Zara

For archives purposes:
toile de fond de la situation à Bahreïn: 208 dénaturalisations en 2015 10 fois plus qu’en 2014 (21).

Bahrain: Alarming spike in expulsion of citizens arbitrarily stripped of their nationality | Amnesty International
▻https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/03/bahrain-alarming-spike-in-expulsion-of-citizens-arbitrarily-stripped-of-the

Breaking : Bahrain Regime Issues 9 Year Sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman - Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society
▻http://alwefaq.net/cmsen/2016/05/30/45360

Breaking: Bahrain Regime Issues 9 Year Sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman
in English Section, Slides en May 30, 2016

The First High Criminal Appeals Court in Bahrain has issued a 9 year sentence against the opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, also Secretary General of Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, today.
Al Wefaq said the sentence against Sheikh Ali Salman is unacceptable and provocative. Furthermore, it said the sentence indicates the regime’s insistence to ignore the calls for a solution to the crisis and entrenches the exacerbating political crisis in Bahrain.

Arabie saoudite : le ministre du Pétrole limogé par décret royal - L’Express
▻http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/proche-moyen-orient/arabie-saoudite-le-ministre-du-petrole-limoge-par-decret-royal_1789910.html

Ali al-Nouaïmi, qui occupait le poste de ministre du Pétrole depuis 1995, a longtemps influencé la politique de l’Opep. Le royaume est aujourd’hui fortement affecté par la chute des cours.

Le roi Salmane d’Arabie saoudite a procédé ce samedi à un large remaniement ministériel, marqué par le limogeage de son ministre du Pétrole, Ali al-Nouaïmi, qui pendant deux décennies a influencé la politique de l’Opep, aujourd’hui confrontée à sa pire crise en raison de l’effondrement des cours. 

Ce limogeage intervient quelques jours après l’annonce d’un ambitieux programme, « Vision à l’horizon 2030 », tendant à transformer l’économie saoudienne pour réduire sa dépendance à l’or noir. 

Par deux décrets du roi, cette figure du monde du pétrole a été limogée et son département a été transformé en un ministère de l’Energie, de l’Industrie et des Ressources minières, confié Khaled al-Faleh, ministre de la Santé dans le gouvernement sortant. 

Effondrement des cours
Le limogeage d’Ali al-Nouaïmi, en poste depuis 1995, intervient alors que l’Arabie saoudite, premier exportateur mondial de brut, poursuivait depuis près de deux ans une politique pétrolière ayant conduit à un effondrement des cours sur les marchés internationaux. 

Ali al-Nouaïmi, qui a toujours pesé de son poids pour influencer la politique de l’Organisation des pays exportateurs de pétrole (Opep), aurait fait savoir dès le début de cette année qu’il souhaitait partir à la retraite à l’occasion du remaniement ministériel de mai, avait rapporté en janvier le Financial Times de sources industrielles énergétiques.

Parliament, public against welfare cuts - Freedoms make austerity campaign tricky for govt - Kuwait Times | Kuwait Times
▻http://news.kuwaittimes.net/website/parliament-public-welfare-cuts

Billions of dollars are at stake; finance ministry undersecretary Khalifa Hamada told the al-Qabas newspaper at the end of last year that “rationalizing” subsidies would save the government KD 2.6 billion ($8.7 billion) over three years. Savings would be greater if the bloated public payroll could be reformed. The finance ministry projected in January that the government would run a budget deficit of KD 12.2 billion in the fiscal year starting on April 1, 2016, after state contributions to the sovereign wealth fund.

Between 7,000 and 13,000 of around 18,000 Kuwaiti nationals in the oil sector took part in the strike in late April, union members estimated. Union membership is not compulsory and foreign workers are not permitted to strike. Workers were protesting a proposed overhaul of the public sector payroll system that would set uniform standards for salaries, bonuses and benefits. The Oil and Petrochemical Industries Workers Confederation fears the government will use the reform to freeze salaries of higher-paid employees.

