Members of the Tripartite Committee, led by the Public Authority for Manpower, managed to arrest an unidentified European doctor who was working in a private clinic without obtaining a license, reports Al-Qabas daily. This is in addition to the arrest of runaway domestic workers caught working as experts in cosmetic and gynecological clinics, without obtaining legal licenses. The daily added, some private clinics deliberately employ those who enter the country on family visas because in most cases their visas are non-transferable and cannot obtain a work permit. 

The Al-Qabas daily said the inspection tour revealed private companies continue to commit violations, particularly in the field of medical professions because of the need of experienced people. Many such people enter the country on domestic visas and then abandon their sponsors. During the inspection, which was carried under the supervision of the PAM Director General, Dr. Mubarak Al-Jafour, and in the presence of a representative of the Licensing Department and the Drug Inspection Department at the Ministry of Health, a Greek doctor working as general surgeon was taken into custody. In the same context, the labor force inspection teams, led by Muhammad Al-Dhafiri, arrested 3 employees inside the clinics, who were holding family visas.

The daily added, such employees can escape with a warning but a repetition will result in their deportation and the file of the sponsor closed. The source pointed out that the instructions issued by PAM are crystal clear regarding violations in the labor market, especially for those who do not work for their sponsors or those who are on family visa. The source indicated the tripartite committee members are continuing to implement their various campaigns against violators. The most prominent violations of some clinics include, doctors working without licenses, domestic workers working as nurses and assistants, employees without residence permits or work permits, clinics that have not completed their licenses, illegal and expired drugs and violating advertisements on social media platforms.

US Detail Zero website revealed that the Kuwaiti dinar topped the list of global currencies in terms of value; followed by the Bahraini Dinar, Omani Riyal and Jordanian Dinar, while the US Dollar ranked ninth globally, reports Al-Anba daily. The website quoted CNN Spanish- language news channel as saying that due to inflation which continues to rise around the world, currencies in all countries suffer from pressure and reflect the uncertainty of economies after suffering from the repercussions of the Corona pandemic followed by the Russian-Ukrainian war that affected oil prices; not to mention the slowdown in the economies of some countries such as China.

The channel pointed out that it is worth asking: What are the 10 most powerful currencies in the world? The Kuwaiti Dinar topped the list, not the US Dollar even if the latter is the most used currency in international transactions. The channel also quoted the Central Bank of Kuwait as saying that since 2007, the Kuwaiti Dinar has been linked to an undeclared basket of international currencies of Kuwait’s main trading and financial partners within the exchange rate policy aimed at maintaining and strengthening the relative stability of the Kuwaiti Dinar against other currencies, in addition to protecting the local economy from the effects of imported inflation.

This stems from the fact that between 2003 and 2007, the currency was pegged to the US Dollar; but Kuwait changed its policy after exhausting all means to absorb the negative effects of the depreciation of the US Dollar against major currencies over a long period. The channel inquired about the reasons behind Kuwait’s possession of the strongest currency in the world. The answer lies in oil, as the country has a rich economy due to the amount of crude oil reserves it owns — about 102 billion barrels or six percent of global reserves. Official data revealed that oil constitutes about 92 percent of Kuwaiti export revenues and 90

Government services agencies, especially those related to providing social assistance and collecting funds are facing a dangerous phenomenon that aims to rob Kuwaitis and expats, through the use of their logos and images of their employees spread across the cyberspace, reports Al-Qabas daily.

With the recent warnings issued by the ministries of Social Affairs and Health, in addition to the Cybercrime Department of the Ministry of Interior, about not responding to incoming calls from unknown persons requesting personal data, but the victims are still falling prey and are robbed. President of the Kuwait Society for Information Security, Dr. Safa’a Zaman, when asked about the way fraudsters access the data of victims — citizens or residents — said the matter is related to the insecurity of the information network used by some government institutions or even the private sector, which may become a victim of internal hacking operations. It is carried out by an employee in the same organization, from which the data is leaked to fraudsters.

