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Pan-Arab talks bringing together media bodies from across the region have named Kuwait’s Dr. Mohammad Al-Rumaihi as the personality of the year in recognition of his contributions in the field.
As he received his award, Al-Rumaihi, a professor of political sociology at Kuwait University, dedicated the achievement to his compatriots who have made notable contributions in the field of media and journalism, saying the accolade was a “tremendous honor.” He hailed the gathering as a significant initiative that helps propel the field of media and journalism in the region to greater levels, besides shining light on the importance of this crucial sector.
Al-Rumahi has enjoyed a prolific career in the field of journalism, having served as the chief editor of numerous Kuwaiti publications, while he has also authored a number of books delving into Arab social and political affairs.
Recently, Kuwait has taken concrete steps towards women’s empowerment and gender equality. This progress is largely due to the political, cultural and social commitment of pioneering women who have helped to change things. A fight that continues, especially to denounce sexual harassment and demand more protection. Discover the portraits of 5 inspiring women from Kuwait.
1 – Alanoud Alsharekh
Alanoud Alsharek is an academic researcher and activist in the fields of youth and gender demographics, GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) security, bicultural trends and feminism in the Arab world. She is, in fact, a strong advocate for women and their rights, and does not hesitate to speak on this topic through conferences and debates. In 2016, she was named Knight of the National Order of Merit by the French government, for her contribution to the improvement of women’s lives in Kuwait and the region.
2 – Ascia Al Faraj
Famous fashion blogger, ex-model and influencer with 2.5 million followers on Instagram, Ascia Al Faraj is behind the Me too movement in Kuwait. In February 2021, the young woman spontaneously published a video face to face with the camera where she expressed her anger. “Every time I go out, there is someone harassing me or another woman on the street! Don’t you feel ashamed? We have a harassment problem in this country and I’m sick of it!” she exclaims. The video then triggers a wave of testimonies. Dozens of women tell, in turn, how they are harassed and assaulted on a daily basis.
3 – Shayma Shamo
A few days after the video post of Ascia Al Faraj, the young doctor Shayma Shamo brings her support by creating the Instagram account “Lan Asket” (“I will not be silent”, in French). Messages from victims are pouring in and the word is getting out about verbal, physical and sexual harassment. “We must express ourselves, unite and defend each other because what is happening is unacceptable,” she told AFP. The page now has more than 15,000 subscribers.
4 – Lulu Alaslawi
Another inspiring woman from Kuwait to speak out against violence against women is fashion and lifestyle influencer Lulu Alaslawi. A media figure with more than 400,000 followers on her page, the Kuwaiti breaks the silence by denouncing the bullyingshe faces for her fashion photos. “The girls do not speak for fear of being stigmatized. But we won’t stop until we defeat this cancer in society,” she says.
5 – Lulwa Al-Qatami
Known for being the first Kuwaiti woman to go to England for university studies in 1953, Lulwa Al-Qatami has had a remarkable career since then. A former director of Kuwait University and UNESCO ambassador, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Most recently, in 2019, Lulwa Al-Qatami was awarded the Legion of Honor for her commitment to education and women’s empowerment.
He replaces his countryman Nayef Al Hajraf, whose term is coming to an end.
Jasem Al Budaiwi, Kuwait’s ambassador to the US, has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the Gulf Co-operation Council, succeeding Nayef Al Hajrafwhose term ends on Tuesday.
The GCC said Mr Al Hajraf welcomed the new secretary general and “wished him success”.
Mr Al Hajraf, who took office on February 1, 2020, was previously Kuwait’s minister of finance.
Mr Al Budaiwi, who will take up his new post on Wednesday, began his diplomatic career with Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992 as diplomatic attache in the office of the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs.
He was posted to Kuwait’s US embassy in June 2001, where he was promoted to first secretary in 2004, counsellor in 2007 and deputy chief of mission in October 2011.
He was appointed ambassador to Korea in 2013 and served in the post until 2016.
He then served as Kuwait’s ambassador to Belgium and head of mission to Nato until last year, when he was appointed ambassador to the US.
In December, leaders of the GCC agreed that Kuwait should retain the position of secretary general of the council for a second consecutive term during their annual summit in Riyadh.
Mr Al Budaiwi will be the GCC’s third secretary general from Kuwait after Mr Al Hajraf and Abdullah Yaqoub Bishara, who was the first person to hold the post after the council was established. Mr Bishara’s tenure was to last 11 years, making him the longest-serving chief among the six to have held the position.
Mr Al Hajraf has been making farewell visits to GCC states in recent weeks and meeting their leaders and foreign ministers.