Ultimately, the union called off the strike “in honor of His Highness the Amir”, and the government insisted it made no concessions – an apparent victory for authorities. But the union has been talking to the government since the strike ended, so concessions could still be made. Kuwait’s oil output fell as low as 1.1 million barrels per day during the strike from the usual output of around 3 million bpd, tarnishing the country’s image as a reliable exporter.

“The workers have achieved their main objective of getting their message across,” said Faisal Abu Sulaib, another political science professor at Kuwait University. Saif al-Qahtani, chairman of the oil workers’ union, said he could not speak for other unions but that some of them also opposed wage system reform. Some other union members and analysts said a string of strikes in Kuwait remained unlikely. An official at the headquarters of the Kuwait Trade Union Federation, which represents 15 unions in the energy and government sectors, said it had not been informed of any other planned walkouts.

Nevertheless, in the wake of the oil strike, the government may move even more gradually and cautiously with reforms. While most of the current parliament has been relatively supportive of the idea of reform, legislative elections are due next year, and the government will not want the issue of austerity to cause the election of a more antagonistic parliament.

Khaleej Times - 25 April, 2016

Yemeni and UAE troops advanced into the southern port city of Mukalla on Sunday, officials and residents said, entering a stronghold of Al Qaeda’s Yemeni wing for the first time in over a year of war.

Fighter jets from the mostly Gulf Arab alliance pounded the city on Sunday and killed 30 militants, residents said, as the military coalition ramped up an offensive to wrest swathes of southern Yemen from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Mukalla has been the centre of a rich mini-state that Al Qaeda built up over the past year as it took control of an almost 600km band of Arabian Sea coastline and pocketed customs revenues from the port.

Losing Mukalla would take away the AQAP’s main source of revenue, which has enabled it to thrive for over a year, but the alliance offensive appeared too strong for it to withstand.

“The liberation of Mukalla from the hands of the Al Qaeda terrorist organisation has begun,” local governor Ahmed Saeed bin Breik said in a statement.

Time to Rethink U.S. Relationship With Egypt - OpEd of the editorial board of The New York Times
▻http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/26/opinion/time-to-rethink-us-relationship-with-egypt.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=

Administration officials who have cautioned against a break with Egypt say its military and intelligence cooperation is indispensable. It’s time to challenge that premise. Egypt’s scorched-earth approach to fighting militants in the Sinai and its stifling repression may be creating more radicals than the government is neutralizing.

“We are long overdue for a strategic rethink on who are strong American partners and anchors of stability in the Middle East,” Tamara Cofman Wittes, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former senior State Department official, said in an interview. “Egypt is neither an anchor of stability nor a reliable partner.”

Mr. Obama and his advisers may conclude that there is little the United States can do to ease Egypt’s despotism during the remaining months of his presidency. That’s not the case. Mr. Obama should personally express to Mr. Sisi his concern about Egypt’s abuses and the country’s counterproductive approach to counterterrorism.

Mr. Obama has been willing to challenge longstanding assumptions and conventions about Washington’s relations with Middle East nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia. But he has been insufficiently critical of Egypt. Over the next few months, the president should start planning for the possibility of a break in the alliance with Egypt. That scenario appears increasingly necessary, barring a dramatic change of course by Mr. Sisi.

Sunday 21 February 2016 for archives

Britain lobbied UN to whitewash Bahrain police abuses | Politics | The Guardian
►http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/feb/21/britain-lobbied-un-bahrain-human-rights-abuses

Britain lobbied UN to whitewash Bahrain police abuses
Documents indicate UK and Saudi Arabia worked to water down human rights statement

A Bahraini protester during clashes with riot police following a demo to mark the fifth anniversary of the Arab spring-inspired uprising. Photograph: Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty Images
Jamie Doward

Britain has been accused of waging a behind-the-scenes PR offensive aimed at neutering United Nations criticism of Bahrain for its human rights record, including the alleged use of torture by its security forces.

Bahrain’s young people mark fifth anniversary of Arab spring
Read more
Documents shared with the Observer reveal that the UN’s criticism of the Gulf state was substantially watered down after lobbying by the UK and Saudi Arabia, a major purchaser of British-made weapons and military hardware.

