The Google Chrome browser and other browsers based on the Chromium project have been found to have serious security vulnerabilities, affecting about 2.5 billion users worldwide.

Researchers at Imperva said that the vulnerability is serious because it allows hackers to steal sensitive files such as cryptocurrency wallet contents and login credentials, reports Al-Rai daily.

The researchers discovered a flaw in the way Chrome and Chromium-based browsers (the open source web browser project) handle symbolic links.

Researchers explain that "Symlinks" are files that point to other files or directories in operating systems, and allow these files or directories to be treated as if they were in the same location as the original files.

"These (symbolic links) can be useful for creating shortcuts, redirecting file paths, or organizing files in a more flexible manner," according to the researchers. But if these files are not handled properly, they can become a vulnerability for hackers.

Researchers described a possible attack scenario in which a hacker creates a fake cryptocurrency wallet and website asking users to download its recovery keys.

If the user downloads these files, they may contain symbolic links to sensitive files on the user's computer, and the browser's failure to handle these files may result in the theft of cryptocurrency wallets and credentials.

The worst part, according to the researchers, is that the victim will be completely unaware that their sensitive data has been compromised, especially since many cryptocurrency wallets and other online services require users to download recovery keys to access their accounts.

The attacker would exploit this common practice by sending the user a zip file containing a symbolic link, instead of the actual recovery keys, according to the researchers.

The security vulnerability is currently being tracked and addressed by Google with version 108 of the Chrome browser.

Prior to downloading any recovery keys, users should install the latest version of the browser and browsers based on the Chromium project.

Since the LNG terminal in the Al-Zour region began operating in early July 2021, Kuwait has become the largest and most important market for importing natural gas in the Middle East and North Africa region. According to a report issued by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), the terminal has an estimated design capacity of 22 million tons per year.

According to the report, Kuwait imported about 2 million tons of natural gas during the second quarter of 2022 and about 1.9 million tons in the third quarter, making the total amount imported by Kuwait through Al-Zour port during the first nine months of 2022 about 4.8 million tons, which is a new record for Kuwait — total imports of liquefied natural gas by the end of 2022.

The report pointed out that the majority of Kuwait’s imports of natural gas came from three main destinations:

- Qatar accounts for 45%

- Nigeria 24%.

- The United States of America 11%

Kuwaiti roads have recently been equipped with smart traffic cameras to improve safety for motorists, according to a ministry official.

According to Lieutenant General Tawheed Al-Kandari, Director General of Relations and Security Information, these high-sensitivity cameras can detect drivers using mobile phones while driving, a major cause of accidents, as well as speeding and violating light signs. Unhallowed turns are also caught on the new cameras.

Lieut. Gen. Al-Kandari affirmed that application of the state-of-art cameras would help in decreasing accidents that inflict losses in materials and souls.

Dr. Badr Al-Rajhi, a law professor at Kuwait University, said they would be quite useful in deterring violators and reducing accident fatalities.

In spite of this, he believes that adherence to the law is the "guarantee for our traffic security and safety on the roads." He also agrees that using a mobile phone while driving is a primary cause of accidents, advising both drivers and riders to buckle up.

According to his peer at the Faculty of Law, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Enezi, motorists must adhere to ethics and a sense of responsibility toward people's safety rather than simply paying tickets.

Nonetheless, this type of camera will be useful for enhancing traffic safety and instilling a sense of fear among drivers.

Recently, the MoI announced the installation of 6-generation cameras on roads and at some public locations to monitor illegal use of mobile devices while driving, failure to wear a seat belt, illegal turns or driving backwards.

According to MOI statistics, there were 3.4 million traffic violations between January 1 and November 30 of 2022. One hundred and seventy lives were lost in accidents, with lack of focus among drivers being the primary factor.

