Category: News

I just read that the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources is planning to build a Safari Zoo in Jahra. It’s going to be a drive-thru zoo where you will only be able to travel through it by car or specially designed trains. The fact they admit that the current zoo is inhumane is a good sign and is actually part of their reason for building the new zoo so I have high hopes for this project.

The funny part is it seems we have an animal exchange program with the Korean Zoo where we sent them deer in return for a leopard. I thought that was a pretty good deal. Check out the full article [Here]

Turns out in one of the leaked documents that were released by Wikileaks they talk about bloggers in Kuwait. This is from back in 2005 when we were only a few blogs but even if the information is outdated it still gives an interesting glimpse to how we were viewed. Nibaq from the now defunct KuwaitBlogs.com gets a mention as well.

The freaky thing is the fact that the US Government was spying on the bloggers. According to the leak, someone from the embassy attended a bloggers meet up to get more details on who the bloggers were. Makes you wonder if any other government spied on us as well or if the US government spied on us again after that meeting.

Check out the full document [Here]

via Kuwaitiful

Update: According to Talal (who was mentioned in the wiki), the officer from the US Embassy actually identified himself as being from the Embassy and also told them he was trying to get some information for the Cultural Affairs. So that’s not spying.

This is very odd. On the front page of Al Rai newspaper there is a notice from Avenues saying that we can no longer mention Avenues, talk about Avenues or post pictures of Avenues without getting written permission first. That includes, newspapers, magazines, blogs etc…

I’m not sure why they would release something like this. I guess from now on I’ll refer to Avenues as Alshaya Mall?

Thanks Salah

Update: The Avenues have responded [Link]

When I first heard that the orange Chihuly sculpture at 360 Mall got damaged I got really upset since I imagined a large chunk of it had fallen to the ground. Luckily my imagination had run wild and the damage turned out to be barely visible. I passed by 360 Mall earlier tonight and actually had a hard time spotting the damage which is great.

If you’re curious to know how both the Chihuly sculptures were built check out these pictures that were taken during the installation. [Link]

In the first incident of its kind, a traffic policeman issued a citation against an Arab motorist for having bad breath, reports Al-Anba daily.

A police source said it is a very strange incident and problematic too because the penalty is not known. “Will the motorist be fined; if so, how much will he have to pay and if his car is impounded, how long will it be in the police garage?” he asked.
Incidentally, it is also mentioned on the citation that the motorist admitted that his mouth smells. [Source]

If they’re issuing tickets for bad breath then my previous joke about how sunglasses should be banned might actually happen.

Update: I added the picture of the ticket to the post

Update2: The MOI is denying such a ticket was issued [Link]

A reader emailed to tell me that the First Ring Road is going to open up tomorrow but I didn’t think it was true. I passed by the other day and it didn’t look like it was going to be finished but according to an article on Kuna the road and bridge should be open to the public tomorrow. Weird. [Link]

Thanks Q8 Mods

The Kuwait Fund for Arab and Economic Development (KFAED) loaned Morocco 712 million dirhams ($89.2 million) as part of the first phase of its participation in funding the project of the High Speed Train (HST) linking Tangier to Casablanca.

I just read about this awhile ago and it kinda upset me. Where is our high-speed train? [Link]

According to Arabian Business, the British toy store Hamleys will be opening in Kuwait within 6 to 12 months. The article doesn’t say where it will open but my guess would be in the Avenues phase III. [Link]

TIME Magazine have an article titled “Extreme Heat: 10 Worldwide Spots With Tough Temperatures” and Kuwait was included as the hottest city. That’s not surprising at all considering how everyone has been recording temperatures over 50 degrees.

Here is the [Link]

Earlier today I tweeted that one of my sources told me that they were canceling the download caps and it looks like it’s true. Taken from the KUNA website:

In a move that would please all internet users in Kuwait, Minister Information and Minister of Communications Salem Al-Uthayna announced Thursday that his ministry issued new regulations obliging internet providers to cut the cost of internet subscription and remove the download limits on users.

