Kuwait votes in opposition-led parliament, one woman elected

Kuwait votes in opposition-led parliament, one woman elected
Voters tick their ballots at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Kuwait City on June 6, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 07 June 2023
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Kuwait votes in opposition-led parliament, one woman elected

Kuwait votes in opposition-led parliament, one woman elected
  • Emir urges MPs to ‘carry responsibility of representing people, realize their aspiration for better future’

KUWAIT CITY: Opposition lawmakers won a majority in Kuwait’s parliament with only one woman elected, results showed on Wednesday, after the Gulf state’s seventh general election in just over a decade.

The opposition figures include conservatives and independent politicians not tied to the ruling family who are pushing for a raft of reforms.

The vote on Tuesday came after Kuwait’s constitutional court in March annulled the results of last year’s election — in which the opposition made significant gains — and reinstated the previous parliament elected in 2020.

Opposition lawmakers won 29 of the legislature’s 50 seats, according to results published by the official Kuwait News Agency. Only one woman was elected — opposition candidate Janan Bushehri.

The makeup of the new parliament is very similar to the one elected last year and later annulled, with all but 12 of its 50 members retaining their seats.

This has sparked concerns that the legislature may once again find itself locked in disputes with the Cabinet, further deepening a political crisis that has delayed reforms and hampered growth.

“The government has to contend with a more combative parliament than the already combative 2022 version,” said Bader Al-Saif, assistant history professor at Kuwait University. “Therefore, expect bumps in the road unless radical reforms unfold,” he said.

Longtime speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim and Ahmed Al-Saadoun, who replaced him last year, both return to parliament. Saadoun is expected to run again for the post of speaker.

Parliament’s first session is scheduled to take place on June 20.

“We are celebrating today the (victory of the) reformist approach,” opposition lawmaker Adel Al-Damkhi told reporters after the results were announced.

“The election results are an indication of the awareness of the Kuwaiti people.”

Turnout reached 50 percent one hour before polls closed, according to the Kuwait Transparency Society, a nongovernment group. Last year’s election saw turnout of 63 percent.

Since Kuwait adopted a parliamentary system in 1962, the legislature has been dissolved around a dozen times.

Continual standoffs between the branches of government have prevented lawmakers from passing economic reforms, while repeated budget deficits and low foreign investment have added to an air of gloom.

Bushehri, the new parliament’s sole female member, said she expected it “to seek stability and move ahead on outstanding issues, whether political or economic.”

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah congratulated the incoming deputies and called on them to “carry the responsibility of representing the people and ... realize their aspiration for a better future,” according to KUNA.

Kuwait, which borders Iraq, boasts 7 percent of global crude reserves. It has little debt and one of the strongest sovereign wealth funds in the world.


Bahrain FM meets UN secretary-general

Bahrain FM meets UN secretary-general
Updated 13 sec ago
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Bahrain FM meets UN secretary-general

Bahrain FM meets UN secretary-general

Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani held talks recently with Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly.

Al-Zayani and Guterres discussed Bahrain’s cooperation with the UN and its agencies, and various topics of common interest, state news agency BNA reported on Sunday. 

Guterres thanked Bahrain for its support of the UN, and progress in developing a sustainable economy, and wished the kingdom further prosperity.


UAE, Japan hold first top-level meeting under Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative

UAE, Japan hold first top-level meeting under Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative
Updated 6 min 43 sec ago
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UAE, Japan hold first top-level meeting under Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative

UAE, Japan hold first top-level meeting under Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative

TOKYO: Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, met with Japanese Foreign Minister KAMIKAWA Yoko in Tokyo on Monday in the first ministerial level meeting under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative.

“It is my pleasure to meet you for the first time,” said Kamikawa, who was appointed Foreign Minister on Sept. 13. “Please let me begin by expressing my heartfelt appreciation for the congratulations message you sent me on my appointment as the Foreign Minister of Japan.”

Kamikawa expressed her appreciation for the UAE’s stable supply of crude oil to Japan and the UAE’s generosity in helping Japanese companies participate in upstream development over many years. She also asked for the UAE to help in stabilizing the crude oil market and for possible production increases. 

“I must congratulate you for your new post and want you to know that I want to establish a very direct dialogue and relationship and partnership with you and expand our strategic partnership and the relationship between our two countries,” Al Jaber told Kamikawa.

The two ministers exchanged views on the “Japan-UAE Innovation Partnership” and the “Global Green Energy Hub” concept discussed during Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s recent visit to the UAE.  

Kamikawa expressed her appreciation for Minister Jaber’s support in receiving Prime Minister Kishida in the UAE in July this year. 

“Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to the UAE in July was very fruitful,” she said. “I thank you once again for your support. Japan puts great importance on its relationship with the UAE as its strategic partner. I look forward to working together with the UAE and enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields, as well as responding to the challenges in the Middle East region and for the international community.” In response, Minister Jaber expressed his strong hopes to strengthen bilateral relations with Japan. 

Kamikawa stated that Japan is fully committed to making its utmost contribution to the success of COP28, which will take place in the UAE from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. As COP28 President-Designate, Jaber explained the status of preparations for COP28 and looked forward to Japan’s contributions. 

The two ministers also exchanged views on cooperation in the fields of defense, cooperation in the international arena, including the UN Security Council, expos and other issues.

