Mexican authorities have warned of the dangers of a popular challenge on the Tik Tok platform. This challenge caused the poisoning of a number of students after they took some kind of medicine.

According to Al-Rai daily quoting AFP, the "last sleeper wins" challenge involves keeping people awake after taking clonazepam, a drug commonly used to treat epilepsy, panic attacks, and excessive anxiety.

The Public Safety Authority in Mexico City reported Thursday that ambulances treated five minors who were poisoned inside a school in Mexico City due to the drug's side effects. These side effects included drowsiness.

Authorities in the northern state of Nuevo León reported three similar cases. No students developed serious symptoms.

Nuevo Leon Alma Rosa, Minister of Health, said challenges spread through social networks often endanger others' health. Several videos spread on TikTok showing people filming themselves taking the drug and waiting for results.

Some users, however, posted videos warning of the challenge's seriousness, which has already spread to Chile.

A huge surprise has emerged as a result of ongoing investigations into leaking high school exam papers. The initial information, the statements of the accused, and the Ministry of Interior records revealed that about 40,000 students of the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades were involved in cheating. The cheating case has taken on a new legal dimension, according to informed sources. A number of evidence was submitted to the Public Prosecution, including in-ear phones seized from students, and conversations between employees of the Ministry of Education, who facilitated the leaking of exam papers for some secondary subjects, and those who administered “collective fraud groups” for profit.

According to the defendants' confessions, they had gained about KD 3 million from "cheating groups" and secondary school exam paper leaks within two weeks. Each student who entered the “group” paid KD 60 to KD 70 in advance to those in charge of the leakage. There are other groups that got about KD 150 for one subject.

The Public Prosecution ordered the arrest and arraignment of six new suspects, bringing the total number of defendants to 26, with crimes attributed to them ranging from fraud facilitation to money laundering by illegally obtaining funds. The sources stressed that the entry of millions of dinars into the balances of the test takers during this short period requires a decisive pause, as it confirms the presence of huge numbers of the new generation who have mastered cheating.

The Ministry of Education is also continuously coordinating with the Ministry of Interior, the Public Prosecution, and the judicial authorities. Those authorities requested that the Ministry of Education provide them with a mechanism for conducting tests, which includes working in the secret printing press and transferring the question papers for each subject to the examination committees. All details and the mechanism used for setting tests, printing questions, and transferring them were provided to the Public Prosecution by the ministry.

The source indicated that the Ministry of Education is awaiting an official letter from the Public Prosecution and the Ministry of Interior with the names of those accused in the case of cheating and leaking high school exam papers, which is considered a "national security" issue because it affects future generations.

The students involved in cheating and dealing with the groups will be summoned to give testimony. This situation can be handled in five steps:

- Keeping cheaters at bay requires coordination between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Interior

- Test questions must be protected from leakage by a strict mechanism

- Cheaters should face stiffer penalties

- Examining the final grade holders despite their poor performance

- Students and parents should be educated about the seriousness of cheating and imaginary success

According to sources, the Ministry of Education will scrutinize any student suspected of cheating or achieving imaginary excellence. The university is also considering issuing a new regulation to prevent cheating during the second semester exams. Penalties will be toughened for students involved, teachers who facilitate cheating, committee supervisors, or anyone else involved in the educational process who facilitates the crime. Sources revealed that the accusation circle in the case of cheating and leaking tests has expanded significantly, indicating that new defendants may be summoned for their involvement in leaking test questions and helping cheating students and those seeking easy success.

The CEO of the Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC) Eng. Mansour Al-Sa’ad announced a comprehensive change in the public transport network system through a new strategy, reports Al-Anba daily. During a recent visual presentation by KPTC at the Municipal Council about its future strategic plans, in the presence of a number of Municipal Council members, Eng. Al-Sa’ad highlighted the expansion of the network to link all areas of Kuwait, indicating that there will be a different system within a period of five years. He explained that an electronic application for the transportation network will be released soon. It displays accurate details about transportation in terms of routes and the bus schedule in a live and direct manner. It also has a service for booking tickets among others.

