During the very hot summer, the majority of Kuwaiti residents resort to air-conditioned indoor places, whether for housing, work, or even shopping and entertainment. Those who are forced by their work to stay in open places are exposed to high temperatures every year, which may reach unprecedented rates globally in the coming years, reports Al-Qabas daily. A meteorological observatory in Mutribah, northwest of Kuwait, recorded a temperature of 54.4 degrees Celsius on July 21, 2016, the highest ever in Asia, and the third globally since records began in 1886.

The meteorological department’s forecaster, Abdulaziz Al-Qarawi, warned that Kuwait will enter a “dangerous phase” by 2035, with annual average temperatures expected to increase by about two degrees Celsius compared to 2010. Al-Qarawi explained that these rates actually increased by 1.1 degrees in the years from 2010 to 2021 compared to the previous 30 years. In the past few years, Kuwait recorded highest temperatures, including 54 degrees in the Jahra region in 2021 and 53 degrees in the Sulaibiya in 2020, both of which are populated areas. According to Al-Qarawi, temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius were recorded in Kuwait for one, two or even four days a year in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now recorded perhaps twenty days a year.

The intensity of the air, thunder and dust storms that hit the country has also increased, which are usually loaded with dust that leads to cases of suffocation, especially for people with chest diseases. It also transmits harmful bacteria and increases the spread of skin diseases.

Unprecedented
Kuwait was hit by torrential rains in various regions, which were described as unprecedented in November 2018, after which the Minister of Public Works, Hussam Al-Roumi, resigned, after extensive damage to property and disruption of movement on roads and streets. Al-Qarawi said that the cyclones that hit the south of the Arabian Peninsula, especially the Sultanate of Oman and Yemen, are more and more frequent than before and are becoming more violent.

In Kuwait, the violence of rainstorms increases with a lower rate of annual recurrence, but the amount of rain has become more than before. He added that the dry seasons became longer, which increased the sandstorms that came last summer in the month of May, unusually, as they are always in transitional periods between seasons. He explained that the impact of climate change extends to the economic and urban life in Kuwait, as development efforts as well as projects are disrupted due to the high temperatures in the summer. Kuwait prohibits the employment of workers in open areas during the afternoon hours from eleven in the morning until four in the afternoon daily during the summer season, which usually extends from June until the end of August

The Public Authority for Roads and Land Transportation (PART) has signed contract No. 5i/227 for the construction and maintenance of a number of roads and services in Khaitan area around the administrative and commercial center and in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area in the plots allocated for public utilities, reports Al-Anba daily. According to informed sources, the project was designed by Kuwaiti engineering cadres in the Roads Design Department of PART.

The implementation of the contract work will be supervised by a technical staff of Kuwaiti engineers affiliated with the authority. The project aims to facilitate the traffic movement in the administrative and commercial center in Khaitan area, and provide a sufficient number of parking spaces to serve the visitors of the area.

It also aims to serve the new Khaitan police station and the rest of the commercial complexes, through the duplication of the main roads surrounding the area to accommodate four lanes (two lanes in each direction) with the work of a median strip (traffic island) separating the two sides instead of the current situation (one lane for each direction) without a separator.

It also aims to upgrade the internal roads of the area and develop a new rainwater drainage network in the targeted area. The project will include increasing the drainage capacity of the rainwater network by replacing the existing pipes with others, exploiting the existing dirt spaces and transforming them into regular car parks, which will lead to an increase in capacity and improvement of the external view of the area, developing a street lighting network for internal roads with the development of the current network of surrounding roads, and removing Bader Al-Mailim Mosque, which has been closed for years and using that space for car parking. The project also aims to develop a road network and car parks to serve the 62 plots of public utilities in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area in the following manner:

1 – Create a network of roads and parking lots.

2 – Create a rainwater drainage network and link it to the external networks.

3 – Create a sewage network to serve the plots and link them to external networks.

4 – Create a telephone network to serve the plots and link them to external networks.

5 – Create a street lighting network for internal roads and car parks.

