Update 28/4/10 : We have received the following message from Ms. Nadia, a close friend of the victim.

“Hilaliya thank you so much for posting this!

I just want to point out a few things that the newspapers didnt mention:

Dana is 22 years old NOT 20.
Her mom passed away from a STROKE (not heart attack) due to the stress of her daughter being treated this way.
Dana was on Jawazat round about when this traffic officer in a pick up truck with tinted windows cut her off and made her slam on her brakes. He got out and WAS wearing the police uniform, however he was off duty (and NOT in a police car). He took her license and told her to follow him to the RUMATHIYA police station EVEN though they were right infront of the SALMIYA police station. On the way he was speeding and not even indicating. When she arrived to the police station she waited in her car while he went inside. Soon he came back with a man in a dishdasha and told her to go inside. She said no as she was the only girl alone and there were men inside, and she wanted her parents to arrive first.(Dana was speaking in English as her Arabic is poor). The disgusting officer started screaming at her at the top of his lungs saying that he’d KILL HER, put her face under his shoe and squash it, and punch her face that her glasses will go in her eyes and start bleeding to death! The story gets even worse, however its best told by DANA herself.
Dana and her family are respectful people that obey the laws of KUWAIT as well as the religion. They are good people, and they DO NOT deserve this. Her friends and family will not rest until JUSTICE IS SERVED.

Dana and her father have been interview by AL WATAN TV, and the show will be aired onTHURSDAY 29TH APRIL @ 10pm. (‘The Khaled Adul Jaleel Show’).

May her mother REST IN PEACE.

Her best friend Nadia“.

Updates And Links:

‘Safi’s Retreat’ Blog

‘Al-Watan Daily’ (English)

‘ilSul6ana’s’ Blog

‘Some Contrast’s Blog

‘The Avenues’ Blog

Excuse us for interrupting you and your ministry’s hard work, obviously busy busting foreign National Day celebrations in stadiums, expelling Al-Baradei supporters and pontificating about Dual Nationality ‘measures.’

I am not going to touch on Taxi drivers (working for companies owned by Interior Ministry personnel) selling female passengers into slavery and prostitution.

I am not going to touch on Human Traffickers: certain Merchants and Companies, MPs, Municipality Members, Sheiks and others being untouchable.

I am not going to touch on certain ‘Security Apparatus’ members, bribed by dangerous foreign elements attempting to infiltrate Kuwait.

I am not going to touch on your ministry’s plans to alleviate traffic, reduce congestion and car accidents.

I am not going to touch on the increasing crime rate in Kuwait.

I am sure you and your ‘team’ tirelessly work night and day to formulate solutions to the above issues. However, I do have but one simple question.

What are you going to do about this?

(Still from Al-Arabiya)

Kuwait has one of the highest accident rates in the world, and it is only getting worse.

The recent tragic accident on a Doha, Kuwait highway resulting in the death of five individuals with fourteen injured (the victims included onlookers and racers on the popular highway strip) only goes to show that being on the road has turned into a hazard for all citizens.

When is this country – an affluent country – going to build a racetrack a la Bahrain or Abu Dhabi so kids can go race and save themselves and us further tragedies. It is time for Kuwait to build a track, whether its government or private funded is irrelevant; young men will never change, they speed, they show off, they do stupid car tricks – at least at the race track they can race, blow of steam and improve their driving and be monitored.

From what I have been relayed, Basil Salem Al-Sabah tried for years to push for a race track but was shunned – this was followed by offers from private citizens willing to invest in a race track but the government refused them land and permission.

This is a serious safety issue and the government needs to move on this as ASAP.

The International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX)*, in association with a group of active and experienced bloggers, is sponsoring a workshop on September 28 in Kuwait . The event will be held at Marina

Hotel
at 7:15pm.

The workshop will provide local bloggers and members of the public interested in on-line media and citizen journalism with the opportunity to learn more about issues affecting freedom of expression and the internet in Kuwait.

Panelists and participants will discuss:

• The Growth of Blogging in Kuwait.
• The Effect of Blogging on Public Debate and the Traditional media.
• How to Create and Maintain a Successful Blog.
• Legal Concerns and Restrictions on Bloggers.

The panelists:

Bader Al-Furaih (founder of Kuwait blogs and Safat)
http://kuwaitblogs.com

Reem Al-Shammari
http://chilloutkuwait.blogspot.com

Abdullatif Al-Omar
http://GlobalVoicesonline.org

Hasan Ramadan
http://fernas.blog.com

Zayed Al-Zaid
http://alaan.cc

Mohammed AbdulQader Al-Jasem
http://aljasem.org

The panel will be moderated by veteran blogger and occasional Hilaliya Guest Writer Mohamed Al-Yousifi (http://www.ma6goog.com/).