The current routes are not practical and take a long time. Currently, there are only 25 routes but 20 new routes will be added. The new system called “Feeder” will serve residential areas. Regarding the possibility of including the metro within the future strategy, Eng. Al-Sa’ad said the company has been working in the field of transportation since 1962, but it was not assigned the metro or train project and was not placed within its jurisdiction. He affirmed the company’s ability to manage such projects in the event that it was assigned to follow up its implementation. Regarding the target groups, he said, “The company has prepared statistics for all groups that use transportation in Kuwait and for each area separately. Citizens have a convenient alternative to using public transportation, but in the future, it will be realized that public transportation is more rapid.”

Eng. Al-Saad highlighted the most prominent projects that it includes, including the Truck City project, BRT routes for public transport buses, and the smart mass transit system, in addition to the launch of special routes for electric buses. Meanwhile, Head of the Municipal Council Abdullah Al-Mahry stated that, in light of the presence of buses within the areas, a solution to the problem of traffic congestion must be found. He also stressed the need to set up an ambitious and long-term plan, especially in the Capital Governorate and the other governorates. Al-Mahry presented his request for the company to develop an implementation plan to be submitted to the Municipal Council in the coming days, taking into account the residential structure. He indicated that there is no transport in Kuwait dedicated for tourism, due to which it is necessary to communicate and coordinate with the structural plan department in Kuwait Municipality to discuss the matter

. Al-Mahry insisted on the need to provide sites as bus stops in various governorates. He highlighted the need for the company to continue employing national cadres to work with the approximately 200 Kuwaiti employees currently in the company. Al-Mahry said the company requested to be invited to the meetings of the specialized committees of the Council. In addition, a member of the Municipal Council Eng. Hassan Kamal stressed the importance of public transportation in Kuwait of both types – sea and land. He said the visual presentation made by the KPTC officials illustrates the company’s ambitious strategy and plans to develop public transport in Kuwait.

Eng. Kamal affirmed that the performance in the past was not at the level of ambition. In a press statement, Eng. Kamal explained that the company’s plan calls for optimism, especially with traffic congestion, urban expansion and population density. Part of the traffic problem is public transportation. The solution is to not only open new routes for public transportation, but also encourage people to travel through them. The company’s strategy requires a clear time plan and budget. The personnel in the company have a vision not only of transportation, but also of school buses, sea transport, sea buses, and transport on the Jaber Bridge, especially as it is a state-owned company that provides services at nominal prices, and that the municipality supports its plans.

 The Ministry of Communications (MoC) is working to carve out part of the land for the ministry’s warehouses in the Shuwaikh Industrial Area for investment in order to develop its financial resources by establishing complexes and shopping malls, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting sources. The same sources revealed that the Ministry of Communications has informed one of the concerned authorities to set apart a piece of the land for the ministry’s warehouses, referring to the Ministry of Finance Circular No. 5 of 2018, regarding the preparation of estimates for the budgets of ministries, government departments and subordinate institutions, and the principles and rules that should be followed in preparing them according to the budget classifications (the cash basis), which are the most important current financial and economic foundations and directives in the main lines, as mentioned in paragraph 3 of those foundations, including working to reform the economic structure, develop nonoil revenues, and revitalize the national economy.

The sources said that the ministry has made it clear in its speech that, based on the job responsibility to develop the financial resources of the ministry, which reflects positively on the public treasury, and in implementation of the state’s policy to develop non-oil sources of income, a large area has been allocated to the Commerce Ministry by the Ministry of Finance as unexploited warehouses, located in a commercial area. It is very vital, and it is considered the backbone of the state (Al-Shuwaikh Industrial Area), so when that area was allocated by the state, its aim was investment and commercial activity in the first place.

The sources emphasized that the location of the ministry’s stores is ideal for investment in establishing commercial stores on the front of the stores overlooking the main street, which are opposite to complexes and commercial stores owned by companies or individuals, noting that the ministry decided to establish commercial stores on the side of the parallel street along the stores, which exceeds its length by 300 meters, provided that an area of 10 meters is cut out with a depth of warehouses, to construct complexes and commercial stores that are rented through public bidding or direct rental to companies or individuals wishing to rent them, and to generate additional income for the Ministry, which positively reflects in the public treasury, noting that this area is one of the desirable areas to rent, and the cost of the rent due on it is considered one of the highest areas in the State of Kuwait.

