Category: News

Yesterday, in a now deleted video posted on @jazeeraairways, their CEO Barathan Pasupathi shared that his team had been working hard to get their terminal ready (T5), and as of 3PM yesterday, the terminal would be ready to operate as soon as Kuwait’s airspace reopens.

I posted that on instagram since it was a nice feel good story. But, either people didn’t watch the video till the end, or maybe due to a language issue, it turned out a lot understood the video as Jazeera was opening the airport and flights would be resuming. That was obviously not true so the Civil Aviation had to issue a statement stating that the rumors of the airspace reopening was not true.

Again, either people didn’t read the statement right, or maybe due to a language issue, but they started accusing Jazeera of fake news and obviously me as well because I posted Jazeera’s story as well. Jazeera Airways must have gotten a lot of heat for their video because they ended up removing it, even though they didn’t state anything untrue or wrong or even misleading. There was meant to be a Jazeera Airways online media briefing yesterday to discuss their readiness to operate flights from Kuwait, but even that got postponed till next week. So much drama.

The Ministry of Interior has announced an update to the notification mechanism in the National Alert System on smart devices, in coordination with the activation of warning sirens across the country.

Under the new system, alerts issued between 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM will be delivered with a standard message tone, while notifications from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM will use a high-alert tone.

The ministry said the update aims to enhance the efficiency of the alert system, take into account public rest periods, and ensure timely and effective delivery of emergency warnings when required. Arab Times

I kinda had a feeling something would change after the first night. Glad they made this decision, I guess we don’t need to put our phone on airplane mode anymore.

There have been rumors about Uber coming to Kuwait for at least a decade now, and it looks like it’s finally happening. I just found out that Uber will be launching in Kuwait in the coming few months.

Earlier today, the GM of Uber announced at the National Forum for Transportation and Smart Services that the company plans to expand into Kuwait in the first half of 2026.

From what I’ve been told, even though Uber acquired Careem, this isn’t a Careem rebrand. Uber will operate alongside Careem, meaning both services will be available in Kuwait at the same time.

Last month, a video filmed by Abdulmalek Marafi went viral, showing his struggle to get from Messila to Kuwait Towers in his wheelchair while training for the Dubai Marathon. Abdulmalek was born with a disability and uses his wheelchair to show people that obstacles can be overcome with motivation.

Two days ago, he took part in the Dubai Marathon and not only finished the race, but broke a world record in the process.

Abdulmalek completed the 42.195 km course in 2 hours and 51 minutes, earning him the world record for the fastest marathon completed in a non-racing wheelchair. That’s obviously an insane time and extremely impressive. If you want to see more of his videos, head over to his Instagram @m3rafie

A couple of years ago, I posted about Kuwait having a National Ski Team. Since then, they’ve been representing Kuwait in various International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) competitions, and just last week the team won two bronze medals in Sarajevo / Bjelasnica (BIH).

Salman AlKandari came third in both the Freeski Slopestyle and Freeski Big Air categories, earning two bronze medals. It was a small competition with a few European countries, but it was still a good stepping stone for Salman and his first podium finishes.

Kuwait on a ski podium feels a lot like the Jamaican bobsled team story, which is why I love it. If you want to stay posted on the Kuwait Ski Team, head to @kuwait_wgc

A reader just sent me a link to an Arab Times article which has both good news and bad news. The good news is that it seems expats can now own pick-ups, the bad news is that expats can only own 3 cars:

The Ministry of Interior has clarified that expats in Kuwait are permitted to own a maximum of three vehicles for personal use.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Bouhassan, Assistant Director of the Traffic Awareness Department, the permitted vehicles can include motorcycles, pickup trucks, or other types of cars.

Bouhassan added that while expats are allowed to renew the registrations of their existing vehicles, they are not permitted to register any additional vehicles beyond the three-vehicle limit. Source

I had to register my pick up under my wife’s name because expats couldn’t own pick up trucks. Now that we can, I still can’t move it to my name because I have 6 other cars registered. I don’t know why they keep complicating things. If it’s to reduce traffic this isn’t going to help.

There were recently articles in the newspaper about Royal Pharmacy having their license revoked. The article didn’t make much sense to me since it didn’t really explain why their license was revoked. I read a few comments online about people thinking it was because they had too many branches open in the same area, and a lot of people sounded like they were happy their license was being revoked, like they wanted Royal Pharmacy to be punished for their success.

I have a Royal Pharmacy near my house (actually 3) but there is one I pass by the most. So I asked my pharmacist what the issue is and if they were in fact closing down because all three pharmacies near me were still open.

According to my pharmacist the issue is that basically the Kuwaiti owner of Royal Pharmacy had his citizenship revoked. So all the Royal Pharmacy stores no longer had a Kuwaiti partner.

I think the way pharmacies work in Kuwait is that an individual pharmacist needs to be the owner. So for example Royal Pharmacy or Boots are brands names, but each pharmacy is owned by an individual pharmacist. That’s why sometimes you’ll find a pharmacist name on the sign or a window sticker written in a small font.