Zaman stated that the Information Security Society recently observed that some closed companies operating in the insurance sector sold their customers’ data after they transferred their activities and licenses to the general trade and contracting, indicating that Kuwaiti law does not punish such procedures, and called for the need for legislation or a decision to prohibit such actions.

These issues contribute to the prevalence of fraud against citizens or residents. She stressed that there is no law that protects data or is held accountable for such abuses in the sale of data by the private sector, and there are no government regulators that monitor contracts concluded with companies working in the field of developing websites and systems for state ministries and agencies, which puts the latter at risk of losing their data or is in the hands of unofficial parties.

Zaman indicated that government systems, data and applications that are released from time to time are not 100% secure, as the data is not encrypted and its rules are not properly secured, which exposes them to theft. She indicated the importance of changing the pattern of dealing with government transactions and procedures or in the private sector, through the civil number of the citizen or resident, as obtaining it through delegates or applications facilitates the process of fraud, especially with fraudsters who have customer data and only need a confirmation number to transfer stolen money. She called for activating safe financial policies through banks to prevent transfers between accounts without formal communication between customers, if the amounts are large, in order to ensure safety and prevent electronic fraud, which is witnessing a continuous development. She added, “It is important that there be a specialized department in cybersecurity in Kuwait, away from the cybercrime department, which looks at problems other than online fraud, because the competent departments can prevent fraud and return the stolen money faster and easier.”

In addition, the Ministry of Affairs called on citizens and residents to exercise caution, as a result of the actions of some fake and suspicious accounts that impersonate the Ministry on Facebook and other websites, by placing false advertisements about providing a financial grant and demand some personal information.

The ministry confirmed in a statement that it places advertisements or request such information in all of its official accounts, noting that the ministry had taken legal measures against some accounts and will take the same measures through legal channels towards accounts that have recently published such advertisements. Steps to face scam emails — download the call blocker application and filter calls and annoying messages, activate the feature to silence unknown callers, do not give the phone number easily to any person or entity, do not answer automated calls from unknown destinations. Do not fall prey when fraudsters request for a vaccination certificate to amend the data, call to schedule a booster dose, announcement of winning a mobile phone, internet package renewal announcement, renewal of government health insurance, offer social assistance to citizens and request donations from charities.

The labor market has achieved a remarkable recovery in Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, with the return to normalcy among expatriate workers after the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic receded and the Gulf economies recovered, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to statistics and data issued by the Gulf Statistics Center, which is affiliated with the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, remittances of expatriates in the Gulf countries recorded a growth in the past year compared to 2020.

In a report issued in July, the Gulf Statistics Center highlighted that the total remittances of expatriates in the Gulf countries amounted to USD 127.2 billion last year compared to USD 116.5 billion in 2020, recording a growth of 9.2 percent after a decline in remittances during the previous four years. It explained that the Kuwaiti labor market came in third place with a growth rate of 6.1 percent and total remittances worth USD 18.3 billion dollars, preceded by Saudi Arabia in second place with USD 39.8 billion, and the UAE in first place with USD 47.5 billion. Both the Omani and Bahraini labor markets recorded a decrease in the growth rate of expatriate remittances, despite the series of recovery in the rest of the GCC countries.

Oman recorded a decrease in the growth rate by 7.5 percent, and Bahrain by 7.7 percent. The Gulf labor market witnessed some recovery as a result of the various precautionary and incentive measures that the GCC countries implemented in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure cushioning the impact of the pandemic and its effects on the labor market. Kuwait was among the GCC countries that passed special legislation to protect domestic workers, while Bahrain included domestic workers in the labor law. While the report showed that the average annual growth of workers in the GCC countries reached 1.4 percent, it stressed that the market witnessed a clear growth in the volume of female employment with an average annual growth of 7.5 percent during the period between 2017 and 2021.

Kuwait ranked first in this regard with a total of 28.1 percent of female workers in the labor market. The report highlighted that the percentage of nationals working in the Gulf market reached 35 percent of the total population. Kuwaitis cover 15.3 percent of the local labor market. The highest percentage of national workers in the labor market was recorded in Saudi Arabia with 44.6 percent. The report stated, “Kuwait witnessed a population decline during the past year by 2.9 percent, which is the highest in the Gulf, while the total population in Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman increased.”