The Ministry of Education has completed the tender procedures for the supply, installation, operation and maintenance of attendance proof devices with a fingerprint and the programs attached to it for government schools, reports Al- Qabas daily. It is scheduled to be enforced and officially activated at the beginning of the 2023-2024 scholastic year, specifically next September in all schools without exception. Educational sources revealed that the Ministry of Education has obtained the final approval from the Audit Bureau to award the contract to the concerned company and thus all the required regulatory approvals have been completed, and the contract is being signed with the company by the concerned departments.

Contract The sources indicated 2,770 fingerprint devices worth 350,000 dinars are to be supplied and distributed to schools, and once the contract is signed in the coming days, the supply and installation procedures will begin, especially since the education ministry is in dire need of this tender, for what is in the interest of work. The sources stated that the new fingerprint device, which will be introduced in schools at the beginning of the new academic year, supports different types of registration methods. The sources explained that the ministry is keen to apply the fingerprint attendance considering it the only approved method to prove the attendance of teachers and all school workers. The sources pointed out that the oversight authorities have been recommending for years the necessity of applying the fingerprint in order to keep in check many violations that are recorded in schools, in addition to its importance in ending the case of neglect by some teachers and school administrations, and preventing tampering with records.

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) signed an agreement with the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) to finance the adaptation and resilience project for cross-border sand and dust storms coming from southern Iraq and address the dust problem affecting Kuwait and Gulf states. KISR’s Director General Dr Manea Al-Sudairawi said in a statement on Thursday that the project will be implemented in two areas in the south of Iraqi territory, with an area of 8,212 sq km, as they are major sources of dust storms.

Both regions were identified after scientific studies carried out by KISR were published in scientific journals, through which the locations and number of dust storms that reach Kuwait from 2020 until the end of 2022 were determined, Sudairawi added. The project aims to identify the causes of sand and dust storms from the climatic and geological aspects, protect and increase the skills of adaptation and resilience in storm areas and absorb their negative effects in order to reduce their occurrence, while achieving a set of sustainable development goals and produce measurement mechanisms and indicators to mitigate the effects of storms, he said.

Annual losses resulting from sand and dust storms were estimated at KD 190 million, while the project, which will be implemented through the UN program at a value of KD 4 million, will target specific areas located 250 km north of the Kuwaiti border, Dr Sudairawi mentioned. He referred to the direct impact of those areas, which amounts to 40 percent of the total storms that Kuwait, southern Iraq and the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and parts of UAE are exposed to.

Dust storms caused the closure of ports and roads, causing huge economic losses, in addition to health and environmental damage, as cross-border sandstorms that lead to the accumulation of dust increased from 60 tons per square kilometer in 2006 to over 500 tons per square kilometer in 2022, he indicated. The project will work to stabilize the soil in the regions of northern Iraq and thus reduce cross-border dust, Sudairawi said, noting that building barriers inside the country without addressing the main source will not suffice, especially since the path of dust starts from those areas, passing through Kuwait to Qatar and UAE.

Groundbreaking infrastructure will be designed to rehabilitate areas affected by sand and dust storms and mitigate their harmful effects through several methods, he said. The project will be carried out through the use of heavy machinery such as excavators and soil dumpers to place a heavy clay layer, as the consistency of the clay layer when it rains gives an opportunity for natural plant growth and the cultivation of drought-resistant fungal trees in windbreaks to help stabilize the soil and increase plant density, Dr Sudairawi added.

Head of Office at UN-Habitat for Arab Gulf States Dr Ameera Al-Hassan said this agreement was a result of the deal signed with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), which aims to treat dust from its sources. Dr Hassan underlined the significance of the agreement, which addresses the problem from its sources in a sound scientific manner that will result in improving the public health of the population and dusty areas, as well as improving the economies of the affected countries. KFAED signed on Oct 27 with UN-Habitat a grant agreement worth KD 4 million ($13.2 million) to finance the project for cross-border sand and dust storms between Iraq and Kuwait to reduce the chances of these storms. – KUNA

Twin explosions rocked Jammu city in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India's north on Saturday morning, injuring at least seven people. Additional Director General of Police (Jammu) Mukesh Singh said that the blasts occurred in the Narwal area of Jammu.

The entire area has been cordoned off and further investigations are being conducted. The injured have been rushed to the hospital, reports PTI news agency.

Seven people were admitted to the hospital with splinter injuries, and all of them are stable, according to hospital sources. 

The twin explosions took place in Yard Number 7 of Transport Nagar in the Narwal area.  