6 – Create a network to feed the plots with fresh water.

Minister of Social Affairs Mai Al-Baghli has terminated Assistant Undersecretary for the Cooperative Sector Ahmad Al-Enezi and assigned his tasks to Assistant Undersecretary for Social Development Salem Al-Rashidi, reports Al- Qabas daily quoting sources. Sources disclosed that Al- Baghli’s decision is in the interest of the public; considering the untoward incidents during the Naseem Cooperative Society election, which led to postponement of the election.

Sources confirmed that the ministry, in cooperation with its interior counterpart, has laid down a new mechanism for supervising and organizing cooperative elections to prevent the recurrence of the above mentioned incidents. Sources expect that certain decisions will be taken in the coming days in order to reform the Cooperative Sector.

In another development, Assistant Undersecretary for the Planning and Administrative Development Sector Abdulaziz Al-Mutairi confirmed that the automated system is now ready for implementation; particularly monitoring and conducting general assemblies and elections of cooperative societies. In a recent television interview, Al-Mutairi expained the system prevents duplication of addresses or holding shares in more than one cooperative. He said another system, which allows the electronic conduct of elections in cooperatives, is ready for launching; pending approval from the Cooperative Sector.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), in cooperation with Kuwait University, is currently preparing for conducting employment tests in the oil sector; including English language and specialized tests at Shaddadiya University within the next two weeks, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources. Sources confirmed the issuance of instructions to fill up vacancies and generate job opportunities to accommodate the largest possible number of Kuwaiti youths in the oil sector.

Sources said the job announcement period has been extended to give more graduates a chance, especially those who have yet to complete their papers or receive their certificates or equivalency, due to the delayed approval of higher education certifi- cates

Through its website, the Central Agency for Resolving the Status of Illegal Residents has started accepting renewal and inquiry requests for health insurance cards electronically.

In a statement, the agency said it introduced the electronic renewal service for health insurance cards in February as well as other electronic services such as issuing certificates and documents, such as marriage certificates, divorce documents, and inventories of heirs, as well as determining whether the documents are ready for retrieval.

By launching the service, illegal residents will be able to facilitate their transactions and speed up the issuance of the documents, while those who wish to renew their cards or request certificates and documents electronically can visit the agency's website at es.carirs.gov.kw.

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The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation is preparing, in cooperation with the Kuwait University will organize interviews for employment in the oil sector.

The interview will comprise English language and specialized tests, during the next two weeks at the Al-Shaddadiah University in a step that heralds the imminent employment in the oil sector, reports a local Arabic daily.

The sources added instructions have been issued at higher level to create work opportunities as much as possible to accommodate the biggest possible number of Kuwaiti youth in the oil sector, especially that the job announcement period has been extended to provide an opportunity for more graduates have yet to get their certificates which has been delayed due to several reasons.

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According to the Administrative and Financial Affairs Sector of the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, in collaboration with the Civil Service Commission, electronic certificates can now be issued via the CSC official application or website without requiring employees to visit the concerned departments in person.

PAAET sources explained this service allows the employee to extract — for example — a salary certificate, a salary transfer continuity certificate, a job and financial status certificate, a “To Whom It May Concern” certificate, a career progression certificate, a job and financial status statement certificate, and a detailed salary gradation certificate, reports a local Arabic daily.

The Administrative and Financial Affairs Sector confirmed its continued use of electronic technologies to improve the services provided to all employees, and this application comes in line with the state’s orientation towards electronic work, simplifying work procedures and upgrading the services provided.

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According to the sources in the Deanship of Student Affairs at Kuwait University, some female students of the university were referred to the investigation committee in the deanship not because they expressed their opinion on the matter of closing down the Faculty of Public Health but because of their transgression against a member of teaching staff, reports Al-Anba daily.

