West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 25 Nov 2016 13:50

In move which reinforces now twitter is under Saudi control , twitter account of Muslim Brotherhood recognised as terror group in some countries has been validated https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/tw ... otherhood/

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 01 Dec 2016 03:35

OPEC agrees to cut down oil production : prices of oil to go up
Russia also has agreed to cut down oil production .
the Saudis appear to have taken that big hit, agreeing to cut production by almost 500,000 barrels per day to 10.06 million barrels per day.

Iran, Libya and Nigeria were given special dispensation not to cut because they are still trying to regain market share after sanctions or internal conflict.

The UAE, Kuwait and Qatar will cut by a total 300,000 barrels per day while Iraq, which had pushed for a higher quota to fund its fight against Islamic State, surprisingly agreed to cut by 200,000.

News of the deal will also come as a relief to poorer OPEC members, such as Venezuela, which is struggling with severe food shortages and massively high inflation.

http://news.sky.com/story/oil-prices-su ... t-10678117

GShankar · Post by **GShankar** » 01 Dec 2016 04:54

This is the sign of a "new deal" with Russia. I'd expect Russia to get clear of Syria again saying "our national (rather economic) security objectives have been met".

Moreover, the right excuse needed to re-start fracking wherever it has been stopped for cost reasons.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 01 Dec 2016 17:33

Why Saudi Arabia surprised the skeptics with an OPEC deal http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/30/why-saud ... -deal.html

"They need a decent oil price, and they need to maintain market share. Part of the great irony of Vision 2030 is that in order to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil, they need to sell oil," said IHS Markit Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin.

Wednesday's deal comes as Saudi Arabia is trying to remake its oil-dependent economy into one that is more diversified, under a plan it callsVision 2030. A higher oil price would help boost revenues at a time when it has been running deficits and borrowing.

"They need a decent oil price, and they need to maintain market share. Part of the great irony of Vision 2030 is that in order to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil, they need to sell oil," said IHS Markit Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin.
The kingdom steered OPEC on Wednesday to cut back on the oil spigot in order to boost prices. All producers have been struggling with a bruising cycle that has strained budgets and hampered their ability to reinvest in energy infrastructure. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day, bringing output to 32.5 million barrels a day.
Additionally, OPEC said non-OPEC producers are also expected to contribute with a 600,000-barrels-per-day reduction, including a surprise 300,000 barrels a day cut by Russia. Saudi Arabia would trim just 486,000 barrels a day, about 300,000 less than expected.

"The Saudis really pulled off a victory for themselves ... I think that the most recent sell-off in crude oil scared them all into this. I think they saw what lay ahead if they didn't do this," said John Kilduff, founder of investment firm Again Capital.

"They recognize that low prices are a big problem, but so are high prices — if you're a long-term supplier — because it erodes demand and encourages alternatives."

Higher oil prices should also be a plus for the expected initial public offering next year of state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco, a pillar of the kingdom's plan to create a huge sovereign wealth fund. The world's largest oil exporter is hoping to diversify into areas such as technology, mining and tourism.
Saudi Arabia may have pushed for the current OPEC deal, but it was also the main force behind the cartel's November 2014 decision to abandon OPEC's long-running policy of using output as a lever to control prices. It instead let the market set prices, in an effort to stem the growth of high-cost production, especially U.S. shale.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Dec 2016 18:08

GShankar wrote:This is the sign of a "new deal" with Russia. I'd expect Russia to get clear of Syria again saying "our national (rather economic) security objectives have been met".

Moreover, the right excuse needed to re-start fracking wherever it has been stopped for cost reasons.

Russia has setup a permanent base in Med the natos soft underbelly they are not leaving syria.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 01 Dec 2016 19:54

Another country turns up at Russia's door for help-Libya

Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar, the dominant figure in the divided country's east, met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday and said he was seeking Moscow's help in his fight against Islamist militants at home.
Haftar, on his second visit to Moscow since the summer, requested military support from the Kremlin in September, according to Russian media. It was unclear on Tuesday if such help would be forthcoming.
"Our relations are crucial, our goal today is to give life to these relations," the TASS news agency quoted Haftar as saying at the start of talks with Lavrov.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-russia ... KKBN13O1V7

habal · Post by **habal** » 01 Dec 2016 19:56

Germany has this week banned manufacture or sale of petrol or diesel engine vehicles starting 2030. So has India.

so vision 2030 is a necessity, not on option.

GShankar · Post by **GShankar** » 01 Dec 2016 20:34

Singha wrote:
GShankar wrote:This is the sign of a "new deal" with Russia. I'd expect Russia to get clear of Syria again saying "our national (rather economic) security objectives have been met".

