Kuwait's ruler suspends parliament as row escalates

Kuwait's ruler suspended parliament for one month yesterday as a row escalated between the cabinet and lawmakers, threatening to draw in senior ministers and stalling economic planning in the major oil producer.
The emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, can take the emergency step under the Gulf state's constitution to allow time for talks and avert a deeper crisis that could lead to the dissolution of the elected assembly.
His suspension decree, published on state news agency KUNA, comes ahead of a planned questioning session in parliament of Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Hamoud al-Sabah, a royal family member, by hostile lawmakers over Kuwait's citizenship law.