The sources explained that one female student from the Faculty of Public Health and three female students from the College of Graduate Studies were referred to the Disciplinary Committee of the Deanship of Student Affairs after they verbally attacked one of the faculty members of the the university using obscene words under the pretext that he was the reason for closing the Faculty of Public Health. The sources denied the referral of any male or female student for investigations at the Deanship of Student Affairs because they expressed their opinion on the closure of the Faculty of Public Health.

Five years after the issuance of the Civil Service Council’s Resolution No. 11/2017 to reduce the number of non-Kuwaiti government employees, an official government report revealed that this Kuwaitization policy succeeded in increasing national employment by 5.3 percent in the government sector from 39,671 employees out of a total of 224,054, representing 70.7 percent of the total employees in the government sector in the 2017/2018 fiscal year, to 263,725 employees last year, representing 76 percent, distributed among 28 government agencies covered by the decision.

In application of the percentages specified in the Civil Service Council’s decision, the report indicated that 9,457 non-Kuwaiti employees left the government sector in the past five years, and their numbers dropped from 92,697 to 83,240 by the end of last year during the mentioned period. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ranked first with the appointment of 2,000 Kuwaiti employees compared to its total number of 5,096 employees.

India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries are expected to start negotiations for a free trade agreement next month with an aim to boost economic ties between the two regions, an official said.

GCC is a union of six countries in the Gulf region — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

"Terms of reference for the agreement are being finalised and we expect to launch the negotiations next month," the official said.

India has already implemented a free trade pact with the UAE in May this year.

According to experts, the GCC region holds huge trade potential and a trade agreement would help in further boosting India's exports to that market.

Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Director, Indian Institute of Plantation Management, Bangalore, said the GCC market is unexploited by domestic exporters and it holds huge potential.

"GCC is a major import dependent region. We can increase our exports of food items, clothing and several other goods. Duty concessions under a trade agreement will help in tapping that market. It will be a win-win situation for both sides," Mr. Joshi said.

Mumbai-based exporter and founder chairman of Techno-craft Industries India, Sharad Kumar Saraf said the GCC has emerged as a major trading partner for India and there is huge potential for increasing investments between the two regions.

"FTA will have a major benefit for both the sides," Mr. Saraf said.

Sharing similar views, Federation of Indian Exports Organisation (FIEO) Vice Chairman Khalid Khan said sectors like chemicals, textiles, gems and jewellery and leather will get a major impetus by this agreement.

India imports predominately crude oil and natural gas from the Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and exports pearls, precious and semi-precious stones; metals; imitation jewellery; electrical machinery; iron and steel; and chemicals to these countries.

India's exports to the GCC increased by 58.26% to about $44 billion in 2021-22 against $27.8 billion in 2020-21, according to data of the Commerce Ministry.

The share of these six countries in India's total exports has risen to 10.4% in 2021-22 from 9.51% in 2020-21. Similarly, imports rose by 85.8% to $110.73 billion compared to $59.6 billion in 2020-21, the data showed.

The share of GCC members in India's total imports rose to 18% in 2021-22 from 15.5% in 2020-21.

Bilateral trade has increased to $154.73 billion in 2021-22 from $87.4 billion in 2020-21.

Besides trade, Gulf nations are host to a sizeable Indian population. Out of about 32 million non-resident Indians (NRIs), nearly half are estimated to be working in Gulf countries.

According to a November 2021 report of the World Bank, India got $87 billion in foreign remittances in 2021. Of this, a sizeable portion came from the GCC nations.

Saudi Arabia was India's fourth-largest trading partner last fiscal. From Qatar, India imports 8.5 million tonnes a year of LNG and exports products ranging from cereals to meat, fish, chemicals, and plastics.

Kuwait was the 27th largest trading partner of India in the last fiscal, while the UAE was the third-largest trading partner in 2021-22.

 In response to a video clips posted in the social media about manipulation in weights of a dairy product because it does not match the weight displayed on the package, the commercial control emergency teams were deployed in cooperative societies and supermarkets in all governorates to check random samples of several types of different dairy products and found that all samples matched for weights mentioned on packages, reports Al-Jarida daily.

