Baby bottle craze sweeps Gulf Arab states, sparks backlash
A waiter poses with a tray of baby bottles that he brought out from storage, at Einstein Cafe in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 14, 2021. Cafes across several Gulf Arab states have begun selling coffee and other cold drinks in baby bottles, kicking off a new trend that has prompted excitement, confusion and backlash. The fad started at Einstein Cafe, a slick dessert chain with branches across the region. The fad began at Einstein Cafe, a slick dessert chain with branches across the region, from Dubai to Kuwait to Bahrain. Some patrons even brought their own baby bottles to other cafes, pleading with bewildered baristas to fill them up.
Kosovo sends troops on peacekeeping mission for first time
A Kosovo Security Force (KSF) member wearing a face mask salutes, during a peacekeeping mission deployment ceremony held at the army barracks in Pristina, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Kosovo is sending a military platoon to Kuwait, its first ever involvement in an international peacekeeping mission. Kosovo is sending the military unit following a request from the U.S. Central Command. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)PRISTINA โ Kosovo on Tuesday sent a military platoon to Kuwait to take part in the country's first ever international peacekeeping mission. โItโs extremely important because 22 years after the war, weโre not just importing peacekeeping troops, weโre also exporting them,โ Acting President Vjosa Osmani said.
Gulf Arab leaders sign declaration to ease rift with Qatar
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters after the summit that diplomatic relations would be restored in full with Qatar, although no time frame was given. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are primarily concerned about Qatarโs ties with Iran. The rift between Abu Dhabi and Doha has been deepest, with the UAE and Qatar at sharp ideological odds. Egyptโs foreign minister also attended the meeting of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Qatar's only land border with Saudi Arabia, which it relied on for the import of dairy products, construction materials and other goods, has been mostly closed since June 2017.
The Latest: S Korea tightens pandemic rules over virus surge
Among those getting help are hard-hit businesses, schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction. ___Follow APโs coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak___HEREโS WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:OLYMPIA, Wash. โ Washington state Gov. ___DENVER โ Coloradoโs legislature will go into recess soon after convening in January as lawmakers wait for COVID-19 cases to subside. About 7,000 Kentucky residents, the vast majority of them health care workers in hospitals, have been vaccinated since. ___CHARLESTON, W.Va. โ West Virginia set another weekly record for positive coronavirus cases and deaths as it awaits an influx of vaccines from Moderna.
Bahrain approves Chinese COVID-19 vaccine for use
DUBAI โ Bahrain said Sunday it approved the use of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, following its earlier approval of a vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. Bahrain's state-run news agency said the Sinopharm vaccine would be available in the island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain said over 7,700 signed up to take part in a trial of the Sinopharm vaccine in the kingdom. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month thatโs relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine. On Sunday, Kuwait's state-run KUNA news agency announced the oil-rich country's Health Ministry had granted emergency use for the Pfizer vaccine.
Kuwait votes for parliament amid economic, virus challenges
KUWAIT CITY โ Kuwait voted Saturday for its National Assembly, the first election since the death of its longtime ruling emir and as the oil-rich nation faces serious economic problems under the coronavirus pandemic. However, Kuwait's parliament has tamped down on opposition to its ruling Al Sabah family since the 2011 Arab Spring protests that saw demonstrators storm the chamber. The vote came after the death in September of Kuwait's ruler, the 91-year-old Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, 83, quickly took power without any opposition. "We have to fight corruption by choosing who will represent us inside the National Assembly,โ one voter, Azraa al-Rifai, remarked.
Crown prince becomes oil-rich Kuwait's new ruling emir
DUBAI โ Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah became the oil-rich nation's new ruling emir Tuesday night, reaching the highest post in the country after decades in its security services. Sheikh Nawaf, 83, had served as the crown prince since 2006, jumping a traditional order of alternating rule between the Al Jaber and the Al Salim branches of the country's ruling family. State television carried an address by Anas Khalid al-Saleh, Kuwait's interior minister and deputy prime minister, announcing Sheikh Nawaf had taken the position just hours after Sheikh Sabah's death. He became the crown prince under Sheikh Sabah in February 2006. He hasn't been known for making any major political decisions while serving as crown prince.
Kuwait ruler, longtime diplomat Sheikh Sabah, dies at age 91
Kuwait state television said Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, the country's 91-year-old ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, had died. Kuwait's Cabinet later announced that Sheikh Sabah had been succeeded by his half brother, the crown prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah. In 2003, his half brother and Kuwaitโs then-emir, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, named Sheikh Sabah as the countryโs prime minister. โThank God, now, what is important is that we have stopped any military action,โ Sheikh Sabah said. A longtime widower, Sheikh Sabah lived for years in a palace known as Dar Salwa, which was named after his daughter Salwa, who died of cancer in 2002.