KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directory of Residency announced on Wednesday the arrest of an individual on charges of residency trafficking, along with several others who had paid sums of money to issue residency permits in violation of the law.

The Ministry of Interior stated that the details of the incident stemmed from information received about an Asian national registered on a company’s residency permit and working as a representative for several other companies, trafficking in residency permits.

They added that after conducting investigations, it was revealed that the aforementioned person works as a representative for 19 companies, managing nine of them under agency contracts. The total number of workers registered with these companies is 150.

The Ministry explained that the investigations resulted in the arrest of individuals involved in paying sums of money to issue residency permits in violation of the law. They were summoned and interrogated and admitted to knowing that these transactions were illegal, as paying the aforementioned sums of money ranging between KD 350 and KD 900 to renew or transfer residency permits.

They confirmed that they did not work for any of his affiliated companies, adding that when confronted with the confessions, the main suspect acknowledged their validity and admitted to embezzling the funds.

He explained that he completed the transactions himself using the passwords of the Public Authority for Manpower and the Ministry of Interior, without any intervention from the company owned, as all involved parties have been referred to the competent authorities for necessary legal action.

The Ministry of Interior confirmed that it will continue its investigations, in coordination with the Public Authority for Manpower, to inspect companies to uncover residency trafficking cases and apprehend those involved. The ministry will not be lenient in enforcing the law and will take all deterrent measures against anyone proven to be involved in such cases. — KUNA

KUWAIT:  The Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME), in cooperation with 10 participating entities, concluded on Thursday its summer camp Al-Ra’ed Al-Azraq (Blue Pioneer). ROPME Executive Secretary Dr. Mohammad Al-Ahmad told KUNA the program is part of the organization’s marine environment strategy, which includes education and outreach to civil society and the education sector.

He emphasized the importance of teaching concepts related to marine conservation and sustainability, describing it as a core pillar for preserving life below water. According to Al-Ahmad, the educational approach covers both formal education – integrated into school curricula in cooperation with education ministries in GCC states, Iraq, and Iran – and non-formal education, such as exhibitions, camps, and field programs.

He noted that the summer camp is a key non-formal activity designed to expand marine environmental awareness and added that this year’s edition was developed in collaboration with member states, with the aim of rolling it out to all members next year.ROPME’s mandate covers the Arabian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and parts of the Arabian Sea – an area of about 500,000 square kilometers – with the participation of GCC countries, Iraq, and Iran. — KUNA

 KUWAIT:  Dr. Turki Al-Otaibi, Kuwait Transplant Society President said Wednesday that Kuwaiti surgeons made trailblazing achievements in 2024 with successful kidney transplant surgeries hitting 149.Speaking to reporters on World Organ Donation Day, globally observed on August 13, he said this is an occasion to renew the humanitarian appeal and raise public awareness about the importance of organ donation.

Organ donation reflects humanitarian and compassionate response from donors and a moral responsibility for saving the lives of other people, he pointed out. The State of Kuwait has now nearly 15,000 registered donors Dr. Al-Otaibi, also chairman of the Arab Society of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation (ASNRT), highlighted the need to remove misconceptions about organ donation.Only 172,000 transplants were conducted globally in 2023, which represent 10 percent of the global demand for organs donation, he noted.As many as. 1.5 million patients needed urgent transplants which means that nine of 10 patients fail to get the a vital organ, Dr. Al-Otaibi said, citing figures of the World Health Organization. — KUNA