Workers suffer in Saudi Arabia as once-mighty Hariri firm falters | Jordan Times
▻http://www.jordantimes.com/news/business/workers-suffer-saudi-arabia-once-mighty-hariri-firm-falters

He’s had no salary for six months, he cannot pay his children’s school fees and his permit to reside in Saudi Arabia has expired.

But Robert still holds out hope that things might improve for him and thousands of other workers at Saudi Oger Ltd., the once-mighty construction giant led by Lebanon’s billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri.

Delayed receipts from a Saudi government whose oil revenues collapsed over the past two years have left employees of the company struggling to survive while they wait to be paid, Robert and other sources say.

Other contractors are also affected, but sources say problems at the 38-year-old Saudi Oger go deeper than the kingdom’s current economic strains.

“Already when I worked at Saudi Oger there were delays in salary payments to local employees,” a former staffer indicated. “It seems the situation got worse.”

Saudi Oger employs around 50,000 people of various nationalities, from managers to labourers, and Robert noted that the salaries of nearly all have been delayed.

But at six months without a pay cheque, he is among the longest suffering.

“I don’t have money,” he said. “It’s hard.”

The veteran employee of Saudi Oger says he has “no choice” but to stay with the firm because he cannot find another job.

Robert, whose name has been changed because he asked for anonymity, said the company promised in a letter that salaries will flow at the end of March.

Poor management blamed 

“It’s a desperate situation,” a well-informed source said, describing expatriate families facing a similar plight to Robert’s.

“They can’t pay for the tickets” to even fly home, the source indicated, adding that many senior officers of Saudi Oger support families in Lebanon, meaning remittances to that country will be affected.

[...]
France’s embassy, concerned for the many French employees at the company, sent two letters to the firm, which responded with its promise to start paying the salaries.

[...]
He added that the plight of the Hariri family company raises two questions: “Will Saudi local banks continue to finance Saudi Oger, and secondly, will the Hariri clan manage to enlist an investor willing to provide new investment?”

“If Hariri can prove he is still useful, the Saudis may help him,” a Lebanese banker said. “But if not, they won’t.”

- See more at: ▻http://www.jordantimes.com/news/business/workers-suffer-saudi-arabia-once-mighty-hariri-firm-falters#sthash.jfrX

A Night of Art, Rap, and Pop Culture from the Arabian Peninsula | Middle East Institute
▻http://www.mei.edu/events/night-art-rap-and-pop-culture-arabian-peninsula

The Middle East Institute (MEI), with the support of Art Jameel, and in partnership with CultuRunners and Desert Storm, is pleased to present an evening highlighting the cutting-edge cultural scene emerging from the Gulf.

The evening program will include the screening of Saudi Arabian artist Ahmed Mater’s acclaimed work on the cities of Mecca and Riyadh, a live music performance by the Kuwaiti-born, California-based rap group, Sons of Yusuf, a discussion with Emirati artist and curator, Noor al Suwaidi, and a conversation about the role of the arts in breaking stereotypes, bridging cultural understanding, and empowering youth from the region.

Former refugee from Palestine named as world’s most influential young Arab - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com
▻http://www.arabianbusiness.com/former-refugee-from-palestine-named-as-world-s-most-influential-you

Rounding out the top 10 were: Hassan Al Thawadi (38), Noura Al Kaabi (37), Bader Al Kharafi (38), Fahad Al Rasheed (38), Saif Abou Zaid (33), Ahmad Belhoul (38) and Sultan Al Qassemi (38).
The UAE dominated the list with 23 young Arabs, down from 24 last year. Egypt (15), Lebanon (13), Saudi Arabia (12) and Palestine (10) also scored high.

Al Jazeera to reduce staff as part of optimisation plan - AJE News
▻http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/al-jazeera-reduce-staff-part-optimisation-plan-160327091744466.html

Al Jazeera Media Network on Sunday announced a reduction of its workforce as part of an optimisation initiative in connection with the ongoing transformation of the media landscape.

It is expected that around 500 positions worldwide will be affected, the majority of which are in Qatar. 

“Over the past few months, we have carefully evaluated every option available to the Network in order to ensure that we are best positioned in light of the large-scale changes under way in the global media landscape,” said Mostefa Souag, the acting director general of the Network.

