Kuwait’s emir dissolves parliament again, amid political gridlock in oil-rich nation

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait’s emir has again dissolved the small, oil-rich country’s parliament amid continuing political deadlock. Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber made the announcement Friday in an address carried by state television. He says other unspecified portions of the constitution have been suspended as well. He says the suspension will run for “a period of no more than four years,” without elaborating. Domestic political disputes have snarled Kuwait for years, including over changes to the welfare system, and the impasse has prevented the sheikhdom from taking on debt. That has left it with little in its coffers to pay bloated public sector salaries despite generating immense wealth from its oil reserves.