KUWAIT, April 4 (KUNA) -- 1973 -- The Amir Sheikh Sabah AlآSalem AlآSabah issued a decree forming the United Real Estate Company, at a capital of KD four million.
1975 -- Sheikh Mohammad AlآAhmad AlآJaber AlآSabah died at age of 66. He was the first defense minister of Kuwait, serving in the post between 1962 and 1964.
1979 -- The Amir Sheikh Jaber AlآAhmad AlآSabah issued Decree No. 15 (1979) regulating the civil service, setting terms for employment in the public sector; that the applicant should be Kuwaiti. In case a national was not available for the service, preference would be given to an Arab citizen. The Civil Service Commission was founded, under chairmanship of the prime minister. It was tasked with modernizing the public sector, the civil service in the government departments and upgrading skills of the civil servants.
1982 -- The national team won the Sixth Arab Gulf Soccer Tournament, held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
1987 -- New headquarters of the central blood bank was inaugurated in AlآJabriyah. It was equipped with state of art devices and turned into the number-one blood bank in the whole Middle East.
2001 -- Kuwait established relations at the ambassadorial level with North Korea.
2001 -- Minister of Oil Dr. Adel AlآSebeeh inaugurated plant of Kuwait Catalyst Company. The plant, the first of its kind to be built in the Middle East, was fruit of the offset program. The plant, licensed by a Japanese energy company, was built on a 30,000 square meter plot of land, with an output capacity of 5,000 tons per year. Its capital stood at KD 12 million.
2005 -- The Amir Sheikh Jaber AlآAhmad AlآSabah issued Decree No. 72 (2005), annulling Decree No. 53 (2002) as to formation of an apparatus for execution of the agreements concerning the divided zone, development of the Kuwaiti islands and launch of mega projects. Its specializations, liabilities and rights were assigned to the Ministry of Public Labor.
2006 -- Kuwaiti women began, for the first time in the history of the country, practicing political franchise. Two female candidates, Jenan BouآShehri and Khaledah Al?آKhedher, competed, along with six male candidates, for a single seat in the Municipal Council in byآelections. They contested for the fifth constituency that comprised AlآSalmiyah, AlآRas, AlآBede, Salwa and Al?آRumaithiah. The male nominee, Yousef Mefleh Suwaileh, won the poll.
2007 -- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlآAhmad AlآJaber AlآSabah issued Laws No. 5, 6 and 7 (2007), organizing sports activities.
2008 -- Kuwait Soccer Club was crowned champion of the Kuwait Premier League despite losing against Salmiyah 1آ0.
2008 -- Khaled Ahmad AlآJassem of the National Guard won the gold award in the 36th international exhibition in Geneva. He innovated a device for detecting concealed explosives. Another Kuwaiti inventor, Mohammed Abulhassan won the silver for making a new method for advertising on the internet. A third Kuwaiti, Abdul Karim AlآMutawaa also won the same award for inventing a game for a group of people.
2010 -- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued two decrees, establishing embassies in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Mongolia.
2010 -- Kuwait and Albania signed an accord for averting double taxation.
2011 -- Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Mohammad AlآAfasi allowed proclamation of union of universities, colleges and higher faculties. (end) gta