Après les Comores, le Cameroun..
Cela en dit long sur la conception que le Koweit se fait de l’Afrique - l’endroit parfait où se débarrasser de ce dont on ne veut pas chez soi- celle dont bénéficient les biduns est trop connue.
وفد كويتي إلى جزر القمر والكاميرون لبحث توطين ’البدون’
▻http://m.alhurra.com/a/kuwait-nationality-/299473.html

يتوجه وفد من البرلمان الكويتي لزيارة عدد من الدول الإفريقية لاستطلاع إمكانية توطين مقيمين في الكويت، معروفين بـ"البدون"، أي غير حاصلين على الجنسية، في هذه الدول.

وتهدف الزيارة التي ستشمل جزر القمر والكاميرون إلى البحث مع السلطات في هذين البلدين، توطين “البدون” فيهما.

وكان الوكيل المساعد لشؤون الجنسية والجوازات اللواء مازن الجراح أكد في وقت سابق، اتفاق بلاده مع جزر القمر على دعمها اقتصاديا وبناء مجمعات سكنية ومدارس بالإضافة إلى فتح بيت للزكاة هناك.

وتأتي هذه الزيارة بعد يومين من تصويت مجلس الأمة على مجموعة توصيات اعترضت عليها الحكومة، تتضمن تجنيس المستحقين من “البدون”، وإعادة النظر في القيود الأمنية وحق التعليم والحصول على شهادات الميلاد والزواج.

14 mars 2016 (AFP) - Des Libanais ont été expulsés de Bahreïn pour « appartenance ou soutien au Hezbollah » chiite libanais, déclaré organisation « terroriste » par de nombreux pays arabes, a annoncé lundi le ministère bahreïni de l’Intérieur.

Le ministère n’a pas précisé, sur son compte Twitter, le nombre de personnes concernées par cette mesure et qui résident de manière permanente dans le pays ni la date des expulsions.

Mais la presse libanaise a indiqué ces derniers jours que sept à dix familles libanaises avaient été notifiées de la décision d’expulsion par les autorités bahreïnies.

C’est la première mesure du genre annoncée par un pays du Golfe depuis la décision vendredi de la Ligue arabe de classer comme « terroriste » le Hezbollah.

Le Liban et l’Irak, où la communauté chiite a un poids politique prépondérant, ont émis « des réserves » et l’Algérie a fait des « remarques », sur la décision de la Ligue arabe, avait indiqué un diplomate bahreïni, Wahid Moubarak Sayar.

Bahreïn, un royaume dirigé par une dynastie sunnite et qui connait depuis le 2011 un mouvement de contestation animé par les chiites majoritaires a, à plusieurs reprises, dénoncé le soutien du Hezbollah et de l’Iran à ce mouvement.

Début mars, les six monarchies du Conseil de coopération du Golfe (CCG) - Arabie saoudite, Qatar, Bahreïn, Koweït, Emirats arabes unis, Oman -, toutes membres de la Ligue arabe, avaient pris la décision de classer le Hezbollah, qu’elles accusent de servir de tête de pont à l’Iran, comme « terroriste ».

Réunis ensuite à Tunis, les ministres arabes de l’Intérieur avaient, à l’exception de celui du Liban, apporté leur soutien au CCG, condamnant « les pratiques et les actes dangereux du Hezbollah terroriste ».

L’annonce de l’expulsion de Libanais de Bahreïn intervient au lendemain d’une mise en garde du ministère saoudien de l’Intérieur contre toute relation avec le Hezbollah adressée tant aux Saoudiens qu’aux résidents étrangers.

Dans un communiqué, le ministère a averti les Saoudiens qu’ils risquaient de s’exposer, en cas de liens avérés avec le Hezbollah, à de « lourdes sanctions, y compris celles prévues par les lois antiterroristes ».

Les résidents étrangers s’exposent pour leur part à des ordres d’expulsion, selon le ministère.

Les décisions contre le Hezbollah s’inscrivent dans un contexte d’escalade des tensions entre l’Iran chiite et l’Arabie saoudite, chef de file des monarchies sunnites du Golfe, qui sont engagés dans des luttes d’influence par procuration, notamment dans le cadre de conflits régionaux comme en Syrie et au Yémen.