Six people were injured in two blasts that occurred in the Narwal area of Jammu. Visuals from the spot. Police personnel are present at the spot. pic.twitter.com/eTZ1exaICG

The first blast occurred at around 10.45 am, followed by another explosion, an official in Jammu told the news agency PTI, adding that the whole area was cordoned off and a search operation is underway.

Jaswinder Singh, an eyewitness, said the first blast occurred in a vehicle that was sent to a workshop for repairs, reported PTI. “Fifteen minutes later, another explosion nearby littered the area with damaged parts and garbage,” said Singh, chief of the Motor Spare Parts Association.

Five people were injured in the first blast and two more in the second, he added.

Senior officials of the Army and Security Impact Analysis (SIA) teams reached the spot and  sanitisation operation was carried out. Teams of forensic experts, bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs were also pressed into service and collected samples.

The Narwal area of Jammu city is a commercial hub and remains crowded throughout the day. It has a fruit and vegetable market besides many shops of tyres, spare parts, junk dealers and car accessories.

Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant-General Manoj Sinha has strongly condemned the blasts in Narwal, Jammu. Senior police officials briefed the LG about the blast and the ongoing investigation. He called for urgent steps to identify the culprits and take action against them.

Such dastardly acts highlight the desperation and cowardice of those responsible. Take immediate and firm action. No efforts should be spared to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Sinha told officials.

Additionally, the LG announced a relief of Rs 50,000 for each injured in the explosions. He added that the administration would ensure best treatment to the injured and extend every required help to their families.

The blasts have taken place even as security has been beefed up across the Union territory in view of the upcoming Republic Day celebrations and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra has entered the state.

The yatra has been given massive security cover, with both police and paramilitary forces ring-fencing Gandhi and his followers while jammers have also been deployed. It was reported that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had been instructed by security agencies not to walk certain stretches during his yatra in Kashmir.

A 29-foot-long mobile tower in Patna's Sabzibagh was uprooted and taken off by robbers posing as telecom company employees. The incident has left cops red-faced and local residents in worry, TOI reported. 

In the course of a survey of mobile towers and 5G services, technicians of the telecom company discovered that their network and equipment were missing. 

The tower worth thousands of dollars was installed on the roof of a four-storey house belonging to a man named Shaheen Qayoom.

Police filed a case against the unknown group after Mohammad Shahnanawa Anwar, GTL's area manager, reported a missing mobile tower. The case was filed under Section 379 of the IPC. 

As of now, no clear ground regarding the culprits has yet been established. 

Sabihul Haque, the SHO, said that Aircel installed the tower in 2006, but that it was sold to GTL in 2016.

In addition, GTL failed to pay rent to the house owners for some time, since it was not working. The owner asked the company to remove the tower. 

In the course of the investigation, Qayoom informed me that a group of men came and dismantled the tower. According to the house owner, he said that the fake technicians said that the tower is experiencing some technical glitch, and a new one will be placed soon.

The investigation is underway. 

In India, a similar group dismantled an entire iron bridge in Rohtas and a train engine in Begusarai last year.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has warned against marketing or selling any product or publication bearing the image of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince or state emblem of Kuwait.

“Article 16 of the ministerial resolution No. 216 of 2014 bans exhibiting, selling, or marketing any product or publication putting a printed photo of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince or the state emblem,” the ministry Undersecretary Mohammad Al- Enezi told KUNA. He affirmed that the ministry would not hesitate in taking legal actions against violators. Al-Enezi cautioned that the ministry inspection teams were carrying sudden raids on stores to catch violators. He added that the inspectors had already registered a number of violations in this regard. (By Salem Al-Methen – KUNA)

The Central Bank of Kuwait has requested exchange companies to urgently provide it with a statement that includes “high-risk” customers (company’s clients, divided according to the degree of risk specified for each of them [low – medium – high]) including those who conduct money transfers to countries included in the red list of high-risk countries classification as well as the number of suspected cases of money laundering or terrorist financing that it has been monitoring during the last 3 years, reports Al-Rai daily. According to relevant sources, the regulator's actions in this regard are part of a broader supervision coordination, led by the Central Bank, to ensure that exchange companies, banks, and finance companies are not able to bypass. It is expected that Kuwait and its financial institutions will be assessed in May by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on whether they are in compliance with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing requirements.

