The Ministry of Information has issued administrative decisions to cancel the licenses of 50 electronic newspapers, reports Al-Qabas daily. The administrative decisions, a copy of which has been obtained by the daily, stated that the decisions were issued in implementation of the law regulating electronic media and in accordance with the decisions, the reasons for cancellation varied in application of Articles 14 and 16 of the Electronic Media Law, which included that the cancellation of licenses is for the following reasons:

• Every lease of the license is void, and it may not be sold or ceded without obtaining a prior approval from the Ministry. The buyer or the assignee must meet the conditions prescribed in this law for the issuance of the license or to another person if the legally prescribed conditions are met.
  ● If the licensee is a legal person, and his legal personality lapses for any of the legally prescribed reasons.
  ● If the licensee loses any of the conditions mentioned in Article (8) of this law.
  ● If the position of the responsible manager becomes vacant, or if the appointed manager loses one of the conditions that it must meet, and the licensee has not appointed a replacement who meets the prescribed conditions within the period specified in Article (10) of this law.
  ● If the licensee leases the license.
  ● If the licensee sells or assigns the license without the approval of the Ministry.
  ● If the licensee does not carry out the licensed activity within the period stipulated in Article (13) of this law.
  ● If the license period expires without a request to renew it within six months from the date of its expiry.
  ● If the licensee dies without having a legal heir, or if the heirs have not transferred the license within the period specified in Article (14). In other than the previous cases, the license may not be canceled except by an enforceable court ruling or upon a written request from the licensee.

Kuwait ranked first in the world with one billionaire for every 33,090 population, according to Global Finance, citing a report by the Ultrata Corporation, which monitors wealthy people, followed by San Francisco, with a billionaire for every 56,209 residents, and Hong Kong in third place with one billionaire per 59,516 inhabitants, reports Al-Rai daily. Based on its being an urban area (capital), Kuwait is considered the highest-ranked city in terms of billionaire density.

Ultrata revealed that the wealth of the world’s billionaires jumped in 2021 by 17.8 percent to a record $11.8 trillion, with an increase in the number of billionaires in the world by 3.3 percent to 3,311. The report pointed out that billionaires monopolize a high proportion of the volume of global wealth. Last year, they represented only 0.9 percent of the world’s high net worth, meaning those with a fortune of $30 million and above, but they monopolized 27.4 percent of the total wealth of that group.

Director- General of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) Engr Ali Al-Farsi issued a decision to suspend the director of the Execution and Maintenance Department in the Agricultural Sector for three months and refer him for investigation on suspicion of negligence and failure to follow up the implementation of contracts with the concerned companies, reports Al-Rai daily.

In a related development, the director- general terminated 25 expatriate engineers as per the directive of Public Works Minister Engr Ali Al- Mousa. These expatriate engineers will be replaced with Kuwaitis, who will then follow the implementation of contracts.

With electric vehicles growing increasingly popular in recent years, the worldwide movement for greener means of transportation has taken a significant leap. Electric automobiles may be spotted roaming throughout Kuwait, with such vehicles charging at electric charging stations, which have begun to appear in many areas around the nation.

Being environmentally conscious and conscious is likely the biggest driving reason behind electric automobiles, with various car makers now offering this choice to eager customers

COVID-19 is no longer a global threat in spite of significant and impressive advances in vaccine technology. Identifying those with severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical to limiting its spread. Using an antibody-based detection method, Japanese researchers developed a rapid and reliable way to detect SARS-CoV-2 without collecting blood samples.

Global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been severely limited by ineffective identification of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals, and the high rate of asymptomatic infections (16 percent to 38 percent) has only exacerbated this issue. Up to this point, most detection methods involve swabbing the nose and throat with a cotton swab. Nonetheless, the application of this method is limited by its long detection time (4-6 hours), high cost, and requirement for specialized equipment and medical personnel, especially in countries with limited resources.

A complementary and alternative means of confirming COVID-19 infection involves the detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. In many countries, testing strips based on gold nanoparticles are used for point-of-care testing. Results are available within 10-20 minutes, but blood samples must be collected by using a lancing device on a finger prick. In addition to being painful, this increases the risk of infection and cross-contamination, and the kit components present a biohazard risk.

Leilei Bao from the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, explains: "We explored the possibility of sampling and testing interstitial fluid (ISF), which is in the epidermis and dermis layers of human skin. Despite the antibody levels in the ISF being around 15%-25% of those in blood, we experimentally confirmed this method of non-invasive detection, and that ISF could substitute for blood sampling for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG antibodies."

