New Kuwait Emir Names Crown Prince

Kuwait’s parliament on Thursday selected Sheikh Meshaal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah as the state’s crown prince, approving the nomination made by Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah on Wednesday. The Gulf nation’s new crown prince is the younger brother of the former emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad, who last week died at the age of 91 in a Minnesota hospital after battling an illness. The heir apparent, relatively youthful at age 80, was Kuwait’s deputy chief of the National Guard before being tabbed for the job on Wednesday. He will be tasked with filling the large shoes left by his late brother, who was hailed by statesmen the world over as a pragmatic, wise and effective leader.