Washington Post have an article on muslim female athletes and Kuwaiti athletes are featured prominently in it. It’s an interesting article that highlights the struggle muslim female athletes go through in the Arab world but it also kind of shows how liberal Kuwait is (or can be). Kuwaiti athletes won’t be able to participate at the Rio Olympics this year under the Kuwaiti flag due to the ban imposed on Kuwait by the IOC, but I believe there will be a number of Kuwaiti female athletes competing (Faye Sultan is confirmed), I’m just still waiting to get the final list so I can share it. Here is the link to the Washington Post [Article]
A new law regulating all Web-based publications including electronic news services, bulletins, websites of newspapers and televisions and alike came into effect yesterday after its bylaws were published in the official gazette. Information Minister Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said the law is for professional online media in a bid to preserve Kuwaiti traditions and counter extremist ideology.
The minister urged all those running online news services to register on the ministry website to obtain the necessary license to operate in the country. Under the legislation, all these services must obtain a license from the government before they can operate. Those in existence have one year to comply with the law. Violations committed by these services will be looked in court under the press and publications law, which stipulates hefty jail terms for several offenses.
During its debate in the Assembly in January this year, the minister insisted the law is aimed at regulating electronic media and it will not apply to personal accounts, like those of bloggers. Under the law, the owner and director of all online services must be Kuwaiti. Violations can be penalized by jail terms of up to 10 years if these services call for the overthrow of the country’s regime. [Source]
Thankfully I’m not included in this since I run a personal blog. If I did fall under this new regulation it would turn out to be such a complicated mess since I’d have to register the blog as online media outlet and I might not get approval for it. And then even if I did get approval I wouldn’t be able to own the blog because I’m not Kuwaiti. The whole thing doesn’t make sense though, you can’t regulate or control the internet.
Under the direction of His Highness the Amir, the Amiri Diwan has taken on several key projects in Kuwait. The Diwan’s project portfolio includes projects such as the new Al-Jahra Hospital, Al-Shaheed Park and Kuwait’s two cultural centers (Abdullah Al-Salem & Jaber Al-Ahmed) set to be complete by year’s end. On 20 June, the Amiri Diwan announced the awarding of a KD 49 million contract to local developer Bayan National Trading Company to design and build Kuwait’s Motor Town.
According to press reports the project aims at building seven race circuits compatible with international standards. These circuits would enable Kuwait to host Formula 1 and MotoGP races in the future.
The project is located south of the city, in Orafjan, adjacent to the Wafra road. The contract also includes the construction of a pit building and a media center. According to press reports, the project is set to include a hotel and shopping mall at a later stage (not part of the current package). [Source]
Hard to believe but it looks like we’re finally getting a race track in Kuwait. Not any racetrack might I add, but a FIA Grade 1 circuit designed by Hermann Tilke, the same guy behind a number of popular F1 tracks including Yas Marina and the Baku City Circuit.
I couldn’t find a lot of information on Kuwait Motor Town online other than the video above and a couple of renderings along with the following brief description on the Tilke website:
Kuwait Motor Town shall position itself as a new place making destination with a unique FIA grade 1 circuit as the nucleus of the state of the art facility, which will attract a wide spectrum of people. Whether professional race driver, or families seeking for leisure activities, or club members desiring premium level services, Kuwait Motor Town with its fully integrated portfolio of entertainment assets will create the upmost exciting and innovative automotive experience for the whole region.
I’m not fond of the name Kuwait Motor Town but it will probably change by the time the project is completed and honestly, even if they called it Cupcake Town it doesn’t really matter because end of the day we’re finally getting a race track. Now I just need to convince Alghanim to give me an 80% discount on the Lotus Exige S.
Temperatures Thursday reached an incredible 54°C (129.2°F) in Mitribah, Kuwait, setting the record for the warmest temperature ever recorded outside of California’s Death Valley, according to a Weather Underground report. [Source]
That was it? I guess there isn’t much of a difference between 54°C and our usual 51°C weather. Today felt like just any other day.
