KUWAIT: The head of the Kuwait Engineers Society, Eng. Faisal Al-Atl, has sounded an alarm bell saying Kuwait may find it hard to find jobs for engineers in future because the number of engineering graduates is 3,000 annually while the actual need for both the government and private labor market does not exceed 1,000, reports Al-Rai daily. He added, because there is no coordination between education of all kinds and the need of the labor market, and since the annual turnout of engineers far outpace the need of the labor market, there is a need for specialized engineers in the oil sector, such as machinery and drilling engineers , but no o n e studies these disciplines, while the focus is on petroleum engineering in general, so there is an imbalance in the labor market and its needs in which the graduate will not find an opportunity to work in the future with his certificate. Al-Atl said the KES has prepared a list of 13,000 expatriate engineers who have not passed the professional tests carried out by the society in cooperation with the Kuwait University and also “we did not find a clear response in this regard.”

Proposal
He went on to say that the KES has submitted a proposal and called on the Public Authority for Manpower to amend the Kuwaitization law in the private sector so that the rate is not less than 30 percent for Kuwaitis. He added, until 2004, the number of public benefit associations was approximately 25, and they have been operating since the 1960s, according to goals and plans to develop and serve their members and society in general. However, after this date, the number exceeded 100 associations with the same goals and technical specializations.

It seems that some of these associations have a political goal that may weaken the strength of the civil society in confronting corruption, dispersing its ideas, and interfering in its work, and public benefit associations, especially professional associations, since their inception, serving the country and the citizen through declared goals and activities for all. Meanwhile, he said according to published figures, the number of Kuwaiti engineers working in the private sector does not exceed 2,000, unlike oil engineers and the government sector.

Employment
He added, the KES supports the employment of Kuwaiti engineers, and the Kuwaitization of the engineering sector, and “this is our major demand and in all our meetings with officials, we call for opening new work horizons and stopping the queue system for Kuwaiti engineers in the government sector, and we have initiated the rehabilitation of hundreds of engineers to replace them in the private sector as well. “In this regards, we presented a project to replace the Kuwaiti engineers to work in the private sector by regulating the engineering labor market in Kuwait under the title ‘Engineers are future leaders’ which has so far received a lukewarm response by assigning the association the task of accrediting non-Kuwaiti engineers,” he said.

He went on to say, that everyone who submits an application for membership and fulfills the conditions gets it, and we have members and colleagues from the bedoun category and they enjoy all the services provided by the society except they don’t have the voting right in the elections for the society’s board members. Al-Atl confirmed that the Society of Engineers is the oldest public benefit society in Kuwait, as it was established in 1962, with the beginning of the urban and economic renaissance and shortly after Kuwait’s independence, and its objectives include contributing to the industrial and urban renaissance in the country, preserving the rights and legitimate professional interests of engineers and organizing the rules for practicing the profession and raising their standards.

This is in addition to working to consolidate ties and documenting scientific and technical cooperation between engineers in Kuwait and their colleagues in Arab and foreign countries, encouraging the conduct of engineering research and the development of Arab engineering specifications in partnership with the concerned institutions and bodies, seeking to resolve disputes that occur between engineers or between them and their clients in connection with engineering work and encouraging engineering vocational training in Kuwait by various available means.

KUWAIT: British Ambassador to Kuwait Belinda Lewis has affirmed the depth of bilateral relations between her country and Kuwait in various fields, reports Al-Jarida daily. Lewis made the affirmation when she delivered a speech at the opening of a photo exhibition entitled, “King Charles III at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II,” by Kuwaiti-British relations researcher Issa Dashti at the Bayt Dixon Cultural Center. The Romanian ambassador and a large number of individuals interested in historical affairs also attended the event.

Belinda Lewis, British Ambassador to Kuwait.
Dixon is an architectural testament to the historic friendship between the United Kingdom and Kuwait, and a symbol of the long partnership between the two countries. Lewis expressed her admiration for the exhibition, which she described as “wonderful, distinctive and most special because it includes rare pictures of King Charles, as well as some collectibles and pictures of high-end clothing and jewelry.”

Disclosed
Meanwhile, Sheikha Hala Al-Badr disclosed that “the relationship between Kuwait and Britain began in 1775. The rulers and people of Kuwait worked towards strengthening such relations on one hand, while the British Empire worked to consolidate and support it on the other hand. There have been many important stations and positions that strengthened this relationship, proving its strength and solidity throughout history.” She added: “King Charles III made eight official visits to the State of Kuwait, all of them when he was Crown Prince and Prince of Wales.

King Charles’ relationship with Kuwait is strong and distinguished, along with its rulers and people. We, the government and people, have deep love, appreciation and respect for him.” On the other hand, Dashti, who was awarded the British Empire Medal, asserted: “History will record and document the participation of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad in the coronation ceremony for King Charles III and the Queen Consort. It will have good repercussions for the future generations.” He added: “Bayt Dixon Cultural Center used to be the home of Colonel Dixon’s family, who is considered an icon of Kuwaiti-British relations.”

KUWAIT: The Airport customs officers have arrested an unidentified passenger who arrived from an European country for attempting to smuggle hashish into the country, reports Kuwait Customs Twitter account. The contraband was hidden inside one of the bags. Some hashish was hidden in a box of creams and some inside a metal box and yet another quantity in glass bottle. The contraband was packed professionally and re-sealed to make them appear factory produced.

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior, as part of its ongoing efforts in monitoring criminals, successfully arrested 11 expats of various nationalities in the Mahboula region. These individuals were arrested on charges of prostitution. They have been handed over to the appropriate authorities for further legal action.

KUWAIT: The Criminal Investigation and Licensing Department, under the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation, has successfully apprehended an individual involved in fraudulent activities conducted through social media platforms. The identity of the perpetrator has not been disclosed at this time, but appropriate legal actions are currently being pursued against them.
Meanwhile two individuals who were operating prostitution in a residence have been arrested, and appropriate legal actions are being pursued against them.

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior issued a warning today, advising the public to be cautious when dealing with unknown email accounts or phone numbers in order to protect themselves from fraud and scams. According to a press statement from the General Department of Security Relations and Media, there are organized groups operating locally and internationally that use phone calls from various numbers or social media platforms, pretending to be someone they are not, with the intention of deceiving individuals into providing personal identification information or bank card details for fraudulent purposes.

The statement urges everyone to refrain from responding to such numbers or email accounts and encourages them to report any suspicious activity to the Cybercrime Control Department through the designated WhatsApp service at the number (97283939). By doing so, individuals can help in avoiding falling victim to fraud and scams.

The Ministry also emphasizes the importance of not sharing bank account numbers or their PINs with anyone, as well as refraining from photographing debit cards or disclosing their passwords to others.