Here’s the list of Indian medal winners in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham so far

1. Mirabai Chanu - GOLD (Weightlifting, Women’s 49kg class)

Star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu went on a record-smashing spree, claiming four of them in a power-packed performance, to claim India’s first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on July 30, 2022.

2. Jeremy Lalrinnunga - GOLD (Weightlifting, Men’s 67kg)

Jeremy Lalrinnunga maintained country’s dominance in the weightlifting arena when he claimed the second gold medal which pushed India to top six on the medal table on day three of the Commonwealth Games, on July 31.

3. Achinta Sheuli - GOLD (Weightlifting, Men’s 73kg)

Weightlifter Achinta Sheuli lived up to his top billing as he clinched India’s third gold in the Commonwealth Games.

4. India women lawn bowls team - GOLD

The India lawn bowls team bagged a historic gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on August 2, 2022, a day after getting the country hooked to the rarely-followed game with their inspiring show.

5. Men’s table tennis team - GOLD

Harmeet Desai raised his game in the decisive singles as the Indian men's table tennis team retained its Commonwealth Games gold medal after a close fight against Singapore in Birmingham on August 2, 2022.

6. Bidyarani Devi - SILVER (Weightlifting, Women’s 55kg class)

Weightlifter Bindyarani Devi clinched a silver in the women’s 55kg as India continued its medal rush at the Commonwealth Games.

7 Sanket Mahadev Sargar - SILVER (Weightlifting, Men’s 55kg class)

Indian weightlifter Sanket Sargar opened the country’s medal count at the Commonwealth Games by claiming a silver in the men’s 55kg category.

8. Vikas Thakur - SILVER (Weightlifting, Men’s 96kg class)

Indian heavyweight lifter Vikas Thakur added yet another Commonwealth Games medal to his kitty, winning a silver in the men’s 96kg here on Tuesday. The seasoned Thakur lifted a total of 346kg (155kg+191kg) to finish second and claim his third CWG medal across three editions.

9. Badminton Mixed Team - SILVER

Kidambi Srikanth came up with an underwhelming performance as India succumbed 1-3 to Malaysia and settled for a silver in the mixed team badminton event at the Commonwealth Games.

10. Judoka Shushila - SILVER (Judo, women’s 48 kg class)

The 27-year-old Shushila fought hard before losing the final via ‘Waza-Ari’ in the 4.25-minute final against South Africa’s Michaela Whitebooi

11. Gururaja Poojary - BRONZE (Weightlifting, Men’s 61kg class)

P. Gururaja clinched Bronze in the Men’s 61 kg weight category at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, 2022, on July 30.

12. Vijay Kumar Yadav - BRONZE (Judo, men’s 60kg class)

The 26-year-old Yadav, on the other hand, produced a superlative performance as he pounced on the mistake of his opponent and pinned him down for 10 seconds to end the contest in just 58 seconds.

13. Harjinder Kaur - BRONZE (Weightlifting, women, 71kg)

India’s Harjinder Kaur claimed the bronze medal in the women’s 71kg weightlifting competition after a dramatic climax at the Commonwealth Games.

Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has moved down one rank to be the third richest woman in the country with a wealth of Rs 29,030 crore, as per the Kotak Private Banking-Hurun list

HCL Technologies’ chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra has retained her position as the richest woman in India, with a 54% jump in her networth to Rs 84,330 crore in 2021.

Falguni Nayar, who quit her investment banking career to start the beauty focused brand Nykaa around a decade ago, has emerged as the richest self-made woman with a networth of Rs 57,520 crore, as per the Kotak Private Banking-Hurun list published on July 27.

Ms. Nayar, who is 59, saw a 963% increase in her wealth during the year and is also the second richest woman overall, trailing the 40-year-old Malhotra, the daughter of HCL Technologies’ founder Shiv Nadar, as per the report.

Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw witnessed a 21% decline in her fortune and has moved down one rank to be the third richest woman in the country with a wealth of Rs 29,030 crore, it said.