According to Al-Qabas daily, Kuwait University Council has agreed to stop Kuwaitization for four years. In a letter sent to the deputy directors and assistant secretaries of Kuwait University, written by Dr. Suad Al-Fadhli and Dr. Fayez Al-Dhafiri, of which the daily has obtained a copy, the University Council has decided to retain the administrative and technical staff at Kuwait University whose expertise is currently needed.

In a statement released on December 29, the Pacific regional president of the Canadian Association of Correctional Officers reported that Canadian authorities caught a pigeon carrying methamphetamine in its backpack attached to it in the yard of Pacific Correctional Institution in British Columbia.

As a correctional officer, I hear for the first time in 13 years about the use of birds, reports a local Arabic daily quoting foreign sources, that prison officers have been searching for drones carrying drugs and contraband.

He added, “The use of the pigeon raised difficulties in the investigation compared to drones, because the accuracy of drones allowed the identification of the intended recipient of the smuggled goods,” in response to the fact that “criminals' creativity in drug smuggling should be a source of concern for all of us.”

Pacific Institute assistant warden Davinder Ogla confirmed a "recent interception of contraband" at the facility was under investigation.

The Ministry of Social Affairs signed a contract to establish the ‘National Day Kashta’ entertainment project. A group of Kuwaiti young volunteers presented the idea of the project to Social Affairs Minister Mai Al-Baghli.

The idea includes establishing a national entertainment project inspired by the Kuwaiti heritage with a desert theme. Minister Baghli adopted the idea and coordinated with Chairman of the Kuwait Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies Ali Al-Fahad to implement it. The project will be held for a five-week period starting in February. Special areas will be allocated for producing families and farmers to support local products.

The Ministry of Education intends to terminate the services of 1,875 expatriate teachers at the end of the current academic year 2022/2023, under the directives of the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Hamad Al-Adwani, within the plan of Kuwaitization of educational jobs, reports Aljarida daily. The Kuwaitization plan prepared by the Public Education Sector revealed that the concerned authorities finished preparing the Kuwaitization statistics in specializations in which there are suitable numbers of Kuwaiti teachers. The plan and replacement rates were prepared according to the numbers in each educational zone and in each educational stage separately.

The plan relies on applying the principle of proportionality in implementing the replacement of expatriate teachers, and appointing citizens in specializations in which the national element is available. According to the statistics, the services of all expatriate teachers will be terminated in specializations in which 25 percent or less of expatriates are available and they can be replaced by the national element to provide the appropriate numbers, in addition to the expected graduates from teaching colleges. The specializations in which more than 25 percent of the expatriate teachers are available, the replacement plan will be implemented in stages, reaching 100 percent after several years, bearing in mind that the continuation of the replacement plan at this pace will be bindingly linked to the rate of hiring Kuwaitis.

With regard to the Kuwaitization of educational supervisory positions (department heads), the majors that could be qualified were determined based on the numbers of Kuwaiti candidates on the waiting lists, and an estimate of the numbers to which the conditions for candidacy were applied in the current academic year. The majors that were excluded have no candidates on waiting lists. It is not expected that there will be sufficient numbers of those who meet the candidacy requirements. The number of specializations that Kuwait will cover for female teachers is 14, including “Islamic studies” with 107 female teachers, 568 female teachers for Arabic, 284 for English, 3 for social studies, 20 for history, 80 for geography, one for psychology and sociology, one for science, 29 for biology, 18 for geology, 45 for art education, 39 for decoration, 27 for electricity and mechanics, and 92 for computer science.

Kuwaitization in male majors will include 6 majors, which are Islamic education with 262 teachers over two years, history with 43 male teachers, psychology and sociology with four teachers, electricity and mechanics with 35 teachers, and computer science with 21 teachers. Teachers for social studies will not be replaced this year to ensure the preparation of graduates in teacher preparation colleges. The plan also indicated that there are majors covered by Kuwaitization this year, and others next year. A small number of specializations have been postponed to later years until the local labor market data improves due to the small number of graduates, especially in the field of electricity and mechanics. The total number of teachers in the government education sector who will be replaced is 1,77

The Ministry of Interior began checking files of expats who are on Article 24 (Self Sponsorship) as there has been suspicions of unworthy cases, those who deserve to stay under this article sorting has begun.