The Minister said that the ministry officials have held intensive meetings with internet providers to review the cost and quality of the services provided to internet users in Kuwait. “The internet has become a cornerstone in development, economy and everyday life in Kuwait,” Al-Uthayna said.

Following this meeting, the ministry obliged internet providers to upgrade the quality of their services and to cut prices as of next month. The minister vowed to start new stage of close monitoring and accountability for internet providers to make sure to protect the rights of subscribers. [source]

Finally some great news although I do hope that means everyone in Kuwait will get fiber optics or else I’m still stuck with my phone lines max speed which is just 2Mbps…

Someone get me some popcorn:

Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Daifallah BuRamiah expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the Ministry of Communication, adding that giving the internet companies the chance to manipulate prices is unaffordable. BuRamiah said, “The ministry has become a playground for some influential traders and those who rob public funds.” He added claiming that the ministry turned a blind eye to the improper practices of some companies in order to gain political loyalty at the expense of public funds.

MP BuRamiah said that the ministry’s insistence on keeping internet services monopolized by a small number of companies indicates that the ministry is supporting some companies against the subscribers in order to satisfy some greedy traders and influential people. BuRamiah noted that he would direct parliamentary questions to the Minister of Communication to inquire about the number of internet companies, their owners, the fees, and also about the reasons behind not allowing foreign companies to enter the local market. He also warned the minister of neglecting his questions, which will in turn reveal the facts about those who rob public funds.

[Source]

[YouTube]

Brake Banzeen just posted a video showing a bunch of cars from the Gulf being ticketed in London. I spotted three cars with Kuwaiti plates but it’s not clear in the video why they were being stopped by the cops. At first glance it makes it seem that all the drivers in the video are guilty which is misleading.

According to the Small World news service, residents in the area having been complaining that some drivers are turning the streets into private race tracks. They also reported other problems with some cars not being insured properly as well as license plates that weren’t legible. In the video above the cops are probably just checking for these things and not necessarily fining the drivers (except for the Qatari Dodge Challenger).

You can read the Small World article by clicking [Here]

Kuwaitism (yes he’s back) posted a BBC report he found on Kuwaiti entrepreneurs. It’s a very short piece which is disappointing since it’s a very interesting topic. I really couldn’t figure out what BBC was trying to say with this piece, all I understood was that the Kuwaiti government helps Kuwaitis set up their businesses, so why aren’t there more entrepreneurs? That’s fine as an intro but they spoke to just 2 entrepreneurs and one government official and we’re really left with no investigation or conclusion. For example I’m sure laziness isn’t the only reason for lack of entrepreneurship, what about the fact that the market is flooded with international chains? Maybe rents are too high as well? I’m not sure since I am just guessing here which is why I would have liked BBC to really dig into this subject. If you can’t see the video above for some reason here is the [Link]

Two weeks back Salwa al Mutairi proposed that Kuwaiti men should be allowed to have sex slaves and now she’s calling for a law that would also allow Kuwaiti women to buy good looking men from Muslim countries. According to the article on Arab Times “the men should have ‘slave qualities’ and should be ready for marriage”. The article continues with her saying “she is ready to get married to a young good looking European, even if he is poor.”

Personally I think she’s currently hooked on the tv series Spartacus and now wants her own slave as well. By “slave qualities” I’m also guessing she means they need to have the standard six-pack and ripped upper body that the slaves on Spartacus come with. That’s my theory at least. You can read the full article [Here]

According to an article on KuwaitNews.com, the ministry after receiving many complaints from internet subscribers has sent an official letter to the internet providers telling them to remove the bandwidth limits or else they would have to take appropriate measure. I hope this is true and if it is then it’s great news. Here is the link to the article, it’s in Arabic. [Link]

Thanks BerserkKW