The list of 100 women accounts for only Indian women, defined as born or brought up in India, who are actively managing their businesses or are self-made.

The cumulative wealth of these 100 women has increased 53% in a year to Rs 4.16 lakh crore in 2021 from Rs 2.72 lakh crore in 2020, and they now contribute 2% of India’s nominal GDP.

The cut-off for making it into the top 100 has increased to Rs 300 crore from Rs 100 crore earlier, and the top 10 cut-off is at Rs 6,620 crore, which is a 10% jump from the previous year.

Highest number of entrants in the list are from Delhi-National Capital Region at 25, followed by Mumbai (21) and Hyderabad (12), it said.

When looked at from a sectoral perspective, pharmaceuticals led with 12 entrants followed by healthcare at 11 and consumer goods with nine women in the top 100 richest women in India.

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise contributed four entrants to the list, making it the highest contribution by a single company. It was followed by Metro Shoes and Devi Sea Foods at two entrants each.

Kanika Tekriwal (33y/o) of Bhopal-based Jetsetgo is the youngest on the list with a 50% increase in wealth at Rs 420 crore.

The list also includes three professional managers, and is led by Indra Nooyi, who was associated with Pepsico with a fortune of Rs 5,040 crore, followed by Renu Sud Karnad of mortgage lender HDFC at Rs 870 crore and Shanti Ekambaram of Kotak Mahindra Bank at Rs 320 crore. 

Keeping an eye out for fake social media accounts and other suspicious online activities is a priority for the Ministry of Social Affairs. A warning has been issued against posting false advertisements promising financial aid and soliciting personal information and sensitive data from users online, such as telephone numbers, for the purpose of electronic fraud or hacking.

 Netizens are assured that the government has taken legal measures against impostors and will enforce the same against new suspects, denying posting these advertisements or requesting personal information from its official web pages. To combat cybercrime, the ministry urged netizens to report similar bogus accounts impersonating official ministry websites.

The expatriates residing in the Gulf states are slowly returning to their countries voluntarily due to the very high cost of living, which made the GCC countries less attractive to work in, especially since most GCC governments distribute in cash and in-kind subsidies for their citizens only, reports Al-Qabas daily. A report by the US Agency for the Middle East News ‘themedialine’ stated that about 21 million expatriates work in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, while there are no official statistics for expatriates in the UAE, where citizens constitute about 20% of the total population and 11% of the workforce.

The report stressed that the remittances of expatriates in 2021 were more than $127 billion, compared to $116 billion in 2020, pointing out that last year witnessed the first increase in remittances from the region after its decline between 2017 and 2020, noting that four countries witnessed an increase in remittances from the expatriates last year – namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, while it declined in Bahrain and Oman.

The report touched on the increase in expenses, fees, and taxes imposed on expatriates in countries in the region, especially in Saudi Arabia, as the expatriate must pay 4,500 riyals per month for each member of his family, in addition to the high electricity and water bills. Bahrain also lifted subsidies on meat and gave its citizens a cash allowance, in addition to raising the price of gasoline by 200%, in addition to significantly raising energy prices for expatriates and imposing mandatory health insurance in the Kingdom.

The report said, “Oman recently adopted the principle of job localization for more than 200 jobs in the private sector, and the UAE imposed fees on expatriates amid a significant rise in the cost of living in the country, as the state allocates subsidies to citizens only. In turn, Kuwait allocates financial subsidies to citizens only to purchase basic commodities in cooperative societies, as expatriates are not allowed to purchase them at low prices like a citizen. In Qatar, expatriates earn much lower wages than nationals in most jobs.

The report indicated that low-wage expatriates were not greatly affected by the imposition of fees and taxes by the Gulf states, but the most affected group is the middle-income group, such as school teachers, engineers, and administrative staff, who receive salaries ranging from 1,500 to 4,000 dollars per month, adding many of these have to send their families to their countries and share housing and transportation with others, while other employees leave their jobs in search of work in other countries.