There are between 9,000 to 10,000 expats who have been granted residence under Article 24. Generally self sponsorship residence is given to businessmen, partners in commercial business license and to the wife ( of husband who is serving a criminal sentence)  who is on dependent visa/family visa, and other specific cases.

Residence affairs discovered that many Article 24 visas were unlawfully acquired, they did not meet the required conditions, reports Al Rai. The Residence Affairs department developed a comprehensive plan to prohibit renewal of any Article 24 residence or granting new self sponsorship residence. The residence will be renewed or a new self sponsorship visa will be issued only through Assistant Undersecretary of Residency and Nationality Affairs Sector, Fawaz Al Mashaan. Approval will be given only to those who fulfill the conditions of the article. Those who have violated the law will be referred to the audit committee and the renewal of residence of Article 14 will be done between 10 to 3 weeks.

 Meteorologist Fahd Al-Otaibi has predicted a fall in temperature at dawn Thursday to between 2 to 4 degrees Celsius in desert and agricultural areas, reports Al-Rai daily. He also said “It is on Friday, Saturday and Sunday there are chances of light, sporadic rain at intervals in some areas, before the rainy situation intensifies to reach its peak next Monday,” saying it will be similar to what the country experienced a couple of days ago.

Kuwait witnessed hailstorm at Umm Al-Haiman, south of Kuwait City during rain a few days back

Al-Otaibi explained that “the amount of rain expected to fall next Monday until Tuesday morning will be medium to heavy,” pointing to Abdali which recorded 51 mm, while the Meteorology Department recorded 47 mm.

According to official data about the labor market as of the end of September 2022, the Kuwait labor market received about 212,250 citizens and residents during the first nine months of 2022. This includes 85,900 expatriates in the public and private sectors, and 8,675 male and female citizens. This brings the total workforce in the two sectors to 1.97 million male and female workers by the end of September 2022, as compared to 1.88 million by the end of December 2021, reports Al-Anba daily. With the entry of about 117,700 new male and female domestic workers, the total number of workers in the family sector increased to 711,340 workers as of the end of September. This increases the total number of expatriates to 203,600. In this regard, the labor market data as of the end of September 2022 showed that India has returned to top the list of the highest number of workers in Kuwait, after Egypt fell to second place during the last period.

Community
The Indian community topped the list of labor distribution according to nationality in Kuwait, after it constituted about 24.1 percent of the labor force in the Kuwaiti market with 476,300 male and female workers as of the end of September, with an increase of 39,219 workers who entered the local labor market in just nine months. Their numbers at the end of December 2021 was 437,100 without counting the domestic workers. The Egyptian community retreated to the second place in the labor market, as their number reached about 467,070 male and female workers, constituting 23.6 percent of the workforce in Kuwait.

Their numbers increased by about 16,000 male and female workers, who entered the labor market in nine months. Their numbers were about 451,050 workers as of the end of December 2021. The Kuwaiti workforce remained in third place with 438,800 male and female workers, constituting 22.2 percent of the total workforce in the country, after their number increased by about 8,675 male and female citizens, compared to 430,120 citizens at the end of December 2021.

The Bangladeshi community ranked fourth after witnessing a slight increase to 158,900 male and female workers at the end of September 2022, compared to 158,700 at the end of December 2021. In fifth place is the Filipino workforce, whose numbers increased to 65,260 from 64,300 at the end of December 2021. In sixth place is the Syrian labor force, whose numbers increased to 63,680 compared to 63,360 at the end of December 2021. The increase in the number of Nepalese workers was noticeable. Their numbers increased by about 18,500 male and female workers, bringing their number to about 56,500 male and female workers by the end of September 2022, as compared to 37,900 at the end of December 2021. The number of Jordanians increased to 26,850 male and female workers, as compared to 25,500 at the end of December 2021.