The Ministry of Commerce called on valued consumers not to hesitate to inform the Ministry of Commerce as soon as they discover any tampering with any product by submitting a report through the government’s ‘Sahel’ application or through the ministry’s accounts on social media. 

 The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has reassured consumers that the products in the Kuwaiti market are completely safe, reports Al-Jarida daily. This came following the spread of news that the US Food and Drug Administration has withdrawn a hair care product from the US market because it contains carcinogenic benzene.

“The Ministry of Commerce and Industry would like to reassure our valued consumers and confirm that the products in the Kuwaiti markets are completely safe, as the Ministry of Commerce, after monitoring the news, coordinated with the Ministry of Health and verified the recalls and withdrawals that took place in the American and Canadian markets,” say sources.

The sources added, “Only certain types of these products that were previously distributed only in the American and Canadian markets have been recalled.” The ministry affirmed that the local markets are free of these products and its constant keenness to verify all that threatens the health and safety of consumers.

The latest statistics released by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) revealed that 15,724 expatriates – who are 60 years old and above and do not hold university degrees – have so far left the country. This is an indication of the acceleration of the pace of demographic adjustment and elimination of labor market imbalances.

The statistics revealed that the number of expatriates 60 years old and above without a university degree totaled 82,598 in the middle of this year, compared to 98,598 in the same period in 2021. The number of expatriates 60 years old and above with university and postgraduate degrees who left the country reached 1,664 within this year; while their number in the middle of this year totaled 14,544, compared to 16,208 in the middle of 2021. By Najeh Bilal Al-Seyassah Staff

The Kuwaiti Sidr honey from ‘B Organic’ apiaries won first place at the international competition at the British Honey Fair 2022, reports Al-Rai daily. This competition is considered the largest and oldest in the world, with the participation of 2,088 samples. It is worth noting that this is the first time that an Arab beekeeper has received this honor. 

The beekeeper Dr. Issa Al-Issa dedicated this victory to HH the Amir, government and people of Kuwait, saying this victory is for every Kuwaiti, Gulf and Arab beekeeper, and “I hope that the beekeeping profession will spread among Kuwaiti youth because of its health benefits from the consumption of original honey and can be an excellent source of income for young people because of the excellence of Sidr honey and the global demand for it.”

Well informed educational sources told Al-Anba that the Ministry of Education is in constant contact with the Ministry of Health to follow up on the health situation in the country, noting that the situation is reassuring and not a cause for concern.

The sources indicated there is no tendency to return to two group study system or return to distance education that was adopted at the height of the Covid- 19 pandemic, noting that things are good and stable and wishing health and safety for all.

Al-Anba daily reports that the work contracts of expatriates still working in government agencies last only one year. The sources explained that all contracts, even using the services of any non-Kuwaitis, are renewed annually, and there are no 5 years or open-ended contracts any more. The sources reassured all Kuwaitis, whether they have children who aspire to obtain a government job or those who are about to graduate and are worried that a job will not be provided for them, that there is no renewal for any expatriate at all as long as a citizen is available to fill any specialization and this applies to all ministries without any exception.

This came in response to a question about the completion of the implementation of Resolution No. 11 of 2017 regarding the rules and procedures for Kuwaitization of government jobs last August, whose implementation period is set at five years, and 22 specialties are still occupied by expatriates.

There are many jobs in these disciplines, including engineering, teaching, education, training, social, educational, and sports services, science, livestock, agriculture, aquaculture, financial, economic, and commercial jobs, law, politics, Islamic affairs, forensic evidence, rescue, and professional and service jobs.

In Arab local papers, authorities are currently investigating a household worker of undisclosed nationality for allegedly trying to end the life of a three-month-old baby with detergent powder.

 The Public Prosecution received a report from the Al-Adan police station about an Asian maid who was immediately detained for allegedly attempting to kill the child. Officials took the statements of the baby’s parents who requested to investigate the incident, as well as appealed to send the infant to the Forensic Medicine Department and Child Protection Center.

As a result of the prosecutor's interrogations, the suspect was detained for further investigation.