In accordance with Law No. (106) of 2013 regarding money laundering and terrorist financing, its executive regulations, and related decisions and instructions, the sources stated that. Exchange companies were requested to provide data to the Central Bank within 10 working days in order to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. CBK suggested earlier to exchange companies and local financial institutions that the FATF team would ask them about suspicious cases in which the information kept about the real beneficiaries did not match the information updated about them, and their number, as well as procedures for verifying the real beneficiaries' identity.

To assess their effectiveness in preventing money laundering and terrorist financing, one of the expected questions is that, if there are systems that detect conformity, what are the appropriate scenarios for issuing an alert, what is the percentage of similarity established in the system that triggers the alert, and how is this ratio calculated? When providing bank credit services, how is the identity of the goods and their relevance to dual-use goods ascertained? In addition to setting standards and promoting effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation, and other threats to the integrity of the international financial system, the “FATF” is responsible for setting standards.

Major General Tawheed Al-Kandari, Director General of the Ministry of Interior's General Department of Public Relations and Security Media, said that the ministry's residence affairs department receives requests for leave of absence for expatriates through the residence departments in the six governorates, provided that an acceptable and documented excuse is presented.

In an interview with Al-Jarida, Al-Kandari said, “immigrant students who complete their studies outside the country and hold an Article 22 residence permit may apply through their guardians for permission to stay for more than six months outside the country provided they submit proof from the university at which they are registered and the Kuwaiti embassy in that country attests to the same.

"The same applies to humanitarian cases and patients as well, provided that proof of their health condition is presented, which is also certified by the Kuwait Embassy in the same country." The residence permit will automatically be revoked if their stay outside the country exceeds six months.

Al-Kandari stated that the Public Relations and Security Media Department of the Ministry of Interior announced about 3 months ago that the Nationality and Residence Affairs Sector will begin the electronic cancellation of the residencies of those who fall under Article 17 (government sector), Article 19 (partner in the private sector), Article 22 (dependent), Article 23, (study) and Article 24 (self-sponsor) and Article 18 (private sector employment) if they remain outside the country for more than six months.

He explained that his went into effect on Aug 1, 2022 and ended at the end of Jan 31, 2023. The cancellation will be done as per Article (12), Paragraph (3) of the Foreigners Residence Law.

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs announced that residents of Kuwait will be able to obtain Umrah visas electronically by registering their biometric data, reports Al-Qabas daily. In a press statement, the ministry explained that Saudi Arabia has decided to allow the residents of the State of Kuwait who wish to perform Umrah to do the following –

1. Register their biometric data, including fingerprint registration for those pilgrims who come from five countries, to complete the procedures for issuing Umrah visas electronically before their arrival in Makkah and Madina.

2. The fingerprint registration is currently applicable to all pilgrims coming from the United Kingdom, Tunisia, the State of Kuwait, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. Interested pilgrims will have to use the Saudi Visa Bio app that allows visa application, register fingerprints, and register biometric data in order to attend the significant Muslim pilgrimage sites.

3. The biometric registration includes face, eyes, and fingers of the hands, and submission of passport through the app.

4. Registration of the biometric data on the app is done through four steps – automatic reading of passport, determining the type of visa, taking a photo of the face, and taking fingerprints.

The launch of the new app is based on a commitment made by the Saudi government late last year to allow enrollment of biometrics through mobile devices so that pilgrims to Makkah can avoid visiting visa centers in person.

This makes the country one of the first in the world to accept biometrics via mobile phone for visa issuance. In February 2022, Saudi Arabia also released an electronic passport with a chip that stores the user’s biometrics for authentication purposes.

The Director General of the General Department of Public Relations and Security Media at the Ministry of Interior, Major General Tawheed Al-Kandari, said that the residence affairs sector in the ministry receives, through the residence departments in the six governorates, requests for leave of absence for expatriates, provided that an acceptable and documented excuse is presented according to each case.

Al-Kandari added, in a statement to Al-Jarida, that “immigrant students who complete their studies outside the country and who hold Article 22 residence permit can apply through their guardian for permission to stay outside the country for more than six months provided they submit a proof from the university in which they are registered and the same has to be attested by the Kuwaiti embassy in the respective country,” reports Al-Jarida daily.