Iran disappeared from the list of the top 10 nationalities present in the labor market in Kuwait, after Lebanon took its place in the tenth place with their numbers reaching 20,270, including 13,900 men and 6,300 women. Iran was ranked tenth at the end of 2021 after it recorded about 19,940 male and female workers.

In a related context, the number of domestic workers in Kuwait increased during the first nine months of 2022 by nearly 20 percent, or by 117,690. Their numbers reached about 711,340 at the end of September 2022, as compared to 593,640 at the end of December 2021.

In the list of domestic workers based on nationality, Indians top the list with the largest number of domestic workers, reaching 323,800 at the end of September after their numbers increased by 44,200 male and female domestic workers, as compared to 279,500 by the end of 2021.

The number of domestic workers of Filipino nationality increased by 49,500, reaching 184,960 by the end of September 2022, compared to 135,430 at the end of December 2021.

Sri Lankan domestic workers increased by 15,900 male and female workers, bringing their number to 80,590 at the end of September, as compared to 64,600 at the end of December 2021. The Nepalese domestic workers increased by 6,099 male and female workers, bringing their number to about 17,550 at the end of September 2022, as compared to 11,451 at the end of December 2021.

Salary
The average salary of Kuwaiti citizens increased during the first nine months of 2022 to KD 1,519, as compared to KD 1,491 at the end of 2021. The average salary of citizens in the government sector was KD 1,563 at the end of September 2022 as compared to KD 1,539 at the end of December 2021. The average salary of Kuwaitis in the private sector increased to KD 1,294 compared to KD 1,255 at the end of 2021.
The average salary of expatriates increased during the first nine months of 2022 to KD 340 from KD 338 at the end of 2021. The average salary of an expatriate in the government sector was about KD 744 at the end of September 2022, as compared to KD 738 at the end of December 2021. The average salary of expatriates in the private sector increased to KD 319 from KD 317 at the end of December 2021.

 According to experts in the field of domestic workers, the market is on the verge of a domestic labor crisis if Manila issues a decision to stop exporting its workers, especially considering the approaching month of Ramadan when there is a great demand for the services of these workers, reports Aljarida daily. It seems that the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), represented by the Department for Regulating the Recruitment of Domestic Workers, refuses to learn from the mistakes of the recent past, and even insists on repeating the same scenarios known for their “unhappy endings” that strike and harm Kuwait’s reputation regionally and internationally, and reflect a calamity on citizens and residents.

Despite the warnings that the daily repeatedly published on its pages about the return of the phenomenon of domestic workers overcrowding inside their embassies, especially the Filipino ones, and the consequences of suspending the export of labor especially from Manila, which supplies the Kuwait market with about 70 percent of its domestic labor needs, these warnings did not reach the government’s ear to listen and respond quickly. Rather, matters were left to their own devices until they reached a point where it is difficult to remedy the possible consequences, which specialists unanimously agree that they will inevitably be negative in the event that the government does not intervene effectively and quickly to solve this crisis before it escalates, as it is snowballing day after day.

The experts also revealed that a large number of Filipino workers who are currently sheltered inside their embassy in Kuwait suffer from malnutrition and lack of access to the necessary medicines in case of illness, adding that there is also an unprecedented accumulation that threatens the spread of diseases among them. They cited the main reason behind the exacerbation of this phenomenon again as the large number of labor disputes, which, according to recent statistics by PAM, amounted to more than 1,000 complaints per month. These varied between absconding cases and withholding the worker’s passport, in addition to complaints about not receiving monthly or end-of-service dues.

Workers
The experts said they believe the reemergence of the phenomenon of workers resorting to the embassies of their countries reveals the government’s inability to find radical solutions to the crisis. They warned of an increase in labor disputes and the consequent reluctance of new workers to come to the Kuwait market because they do not feel safe inside it.

