KUWAIT, May 22 (KUNA) -- 1952 -- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah issued a decree stipulating establishment of the National Bank of Kuwait with a capital of 13.1 million Rupees (approximately one million Kuwaiti dinars), with 13,100 shares, each valued 1,000 Rupees. Assets of the bank, the first national bank to be established in Kuwait and the Arab region, had reached, till 2003, some USD 13 billion. The NBK has 42 local branches, affiliate companies, representation offices, and branches in London, New York, Paris, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Bahrain, and Lebanon.
1971 -- First issue of the weekly Kuwaiti magazine Miraat Al-Umma (Mirror of the Nation) hit newsstands. The magazine, which covered cultural and political issues, was issued with Ali Yousef Al-Roumi as Chief Editor.
1999 -- Fahad Yousef Al-Duwairi, a pioneer in the Kuwaiti literary arena, passed away at the age of 78. He left visible marks on the Kuwaiti literature, culture, and media. Al-Duwairi was one of the first writers who wrote in "Kathma" magazine in 1948. His first novel was titled "From Reality" (Mina Al-Waqea).
2000 -- Kuwait made a record achievement at the general assembly of the International Theatre Institute, held in the French city of Marseille, when the director, Fuad Al-Shatti, was chosen to occupy a seat in the ITI Supreme Council.
2008 -- Kuwait's National Committee for Protection of the Ozone Layer was awarded the 2008 award in this field by the US Environment Protection Agency at a ceremony in Washington.(end) rk