KUWAIT CITY, Dec 26: Defense, Interior & National Security: March 17: Ministry of Interior wins the 2020 award for best awareness film on combating terrorism and extremism at the end of the 44th virtual conference of Arab police and security chiefs.
April 12: Interior Ministry mourned policeman Saad Salem Nafaa was martyred in a tragic accident while on duty.
April 14: Interior Ministry started receiving candidates for parliamentary by-elections for the fifth constituency.
April 26: Kuwait National Guard (KNG) received at Ali Al-Salem Airbase French-made Caracal helicopters, commissioned as the core of the guard’s fleet.
April 29: Kuwait Fire Force (KFF) controlled a fire at tires’ dumping ground in Al-Salmi area. April 30: Interior Ministry mourned martyr Abdullah Al-Daihani who was killed in a tragic accident.
May 15: Firefighters control a huge fire that broke out at a scrapyard at Abdullah Port.
May 16: KFF announced the death of two workers in a fire at a three-story commercial complex in Jahra district.
June 8: Firefighters managed to put out a blaze at a 60,000-square-metre location in Jahra’s Amghara area.
June 14: Ministry of Interior evacuated 140 citizens and residents that were stuck on Failaka Island due to bad weather conditions.
June 19: seven firefighters controlled a massive fire at a warehouse in Shuwaikh Industrial area, which resulted the death of one person and injury of two others.
July 8: Custom Department foiled an attempt to smuggle 25,000 bags of Paan.
July 12: Custom Department seized 2.22 million Paan bags in three containers.
July 15: Ministry of Interior arrested a person possessing 1.2 pills of illegal drugs with a value of KD two million (USD 6.6 million).
July 20: A military transport plan arrived in Tunisia carrying 20 tons of oxygen.
July 25: Custom Department foiled attempt to smuggle 1.4 million bags of Paan.
Aug 7: KFF, acting upon His Highness the Amir’s instructions, sent 90 firefighters to Turkey and Greece to help in fighting massive forest fires.
Aug 11: Custom Department seized 150 KGs of Hashish in a container.
Aug 14: Three Asians were killed and five injured in a fire in a workers’ residence in Abdaly area.
Aug 17: Kuwait donated six fire engines to Algeria.
Aug 19: Kuwait donated six fire engines to Turkey.
Aug 20: KFF announced death of five persons and injury of 15 others in a road accident.
Aug 23: Kuwait donated six fire engines to Tunisia.
Sept 8: Two workers were killed when a building at Kuwait Airport under construction collapsed.
Sept 23: Custom Department seized 1.221 tons of Paan.
Oct 12: Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al- Ali Al-Sabah announced that Kuwaiti females would be allowed to register in military service.
Nov 2: Kuwait, Saudi and American forces conduct drills.
Nov 10: Custom Department seized 30 tons of Paan hidden in containers coming from a Gulf country.
Nov 21: Kuwait held military funeral for 19 martyrs who were found in mass graves in Iraq.
Nov 23: MoI seized 17 KGs of narcotics smuggled inside sheep coming from a neighboring country.
Nov 28: Three persons killed and a child injured in a fire in a house in Sulaibiya Area. Dec 7: Kuwait received first batch of Eurofighter typhoon aircraft from Italy.
Dec 8: Interior Ministry arrested individuals with 120,000 psychedelic pills.
Dec 9: Firefighters control blaze erupting in Amghara area.
Dec 14: Kuwait army received two Eurofighter Typhoon aircrafts.

Social affairs & Public utilities:
Jan 31: Ministry of Justice declares issuance of executive regulations of the Law 12/2020, allowing citizens to have access to their official documents at state institutions.
Feb 17: Directorate General of Civil Aviation inaugurates new headquarters to provide an appropriate and advanced environment to employees.
April 3: Kuwait Ports Authority earned KD 56.4 million (USD 186 million) profits for the fiscal year 2020-21.
April 21: Ministry of Communications (MoC) issued a stamp titled “Kuwait Fight Coronavirus Pandemic,” in collaboration with the ministry’s Postal Sector and Kuwait Philatelic Society.
May 30: The Public Authority for agricultural affairs & fish resources reopen public parks from 8:00 a.m. till 10:00 p.m.
June 8: Civil Aviation authority signed a KD 9.2 million (USD 30 million) contract with Spain’s Indra company to provide communication equipment for the new tower at Kuwait International Airport.
June 23: Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) announced three tenders for “New Kuwait 2035” development plan, with a total value of about KD five million (about 16.6 million USD).
July 5: Kuwait Airways announced resumption of fl ights to Geneva, Munich and Frankfurt as of July 9.
Aug 1: Kuwait Airport started receiving non-vaccinated non-Kuwaitis.
Oct 2: Kuwait Airways signed a mutual contract for ground handling operations at Kuwait and Amman Airports.
Dec 13: Kuwait Airways signed agreement with security company to update its safety measures in accordance with international standards. Education, Higher education, scientific research:
Feb 10: Ministry of Education decides to continue online education in all grades for the school year’s second semester (2020-21).
March 22: Kuwait announces schools will reopen in September, while cabinet agrees on holding paper final exams for Grade 12.
April 25: The College of Nursing at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) has obtained the academic accreditation for the bachelor of nursing program from the American Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
May 26: Ministry of Education (MOE) postponed paper exams for grade 12 in public and private schools until June 9 instead of May 30.
June 9: Grade 12 students began paper exams amidst health precautionary measures.
June 30: Kuwait’s first Satellite “Qamar Al-Kuwait” launched into space from Cape Canaveral space rocket in the US state of Florida.
July 25: Kuwait institute for Scientific Research (KISR) registered a patent from the US about a technology to simultaneously desalinate water and air-cooling.
July 29: Representative of His Highness the Amir, Minister of Education Dr. Ali Al-Mudhaf announced USD 30 million pledge to support global educational initiative over five years.
Aug 5: KISR registered a patent in the US over a waste treatment system.
Sept 18: KISR registered 3.1-degree earthquake northeast of Kuwait.
Oct 3: Public schools started receiving students after closure of 18 months due to coronavirus.
Oct 24: Kuwait University received 36,000 students.
Dec 17: UN honors Kuwaiti poet Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain on the international day for the Arabic language celebrated on December 18th. Media:
April 4: Head of the cinema sector at the Kuwait Artists and Media Syndicate announced that actor Saad Al- Faraj will be the main character of the Kuwait New Film Festival.
April 6: The National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature (NCCAL) postponed “Kuwait is the Arab culture capital” celebration from 2022 to 2026, based on the decision of the ministers in the Arab world.
June 13: Cultural centers and museums re-opened with health precautions.
June 29: Kuwait’s Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Center nominated for the 2021 LCD Berlin Awards in the category of the “New Cultural Destination of the Year” in the Middle East and Africa.
July 13: Italian Ambassador to Kuwait honored Kamel Al-Abduljalil, Secretary General of NCCAL, with a cultural order in recognition of his efforts to boosting cultural and traditional relations between the two countries.
Oct 1: Minister of Information Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, representing His Highness the Prime Minister, headed to Dubai to attend inauguration of Kuwait Pavilion at 2020 Expo Dubai.
Oct 13: The NCCAL signed a cultural cooperation agreement with the Indian Embassy as part of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Nov 3: That Al-Salasil won the best Arab publishing house award at Sharjah International Book Fair.
Nov 4: Jordan selected Kuwaiti actor Mohammad Al-Mansour, among Arab actors and men of letters, for an honorary award.
Nov 17: Kuwait elected member in UNESCO’s Executive Council for 2021-25.
Dec 12: Information Ministry launched its new website. (KUNA)