In order to sample and test the ISF, the researchers developed an innovative approach after demonstrating that ISF can be used for antibody detection. In the first step, we developed biodegradable porous microneedles made of polylactic acid to extract the ISF from human skin, says senior author Beomjoon Kim. Our next step was to construct a paper-based immunoassay biosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. By combining these two elements, the researchers created a compact patch that can detect the antibodies on-site within 3 minutes (results from in vitro testing).

With this new detection device, patients will be able to obtain rapid screening for COVID-19 and many other infectious diseases in a safe and comfortable manner. A key goal of managing infectious diseases globally is to use this technology in as many countries as possible, regardless of wealth.

 The Earth will be farthest away from the Sun next Monday morning in an annual phenomena known as the Aphelion, said Al- Ojeiri Scientific Center for Research in Astronomy Thursday. Head of Public Relations at the center Khaled Al-Jam’an indicated that the distance between the Sun and the Earth would be 152,096,150 kilometers. He noted that the average distance between the two celestial bodies was at 149,600,000 kilometers, adding that opposite to the Aphelion was the Perihelion, where the Earth is nearest to the Sun by 147,099,590 kilometers.

The next Perihelion will occur in January of 2023, Al-Jam’an revealed. Despite the Aphelion occurring, the temperature in Kuwait and the northern hemisphere this time of the year remain high, he pointed out, adding that was due to the 82-degree angle of the sunrays reaching the Earth. (KUNA)

The Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (Daman) reported that Kuwait topped the global and Arab rankings in 2021 with the lowest unemployment rate (1 percent), while it ranked fifth globally in the current account balance ratio and government debt-to-output ratio, adding that it ranked 33 globally in net Government borrowing or borrowing as a percentage of output, and 22 globally in the current account balance, in billions of dollars, reports Al- Rai daily. The sources indicated that Kuwait topped the Arab countries in the majority of global indicators of the country’s risks related to trade last year, while it came in second place in the Arab world in the two COFAS indicators for assessing the business climate and state risks (38 globally).

In the 37th annual report on the investment climate in the Arab countries for the year 2022, Daman pointed out that Kuwait ranked third in the Arab world in terms of GDP growth rate last year (166 globally), 59th globally in the value of output in billions of dollars, and 67th in output according to a tie purchasing power, 38 per capita output, 35 per capita output according to purchasing power parity, 94 per capita infl ation, and 84 per capita investment as a percentage of output.

The report stated that Kuwait fell 27 places in the economic freedom index in 2022, to rank 101 globally, compared to 74th in 2021, while it came 6 in the Arab world. With regard to new foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in the Arab countries during 2021, Daman reported that Kuwait ranked 11th with 7 projects that constituted 0.8 percent of the total foreign investment projects in the region, while the country ranked 13th in the Arab world in the investment cost of projects, which constituted a cost of the seven projects, amounting to $100.8 million, are only 0.3 percent of the region’s total.

As for the number of new jobs provided by these projects, Kuwait ranked 11th in the region with 461 jobs. Kuwait ranked third in the Arab world in the number of inter-Arab projects invested by it in the Arab countries with 15 projects, while the investment cost of those projects amounted to 500.4 million dollars, making the country ranked second in terms of cost.

In Kuwait, Kuwait's state employment agency has identified the bachelor's degree specialties most needed in the job market.According to the Civil Service Commission, the following 26 specialties are in demand: medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, medical labs, imaging, physiotherapy, speech therapy, pharmacology, social work, and graphics.

Additionally, the list includes specialties in psychology, physics, bibliography, information technology, communication engineering, architecture, sociology, electrical engineering, applied statistics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, English, and support medical sciences.

According to the commission, the job market excludes mass communication, history, international relations, philosophy, political science, geographical information systems, oil and gas engineering, industrial engineering, and mechanical engineering.

Kuwait's population of 4.6 million is made up of nearly 3.4 million foreigners.

Kuwait has stepped up its efforts to create jobs for its citizens in recent years and has adopted a policy known as Kuwaitisation, which replaces foreigners with Kuwaitis.

During the open house at the embassy auditorium, the Indian Ambassador presented a presentation on the Memorandum of Understanding between India and Kuwait for cooperation in the recruitment of domestic workers.

