By A Saleh

KUWAIT: With the return to her office in the previous Cabinet formation, Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel started reopening the files of the manpower authority, said informed sources, noting that in order to control Kuwait's demographics, the minister's urgent priorities will include domestic helpers and work permits. The sources added in her former capacity as acting minister of state for economic affairs, Aqeel had promised the parliamentary human resources committee to submit a detailed report about the government's measures to employ citizens in the private sector instead of expats.

"The minister will attend the committee's next meeting with executive measures to do so," the sources stressed, noting that the measures will include increasing the fines of companies that do not comply with employing the mandatory ratios of citizens. In addition, the sources highlighted that Aqeel will urge the Cabinet to activate a previous decision mandating expats' departure from the country to receive financial dues. "On being terminated, an expat will not be paid or have their residency visa renewed unless they submit departure forms," the sources underlined.

Moreover, the sources pointed out that a proposal already on the manpower authority's agenda will be to impose new fees and health insurance for each expat an employer recruits, but this needs further discussion in the ministerial economic committee to study its possible impacts on the local market and avoid expelling skilled labor.

Maids arrested
The department of cybercrime at the cyber investigations directorate yesterday responded to a social media video showing two Asian maids mocking an elderly woman while serving her coffee in bed, and immediately ordered identifying the woman and her maids to hold them legally accountable. Security sources added that detectives managed to identify the maids and arrest and refer them to relevant authorities pending further measures.

Weight-loss medicine
Health sources yesterday said the weight-loss medicine Belviq-XR (lorcaserin) on sale in Kuwait has not been registered with the Ministry of Health (MoH), adding that the US FDA had demanded removing it from shelves on grounds that clinical studies had detected a rise in cancer amongst its users.

Road grid
Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Rana Al-Fares signed a consultancy agreement to design and supervise the construction and maintenance of a road grid in Kabd with a total value of KD 891,000.