Kuwait: Hardline Islamists Seize Control of Parliament
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Kuwait's Islamist-led opposition has won a landslide majority in Kuwait's snap polls, with women and liberals the big losers.

The Islamist secured 34 seats in the 50-member parliament, results showed today.

All four of the female MPs who served in the previous parliament lost their seats. Liberals, who had five seats in the previous parliament, now have just two.

Voters punished pro-government MPs during Thursday's parliamentary election, reducing them to a small minority, the results showed.

Only two of 13 former MPs who the public prosecutor questioned over corruption charges were re-elected, and the rest either lost or did not contest the poll.

Following the announcement of the results, hundreds of opposition supporters gathered at the campaign tents of candidates they backed to celebrate the outcome. » | Friday, February 03, 2012

Islamists Favourites as Kuwait Goes to the Polls
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Kuwaitis were casting ballots on Thursday in a snap vote to elect the fourth parliament in less than six years, with unofficial polls showing the Islamist-led opposition in the lead.

The vote in the wealthy Gulf state, which follows a campaign marred by violence, seeks to end political disputes that have hurt the country for years.

Female voters, dressed in clothes ranging from black traditional abayas to casual Western-style jeans, lined up in short queues in voting stations set up for women, as lines of men formed at separate polling booths.

Women voters make up 54 per cent of the electorate and 23 women are among 286 candidates running for the 50-seat legislative body.

Pollsters and analysts expect the 400,000 electorate to deliver a resounding victory for the Islamist-led opposition which has campaigned vehemently for fundamental reforms and against corruption. » | Thursday, February 02, 2012

Kuwaiti Royal Prince Reportedly Converts to Christianity
WILMINGTON POLITICAL BUZZ EXAMINER: A member of the Kuwait's royal family has reportedly renounced his Islamic beliefs and has embraced Christianity.

It's being reported in the Italian newspaper La Stampa’s 'Vatican Insider' section, that Prince Abdullah al-Sabah announced his conversion in an audio file on the Arabic-language Christian television station al-Haqiqa.

According to the report, Abdullah stated:

"First of all, I fully agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of it, then I will appear before Jesus Christ and be with Him for all eternity."

In an apparent acknowledgment to the real possibility of martyrdom due to his embrace of Christianity, Prince Abdullah declared:

"I will accept whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me towards the right path."

The Prince is also reported to have stated:

"Islamic communities have always wanted to attack in different parts of the world but God has preserved the world and still protects it.

This is why we have recently seen disagreements appearing among Islamic groups who are now fighting with each other.

They are about to divide further into different groups."

» | Timothy Whiteman | Monday, January 23, 2012

Kuwaiti Emir to Hold Crisis Meeting After Three Ministers Quit Over Protests

THE GUARDIAN: Newspaper reports government could resign before demonstration demanding PM resign over corruption allegations

Kuwait's ruler will hold an emergency meeting with his cabinet to try to avert a possible government collapse after three ministers resigned amid growing protests, a Kuwaiti newspaper said.

Kuwaiti daily newspaper al-Watan said the government could submit its resignation to the emir on Monday morning before protesters plan a large demonstration against the government.

"His Highness the emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah will head a cabinet meeting to end the current crisis between the legislative and the executive authorities," Watan reported, citing special sources.

The paper said at least three ministers, including the minister of justice, minister of health and minister of state for development affairs, had resigned because they were unhappy with the government's performance. » | Reuters in Kuwait | Monday, November 28, 2011

Kuwait Security Crackdown after Crowd Storms Parliament
THE GUARDIAN: Emir denounces protest as threat to country's stability and calls for 'stricter measures to confront chaotic behaviour'


Kuwait's ruler has ordered the authorities to tighten security measures and make arrests if necessary after protesters stormed parliament in anger at claims of high-level corruption.

Dozens of protesters surged past police barricades on Wednesday and briefly entered the parliament chamber amid attempts by opposition MPs to bring the prime minister in for questioning over claims that officials transferred state funds to accounts abroad.

The emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, on Thursday denounced the protest as a threat to the country's "security and stability" and called for "stricter measures to confront this chaotic behaviour", according to a statement from government spokesman Ali Fahad al-Rashid. » | Associated Press | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Related »

Kuwait Opposition Protesters Disrupt Parliament

THE GUARDIAN: Dozens of Kuwaiti protesters storm parliament, with more demonstrating outside, demanding the prime minister step down

Dozens of anti-government protesters stormed into Kuwait's parliament during a debate over efforts to question the prime minister about corruption allegations.

Local media reported the demonstrators briefly chanted before being forced out as hundreds of others protested outside on Wednesday evening, prompting opposition lawmakers to warn of a political crisis.

Opposition parliament members have sought to question the prime minister Sheik Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah over claims that government officials illegally transferred money to accounts outside the Gulf country. Last month, Kuwait's foreign minister resigned as the scandal grew.

Pro-government lawmakers managed to vote down a request for the questioning, but opposition groups filed another motion to force another debate later this month.

Kuwait's affairs are run by the ruling Al Sabah family, but it has one of the region's most politically active parliaments. » | Associated Press | Thursday, November 17, 2011

Kuwait Port Encroaches on Territory: Iraq
Kuwait's proposed Mubarak al Kabeer port on the island of Bubiyan encroaches on its territorial waters says the Iraqi government.

It will also block two of its shipping lanes -lifelines for its crucial import and export trade.

Al Jazeera's Omar al Saleh reports from Baghdad.

Inside Story: Tensions in the Gulf
Internal unrest through the Arabian gulf.
 


But the country being painted as the aggressor is just 300 kilometres across the famous stretch of water - Iran.



The unrest is being billed as one between the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) nations and their Persian neighbour.



The foreign ministers of the six nations - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates recently met in Riyadh. 



They released a statement criticising what they called Iran's blatant interference in internal affairs, particularly in Bahrain and Kuwait.

This comes after Iran's objection to Saudi Arabia sending in troops to Bahrain during the uprising there.
 


In return, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday the GCC statement was issued under the pressure of the US government and its allies.



This episode of Inside Story discusses what 'Iranian meddling' may or may not amount to, and just what the GCC and indeed Iran are achieving by ratcheting up the rhetoric at this time.



Inside Story, with presenter Kamahl Santamaria, discusses with guests: Hussein Shobokshi, a columnist for Asharq Alaw-sat newspaper; Ghanbar Naderi, a political commentator and jounalist; and Fahad Shulemi, a security analyst and a former colonel in the Kuwaiti army. 



This episode of Inside Story aired on Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

Kuwait Protests Call for PM Change
Mar 9 - Hundreds take to the streets of Kuwait City calling for Prime Minister Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah to step down. Simon Hanna reports

Jugendgruppen rufen zu Protesten in Kuwait auf
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Kuwait - Die Protestwelle in der arabischen Welt zieht nun auch Demonstrationen im ölreichen Kuwait nach sich.

Für Dienstag haben mehrere Gruppen zu Kundgebungen in dem Golfemirat aufgerufen. Nach dem Vorbild der Aufstände in Tunesien und Ägypten fordern sie die Absetzung des Ministerpräsidenten und größere politische Freiheiten. … >>> | Dienstag, 08. März 2011

Cameron Defends Kuwait Trade Tour
Feb 22, 2011 – The PM defends taking businessmen - including arms manufacturers - to the Middle East, Joey Jones reports from Kuwait

Cameron Says UK Prejudiced for Believing Muslims Cannot Manage Democracy
THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister will tell Kuwait national assembly that Britain was wrong to prop up 'highly controlling regimes' as [a] way of ensuring stability

Britain has been guilty of a prejudice bordering on racism for believing that Muslims cannot manage democracy, David Cameron will say as he recasts foreign policy in light of protests across the Arab world.

In a speech at the national assembly in Kuwait, the prime minister will abandon decades of so-called "camel corps" diplomacy by saying Britain was wrong to prop up "highly controlling regimes" as a way of ensuring stability.

Cameron – who is facing anger in the UK for placing defence exports at the heart of his long-planned visit to the Gulf – will use the speech to show that Britain is promoting political reform in the region.

The prime minister, who attended a ceremony in Kuwait with Sir John Major to mark the 20th anniversary of the first Gulf war, said: "Now, once again, this region is the epicentre of momentous changes, but pursued in a very different way. History is sweeping through your neighbourhood."