According to my pharmacist who is an expat, because the Royal Pharmacy owner is no longer Kuwaiti, all the pharmacists need to find a new Kuwaiti partner. So the pharmacies won’t be closing (or most won’t at least), but they will be renamed or rebranded. One of the three Royal pharmacies next to me already had the word Royal removed from the signage. I’d imagine some other big brand might now want to take over the Royal Pharmacy brand.

Anyway, the above is just based on what my pharmacist told me so it might not necessarily be accurate, but it makes sense to me.

This morning I posted about different fireworks displays taking place around Kuwait, but one by one they were canceled. A short while ago, the Ministry of Interior issued an explanation, saying the cancellations were due to violations by the organizers.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the decision to cancel fireworks displays was due to public safety after authorities uncovered serious violations during inspections. These violations included companies operating fireworks without the required security approvals, using unsuitable storage locations, and failing to follow approved procedures for importing and storing fireworks. Due to the risks these violations posed to lives and property, the MOI decided to prohibit fireworks unless the necessary security approvals are obtained from the competent authorities. It seems many organizers didn’t manage to get the required permits in time.

If you want to read the full announcement (in Arabic), you can check it on @moi_kuw

I just found out from a Deliveroo press release that the delivery app Cari will be leaving the Kuwait market. According to a press release, Deliveroo have made a deal with Cari following Cari’s decision to leave Kuwait market. As part of the deal, Cari’s customers will be invited to join Deliveroo get free Deliveroo Plus Gold for 6 months and a KD10 voucher.

I thought I didn’t know anyone that still used Cari but yesterday I found out I had a friend who still did so I guess they had a following just not large enough to survive. After launching pretty strong back in 2022 they kinda fell of the radar for me. I was using them initially and liked their service but I eventually stopped using them although I don’t remember why anymore.

If you’re a Cari customer you have until January 11, 2026 to redeem this offer.

The Ministry of Interior has warned of strict penalties for individuals found wearing, using, or displaying items that promote or encourage narcotics-related activities, including through images, symbols, writings or logos.

According to an official notice issued under the “Safeguarding Our Homeland” campaign, violators may face fines of up to KD 500. The warningapplies to goods, printed materials, clothing, accessories, and any other items bearing content that incites or glorifies drug use or narcotic crimes. source

I can’t believe this is actually real, it sounds like something they would have announced back in the 90s along with banning CDs with explicit lyrics.

I just read on gulfnews.com that expats are now eligible up to 15 years. The 15 years requires expats to be investors and although they don’t mention the details I’d imagine it’s not for us normal folks. But, the article also mentions that certain expats can receive up to 10 years residency. The article doesn’t mention how just the following:

Up to 10 years for select categories
While standard residency permits may be issued for a maximum of five years, the regulations allow certain groups of expatriates to receive residency of up to 10 years, subject to meeting specific conditions set by the authorities.

Does anyone know what the conditions are to get the 10 year visa? Link

Nobu Hospitality just announced that they’ll be opening Nobu Residences and Restaurant at Hessah Plaza, inside the Hessah District Project.

Nobu is a global luxury brand known for its restaurants, hotels, and residences around the world. It was founded back in 1994 by chef Nobu Matsuhisa along with actor Robert De Niro and film producer Meir Teper.

No opening date was mentioned in the press release. Source

Thanks Khalid!

ICE has been all over the news for their controversial arrests in the US, but I didn’t think their latest capture would be a Kuwaiti citizen.

According to the news, a Kuwaiti was arrested by ICE in San Diego after he rammed his car into their vehicles trying to escape. He injured 3 federal officers during the attempted escape and according to the article he was in the US illegally and is also wanted here in Kuwait. So random. Source

According to Arab Times, the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) announced that it will enforce strict measures against stand-up comedy shows that violate licensing regulations and public morals.

I’m guessing this is related to one of (or some of) the recent standup shows that took place. Did anything happen that I’m not aware of?

The MOI shared a video yesterday where they stopped an attempt to smuggle in bottles of alcohol coming in from Europe. The bottles were hidden inside steel cable reels and with the help of the fire department they were able to cut open the reels to reveal the hidden bottles.

الجمارك تحبط محاولة تهريب 3037 زجاجة خمر مخبأة داخل بكرات كوابل صلب قادمة من إحدى الدول الاوروبية في ميناء الشويخ

تنفيذًا لتوجيهات معالي النائب الأول لرئيس مجلس الوزراء ووزير الداخلية الشيخ فهد يوسف سعود الصباح بضرورة تشديد الرقابة الجمركية والتصدي لمحاولات التهريب، تمكنت… pic.twitter.com/X21qREWoD8

— وزارة الداخلية (@Moi_kuw) September 27, 2025

Pretty elaborate smuggling attempt, I wonder how along this might have been going on for and also makes me wonder about other ways people are smuggling bottles in.

via Khaleej Times