Six are reported dead as troops and riot police used tear gas and other force to evict hundreds of demonstrators from their vigil in Pearl Square in the capital city of Manama, Bahrain. This action came after just one day of emergency rule which had been imposed on the violent-stricken kingdom. Assault Began at Daylight…
Category Archives: Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Set to Explode
All eyes are turning to Saudi Arabia as its “Day of Rage” is set to begin tomorrow. This of course is what Mideast commentators refer to as the big one. Saudi Arabia supplies the world with 40% of its oil and so if its ground begins to rumble with similar protests as we’ve seen sweeping…
Saudis Moving in Tanks to Protect Bahrain Government
The elephant of Saudi Arabia appears to have taken action to swat the fly on its back- Bahrain- by sending in an armada of 30 tanks to help strengthen the beleaguered Bahrain government. The Bahrain government has been subjected to two weeks of protests from demonstrators, with no end in sight, demanding the resignation of…
Al Jazeera Seen as a Force for Freedom in the Middle East
Mustafa Souag, the head of the news department at the Arabic language station of Al Jazeera said this past Monday, “We knew something was coming. Our main objective was to provide the most accurate and comprehensive coverage that we could by sending cameras and reporters to any place there is an event. And if you…
Fitch Expects Gulf Country Banks To Lose Less in 2011
Since the international credit crisis is winding down, Arab Banks located in the Persian Gulf area will probably lose less money in loans and investments. “Lower impairment charges and cost control should lead to a gradual improvement in profitability, but revenue growth will be more difficult to achieve,” Fitch ratings agency maintained. “Loan growth has…
Japan Prepares To Build Middle Eastern Nuclear Power Plants
Japan is working hard to beat out China and Korea in bids to build civilian nuclear power plants in the Middle East. Tokyo is supporting Japanese firms to get contracts in the Middle East. The Japanese expect many nuclear power plants to be built due to increased electric demand because of population growth. The first…
Al-Qa’ida Operative Dressed as Woman Opens Fire on Saudi Police
A shoot-out in Saudi Arabia left one suspected Al-Qa’ida operative dead while a second was taken into custody. The shooting took place at a checkpoint in central Saudi Arabia on Saturday when a couple, which appeared to be a man and a woman but were revealed later to be both men, began to shoot at…
Meeting To Spur Inter-GCC Investment
In order to spur investment and trade among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries, the heads of state of Gulf oil producers have decided to end restrictions on local company operations. This is part of the development of a common market. The leaders of the six-nation GCC countries agreed upon plans to allow national companies…
Clinton Accuses Saudis Of Funding Terror According To Wikileaks Memo
In one more bit of information from the seemingly endless storehouse of Wikileaks documents, it has been revealed that in 2009 Hilary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, accused Saudi Arabia as being the main funding source for terrorists. In the memo released on the Wikileaks website Clinton is quoted as saying, “Donors in Saudi…
WikiLeaks Sheds New Light on Arab Views on Iran
Among the tens of thousands of documents released by WikiLeaks saying all kinds of good and bad things about world leaders, there seems to be one leader which almost everyone seems to agree about: that is of course the leader of Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The documents point to a great fear and distrust of…
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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