Comoros ‘willing’ to naturalize bedoons

Ambassador of the Comoros to Kuwait AlAref Saied Hassan said that his country is ready to give its nationality to bedoons (stateless) in Kuwait, and even welcome them to its lands, should the two Arab states reach an agreement on that regard. The envoy denied however that any agreement has been signed to naturalize bedoons, but confirmed that “the idea is there.” —Annahar

Driver’s licenses

The newly-established Public Authority for Roads Transportation will soon take over the duties of issuing and renewing driver’s licenses, as well as car registrations, license plates and inspection. Coordination is currently ongoing with the Interior Ministry’s Traffic General Department to complete the transition as soon as possible, an official at the authority said. —Al-Anbaa

Expats run SMEs

Around 98 percent of small and medium enterprises in Kuwait are managed by expatriates who are hired by Kuwaiti owners who receive substantial support from the government to run their businesses, political and economic analyst Fawaz Al-Shaibani said, adding that his conclusions were based on statistics obtained from the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP). —Al-Qabas

Seismic surveys

Small tremors felt by residents near areas where seismic surveys for oil exploration are carried out near Kuwait Bay and Kuwait City have no impact on residential buildings, said Jamal Jaafar, CEO of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). Homeowners will be notified beforehand with the surveys’ times, Jaafar said, adding that works will be scheduled away from evening and dawn to prevent inconvenience. —Al-Rai

Labor violations

The Public Authority for Manpower referred 1,058 employers’ files for investigations this year on labor-related violations, Acting Director Abdullah AlMutawtah said. Those include 78 files suspended permanently, 264 files for occupational safety and 368 files for companies with violations detected during labor inspections, Mutawtah explained. —Al-Anbaa