Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Sabah on Thursday travelled to the United States for routine medical checks, state news agency Kuna reported. Sheikh Nawaf, 83, assumed power in the oil-producing Gulf Arab state last September after the death of his brother, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad. Sheikh Nawaf approved a new Cabinet on Tuesday that faces the task of tackling a liquidity crunch caused by low oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic. The previous government resigned in January amid a stand-off with parliament that posed the first big political challenge to the emir since he assumed power. Oil Minister Mohammad Al Fares, Finance Minister Khalifa Hamade and Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al Sabah were reappointed in the new Cabinet. The previous government’s resignation came after more than 30 members of the 50-seat National Assembly supported a motion to question Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid on several issues, including his choice of ministers.
