Online flesh trade booming





By Chidi Emmanuel and Ghadeer Ghloum

KUWAIT: While surfing the web and social media sites, one can easily view some advertisements popping up. This is not a regular advertisement, but that of prostitutes. They are neither advertising electronics nor material products on sale; they are rather showcasing pretty ladies who are making money with their bodies. Advancement in technology has trig- gered the game-changing discovery of how people use…

Pedestrians avoid ‘dirty’ footbridges

By Chidi Emmanuel, Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: While driving across Kuwait, one can see pedestrians crossing the road even if an overpass exists. There have been reports of hit-and-run incidents by motorists who knock down pedestrians who cross busy highways without using overhead bridges. While there are still many places that lack pedestrian bridges, many existing ones are not being used by pedestrians.

In reality, footbridges save lives.…

As health insurance hike looms, questions remain on future of healthcare for expats

By Chidi Emmanuel and Ahmad Jabr

KUWAIT: Foreign residents in Kuwait could be required to pay a KD 130 annual health insurance fee instead of the current KD 50 to renew their visas as early as 2023, according to a recent report by Al-Rai quoting sources at the Health Assurance Hospitals Company (Dhaman). While the increase is far from confirmed, residents realize it’s inevitable, as plans to…

Foreign residents rebuff Expat Insider

report, highlight good side of Kuwait

By Chidi Emmanuel

KUWAIT: Foreign residents in Kuwait rebuffed a recent report that ranked Kuwait as the worst destination for expatriates, calling it biased. For the seventh time in eight years, Kuwait was ranked the worst destination for expats – taking the last position in the Expat Insider survey (59th out of 59 countries).

According to Expat Insider, Kuwait ranks last in the…

Residents raise concerns as rats run amok

By Chidi Emmanuel & Nawara Fattahova

Rats are becoming a disturbing urban problem. Parts of Maliya and Mirqab in Kuwait City are ravaged by rodents. Owing to the speed at which rats breed, a minor infestation that is not dealt with quickly can soon become a major invasion. Some abandoned and dilapidated properties and restaurants offer an ideal habitat for rats, and once they have settled in, they reproduce rapidly.

These little…

The state of the statelessness

By Chidi Emmanuel

Sitting quietly in a shanty house in Sulaibiya, 62-year-old Mohammed couldn’t contain his tears as he narrated his life and family ordeals as a bedoon (stateless resident). “You can see where and how we are living,” he said as he opened a small cubicle where he has been living with his family for over 12 years.

In a narrow alleyway near his house, Mohammed’s children (aged 5 to 12) could be seen playing football…

Thoughts of suicide? You are not alone and there is help

By Chidi Emmanuel

According to Shakespeare, "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face." It is really hard to imagine what led an associate, coworker, friend, family member or celebrity to commit suicide. Sometimes we may not have clear warning signs, leading us to wonder what clues we might have missed in order to save their life.

Suicide can be triggered by a multitude of factors, including poverty,…

The other victims of COVID-19

By Chidi Emmanuel

As the health and human toll of the COVID-19 pandemic grows, so does the financial fallout. The economic consequences of the pandemic have resulted in unprecedented job losses across the globe. The repercussions of the pandemic are widespread, but Kuwait's foreign workers have been particularly impacted.

COVID-19 affected businesses and disrupted trade, which exacerbated the hardships of expats, who constitute…

Apartments vacant as expatriates leave Kuwait amid hardship

Tenants renegotiate amid

slump in real estate sector

By Chidi Emmanuel

From Fahaheel to downtown Kuwait City, signs advertising apartments for rents can be found in abundance. Rising costs of living, stagnant wages for expatriates and growing anti-expat government policies are driving foreigners to leave the country.

According to the Central Statistics…

Expatriates struggle to make

ends meet as hardship bites

By Chidi Emmanuel

It is always a solemn moment whenever Tina comes home and doesn't see her six-year-old daughter Rosaline. "Life without her is just empty," she said as she narrated her ordeal. According to Tina, life went from bad to worse when her husband lost his well-paid job last year. "Things became very hard for us. We could neither pay Rosie's school fees nor get her a nanny. So we…

Scammers calling, texting! Beware

Scammers change style and tactics

By Chidi Emmanuel

When Favor Tata, an African expat, got a call last month from someone posing as a customer care representative at one of the telecommunication companies in Kuwait, the offer was too enticing to refuse and she saw no reason for not handing over some of her bank details. "Congratulations! You (your phone number) have just won a sum of KD 10,000 through a draw. We just…

Pros and cons of couples working together

Living together and

working together?

By Chidi Emmanuel

With a surge in cases of divorce in Kuwait against the backdrop of growing financial hardships, Kuwait Times weighed the pros and cons of working with your spouse. In order to have a better understanding, spouses were asked if they would like to work together - either in the same…

Expatriates shun general public hospitals as hike bites – Kuwait Situations

By Chidi Emmanuel

KUWAIT: At Sabah Healthcare facility, it is no more time business enterprise as standard. The wards appear to be empty with several sufferers all over. At the male ward, Kuwait Situations spoke to just one of the sufferers (or fairly the only patient) in a room that generally accommodates at minimum eight, as he packed his items to go away the medical…

Being stateless in a state

By Chidi Emmanuel

Sitting quietly in a shanty house in Sulaibiya, 62-year-old Mohammed couldn’t contain his tears as he narrated his life and family ordeals as a bedoon (stateless resident). “You can see where and how we are living,” he said as he opened a small cubicle where he has been living with his family for over 12 years. In a narrow alleyway near his house, Mohammed’s children (aged 5 to 12) could be seen…

Men getting battered too

By Chidi Emmanuel

It is 9.48 pm and Kadri A is still sitting in his Mishref office with hands on his cheeks. “We close by 8.30 pm, but I am still here, trying to avoid trouble at home,” he said in dismay. Initially, Kadri didn’t want to narrate his ordeal, but after much pressure and persuasion, he opened up.

“I know you will not believe me if I tell you this. My wife is my problem. We have been married for four years now. The first year…

Consanguineous marriage - pros and cons

By Chidi Emmanuel

Traditionally in the Middle East, people prefer to marry those with whom they share tribal, clan or lineage affiliations. Cousin marriage is common in Kuwait and the region – encouraged by familial, social and economic ties. It is considered to increase family cohesion, minimize marital burdens (in particular, the financial burden on the husband), assure…

The Meat Co: A must-visit dining destination

By Chidi Emmanuel

KUWAIT: It is hard to resist the luscious aroma while entering the first floor (left side) of the 360 mall. Fresh, quality and healthy foods, blended with samples of creative and juicy cocktails, await you as you glance through the extensive menu at The Meat Co. The interior design of the restaurant is inviting as it welcomes tourists, families, couples, corporate groups and local residents alike. The exquisite…