Moreover, the right excuse needed to re-start fracking wherever it has been stopped for cost reasons.
Russia has setup a permanent base in Med the natos soft underbelly they are not leaving syria.

I meant something like this happening again. The base will remain forever probably. However, I see this as a carrot to russia

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/world ... rawal.html

Putin Orders Start of Syria Withdrawal, Saying Goals Are Achieved
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR and ANNE BARNARDMARCH 14, 2016

MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Monday ordered the withdrawal of the “main part” of Russian forces in Syria, a surprise move that reflected what he called the Kremlin’s achievement of nearly all its objectives in the war-torn country.

The news upended expectations in Western capitals and among ordinary Syrians, setting off fevered speculation about Russia’s intentions, much as Mr. Putin’s unexpected military plunge into the Syrian battlefield five months ago changed the course of the war.

...

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 01 Dec 2016 22:42

That is news from March: Putin took one step forward 2 steps back, it actually has huge base in Latakia and other places in Sy now.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 01 Dec 2016 22:43

this woman who got her pic taken w/o hijab in Saudi faces execution

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 50096.html

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 03 Dec 2016 17:10

Houthi rebels have formed govt in Yemen without involving faction of President Hadi who left the country and is hiding in Saudi Arabia. Many nations like China have expressed concerns regarding Houthi rebels getting ligitimacy like this: when no international power is ready to recognise them. Mean while Saudi continues to bomb Yemen while President Hadi loyalists have been pushed to the East side of the country which is sparselt populated .

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/y ... 52615.html

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 03 Dec 2016 17:12

Saudi Arabia's terrorist rehab actually 'secret radicalisation programme,' Guantanamo prisoner claims

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 49191.html

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 06 Dec 2016 19:30

Fifteen Saudi Shia sentenced to death for 'spying for Iran' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38220550

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 10 Dec 2016 22:25

Donald Trump shut down companies tied to Saudi Arabia after election
News of the move comes days before he is expected to describe changes he is making to his businesses to avoid potential conflicts of interest as president
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... udi-arabia

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 11 Dec 2016 14:10

Saudi has worked overtime behind the scenes to make sure many non OPEC countries (including Russia) cut down oil production as well. Now once oil reserve is low the prices will likely go up further , already this is $55/barrel .
Saudi Arabia is trying to push oil prices above $60 a barrel -- and perhaps closer to $70 a barrel -- as it attempts to fill a fiscal hole and prepares a partial flotation of its crown jewel, state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco, in 2018. The move towards higher prices may backfire, however, as it risk the resurgence of U.S. shale drilling from Texas to North Dakota.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 12 Dec 2016 05:55

Saudi Foreign Policy In Shambles

Outpaced by Iran
After a year of boldness, Saudi Arabia is in retreat
The kingdom has experienced diplomatic reverses on all fronts

N JANUARY this year Muhammad bin Salman, the young deputy crown prince who in effect runs Saudi Arabia, declared an end to his country’s “comatose” foreign policy and a determination to push back against Iran. The Syrian rebels he supported looked unbeatable in Aleppo. His generals spoke of the imminent capture of Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, from the Houthi rebels who had seized it. He kept Iran and its client militia, Hizbullah, from imposing their choice of president in Lebanon. Officials spoke of bankrupting Iran by saturating the market with oil, regardless of the wishes of OPEC partners. A Saudi ambassador even went back to Baghdad, for the first time in 25 years.
But at the end of the year the kingdom finds itself in retreat on all fronts. Its ambassador has pulled out of Iraq, fleeing a torrent of abuse from Shia politicians who look towards Iran. Pounded by Iranian, Russian and Syrian government forces, the rebels in Aleppo are on the verge of defeat. The Saudis have bowed to Iran’s preference for Lebanon’s president. And at an OPEC meeting on November 30th, they agreed to shoulder the largest share of a production cut in a bid to restore prices, while letting Iran raise its production to pre-sanctions levels.

Shale -oil production in US, the Yemen war, the ISIS setback in Iraq and Syria and the nuclear settlement by US with Iran has affected them diplomatically as well as financially .

n Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s Houthi foes seem bent on denying Prince Muhammad a dignified exit, launching repeated cross-border raids and last week declaring their own new government, rather than agreeing to form one including the exiled president as the prince wants. “Yemen will be Saudi Arabia’s Vietnam,” says a contemptuous Iranian official. “It is bleeding the Saudis’ military and diplomatic prestige.” If Saudi Arabia agrees to leave the rest of the region, he says, Iran will let it keep Bahrain, the little island state linked by a causeway to Saudi’s eastern coast.

