Category: News

Over 4,300 books have been banned so far in Kuwait since 2014 with 700 of them being banned just this year alone. Random books like the Little Mermaid were banned as well as books written by local authors. The book bans were so absurd that New York Times last month published an article about it which you can read [Here]

Over the weekend, local designer Mohammad Sharaf installed a book graveyard next to Kuwait’s Annual Book Fair to protest the banning of the books. The book graveyard got removed by the authorities quickly but the pictures went viral sparking a conversation on the subject again.

Now Alqabas newspaper is reporting that the appeals court have overturned the Ministry of Information’s book ban stating we live in a different time where the world is a much more open place. This is obviously great news so I really hope its true. I’m hoping this ruling could possibly encourage someone to open up a large bookstore in Kuwait. The book fair was incredibly packed when I visited it with people buying books so there definitely is a market.

If like me you don’t have satellite (live TV) and rely on streaming for your entertainment, you can still keep up to date with what’s going in Kuwait by watching the news online. Both KTV1 and KTV2 have live online streaming and you can watch them both on the MOI website [Here]

A major storm is expected to hit Kuwait tonight, one that is supposedly stronger than the storm that hit us last week. Schools are off tomorrow (both private and public) while the public sector is also closing down. Stay safe everyone!

On a side note, are we going to have a day off every time it rains? Cuz I’d like that.

Update: Just tried to fill up gas at two different gas stations and both were so backed up they were causing traffic jams. I guess people are panicking.

A reader sent me a link to an article on FRANCE 24 Observers website on a domestic worker’s experience in Kuwait. The worker was held against her will by her employer and was sexually abused for several months. In the end, she got rescued and you can now read about her ordeal [Here]

Since we are on the subject of domestic workers, can I say how much the housekeepers category on the Q8 4Sale website bothers me? I really like the website but this category basically allows domestic workers to be sold off like household goods.. [Link]

Note: I hid the faces not 4Sale.

Al Mulla Group have officially announced that they’re the new Mercedes-Benz distributor in Kuwait. Al Bisher & Al Kazemi have been the dealers for Mercedes-Benz in Kuwait since the 1950s so its a pretty big deal that its now going to Al Mulla Group.

Al Mulla Group are already distributors to a number of car brands in Kuwait including Acura, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, and Mitsubishi. They officially takeover Mercedes from January 1st and you can read more about it in their official press release [Here]

Yesterday the New York Times published an article relating to Kuwait, but like most of the times we make the news, it wasn’t for a good thing. The New York Times had an article on the increase of book bannings that have gotten so extreme, we’re actually banning books that are not banned in Saudi Arabia. If that’s not absurd I don’t know what is.

Some of the books that were banned were written by local authors, so it’s not just foreign books that are being affected by this recent banning. Over 4,300 books have been banned so far since 2014 with 700 of them being banned just this year alone. Check out the New York Times article with more details on this [Here]

Last month I posted about an emergency lane tragedy where a mum lost her 4-month old child to a speeding motorist. The mum had pulled over into the emergency lane because of a problem with her car when a driver who was speeding in the emergency lane crashed into them. The mum has now written about the tragedy in the Kuwait Times. You can read her article [Here]

To be eligible, residents born in Qatar must have lived in the country for 10 years, while those born abroad would need to have lived there 20 years, according to the decree. A passing command of the Arabic language, proof of sufficient income and sound legal standing are also required.
…
Permanent residents will be able to establish commercial companies without needing a local partner and will be able to take part in national economic projects. Permanent residency permits can be withdrawn in certain cases. [Source]

When expats like me who’ve been living in Kuwait all their lives talk about wanting some kind of benefit or advantage over an expat who’s been in Kuwait for just a week, this is what we really want. We want the ability to live in Kuwait without requiring a sponsor, without having to renew our residency every year and the ability to purchase a home or open a business if we want to. We’re not asking for the passport or a social security check every month.

