Category: Information

Apple recently announced the new iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, and I was just informed by @gaitkuwait that the new phones will be officially launched in Kuwait on Friday, September 20th.

Pre-orders will open on September 13th at 3 PM.

I have the iPhone 15 Pro, and the difference between it and the new 16 Pro seems fairly minor. However, the higher resolution sensor on the wide-angle lens is enticing since I use that lens frequently for my blog. Plus, the new 16 Pro also has the 5x lens, which last year’s model lacked unless you had the larger Max version.

Tomorrow, IKEA will be launching their new concept in Kuwait called ‘IKEA for Business’. I got a sneak peek of the store, and I left impressed.

The new store felt like a movie set because they built various shops with shop fronts inside a large warehouse-like building. The idea is that they wanted customers to see in person how you could fit out an entire shop or office with just IKEA furniture and accessories.

When I first walked into the IKEA store, I stepped into the offices of a recycling company called RRR—complete with cubicles, private offices, a waiting room, and everything you’d expect from a real office. The next area had a more casual office vibe, which turned out to belong to a make-believe marketing agency called Mirage. It was more colorful and less serious looking, completely different to the previous corporate looking offices.

After leaving the office area, I found myself on a street lined with a nail salon, flower shop, and café. None of them were real, of course, but they looked and felt convincing, complete with working faucets and functional equipment. To the left of the nail salon were stairs that led me up to a women’s hair salon. I walked through it and emerged out the other side onto a rooftop restaurant.

Exploring the store was surprisingly fun, like a KidZania for adults since they had hotel rooms, a kids nursery, a company board room, and various offices all for customers to interact with and explore.

The coolest thing wasn’t even what was on display—it was that IKEA now functions like a design studio with a contractor. Previously, they’d help design a room or bathroom, but they wouldn’t handle finding a painter or taking care of plumbing for example. With IKEA for Business, that’s changed. They now can manage everything from design to execution, so you don’t have to deal with anyone else. Super convenient.

If you want to check out the new IKEA store, it’s located in Shuwaikh where their first original store used to be, right next to the new Spark gym (Google Maps). Opening hours will be 10 to 10 and they open to the public from tomorrow.

Kuwaiti musicians Ghazi Al-Mulaifi and Amin Abdal have both been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Latin Jazz Album category. Ghazi and Amin played a key part on the album Virtual Birdland by Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra.

That album was nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 64th Grammy Awards which took place back in 2022, but Amin and Ghazi only recently found out that they were also nominated because of their role. Ghazi was a composer and performing artist on the album as Boom Diwan, while Amin was the recording engineer for the band.

This makes them the first Kuwaitis to be nominated for a Grammy, and the first from the Arabian Gulf.

Boom Diwan is a band that blends Kuwaiti bahar music with jazz and you can follow them @boom.diwan. You can also follow Ghazi and Amin at @ghazimusic and @xxmrfarixx.

The new Nissan Patrol got released yesterday and the Kuwait prices are already available. The price of the entry level Patrol starts at KD 19,399 while the top of the line model is priced at KD 30,499. Here are the prices:

Patrol 3.8L, V6 (310HP)
XE: KD 19,399
SE T2: KD 20,950
SE Titan: KD 23,499
SE Platinum City: KD 26,099

Patrol 3.5L, V6 Twin Turbo (425HP)
LE-T1: KD 23,499
LE-T2: KD 24,999
LE-Titanium: KD 26,950
LE-Titanium+: KD 27,950
LE-Platinum City: KD 30,499

Nissan Kuwait already have the car up on their website along with the details on what every version of the car has in terms of equipment so if you want more details, click here.

Yesterday CITRA launched new mobile network frequencies in Kuwait which will be used for the upcoming 5G Advanced network (also called 5GA or 5.5G). 5G Advanced has a number of benefits over regular 5G with the main ones being:

• Faster Speeds
• Enhanced Coverage
• Increased Reliability
• Lower Power Consumption
• More accurate device positioning

From my understanding (someone correct me if I’m wrong), 5G and 5G Advanced have the same max speed, but 5G Advanced has the ability to achieve +20% faster speeds more often (for example during peak hours or network congestion).

According to CITRA, 5G Advanced should be available in Kuwait by maximum June 2025. If you want to try it out they have a demo display for the next couple of days at Al Hamra Tower.

