International
The Emir of Kuwait dissolves Parliament and suspends some clauses of the Constitution
The Emir of Kuwait, Mishal al Ahmad al Sabah, announced the dissolution of his country’s Parliament, the only one democratically elected in an Arab monarchy of the Persian Gulf, and the suspension of “some clauses of the Constitution” to – he assured – “save the higher interests of the country.”
In a televised speech, the eight-year-old Emir of Kuwait said that he issued a decree with “this difficult decision” that will be in force for “a period not exceeding four years,” during which the head of state himself and the prime minister “will assume the powers delegated to the National Assembly” or Parliament.
He attributed his decision to the “intromission” of “some” deputies in the powers of the head of government “and even of the emir,” in the context of the constant confrontation between the Executive and Legislative powers of the rich country of the Gulf.
“We do not allow democracy to be exploited to destroy the country,” Al Sabah warned in his speech, also reproduced by the official Kuwaiti news agency, KUNA.
“Some (deputies) even interfere in the powers of the emir and his election of his crown prince, forgetting that it is an explicit constitutional right,” of the head of state, he said.
He also denounced the “intromission” of “some” in the election of ministers for the formation of a Government of the country “forgetting, out of ignorance or deliberately, that electing the prime minister and ministers is a constitutional right of the head of state” in which “no one can interfere.”
The decision comes after the emir appointed a member of the ruling family, Sheikh Ahmad al Sabah, as prime minister, on April 15, and commissioned him to form a new Executive, the second cabinet since the monarch himself took power in December.
The previous Government, which lasted a few months, resigned after the parliamentary elections held on April 4.
Mishal al Sabah also decided on April 21 to transfer his powers “during his absence” to the then newly appointed prime minister, a measure that, he said, will remain in force until the emir, who took power on December 20, after the death of his stepbrother, Nawaf al Ahmed, appoints a crown prince.
Kuwait has historically been marked by severe disagreements and constant tensions between the Executive and Legislative powers, which in recent years has been largely dominated by Islamists.
That ongoing confrontation led the new emir to dissolve the chamber in February after implicitly accusing some parliamentarians of “violation of constitutional principles” by making “deliberate use of offensive and uncontrolled expressions.”
During the mandate of the previous emir (2020-2023), the country had to form seven governments due to the continuous confrontation between Parliament and the Executive, characterized by mutual accusations of corruption and nepotism.
“We faced unimaginable and unbearable difficulties, and some people strove to close all the doors through which we tried to enter to overcome our bitter reality, which left us no room for hesitation or delays in making the difficult decision to save this country and ensure its higher interests,” the emir added in the speech.
Kuwait is the only Arab country in the Persian Gulf that has a democratically elected Parliament, which exercises control over the Government. The other states in the area, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have advisory councils without legislative powers or control over the Government.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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