Kuwait

The Constitutional Court yesterday issued a landmark ruling by abrogating an article in the 1962 passports law that banned Kuwaiti women from obtaining their own passports without the prior approval of their husbands.

The ruling, which is final and cannot be appealed, said that the article in the law violates a number of articles in the constitution, especially articles 29, 30 and 31 which guarantee personal freedom. In the ruling, the court also stated that under the constitution, women right to travel cannot be denied by anyone including their husbands because this is one of their basic rights in the constitution.

Female MP Aseel Al-Awadhi welcomed the ruling as a victory for the constitution and democracy in Kuwait, adding that it has eliminated a long injustice against Kuwaiti women. She said that she will work to amend all laws passed by the previous National Assemblies which are in violation of the constitution.

Kuwait’s Department of Consular Affairs approved the repatriation of 150 Filipino domestic helpers irrespective whether they are faced with legal cases against their employers or not. Philippine Envoy to Kuwait Ricardo Endaya appealed for closer cooperation with placement agencies” owners that employ Filipino domestic helpers in Kuwait during a general meeting held at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jabriyah Tuesday afternoon.

Minister of Communication and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Mohammed AlـBusairi announced here Sunday that the eـpayment service for telephone bills had been launched on the State portal (www.e.gov.kw).
Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on this occasion, the minister, who also doubles as chairman of the Central Agency for Information Technology, said the service, which would be also made available on the website of the Ministry of Communication, would allow citizens and residents to foot their phone bills online at anytime.

"It is part of the eـgovernment strategy aiming to revamp governmental services as per the cabinet''s directives to use and apply information technology in order to simplify and improve governmental procedures," he said.

Temperatures are predicted to move down gradually over the next few days, becoming cold at night, especially in the desert areas and Boubyan Island, a weatherman forecast here Sunday.
Minimum temperatures recorded at 18 degrees Celsius in Bouyban Island, Wafra Farms and Kuwait International Airport over the last couple of days "are clearـcut evidence of an expected major weather change in the coming few days," Issa Ramadan told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
"Clouds are to show up in the sky soon, coming from the west," he said, expecting the rainy season to begin in November.

"Relative humidity has begun to rise over the recent period, especially at night, due to sea breezes," he said, noting that the source of humidity was temporary.
He expected maximum temperatures to go below 38 degrees Celsius in the coming few days, running cold at night in the northern and western areas.

The expatriate population of Kuwait dropped 0.6 percent in the first half of 2009, bringing to an end 19 years of sharp increases, official figures revealed on Sunday.

The number of foreign residents dropped to 2.34 million from 2.355 million at the end of 2008, figures posted on the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) showed. Their number at the end of 2007 stood at 2.345 million. As a result of the fall, Kuwait''s population in the first half remained almost flat at 3.443 million.

The largest drop in population was recorded in 1990 when a majority of expatriates fled the emirate after Iraqi troops invaded the country under Saddam Hussein.

Foreigners, a majority of whom are Asians, still form 68 percent of Kuwait''s population, the figures showed. At 1.102 million; Kuwaiti citizens accounted for 32 percent.

Security operatives, including officers from the Public Security Department, Traffic Department and Rescue Operations Department, on Friday carried out an intensive security campaign along Wafra Road, resulting in the arrest of 21 youths who were performing stunts with their cars, confiscation of 47 sports cars, and issuance of 120 citations.

A number of liberalists criticized some Islamist blocs in the National Assembly for activating the fatwa (edict) that will compel female lawmakers to wear veils, adding that these blocs are trying to enforce fundamentalist ideologies within the society, reports Al-Seyassah daily. The liberalists added that Islamist blocs are trying to control society by discussing marginal issues. They said these issues blocked the advancement wheel in the developmental and economic sectors. They drew the attention to the fact that Kuwait is a civil country governed by the constitution and the law, and not an Islamic country where lawmakers should be forced to wear a veil.