There are currently plans to transform Failaka Island into a major tourism resort, which sounds great—except Failaka is also a significant archaeological and historical site. That’s why I’m glad to hear that initial steps are being taken to protect it.

The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) and the World Monuments Fund signed a memorandum of understanding a few days ago to enlist Failaka Island in the UNESCO’s world heritage list. Dating back 4,200 years, the island has witnessed five different civilizations and was last inhabited 34 years ago, before the 1990 invasion.

There are several benefits to designating Failaka as a World Heritage site. It would boost tourism, attract funding from international bodies, NGOs, and governments, and provide access to UNESCO’s technical expertise for conservation. Most importantly, it would also raise awareness and encourage the government and authorities to prioritize protecting the island’s cultural, historical, and natural value. This includes not only archaeological sites, but also other significant historical buildings on the island.

The first step now is to study the island, identify key heritage sites, and determine how they can be utilized for cultural tourism. Once the study is complete, the file will be submitted to UNESCO.

I can’t stress enough how important this step is for preserving the island for future generations. Thank you to everyone involved in making this happen. @kw_nccal

Like the current waterfront project that extends from Kuwait Towers to the SVN resort, Shuwaikh Beach is also getting redeveloped as part of Kuwait Municipality’s ongoing efforts to enhance leisure and recreational spaces in Kuwait.

The project was designed by the multidisciplinary architecture firm Pace, and is sponsored by NBK. With the designs now finalized, the project has entered the tendering phase.

The 1.7km-long project will feature upgraded facilities, including a running track, bicycle track, mosques, and several main areas tailored to community needs like sports fields, recreational areas, and extensive green spaces.

Based on the renderings, one of the cool things I like about the Shuwaikh Beach project is that it looks like it will be a lot greener than the new waterfront near Kuwait Towers. The sandy beach area is also getting revamped, and wooden benches will be installed to provide a peaceful and comfortable coastal experience.

This project is expected to be completed by May 2025.

I previously posted about the club back in 2011, but I’m reposting it again today with more information because today is the first day of their pre-season training.

The Kuwait Scorpions Rugby Football Club is the oldest sports club in Kuwait, and very possibly the oldest in the region.

The club was originally formed by expatriates from the Kuwait Oil Company, who began training together as a hobby. In 1946, the team formally became the Kuwait Scorpions Rugby Football Club when they played the British Army in the region’s first recorded rugby fixture. In the 70s, as rugby community clubs started forming around the region, the Scorpions began traveling and competing in neighboring countries. Rugby in Kuwait continued this way until the 1990 invasion when the team was dispersed.

Following the invasion, the rugby club gradually reformed as its members returned to Kuwait. They were renamed the Kuwait Nomads, a name inspired by the way they reunited. The team played as the Nomads until the 2000s, when they reverted to their original name and relaunched the club as the Kuwait Scorpions.

The Scorpions are still very active, and in fact, their pre-season training starts today. If you’re interested in having fun and getting fit, bring plenty of water and a good attitude, and head to KOC Ahmadi Park. They train every Monday and Wednesday from 7 to 9 PM. For directions and more info, check out their Instagram @q8scorpions

If you’re surprised to learn that Kuwait has a surfing team, you’re not alone. Earlier this year, Kuwait became one of the newest members of the International Surfing Association (ISA), and in around a weeks time, the team will be competing at the Asian Surfing Championships held in the Maldives.

The Kuwait team consists of three surfers:

Essa Kamal AlEssa @eksultan
Age: 27

Ahmad Hashim AlRefae @a.alrefae2
Age: 29

Yousef Riyadh Tarazi @yousef.tarazi
Age: 28

All three surfers grew up in Kuwait, spending most of their time by the water in Bnaider, engaging in various watersports. Although they began surfing during their teenage years, they gained most of their experience after moving to California for university. Immersed in the surfing culture there, they took up the sport religiously, making it an integral part of their daily lives. After graduating and returning to Kuwait, they made it a priority to travel and ride different waves around the world.

The Asian Surfing Championship will take place from August 17 to 24, and it will be the first surfing event that Kuwait will be participating in. The championship is organized by the Asian Surf Federation and co-organized by the Maldivian Surfing Association. This event also marks the first time that Kuwait has been recognized as a country with surfers by both the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Asian Surfing Federation (ASF).

