medical examination centers, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources from the health sector.

 
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Chances of scattered rain, dust, fog by weekend

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Chances of scattered rain accompanied by thunderstorms in some areas and reduced horizontal visibility expected starting from Tuesday due to dust, reports Al-Rai daily. The Kuwait Meteorological Department announced that Al-Wafra station recorded 5 mm of rain in the early hours of Sunday and the weather forecast observer at the Meteorological Department, Abdulaziz Al-Qarawi, said that the country was affected by a weak extension of Sudan’s seasonal depression, coinciding with the presence of a depression in the upper atmosphere, which led to the proliferation of low and medium clouds interspersed w

However, the chances of rain will have receded but on Tuesday, rainfall is expected in varying quantities and intensity between light and medium, humid weather and the possibility of fog forming over some areas of the country. The observer at the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, Meteorology Department Dhirar Al-Ali told Kuwait News Agency that from Tuesday until the end of the week, there are chances of scattered rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms in some areas, and dust laden winds that may lead to a decrease in horizontal visibility. Al-Ali stated that the maximum temperatures will range between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius; the weather will be moderate to hot during the day and moderate to cold during the night, especially in the open areas, and the lowest temperatures are expected to range between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius.

 
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Kuwaitis, expats can sell their leaves

 
 
 

 The list of the employees in the oil sector who have applied to sell their leave days includes both Kuwaiti citizens and expatriates, reports Al-Rai daily quoting informed sources. They said, “The number of workers in the oil sector who benefit from the sale of leave days ranges between 13,000 and 14,000. They include permanent workers – Kuwaitis and expatriates – who meet the conditions stipulated in the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation Board decision No. 22/2022 dated May 30, 2022.

Any amendment to this decision for depriving expatriates will require a new decision from the KPC Board of Directors. Depriving expatriates may raise legal controversy, given that rights and legal positions were created and preserved through the council’s first decision No. 22/2022. The budget of the oil sector is independent, and the budget for the leave days of oil workers’ is included in the cumulative end-of-service benefits of these workers, which are included in the leave. The total value of the sale of vacations ranges between KD 135 million and 140 million. The sector is ready for disbursement and is awaiting a green light from the government.

 
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Lunar eclipse today will only be partially visible in Bengaluru

 
 
 

A lunar eclipse will occur on November 8. “The eclipse will be visible from all places in India at the time of the moon rise. However, the beginning of the partial and total phases of the eclipse will not be visible from any places of India as the phenomena will be in progress before the moonrise. Ending of both the total and the partial phases will be visible from the eastern parts of the country. Only the ending of the partial phase will be visible from the rest of the country,” the Ministry of Earth Science said.

The eclipse will begin at 2.39 p.m. and the total eclipse will start at 3.46 p.m.

According to the Ministry, the ending time of totality is 5.12 p.m. and the ending time of partial phase is 6.19 p.m.

“A fortnight after the partial solar eclipse of October 25, there will be a lunar eclipse on November 8. This eclipse is total but a large part of India will witness the eclipse as partial only. The North-Eastern parts of India will witness the totality phase also,” said R.C. Kapoor, former professor with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

The next lunar eclipse which will be visible from India will be on October 28, 2023.

Lunar eclipses occur on a full moon day when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon and when all the three objects are aligned. A total lunar eclipse will occur when the whole Moon comes under the umbral shadow of the Earth and the partial lunar eclipse occurs only when a part of the Moon comes under shadow of the Earth,” the Ministry said.

 
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Accenture India unit fires employees with fake experience letters

 
 
 

Accenture’s India unit has fired employees found to have used fake documents and experience letters to obtain jobs at the firm. It is unclear how many employees were impacted.

According to Twitter conversations, the firm may have let go of ‘thousands’ of employees on this count.

To a query from  The Hindu, Accenture India said in a statement: “We have discovered an effort to use documentation and experience letters from fraudulent companies to obtain offers of employment from Accenture in India... We have exited people who we confirmed took advantage of this scheme. We have taken action to ensure that there will be no impact on our ability to serve our clients.”

Accenture further said it operated under a ‘strict Code of Business Ethics and mainted zero tolerance for any non-adherence’. “We are continuing to hire, and honour existing job offers for qualified candidates,” it added.

The pandemic brought in an avalanche of opportunities for tech firms and they were forced to rapidly onboard thousands of people to be deployed on projects, as per sources in the recruitment industry.

A surge in orders during the pandemic led to hurried recruitment for the industry, said B.S. Murthy, CEO, Leadership Capital.

“Most HROs are busy working on credential checks of... COVID recruits now,” he added.

 
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Car charger license applications to be open on december 2

 
 
 

According to an Arab daily, the Ministry of Electricity and Water will receive applications on 2 December for the supply of electric vehicle chargers, as well as the installation of chargers by individuals and entities.

After submitting a license request through the ministry's website, it was reported that it would be approved electronically, and that the ministry would check if the request adhered to the approved standard specifications and controls for importation and installation. Moreover, requests in compliance with the standards will be approved immediately for the suppliers to import the chargers, but suppliers will have to submit their requests to the ministry regarding customer specifications, where the suitability of the chargers for home use will be discussed before granting permission for installation and licensing.