The ministerial level meeting of the CSPI was established through the “Joint Declaration on the Implementation of the CSPI” signed between Japan and the UAE in September 2022. The two ministers agreed to continue utilizing the CSPI framework as a forum for consultation between the two countries. 

This article was first publishing on arabnews.jp 


Libya orders 23 officials arrested after flood: prosecutor

Libya orders 23 officials arrested after flood: prosecutor
Updated 45 min 36 sec ago
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Libya orders 23 officials arrested after flood: prosecutor

Libya orders 23 officials arrested after flood: prosecutor
  • The official death toll keeps rising, passing 3,800 on Saturday

DUBAI: Libya’s Public Prosecution on Monday ordered the arrest of several officials in relation to the flash flood that devastated the Libyan port city of Derna two weeks ago – killing thousands.
In a statement the Public Prosecutor’s Office said it was decided to detain 16 officials responsible for managing the country’s dam facilities, 6 officials from the Water Resources Authority, and the Derna mayor “for deviating from the obligations of the mandate of managing funds allocated for the reconstruction and development of the city.”
The official death toll keeps rising, passing 3,800 on Saturday from a flash flood that broke through two ageing dams upstream from Derna.
A wall of water swept through the area on Sept. 10, washing thousands of people into the sea.
According to the statement, investigators finished conducting the initial interrogations and recommended detaining the responsible in pre-trial detention.
They went on to request the necessary investigation into the rest of those responsible for the Derna flood incident.


Iran says 28 Daesh members held over bomb plot timed with anniversary of Mahsa Amini protests

Iran's police forces walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2023. (REUTERS)
Iran's police forces walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2023. (REUTERS)
Updated 25 September 2023
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Iran says 28 Daesh members held over bomb plot timed with anniversary of Mahsa Amini protests

Iran's police forces walk on a street in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2023. (REUTERS)
  • Iran's intelligence ministry says 30 bombs meant to explode simultaneously were defused 
  • The explosions in Tehran were timed during the anniversary of last year’s Mahsa Amini protests

TEHRAN: Iranian authorities have arrested 28 people linked to the Daesh group for plotting to target Tehran during the anniversary of last year’s protests, the intelligence ministry said on Sunday.

The protests erupted after the death in custody on September 16, 2022, of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd arrested for allegedly flouting the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.

“In recent days, during a series of simultaneous operations in Tehran, Alborz and West Azerbaijan provinces, several terrorist bases and team houses were attacked, and 28 members of the said terrorist network were arrested,” the ministry said on its website.

“These elements are affiliated to the professional crime group of Daesh (Daesh group) and some of them have a history of accompanying takfiris in Syria or being active in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Kurdistan region of Iraq,” it added.

In Shiite-dominated Iran, the term “takfiri” generally refers to jihadists or proponents of radical Sunni Islam.

The intelligence ministry said two security personnel were wounded during the arrest operations, and a number of bombs, firearms, suicide vests and communications devices were seized.

It said it had neutralized a plot to “carry out 30 simultaneous terrorist explosions in densely populated centers of Tehran to undermine security and incite riots and protests on the anniversary of last year’s riots.”

The months-long demonstrations saw hundreds of people killed, including dozens of security personnel, in what Tehran called “riots” fomented by foreign governments and “hostile media.”

On Thursday, a court sentenced to death a Tajik Daesh member convicted over a deadly gun attack on a Shiite Muslim shrine last month.

The attack on the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in Shiraz, capital of Fars province in the south, came less than a year after a mass shooting at the same site that was later claimed by the Daesh group.
 


US allocates $73m to UNRWA amid funding crisis

Palestinians carry bags of flour received as aid to poor families, at the UNRWA distribution center, in the Rafah refugee camp.
Palestinians carry bags of flour received as aid to poor families, at the UNRWA distribution center, in the Rafah refugee camp.
Updated 24 September 2023
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US allocates $73m to UNRWA amid funding crisis

Palestinians carry bags of flour received as aid to poor families, at the UNRWA distribution center, in the Rafah refugee camp.
  • UNRWA requires between $170 and $190 million just to keep its services running until the end of the year

LONDON: US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced an additional $73 million in funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, Jordan Press Agency reported on Sunday. 

The ambassador said that the funding would help supply food to needy families, provide healthcare for children and pregnant women, assist students in furthering their education, and support people affected by the conflict through mental health services.

It will also provide emergency humanitarian assistance to residents of Jenin and Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camps, both of which have suffered from recent violence. 

Earlier on Thursday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the funding crisis for Palestinian refugees in Jordan and other host countries has created an “absolutely unbearable” situation that could soon approach a tipping point. 

Lazzarini said that the agency required between $170 and $190 million just to keep its activities in Jordan, Lebanon, Gaza and elsewhere running until the end of the year. 

Jordan’s King Abdullah II told the UNGA in New York on Tuesday that the world must not abandon Palestinian refugees to the forces of despair. 

“In Jordan, where refugees make up over a third of our 11 million population, cuts have already thrown the lives of hundreds of thousands of refugees into uncertainty. The impact of such humanitarian shortfalls is never limited to a country or region,” the king said.

Despite several UN member states pledging Thursday to boost their contributions to UNRWA, the agency still only has the means to provide services until October.