Director General of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad revealed that the bidding envelopes for the management and operation of the technical inspection centers under the Ministry of Interior will be opened soon, reports Al-Anba daily. In a press statement on the sidelines of the inauguration of the first sustainable environmental school in the country – Al-Jazaer High School in Shamiya, Sheikh Al-Ahmad revealed these centers will measure the rate of car emissions before renewing the vehicle registration book. He affirmed the authority is currently completing procedures related to the bidding in coordination with the ministry.

He explained that EPA will examine the vehicles and their emission rates, issue a statement on the condition of each vehicle, and then attach the statement to the vehicle’s technical inspection file to ensure the rate of emission is within the accepted standards, which will determine whether the registration book will be renewed or not.

He said the inspection data will be circulated to the measurement implementers in EPA and the technical inspection companies. He added these companies will ensure the validity of vehicle exhaust, as an agreement has been reached with the ministry that no vehicle registration book will be renewed unless the standards are met.

Inauguration On the inauguration of the first sustainable environmental school in the country, Sheikh Al-Ahmad affirmed this was made possible through the coordinated efforts of the Ministry of Education and the ‘We Protect It’ initiative. He said the initiative is keen on achieving sustainability through schools, ensuring food security and supporting agriculture. He called for the creation of sustainable environmental schools in all academic levels as one way of addressing environmental issues like water scarcity and climate change.

On the other hand, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Activities in the Ministry of Education Faisal Al- Maqsed praised the efforts of EPA, led by its director general, in supporting the bid to make schools environment friendly. He revealed there is an ambitious plan to make Kuwait an environmental incubator in all its facilities until 2035. President of Kuwait Water Society Dr Saleh Al-Muzaini announced that Al-Jazaer High School has been nominated for the ‘Green Flag’ Award – the first of its kind in Kuwait, in cooperation with the concerned international organization. Vice President of Kuwait Water Society Mona Al-Raz reviewed the objectives of the Environmental Education Foundation; pointing out it is the largest environmental education organization in the world and it is active in more than 100 countries

Kuwait's population increased by 1.8% to 4.46 million in first half 2022, but it remains below the pre-covid level and expatriates have declined by 11.4%, National Bank of Kuwait said.

Despite the increase in the number of arrivals by 2.3% in the first half of 2022, the expatriate population is still significantly lower on an annual basis with a huge drop of 382,000. Among expatriates, the Indian community recorded the sharpest fall of 15% ie 153000 people, followed by Egyptians (-9%) ie 58,000 people in 2021. Accordingly, Indians’ share in the overall population fell to 19% from 22% in 2019, while the share of Egyptians dropped to 14% from 15% of Kuwait’s total population, the report said.

The employment rates of Kuwaiti nationals witnessed a sharp increase during the past year, thanks to the increase in job opportunities for Kuwaiti nationals in the private sector. Kuwaiti employment jumped by a sharp 6.1% However, the overall employment (excluding domestic workers) fell 5.9% in June 2022, overwhelmingly driven by declining non-Kuwaiti jobs, the report said.

Although the expatriate population has declined since 2019, the share of domestic workers in the expat population increased from 20% in 2017 to 23.6%.

According to the report, low-end non-Kuwaiti jobs have plummeted, particularly in construction, private household workers, retail, and manufacturing.

The Ministry of Health announced Tuesday detection of a number of positive cases of the new coronavirus XBB strain in Kuwait. “The team in charge of following up coronavirus developments registered a number of cases infected with the new COVID-19 variant which had been detected earlier in several countries including some in the region,” the ministry said in a statement. It assured that the emergence of genetic mutations of viruses over time is normal.

“The coronavirus have undergone a number of genetic changes and mutations since its appearance and this is not a cause for concern,” the ministry stressed. It pointed out that “the epidemiological indicators and criteria indicate the stability of the situation in Kuwait at the present time.” The ministry noted that “the public health measures and guidelines for the prevention of the coronavirus remain the same”. It advised the public to complete vaccination against the virus (KUNA)