Additionally, the report mentions that installing any charger in homes without a license is a violation that will result in a judicial seizure for the violating homeowner or company.

  

 
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Scattered rain expected this week

 
 
 

Kuwait Meteorological Department observer Dirar Al-Ali said scattered rains are expected this week.

On Sunday afternoon, rain will continue to be a possibility and gradually decrease by evening. Until Monday, it will continue to be cloudy.

On Tuesday, until the end of the week, the country may see scattered rain with thunderstorms in some areas, along with active winds that may reduce horizontal visibility.

He said temperatures range from 28 to 30 degrees Celsius.

Kuwait Meteorological Department's Wafra station recorded 5mm of rain on Sunday morning.

  

 
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Co-ops under probe for cutting supply, increasing ‘price’ of eggs

 
 
 

The Kuwait Competition Protection Agency has referred 14 cooperative societies to the disciplinary board for the unjustified increase in the price of eggs, reports Al-Rai daily. The agency revealed that these cooperatives obstructed competition between local companies supplying eggs, especially the small and medium companies; thereby, decreasing the supply and increasing prices.

Meanwhile, sources told the daily that the agency conducted an investigation based on the complaints submitted by egg supply and poultry breeding companies in accordance with the Competition Protection Law. Sources revealed that the way some cooperative societies deal with local egg supply companies contributed to the increase in the prices of this commodity by about 25 percent.

In its report, the agency stated thei 14 cooperatives are not the reason for the rise in egg prices per se, but their violation of the fair competition principle that harmed other suppliers. It is worth mentioning that the current price of eggs in some cooperatives ranges from KD1.1 to KD1.350 per tray depending on the size.

  

 
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Rules set on advertising in Kuwait

 
 
 

Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi has issued 3 decisions regarding the regulation of commercial advertisements in the ministry’s publications and TV and radio advertisements, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The most prominent of what is stated in the decisions is that the price of advertising in the Ministry of Information publications, the Kuwait Magazine and its publications about national products and industries and small projects by will get a discount of 50%, and Gulf products and industries 25% of the applicable prices.

The decision exempted awareness advertisements for ministries, public authorities and institutions, public benefit associations and civil society organizations from the commercial advertisement fees specified under this resolution if the following conditions are met — the advertisement does not include any commercial purposes or references to sponsors; the advertisement does not aim to achieve any material profit; the advertisement shall be submitted by the concerned authority directly to the competent department without intermediaries, companies or advertising agencies.

 
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Call to increase electricity and water tariffs for expats in Kuwait

 
 
 

Technical team recommended the government to increase electricity and water tariffs with the start of the new financial year in April next year, reports Kuwait Times.

“Since expats are considered the largest consumers, being twice the population of Kuwaiti nationals, they should not pay 10 times less for utilities,” quoting sources, local daily Kuwait Times reported.

The recommendation aims to increase tariffs by 50-100 percent, while prices for citizens will remain the same for their first house.

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Asian population in Kuwait outnumber Kuwaitis

 
 
 

The latest statistics released by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) revealed that Asians outnumbered Kuwaitis by the middle of this year – 1,670,013 compared to 1,502,138 citizens, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

Arabs ranked third with 1,217,014; North Americans ranked fourth with 755, followed by Europeans in fifth place with 617, non-Arab Africans ranked sixth with 104, Australians ranked seventh with 43, and South Americans in the last place with 40.

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Recruitment mechanism to be implemented on testing new expats workers

 
 
 

According to an official source in the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), PAM has started working on listing the top professions in which expatriate workers are recruited with the aim of determining a smart mechanism to test them in their countries in partnership with the Kuwaiti embassies abroad, reports Al-Qabas daily. The source explained that, “This step aims to implement a recruitment mechanism based on testing new expatriate workers.

The tests will be conducted in the countries that send their workers. The tests will be for the targeted professions, and will be held in two parts – practical and theoretical. The practical section will be conducted in Kuwait and the theoretical in the countries of recruitment”.

The source revealed that the first phase will target about 20 professions. In addition, the Kuwait Society of Engineers has prepared a center for professional tests to be conducted on 71 different professions in support of workers in the engineering sector.

 
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Winter Wonderland project in Kuwait offers business opportunities for all

 
 
 

 The organizers of the Winter Wonderland entertainment project announced it will receive applications from retail stores, restaurants and cafes to set up business at the entertainment project, which is expected to open doors next December, reports Al-Qabas daily. The official account of the project on Instagram stated that applications are not limited to owners of small and medium enterprises. 

The account clarified that to register, it is not required that the applicant be funded by the National Fund to Support Small and Medium Enterprises, as the projects are divided into two sections — the first is the main opportunities section, and the other is the small and medium projects opportunities section. According to the account information, registration in the main opportunities does not require the applicant to be registered in the national registry of the National Fund to Support Small and Medium Enterprises, unlike registration in the Small and Medium Enterprises Opportunities Department, which requires that the applicant be registered in the national registry.

 
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IFL Kuwait