Bahrain’s five-year plan of repression | Middle East Eye
▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/bahrain-s-five-year-plan-repression-1903103504

By the year’s close, Bahraini authorities had revoked the citizenship of at least 208 people, showing no distinction between activists, average people, and actual terror suspects.

Once stripped of their citizenship, these people are left with three choices: find a sponsor willing to risk government pressure, go to jail, or face exile. Simply put, the Bahraini government is now wielding citizenship as just another weapon in the fight against dissent, willfully abandoning its own people to statelessness in retaliation for free expression.

Palestine : une usine Coca-Cola s’installe à Gaza - Moyen-Orient - RFI
▻http://www.rfi.fr/moyen-orient/20160208-coca-cola-gaza-usine-emplois-chomage-eau-nappes-phreatiques

Une usine Coca-Cola va ouvrir dans les semaines qui viennent à Gaza. Plusieurs milliers d’emplois seront créés, annoncent les entrepreneurs palestiniens derrière ce projet. Une petite respiration dans la bande de Gaza très touchée par le chômage. La canette de 250 ml devrait coûter 1 sheikel, soit 25 centimes d’euros. Certains Gazaouïs s’inquiètent toutefois de la provenance de l’eau, dont l’usine aura besoin en grande quantité.

De notre correspondant à Ramallah, 

L’idée a germé dans la tête de Zahi Khouri, le directeur de société nationale de boissons palestinienne. C’est lui qui dirige la filiale locale de Coca-Cola en Cisjordanie. Après avoir développé trois usines à Ramallah, Jéricho et Tulkarem, il s’est dit : pourquoi pas à Gaza ? Le projet a vu le jour sur le papier au début de l’année 2014, mais la guerre qui a frappé l’enclave palestinienne à l’été 2014 a ralenti considérablement ce rêve.

Difficile en effet de construire une usine alors qu’il manque de tout à Gaza : matériaux de construction, ciment, acier. Israël, qui impose un blocus sur la bande de terre depuis 2007, ne laisse passer qu’en toutes petites quantités ces marchandises, qui pourraient être utilisées par les mouvements armés pour construire des tunnels. Mais en tout début d’année, la nouvelle est confirmée : l’ouverture est prévue pour les semaines qui viennent. il n’y pas de date encore pour l’inauguration mais les bâtiments sont construits, les premiers personnels embauchés.

Des emplois pour les gazaouis

Selon la société américaine, près de 1 000 emplois seront crées. Une très bonne nouvelle, dans une région où le chômage est l’un des plus élevés au monde, avec quasiment une personne sur deux sans emploi fixe. Coca-Cola a annoncé 1 000 emplois directs, mais si l’on prend en compte les emplois indirects dans la livraison notamment, on atteindra 3 000 nouveaux jobs.

Mais l’impact pourrait être encore supérieur : si ce projet fonctionne, cela pourrait donner des idées à d’autres investisseurs palestiniens ou étrangers. Autre bénéfice, le prix de la boisson sucrée la plus consommée au monde sera réduit. La canette de 250 ml devrait coûter 1 sheikel, soit 25 centimes d’euros. C’est plus du double aujourd’hui à Gaza pour des boissons importées d’Israël ou de Cisjordanie.

Le problème de l’eau nécessaire à la fabrication du Coca

Certains Gazaouïs ont soulevé deux problèmes majeurs. Le premier est le plus difficile à résoudre : où trouver l’eau utile à la production de la boisson gazeuse ? A Gaza, environ 95 % de l’eau que l’on trouve n’est pas potable. La population se lave par exemple avec l’eau salée puisée directement dans la mer sans processus de désalinisation. Certains habitants s’inquiètent que l’usine Coca-Cola ne puise dans les réserves, déjà menacées, présentes dans les nappes phréatiques de l’enclave palestinienne. Sur ce point-là, c’est le grand flou.

