Kuwait, Manila Come Together on Regulating Foreign Labor

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, gestures as he attends the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines November 24, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, gestures as he attends the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines November 24, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
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Kuwait, Manila Come Together on Regulating Foreign Labor

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, gestures as he attends the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines November 24, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, wearing a military uniform, gestures as he attends the 67th founding anniversary of the First Scout Ranger regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines November 24, 2017. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Kuwait Announced on Monday arriving to an agreement with Philippine authorities on regulating foreign labor forces in the Gulf state.

The agreement comes a month later to the labor crisis which led the Philippine government to stop all workers from traveling to Kuwait.

Kuwait Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah said he had agreed with Philippine authorities to conclude an agreement regulating the conditions of Filipino employment in Kuwait, adding that this was “at the will of the Philippine authorities.”

Jarallah revealed a visit by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to Kuwait next March upon the official invitation of Kuwait Ruler Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Jarallah told reporters at the National Assembly on Monday after a meeting of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee that he had agreed with Philippine authorities to conclude an agreement regulating the conditions of Filipino employment in Kuwait.

He added that Philippine authorities submitted a proposal for the agreement between the two countries, and was examined by relevant bodies in Kuwait.
“We are well on the way to calm matters, if we have not already reached did,” said Jarallah.

“We have made it clear to Philippine authorities that these accusations and information have no basis whatsoever, and do not reflect the nature of the situation of the Filipino employment in Kuwait, and are basically unacceptable," he said.

The Filipino community in Kuwait is estimated at 250,000, with 65 percent (165,000 workers) of which are employed in household labor.

Manila has stepped up its rhetoric after allegations of ill-treatment of Filipino workers in Kuwait.

On January 19, the Philippine Labor Minister announced the suspension of sending employment to Kuwait.

President Duterte said he was considering preventing workers from going to Kuwait because Manila had recently lost four women there, referring to domestic workers allegedly have been the victims of abused and who had committed suicide.



Makkah Deputy Governor Carries Out Field Inspection of Grand Mosque Readiness for Ramadan 

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
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Makkah Deputy Governor Carries Out Field Inspection of Grand Mosque Readiness for Ramadan 

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz inspected the readiness of the Grand Mosque and its facilities, conducting a field tour to review operational and service preparations for receiving worshippers and Umrah performers during the holy month of Ramadan, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

Prince Saud was briefed on the operational plans implemented by the relevant authorities, including crowd management mechanisms, service enhancements, and facility preparations aimed at ensuring smooth movement and enhancing comfort and safety levels for visitors to the Grand Mosque, particularly during peak times.

He reviewed developmental initiatives and smart services supporting the operational system, notably electric mobility carts for transporting the elderly, persons with disabilities, and those in need of assistance within the Grand Mosque.

The tour also included an overview of the efforts of guidance teams deployed across the corridors and courtyards of the Grand Mosque, providing multilingual assistance and direction.

Prince Saud reviewed the interactive map and digital mobility platform, which allows visitors to plan their routes in advance and identify service locations, entrances and exits, and less crowded pathways.

He was briefed on crowd management systems, including the visitor density sensor platform that measures human density in real time, and the Tawaf and Sa’i crowd status display service, which allows worshippers to select appropriate times to perform rituals with ease. Models of the modern multilingual guidance system were also reviewed.

Prince Saud also visited the Smart Engineering Command and Control Center, which serves as an advanced central platform linking operational systems and monitoring performance in real time, boosting operational efficiency and raising readiness levels during Ramadan.


Saudi Leadership Provides Two Donations Worth SAR150 Mln Through Jood Eskan Platform

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
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Saudi Leadership Provides Two Donations Worth SAR150 Mln Through Jood Eskan Platform

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, have provided two generous donations amounting to SAR150 million through the Jood Eskan platform.

The move aligns with the leadership's commitment to supporting all national efforts and initiatives to provide suitable housing for deserving families.

Minister of Municipalities and Housing and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Developmental Housing Foundation (Sakan) Majed Al-Hogail expressed his deep gratitude to the leadership for its unwavering support to all national efforts and initiatives aimed at providing suitable housing for eligible families across the Kingdom.

He noted the effective impact of previous generous donations in achieving the goals of housing development, and motivating individuals and institutions to donate through the Jood Eskan platform that is based on community giving that helps provide decent housing and boosts stability and quality of life for deserving families.


Saudi Crown Prince Receives Message on Bilateral Ties from President of Kazakhstan

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives Message on Bilateral Ties from President of Kazakhstan

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received on Tuesday a written message from President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on bilateral relations between their two countries.

The message was received by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah during a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Yermek Kosherbayev in Riyadh.