Cases
He pointed out that “the same applies to humanitarian cases and patients, provided that proof of their health condition is presented, also certified by the embassy of the State of Kuwait in the same country.” In the event that their stay outside the country exceeds more than 6 months the residence permit will be automatically cancelled.

Al-Kandari stated that the Public Relations and Security Media Department of the Ministry of Interior announced about 3 months ago that the Nationality and Residence Affairs Sector will begin the electronic cancellation of the residencies of those who fall under Article 17 (government sector), Article 19 (partner in the private sector), Article 22 (dependent), Article 23 (study) and Article 24 self sponsor and Article 18 (private sector employment) if they remain outside the country for more than six months. He explained this went into effect on Aug 1, 2022 and ends at the end of Jan 31, 2023. The cancellation will be done as per Article (12), Paragraph (3) of the Foreigners Residence Law.

Health Minister Dr Ahmad Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi has concluded a meeting with technical and administrative departments at the Farwaniya Hospital to review the latest preparations prior to the inauguration of the third phase of the new Farwaniya Hospital for nationals. The new phase will start functioning from February 5.

The meeting witnessed a review of the plan of transferring patients, organizational details and procedures and a discussion of transferring the rest of the departments successively.  The meeting also addressed the issue of the workflow situation as well as the challenges that accompanied the previous operational phases and ways to mitigate them in order to provide health services to citizens, according to the best required quality standards.

The Health Minister talks to the staff at Farwaniya Hospital.

The operational plan for the third phase includes inauguration of work in the department of obstetrics and gynecology as well as related departments including the departments of pharmacy, radiology, laboratory, sterilization, intensive care and anesthesia.

The real estate sector in Kuwait will remain stagnant in 2023 due to lack of interest in private housing, investments, and speculation over land prices, said experts on Wednesday. Speaking to KUNA in various interviews, the experts also pointed out that investors were not interested in purchasing real estate in inner areas due to the lack of affordable lands, construction cost, and other factors.

Former secretary of the real-estate federation Qais Al-Ghanim indicated that there was a slowdown in real-estate activities on a global level due to a number of reasons including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the disruption in the supply chains of goods, and high inflation in the western industrial countries. Investors are buying time and very careful in using their liquidity until a clear global picture was presented, he added.

In regards to Kuwait, Al-Ghanim said that the struggle of purchasing and selling amongst clients and property owners would result in the stagnation of real estate in Kuwait. The housing real estate is the most affected due to the lack of purchase ability on parts of clients and investors opting for bank deposits with high interest rates rather than investing in real estate, he continued. On his part, director of Al-Muasher (index) real-estate company Ahmad Al-Nabhan said that stagnation might be expected as far as 2025 due to high land prices and alarming construction cost for houses.

He noted that there were speculation over government procedures to impose fees on those owning more than one piece of real estate and undeveloped lands in addition to lift subsides on electricity and water for owners of multiple homes.

Al-Nabhan also criticized the current trend in allowing apartments-style housing in private residential areas, saying that it had caused on overload on infrastructure. He stressed that the Municipality had a role in enforcing the rule of law and prevent housing in residential areas from being used for speculation and unlawful investments. Ali Al-Khadhmi, CEO of Amtar real estate, predicted that market value of real-estate housing would drop by 10 to 15 percent this year after deals within the sector fell by 45 percent in 2022.

He said that inflation could be countered via increasing interest on bank deposits and loans for housing and commercial usage, indicating that resolving the housing crisis must come through providing more land for development to balance supply and demand.

There is a correlation between the thriving of global and national economies, which would have a positive impact on real estate in general, he affirmed. According to statistics by the real-estate records and documentation department at the Ministry of Justice, 2022 saw 4,470 real-estate deals worth KD 2.7 billion (around $8.8 billion), a decrease of 14 percent in terms of value and 50 percent in terms of deals from 2021’s 8,115 deals worth KD 3.2 billion (around $10.4 billion. – KUNA

A 118-year-old French nun, Sister Andre, has died in a nursing home in France, according to her nursing home.

According to Al-Rai daily, Lucille Randon, who took the name Sister Andre after joining a Catholic charity in 1944, recovered from Corona virus last year.

The French nun was born on February 11, 1904 and was the oldest living person in the world, according to the Aging Research Group’s global list of centenarians.

