2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
A friend told me about this earlier (Rand) and I wasn’t interested but as it turns out there is an actual video of the robbery which suddenly made it a lot more interesting. Turns out 2 cars drove into Wafi Mall and the occupents got out, robbed a jewellery store and then escaped in the 2 vehicles.
You can watch the video [here]
Thanks LE!
Emily Sharpe, a reader of the blog sent in a link to the following video which was shot by her during the swearing in of new Kuwaiti Minister of Education, Nouriya Al-Subeeh during the Parliamentary session. The session was disrupted by Islamist MPs who objected to the fact that she refused to wear the hijab (headscarf), which she does not normally wear.
[YouTube]
Here is a site with links to all the local newspapers in Kuwait (Arabic and English) and also some magazines. [Link]
The Daily Star is not listed there probably because their site just recently came online.
This is cool news, Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co have agreed to purchase a stake in Aston Martin. Yabeela! [Link]
The Forbes list is out and its interesting to see Kuwait and Lebanon both on the list although to be honest I was expecting more Kuwaitis on the list:
Rank 52
Nasser Al-Kharafi & family (Kuwait)
Worth 11.5 billion Dollars
Rank 407
Najib Mikati (Lebanon)
Worth 2.3 billion Dollars
Rank 407
Taha Mikati (Lebanon)
Worth 2.3 billion Dollars
Rank 618
Bassam Alghanim (Kuwait)
Worth 1.6 billion Dollars
Rank 618
Kutayba Alghanim (Kuwait)
Worth 1.6 billion Dollars
Rank 618
Fahd Hariri (Lebanon)
Worth 1.6 billion Dollars
Rank 717
Mohamed Al-Bahar (Kuwait)
Worth 1.4 billion Dollars
Rank 891
Nazek Hariri (Lebanon)
Worth 1 billion Dollars
For the full list of billionaires click [Here]
Thanks cajie
This is really ironic. One of the actors from the show Prison Break is actually going to go to prison for real! [Link]
I just found this old article from TIME Magazine that was written after alcohol was banned in Kuwait:
A month ago the oil-rich sheikdom of Kuwait banned all liquor within its borders, and since then many of its thirsty citizens have been drinking everything in sight from perfume and eau de cologne to rubbing alcohol and Sterno — with predictably disastrous results. By last week, an estimated 150 Kuwaiti had died from alcohol poisoning, several hundred more had been blinded, and Kuwait’s hospitals were filled to overflowing. Bathtub gin is flourishing, and bootlegging the real thing has become Kuwait’s fastest growing business. A fifth of Dewar’s White Label Scotch now commands a sheik’s ransom of $50 on the black market.
Prohibition came to Kuwait as deviously as an Arab horse trade. In theory only Christian residents of the predominantly Moslem nation could drink, using ration cards to obtain whisky through London’s Gray Mackenzie & Co. Ltd., which has had an import monopoly on Kuwait’s liquor flow for decades. In fact, Moslems imbibed increasingly, and drunken-driving fatalities mounted apace. The nation’s stricter religious leaders then teamed up with local merchants who resented Gray Mackenzie’s lucrative monopoly to introduce a prohibition bill in the Kuwaiti Assembly. With voting a matter of public record in the tiny Moslem land, the bill passed easily, despite its manifest unpopularity and whatever the legislators’ private lapses from the temperance of Mohammed’s grace might be.
Gray Mackenzie padlocked its doors, and the poisoning cases began to stagger in as sales of after-shave lotions and cologne soared tenfold. Several dozen British and American petroleum engineers served notice that they would not renew their employment contracts if Kuwait stayed dry. Several influential Kuwaitis have applied to remote countries for posts as honorary consuls, hoping thereby to qualify for diplomatic liquor privileges. Many of the thirsty began flocking to Basra in Iraq, 100 miles from Kuwait City. Their pilgrimage has also produced agitation for repeal of the law from their weekend widows left behind. They fear that the forced-draft drinking by the boys and the wiles of the women of Basra may prove a dangerously combustible mix.
Kuwait is the 8th fattest country in the world, even ahead of the US! [Link]
1. Nauru
2. Micronesia
3. Cook Islands
4. Tonga
5. Niue
6. Samoa
7. Palau
8. Kuwait
9. United States
10. Kiribati
A friend of mine yesterday told me that a Kuwait Airways plane “crashed” in the UAE and they were trying to cover up the incident. I didn’t believe him because you can’t cover up an aircraft crash. Anyway today it turns out there wasn’t a crash but a Kuwait Airways plane had to do an emergency landing because the landing gear failed to open. I will definitely never be flying with Kuwait Airways again.
Now two things grabbed my attention in the article. First, UAE offered Kuwait a replacement plane. I found that really strange because its not like Kuwait is broke and can’t afford a new plane. They must have looked at all the aging Kuwait Airways aircraft and gotten the idea Kuwait can’t afford to get a replacement and decided to donate one to us…
Then near the end of the article I also read about how Kuwait Airways later dropped the passengers off in Dubai with no hotel reservations or anything. I mean come on. When a plane crash lands and passengers get hurt and are forced to evacuate the plane, its a very traumatizing experience. At least, at the very least other then the million apologies to the passengers and the extra free air miles and cash for all the trauma they endured, at the very least put them up in a hotel. According to the article, Kuwait Airways just dropped off the passengers on the side of the road without offering to put them up in a hotel. The passengers are now planning to sue Kuwait Airways and I hope they end up winning.
Morale of the story, never fly with Kuwait Airways.
Starting Saturday, Kuwait will be issuing new license plates for the cars. I just saw an article in the Daily Star newspaper about it and I think the new plates look better then the current ones we have, but I don’t think they are better then Dubai’s. I just hope the new plates come in the really wide size also because this squarish one looks really weird on my Beemer.
On my way to work yesterday I saw some blue banners and something like a stage outside the House of Parliament. Thanks to a reader in the forum (RJV) I found out there was a demonstration yesterday asking for football reform in Kuwait. The full article is available on Kuwait Times if anyone wants to read it. [Article]
I personally haven’t watched that many soccer matches after 1990. Most of the games I watched were all pre-1990 and my favorites then were whenever Kuwait played against Saudi Arabia. Since I play the goal keeper position my favorite player then was Samir Saeed which is why I am now a big fan of Mr Baker (he owns it). I feel like playing football now.
Anyway in case you missed it, here is my post on
Haydoo, Kuwait’s lovely camel. [Link]
From Naharnet today:
Kuwait issued a decision Sunday banning men from working in shops selling “private” women’s garments like lingerie.
The decision, issued by the ministry of social affairs and labor, gave businesses until April 7 to implement the ban or face a fine of up to 700 dollars for each violating worker.
It said that special inspectors from the ministry would enforce the ban.
The ministry also ordered its labor departments to stop recruiting male migrant laborers for employment in women’s lingerie shops.
I didn’t know men WERE allowed to sell lingerie in the first place…
Thanks Shak
Watch this video taken 3 days ago in Portland, USA. Its a video of cars sliding on the frozen roads and crashing into each other. [Link]
