Kuwait has sworn in its new emir, Sheikh NAWAF AL-AHMAD AL-SABAH, and prepared to receive the body of his half-brother, the late ruler SHEIKH SABAH who died in the United States at the age of 91.

Sheikh NAWAF pledged to serve the nation in his address before lawmakers.

The remains of Sheikh SABAH AL-AHMAD AL-SABAH are expected to arrive in Kuwait City today, on a flight from Minnesota where he had been undergoing treatment in hospital since July.

According to the royal court, the funeral will be restricted to the emir’s relatives.

The country has already begun a 40-day period of national mourning.