The fish market in Sharq was abuzz with activity as the Kuwaiti shrimps were offered for sale on the first day since seasonal shrimp fishing has been permitted in economic and regional waters after a 5-month ban, reports Al-Jarida daily. The average price of the basket of shrimps was about 65 dinars. A number of fishermen told the daily the shrimp yield on the first day did not exceed 94 baskets, saying that it was a very small catch unlike what was sold in the past. 

The fishermen pointed out that the quantity that was offered during auction was because fishing vessels have yet to return to full activity because there are no incentives and small number of laborers available. They stressed that the coming days will witness an increase in fishing, but it will not often reach the catch in the past years.

The Civil Service Commission has transferred end-of-service benefits for expatriate teachers to the concerned departments in the Ministry of Education, for which 78 million dinars have been allocated for fiscal 2021-2022, reports Al-Rai daily. An educational source told the daily, “the approved budget is an estimate according to the number of expected resignations, and the lists of those covered by compulsory retirement and annual replacement, and that it is subject to increase if necessary.”

The source explained that the CSC has not yet determined the number of suspended jobs in the Ministry of Education for the new fiscal year, but it is unlikely that they will include educational jobs, as the ratio of Kuwaiti teachers to expatriates currently ranges from 72.5% compared to 27.5%, (63,955 male and female teachers are citizens and 24,393 non-citizens, with a total of 88,348).

Meanwhile, the concerned authorities in the Ministry of Education are working on completing the procedures for appointing educational cadres based on the specializations required to meet the needs of schools in preparation for the next school year 2022/2023, reports Aljarida daily. According to educational sources, the Ministry of Education has finally announced the specializations it requires for local and foreign contracts. The number of locally and internationally hired teachers working in public schools is 84,125 teachers in various disciplines.

Expatriates convicted of major environmental offenses in Kuwait will be deported, according to a local newspaper.

Al Jarida reports Kuwait's Environment Public Authority head Abdullah Al Ahmad has ordered "immediate deportation" of expatriates who commit serious environmental violations, such as unlawful fishing in Kuwait Bay or stealing sand.

According to the paper, well-informed security sources said Al Ahmad has instructed environment inspectors to hand over the offenders to nearby police stations as a step towards deportation.

The paper cited a security source as saying that three expats were arrested for stealing sand from a desert area in Al Jahra governorate.

Egyptian, Sudanese, and Syrian men are suspected.

According to the source, the three were caught stealing the sand and possessing equipment for the theft.

According to the source, they were handed over to the environment police before being deported.

According to the government, non-oil budget revenues increased by 41% last year to reach about 2.4 billion dinars, up from 1.7 billion in the fiscal year 2020-2021. This represents the highest level of revenue for 7 years as a result of diversification efforts.

The decline in oil prices and the rise in the budget deficit in recent years prompted the government to take numerous measures to increase budget revenues by increasing non-oil revenues and directing government departments on several occasions to diversify their annual revenues, which has finally achieved its objective.

This increase in non-oil revenues is attributed to a number of factors, including:

Transforming many government agencies to provide their services electronically has led to a significant increase in their revenues by following procedures for electronic collection of fees owed.

At the end of the last fiscal year 2020-2021, the total debt owed to the government amounted to about 1.7 billion dinars, an increase of 5.5% over the 1.6 billion dinars they recorded during the fiscal year 2019-2020.

A number of measures have been taken by the Ministry of Finance to collect outstanding debts, including addressing the stakeholders to pay the amounts due, stopping any transaction for those in arrears until the required dues are paid, and advising the relevant authorities (the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fisheries Revolution and the Ministry of Electricity and Water) not to complete the procedures for arrears contracts. Taking legal action against those in arrears and transferring them to the judiciary will exempt them from payment except after verifying the payment of contractual dues.

The Ministry of Health, along with other agencies such as the Ministry of Interior, announced an increase in fees for new services.

A Cabinet meeting some time ago requested all ministries and government agencies to commit themselves to enhancing their revenues to support the government's non-oil revenue increase. In addition, the Cabinet implores them to develop a vision for diversifying their revenue streams, allowing them to start implementing services that don't require legislative amendments, such as violations, fines, and transactions associated with electricity and water.