They highlighted the regression of the relevant authorities concerned with providing the workers with legal protection or the lack of proper settlement of disputes that arise with their employers. The experts indicated that the vast majority of these workers have been reported as absconding by their employers, or labor disputes arose between them and their sponsors that amicable methods failed to resolve, adding that the decision by PAM delayed for long periods, without them receiving their full entitlements.

They explained that the continuation of the current policy of dealing with domestic workers, who refuse to work for their employers, by placing them in the shelters of PAM, and the center’s refusal to receive workers against whom absconding reports have been filed are among the most important reasons for the exacerbation of the phenomenon of overcrowding. Indeed, Kuwait’s ranking in combating human trafficking has regressed, especially since a worker who wants to change her employer is punished by being placed in the center until the employer takes pity on her condition and she obtains a plane ticket to return to her country. The experts called on the relevant government agencies, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and PAM to quickly solve this problem.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Health announced Wednesday that genetic tests have detected an XBB.1.5 variant, which belongs to a subset of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

In a statement, the ministry said that the indicators of the epidemiological situation in the country witness stability, renewing the call for adherence to prevention guidelines, especially in light of preliminary information regarding the ease of transmission of this variant, which was discovered according to genetic analyzes in more than 30 countries around the world.

The ministry also pointed out that the emergence of such variants is expected and does not cause concern, adding that there is a close follow-up of the epidemiological situation by the advisory team on coronavirus developments.(KUNA)

Indians are celebrating after Telugu movie RRR created history by winning a Golden Globe - a first for the country.

The film's catchy musical number, Naatu Naatu, was awarded best original song, beating heavyweights like Taylor Swift and Rihanna.

The hit song was filmed in front of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky's official residence in 2021.

Accepting the award, composer MM Keeravani said he was thrilled by the song's success.

Back home, several Indians including Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed their joy at the news.

Mr Modi congratulated the team, saying the "prestigious honour has made every Indian very proud"".

Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman called the win a "paradigm shift".

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan wrote on Twitter that he "woke up and started dancing to Naatu Naatu" to celebrate the news. 

Global economic growth will come "perilously close" to a recession this year, led by weaker growth in the United States, Europe and China, the World Bank warned on Tuesday. In an annual report, the World Bank, which lends money to poorer countries for development projects, said it had slashed its forecast for global growth this year by nearly half, to just 1.7%, from its previous projection of 3%. Assuming that forecast is accurate, it would be the slowest annual expansion in three decades, behind only the deep recessions caused by the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

The United States may not go into recession this year – the World Bank predicts 0.5% growth – but global weakness, combined with higher prices and higher borrowing rates, will likely add another headwind to America's businesses and consumers. The United States also remains vulnerable to further supply chain disruptions if COVID-19 keeps surging or Russia’s war in Ukraine worsens. As a result of a weaker Chinese economy, Europe, long a major exporter of China, is likely to suffer.

According to the World Bank report, rising interest rates in developed economies like the United States and Europe will entice investment capital from poorer countries, thereby limiting their domestic investment. At the same time, the report said, those high interest rates will slow growth in developed countries at a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has kept world food prices high. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has added major new costs,” World Bank President David Malpass said on a call with reporters. “The outlook is particularly devastating for many of the poorest economies where poverty reduction is already ground to a halt and access to electricity, fertilizer, food and capital is likely to remain limited for a prolonged period.”

Poorer countries in areas such as Saharan Africa, which is home to 60% of the world's poor, would be particularly hard hit by a global downturn. The World Bank predicts per capita income will grow just 1.2% in 2023 and 2024, which is such a tepid pace that poverty rates could rise. “Weakness in growth and business investment will compound the already devastating reversals in education, health, poverty and infrastructure and the increasing demands of climate change,” Malpass said. It will take significantly more resources for development and global public goods to address the scale of these challenges.

Over the years, several people have lost their lives during bariatric surgery whether locally or abroad, which has led many scared patients to hesitate in undergoing these types of surgeries. It is also better to follow a healthy lifestyle to lose weight, but some obese patients have special conditions that do not allow them to lose weight through dieting and exercise.

