May 25, 2013
The week's top five must-sees,
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The week's top five must-sees,
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Description
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is an Arab country in Western Asia. Situated in the northeastern edge of the Arabian peninsula at the tip of the Persian Gulf, it shares borders with Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. The name "Kuwait" is derived from the Arabic أكوات ākwāt, the plural of كوت kūt, meaning "fortress built near water". The country covers an area of 17,820 square kilometers and has a population of about 2.8 million.
Historically, the region was the site of Characene, a major Parthian port for trade between Mesopotamia and India. The Bani Utbah tribe were the first permanent Arab settlers in the region, laying the foundation for the modern emirate. By the 19th century, Kuwait came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire. After World War I, it emerged as an independent sheikhdom under the protection of the British Empire. Kuwait's large oil fields were discovered in the late 1930s.
After Kuwait gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961, the state's oil industry saw unprecedented economic growth. In 1990, Kuwait was invaded and annexed by neighboring Iraq. The seven month-long Iraqi occupation came to an end after a direct military intervention by United States-led forces. Around 773 Kuwaiti oil wells were set ablaze by the retreating Iraqi army, resulting in a major environmental and economic catastrophe. Kuwait's infrastructure was badly damaged during the war and had to be rebuilt. Twelve years later, Kuwait saw another massive foreign military presence as it served as a springboard for the U.S.-led campaign in 2003 to oust Ba'athist Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
(via Freebase)
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![Kuwaiti women score victory with swimmer's participation in Olympic Games [BBC Arabic, UK]](/images/image_cache/base-7018000/7018288/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=8d467e7bfbdcdee8a32127079661cd50)
![Syrian opposition talks in Cairo fizzle [Press TV, Iran]](/images/image_cache/base-6656000/6656718/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=51effe26c9789a2033ae630b11f2562a)
![Kuwaiti opposition to rally against court's ruling to dissolve parliament [Al Jazeera, Qatar]](/images/image_cache/base-6289000/6289870/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=4ffe0e2e50cbb175498e9f041388e627)
![Kuwait court dissolves parliament, declares polls illegal [Al Jazeera, Qatar]](/images/image_cache/base-5995000/5995744/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=ce27915f761c8035bba4139044b48384)
![Kuwait suspends legislature on eve of Interior Minister interrogation [Dubai TV, UAE]](/images/image_cache/base-5951000/5951327/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=1dc14558c672ce226868816d82a56e56)
![Iraq and Kuwait sign bilateral cooperation agreement [Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq]](/images/image_cache/base-3854000/3854721/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=e7add9d68515fa61ee2b4173814e50ad)
![Kuwaiti lawmakers question new PM over handling of graft probe [Al Jazeera, Qatar]](/images/image_cache/base-2420000/2420787/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=1822746d641235a42de64a2b45265d4b)
![The Afghan Taliban suspends peace talks with the US [Al Jazeera, Qatar]](/images/image_cache/base-1855000/1855365/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=04f0d5b96895ae97f20dd9e0d462bb04)