Thursday's FNR!

HONOLULU (AP) - A federal court has ruled that a Kuwaiti-born man may collect monetary damages from the city of Honolulu following claims that he was arrested based on unjustified suspicions of terrorism.

                    -- Mansour Arekat is the man in question. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

KUWAIT: Detectives in the Capital area are sifting through footage from CCTV and road speed radar cameras in their attempts to track the movements of the ex-husband of a Kuwaiti woman brutally murdered near her Bneid Al-Gar home on Sunday.
                    -- He has been dubbed the "axe murderer." Not quite unique!

DOHA — The Kuwait Football Association (KFA) on Sunday made an official complaint about Australian referee Benjamin Williams, who oversaw their 2-0 defeat by China in their opening Asian Cup group game.
                    -- Missed penalty? Harsh red-card? Disallowed goal? Yet Ben keeps refereeing games. Long live corruption!

The Philippine men's football team's recent success in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup continues to reap results after three members of the West Asian Football Federation threw in their support for the country's football program. Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait have pooled together $100,000 (4,431,000) as a monetary grant to help the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) organize national tournaments.
                    -- Phillipino football? I was thinking about that just about 15 minutes ago!

WASHINGTON — An American teenager detained in Kuwait two weeks ago and placed on an American no-fly list claims that he was severely beaten by his Kuwaiti captors during a weeklong interrogation about possible contacts with terrorism suspects in Yemen.
                    -- Now the NY Times is in on this too? Goodluck lads!

دبي، الإمارات العربية المتحدة (CNN) -- وصل رئيس مجلس الوزراء الكويتي، الشيخ ناصر المحمد الأحمد الصباح، إلى العاصمة العراقية، بغداد، الأربعاء، في أول زيارة رسمية لمسؤول كويتي منذ الغزو العراقي للكويت عام 1990

  انه امر مؤسف حقاً

الدوحة (ا ف ب) - اعترف رئيس الاتحاد الاسيوي لكرة القدم القطري محمد بن همام بان المنتخب الكويتي ظلم تحكيميا في مباراته الاولى ضد الصين ضمن بطولة كأس اسيا 2011 في الدوحة، لكنه نفى وجود مؤامرة عليه من الاتحاد القاري.

يا لطيييييييييف         

The Friday Night Report is Back!

Yes it is. However, since the blog is on a Friday-Saturday weekend schedule, it was deemed necessary to switch the FNR to Thursday night, and change it's name to Thursday's FNR! Arabic news will be added in addition to a renovation of the overall decor. See you next Thursday (night) boys and girls!

The Friday Night Report on Sunday!

Iran announced recently that they have developed a remedy that can help AIDS patients in a way unseen before! The new drug, called IMOD, was unveiled in February of 2007. However, it received little media coverage by most of the world's media outlets. Despite the lack of coverage, the drug looks real, and is yet another step towards finding a cure.

In older news that is worth republishing, an Egyptian doctor claims to have found a cure for all types of cancer by balancing the ill cells in the body. The news was carried by Akhbar Ilyoum (Akhir Sa3a) three years ago, and was first reported seven years ago. Therefore, I would not regard this news as 100 percent solid. However, it does give hope to the hopeless and May God Cure us all.

It's getting hotter in KC but the overcast skies should continue for another week or two. Until next time, welcome summer, goodbye everything else!

The Friday Night Report

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back! Well, we still don't have a government, the weather is undecided, and the bird-flu pandemic seems to have gotten stagnant all of a sudden. In other news, the olympic team managed to win one for the team as they beat Bahrain and put us in the driver's seat for qualification to the next round of games! Good job lads. That's about it for now. Check back next week for more, if you want to!

The Friday Night Report

What a turn of events! Bird flu shows up in Kuwait, followed by the government's resignation! The bird flu issue is being dealt with randomly as any observer can see from media coverage, while the government's resignation will be made official tonight (Sunday). It seems that this is last chance salon for the parliament. The government will return with new ministers, and hope that parliament cooperates and the reform movement can finally get underway. Otherwise, expect a dissolution of the parliament in 6-8 months. Cheers mates.

As for our boy Mohammed Al-Ghareeb, he did get into the Dubai Tennis Championships as a wildcard, and lost in the first round to 6th seeded Czech Berdych with a score of 6-3, 3-6, and 2-6. Better luck next time. You did us proud.

The Friday Night Report

Since it is a holiday in Kuwait, and many Kuwaiti citizens have left the country, including most top government officials, Kuwait2005 thought it would be fitting to give the Friday Night Report a holiday too! Check back next week mates!