Kuwait Times spoke to Dr Waleed M Malallah, consultant general surgery, laparoscopic and bariatric surgery, and discussed with him the risks of bariatric surgery and if it can be dangerous. Dr Malallah explained what increases the risk while undergoing these types of surgeries are the types of diseases the patient suffers from. 

“There are patients with high body mass index, which means they are super obese, or there are people who have comorbidities, which are diseases related to obesity, like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc. These things increase the risk associated with bariatric surgeries, not to mention age and history of previous bariatric surgeries,” he said.

Therefore, Dr Malallah pointed out each patient has to be evaluated in a proper fashion, in addition to addressing and optimizing each risk factor the patient has before the surgery in order to prevent any incidents. “You can’t walk into a clinic and have your surgery the next day without a proper evaluation,” he warned.

On the other hand, Dr Malallah discussed the health effects after undergoing bariatric surgery. “Looking at the bigger picture, any surgery that relates to bariatric surgery has a risk benefit ratio – there is no surgery that has zero side effects, but the benefits of the surgery always outweigh the risks. Because if we look at people with a body mass index above 30 and those with comorbidities, we know the risk of being obese and having a high BMI are more dangerous to the patient’s health than the risk of the operation,” he argued.

“I will recommend the surgery to people who meet the criteria, because I will always tell the patients that the harm the obesity will do to your health is far more than the any side effects they will suffer from any surgery. There are criteria for patient selection – they have to meet a certain BMI, as it was recently adjusted, so if you have a body mass index of 30 with comorbidities, or a BMI of35 without any comorbidities, the doctor can offer surgery. However, doctors reject people who do not meet these criteria,” he said.

Side effects

About the side effects of bariatric surgeries, Dr Malallah said: “The surgery is safe overall, while in the long term, we worry about some nutritional deficiencies, like deficiency of vitamin B and sometimes iron and minerals, but we address this by giving supplements and replacements. Sometimes you can have side effects in the short term after the surgery, such as a small risk of wounding, but we address this by giving antibiotics and making sure patients are educated about this.”

 TikTok topped the social networking applications that consume the most internet capacity in Kuwait, in the video and live broadcast applications category, during the fourth quarter of 2022, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to a recent statistic issued by the Communications and Information Technology Commission, “Tik Tok” still maintains its presence among social media applications, as the most video platform consuming Internet capacities in 2022, followed by the “YouTube” application and then “Netflix”.

The capacity expresses the maximum amount of data that a person can download from the Internet, during a full month, and is usually measured in GB. Capacity differs from speed, which represents the speed of data fl owing to a device per second, usually measured in Mbps. With regard to social media, the Facebook application came to the fore, to be the most used in Kuwait, then “Twitter” and the social blogging platform “Tumblr”.

You must have often heard that age is just a number and one should never stop doing things that one loves and enjoys. An 83-year-old woman epitomized this adage as she won medals in a carrom tournament in Pune and it made her grandson proud as he shared her photos on Twitter.

Akshay Marathe, a lawyer and spokesperson for the Aam Aadmi Party according to his Twitter bio, shared that his 83-year-old grandmother won a gold medal in the doubles category and a bronze in the singles category at Pune’s All-Magarpatta City carrom tournament.

What made the achievement even more special was that she beat opponents who were much younger. He also posted a 21-second clip of his grandmother playing a game of carrom against a young woman. She nailed a few shots perfectly and her concentration while playing is impressive. “Inspired by my 83-year-old Aaji who won Gold in the Doubles and Bronze in the singles in Pune’s All-Magarpatta City carrom tournament against much younger and steadier hands,” Marathe wrote. 

The clip has received more than 10,000 views as netizens posted congratulatory messages and said they felt inspired.

The world’s longest river cruise from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh is supposed to be launched on January 10 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and here is all you need to know about it.