Why Kuwait? Why Now?

In 2015, surfing became an Olympic sport which is what motivated them to start the Kuwait Surf Committee and register with the ISA.

After surfing became an Olympic sport, the ISA revised its rules and policies to accept membership from countries not traditionally considered ‘surfing nations’ by including other types of surfing watersports. Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Wind Surfing, Wake Surfing, and Wind Foiling are all sports recognized by the ISA and are popular in Kuwait, which led to Kuwait being accepted as a surfing nation by the association.

If you want to stay posted on the Kuwait Surf team’s progress at the Asian Surf Championship, follow their instagram account @kuwaitsurfcommittee

Was passing by Arabica in the City and spotted rentable scooters and bicycles parked outside. Turns out they’re by a Saudi company called Bskl and looks like they’ll be competing directly with E-Fly.

I can’t imagine E-Fly is doing that well financially considering we don’t have sidewalks to make use of the scooters and bicycles so things are about to get tougher with Bskl entering the market.

I didn’t download the app so no idea about their prices. Oddly, Bskl don’t mention that they’re available in Kuwait no neither their website or instagram account.

The Paris 2024 Olympics is set to begin this coming Friday, and nine athletes from Kuwait will be competing: five men and four women. Check them all out below to discover who they are and the disciplines they will be competing in. I’ve also included their instagram accounts in case you want to follow them:

Amal Al Roumi @_amalalroumi
Date of Birth: 22 Aug 1992
Age: 31
Discipline: Athletics
Event: Women’s 800m

Ameena Shah @ameenaaa64
Date of Birth: 24 Jan 2001
Age: 23
Discipline: Sailing
Event: Women’s Dinghy

Lara Dashti @laradashtiswims
Date of Birth: 24 Jan 2004
Age: 20
Discipline: Swimming
Event: Women’s 100m Breaststroke

Soaad Alfaqaan @salfaqaan2
Date of Birth: 3 Sep 1991
Age: 32
Discipline: Rowing
Event: Women’s Single Sculls

Khaled Almudhaf
Date of Birth: 12 Jun 1978
Age: 46
Discipline: Shooting
Event: Trap Men

Mohammad AlDaihani @_mh7md
Date of Birth: 1 Aug 1983
Age: 40
Discipline: Shooting
Event: Skeet Men

Mohamad Zubaid @mohammedswims
Date of Birth: 30 Mar 2008
Age: 16
Discipline: Swimming
Event: Men’s 100m Freestyle

Yousef Alshamlan @yousefalshamlaan
Date of Birth: 30 Aug 1998
Age: 25
Discipline: Fencing
Event: Men’s Sabre Individual

Yaqoub Alyouha @yaqoubalyouha
Date of Birth: 31 Jan 1993
Age: 31
Discipline: Athletics
Event: Men’s 110m Hurdles

Photo on top taken by @photographerq8_96

This is a summarized repost of the original post I published a few years ago. In case you’ve never heard the story, read on. I decided to repost it on Instagram since there is a chance Saif will be performing in the UK later this year with the help of Habibi Funk.

I found out about The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr through the former Australian Ambassador to Kuwait who one evening made me listen to their album ‘Jazz, Jazz, Jazz’. The album was a reissue by the label Habibi Funk and they had included an interview with the band who were Sudanese and had performed on KTV and in various hotels around Kuwait in the 70s. I took some photos of the album and shared them on my personal account when to my surprise, I got a message from a follower telling me that Saif was a colleague of hers and she was surprised to find out he used to be part of a popular band. She put me in touch with Saif and I invited him to dinner over at the ambassador’s house.

Saif was full of interesting stories. He was never meant to come to Kuwait, when he turned 18 he decided to leave Sudan and head to Germany. His plan was to head to Lebanon first so that he could then take the train to Germany, but due to a series of events and the fact he needed to make money, he got convinced to try his luck in Kuwait.

When he arrived, he met up with an old friend who hooked him up with a job as an English teacher for air traffic controllers, and a side gig where he would perform music on a KTV talk show. One day one of the producers at KTV asked him if he could put together a band because he wanted to record a performance for the station. Saif told him he could and called up his friends in Sudan whom he used to perform with called The Scorpions. The band ended up on KTV and you can actually watch that performance on YouTube since Habibi Funk uploaded the whole thing.

