Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah 'dies aged 91'

Kuwait’s 91-year-old ruler Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah has died, according to state television reports.

State television announced Sheikh Sabah's death on Tuesday after playing Koranic prayers.

He is expected to be succeeded by his half brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

Sheikh Sabah was known for his efforts for diplomacy to resolve a long-standing dispute between Qatar and other Arab nations that continues to this day.

His 2006 ascension in Kuwait, a staunch US ally since the American-led war that expelled occupying Iraqi troops, came after parliament voted unanimously to oust his predecessor, the ailing Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, nine days into his rule.

As Kuwait’s ruling emir, he struggled with internal political disputes, the fallout of the 2011 Arab Spring protests and see-sawing crude oil prices that hit a national budget providing cradle-to-grave subsidies.

More follows…