This latest seizure netted over 10 million Captagon pills with a street value of KD25 million. If the whole population is 3.3 million, that means this one haul was large enough to give every single person in Kuwait 3 pills. How popular is this drug in Kuwait? [YouTube]
All-time record-challenging heat to scorch the Middle East through Friday
A powerful area of high pressure centered from Iraq into the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf will result in historic heat building over the region through Friday.
Temperatures have risen across the region each day this week and are expected to peak on Thursday and Friday.
The highest likelihood for all-time record high temperatures on either day is from Iraq and southwestern Iran into Kuwait and northeastern Saudi Arabia.
Many current all-time records in these areas are between 51 and 53 C (124 and 127 F) and similar or slightly higher temperatures are possible Thursday and Friday.
The temperature soared to 52.4 C (126.3 F) in Nasiriyah, Iraq, on Wednesday, only 0.6 C (1.1 F) from the all-time record.
Even if all-time records are not set, dangerous heat is expected in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Basrah, Iraq and Ahvaz, Iran. [Source]
If you thought it couldn’t get any hotter you’re in for a surprise since this weekend is going to be a record challenger. Have fun everyone.
Jazeera Airways has been granted approval by the Kuwait Council of Ministers for land to build a dedicated passenger terminal and car park buildings at Kuwait International Airport.
The terminal is a solution proposed by the airline to help ease the congestion at Kuwait International Airport, the country’s only primary airport, which is currently operating over capacity.
The project’s investment value is KD14 million ($46.232), and its total construction time frame is 15 months, including the permits acquisitions phase.
The terminal is part of the airline’s ‘Next Big Thing’ series of value boosting projects and initiatives tasked with creating a better travel experience on ground and in the air. Other initiatives include a remote check-in facility, in-flight broadband internet, a business class lounge, and long-haul flights. [Source]
Rumors of a dedicated Jazeera Airways terminal had been floating around for years and it looks like they finally got the approval from the government. Until the new terminal is built, Jazeera Airways are setting up a remote check-in station for the current airport:
Remote Check-in
Jazeera are building a check-in facility two minutes away from the main airport terminal. You arrive at the facility where parking valets will meet you, unload your baggage and then park your car for you. You then check in your baggage at this facility and get your boarding pass before being shuttled to the main terminal where you can head straight to immigration. The idea here is that you’ll bypass the airports congestion by skipping the whole parking and check-in process at the main terminal. They’ve already started construction on this facility and it should be operational by the end of this year. [Source]
So if I am to understand this correctly, we will end up having a total of 4 different terminals. We have the current main terminal at the Kuwait International Airport, the Sheikh Saad terminal, the huge new terminal that will start construction soon and now the Jazeera terminal. Nice.
A group of talented students of Kuwait’s Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SAGC) has offered an impressive performance and the grabbed the top positions in the International Mental Math Championship, held in Thailand.
In a press statement, the SAGC reported that the Kuwaiti students have won the first place in the group category.
They have also performed well in the individuals categories wining the first and second places in level No. 1. The Kuwaiti students have snatched the first places in levels 3 and 4 and the fourth place in level No. 5.
Over 1465 students from across the world have partaken in the competition which started Sunday. The students were challenged by complicated math equations.
Smart Brain is part of the global Smart Brain Franchise, which spans over 20 countries and teaches over 275,000 children every year.
It seeks to bring the internationally renowned Abacus Mental Arithmetic and Whole Brain Development Program to every child, thereby instilling a powerful learning tool that will aid the child in overall learning abilities such as reading comprehension, math, memory recall and concentration. [Source]
I hadn’t heard of Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity until this article. I took a look at their website (which is a mess) and they offer after school activities to help the needs of talented and creative students who aren’t having their abilities challenged with the regular school curriculum. I don’t know if this is strictly for Kuwaitis or also expats but it’s still pretty interesting nevertheless and impressive that we have it. [Link]
Kuwait has become the first state in the Gulf region to set a minimum wage for its estimated 600,000 domestic workers, most of whom are overseas workers from Asia.
The minimum wage is set at 60 dinars (roughly $200 USD) a month, according to a decree issued by Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al-Sabah.