This reversal of fortune owes much to the successes of Iran’s military support for the Arab world’s Shia and allied forces—Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, Iraq’s army and paramilitary forces, and Lebanon’s militia-cum-political party, Hizbullah. “They are surrounding us with militias,” protests General Ahmad Asiri, who advises the deputy crown prince on the Yemen campaign. But Saudi Arabia is also losing soft power, cutting its funding to traditional Sunni allies, who have begun looking elsewhere. With his construction firm in Saudi Arabia in trouble because of government cuts, Saad Hariri, who heads Lebanon’s Sunni bloc, has accepted the post of prime minister under Hizbullah’s choice for president. Egypt’s President, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, is making overtures to Syria, Russia and even Iran after Saudi Arabia cut back shipments of free oil.

The coming of Donald Trump in America is a further reason for restraint. “Both countries are playing a waiting game,” says Adnan Tabatabai, the head of CARPO, a Bonn-based think-tank which is running “track 2” (non-official) talks between Saudis and Iranians. Both fear Mr Trump’s reputation for impulsive action—even a senior Saudi prince has urged him not to break off the global deal that has limited Iran’s nuclear programme. Both sides seem uncertain whether he will tighten sanctions on Iran or ratchet up JASTA, the new law that allows Americans to sue Saudi Arabia for losses on September 11th 2001. Above all, and despite the influence of hardliners in both camps, neither side wants anything resembling a direct war.
But tensions are not abating; quite the reverse. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January because of an attack on its embassy in Tehran that followed the execution of a prominent Shia cleric and three other Shias. This week came the news that 15 more Shias have been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia on charges of spying for Iran.

Long term prediction - when the oil wealth runs out (in a few decades ) they will go back to their old desert ways

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 15 Dec 2016 01:18

Iran to work on nuclear-powered vessels after U.S. 'violation' of deal
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-i ... SKBN14212X

Iran ordered its scientists on Tuesday to start developing systems for nuclear-powered marine vessels in response to what it calls a U.S. violation of its landmark 2015 atomic deal with world powers.Nuclear experts said that President Hassan Rouhani's move, if carried out, would probably require Iran to enrich uranium to a fissile purity above the maximum level set in the nuclear deal to allay fears of Tehran building an atomic bomb.Rouhani's announcement marked Tehran's first concrete reaction to a decision by the U.S. Congress last month to extend some sanctions on Tehran that would also make it easier to reimpose others lifted under the nuclear pact.The White House said it was aware of Iran's order and noted that Rouhani had said any such work on the vessels would be done within the framework of Iran's commitments."The announcement from the Iranians today does not run counter to the international agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing.U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States was confident the International Atomic Energy Agency, which inspects Iran's nuclear sites, would be able to analyze Iran's compliance with the deal."There's a lot we don't know about it, what it means," Kirby said, referring to Rouhani's announcement, at a news briefing on Tuesday. A marine nuclear propulsion program is a "massive undertaking for any nation" and would likely take decades to realize, he added.Rouhani described the technology as a "nuclear propeller to be used in marine transportation," but did not say whether that meant just ships or possibly also submarines. Iran said in 2012 that it was working on its first nuclear-powered sub. Rouhani's words could stoke tensions with Washington, already heightened by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's vow to scrap the deal, under which Iran curbed its nuclear fuel production activities in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 16 Dec 2016 06:20

U.S. Blocks Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia Amid Concerns Over Yemen War:twisted:

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has deepened its rift with its Gulf allies over the ongoing conflict in Yemen, blocking a transfer of precision munitions to Saudi Arabia because of concerns about civilian casualties that administration officials attribute to poor targeting.Poor targeting may be as a result of "poor quality of trainees ie Saudi recruits, poor quality of Paki trainers !

Administration officials said on Tuesday that the White House had made the decision to block the sale by Raytheon of about 16,000 guided munitions kits, which upgrade so-called dumb bombs to smart bombs that can more accurately hit targets. The kits, if purchased over the life of the proposed contract, are valued around $350 million. But do these "idle and rich" Saudis have the technical ability to use these sophisticated items or are they going to rely on "foreign mercenaries" (e.g. Pakistanis ) to do their "dirty work" in the military sector also, as they do in the civilian economy

But administration officials said that upgrading the bombs would not help targeting if the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen did not choose its targets properly, an ongoing concern since the start of bombing campaign. ( Ditto !)This year, the United States blocked a sale of cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia because of similar concerns.

