Buildings are seen decorated with lights in the colours of the Kuwaiti national flag on February 24, 2014 as the oil-rich emirate prepares to mark the 53rd National Day on February 25 and the 23rd Liberation Day on February 26. The first date commemorates the creation of Kuwait as a nation in 1961 while Liberation Day marks the end of Iraq’s occupation in 1991. AFP PHOTO/YASSER AL-ZAYYAT