Improve the efficiency of debt collection - At the beginning of last year, the Ministry of Finance implemented a government program to improve the efficiency of collecting state funds and due debts, which included:

1. Collecting government debts through modern electronic means of dealing with accumulated debts.

2. A list of bad debts without adequate data to facilitate collection and follow-up.

3. Provide a unified portal for collecting revenue from government agencies.

4. Provide aggregate and detailed information on the debts of the project participants.

At the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year, private foreign schools announced they will limit their working hours starting August 21, providing students return gradually starting Sunday, Aug 28 and Tuesday, Aug 30.

In the following week, Sept 4, 2022, payments are due. A local Arabic newspaper quoted a responsible educational source as saying that tuition fees for the upcoming academic year are fixed and won't increase, despite the wave of high prices after the pandemic ended.

Noura Al-Ghanim, President of the Private Schools Union, said there is a shortage of manpower in some Arab and foreign schools. She called upon government institutions to take measures to exclude workers in the educational and health sectors and facilitate the process of bringing in foreign workers.

Kuwaiti labor is very expensive, and unqualified to work in schools, he explained, so that "educational institutions cannot rely on teachers alone, but also need security guards, cleaners, bus drivers, as well as maintenance workers," citing the fact that many foreign teachers are unwilling to return to Kuwait without their families. Except in exceptional cases, government decisions do not allow entry to teachers' families.

In light of the Corona crisis, Al-Ghanim praised the great response of the Ministry of Interior and the Public Authority for Manpower and hoped that this flexibility would remain in the hiring of foreign teachers for private schools, noting that the foreign teacher and his wife are not permitted to leave their 15 and 16-year-old sons behind.

Concerning tuition fees, the responsible source emphasized the need for foreign schools to comply with Ministerial Resolution No. 52/2021, warning of the application of penalties in the event of violation, pointing out that tuition fees are specified in the tables attached to the aforementioned decision and approved by the Ministry of Education in 2021.

In accordance with the decision, each student at the school will be given a special account list detailing the tuition fees owed by the guardian, the payment system, the value and the due dates, provided that private schools qualify for registration fees that are deducted from the tuition fees owed by the student, which is 50 dinars per student in Arabic schools and foreign schools with Pakistani, Indian and Filipino curriculum, and 100 dinars per student in typical Arab schools.

The head of the Kuwaiti Federation of Fishermen, Zaher Al-Suwayan, announced that the shrimp fishing season begins August 1, in Kuwaiti waters, and begins September 1, in regional waters, stressing that the local shrimp, popular for consumers, will return after a seven-month hiatus, expressing the fishermen’s aspirations that the shrimp fishing season will be abundant despite the indicators prove the opposite, as happened in the previous season due to the non-compliance of some neighboring countries with the ban periods, as evidenced by the entry of imported shrimp throughout the periods of the ban on fishing, reports Al- Rai daily.

Al-Suwayan called on the concerned authorities from the fishing sector to work on activating international agreements and asking neighboring countries to tighten control at the time of the ban and to prevent the import of fresh and chilled shrimp and limit its entry to farmed and frozen shrimp, noting that what is actually happening is real abuses and non-compliance with agreements regarding the protection of fish wealth, especially in the common stock. Among the countries of the region, this has a negative impact on the fish wealth in the State of Kuwait.

He pointed out the importance of coordination with neighboring countries regarding fishing ban periods, pointing out that the lack of commitment by some neighboring countries extends its impact to the Kuwait Sea, where the shrimp catch in Kuwait has become less compared to previous seasons, which threatens its extinction with time, noting that Kuwaiti fishermen are the most committed to the laws at the level of countries in the region. Al-Suwayan stressed the importance of fairness and development of the fishing sector, reconsidering the support provided to it and giving it the increase it deserves, especially that the fish subsidy is the least compared to other food security sectors

A recent report by the MEED (Project Monitor in the region), expects scores of contracts worth billions of dollars to be re-floated in Kuwait, as a result of long delays and high inflation that forced companies to refuse to implement them, the situation that was brought about by the political stalemate and the Covid-19 epidemic, the contracts whose budgets were approved took up about three years to set the wheel moving from the bidding stage to the award stage, reports Al- Qabas daily. The MEED report said, with the awarding of these projects, many of the contracting companies that originally submitted bids refused to sign the contracts, considering that prices are no longer valid due to inflation, which will cause a wave of projects cancellations and resubmissions. A source in the contracting sector told MEED: “We had one infrastructure project that took three years to award.