The Friday Night Report

Welcome to yet another exciting edition of the Friday Night Report.

The UAE women's basketball team dethroned Kuwait to become champions of the 8th GCC ladies championship in Sharjah.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have lost yet another sports title. However, isn't it worth knowing that Kuwait, and the GCC, hold a ladies championship? And for the 8th time!

In a deal that could be worth up to $3.5 billion, Kuwait Airways "may" order between 30 and 34 new passenger aircrafts from Boeing and Airbus to replace its ageing fleet that consists of 17 aircrafts. Kuwait Airways is interested in Boieng's 777 and 767, and Airbus's A350 and A340 aircrafts. The current fleet, in operation since 1992, will be sold once new aircrafts are purchased.

Oasis frequent fliers rejoice! Finally, Kuwait Airways "may", I repeat "may", update its ageing fleet! Although American Airlines owns nearly 700 aircrafts, it is a step in the right direction. Expect many more destinations in the near future, if a deal goes through. Emirates boasts a fleet of at least 100 aircrafts, EgyptAir has 44, Qatar Airways has 56, and Saudi Arabian Airlines has 131 aircrafts.

Finally, a shout out to our boy and three-time GCC champion Moh'd Al-Ghareeb who is hoping to get a wildcard invitation to this year's Dubai Tennis Championships. Last time around, Al-Ghareeb met the world's #1 Roger "the invincible" Federer in the round of 16 and lost honorably 7-6 and 6-4.

Until next time, have a safe week!

The Friday Night Report

Major news, or not, that made it into the FNR includes Queen Rania, Kuwaiti-Iraqi border, car number plates, and other interesting stuff!

In an interview with Al-Rai newspaper, Queen Rania of Jordan tells us that Kuwait has a special place in her heart, as it is the place where she was raised as a child and formed many of her friendships and fond memories.

Ladies and gentlemen, and why do we care you say? Why is Jordanian politics, driven by her majesty and others, taking a more central position on the Kuwaiti scene? Well, in addition to Kuwaiti aspirations to invest more than $6 billion in Jordan as mentioned last week, the real answer can be found North of Kuwait. What was that again?!

Last week's news stated that the biggest border crossing in the world was opened between Kuwait and Iraq. It took three years to build with a cost of around $20 million. It is to be used solely for the American troops (news in Al-Qabas). Further, Aspen Road is being constructed to link Southern Iraq with Kuwait, and should be completed by next month. The estimated cost of the 180 km road is $30.4 million, and the goal is to make the transportation of goods from Kuwait City to MSR Tampa more efficient.

Ladies and gentlemen, does spending more than $50 million on infrastructure constitute a temporary position, where things are expected to settle down and get better soon? Will troops be heading home within a year? It sure doesn't look like it, unless home is called Kuwait. If I spend $50 million for roads and buildings, I am planning for a long-term engagement that could be hidden from the eyes of the public at the moment. Something is fishy and it looks like we, as Middle Easterners, are heading for more bloodshed and violence.

His Highness the Amir of Kuwait calmed fears about religious tensions and discrimination in Kuwait indicating that the country does not face such a problem, and that the Shia in the Persian Gulf countries are mostly Arabs who do not pledge allegiance to Iran. Also, His Highness assured the public that a military confrontation with Iran will not happen, warning at the same time that anything could happen!

Ladies and gentlemen, Kuwait does not have religious tensions or discrimination, yet the speech discriminates between Arab Shia and Persian Shia, both being a part of the population in all the Persian Gulf countries. The way it is, the implication is that Arab Shia in the GCC countries are good Shia, while Persian Shia are the ones to watch. Yet, Kuwait does not suffer from any religious tensions or discrimination! The speechwirter should revisit the speech, and make sure any negative implications are avoided, especially with the Liberation of Kuwait celebrations approaching us later this month. So will there be a war or won't there be one?

On a lighter note, Al-Qabas newspaper stated that the first of the new number plates was issued to an important government official in Kuwait by "complete coincidence."

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what the media thinks about the Kuwaiti reader. They can say this and actually get away with it. Until next time, take care and stay safe...

The Friday Night Report

The Friday Night Report is pleased to present "IMPORTANT" Kuwaiti headlines.

First of all, did you know that Liberia is pursuing a friendly football match against Kuwait in order to prepare for its clash with Cameroon in March? Further, Kubba Fashions, based in Singapore, is arranging the encounter, scheduled for the 7th of Feb.

