U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East this week as scheduled won’t include a trip to Israel to discuss the war in Gaza or talks with Iran about its nuclear program.

Kuwait’s ruling emir has died at age 86.

Voters in Kuwait have chosen to shake up their parliament, sending conservative Islamist figures and two women to the assembly in the Gulf Arab nation’s second election in less than two years.

Kuwait has temporarily handed its crown prince some of the ruling emir’s constitutional duties.

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

KUWAIT CITY – Kuwait voted Saturday for its National Assembly, the first election since the death of its longtime ruling emir and as the oil-rich nation faces serious economic problems under the coronavirus pandemic. However, Kuwait's parliament has tamped down on opposition to its ruling Al Sabah family since the 2011 Arab Spring protests that saw demonstrators storm the chamber. The vote came after the death in September of Kuwait's ruler, the 91-year-old Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, 83, quickly took power without any opposition. "We have to fight corruption by choosing who will represent us inside the National Assembly,” one voter, Azraa al-Rifai, remarked.

The new Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, center, performs the constitutional oath at the Kuwaiti National Assembly in Kuwait, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. Kuwait's Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in Wednesday as the ruling emir of the tiny oil-rich country, propelled to power by the death of his half-brother after a long career in the security services. At age 83, Sheikh Nawaf is not expected to deviate from the diplomatic path charted by his predecessor, the late Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. Sheikh Nawaf and other mourners sprinkled dirt atop the body as it was finally lowered into the soil. After the ceremony, Sheikh Nawaf, in his flowing robe, strode into a black Mercedes as groups of soldiers delivered a crisp salute.

DUBAI – Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah became the oil-rich nation's new ruling emir Tuesday night, reaching the highest post in the country after decades in its security services. Sheikh Nawaf, 83, had served as the crown prince since 2006, jumping a traditional order of alternating rule between the Al Jaber and the Al Salim branches of the country's ruling family. State television carried an address by Anas Khalid al-Saleh, Kuwait's interior minister and deputy prime minister, announcing Sheikh Nawaf had taken the position just hours after Sheikh Sabah's death. He became the crown prince under Sheikh Sabah in February 2006. He hasn't been known for making any major political decisions while serving as crown prince.

Kuwait state television said Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, the country's 91-year-old ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, had died. Kuwait's Cabinet later announced that Sheikh Sabah had been succeeded by his half brother, the crown prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah. In 2003, his half brother and Kuwait’s then-emir, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, named Sheikh Sabah as the country’s prime minister. “Thank God, now, what is important is that we have stopped any military action,” Sheikh Sabah said. A longtime widower, Sheikh Sabah lived for years in a palace known as Dar Salwa, which was named after his daughter Salwa, who died of cancer in 2002.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has bestowed a top U.S. honor on Kuwait's ruling emir, who has played a central role in resolving a yearslong four-nation boycott of Qatar and is now ill and receiving treatment in the U.S., the White House said Friday. Trump awarded the Legion of Merit to Kuwait’s Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who, along with Oman, has sought dialog to end the dispute that has torn apart the Gulf Cooperation Council. “The emir is also an unparalleled diplomat, having served as his nation’s foreign minister for 40 years. The emir’s eldest son, Sheikh Nasser bin Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah of the State of Kuwait, was to accept the award on behalf of the emir in a private ceremony. In July, Sheikh Sabah flew across the world in a U.S. Air Force C-17 flying hospital, just days after undergoing an unspecified surgery at home.

DUBAI Kuwait's 91-year-old ruling emir left Thursday morning for the United States to seek further medical care after recently undergoing surgery, its state-run news agency reported. Kuwait has yet to elaborate on what required Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment beginning Saturday and a surgery Sunday. However, Sheikh Sabahs sudden surgery could inspire a renewed power struggle within Kuwaits ruling family. That same Airbus had flown to Rochester, Minnesota, and New York City before returning to Kuwait just days before Sheikh Sabah's surgery. Sheikh Sabah, a widely beloved ruler in this OPEC-member nation, took power in 2006 just nine days into the rule of the ailing Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah.

DUBAI Kuwait's 91-year-old ruling emir will travel to the United States on Thursday morning to seek further medical care after recently undergoing surgery, its state-run news agency reported. Kuwait has yet to elaborate on what required Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment beginning Saturday. However, Sheikh Sabahs sudden surgery could inspire a renewed power struggle within Kuwaits ruling family. The state-run KUNA news agency quoted a statement from the country's royal court saying Sheikh Sabah would leave based on advice from the medical team treating His Highness to complete his treatment after a successful surgical procedure." We ask the Almighty to aid his recovery and sustain His Highness, who is healthy and well taken care of, and to protect him from all harm, the statement said.

DUBAI Kuwait's 91-year-old ruler underwent a surgery that required the oil-rich nation's crown prince to be temporarily empowered to serve in his place, according to a ministerial decree seen Sunday. Kuwait has yet to elaborate what required Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment on Saturday. However, Sheikh Sabah's sudden surgery could inspire a renewed power struggle within Kuwait's ruling family. The state-run KUNA news agency had described Sheikh Sabah's hospitalization Saturday as medical checks, citing a statement from the country's royal court. Sheikh Sabah, a widely beloved ruler in this OPEC-member nation, took power in 2006 just nine days into the rule of the ailing Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah.