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The following is part three of three on events that took place in Kuwait in 2008.


By Lubna Maarafi

KUWAIT, Dec 25 (KUNA) -- With 2008 almost at a close, many social, educational and sports achievements made this year are worthy of highlighting.
Media and culture ================.
-- Feb 10: The first issue of Al-Ru'ya newspaper hits the stands.
-- March 5-6: KUNA's Chairman and Director General Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Sabah participates in the 13th meeting of heads of GCC new agencies, held in Riyadh.
-- March 31: The first issue of Al-Sabah newspaper hits the stands.
-- April 6: H.H. the Prime Minister inaugurates the Fifth Arab Media Forum, held under the slogan "Positive Media Dialogue between East and West." -- April 8: Kuwait's 10th Theater festival kicks off.
-- July 18: The Cultural Bureau at Kuwait Embassy in London holds a cultural forum themed "We Care," under the auspices of Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
-- Oct 12: Al-Arabi Magazine wins the title of best cultural magazine in a poll by the Arab Poetry Agency.
-- Oct 21: The first issue of Assawt newspaper hits the stands.
-- Nov 19: Kuwait's 33rd International Book Fair is inaugurated.
-- Nov 30: The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters signs agreements for excavation with Denmark, France and Poland.
Social Affairs =============.
-- Jan 6: A ministerial order is issued establishing the Human Rights Bureau, affiliated to the Justice Ministry.
-- Feb 5: The board of the Co-ops Union is dissolved and a temporary chairman is appointed.
-- Feb 21: The Cabinet approves a KD 120 pay raise for all citizens employed in the public and private sectors and a KD 50 raise for expatriates working in the public sector.
-- July 3: Kuwait and Tunisia sign a protocol for technical cooperation among the labor syndicates.
Municipal Council ================.
-- May 28: Registration begins for candidates running in the by-elections for the Municipal Council's fourth constituency seat after Abdulaziz Al-Shayji wins a seat in parliament.
-- June 4: Registration begins for candidates running in the by-elections for the Municipal Council's second constituency seat after Fadel Safar is appointed Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Municipal Council Affairs.
-- June 25: Hisham Al-Baghli wins the Municipal Council by-elections for the fourth constituency.
-- July 2: Dr. Abdulkareem Hussein Saleem wins the Municipal Council by-elections for the second constituency.
-- July 7: Hisham Al-Baghli and Dr. Abdulkareem Hussein Saleem take oath as members of the Municipal Council.
-- Sept 22: The Municipal Council holds its first session.
-- Oct 8: Registration begins for candidates running in the by-elections for the Municipal Council's eighth constituency seat after Askar Al-Enizi wins a parliament seat after filing a law suit requesting a ballot re-count.
-- Nov 5: Faleh Al-Owaihan wins the wins the Municipal Council by-elections for the eighth constituency.
-- Nov 10: Faleh Al-Owaihan takes oath.
Education ========.
-- Feb 17: The national educational conference themed "Education: Path to Development" is held under the auspices of H.H. the Amir.
-- June 3: A KD 100 monthly payment is approved for Kuwaiti students in Kuwait and those abroad, and a KD 250 is granted to married students.
Agriculture ==========.
-- June 6: Kuwait participates in the Food and Agriculture (FAO) conference on food security.
-- July 12: Kuwait signs an agreement with Poland for agricultural cooperation.
-- Sept 16: The Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) sign an agreement for restructuring the agriculture subsidy system.
-- Sept 22: PAAAFR and KISR sign an agreement for studying reasons and impact of the rise in underground water levels.
-- Nov 19: Kuwait participates in an FAO conference and underscores the need for a "green revolution" to increase food production and provide the needs of the world's population.

-- Scientific research ==================.
-- April 5: Three Kuwaiti inventors - Khalid Ahmad Al-Jassem, Mohammad Bader Abulhassan, and Abdulkareem Ali Al-Mutawa - win medals at the 36th Invention Fair held in Geneva.
-- April 11: Kuwaitis Aref Al-Enizi and Mubarak Dakheelallah are granted a US patent for their invention of a portable wash basin for those with special needs and a sensor for measuring condition of frozen food, respectively.
-- June 22: Kuwait's E-Award kicks off under the auspices of H.H. the Amir.
-- June 23L KISR announces the discovery of a genetic factor responsible for avian flu.
-- Oct 12: Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah's Informatics Competition kicks off.
-- Oct 28: KISR's Construction and Energy Technology Directorate receives an award for best international energy project for 2008, for smart-operation of air conditioning and lighting in government buildings.
-- Nov 2: Engineer Manar Al-Hashash is selected as Kuwait's first ambassador for youth, IT and communication at the UN.
Health services ==============.
-- Jan 14-16: Kuwait hosts the first conference on contagious diseases for children.
-- Feb 12: Kuwait and Turkey sign a health cooperation agreement.
-- Feb 19: The Co-ops Cardiac Hospital is inaugurated.
-- April 27: H.H. the Amir donates USD 100,000 to the International X-ray Society.
-- June 6: Kuwait wins non-permanent membership in the Executive Bureau of the International X-Ray Society.
-- July 15: Kuwait and Canada sign an agreement for raising the level of services provided at Kuwaiti hospitals.
-- Oct 18: Dr. Khalid Al-Sabti registers a patent for a new method of eye surgery.
-- Oct 22: The Hereditary Diseases Unit at Kuwait University's College of Medicine discovers a gene mutation leading to "blue water" in children's eyes.
Transport and communications ===========================.
-- Feb 11: Kuwait Airways signs an agreement with Royal Aviation for providing ground services at Kuwait International Airport.
-- Feb 13: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation signs an MoU with aviation authorities in Syria, regulating aviation activities between the two sides.
-- Feb 21: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation signs an MoU with Thai authorities for free aviation transport and open skies.
-- April 10: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation signs an agreement with its counterpart in Yemen for raising the number of flights between the two sides.
-- May 24: Kuwait Airways signs an MoU with the Saudi National Services Co, for commercial, managerial and security training.
-- June 2: Kuwait Airways and KGL sign an agreement for providing services to first and business class passengers.
-- June 16: The Communications Ministry signs an agreement with the French Ministry of Economy and Industry in the postal services field.
-- June 25: ALAFCO signs an agreement with Saudi Airlines for selling eight planes at a cost of USD 1.6 billion and the lease of four others for 12 years.
-- June 28: The establishment of Wataniya Airlines is declared in Kuwait Gazette, as a shareholding Kuwaiti company with a KD 50 million capital.
-- Aug 6: Kuwait wins membership in the board of the International Postal Union.
-- Sept 17: The new telecommunications company, VIVA, launches services.
-- Sept 22: The new phone number system is introduced, whereby an extra digit is added to land and mobile numbers bringing the total digits to eight.
Environment ==========.
-- May 20: Kuwait wins the ozone protection award during a ceremony held by the Kennedy Center in Washington.
-- June 18: H.H. the Amir inaugurates the national campaign for the preservation of marine life.
-- Oct 23: The second phase of the campaign for planting one million trees begins.
-- Oct 23: Kuwait and Mongolia sign an MoU for establishing an environmental research center.
Renowned figures ===============.
-- Feb 29: Abdulmohsen Al-Rushaid Al-Bader, a renowned poet, passes away after contributing more than 40 years to Kuwait's cultural and intellectual movement.
-- March 5: Dr. Ahmad Abdullah Al-Rubaei, former minister and MP, passes away at the age of 59 after a battle with cancer.
-- Oct 22: Barrak Khalid Al-Marzouq, Chairman of the Audit Bureau, passes away at the age of 69.
-- Oct 28: Ali Al-Mufeedi, renowned actor, passes away at the age of 69 at a hospital in Jordan after battling disease for many years.
Sports =====.
-- Jan 6: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, as member of the International Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Asian Olympic Committee, is chosen among eight sports figures supporting world sports.
-- Aug 16: FIFA sends a letter to the interim committee tasked with managing Kuwait Football Federation, postponing the elections of the federation from October 1 to the 15th of the same month.
-- Sept 4: FIFA rejects a request by the interim committee for postponing elections to December.
-- Oct 23: Voting begins to elect board of the 23 sports clubs in Kuwait in line with a law passed by the parliament for making sports amendments.
-- Oct 24: Kuwait Football Federation receives a letter from FIFA suspending Kuwait's participation in international contests, as the elections of the sports boards came after the deadline set by FIFA.
-- Dec 20: FIFA lifts the ban on Kuwait's international football participation for six months. (end) lm.ema