The administration’s decision is a setback for Raytheon, which officials say pushed hard for approval of the sale. Administration officials said that Raytheon’s chief executive, Thomas A. Kennedy, personally lobbied Tony Blinken, the deputy secretary of state, and also reached out to Secretary of State John Kerry and Susan Rice, the national security adviser. It was unclear if he connected with Mr. Kerry or Ms. Rice. The "Washington swamp" which the new President Elect as promised to clean up ! The Saudis are the "collateral damage"

The blocking of the sale is bound to further deteriorate an already shaky relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, which has worsened during the Obama administration. Sunni Arabs are alarmed about a stronger Shiite-majority Iran, and object to the Iran nuclear deal signed by the United States and five other countries.

Reconciliation with the Iranians is in the long-term interest of US

Human rights organizations, which have sharply criticized American support for the Saudi-led bombing in Yemen, said that blocking the arms sale was not enough. “The absence of a more comprehensive ban, given the ongoing unlawful strikes and the potential U.S. complicity, is deeply concerning,” said Sarah Margon, the Washington director at Human Rights Watch.She added that the organization found it “disappointing that the review has not been made public as doing so would send a clear message to Riyadh that opacity is not acceptable given the scale and scope of the civilian casualties.”

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 18 Dec 2016 03:13

There is more than one truth to tell in the heartbreaking story of Aleppo

Western politicians, “experts” and journalists are going to have to reboot their stories over the next few days now that Bashar al-Assad’s army has retaken control of eastern Aleppo. We’re going to find out if the 250,000 civilians “trapped” in the city were indeed that numerous. We’re going to hear far more about why they were not able to leave when the Syrian government and Russian air force staged their ferocious bombardment of the eastern part of the city. CNN and BBC are portraying only one side of the story

And we’re going to learn a lot more about the “rebels” whom we in the West – the US, Britain and our head-chopping mates in the Gulf – have been supporting.Saudi money diplomacy being used in the "cause" of spreading the Wahabi version of Malsi

They did, after all, include al-Qaeda (alias Jabhat al-Nusra, alias Jabhat Fateh al-Sham), the “folk” – as George W Bush called them – who committed the crimes against humanity in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on 11 September 2001. Remember the War on Terror? Remember the “pure evil” of al-Qaeda. Remember all the warnings from our beloved security services in the UK about how al-Qaeda can still strike terror in London? (Public memory of the general public and the Aam Abduls is very short !)

Not when the rebels, including al-Qaeda, were bravely defending east Aleppo, we didn’t – because a powerful tale of heroism, democracy and suffering was being woven for us, a narrative of good guys versus bad guys as explosive and dishonest as “weapons of mass destruction”. And John Kerry was "fighting" the diplomatic and public opinion battles in the capitals of Europe on behalf of the Saudis and the Qataris

Back in the days of Saddam Hussein – when a few of us argued that the illegal invasion of Iraq would lead to catastrophe and untold suffering, and that Tony Blair and George Bush were taking us down the path to perdition – it was incumbent upon us, always, to profess our repugnance of Saddam and his regime. We had to remind readers, constantly, that Saddam was one of the Triple Pillars of the Axis of Evil.

As President Elect Trump and others have said, Saddam and Gadhafi , in retrospect look more palatable now !

So here goes the usual mantra again, which we must repeat ad nauseam to avoid the usual hate mail and abuse that will today be cast at anyone veering away from the approved and deeply flawed version of the Syrian tragedy. Efforts to undermine Trump's Presidency have already been set in motion with accusations of "Russian Interference" by the losing Killary Camp with the intention to displace him via the manupalation of the electoral college vote !

Yes, Bashar al-Assad has brutally destroyed vast tracts of his cities in his battle against those who wish to overthrow his regime. Yes, that regime has a multitude of sins to its name: torture, executions, secret prisons, the killing of civilians, and – if we include the Syrian militia thugs under nominal control of the regime – a frightening version of ethnic cleansing. Assad is not a "holy angel" !

Yes, we should fear for the lives of the courageous doctors of eastern Aleppo and the people for whom they have been caring. Anyone who saw the footage of the young man taken out of the line of refugees fleeing Aleppo last week by the regime’s intelligence men should fear for all those who have not been permitted to cross the government lines. And let’s remember how the UN grimly reported it had been told of 82 civilians “massacred” in their homes in the last 24 hours.Gadhafi and Saddam also "met their fate" at the hands of ruthless goons