Recently, when the state-owned company that submitted the contract contacted us, we had to tell them that we would not implement the project at the price we offered when submitting the bid.” The MEED report stated that importing steel from China has become difficult for companies operating in Kuwait, due to the disruptions associated with the Covid-19 epidemic. In April this year, Tangshan, the center of China’s steel industry which is responsible for 13% of China’s steel production, introduced lockdowns in some areas. The Russo-Ukrainian war has also caused problems for Kuwaiti contractors looking to buy steel.

The Azov-Stal Iron and Steel Plants, located in Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, were one of the largest iron plants of their kind in Europe and were destroyed earlier this year during the conflict. The war in Ukraine has also affected shipping costs globally, as the price of freight has more than quadrupled since June 2020 until now. “Due to inflation, it is impossible to use the same prices that were approved in 2019, and this affects many local and international contractors working in Kuwait,” said an executive at a Kuwait-based contracting company.

People familiar with project contracts tell MEED that the re-bidding process for canceled contracts is likely to be very lengthy, due to the country’s ongoing political problems, but there are no guarantees, and the processes to put that government in place are complicated. It is very easy to imagine a scenario in which we enter 2023 and there is no permanent government in place.” The MEED report noted that the current absence of government means that no significant decisions will have been made regarding large or small infrastructure projects, according to industry sources.

Another source in the contracting sector said: “At the moment, everything is on hold because no one knows who the next ministers will be. State-owned companies responsible for infrastructure projects cannot make any decisions and the only contracts that are likely to progress naturally are those for maintenance and those that are considered emergencies.” It seems that the contractors’ demand to re-submit the contracts, whose budgets were approved after three years, is due to the following reasons:

1. Prices are no longer valid due to the inflation that hit the world and Kuwait, as it is impossible to use the same prices that were approved in 2019.
2. The dependence of the Kuwaiti economy on the outside is relatively large, especially with regard to basic materials.
3. The high cost of freight, port costs and customs clearance procedures.
4. A big shortage of storage space.
5. The high wages of workers and the cost of recruitment.
6. Confusion and deficit in international supply networks, especially with the intensification and escalation of global demand.
7. Importing steel from China has become difficult for companies operating in Kuwait, as a result of the Corona closures.
8. The destruction of the Azov Stahl Iron and Steel Plants, located in eastern Ukraine, one of the largest iron plants of its kind in Europe.

The MEED report considered that problems related to the stability of the government in the country mean that new projects that have not yet been introduced may experience long delays, along with those being re-introduced due to issues related to inflation, as well as challenges facing re-introduced projects, which are likely to seek to increase.

Celebrations of Independence Day of India will be organized by the Embassy of India in Kuwait on 15 August 2022 in a big way by participation of all Indian nationals and Indian establishments in Kuwait virtually.

Ambassador will hoist the National Tricolor at 0800 hrs at the Embassy premises and read out the message of Hon’ble Rashtrapatiji. Please join us online for the Independence Day celebrations on 15 August 2022 from 0800 hrs onwards. The event will be live streamed on Embassy’s social media handles.

Indian Diaspora and friends of India in Kuwait are invited to join the celebrations of Independence Day by singing National Anthem of India virtually at 0800 hrs.

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM)’ is an ongoing celebration to commemorate 75 glorious years of progressive independent India. As a part of AKAM, ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign is being held on the occasion of Independence Day of India. All Indian nationals are invited, to post photos of hoisting the Indian flag at their households, tagging us on the Embassy’s social media handles. Flags are available at the Embassy for collection for this purpose. Those interested may send their details to pic.kuwait@mea.gov.in. 