Saif eventually performed for a Kuwaiti event organizer back then called Hussein Abul. Hussein was the guy who brought the likes of Boney M, Demis Roussos, James Brown and Santa Esmeralda to perform in Kuwait. Saif actually had the job of driving James Brown around when he was in Kuwait.

Saif is still in Kuwait today and until recently was teaching English at a local aviation school. He still performs in Sudan every now and then with his old band. Jazz Jazz Jazz is available to stream on Spotify and you should check it out.

Last week, there was a heated debate in the Kuwait Reddit community about why anyone in Kuwait would get an electric car when fuel is so cheap. Curious to find out for myself, I contacted Mercedes and borrowed an EQS 450 electric SUV for a few days. Now, I think I have an answer.

It turns out EV owners in Kuwait never have to pay to charge their cars.

From what I can tell, all the public charging stations in Kuwait are free. There are currently over 40 different charging locations in Kuwait, including all along the Gulf Road, and in popular spots like The Avenues and 360 Mall. If you work at an office tower like Al Hamra or Al Raya, you also have EV chargers available there. That means you can charge your car for free while you’re at work or out shopping. But, in some apartment buildings like mine, there are power sockets in the parking that residents can use for free. So, when I had the car, I just plugged the car into one of the sockets and charged it overnight at no cost.

I also tried charging at one of the new EV chargers on the Gulf Road to see what that experience was like. They’re located in all the parking lots that were part of the recently refurbished waterfront. I chose to charge at the station next to the Kuwait Towers because I needed a nice shot for this post and it was super easy to use. I didn’t even need to use my own charging cable, the chargers have cables already attached. All I had to do was take the cable and plug it into the car, and it started charging right away.

I’m not saying you should buy an electric car just because you don’t have to pay for fuel. There are many other benefits to owning an EV, but free charging is definitely a nice bonus.

If you ever need an English copywriter, I’d highly recommend a friend of mine, Naz. Naz has been copywriting for over 20 years and was my editor for our school paper, the Voice of AIS, back in the mid-90s. Speaking of which, I need to try and find copies of those if they still exist.

If you’re a business, Naz can help you with your website content, write press releases for you and even help you come up with a name and slogan for your new business. To get in touch with her, send her a message on instagram @nazwriteswell

Over the weekend I was given access to visit the newly revamped Messilah Beach Club, one of the newest projects by TEC. The club first opened in the late 80s, and I’ve been to it a few times back in the 90s, but haven’t really been back there since.

I do remember how it looked and I can tell you the new beach club looks nothing like the old one. They didn’t just give it a facelift, instead it’s a completely new club built from the ground up.

The beach club will have the following facilities:
– Aqua Play Pool
– Wave Pool
– Splash Pad
– Kids Pool
– Infinity pool
– Kids play area
– Adventure tower
– Fitness Areas
– Basketball, Football and Tennis Courts
– Beach Volleyball Courts
– Water Sports Facilities
– Restaurants
– Events Hall

When I passed by most of the water areas had been drained from water, especially all the kids areas which is why they’re dry in my photos. But the club still looked really nice with aesthetics that match the newly face-lifted Gulf Road waterfront.

I think my favorite part of the club was the infinity pool and the beach. The infinity pool was surrounded by a wooden deck and overlooked the huge beach giving off a trendy resort vibe. The beach also now looks huge since they removed the trees that used to separate the club from the beach. Previously you couldn’t really see the sea from the club because the trees were in the way, but now it’s completely open and so it felt like I was on a beach in LA.

Entry to the club will be by membership or tickets. The prices haven’t been decided on yet nor is there a solid opening date since UPAC only recently won the tender to manage the club. It should open this year, hopefully before the weather gets cold.

In other TEC news, Mabanee (Alshaya) recently won the tender for the Hilton Mangaf location. That means Hilton will end up closing down and Alshaya will reopen it with one of their many hotel brands like Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, St Regis etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if they also opened Equinox there. Back in 2019, Alshaya partnered up with Equinox but they haven’t done anything with the brand yet. I had heard they were previously trying to take over the Corniche Club location to turn it into Equinox, but they ended up losing that tender to what eventually became SVN.

To stay posted on everything TEC, follow them @tecq8