But it’s time to tell the other truth: that many of the “rebels” whom we in the West have been supporting – and which our preposterous Prime Minister Theresa May indirectly blessed when she grovelled to the Gulf head-choppers last week – are among the cruellest and most ruthless of fighters in the Middle East. And while we have been tut-tutting at the frightfulness of Isis during the siege of Mosul (an event all too similar to Aleppo, although you wouldn’t think so from reading our narrative of the story), we have been willfully ignoring the behaviour of the rebels of Aleppo.( Arms exports worth billions are at stake here - with the whole western economy , selling "useless stuff" and services to the luxury loving Sheiks and Kings of the Middle East )

Only a few weeks ago, I interviewed one of the very first Muslim families to flee eastern Aleppo during a ceasefire. The father had just been told that his brother was to be executed by the rebels because he crossed the frontline with his wife and son. He condemned the rebels for closing the schools and putting weapons close to hospitals. And he was no pro-regime stooge; he even admired Isis for their good behaviour in the early days of the siege. The "other side" of the story that does not show up on CNN and BBC screens !

Around the same time, Syrian soldiers were privately expressing their belief to me that the Americans would allow Isis to leave Mosul to again attack the regime in Syria. An American general had actually expressed his fear that Iraqi Shiite militiamen might prevent Isis from fleeing across the Iraqi border to Syria.

Well, so it came to pass. In three vast columns of suicide trucks and thousands of armed supporters, Isis has just swarmed across the desert from Mosul in Iraq, and from Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour in eastern Syria to seize the beautiful city of Palmyra all over again. The ISIS were allowed safe passage from Mosul , under pressure exerted by the Saudi and Qatari regimes !

t is highly instructive to look at our reporting of these two parallel events. Almost every headline today speaks of the “fall” of Aleppo to the Syrian army – when in any other circumstances, we would have surely said that the army had “recaptured” it from the “rebels” – while Isis was reported to have “recaptured” Palmyra when (given their own murderous behaviour) we should surely have announced that the Roman city had “fallen” once more under their grotesque rule. Words matter. These are the men – our “chaps”, I suppose, if we keep to the current jihadi narrative – who after their first occupation of the city last year beheaded the 82-year-old scholar who tried to protect the Roman treasures and then placed his spectacles back on his decapitated head.

The "short public memory" again

By their own admission, the Russians flew 64 bombing sorties against the Isis attackers outside Palmyra. But given the huge columns of dust thrown up by the Isis convoys, why didn’t the American air force join in the bombardment of their greatest enemy? But no: for some reason, the US satellites and drones and intelligence just didn’t spot them – any more than they did when Isis drove identical convoys of suicide trucks to seize Palmyra when they first took the city in May 2015.

There’s no doubting what a setback Palmyra represents for both the Syrian army and the Russians – however symbolic rather than military. Syrian officers told me in Palmyra earlier this year that Isis would never be allowed to return. There was a Russian military base in the city. Russian aircraft flew overhead. A Russian orchestra had just played in the Roman ruins to celebrate Palmyra’s liberation.

So what happened? Most likely is that the Syrian military simply didn’t have the manpower to defend Palmyra while closing in on eastern Aleppo.
They will have to take Palmyra back – quickly. But for Bashar al-Assad, the end of the Aleppo siege means that Isis, al-Nusra, al-Qaeda and all the other Salafist groups and their allies can no longer claim a base, or create a capital, in the long line of great cities that form the spine of Syria: Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo.

Back to Aleppo. The familiar and now tired political-journalistic narrative is in need of refreshing. The evidence has been clear for some days. After months of condemning the iniquities of the Syrian regime while obscuring the identity and brutality of its opponents in Aleppo, the human rights organisations – sniffing defeat for the rebels – began only a few days ago to spread their criticism to include the defenders of eastern Aleppo.

Take the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. After last week running through its usual – and perfectly understandable – fears for the civilian population of eastern Aleppo and their medical workers, and for civilians subject to government reprisals and for “hundreds of men” who may have gone missing after crossing the frontlines, the UN suddenly expressed other concerns. “During the last two weeks, Fatah al-Sham Front [in other words, al-Qaeda] and the Abu Amara Battalion are alleged to have abducted and killed an unknown number of civilians who requested the armed groups to leave their neighbourhoods, to spare the lives of civilians...,” it stated.“We have also received reports that between 30 November and 1 December, armed opposition groups fired on civilians attempting to leave.” Furthermore, “indiscriminate attacks” had been conducted on heavily civilian areas of government-held western as well as ‘rebel’ eastern Aleppo.

I suspect we shall be hearing more of this in the coming days. Next month, we shall also be reading a frightening new book, Merchants of Men, by Italian journalist Loretta Napoleoni, on the funding of the war in Syria. She catalogues kidnapping-for-cash by both government and rebel forces in Syria, but also has harsh words for our own profession of journalism.