Ladies and gentlemen, Liberia (ranked 112) wants to play a friendly against Kuwait (ranked 76) "in Kuwait" in order to prepare for Cameroon (ranked 11). What about Kubba Fashions you say? That is another matter to be solved by the Kuwaiti FA ;-)

Second of all, Kuwait's minister of industry and trade "underlined Kuwait's aspirations to increase investments in Jordan" that amounted to nearly $6 billion last year. This comes after the Jordanian parliament officially mourned the death of Iraq's deposed dictator Saddam Hussein.

Ladies and gentlemen, the country is "aspiring" to spend more than $6 billion in a country that has constantly shown negativity and hatred towards anything related to Kuwait, including a number of students that fall victims to hate-crimes on a regular basis. On the other hand, Kuwait's government refuses to discuss the outstanding Iraqi loans, the consumer loans in Kuwait, or even allow the $300 monthly allowance for students to pass. So, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters ;-)

Finally, too much bad football (aka Kuwait in the Gulf Cup), heavy loans, high prices, and global warming can have a very negative effect!

See you next Friday...Peace

FIFA statistics & Football & Kuwait

The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) hosts world-wide football statistics including top goalscorers, club world rankings, top honors, best referees, etc. They are backed by FIFA.
Taking a look at Kuwait, it was surprising that there was a decent presence in the statistics. Following is a summary:

• As of July 2006, Kuwait's local football league is ranked 26 in terms of strength! Kuwait's league is 3rd from the Arabs after the Egyptian league, ranked 20, and the Algerian league, ranked 23.
• In 2002, Saad Kameel was ranked the 9th best referee in the world. Collina was first.
• In 1998, THE Jasem Al-Howaidi, of course, was the world's top-scorer in International games and continental championships with 20 goals, followed by Batistuta with 14 goals.
• In 2000, Bashar Abdullah was 5th in the world's top scorer list with 17 goals. Rivaldo was first with 21 goals.
• Faisal Al-Dakheel ranked #14 on Asia's player of the century list. Bum-Kun Cha of Korea was first. As for Asia's goalkeeper of the century list, Khaled Al-Fadhli ranked #8. Moh'd Al-Deyae of Saudi was first.
• In the current club world rankings, covering the period 1st of November, 2005 to 30th October, 2006, Al-Qadsiya was ranked #173 while Al-Arabi ranked #323. Total number of teams included exceeded 350 teams from around the world. Sevilla is currently the top team, followed by Barcelona and Liverpool.
• In 2006's world top goalscorer (current), Bader Al-Mutawa of Alqadsiya is ranked #38 with 7 goals. Crouch is top with 15 goals. These are only goals scored in full "A" Internationals and continental championships, like the Asian Cup etc.

Human Development Report 2006- The Case of Kuwait

The latest Human Development Report was launched by the UNDP in Cape Town, South Africa today. The report, based on 2004 statistics, is an important one tracking issues for all countries that provide relevant statistics. It has been issued annually since 1990. So what happened to the Human Development Index (HDI) for Kuwait? We will review all important information in the report that is relevant to Kuwait.

• The report shows that Kuwait's HDI is 0.871, putting it in the high human development category. The HDI rank of Kuwait is 33 out of 177, and the first in terms of Arab countries.
• The new HDI for Kuwait is an improvement from last year's report, when the HDI for Kuwait was 0.844, ranking it 44th.
• The Gender Development Index (GDI) is 0.864 for Kuwait, ranking it 31 out of 177.
  
• HDI trend for Kuwait
• 1975= 0.763
• 1980= 0.777
• 1985= 0.780
• 1990= N/A
• 1995= 0.813
• 2000= 0.837
• 2003= 0.844
• 2004=0.871
• Kuwait is one of three Arab countries that receive more than 75 percent of its water from external sources. The other two are Bahrain and Egypt.
• Further, Kuwait ranks first in terms of withdrawing water faster than it is replenished.
  

Are you happy in Kuwait? Science says...

YES! According to Adrian White, Analytic Social Psychologist at the University of Leicester, Kuwait ranks 38 out of 178 countries. The study incorporates a number of factors to derive an index number for each country included.