The cruise will start from Varanasi on the River Ganga and will end in Dibrugarh on the River Brahmaputra. The cruise will pass through Bangladesh during its journey.

The Ganga Vilas cruise on its longest river journey of 50 days will cover 27 river systems and visit over 50 tourist sites including World Heritage Sites. 

This will be the single largest river journey that a single ship would cover.

In total, the ship is expected to cover 3,200 kilometers sailing through the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly, Brahmaputra, and West Coast Canal.

The Ganga Vilas is capable of hosting 80 passengers and has 18 suites will all necessary amenities.

Apart from this, the luxury yacht is also loaded with a restaurant, spa, and sundeck. For foodies, the ship’s restaurant serves Continental and Indian cuisine. 

The Upper Deck of the ship/yacht also has a bar.

In Kuwait, the Ministry of Interior has listed the names of roads where water has clogged the streets. The following is a list of roads.

 The highways

1. 7th Ring Road, left of Abdullah Al Mubarak going towards Fintas

Capital Governorate
1. “Al -Ji One” Street, opposite Saad Al-Abdullah Academy
2. Al-Jahra Road from after the Al-Jahra area with Al-Ghazali towards City Center

Ahmadi
1. Fahaheel near the Fahaheel police station
2. On Mina Abdullah Road for those coming from King Abdulaziz Road
3. Fahaheel Industrial Roundabout towards Al-Kout Complex Roundabout
4. The street exits from the south of Al-Sabahiya towards the intersection of Fahaheel Industrial City

Jahra
1. Amghara Internal roundabout
2. Al Dallah Circle Road
3. 6th Ring Road next to Saad Al Abdullah
4. On Al-Jahra Road with Al-Ghazali towards the City Center.

After a significant decrease in the cost of recruiting domestic workers of various nationalities recently, Kuwait Times spoke with several domestic labor offices to learn more. Mohammad, who works at a domestic labor recruitment office, said the market has seen few applications submitted for the recruitment of workers, adding that starting from January 2023, his office lowered its fees for recruiting new domestic workers.

“The cost of recruiting domestic workers from the Philippines will be KD 700, including the flight ticket, while that of cooks and drivers will be KD 180 with tickets,” he said. He said hiring charges for domestic workers from Sri Lanka will be KD 650, excluding the ticket, indicating the office will guarantee the domestic worker for six months from the dates of arrival.

Head of the Union of Domestic Labor Offices Khaled Al-Dekhanan explained to Kuwait Times that the lower fees for recruiting domestic workers is due to the circumstances some offices are going through. He affirmed that domestic labor offices are committed to the price list by the ministry of commerce and industry which set a recruitment fee of KD 890.

Khalid Amro confirmed the information given by Dekhanan, stating that the fees for recruiting a domestic worker through the office is KD 890, including airfare, but the price for recruiting a domestic worker when the employer presents the passport to the office is KD 390, according to ministerial resolution no. 33 issued on Feb 1, 2021.The law for the establishment of domestic labor offices stipulates that the company should train and qualify workers in specialized institutions before they enter the country and take all necessary steps, including for the safety of workers, and ensure they are free of any diseases.

Issa Mansour, one of the owners of domestic labor offices, said reducing fees is not an option, saying even the fees set by the ministry of commerce need to be amended. “Domestic labor offices aren’t greedy. Huge sums are paid by the office to recruit workers from their countries for transportation, housing and meals. It is a cost borne by the office and exceeds the amount determined by the ministry of commerce,” he said.

According to the Central Statistical Bureau, domestic workers make up the lion’s share of expatriate workers in Kuwait, as the number of domestic workers at the end of the first half of 2022 reached around 750,000, or 37.5 percent of the total expatriate workers in the country. Earlier, Mubarak Al-Azmi, former Director General of the Public Authority of Manpower, stressed all executive decisions issued by the authority provide effective protection for workers in accordance with the standards and agreements of Kuwait, especially with regards to their financial rights.