According to Major General Tawheed Al-Kandari, Director General of the Ministry of Interior's General Department of Public Relations and Security Media, requests for leave of absence from expatriates are received by the ministry's residence departments in the six governorates, along with an acceptable and documented excuse, Al-Jarida reported. Those students who have completed their studies outside of the country and have residency under Article no. 22, can apply, through their guardian, to the residency department affiliated with it, and request an absence permit after submitting proof from the university, as well as a notarized proof from the Kuwait Embassy in the concerned country.

Similarly, Al-Kandari noted that the Kuwait Embassy in the same country verifies the health condition of humanitarian cases and patients. With the exception of those whose assessment is due in the first and last place to the leaders of the residence sector, if their stay outside the country exceeds more than six months, their visa will be automatically revoked.

It was announced about three months ago that the Department would begin electronic cancellation of employment residencies within the Nationality and Residence Affairs Sector. The government sector, the partnership sector, the dependent sector, the student sector, the self-sponsorship sector, and those who have been outside the country for more than six months are covered by Article (17). By calculating their stay outside the country from 1 August 2022 until the end of this month, their residency will be automatically canceled in accordance with Article (12), Paragraph (3) of the Foreigners Residence Law.

The Director General of the General Department of Public Relations and Security Media at the Ministry of Interior, Major General Tawheed Al-Kandari, said that the residence affairs sector in the ministry receives, through the residence departments in the six governorates, requests for leave of absence for expatriates, along with an acceptable and documented excuse, Al-Jarida reported. Students who complete their studies outside the country and hold residency Article no. 22, can apply, through their guardian, to the residency department affiliated with it, and request an absence permit after submitting proof from the university, as well as a notarized proof from the Kuwait Embassy in the concerned country.

Al-Kandari pointed out that the same applies to humanitarian cases and patients, with proof of their health condition also certified by the Kuwait Embassy in the same country. In the case that their stay outside the country exceeds a period of six months, their stay will be automatically cancelled, except for those whose assessment is due to the leaders of the residence sector first and last.

It was announced about three months ago that the Department would begin electronic cancellation of employment residencies within the Nationality and Residence Affairs Sector. The government sector, the partnership sector, the dependent sector, the student sector, the self-sponsorship sector, and those who have been outside the country for more than six months are covered by Article (17). According to Article (12), Paragraph (3) of the Foreigners Residence Law, their residency is automatically canceled by calculating the period of their stay outside the country from 1 August 2022 to the end of the month.

Within the framework of continuous efforts to combat the phenomenon of drugs and to raise awareness of its dangers, reliable sources said more than 340 citizens and residents reported their addicted children during the past three months. After realizing their inability to contain the situation, they urged the concerned authorities to correct their behavior, treat them and rehabilitate them, reports Al- Qabas daily. The sources said, “We consider this step as a good one that serves as a societal awareness of the dangers of this devastating scourge.

These deadly toxins represent an imminent danger to young people who are the wealth of the nation. Everyone must join efforts to combat them and besiege their promoters, as well as implement plans aimed at treating addicts. An addict who presents himself to the Public Prosecution Office or whose family reports him, is exempted from punishment and subject to treatment and rehabilitation. The voluntary admission of a person who uses or is addicted to drugs or psychotropic substances, to the addiction treatment center located in the Sabah Health Zone, either alone or with any of his family members, is the first correct step on the right path.

Awareness
The Ministry of Interior, represented by the Criminal Security Sector’s Drugs Control General Department, focuses, in its periodic awareness bulletins, including the booklet ‘Drug Prevention Messages’, on the fact that an addict is examined after he surrenders on his own to ensure that he has used or is addicted to drugs or psychotropic substances.

The attending physician in the addiction treatment center opens a file for him, and then he is directed either to enter the center or go to the outpatient clinic after signing an acknowledgment of acceptance of treatment. The first step in treating a drug user is to remove the drug toxins from the blood during a period from seven to ten days, according to a medical treatment program. It will then be followed by psychological and social treatment and many programs that support his recovery and prevent relapse. In the event that the addict does not come forward voluntarily, the alternative step is for his family to present a “complaint of addiction” report to the Drugs and Liquor Prosecution in accordance with Law No. 74/1983 or Law No. 48/1987.

After that, the report is referred to the Drug Control General Department for coordination and implementation of the Prosecution orders. The subject is invited to attend, and if he does not comply, he will be arrested. He is then sent for treatment to the addiction treatment center, where the specialist doctor examines him. If it is proven that he has abused drugs, the Public Prosecution office will be notified of that, and an order will be issued to detain him for a period not exceeding three weeks. This detention period will be renewed according to the procedures followed.