Autre interrogation : est-ce que ce projet est pérenne ? En six ans, trois guerres ont éclaté à Gaza entre le Hamas et Israël. Ces dernières semaines, les rumeurs d’un nouvel affrontement en préparation s’étalaient dans la presse israélienne. Les plus optimistes se rassurent en rappelant que Pepsi et 7 Up sont déjà installés à Gaza. La première a été lancée en 1997, la seconde a été mise en fonctionnement en 1962.

Construction d’une base militaire turque au Qatar
▻http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20160201/1021373061/turcs-construisent-base-militaire-qatar.html

Ankara établira une base militaire au Qatar dans le cadre d’un accord de défense qui vise à l’entraide mutuelle contre des « ennemis communs », a déclaré l’ambassadeur turc au Qatar en décembre.

Après ses alliés de l’Otan, le Royaume-Uni et les États-Unis, avec leurs bases militaires permanentes à Bahreïn et la France, qui déploie ses forces armées aux Émirats arabes unis, les Turcs vont créer leur propre base au Qatar, où ils y placeront des forces aériennes et maritimes. Selon l’ambassadeur, la base accueillera près de 3.000 soldats des troupes terrestres, des militaires de l’Armée de l’air et de la Marine, ainsi que des instructeurs et des forces spéciales.

© REUTERS/ PRESIDENTIAL PALACE PRESS OFFICE
La Turquie devient un État paranoïaque
A l’avenir, cet avant-poste permettra à l’armée turque de participer à des opérations militaires éventuelles en mer Rouge, en Afrique du nord et dans le Golfe persique. Ainsi, Ankara pourrait affecter l’équilibre sécuritaire de la région. De plus, la Turquie pourra augmenter les ventes de son matériel militaire en proposant au Qatar ses nouveaux chars Altay, des obusiers automoteurs Firtina, et d’autres armements.

L’une des raisons pour laquelle le Qatar a signé cet accord sur la construction de la base militaire turque est son désir d’élargir et de diversifier ses méthodes de sécurité. L’accord comprend une disposition « casus foederis » qui repose sur le principe de défense mutuelle, ce qui signifie que si l’un des Etats est attaqué, l’autre doit l’aider à se défendre contre un agresseur. La Turquie a signé un accord similaire avec l’Otan, la République d’Azerbaïdjan et la République turque de Chypre du nord.

© AP PHOTO/ ANDREW HARNIK
La Turquie veut installer une base militaire en Somalie
Bien sûr, une telle « intervention » de la Turquie dans le domaine de la sécurité du Golfe persique n’est devenue possible qu’avec l’approbation des États-Unis, qui sont complètement satisfaits de cet accord, car Washington est intéressé à partager les coûts de la sécurité dans cette partie du monde avec ses alliés et partenaires.

Il importe de noter que ce geste turc ne peut pas rester inaperçu par l’Iran chiite, pour lequel un déploiement d’une base militaire turque dans un Etat sunnite de la coalition des pays arabes, est un acte hostile.

Kuwait’s Americana says board to meet Monday to discuss stake sale | Agricultural Commodities | Reuters
▻http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFD5N14K01N

DUBAI Feb 7 (Reuters) - Kuwait Food Co (Americana) said its board would meet on Monday to discuss details of the sale of a controlling stake in the company to an investment firm led by one of Dubai’s top businessmen.

Last week the investment firm, Adeptio, said it had signed an initial agreement to buy a 69 percent stake in Americana from Al Khair holding company, which is owned by Kuwait’s al-Kharafi family.

“The board will meet tomorrow to get approval to allow Adeptio to carry out due diligence after they signed an initial deal with Al Khair to buy all their shares in Americana,” the company said in a statement on Sunday to the Kuwaiti bourse.

It said Al Khair had sent it a letter estimating that due diligence would take around 60 days. (Reporting by Yara Bayoumy, Writing by Sylvia Westall, Editing by David French)

Bahrain denies ‘inaccurate’ Syria remarks | GulfNews.com
▻http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-denies-inaccurate-syria-remarks-1.1666836

The ambassador stressed that these remarks were inaccurate and reiterated the Kingdom of Bahrain’s commitment to fighting terrorism alongside its allies. Bahrain is ready to commit ground troops to Syria as part of a US-led coalition against Daesh, the country said on Friday, a day after its larger neighbour and close ally Saudi Arabia announced a similar pledge.