Cameron, who on Monday visited the scene of the demonstrations in Tahrir Square in Cairo that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, said the protests had highlighted a hunger for freedom across the Middle East.

He depicted the protests as "movements of the people" that were not ideological or extremist.

But he indicated that the demonstrations presented a challenge for Britain as he dismissed as a "false choice" the old calculation that authoritarian regimes needed to be supported as the price of ensuring stability.

"For decades, some have argued that stability required controlling regimes and that reform and openness would put that stability at risk," Cameron said.

"So, the argument went, countries like Britain faced a choice between our interests and our values. And to be honest, we should acknowledge that sometimes we have made such calculations in the past."

He added: "But I say that is a false choice. As recent events have confirmed, denying people their basic rights does not preserve stability – rather, the reverse."

The prime minister said Britain and other western countries cannot impose any democratic model on the Arab world, but stressed: "That's not an excuse, as some would argue, to claim that Arabs or Muslims can't do democracy – the so-called Arab exception.

"For me, that's a prejudice that borders on racism. It's offensive and wrong and it's simply not true." >>> Nicholas Watt in Kuwait | Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Related >>>

Read my essay on Islam and Democracy, Mr. Cameron. You might learn something! >>>

My comment:

I find Cameron’s naïveté and ignorance of the Islamic world staggering! I also find it rather unnerving that a man so ignorant in Middle Eastern affairs at this important juncture in the history of the Middle East, and the world, could be my prime minister! Doesn’t Cameron know anything about the meaning of democracy? Doesn’t Cameron think that there might be a very good reason why democracy has never taken hold in all these Muslim countries? Is he so naïve as to think that this is a co-incidence?

It wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to start reading some books in your spare time, Mr. Cameron, especially on Islam, and on Middle Eastern affairs. You might learn something as you read. Now that would be a good thing! – © Mark

David Cameron: Britain Has Contributed to Middle East Instability by Backing Autocratic Regimes
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain and the US have contributed to instability in the Middle East by supporting autocratic regimes that suppress human rights, David Cameron has said.


The Prime Minister said that popular uprisings now flaring across the Middle East showed the West had been wrong to support dictators and oppressive regimes.

Speaking to the Kuwaiti Parliament, Mr Cameron said Britain would back democracy campaigners seeking greater rights across the Middle East.

"History is sweeping through your neighbourhood," he said. "Not as a result of force and violence, but by people seeking their rights, and in the vast majority of cases doing so peacefully and bravely."

Britain and other Western countries supported Hosni Mubarak, ousted by protests in Egypt. They have also backed authoritarian regimes in the Gulf region, making few efforts to push allies towards democratic reform.

That approach was wrong and counter-productive, Mr Cameron said. Read on and comment >>> James Kirkup, in Kuwait City | Tuesday, February 22, 2011

My comment:

Cameron's diapers must be in the wash. And where is that cotton wool? I have the urge to wipe dry the back of his ears!

Does this man seriously think that the Palestinians are ever going to be satisfied with a two-state solution? Does he seriously think that the Muslim Arabs, still less the Palestinians, would ever be satisfied to have Jerusalem as the capital of both a future Palestine and Israel. I know the guy smokes cigarettes. But he must have been smoking something much stronger on this occasion! And doesn't he know that not only Iran, but also the Palestinians and most other Arabs want to see the back of Israel altogether? This man is living in cloud cuckoo land!

And what is all this nonsense he is speaking in Kuwait about authoritarian régimes? Does he not realise that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait's neighbour, is the arch-autocratic régime? And what about the state he is speaking in? Does he believe Kuwait to be the bastion of democratic values?

Come on, Mr. Cameron! Get real! Start living in the real world! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Stateless Protest in Kuwait
Feb 19 - Stateless Arabs in Kuwait come under fire as security forces use flares to disburse crowds, as they demonstrate for citizenship. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

Protect the Human Rights of Migrant Workers in the Middle East

Immigrant Worker Abuse in Middle East Condemned by Human Rights Group
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: International human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has implored Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to make more effort to protect its immigrant workers, after shocking stories emerged about the abuse of three domestic workers.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, HRW said that it had received allegations from a maid in Kuwait whose employer drove nails into her body, a maid in Saudi Arabia who had nails forced into her body, and a maid in Jordan who had been both beaten and forced to swallow nails.