Al Jazeera reported that the decree also promised other rights, including a weekly day off, guaranteed overtime pay, 12-hour working days with rest periods, 30 days of paid leave annually and an end-of-service benefit when the contract ends.
Kuwait becomes the first Gulf country to regulate the domestic work industry through legislation. Over 2.4 million domestic workers serve homes across the Gulf, and with the exception of those in Kuwait, they are not protected by labor legislation. [Full Article]
This news broke before the weekend but I didn’t want to post it until I got a bit more information. I was confused because from what I was aware of, the minimum wage in Kuwait was KD60 anyway so I didn’t understand why this was news now. But, according to Fajer the lawyer, it turns out the KD60 minimum wage was for the private sector workers and that domestic workers didn’t fall under that category. Now they do.
Kuwait is saying “no” to “Pokemon Go” in certain places. The tiny oil-rich emirate’s Interior Ministry issued a statement Friday warning users of the smash mobile phone application from taking pictures of any vital government, military or security location.
It also warned users not to pounce on Pikachus or chase Charmanders at mosques, shopping centers, malls and oil installations.
Lt. Gen. Sulaiman al-Fahad at the ministry said: “No excuses will be accepted by anyone claiming ignorance of the law.”
Though “Pokemon Go” hasn’t officially come to nations in the Persian Gulf, many have downloaded the app. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates also have warned users to be careful while chasing digital critters in the augmented reality game. [Source]
I can understand why they’re warning users not to play Pokemon in sensitive government and military locations but malls??
Yesterday the Daily Mail published an article on the dogs that were killed in Kuwait by the American security company and since then it’s been gaining a lot of traction online. Awhile ago it even hit the top of the World News subreddit on Reddit. If you haven’t seen the Daily Mail article yet you can check it out by clicking [Here]
Dr. Eman Al-Shammari entered Guinness Book of World Records with the biggest digital photo album, adding another entry of Kuwait in the most famous reference book.
By organizing an anti-bullying campaign under the slogan (Shame on You), Al-Shammari received late on Monday a letter from Guinness Book of World Records after collecting the biggest digital photo album of different people with a sign expressing Kuwait’s keenness on fighting sectarian, ethnic, and school bullying.
The voluntary campaign managed to collect more than 13,000 photos of people carrying a sign that read (Shame on You) to help victims of bullying, especially children, to face such conduct, whether in schools or anywhere else, Al-Shammari told KUNA. [Source]
There must have been something lost in translation cuz I doubt the record is for the biggest digital photo album when most people have more than 13,000 photos on their phone. Unless the record is very specific one, the kind you can submit yourself to Guinness via their website so the record would be “the biggest digital photo album of different people holding a sign up with the message Shame on You”. Thats the only way this makes any sense.
Since we are on the subject, if you’d like to see all the Guinness World Records Kuwait has broken then click [Here]
Starting from today Entertainment City will be closed for renovations. No time estimate was given to when the renovations will be completed but my guess is since they closed it on the first day of Ramadan, then they’ll reopen the park just in time for Eid a month from now. That is unless it’s a major overhaul and the rumors about Six Flags taking over are true then expect it to be closed for awhile. But since nobody goes there anyway, I doubt anyone will notice. I just hope they fix the Australian log ride, that ride has been closed for years and it was the best thing there.
The 2016 edition of the Global Slavery Index was released a couple of days ago and Kuwait came in 108th place. There are an estimated 18,200 slaves in Kuwait at the moment putting Kuwait in 25th place in the “Estimated Proportion of Population in Modern Slavery by Country” list. [Source]
Kuwait has awarded a KD 1.3bn ($4.3bn) contract to Turkish firm Limak Construction – the lowest bidder – to construct the new passenger terminal at the Kuwait International Airport.
The 708,000 square metre new passenger terminal will have the capacity to handle 25 million passengers per year.
It will also be able to accommodate all aircraft types through 51 gates and stands with the ability to serve 21 A380 jumbo jets simultaneously.
The terminal is scheduled for completion in six years, a statement said. The contract also includes the provision of maintenance for an additional two years. [Source]
Even though I heard there was a bit on controversy since the project was awarded to a firm previously disqualified, at least we’re finally going to get a new airport!