On Friday, Reuters published comments attributed to Shaikh Fawaz that Bahrain would commit troops to operate “in concert with the Saudis” under what he called a unified military command of Gulf Arab states.

According to the statement, he added that the UAE was also ready to commit troops, echoing an assertion made late last year by UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash.

Vaste remaniement au Qatar, nouveau ministre des Affaires étrangères - L’Orient-Le Jour
▻http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/967095/vaste-remaniement-au-qatar-nouveau-ministre-des-affaires-etrangeres.h

Au total, le remaniement a concerné 7 des 20 ministères du gouvernement, au sein duquel le portefeuille de la Défense relève toujours des prérogatives de l’émir. Les ministères des Sports et de la Culture ont fusionné en un seul département, confié à Salah ben Ghanem al-Ali, qui était jusqu’ici en charge des Sports au Qatar, un pays toujours sous les projecteurs en vue du Mondial de football qu’il doit organiser en 2022. Pour sa part, le ministre du Développement administratif, Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Naïmi, s’est vu en plus attribuer le ministère du Travail et des Affaires sociales, selon le décret publié par l’agence officielle QNA.

L’actuel ministre des Transports, Jassem Seif Ahmed al-Salliti, sera aussi ministre des Télécommunications.
Un haut responsable des Affaires étrangères, Mohamed ben Abdallah al-Rumaihi a été nommé ministre des Municipalités et de l’Environnement, deux départements qui ont fusionné, alors qu’une femme, Hanane Mohamed al-Kawari, a été désignée ministre de la Santé. Ces ministres ont aussitôt prêté serment devant l’émir, en présence du Premier ministre, cheikh Abdallah ben Nasser Al-Thani, qui est également ministre de l’Intérieur.

Qatar announces major government reshuffle | Middle East Eye
▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/qatar-announces-major-government-reshuffle-610406420

Seven ministerial changes were announced by the official Qatar News Agency.
 
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, a member of the royal family, replaced Khalid al-Attiyah as foreign minister, the QNA said.
 
The 35-year-old is a senior official who was previously in charge of international cooperation in the foreign ministry.
 
Attiyah, whose father was the founder of Qatar’s armed forces, was appointed minister of state for defence. The emir himself holds the post of defence minister. 
 
And Issa bin Saad al-Naimi Juffali was awarded the new position of minister for administrative development and labour and social affairs.
 
He replaces labour minister Abdullah bin Saleh al-Khulaifi at one of the country’s most high-profile cabinet posts because of international criticism of Doha’s record on migrant workers’ rights.
 
As notable as the announcement of new faces was the fact that several departments would be merged, which some see as a cost-cutting measure.
 
Among the newly combined ministries is not only administrative development and labour, but also the departments of culture and sports, transport and communications, and municipality and the environment.
 
Previously, these were separate departments.
 
“No doubt this has to do with reducing spending and preventing sagging,” Jamal Abdullah, Head of Gulf Studies at Al-Jazeera Centre, told AFP. 
 
“Especially as a number of ministries intersect tasks and responsibilities, such as communications and transportation, municipal and environment.”
 
Qatar has already forecast a budget deficit of more than $12 billion in 2016 — and that could increase as it was calculated at an oil price of $48 per barrel. The current price is around $32.
 
In addition, the emir warned last December of “wasteful spending, overstaffing and a lack of accountability” across Qatar.
 
Abdullah also noted that the changes would help “pump young blood into the Qatar decision-making machine”, especially the appointment of a new, relatively young foreign minister.
 
One post which remained the same was that of prime minister, which has been held by Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani since 2013.
 
Also, one woman was named in the reshuffle — Hanan al-Kuwari, who becomes the new minister of health.

Hospitality ON - Le Qatar met la main sur le Grosvenor House de Londres
▻http://hospitality-on.com/actualites/2016/02/04/le-qatar-met-la-main-sur-le-grosvenor-house-de-londres

Le Qatar met la main sur le Grosvenor House de Londres
Sahara Group, actuel propriétaire du Grosvenor House de Londres, aurait conclu un accord avec l’Etat du Qatar. Le montant de la transaction n’a pas été dévoilé.