The watchdog said the stories implied a “broader pattern of abuse”, and that the goverments of the three countries needed to create a stronger legal framework to protect their foreign workers.

"The wanton brutality alleged in these cases is shocking, but reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and labour exploitation such as non-payment of wages are nothing new,'' said Nisha Varia, a senior women's rights researcher at HRW.

Many domestic workers in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait come from Asia, Africa and other countries in the Middle East in the hope of receiving higher salaries. Because employers in Middle East countries often act as workers' "sponsors" however, they exert extreme power over their staff. Employers can prevent workers changing jobs or leaving the country, and often withold salaries for years. >>> Leah Hyslop | Thursday, November 18, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Doctors remove 19 nails from Sri Lankan maid: A Sri Lankan housemaid whose Saudi employer allegedly embedded 24 nails in her body was recovering in hospital on Friday after doctors removed 18 of them during a three-hour surgery. >>> | Friday, August 27, 2010

MIGRANT RIGHTS: Mission statement: Through the power of the web we wish to raise awareness about the plight of migrant workers in the Middle East and encourage social action to end the violations of their human rights and dignity. Unfortunately, very little is done to prevent the modern-day slavery many workers endure in the region. Our job is to change that. >>>

Indonesian Maid Tortured in Saudi Arabia, Another Beaten to Death
MIGRANT RIGHTS: This week, two cases of severe abuse of Indonesian maids by their Saudi sponsors have surfaced, one of them ending in death and the other in serious injuries.

The first case, of 23-year-old Sumiati BT Salan Mustapa was first reported by the Saudi Gazette. This initial report mentioned that Mustapa arrived in Saudi-Arabia in July to work for a family in Madina. On November 6th Mustapa was admitted to a private hospital in Madina injured from head to toe in an unconscious state. The private hospital was unable to treat her serious injuries and she was transferred to the King Fahd hospital. A worker there told the Gazette that Mustapa’s body “was burned on many places, both legs were almost motionless, some parts of her skin on her head were removed and strong marks of old wounds were on her body including skin loss on lips and head, a fractured middle finger and a cut near an eye.” Mustapa also showed signs of malnutrition or excessive blood loss. >>> | Friday, November 19, 2010

Nach der Ölkatastrophe: Großbritannien fürchtet BP-Zusammenbruch
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der Börsenwert hat sich halbiert, die Kosten der Ölpest summieren sich bislang auf 3,12 Milliarden Dollar: BP ist angeschlagen. Die britische Regierung fürchtet angeblich einen Zusammenbruch des Konzerns - ein Risiko, weil viele Rentenfonds betroffen wären. Derweil prüfen arabische Staatsfonds einen Einstieg.

Investoren aus dem Nahen Osten erwägen Medienberichten zufolge, dem angeschlagenen britischen Energiekonzern BP mit einer Kapitalspritze zur Seite zu springen. Die Londoner Zeitungen „Daily Telegraph“ und „Guardian“ berichteten am Montag übereinstimmend, der Golfstaat Kuweit prüfe, seine Beteiligung an dem britischen Energiekonzern von bislang 1,75 Prozent auf 10 Prozent aufzustocken. >>> | Dienstag, 06. Juli 2010

Libya Eyes Stake in 'Bargain BP'
THE TELEGRAPH: Libya has expressed an interest in building a stake in BP, describing the oil company as a bargain following its Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The Libyan Government, headed by President Gaddafi, may not be welcomed as an investor in BP by the White House. Photograph: The Telegraph
Share[s] in BP rose 3.5pc to 333.3p in London, following weekend speculation that the company had been in contact with sovereign wealth funds about them buying stakes.

Shokri Ghanem, the chairman of Libya's National Oil Corporation, told a newswire that: "BP is interesting now with the price lower by half and I still have trust in BP. I will recommend it to the Libyan Investment Authority."

He later added: "I think that BP shares are good value for bargain hunters,"

BP denied that it was planning to issue any new equity, but a weighty shareholder buying up stock on the open market could still help provide a floor on the company's plummeting share price. It declined to comment on any talks with sovereign wealth funds.