Corruption & Diplomats & Kuwait

Al-Rai Al-Aam published an article about new research reflecting corruption. Two American researchers conducted a study to analyze how closely unpaid parking tickets by diplomats at the United Nations reflected corruption in the country which is represnted by these diplomats. Some findings of the study (.pdf version) include:

• Kuwait came in first in terms of average unpaid annual New York City parking violations per diplomat from 1997 to 2002. Each Kuwaiti diplomat was responsible for 246.2 violations per year, with the mission hosting 9 Kuwaiti diplomats in 1998. Egypt, 24 diplomats in its mission in 1998, came in second (139.6 violations per diplomat per year), followed by Chad, who hosted 2 diplomats in 1998(124.3 violations per diplomat per year).
  
• The list includes 146 countries, with the last 22 countries recording zero violations including Turkey, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
• It seems the researchers forgot to include the American diplomats. It would be interesting to see where the USA ranks on this list.
  

Arizona & Kuwaiti Women Update

In an update of the Arizona case of two Kuwaiti women involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident, Maricopa County Superior Court sentenced one of the women to 18 months of supervised probation. The sentence, reached on 29th June, 2006, will be reconsidered if the defendant leaves the US by August 4th. The woman has already agreed to leave the country voluntarily, rather than go through deportation proceedings. The 20-year-old woman said she felt great, and was planning to move to England to continue her education. As for the other woman, she is still facing trial in absentia after she fled the US earlier.

A note about the 10th electoral circuit and Jabriya

After the conclusion of the Kuwaiti parliamentary elections for 2006, Kuwait2005 would like to take a second to comment on the 10th electoral circuit and Jabriya.

Candidate	Jabriya	Adiliyah	Surra
Basil Al-Rashid	1257	1625	1862
Jamal Al-Omar	2305	1132	1398
Hamad Al-Tuwaijri	1819	844	760
Saleh Al-Fathala	1112	1920	2197

The table clearly demonstrates that without Adiliya, where Jamal took 17.74 % of the votes, and Surra, where he took 18.56 % of the votes, Jamal Al-Omar would not have made it into parliament. Therefore, for the "orange people" I say, stop targeting an area, just because government will let you. Al-Naibari stated recently that around 13 members of parliament reached it through money. Why is Jabriya targeted by this campaign? Why did the "orange people" not show up in Khaitan or Bayan or Khaldiya? Again, because Jabriya is a soft target, and because the people behind these theatrics do not have the balls to do so. Good for you people of Jabriya, for you are least responsible for the likes of Fathala. Just a note on this good Friday :)

Special Message- Kuwait Electionsٍ

Welcome to the Kuwaiti elections. In less than 24 hours, life will go back to normal, after all the hoopla ends. We will wake up in a country where there is no corruption, where people respect themselves, others and the law, and where people's rights are respected and protected. We will find that corrupt candidates did not win, and the new ministers will be qualified individuals. Finally, we will realize that we are living a blast from the past.

On 02-08-1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. It was a thursday dubbed as "black thursday." Welcome to yet another "black thursday." Peace.

Kuwait & Guinness World Records for "Misbahs"

If you like "mesabee7" then you should already know about this person. He resides in Kuwait and will enter the Guinness World Records book for the biggest collection of amber mesabee7.

Kuwait Parliament Dissolved- Sources

Parliamentary sources confirmed today that Kuwait's parliament will be dissolved and new elections will be held on the 22nd of June, 2006.

Press Freedoms in Kuwait- 2006

I read in Al-Rai Al-Aam an article about Kuwait being ranked 1st Arab-wise, and 85th in the world, in terms of press freedoms. You can access all 153 pages of the Reporters Without Borders 2006 Report here.
Following are the two references to Kuwait in the report:

• "In Teodoro Obiang Nguema’s Equatorial Guinea no excuses need to be given for the desert for freedoms that the government runs. No-one talks about freedom of the press to the head of “Africa’s Kuwait”. - Never knew a Kuwait existed in Africa. Interesting twist! Quoted from page 4.
  
• The second reference is a map showing Kuwait on page 134.
• The ranking comes from the Worldwide Press Freedom Index. Kuwait ranks 85 out of 167 countries. Last place went to North Korea. To put it in context, in the same Index for 2004 Kuwait ranked 103. In 2003 Kuwait ranked 102, and in 2002, Kuwait ranked 78. Therefore, Al-Rai Al-Aam is boasting about a good rank being 1st in Arab countries etc, yet it fails to state that this is a failure compared to 2002 when Kuwait was ranked 78. Kuwait went backwards for 2003 and 2004, and is rebounding. No big deal really.
  

US Intellectual Property Report & Kuwait

You might have come across this in the newspapers today. Click here for the complete International Intellectual Property Alliance 2006 Special 301 Report's (.pdf) section on Kuwait. You can also access the table of contents here.