Month: July 2021

Kuwait City, 4th July 2021: Kuwait approves return of stranded expat farm labourers, iiQ8 Return of 200,000 workers set to ease farming shortage, boost output, says unionist A Kuwaiti government committee, in charge of tackling COVID-19, has given the green light to the return of thousands of foreign farm workers, who have been stranded abroad due to the virus-related restrictions. “This decision supports the agricultural sector and Kuwaiti farmers by helping curb the current shortage in manpower,” head of the Kuwaiti Farmers’ Union Abdullah Al Dammak said. The return of around 200,000 foreign workers will boost farm output and end a labour black market, he told Al Jarida newspaper. “Several labourers already working on farms have become immunised after they received the vaccination doses. Those stranded abroad can be quarantined on farms after their return is allowed,” Al Dammak said. He added that farm owners have in recent months suffered from a shortage o…

Kuwait City, 4th July 2021: Mandatory drug test for citizens, expats proposed, iiQ8 The test must be conducted on marriage, employment and residency renewal, says MP A Kuwaiti lawmaker has tabled a proposal that citizens and expatriates undergo mandatory drug tests, citing an increase in drug-related cases in the country. MP Muhaned Al Sayer said that the drug test must be conducted for Kuwaitis when they apply for marriage or employment, while migrants take the test when they apply for residency permit renewal. Foreigners make up nearly 3.4 million of Kuwait’s total population of 4.8 million. Backing up his proposal, the legislator said that the number of drug cases in the country has exceeded 17,000 in the past 10 years. “This number cannot be curbed without concerted efforts. The drug test amounts to a pre-emptive war against this affliction to limit its spread,” he was quoted by Al Rai newspaper as saying. Last week, a medical official disclosed that 327 p…