Category: News

Is it only me or do these rats actually sound cute? But on a serious note, it looks like we need bigger cats.

Unless an immediate plan was drawn and followed strictly to get rid of the Norwegian rats, the rodents will keep on multiplying, causing an epidemic by the end of 2014 that the state will not be able to fight, Dr Samiya Al-Tobaikh, the head of the pests and rodents combat department at the Health Ministry, has warned.

Dr Al-Tobaikh said that this dangerous breed of rats was spreading at an alarming rate in various areas around Kuwait, namely Jleeb (74 per cent), Sulaibiya industrial area (71 per cent), Ardiya industrial area, Req’ee, Jahra industrial area and across the beaches at the Chalets area. Al-Tobaikh also warned that this particular species of rodents as big as a cat was highly dangerous since it carries and spreads plague, is clever and cannot be killed easily as it can quickly recognize many kinds of poisons.

“Seeing any food, they usually send a smaller younger volunteer to eat it and if the volunteer dies, the rats never approach that food,” she said, adding that these rats were such ‘good actors’ that they can fake death when hunted and wait it out till they are thrown out. She said if one rat is spotted in a house, that means that there could be 50 others hiding in and around that house.[Source]

An abandoned building in Fahaheel started collapsing earlier tonight at around 8:30pm. The building is currently leaning forward and looks like it’s going to collapse on the adjacent apartment building. According to a reader, the surrounding buildings have been evacuated and the area has been cordoned off.

Thanks Hansel
Photos taken by Mohamed Harsath

The Taj Arabia complex would be much bigger than the original monument to love and include a 300-room hotel, shops and commercial buildings, developer Arun Mehra said.[Source]

Too slow Dubai, we already beat you to it.

IKEA are blaming their Saudi franchisee for this botch up. [Link]

Update: Kuwait’s catalogue still contains women

On Tuesday, the Ministry ordered the ISPs to cut prices by at least 40 percent, slashing the price of an annual subscription for a 1 megabyte per second (mbp) connection to 48 Kuwaiti dinars ($170), while 8 mbps will now cost 200 dinars.
That means Kuwait is considerably cheaper than other Gulf countries; in Bahrain, for example, Batelco charges 120 dinars ($320) annually for a 1 mbp line and 360 dinars for 8 mbps.

But that will do little to improve fixed broadband take-up, said Qualitynet’s Kooheji, with Kuwait’s penetration of about 5.5 percent half that of the United Arab Emirates.

“We receive lots of calls from customers who want to upgrade and take the maximum speed for the price available, but they cannot do so,” said Kooheji. “The government should put more effort into improving the telecom infrastructure rather than cutting prices.”

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Kooheji said only about 15 percent of fixed broadband connections in the country used fibre, with the remainder on copper lines.

If it wasn’t for WiMD I’d still be stuck on a 2Mbps DSL connection with a 256kb uplink. Yet I’d still be one of the lucky ones since at least I have a phone line. Check out the news article on [Yahoo]

BurgerFuel is a New Zealand based fastfood chain with branches already in UAE and Saudi Arabia. As part of their expansion they’re now planning to open a branch in Kuwait. [Link]

I admit, I’m really terrible when it comes to business in general so I don’t understand how more burger places are opening in Kuwait, a small market thats already over-saturated with burger places. Am I missing something? Is there really still room for more burger places?

Alshaya announced today that they’ll be bringing the franchise Katsuya by S+ARCK to Kuwait and the region. Unlike the other brands they’ve previous acquired this is probably the first one I haven’t heard of before. This is the description of what Katsuya is on their website:

Featuring the dynamic pairing of Master Sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi and design impresario Philippe Starck, Katsuya by Starck is truly a feast for the senses. With specialty cocktails, unique rolls and spectacular sushi and sashimi platters, Chef Uechi skillfully translates Japanese flavors to the American palate. Signature dishes include Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna, Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño and Miso-Marinated Black Cod. With superb talent and exacting precision, Katsuya by Starck is changing the face of Japanese cuisine.

For the press release click [Here]

Update: Katsuya is now open [Link]

According to a news article on KUNA you will now be able to transfer your mobile number from one operator to another. The cost of the transfer is KD5 and the process should take around 24 hours. Here is the [Article]

The Hummingbird Bakery is coming to Kuwait and the rest of the region but not with Alshaya. Arabian Business is reporting that Daud Arabian, a subsidiary of The Daud Group of Oman signed a partnership with The Hummingbird Bakery and they’ll be opening branches in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt. The first branch is going to open in Dubai Mall on the 25th of this month which is just 20 days from now. [Link]

Looks like the old wooden boats that park there are on fire.

Update: There is a boat traffic jam right now in the enclosed bay since all the boats are trying to get out at the same time.

Update2: Here is a second angle

Update3: Finally a better shot via @KhalifaAlfadhli

Update4: Below is a closeup by @saadalthaidy

Update4: Final update since the fire has been put out.

Local resident Jamal Sleeq has retained his Guinness World Record for most prayer beads by owning 3,642 pieces. He also is the Guinness World Record holder for the largest Opaline glass collection. You can watch a video report about his prayer beads collection from back in May below.

[YouTube]

via Speakin’ the Blues

An abandoned puppy mill was discovered in Lebanon by BETA (Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) where they found 28 dead dogs and 12 that were alive feeding on the dead ones. Absolutely horrible and the video is graphic so you’re warned. Hopefully this will cause Lebanon a lot of embarrassment and the owner of the puppy mill gets prosecuted to set as an example to others. [YouTube]

In other news, here in Kuwait the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) will no longer be poisoning stray dogs. If you remember early on in the year a huge controversy erupted when video and pictures showed dogs in the Free Trade Zone dead after being poisoned. PAAAFR will now be working with the UK-based WSPCA and local animal non-profits organizations to learn alternative animal control methods. Here is the link to the full story on Kuwait Times. [Link]

Lt Gen Ghazi Al-Omar, Ministry of Interior’s Undersecretary has released new set of instructions to grant rewards, including cash payments to civilians who help prevent a criminal act or provide valuable information to police.

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According to a report published by some Arabic dailies, the cash prize can reach up to KD 500 depending on the nature of crime and assistance provided. Both Kuwaitis and expatriates can benefit from the new regulation, said the source.

They should create an App for that. People submit pictures or tips on criminal activities and the ones with the most likes wins. [Link]

Thanks Tuan

Fehaid Aldeehani won a bronze medal earlier today at the Olympic double trap event. The only other Olympic medal Kuwait ever won was back at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and it was again because of Fehaid. Congrats! [Link]

Update: Turns out Fehaid came in 4th NOT 3rd. I misread the Yahoo article. 4th doesn’t win him any medals but it’s still a very respectable ranking that puts Kuwait on the map.

The Al-Hasawi family promised if they took over Nottingham Forest they would offer Kuwaitis a chance to play for the team. Looks like they’re sticking to their promise because Kuwaiti footballer Bader Al-Mutawa is set to begin a month-long trial with Nottingham Forest.

Arabian Business have more details [Here]