In a few hours, the British parliament is to debate the plight of the doctors, nurses, wounded children and civilians of Aleppo and other areas of Syria. The grotesque behaviour of the UK Government has ensured that neither the Syrians nor the Russians will pay the slightest attention to our pitiful wails. That, too, must become part of the story.

Robert Fisk is one of the "few" objective journalists reporting on the Middle East !

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 18 Dec 2016 17:11

Saudi Arabia is launching a programme to “inoculate” children against Westernisation, atheism, liberalism and secularism.

They were listed as threats to “ideological security”, ahead of the danger from extremist groups including Isis and al-Qaeda and sectarianism.

The education ministry’s plans were announced in the Makkah newspaper, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) said, sparking a storm of debate and an Arabic hashtag translated as “Liberalism is a dangerous group” on Twitter.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 18 Dec 2016 17:13

After international outrage UK 'secretly selling arms to Saudi Arabia and elsewhere under opaque licencing system'

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 19 Dec 2016 15:09

Recently IS has carried out deadly suicide bombings in Yemen killing many soldiers, as the country is torn apart in sectarian clash fumed by UK & West, IS is trying to get a foothold in East Yemen.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 19 Dec 2016 15:09

IndraD wrote:
this woman who got her pic taken w/o hijab in Saudi faces execution

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 50096.html

this girl has been arrested , a Sharia court will decide quantum of punishment soon.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 19 Dec 2016 15:15

German defence minister recently refused to wear hijab in Saudi (nothing new C Rice & many from US before have refused-Sharia imposed veil etc is for locals only)

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 19 Dec 2016 18:24

A take on the situation in Syria

http://swarajyamag.com/world/what-the-r ... eppo-means

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 20 Dec 2016 04:59

excellent write up Menon saar, looking for more wonderful work like this from you! Heartfelt congrats ! ^^

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 20 Dec 2016 05:02

UK-made cluster bombs used in Yemen,

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Saudi Arabia had confirmed munitions bought from the UK in the 1980s had been dropped.
Since 2010 it has been illegal under British law to supply the bombs, which put civilians at risk by releasing small bomblets over a wide area.
Labour said it was "deeply worrying" cluster bomb use had been confirmed.
The UK is supporting the Saudi-led coalition which is fighting the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 21 Dec 2016 21:02

Bahrain security forces clash with Shia protesters https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161 ... =hootsuite

Due to recent Aleppo win and Ru-Iran-Syria dominance : Shias across ME are registering protest in new power struggle .

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 22 Dec 2016 00:06

#Canada defends record $11bn arms sale to #SaudiArabia in court https://www.rt.com/news/371151-canada-arms-saudi-court/

why Saudi needs arms on such a big scale, it is not at war with any one!

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 22 Dec 2016 00:12

IndraD wrote:#Canada defends record $11bn arms sale to #SaudiArabia in court https://www.rt.com/news/371151-canada-arms-saudi-court/

why Saudi needs arms on such a big scale, it is not at war with any one!

They are getting their musharrafs whooped by the Houthis. All their expensive Eurofighters, F-15s and Abrams (and even Columbian mercenaries

) haven't helped them win against the poor Houthis. So they want more fancy expensive hardware to hide the fact that their army is hopelessly incompetent. Typical.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 24 Dec 2016 03:55

Parting gift from Obama to Palestine
UN passes resolution on ending Israeli settlements
14 UN Security Council members vote in favour as US abstains in demanding Israel halt settlements on Palestinian land.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/p ... 09807.html

The UN Security Council has voted in favour of a resolution demanding the halt of settlement activity by Israel on occupied Palestinian territory with the United States notably abstaining.

The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote on Friday by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and US president-elect Donald Trump.

Israel and Trump had called on the United States to veto the measure.

"This is a day of victory for international law, a victory for civilised language and negotiation and a total rejection of extremist forces in Israel," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters news agency.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 26 Dec 2016 04:48

Nigerian army claims to have crushed last strong hold of Boko Haram (BH).
But BH also has presence in Mali , Chad & Cameroon.
Besides North & South divide in Nigeria keeps supply of militants to this group uninterrupted, where most of the members are from North Nigeria which is sunni dominated. South is a mix of Christianity & Islam.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 28 Dec 2016 12:39

Why the sudden p*ss "surge"? Obvious,to shore up O'Bomber's useless legacy as US pres.If O'Bomber thinks that he can force Bibi into a U-turn,then he's simply "spittin' into the wind",and the wind is from Bibi's backside too!
O'bomber has been a spent force for many months now and in his last breadths as US pres. he is attempting to make a futile gesture to the Palestinians and Arab world,his failures to do so,now weighing heavily on his conscience.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... kes-office

White House races to save Middle East peace process before Trump takes office
John Kerry to underline outgoing president’s support of two-state solution with speech setting out US vision of Israel-Palestine agreement
Julian Borger World affairs editor

Wednesday 28 December 2016
John Kerry is due to lay out a US framework for an Palestinian-Israeli agreement as the Obama administration and its international allies scramble to protect what is left of the peace process before Donald Trump takes office.