The Indian and Kuwaiti governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June 2021 relating to domestic work recruitment.

By streamlining the recruitment and working conditions of Indian domestic workers, this MoU will address most of the concerns of Indian domestic workers and Kuwaiti employers," the Ambassador said.

Indian Domestic Workers in Kuwait are now protected by a legal framework that streamlines their recruitment and streamlines their legal protection. For all Domestic Service Workers in the ECR category, the Embassy already has a contract, which is now mandatory for all workers in this category.

Domestic workers in the Embassy Shelter are mostly those who entered Kuwait on tourist visas to third countries, then were given domestic worker visas once they arrived in Kuwait. The Ambassador cautioned that illegal agents and middlemen should not be encouraged or entertained and urged individuals to follow the proper channels when traveling to Kuwait. Additionally, the Ambassador called on community associations to make it known to Indian citizens that they must follow procedures prescribed by the Indian Government when travelling to Kuwait for work.

Many illegal middlemen were arrested and deported by the Embassy, while others remain at large. According to the Ambassador, here is your home away from home, your embassy.

According to local Arabic media, worried government organizations are attempting to develop a new Friday market in Jahra Governorate. The new Jahra Friday market will reportedly be built using a different model. An invoice will be required for every sale under the new system in order to guarantee the security of the buyer and the rights of the consumer.

If an item has a problem, it should be possible to return it within a certain number of days. Every selling counter will accept electronic payments. According to insiders, authorities are getting ready to hire a consultancy firm to look at the proposal.

A malfunction in the K-net company stamp devices caused delays in the authentication of visitors’ documents, says the Acting Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Counselor Mishaal Al-Mudhaf, reports Al- Qabas daily.

Al-Mudhaf explained in a press statement the company responsible for this service was contacted and that until all efforts to rectify the fault had been unsuccessful until the time of issuing the statement. He stressed that, in the interest of the administration to provide its services to the clients and not to delay their interests, it was agreed with the Ministry of Finance to work according to a mechanism that ensures the management of the auditors’ interests, which restores work in the certification centers to normal.

The State of Kuwait ranked 117th out of 179 countries in the ‘Nature Index 2022’ of research in 82 high quality scientific journals in the field of natural sciences, during the period from March 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022, reports Al-Jarida daily. It is noteworthy to make a mention that Saudi Arabia ranked 30, the UAE 46, Egypt 56, Qatar 58, Oman 66 and only Bahrain ranked lower than Kuwait at 167. Informed sources told the daily that Kuwait’s ranking in this indicator is considered low, pointing out that the number of participating research articles was limited to 54, with a contribution of 0.88 in various sciences of physics, life, nature, earth, chemistry and others.

The sources added that the most prominent parties participating in research published in prestigious scientific journals are the Gulf University of Science and Technology, the Kuwait University, the American University of the Middle East, the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fisheries Resources, the Kuwait Oil Company and the Dasman Center for Diabetes Treatment and Research. The sources stated, “This indicator is one of the most important indicators in scientific research and is related to the publication of the fields of natural sciences. It ranks the volume of publication in various countries,” noting that the list related to the publication of research was topped by the United States of America, China, Germany and others.

Al-Ujairi Scientific Center announced that the first day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah for this year will be Thursday, June 30, and that Saturday, July 9, is expected to be the first day of Eid Al- Adha, reports Al-Rai daily. The center said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) today, Tuesday, that Friday, July 8, will be the day of Standing on the Arafat, adding that the time for Eid prayer is at 5:10 am Kuwait local time.

On this gracious occasion, Al-Ujairi Scientific Center offers its warmest congratulations and blessings to His Highness the Amir of the country, His Highness the Crown Prince and the honorable Kuwaiti people.

The US State Department in its updated advisory has cautioned Americans travelling to Kuwait, about the health situation in Kuwait about the spread of “Covid- 19”, to stay away from border areas with Iraq and to take extra precaution if travelling to Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, reports Al-Rai daily. The advisory is based on an announcement made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that Kuwait has a high level of corona, and that they must remain vigilant in the places they visit especially places frequented by large groups of people, travelers or tourists.”

The advisory requires its citizens to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts and facilitate location identification in the event of an emergency, and that US citizens traveling abroad should always have a contingency plan in place for emergencies.