Bahrain, Oman Cut Gas Subsidies | Al Jazeera America
▻http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/1/12/bahrain-oman-cut-gas-subsidies-as-oil-hits-12-year-low.html

On Tuesday, gas prices at the pump rose by up to 60 percent in Bahrain, climbing to $1.25 per gallon for regular gasoline and $1.60 per gallon for premium fuel. Hundreds of people lined up at gas stations a day earlier to fill their cars before the higher prices went into effect.

The tiny island-nation in the Gulf ended subsidies on meat and poultry in October, increasing consumer prices between three and four-fold. Bahrain plans to make further cuts in electricity and water subsidies in March.

Earlier this month, Bahrain cut government subsidies for diesel and kerosene. 

Meanwhile, Oman said it would reduce gasoline subsidies starting Friday, with prices set to rise by 33 percent for premium fuel and 23 percent for regular fuel.

The moves come as crude prices closed Monday at $31.41 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange — the lowest in 12 years.

The dip in global oil prices has cut into the revenues of oil-exporting countries, including many Gulf Arab states where citizens have become accustomed to generous government subsidies and state handouts.

Saudi Arabia in December raised petrol prices by 50 percent as part of subsidy cuts for petroleum products, power and water, after the country posted a record $98 billion budget deficit for 2015.

The United Arab Emirates has liberalized fuel prices, while Kuwait lifted subsidies on diesel and kerosene from the start of 2015.

19 DECEMBER 2015
Bahrain warns of fake activists after UK convicts Bahraini dissident of terrorism | Middle East Eye
▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/bahrain-warns-fake-activists-after-uk-convicts-bahraini-dissident-ter

Abdul Raof al-Shayeb, 51, was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison by a court in East London.

Shayeb was convicted of terrorism charges after police found a cache of material on his computer, which included military files on bombs, missiles, and destruction, as well as images of him wearing army clothes.

Some of the material was found when Shayeb was stopped four months ago at Gatwick Airport after arriving on a flight from Baghdad.

The prosecution said he possessed information “to bring down [the Bahraini] regime by stealth and force, and by terror tactics".

Shayeb was awarded asylum in the UK on the basis that he was a human rights activist in Bahrain, where, he said, he was imprisoned on numerous occasions and tortured for taking part in anti-government protests.

Gunmen attack Shia center in Bahrain | Al Bawaba
▻http://www.albawaba.com/news/gunmen-attack-shia-center-bahrain-791856

Armed assailants have attacked a Shia religious center in Bahrain, inflicting severe damage to the building.

Local residents and witnesses said the attack was carried out in the village of Wadyan, Sitra, which is located south of the capital, Manama, during the early hours of Monday.

They said the attackers, riding a vehicle, fled the scene after spraying the building of Al-Marzouq Hussainia hall with bullets.

Photos circulated on social media networks show the building badly damaged and its windows shattered.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the incident. However, activists have accused some operatives of the ruling Al Khalifah family of carrying out the latest attack.

Several Shia religious gatherings and centers have come under attack in Bahrain and neighboring Saudi Arabia in recent months.

Bahrain, Oman cut gas subsidies as oil hits 12-year low - US News
▻http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2016-01-12/bahrain-oman-cut-gas-subsidies-as-oil-hits-12-year-low

On Tuesday, gas prices at the pump rose by up to 60 percent in Bahrain, climbing to $1.25 per gallon (125 fils per liter) for regular gasoline and $1.60 per gallon (165 fils per liter) for premium fuel. Hundreds of people lined up at gas stations a day earlier to fill their cars before the higher prices went into effect.

The tiny island-nation in the Persian Gulf ended subsidies on meat and poultry in October, increasing consumer prices between three and four-fold. Bahrain plans to make further cuts in electricity and water subsidies in March.

Meanwhile, Oman said it would reduce gasoline subsidies starting Friday, with prices set to rise by 33 percent for premium fuel and 23 percent for regular fuel.