As for the third step, it is for the abuser or addict or any of his relatives to apply directly to the Drug Control General Department where they will be directed to file an addiction complaint with the Drugs and Liquor Prosecution. The addict will either be referred to an addiction treatment center, or will be directed to follow up with a counseling office until he recovers, or will be sent to specialized centers abroad for treatment. According to Law No. 74/1983 regarding combating drugs and regulating their use and trafficking, article 34 of the law stipulates that no criminal case shall be leveled against a drug user who voluntarily comes forward for treatment, and the patient is placed under observation in a sanatorium for a period not exceeding three weeks.”

Addiction
Consultant Bibi Al-Amiri, Head of the Mental Health Lighthouse for Children and Adolescents at the Kuwait Center for Mental Health affiliated with the Ministry of Health, said drug addiction is medically considered a “psychological disorder” that requires an intensive treatment program. Dr. Al-Amiri explained that “psychological disorder” is an incubating environment for drug abuse and addiction due to the ease of response to external influences, such as the environment affected by the scourge of drugs, bad people, and others. The factors associated with the disorder, such as severity of fear, anxiety, shyness in front of others, isolation, etc., lead them to drug use of all kinds in order to help them overcome the difficulty and not undergo the correct psychological treatment.

Those involved in the scourge of drugs usually begins at the age between 13 and 15 years due to the factors related to this age such as high impulsiveness, and desire to discover and identify narcotic substances in natural synchronization with the development and formation of the brain. Those who have a genetic (biological) susceptibility are more likely to be addicted than others in order to feed their internal needs. About 50 percent of mental disorders for children begin before they reach 14 years of age. She stressed the need to shed light on these categories in order to search for defects and find radical solutions to them in order to avoid their occurrence or to treat them in the event of addiction.

Al-Amiri said, “The distribution of mental disorders of all kinds around the world is numerically close, but the difference lies in their severity and the sources of treatment. This severity appears more clearly in our regions due to the presence of the so-called “genetic basin”, including autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar. The presence of an addict within the family circle puts him in a state of constant fear and anxiety about the unknown because of the lack of a sense of total safety, which may gradually affect the rest of the family, and thus generate other cases that are subject to abuse and addiction. Discovering imbalances and knowing the target segments early opens the door to avoiding and protecting all groups. Activating the role of psychological treatments through schools, clubs, sports and ministerial facilities, and others is no less important than the rest of the other efforts in the same field.

 The Kuwait Meteorological Department expected the weather to improve gradually from Tuesday afternoon as clouds decrease and chances of rain recede. The weather forecast observer Abdulaziz Al-Qarawi, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the country will be affected by an air elevation accompanied by a cold air mass.

Al-Qarawi stated that the country was affected since Monday afternoon, by a rainy condition that started light gradually as a result of the extension of a surface depression accompanied by a moist air mass that coincided with the presence of a deep depression in the upper layers of the atmosphere. He added that this led to the proliferation of low and medium cloud interspersed with some cumulus clouds, accompanied by moderate to heavy thunderstorms in some areas especially the southern ones during the night and dawn of the day, and wind activity with a decrease in horizontal visibility in some areas and sea waves rising to more than 7 feet. He also pointed out that the amounts of rain recorded varied in most of the country’s stations.

In Kuwait Airport, it recorded 29 millimeters, while it recorded 44 millimeters in Wafra, 27 millimeters in Al-Ahmadi, 21 millimeters in Al- Abraq, and 29 millimeters in Kuwait City. These quantities are expected to increase during the coming hours. (KUNA)

 The Public Authority for Roads and Transportation (PART) announced the closure of Al-Ghazali Road towards Shuwaikh Port for a period of ten days, reports Al-Qabas daily. The authority said the closure is carried out in coordination with the General Traffic Department, and the road is scheduled to be reopened on January 26.

It added that the closure period extends from 1:00 am to 5:00 am. The authority’s statement did not explain the reason for the closure, but it has been carrying out maintenance work for days and spreading asphalt on Ghazali Road towards the Sixth Ring Road, to deal with the phenomenon of fl ying gravel that appeared in the wake of the rains that the country witnessed last week.