The advisory warns its citizens against going to the desert area near the border with Iraq due to the spread of unexploded ordnance at Level 4. The warning stated: “Do not travel, as the desert areas and some beaches north of the Al Mutla’a mountain range continue to contain the remaining unexploded ordnance from the 1990-1991 Gulf War. People should avoid areas off the beaten path and avoid touching objects likely to be unexploded ordnance.”

 The Residency Affairs Sector next week will submit to the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmed Al- Nawaf, a new mechanism to organize the issuance of family and tourist visit visas, following the abrupt decision to stop issuing these visas Monday, reports Al-Qabas daily.

Informed security sources told the daily, the residence affairs sector is considering raising the salary ceiling for expatriates who want to bring their wife and children on visit or family visas to 300 dinars minimum and 600 dinars minimum if the applicant wants to bring his parents on visit visa. The sources indicated that the new mechanism will grant broad powers to directors of residency affairs departments in the six governorates, to ease the pressure on the General Administration of Residency Affairs in the Dajeej area, where the number of visitors during the last period reached about one thousand per day due to the withdrawal of the powers of directors of departments.

The sources indicated that Minister Al-Nawaf’s decision to stop family and tourist visits came against the background of receiving complaints about the failure to organize the work mechanism for granting family and tourist visit visas to expatriates.

The sources added, however: “The proposal for a salary cap as a condition for allowing the issuance of visit visas can be increased or decreased according to the Ministry’s vision.” However, the Al-Rai daily quoting informed sources said the decision Minister Al- Nawaf, to stop tourist and family visas, came because people who entered the country during the past months have not left the country and this raised the number of violators by about 20,000.

The Ministry of Interior announced, stopping the issuance of family and tourist visit visas until further notice is to prepare a new mechanism what the ministry called ‘development of work’, while the sources stated that the decision “does not include electronic visas that are granted directly to some nationalities upon arrival at the airport.

The sources indicated “the number of expatriates who entered the country on tourist and family visas during 2022 reached about 70,000,” noting that work is being done to establish a strict mechanism and controls that guarantee the visitor’s departure upon the expiry of visa, as well as not allowing the extension of the visit period which is for 3 months.

The total compensation paid by insurance companies to the insured in Kuwait during the year 2021 exceeded KD 384 million. The number of insurance policies in the country for the same year amounted to about 1.404 million. This means that the average value of insurance paid for each policy in the country amounts to about KD 273, reports Al- Anba daily. According to statistical data obtained by the daily, the total compensation paid to the insured in car accidents during the past year amounted to more than KD 57 million, which were paid to about KD 959,400 insurance policy holders qualitatively. Thus, car insurance accounts for about 15 percent of the total insurance compensation paid in the country during the year.

Comprehensive
Comprehensive car insurance accounted for about 73 percent of the total compensation paid for car accidents, at KD 41.86 million, for about KD 217,890 comprehensive insurance policies in the country. Compulsory insurance (against third parties) acquired the remaining percentage of the compensation, as its value amounted to about KD 15.14 million for about KD 741,540 insurance policies against third parties in the country.

The total life insurance compensation disbursed in Kuwait during the past year amounted to about KD 47 million, as the total number of policies for this type of insurance in 2021 reached 18,381 policies, including 6,617 group life insurance policies, and 11,764 individual life insurance policies. The total compensation paid in 2021 amounted to about KD 46.8 million, including KD 45.59 million for group life insurance policies, and KD 1.23 million for individual life insurance policies. The total premiums in 2021 amounted to about KD 57.5 million, including KD 47 million for group life insurance policies, and KD 10.5 million for individual policies. In terms of health insurance, it accounted for about 59 percent of the compensation paid to the total insured in the country.

The total compensation paid to the holders of about 5,481 health insurance policies amounted to KD 226.3 million during the year 2021. It is worth highlighting that about 60 percent of the total compensation was paid by one company, which paid KD 136.48 million. Another company paid about KD 40 million of the rest of the compensation, and a third company paid about KD 8.5 million in compensation for health insurance policies.

The travel insurance paid to the insured recorded a very low rate, as it amounted to only 0.165 percent of the total compensation in the insurance sector, amounting to KD 643,470, despite the increase in the number of travel insurance policies and the registration of an average of about KD 296,150 policies in the year 2021. As for the marine and aviation insurance policies, their number during 2021 amounted to 66,440 different insurance policies.