The US secretary of state will outline the proposals on Wednesday, at a time when US-Israeli relations have reached their lowest point in decades. The government of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has accused Washington of conspiring against it when a UN security council vote on Friday demanded an end to settlement building in the West Bank.

The Kerry speech at the state department is expected to restate the Obama administration’s continued faith in a two-state solution to the chronic impasse. It is a parting shot after eight years in office, during which there has been a dearth of diplomatic progress. It is not expected to lead to any new initiative but rather lay down a marker on a longstanding US and international approach to the region before the US president-elect, whose commitment to such a solution is in doubt, assumes office.

“What secretary Kerry will be doing is he will give a speech in which he lays out a comprehensive vision for how we see the conflict being resolved – where we see things in 2016 as we unfortunately conclude our term in office without there being significant progress toward peace,” the deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, told Israel’s Channel 2 television.

The parameters outlined by Kerry are expected to draw international endorsement at a meeting of foreign ministers on 15 January, just five days before Trump moves into the White House. The meeting is supposed to reinforce a strategy of isolating Netanyahu in the hope it will push him towards reviving stalled negotiations with the Palestinians. Netanyahu has said his government will not attend.

In expectation of a more supportive administration in Washington next month, Netanyahu has reacted to the diplomatic manoeuvring in the last week’s of Obama’s term with defiance.

Israel responded furiously to the UN security council resolution passed on Friday that demanded an end to settlement building, threatening diplomatic reprisals against the countries that voted in favour.

On the same day as the Kerry speech, Jerusalem authorities are expected to discuss the issue of more than 600 building permits for settlements in historically Palestinian east Jerusalem and have raised the possibility of issuing about 5,000 more.

Obama’s parting shot at Netanyahu is a futile gesture

Netanyahu has vowed to resist a peace framework imposed on his government, and observers warn that a threatened Israeli backlash in the form of thousands of new settler homes in east Jerusalem, combined with Trump’s plan to move the US embassy to the disputed city, could trigger a fresh wave of violence.

The Israeli government is reportedly fearful that any guidelines agreed in Paris would be turned into another UN resolution before Trump’s inauguration, and it has ratcheted up its rhetoric, presenting itself as the victim of an international conspiracy.

A spokesman for Netanyahu claimed to have “ironclad evidence” that the Obama administration had plotted behind the scenes to promote the UN resolution. Israel has said it will present evidence against the Obama administration to the incoming Trump team.

On Tuesday, Egyptian media published a document purporting to be a transcript of a meeting in which Kerry and the US national security adviser, Susan Rice, discussed the UN resolution and US proposals with Palestinian officials, who agreed to give the Kerry framework immediate support. The state department spokesman, John Kirby, said no such meeting took place.

Meanwhile, Israel’s defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman, portrayed the Paris conference as a new “Dreyfus trial”, referring to an outburst of French antisemitism more than a century ago, and urged French Jews to move to Israel.

On Tuesday a French official denied there was any intention to pass a new security council resolution on the basis of the Paris conference. A foreign ministry spokesperson said the meeting would “give the participants an opportunity to present a comprehensive incentive package to encourage the resumption of negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. Only they will be able to conclude a peace deal directly.”

Palestinian leaders hope the UN resolution and the Paris conference will offer some degree of international protection against the encroachment of settlements in the Trump era.

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said he hoped the Paris meeting would establish an international mechanism to end Israeli settlement building.

Trump criticised Friday’s UN resolution, saying it would make it harder to negotiate a peace agreement. In a tweet on Monday, he described the UN as “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time”. Trump’s designated ambassador to Israel, his own bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman, has actively supported settlement building.

Aaron David Miller, a former US negotiator on the Middle East and now a scholar at the Wilson Centre thinktank, said Obama’s 11th-hour attempt at legacy building on the Israeli-Palestinian issue could trigger a backlash. “It risks the incoming administration walking away from whatever has transpired in December and early January, and not just walking away from [but] sending unmistakable signals to the Israelis that it would support and favour acts on the ground that go beyond what we’ve seen,” Miller said.

“The odds that Netanyahu will now press and Trump will respond positively to a move to push the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, I think have gone up.”