To register for the event please go to:
http://www.irex-mena.org/blog/

This event is open to the public.

For more information please contact us on 66189918

As the state wrangles over Iraqi UN compensation payments, rising corruption, unemployment, visa trafficking, electricity and water dilemmas, and a myriad of other usual problems, let us look back at August 2nd, the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait (that’s right Mr. Kuwait Government, the Iraqi invasion and occupation, not the ‘Baathist‘ invasion, not the ‘Saddamist’ occupation – you can’t rewrite history).

There is nothing to say really. It’s all been said elsewhere and it’s all been said in the following article ‘A Soldier’s Diary: A Kuwaiti Volunteer Looks Back at ‘Liberation’ – you’ll know what we went through and how we feel about Kuwait in its current incarnation.

Kuwait, large, empty patches and plots of desert land around homes, bridges, buildings – many in central Kuwait and inside neighborhoods – why can’t they beautify or ‘green’ the areas: palm trees, grass, parks – anything?

Kuwait should plant millions of palm trees like the UAE at least – if any city needs additional oxygen it’s hot, dusty Kuwait.

I am sure they can arrange a grossly overinflated tender for that…

“A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul”.

– George Bernard Shaw

A few days ago I attended a conference in Dubai.

I attempted to check in at the ‘Kuwait Airways’ desk at Dubai Airport, amidst a frenzied crowd, and was told there was ‘an eight hour delay from the ‘Kuwait Airways’ side’

The crowd around me, consisting of families and businessmen were cursing the state (“What is wrong with our country?” and “Why are they refusing to develop it – where is our money going?”). There was anger in the crowd, pure venom. They didn’t care if Emirati citizens or foreigners were listening – they have had it with Kuwait’s lack of services and mean, tight-fisted ways and they were verbally generous.

We scurried, managing to transfer our tickets to Emirates Airlines – departing at the original KA time – at the brand new, gleaming, high-tech Terminal Three (there was a work-in-progress metro rail outside that looked like something out of ‘Epcot’).

The trip was smooth. Even in Economy passengers were treated with the utmost respect and service was excellent (if it were Economy in ‘Kuwait Airways’ the personnel would have treated us all like garbage, especially the Asians).

A perfect landing by the Emirates pilot was briefly interrupted by a screeching brake.

“We are sorry ladies and gentleman, there was a driver who managed to speed across our tarmac during our arrival,” said the pilot. Passengers burst out laughing, “Yes, we definitely are in Kuwait now!” they hollered.

We exited our planes and were met with crowds of laborers and tourists, cigarette smoke, filthy ambience, dim lighting and the obligatory pink airport signs – yes we had arrived at Kuwait Airport, a far cry from whence we came. But hey, its home isn’t it. We were relieved and content.

Two days later, the electricity goes off in my neighborhood, for three hours. The Ministry of Electricity’s line was constantly busy. I went to check the local transformer/electrical building and found expatriate Ministry of Electricity technicians waiting, unable to do anything (“Please call the Ministry,” they implored me, “we are waiting for the hajji Kuwaiti engineer.”). They wanted my help in contacting their ministry – think about that for a minute.

This morning I open a newspaper and see quotes by Ministry of Electricity Under-Secretaries admitting there will be more power cuts this summer. Bloggers and columnists have been writing about this crisis for over five years – why didn’t the government do anything about it? Oh wait, they spent half a billion on decrepit generators that didn’t do the job – genius.

Let me say one thing to the movers and shakers (and I know for a fact you, your kids and your relatives follow this and other blogs): enough is enough, get your heads out of your posteriors, forget your egotistical, tired summits and conferences, and get working for the state, for this country. It is time you provided basic services to people without humiliating them – there is a resentment and anger towards government and officials in this country that you are not aware of.

We are a rich country. Use our resources wisely and work for us – that is what you are there for: public service.

Patience is not indefinite. And God won’t forgive those who don’t take care of their flock.

We’ve done our bit.

Now the Government needs to step up to the plate.

L-Right (Aseel Al-Awadi, Rola Dashti, Salwa Al-Jassar and Masouma Mubarak) L-Three: Stephanie McGehee/Reuters; right, Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP-Getty Images

Our faith in the system and people of Kuwait was reaffirmed today.

Following years of uncertainty and gridlock, the people of Kuwait have voted for change. I am certainly in high spirits, and relieved. We were hoping one or two women would make it in, we got four!

Some newcomer independents also won and ‘Hadas’ took a big hit in the 3rd District (my district). The ‘fatwas’ and mudslinging by xenophobic elements towards women and progressive candidates backfired, reenergizing and intensifying support for them.

Congratulations to the qualified ladies and newcomers.