The value of compensation paid to the insured during the past year amounted to about 1.66 percent of the total compensation disbursed in the sector, at a value of KD 6.39 million. The total compensation paid to the insured against fire incidents in Kuwait during 2021 amounted to about KD 11 million. The total number of fire insurance policies in Kuwait reached about 14,880 policies, including 2,163 policies issued by foreign insurance companies, and 12,720 policies from Kuwaiti insurance companies. The total premiums paid during 2021 amounted to about KD 43.7 million, of which KD 40.24 million were paid to insurance policies of local companies, and about KD 3.46 million to insurance policies of foreign companies

Compensation
Also, the compensation paid during 2021 recorded about KD 10.72 million, including KD 1.39 million in compensation paid by foreign insurance companies, and KD 9.33 million in compensation paid by local insurance companies. The insured under the classification of insurance against other accidents accounted for about 9.4 percent of the total insurance compensation disbursed in Kuwait during the past year, at a rate of KD 36.13 million during the year. The number of insurance policies against other accidents amounted to KD 43,740 policies during 2021.

Kuwait is ranked 131st worldwide on the Mercer Cost of Living Index for expats, and seventh in the Gulf region, out of 227 cities around the world, despite a rise in inflation in Kuwait and around the world that has made expat workers increasingly worried about their purchasing power. Kuwait City is the second cheapest Gulf city behind Doha, Qatar, which is eighth in the Gulf and 133rd worldwide.

Hong Kong, Zurich and Geneva are the top three most expensive cities for foreign workers, with Basel fourth, Bern fifth, and New York and Singapore in seventh and eighth spots respectively, followed by Tokyo and Beijing. The Mercer index reflects issues that have an effect on the lives of expat workers worldwide. The return of high inflation all over the world has made expat workers worried over their purchasing power, which led them to expect an increase in their salaries.

In the Arab world, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the 31st and 61st most expensive cities for foreign workers, followed by Riyadh in 103rd place, Jeddah (111), Manama (117), Muscat in 119th place, Doha (133), Cairo (154), Rabat (162) and Tunis in the 220th spot. Ankara is the least expensive city on the list in 227th place, while Bishkek is 226th, Dushanbe (225), Islamabad and Karachi 224th and 223rd respectively, Istanbul 222nd and Tashkent in the 221st spot.

 Beginning July 3, the Central Bank of Kuwait requires all banks operating in Kuwait including the money exchange companies to provide it with the data of remittances and cash deposits from and to Kuwait on a daily basis, specifically if the value of transaction is more than 3,000 dinars or more or its equivalent in other currencies, reports Al- Rai daily.

In this regard, financial sources told the daily that the exchange companies are issued instructions to provide the CBK complete data of financial transactions as part of broader control efforts aimed at additional regulatory verification of the extent of commitment of these units to follow up on money transfers.

The sources noted that the CBK has circulated to the 32 exchange companies, that it has decided to establish a (TRS) database, to receive (FCT) data for the transactions that must be reported, and related to money transfers executed to Kuwait for the benefit of customers which are equal to or more than 3,000 dinars or its equivalent in foreign currencies per day per customer.

The new CBK decision was in effect until 2014 “after the establishment of the Financial Intelligence Unit”, when the sources reported that restoring the procedure again comes as a matter of supervisory concern to quickly benefit from the data required to be sent from banks and exchange companies according to the guideline in this particular. The CBK indicated in its circular that it was decided that receiving the required information (TRS) about the data related to this from (LCT) and (FCT) not later than 10:00 the following day for transactions that have been carried out the previous day, including holidays and official.

Verifying
The Central Bank also indicated in its circular that it seeks to double the oversight follow-up with the Financial Intelligence Unit, with the aim of verifying unusual financial transactions both ways to and from Kuwait, and that it plans to create more tools in this regard, which contribute to increasing the ability to query, follow-up, and analyze patterns and behavior for unusual operations.

For its part, sources close to the daily said they sought to decipher the Central Bank’s move in this direction, explaining that the regulator seeks to impose more comprehensive control over cash deposits and financial transfers to and from Kuwait. The sources indicated that some customers use more than one bank account in their daily transfers, and the same applies to exchange companies, in order to avoid falling into the trap of suspected violations of anti-money laundering and terrorist financing instructions and ease of distributing funds in more than one transaction.

Meanwhile, the sources reported that due to the absence of a unified control database, it is not possible to determine the safety of all financial transactions, and to ensure their regularity, the importance of providing the Central Bank with a daily statement showing the total cash transfers and deposits to and from Kuwait for the same customer daily from all outlets.