Sabah

Kuwait's prime minister, Sheik Sabah al Ahmed al Sabah, agreed to take charge of the country because of the poor health of the newly named emir, state television reported. In an unprecedented move, a newspaper called for the new emir, Sheik Saad al Abdullah al Sabah, to abdicate in favor of a member of the ruling family. Sheik Jabbar al Ahmed al Sabah died Sunday.

Kuwait's ailing Sheik Saad al Abdullah al Sabah is expected to abdicate today, ending a weeklong succession crisis in the oil-producing state, ruling family sources said. Kuwait's powerful Prime Minister Sheik Sabah al Ahmed al Jabbar al Sabah is the likely successor. He had already been running Kuwait's day-to-day affairs for four years, since poor health sidelined both the late emir, Sheik Jabbar al Ahmed al Sabah, and Saad.

Kuwait formed a new government and included Sheik Saud al Sabah as oil minister, even though controversy surrounding his work as information minister had brought down the previous Cabinet. Sheik Sabah al Ahmed al Jabbar al Sabah returned as first deputy prime minister and foreign minister. Islamists in the parliament forced the previous Cabinet to resign this month in a dispute over the Information Ministry allowing the display of banned books.

The Cabinet resigned ahead of a no-confidence vote Tuesday against Information Minister Saud al Sabah, a member of the ruling Sabah family. Saud is at the center of a crisis between the government and Islamist lawmakers who were offended by the displaying of banned books, which they see as un-Islamic. Political sources expect the prime minister, Sheik Saad al Abdullah al Sabah, to conduct a Cabinet reshuffle that could bring back Saud in another ministry.

The government said Sunday it will confiscate the assets of all Kuwaiti companies owned by the deposed Sabah ruling family. Iraq has already impounded the family's personal assets.

Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat on Sunday held what he called "positive" talks with the Emir of Kuwait, Sheik Jabbar al Ahmed al Sabah, on recent Israeli and American actions in the Middle East.

Two people were shot to death Wednesday, bringing the death toll to eight after 15 illegal immigrants escaped from police custody in the east Malaysian state of Sabah.

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheik Jabbar al Ahmed al Sabah, flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, an official statement said. It said he will meet King Fahd but gave no other details.

Kuwait's government-in-exile said Monday it would not agree to give Iraq even one inch of Kuwaiti territory and branded as "totally untrue" reports that it is involved in secret negotiations with Iraq. Foreign Minister Sabah al Ahmed al Sabah, in remarks quoted by the Kuwaiti news agency, said a report in the British newspaper the Independent on Sunday was based "on fabricated rumors . . . and totally untrue."