Kuwait

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One of Gulf Nations' Last Octogenarian Chiefs Has Died

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah is dead at 86

(Newser) - Kuwait's ruling emir, the 86-year-old Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, died Saturday after a three-year low-key reign focused on trying to resolve the tiny oil-rich nation's internal political disputes. Kuwait state television broke into programming with Koranic verses just before a somber official made the announcement. "...

Kuwait Stages a Rare Mass Execution
Kuwait Stages a
Rare Mass Execution

Kuwait Stages a Rare Mass Execution

5 men, 2 women were put to death

(Newser) - Kuwait on Wednesday put to death seven prisoners in a rare mass execution in the small, oil-rich nation despite facing international criticism over its plans. The state-run KUNA news agency described those executed as all being convicted of premeditated murder and other charges in the sheikhdom. It identified those killed...

Iraq Is Done Paying Reparations to Kuwait

It paid out $52B over 3 decades

(Newser) - Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, and its forces were ousted by 1991. In the more than 30 years since, it has been paying reparations to Kuwait, a process that has finally officially finished. The UN commission set up to review the compensation demands and obtain and pay out the money...

Man Arrested After Complaining About Sandstorm

He posted video complaining about Kuwait weather

(Newser) - Police in Kuwait have arrested a resident—an Egyptian man—for posting a video online in which he rants about bad weather and dust storms. The arrest underscored the country’s restrictions on expression and drew criticism on social media Monday over his detention. Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior said...

A Mideast Ruler Is Dead at 91
A Mideast Ruler
Is Dead at 91

A Mideast Ruler Is Dead at 91

Kuwait's Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah may be succeeded by half-brother

(Newser) - Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the ruler of Kuwait who drew on his decades as the oil-rich nation's top diplomat to push for closer ties to Iraq after the 1990 Gulf War and solutions to other regional crises, died Tuesday at the age of 91, per the AP...

Man Seeks Help After Dozing Off in Bangkok Massage

And other odd requests to the British Foreign Office

(Newser) - The British Foreign Office handles serious matters—like helping to expel Russian diplomats after a poisoning on UK soil, or overseeing President Trump's controversial 2018 visit—but also fields queries on arguably lighter subjects ranging from Britain's available women to the plot of Braveheart to the possible danger...

New Franken Accuser: He Groped My Breast in Photo Op

Army veteran says incident took place on 2003 USO tour; plus 6th accuser says he tried for a kiss

(Newser) - An Army veteran is one of two women to come forward with new sexual misconduct allegations against Al Franken, just days after the senator issued an apology —and she's offering a story similar to those of earlier accusers. Stephanie Kemplin, 41, tells CNN Franken touched her right breast...

Qatar Warns Neighbors as Deadline Is Extended

'We stand ready to defend our country'

(Newser) - Arab nations extended a deadline early Monday for Qatar to respond to their list of demands in a diplomatic crisis roiling the Gulf, saying Kuwait's emir requested the delay as part of his efforts to mediate the dispute. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain cut off...

Viral Anti-Terrorism Ad: 'Bomb Delusion With Truth'

Telecom firm in Kuwait planned music video to launch at start of Ramadan

(Newser) - As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan kicked off over the weekend, so, too, did an ad by a telecom company in Kuwait tackling terrorism. CNN reports on Zaid's three-minute music video , which has so far amassed more than 3.6 million views, showing a suicide bomber being confronted...

Marines Join Fight to Retake Raqqa From ISIS

They'll provide support for local forces, special ops: officials

(Newser) - US Marines have joined the fight to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, defense officials say. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which departed San Diego in October, has been deployed to ISIS' de facto capital and will fire artillery guns, including M777 Howitzers, from an outpost...

The World's 10 Richest Countries
The World's 10
Richest Countries

The World's 10 Richest Countries

The US just makes the list

(Newser) - While some countries are rich in culture and history, others are actually rich. 24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the world's 25 wealthiest countries based on gross national income, which it says is a "more useful measure of national wealth" than gross domestic product. The site...

100 US Citizens Stuck in Kuwait

Military contractors barred from leaving base after contract dispute

(Newser) - Well this is one way to handle a corporate dispute. US military translation contractor Global Linguist Solutions ended its contract with its sponsoring Kuwaiti subcontractor, Al Shora, in February. So Al Shora—which just happens to be run by the Kuwaiti prime minister's sister-in-law, sources tell Fox News —...

CIA Nabs bin Laden's Son-in-Law

With a little assist from Turkey

(Newser) - The CIA quietly captured Osama bin Laden's son-in-law last week and spirited him away to the US, a Turkish newspaper reported today. Turkish authorities first seized Sulaiman Abu Ghaith last month at a luxury Ankara hotel thanks to a CIA tip-off, the AFP reports. The CIA had asked Turkey...

Kuwait Man Gets 2 Years for Tweet Insulting Emir

Country is cracking down on social media

(Newser) - A Kuwaiti man will spend the next two years of his life in prison over a tweet, as the Gulf nation continues its crackdown on dissent in social media. The man, who has 5,700 Twitter followers, received a 2-year sentence for a tweet deemed to have "stabbed the...

What's the US to Do After Exiting Iraq? Stay in Kuwait

13.5K soldiers will help secure the region: report

(Newser) - The US has no combat force in Iraq and a wary eye on Iran: What's a nervous country to do? Maintain a force in neighboring Kuwait, apparently. The AP obtained an advance copy of a congressional report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, set to be released today, that...

Oops: Kuwait Plays Borat's Spoof Anthem for Athlete

It runs during medal ceremony for Kazakhstan woman

(Newser) - After Kazakhstan's Maria Dmitrienko won gold at the Arab Shooting Championships, she mounted the podium to hear her national anthem played. Problem was, Kuwaiti officials used the obscene spoof version from the Borat movie, reports the Telegraph . (Sample lyric: "Kazakhstan's prostitutes cleanest in the region.")...

Accused Soldier Flown Out of Afghanistan

Massacre suspect moved to 'appropriate detention facilities' in Kuwait

(Newser) - The American soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan civilians in a pre-dawn shooting spree has been flown to Kuwait, angering Afghans who want him to stand trial in their country. He was whisked out of Afghanistan because of "our own policies and regulations, and for his own safety and...

Arab Nations Poised to Arm Syrian Rebels

But US worries about protracted civil war

(Newser) - Members of the Arab League signaled this week that they're about to arm Syrian rebels. But American officials fear that strategy will thwart their more cautious approach, and could fuel a bloody, protracted civil war. Saudi Arabia and Qatar aim to aid the opposition "as soon as they...

US Boosting Persian Gulf Forces

America warns Iran that closing Strait of Hormuz would be 'red line'

(Newser) - Some of the US troops who left Iraq last month didn't move very far. As tensions with Iran rise, the US military has been quietly boosting its strength in the Persian Gulf, reports the Los Angeles Times . The move comes as US officials have warned Iran that closing the...

As US Leaves Iraq, It Eyes a Beefier Gulf Presence

US military looking to increase defense ties with states around region

(Newser) - The United States may be pulling out of Iraq by the end of 2011 , but that doesn't mean it's getting out of the Persian Gulf—in fact, the US military is looking to boost its combat presence in Kuwait and increase its military ties to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,...

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