The GCC was established in 1981 to promote economic, security, cultural and social co-operation between its six member states, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The countries hold a summit every year.
The GCC’s Supreme Council is made up of the heads of the member states.
UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, hosted the council’s first meeting in Abu Dhabi on May 25 and 26, 1981.
The Kuwaitis continued to make many distinguished achievements and achieved results in various fields and at the various local, regional and international levels, which were recorded for their work and creativity, reports Al-Rai daily. The following are the most prominent of these achievements during the year 2022.
February 10: Dr. Hind Al-Qadri, a researcher at the Dasman Diabetes Institute of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, won the 2021 L’Oréal UNESCO Prize for Women in Science within the Middle East Regional Program for Emerging Female Researchers. (see picture below)
February 24: Kuwaiti parachutist Ibrahim Al-Rubaian recorded an unprecedented feat by jumping from a height of 13,000 feet with the biggest fl ag in the sky of Kuwait, with an area of 800 square meters, under the slogan “I raised glory and soared with pride,” coinciding with the national holidays.
February 26: The State of Kuwait entered the Guinness Book of Records by hoisting the country’s largest flag measuring 2,742 square meters and installing it on a mountain peak in the Sultanate of Oman (Jabal Shams), at an altitude of 3,028 meters above sea level, in conjunction with national holidays.
March 21: The Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO) honored Sheikha Dr. Suad Al-Sabah, in recognition of her brilliant contributions in the literary and cultural fields, at its eighth session of the “Arab Poetry Day” in the Tunisian capital.
April 23: The International Professional Diving Instructors Organization awarded the Kuwait Scientific Club Center for Swimming and Diving a Certificate of Excellence for its contribution to the development of the diving industry inside and outside Kuwait.
June 12: Kuwaiti researchers Dr. Nasser Al-Sayegh and Dr. Ammar Bahman obtained a patent from the US Patent Office, for their invention of a device capable of characterizing the physical state of nanosuspensions dispersed in nanofluids during the dynamic fl ow process.
June 29: Kuwait University announces that Assistant Professor of the Department of Surgical Sciences at the College of Dentistry, Dr. Muhammad Kamal, and the Consultant of Nose and Throat at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Abdul Mohsen Al-Turki, obtained a patent from the United States of America for an alternative medical splint to the nose wicks.
July 2: The International Pharmaceutical Federation selected Dr. Dalal Al-Taweel, Assistant Dean for Student and Academic Affairs at the College of Pharmacy, among 20 rising stars in the field of pharmaceutical research and pharmaceutical education.
August 11: The League of Arab States honors the Kuwaiti youth, Abdullah Al- Shammari, who won the third place for the “Excellence Award for Arab Youth 2022” in the field of “voluntary work” granted by the Council of Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports. The award came about the “Al-Amal Electronic Newspaper” project, which is concerned with the affairs of people with disabilities.
October 2: Plastic artist Munira Al-Qadiri won the prize of the 15th session of the German “Trina Fellbach” exhibition for small sculptures.
October 3: Dr. Badr Al-Enezi, from the Department of Environmental Technology Management at the College of Life Sciences at Kuwait University, obtained a patent on “improving water and solving the problem of environmental pollution in a scientific way” from the United States Patent and Intellectual Property Office.
October 9: Kuwaiti photographer Muhammad Murad won first place in the prestigious international “Mont Photo” competition for photography in the natural world in Spain.
October 12: The European Union of Medical Specialties selected Dr. MuhammadKamal, a Kuwaiti academic, as the first examiner from outside the continent for the Board of Oral, Maxillofacial, and Head and Neck Surgery. The selection was made during the last session held in the Spanish capital, Madrid.
October 12: Lama Fahad Al-Ariman received the “Rising Space Leaders” award presented by the International Astronautical Federation as the representative of the State of Kuwait in this international competition.
October 30: Kuwaiti photographer Muhammad Murad won the top honorary prize in the African “Benjamin Mkapa” competition for developing African wildlife and the American “Nature Best” competition.
Kuwait National Day is always celebrated on 25th February. This holiday marks the day when Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah ascended to the throne in 1950.
To commemorate the day , Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense held a show of military vehicles and equipment
NATIONAL DAY KUWAIT – Timeline
1613
Kuwait City is Founded
Kuwait City is founded as a fishing village.
1792
The East India Company Arrives
The East India Company secures the sea routes between Kuwait, India, and the east coasts of Africa.
1946 — 1982
Golden Era of Kuwait
Kuwait experiences a period of prosperity driven by oil and its liberal atmosphere.
