Violence has stepped up a notch or two in Syria as the government continues to crackdown harshly on anti-government protestors across the country. One hundred people or more have already died just this past week in the Syrian regime’s attempts to suppress rebels in the face of growing concern and criticism within the international community….
Category Archives: News
HSBC Planning Job Cuts in Six Middle Eastern Countries
Beginning of Major Lay-Off Plan The bank which calls itself “The World’s Local Bank,” HSBC, has decided to lay-off at least 200 employees in six countries in the Middle East. The job cut of 200 in the region is just the beginning of a major reduction in worldwide employees reaching as many as 30,000 cuts…
Telecommunications Overseer Sends Warning to Bahraini Telecom Companies
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in Bahrain has sent stern warnings to two of the largest providers of mobile phone service to consumers in Bahrain, saying that their pricing for international mobile phone calls was “detrimental to competition and bad for consumers.” Investigating Users’ Complaints In statements sent by email to Bahrain Telecommunications Co. (Batelco) and…
Baker Botts Hires New Lawyer in Dubai Office
Baker Botts, the international law firm, has just named a new partner in their Dubai office, Vanessa Abernethy. Abernethy has extensive experience working with clients engaged in capital market transactions all over the Middle East, specializing in advisory as well as transactional work. Years of Experience Ms. Abernethy has years of experience representing and advising…
NATO Strikes Tripoli in Support of Rebel Attacks
Muammar Gaddafi Libya is once again under attack from NATO air forces as Tripoli was bombarded with air strikes on Sunday. As Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi called the latest attacks on his regime “a colonial plot,” bombs fell on military targets throughout the country’s capital. “In Tripoli there were two command and control nodes,…
Incomes Increase for Businessmen in the Middle East, Study Shows
A new survey conducted by Mercer shows that executives throughout the Middle East have voted themselves pay raises on the order of 5.7% on average. Managers Do the Best The data also points out those employees on the managerial level have also benefited from pay increases to an even larger extent then the executives, reflecting…
Libya Claims NATO Airstrike Hits Residential Neighborhood
Reports from Libya claim that a NATO conducted airstrike hit a residential area in Tripoli early on Sunday, killing at least four civilians, including two children. NATO Denies Targets Civilians NATO has repeatedly denied targeting non-military areas for their airstrikes, and at the moment the charges that NATO did hit a non-military target have not…
Turkish Elections Strengthen Democracy
On June 12 elections in Turkey resulted in the return to power of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) which won 50 percent of the votes. This not only brings the incumbent Prime Minister Erdogan back to power, but also bodes well for Turkish democracy. AKP to Create Consensus Now that the AKP has…
Confidence Replacing Fear As “Arab Spring” Passes
Analysts are sighing with relief as second-quarter figures for Middle Eastern loans out pace first-quarter numbers by 43%. Stability Replacing Uncertainty At the beginning of the year uncertainty was the main attitude of economists and other observers as they stood by watching the Middle East turn to flames during revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and…
Yemen in Turmoil After President Injured
Yemini President Saleh Injured On June 3rd the president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh was seriously injured in what appears to have been a bombing on the presidential palace. The following day Saleh, aged 69, was evacuated from the capital of Yemen, Sanaa, and transported to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment. He apparently suffered critical…
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Independent Middle East News
- GCC Forming Gulf Union May 14, 2012by Mahmoud Abu Ghosh At least three members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have hinted they are likely to back a Saudi plan to transform the council into a Western-backed diplomatic and military union. The London-based Al Hayat daily cited a senior GCC source who said Qatar and possibly Kuwait could join Bahrain […]
- PLC Deputy Speaker Reveals Scope of PA Corruption May 12, 2012by Mahmoud Aby Ghosh Hasan Khreishah, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, blasted the Western-backed Palestinian Authority on Saturday, holding it responsible for rampant corruption and human rights violations. He specifically blasted the Fatah-led PA for human rights abuses against Palestinian journalists. “Since the signing of the Oslo A […]
- Turkish Forces Kill 5 Kurds, Detain 28 May 9, 2012by Mahmoud Abu Ghosh Turkish forces killed five Kurdish rebels on Tuesday near the town of Tatvan in northern Kurdistan’s Bitlis province. The fighters killed were believed to be members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Ankara also announced on Tuesday that Turkish forces have detained 28 people in simultaneous raids across six provinces, [... […]
- Kurds Ambush Turkish Troops, Kill 3 May 4, 2012by Mahmoud Abu Ghosh Turkish forces hunting Kurdish resistance fighters were ambushed by guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Friday. Three soldiers were killed in the ambush, which took place in Turkish-occupied northern Kurdistan. The soldiers were killed when guerrillas opened fire on Turkish troops raiding suspected rebel hideouts in the […]
- PA Defends Internet Censorship April 30, 2012by Mahmoud Abu Ghosh The Western-backed Palestinian Authority on Sunday defended its decision to block websites that are critical of Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, denying allegations it was violating freedom of expression. PA Attorney-General Ahmed al-Mughni claimed that the websites were blocked for breaking the law and following complaints from Palestinians. […]
- GCC Forming Gulf Union May 14, 2012