KUWAIT: The Kuwait Salons Union called for a sit-in in front of the National Assembly to demand the cancelation of the government's decision to close salons as part of measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The sit-in is planned for tomorrow at 1:00 pm, Al-Anbaa Arabic daily reported yesterday.

Domestic helpers

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a decision to reduce the cost of hiring domestic helpers from abroad from KD 990 to KD 890. Al-Rai Arabic daily reported yesterday that the decision has 'angered' owners of domestic help offices because reducing the price from KD 990 will cause them additional financial burdens due to the high cost of transport and medical tests. "The decision will deepen the already existing crises due to the coronavirus pandemic," the report reads.

Chairman of the helpers offices' union Khaled Al-Dakhnan said citizens recruiting domestic helpers will be "adversely affected" by this decision because the KD 890 fair does not cover the airline ticket fare. The sponsor also bears the cost of institutional quarantine at KD 500, in addition to the KD 200 for the airline ticket, Dakhnan said.

Suspected homicide

Police arrested an Indian couple on suspicions of murdering their compatriot in Abu Hlaifa, Al-Anbaa Arabic daily reported yesterday. A security source quoted in the report said that police are questioning the man and woman on accusations that they've pushed the victim from the seventh floor of a building in the area. The victim's body was recovered by forensics as the apartment was searched, the anonymous source said.

Traffickers jailed

An officer at the interior ministry and a company owner were sentenced to three years in jail after they were found guilty in a visa trafficking case. The court also fined the company owner KD 5,000 to be paid to the victims, Al-Qabas Arabic daily reported yesterday.