2006 — 2009
The Peak of Prosperity
Kuwait has the highest Human Development Index ranking in the Arab world
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KUWAIT LIBERATION DAY
Kuwait Liberation Day is observed annually on February 26.
This holiday remembers the day Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation in 1991.
The Liberation was the U.S. marshaled military operation — Operation Iraqi Freedom, to recoup Kuwait from Iraq after the 1991 bombing of Iraq. U.S. troops arrived to find the Iraqis surrendering as a whole, although pockets of resistance prevailed, especially at Kuwait International Airport where Iraqi troops, supposedly clueless that a retreat order had already been given, proceeded with fighting, which only resulted in an intense battle over the airport itself. Most of the fight happened in Iraq instead of Kuwait. The military operation is also commonly referred to as the Gulf War.
Bader Al-Mutawa (aka) Bader Ahmed al-Mutawa. Professional Footballer. Athlete.
• Bader Al Mutawa has become the most-capped player of all time
• Striker passed the mark of former Egyptian defender Ahmed Hassan
• Kuwaiti has now played 185 times for his country
Kuwait’s FIFA Arab Cup™ qualifier against Bahrain is a hugely significant fixture, and not just because the winners will go to the tournament in Qatar. It was also the game that finally allowed Kuwaiti forward Bader Al Mutawa to become the most-capped player in the history of men’s football.
Earlier this month, during Kuwait’s unsuccessful attempt to reach the third round of AFC qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Al Mutawa won his 184th cap to tie the record of Egyptian legend Ahmed Hassan, set on 22 May 2012 against Togo.
FIFA.com looks back at the impressive career of Al Mutawa, who has finally surpassed his Egyptian rival and set a new appearances’ record for international men’s football.
Singapore start
On 4 September 2003, newly-appointed coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani handed Al Mutawa his debut in a 2004 Asian Cup qualifier away to Singapore. It was certainly a bold move, partly because it was the Brazilian’s first game in charge, and partly because the player being entrusted with attacking duties was only 18-years-old.
But Al Mutawa, who began his football career as a goalkeeper with Al-Qadsia before moving up front, quickly repaid Carpegiani’s trust, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win.
Five World Cup qualifying campaigns
Al Mutawa then helped Al-Azraq (The Blue) to the final phase of the 2004 Asian Cup. He would go on to feature at that tournament in China PR, as well as the 2011 and 2015 editions, but could not prevent Kuwait exiting at the group stage on each occasion.
Six months after his international debut, the 1.75 m forward played his first FIFA World Cup™ qualifier, against Malaysia in the Germany 2006 preliminaries. Once again he rose to the occasion, opening the scoring and helping his side to victory.
Al Mutawa was a fixture in his side for the South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He also featured in Kuwait’s unsuccessful bid to reach Qatar 2022.
Breaking new ground
When the AFC qualifiers for Qatar 2022 resumed earlier this month, Al Mutawa was still three games away from Ahmed Hassan’s record. He came off the bench for the Australia and Jordan games before starting their final fixture against Chinese Taipei, where he equalled the mark set nine years previously by Hassan.
That achievement was overshadowed by Kuwait’s Qatar 2022 elimination, which saw the veteran break down in tears in the knowledge that he would not be able to end his long career with an appearance on the world stage.
However, there was some consolation for Al Mutawa, with the president of the Kuwaiti Football Federation, Sheikh Ahmed Al Yousef, paying tribute to him before the team travelled to Qatar to face Bahrain. The 36-year-old then duly made history by taking sole possession of the record for most international appearances in men’s football.
Abdullah Al-Rashidi. Sports Shooting. Skeet. Athlete.
A seven time Olympian who won a bronze medal for Kuwait at the Tokyo Olympics.
It was Abdullah Al-Rashidi’s second Olympic medal but first for his country.
“I am 58 years old. I am the oldest shooter and the bronze medal is worth more than gold for me. I am very happy for this medal, but I hope for a gold medal at the next Olympics,” he told the Olympic information service at the Asaka shooting range.
In the 2016 Rio Olympics Al-Rashidi competed as an individual Athlete winning a Bronze medal.
Kuwaiti play ‘System Out Of Order’ entered the Guinness Book of Records as the ‘First Virtual Performance in the Arab World’.
The plays’ actor and director was Mohammed Al Hamli.
The play was shown digitally-remotely and the number of tickets sold on May 25th, Eid Al Fitr day was 1,474 breaking the record for tickets sold on one day – for an electronic comedy show.