With all these recent negative articles on Kuwait here is one that’s good. BBC Travel shared a list of five places that make living easy and Kuwait made the list. The five places in no particular order are:

Honolulu, United States
Budapest, Hungary
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Auckland, New Zealand
Taipei, Taiwan

Not bad right? Check out their article [Here]

According to a recent report from the World Health Organization, Kuwait ranked as the least active country in the world. The most active country, on the other hand, was Uganda.

Most Active Nations:
1- Uganda
2- Mozambique
3- Lesotho

Least Active Nations:
1- Kuwait
2- American Samoa
3- Saudi Arabia

The WHO defines enough exercise as at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity or 150 minutes of moderately intense activity per week, or any combination of the two.

According to the report, 67 percent of Kuwait’s population failed to hit WHO’s recommended exercise target. That sounds absurdly high considering how much more active everyone in Kuwait has become over the past few years. Check out the full report [Here] or the summarized version on Bloomberg [Here]

Photo on top from Battle of the East

Wataniya Airways is temporarily suspending operations after “unexpected circumstances” that could not be avoided, board chairman Ali al Fozan announced yesterday.

The suspension is the second time in its brief history that the carrier has had to halt its flight operations.

“Three planes going out of service,” have left the carrier with just one aircraft available for commercial flights, Al Fozan claimed during a press conference in Kuwait yesterday as the reason behind “temporarily” suspending operations.

Wataniya had expected to add two additional aircraft and bring its fleet to six as of last month, he said.

But of the four aircraft it was operating, one Airbus A320 needs to have an engine replaced, while two others left service after the carrier ended a wet lease contract with Olympus Airways over objections by Kuwait’s civil aviation authority – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). [Source]

Well that explains why they suddenly started having issues. Hopefully, when they come back they’ll have better planes and service since they were flying to some interesting destinations.

Local police have shut down a fish store that was sticking googly eyes on fish to make them look fresh. The story has obviously gone viral online with one tweet generating over 50,000 likes and 30,000 retweets! Too funny… [Link]

Not to be confused with the metro project, the rail project is designed to connect Kuwait with the rest of the GCC via rail. Once the project is completed you’ll be able to take the train from Kuwait City all the way to Oman. The first phase of the project will connect Kuwait City to Dammam in Saudi Arabia.

Although there is no relationship between the two, I’m sure everyone here would rather they began work on the far more interesting and useful metro project (pictured on top). [Link]

Yesterday, Kuwaiti race car driver Zaid Ashkanani scored a second-place victory at the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2018. The race took place on the Belgian GP Spa track, the same track the Formula 1 race took place on yesterday. Zaid is now 6th place in the overall rankings.

I couldn’t find any articles online with more details on the race but you could watch the start of the race above (he’s in the grey and white Porsche starting in 4th place) and make sure you check out his instagram @zaidashkanani

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday addressed an ultimatum to Wataniya Airways to resolve problems such as recurring flights’ delay and cancellation.

The DGC warned in a statement that in case the company failed to fulfil its duties properly, its permit would be suspended, effective September 6 for three months as an initial penalty, while compelling it to fulfil its financial and legal liabilities toward passengers.

If Wataniya Airways fails again to tackle these problems, it will be stripped of the license permanently.

The directorate said several warnings had been given to the company to no avail. It assured passengers that it would do its best to ensure their safety and rights, vowing to follow up on Wataniya’s commitment to secure their comeback either on its aircraft or planes of other companies. [Source]

I knew they were having delays and flight cancellations for a few months now but didn’t think it was this severe of an issue even though someone had even sent me a video of the crew loading up supermarket bags of food on the plane because at one point they had lost their catering contract. I hate seeing the airline fail like this since I worked with the original Wataniya Airways on their launch many years ago so when the airline came back again from the dead last year, I had high hopes. And even though I had an average experience flying with them back in November, it was still good having an extra airline to choose from when planning trips. Maybe this will be their turning point…