The oil giant has lost half of its market value since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank on April 20, triggering a catastrophic leak. Qatar, Abu Dhabi and the Kuwait Investment Authority, which already holds 1.8pc of BP, have also been linked to the company as possible investors. >>> Rowena Mason | Monday, July 05, 2010

Kuwait's Lost Treasures: How Stolen Riches Remain Central to Rift with Iraq
THE GUARDIAN: Hundreds of artefacts were plundered during Gulf war, and project to repatriate them is ongoing

The Kuwait National Museum is still trying to trace 487 priceless artefacts looted after Saddam Hussein’s invasion. Photograph: The Guardian
In a spacious but frugal office in Kuwait, a glossy catalogue lists the dozens of reasons why Kuwait and Iraq are still at daggers drawn after all these years.

Sheikha Hussa Salem al-Sabah thumbs through the pages of the booklet, pointing out the most egregious cases – page upon page of priceless treasures looted by Saddam Hussein's invading army 20 years ago and still missing: a dazzling 234-carat emerald the size of a paperweight; a slightly smaller gem inscribed with exquisite Arabic calligraphy; Mughal-era ruby beads.

"The Iraqis still don't understand the damage they did to us, not just financially, but for our souls," says the daughter-in-law of Kuwait's emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who maintains the dynasty's heirlooms. "It was emotionally wrenching and still is."

Though many of the priceless treasures have been returned to the collection in the bitter decades since, up to 57 remain missing – perhaps lost for ever. At the National Museum across town, they report that the whereabouts of another 487 treasures remain unknown.

Many of the pieces, Kuwaitis believe, now form the core of private collections in post-Saddam Iraq and around the Arab world. To the victims of the 1990 invasion they remain the central reason of a failure to close the unfinished business of the first Gulf war – just as the second one is beginning to wind down. >>> Martin Chulov in Kuwait | Monday, June 21, 2010

Another Bloody Fool! This Time a Bit Younger! Kuwaiti Islamist: Homosexuals Should Be Tortured in Public Squares

Tony Blair Funded by Obscure Oligarch
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any seedier… – © Mark
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair’s new paymaster is an obscure oligarch with business links to Syria, Iran and Afghanistan, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

Nizami Piriyev, left, an Azerbaijan-based millionaire, paid Mr Blair, centre, to fly to Baku. Photograph: The Telegraph
Nizami Piriyev, an Azerbaijan-based millionaire, paid Mr Blair to fly to Baku, the capital, earlier this week to open his new “methanol plant” funded by a British government-backed bank.

The disclosure comes amid growing scrutiny of Mr Blair’s network of private backers, with the Kuwaiti government understood to be one of his biggest financial supporters.

The former prime minister has earned an estimated £14 million since leaving Downing Street in June 2007. He no longer has to disclose the sources of his income.

Westminster watchdogs have raised concerns over the employment of former ministers, including prime ministers, by the private sector after they leave office.

Mr Blair typically charges tens of thousands of pounds simply to give a speech and is therefore thought to have received more than £100,000 for his trip to Azerbaijan.

He made the trip to Baku, his first to the former Soviet bloc country, to open the methanol plant of Azmeco, the Azerbaijan Methanol Company. Mr Blair’s presence as the “special guest” of Mr Piriyev, the company’s chairman, surprised many onlookers. >>> Holly Watt and Robert Winnett | Saturday, December 05, 2009

MAIL ONLINE: Blair, Prince Andrew... and a private meeting in Azerbaijan >>> Ian Gallagher in Baku, Azerbaijan | Saturday, December 05, 2009

Looted Picasso The Naked Woman Is Seized by Iraqi Security Forces
TIMES ONLINE: Iraqi security forces today showed off a Picasso they seized from a former soldier in Saddam's military who had looted the painting in 1990 during the occupation of Kuwait.

The Naked Woman went missing from the al-Ahmedi Hall of the Kuwait Museum in the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion that triggered the first Gulf war.

The soldier had been trying to sell it, allegedly asking for $450,000 (£278,000). The market value is estimated to be $10 million.

The masterpiece, which is signed by Picasso, was seized this week during a raid on the house belonging to the suspect near the mainly Shia city of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. >>> Oliver August in Baghdad | Thursday, August 27, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Painting The Naked Woman is seized by Iraqi security forces - but is it a Picasso? >>> Oliver August in Baghdad | Friday, August 28, 2009