Embassy invites all Indian cultural troupes in Kuwait to sing patriotic songs on this occasion. Those interested may send their details to pic.kuwait@mea.gov.in.

According to Eng Ahmed Al-Manfouhi, the Director-General of Kuwait Municipality, there is no need for another international airport based on the fourth structural plan of Kuwait.

Eng Al-Manfouhi said in a letter that the information regarding the construction of a new airport in the north of Kuwait would be approved by the Municipal Council, and that the analysis of the past policies of the airport indicated that the need for a second airport has been identified.

The state's master plan should continue to provide capabilities for such an airport, however. In 1988, the second review of Kuwait's structural plan was conducted, and in 1997, the third structural plan was adopted.

The airport was proposed for the north of Kuwait Bay, west of Subbiya, and east of Sabriya field in 2005. In order to facilitate import and export operations, provide ports with facilities, and be able to serve the northern half of the State of Kuwait with the least possible noise pollution, Al-Manfouhi explained that this site was originally proposed for the airport to be well connected to the new port on Boubyan Island.

Since the structural plan was updated in 2005, it was clear that the proposal needed to be studied in greater depth, especially in light of Kuwait's relatively small size and the site selected.

It was further noted by Al-Manfouhi that work is under way to adopt the fourth structural plan for Kuwait, which indicates that there is no need to construct an additional airport, as the expansion of the current airport will be sufficient to serve 50 million passengers annually, and this expansion will increase air cargo traffic, and it will be connected directly to the railway line with the metro plan areas such as Salmiya, Kuwait City, the airport building and the Sixth and Seventh Ring Roads.

According to him, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation is coordinating with the Municipal Council on the matter, and the necessary measures can be taken based on the decision of the Council. The decision, however, did not specify the areas or locations.

A decision by the Municipal Council on January 10, 2022, regarding the construction of a new airport in the north of the country, did not specify any details about the exact location, the area or the entity that would supervise the project.

Kuwaiti government ministries are implementing a scheme that allows their employees to exchange accrued holidays for money, according to a Kuwaiti newspaper.

According to a Kuwaiti government decree issued in April, employees who do not use their holidays can be paid for them.

Al Anba newspaper cited well-informed sources as saying that the ministries have already reduced the holiday durations proposed for the swap before offering cash in exchange.

According to the sources, holiday sales are handled based on employee requests without limiting the number of swapped days.

They added that 30 days should be the minimum remaining holiday balance.

They added without providing further details that cash disbursements would be determined by each ministry in coordination with the Finance Ministry.

Earlier this month, Al Anba reported that the scheme would apply to all government employees, including expatriates.

Certain conditions must be met by eligible employees. According to the report, civil servants must have worked at least five years and have at least 30 days of holiday remaining until the end of the Gregorian year.

An employee must also have excellent performance evaluations in his or her last two evaluations.

A Kuwaiti government pledged in February to amend a civil service law so that employees can be paid for unused holidays in response to a parliamentary proposal.

There is no information available on how many employees would be affected by the scheme in the country of 4.6 million.

The imports of coal into Kuwait have risen again after a significant decline since the beginning of the Corona pandemic.

A local Arabic daily reports that Kuwait imported 7.5 million dinars worth of coal, coke, and coal briquettes between January and June 2021, with a value of 4.59 million dinars, according to official data.

Kuwait's imports of these products increased by about 2.9 million dinars in 2021 compared to 2020, when they were about 4.61 million dinars.

To transport students from schools in Hawally, Al-Asimah and Farwaniya educational areas, religious education institutes, special education schools, the Ministry of Finance has agreed to complete the procedures for launching a tender to hire buses with drivers for more than 16 million dinars over a three-year period.

An Arabic daily reports that the Ministry of Finance wrote this to Dr. Ali Al-Yaqoub, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education.

In coordination with the specialists from the Ministry of Finance, General Storage Affairs, and in the presence of specialists from the Ministry of Education, this was discussed at the meeting on July 20, 2022 in the Ministry of Finance.