By B Izzak and KUNA

KUWAIT: The interior ministry announced on Sunday that citizens have until Sept 30 to submit their biometrics, with only 22 days remaining. After this deadline, individuals who have not registered will be unable to complete any government transactions. To accommodate the public, biometrics centers have extended their hours from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, seven days a week. Appointments must be scheduled through the Sahel app. Foreign residents have until Dec 30, 2024 to complete their registration.

Meanwhile, the health ministry announced that one of its systems experienced a technical error early Sunday morning. The ministry said protection measures have been activated, systems have been disconnected and the level of failure is being assessed. The ministry also confirmed diverting some of its work to paper transactions until the problem is resolved.

The traffic department reported 50,557 traffic violations, the impounding of 128 vehicles and 25 bicycles, and the seizure of 159 vehicles wanted for theft or judicial reasons from Aug 31 to Sept 6, 2024. Authorities also arrested 23 individuals for reasons including absconding, expired residency and outstanding warrants, while five people without identification were detained. Additionally, 66 juveniles were referred to the juvenile prosecution. The operations department recorded 2,977 reports and 1,363 traffic accidents, which included 1,101 collisions and 262 accidents resulting in injuries.

Separately, the appeals court on Sunday released former MP Anwar Al-Fiker on a KD 2,000 bail, imposed a travel ban and scheduled the next hearing for Oct 14 on charges of challenging the authority of HH the Amir. However, the court denied the release of former parliamentary candidate Musaed Al-Qraifa, who is appealing a three-year prison sentence for spreading false news and challenging HH the Amir’s authority, with the next hearing set for Sept 30.

The same court will issue a verdict on Sept 30 for former MP Hamad Al-Alyan, who is appealing a two-year sentence for similar charges. He is out on bail. Meanwhile, former MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei remains in jail, awaiting the appeals court decision after receiving a four-year sentence.