He said that if the highly emotive issue of Jerusalem’s status became the focal point of Israeli-Palestinian friction once more, “then I think the prospects for a serious, significant confrontation are high”.

Amir Oren, a liberal Israeli commentator, argued that the UN resolution could save the government from itself by bringing closer an end to settlement construction.

“Santa Obama delivered a wonderful Christmas present to Israel when the United States opted not to veto Friday’s United Nations security council vote condemning settlement policy,” he wrote in Haaretz. “The passage of the resolution won’t result in the immediate dismantling of any West Bank settlements, but the world is beginning to come to the rescue and try to save Israel from itself.”

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 29 Dec 2016 01:12

Aleppo: The truth that the western media refuses to report

December 15, 2016

Andrew Ashdown is a Church of England priest studying Christian-Muslim relations in Syria. In the last few days he has visited East Aleppo. This is the report of his visit to the area yesterday (14th December) that he published on his facebook page.

This morning we visited the main IDP Registration centre at Jibrin, for Internally Displaced Persons from East Aleppo. They are registered here for humanitarian reasons and access to services, before they go either to relatives in other parts of Syria if they have them (many do), or to other reception centres where they are provided with accommodation, food and other services. During the past two weeks they have registered 95,000 refugees, but estimate there may be a further 10,000 who have not registered. There were thousands of people there who have arrived within the last couple of days. Let me make clear that we visited in a taxi without Government or Army accompaniment, and without prior notice. We were not expected.

The Centre is well organised. The Syrian Red Crescent have tents available that offer information about all social welfare facilities available, and offer free medical attention. In cases of emergency, ambulances are on hand to transport patients to hospital. Free food is being distributed by the Syrian Red Crescent and the Syrian Army, and we saw a convoy of Russian lorries providing aid. There is also a Russian field hospital on site which offers immediate medical treatment.

The sense of relief amongst the thousands of refugees is palpable.idp16 All were keen to talk, and we interviewed several who had arrived only yesterday and today. They all said the same thing. They said that they had been living in fear. They reported that the fighters have been telling everyone that the Syrian Army would kill anyone who fled to the West, but had killed many themselves who tried to leave – men, women and children. ( [always] the other side of the story !)

All the refugees without exception were visibly without exception clearly profoundly relieved and happy to be free. One woman said: “This is heaven compared to what we have been living.” We asked if the Syrian Army had ill-treated anyone. They said never. One woman said: “They helped us to escape and they provide us with food and assistance.”

The refusal of the western media to report objectively, or to seekidp2 informed information from the thousands of civilians from East Aleppo who are keen to share their stories, whilst granting full credibility to terrorists without any on the ground verifiable information on their claims, is nothing short of obscene.

Postscript: Christmas is coming in Syria. In a country and a city in which people of all faiths are free to worship; where mosques and Churches stand side by side; and where Christmas music is playing in cafes and restaurants. And yet the world is mourning the defeat in Aleppo of extremists who destroy Christian and Muslim places of worship, and slaughter any who do not follow their obscene ideology.

Saudi money diplomacy, secret ISIS support from USA responsible for this mess in the first place !

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 30 Dec 2016 14:24

Saudi's stopping dollars & oil supply seems to have hurt Egypt:

Egypt's government approves deal to hand islands to Saudi Arabia
Opponents express anger that plan to give up control of Red Sea islands has been sent to parliament before final court ruling.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Dec 2016 14:37

borders in africa are straight lines drawn by english and french in whites-only clubs.

in reality, trans national warlords , smugglers and business interests operate as they wish.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 01 Jan 2017 00:42

A Palestine pissful doing what he can do best

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 02 Jan 2017 16:52

Oman moves in Saudi orbit

Dubai: Oman told Saudi Arabia it will join a Saudi-led military alliance, the country’s official news agency reported, a sign that Iran’s closest Gulf ally is ready to improve its ties with the country.

The king’s trip would help re-establish security, military and economic cooperation, the person said on condition of anonymity.

Oman’s ties with Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council have been strained because of its close relationship with Iran, the country’s biggest regional rival.

A rapprochement could help boost cooperation between Oman, one of the region’s smallest oil producers, and the bloc’s richest members. The GCC is a six-member group that also includes Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are on the opposite sides of Middle East conflicts from Syria to Yemen. The country suspended ties with Iran last year after its embassy in Tehran was attacked by Iranian mobs after the execution of anti-government Shiite cleric Nimr Al Nimr.

Other Gulf countries, except Oman, also took diplomatic steps against the Islamic Republic.

“From a political standpoint it’s a Saudi win bringing in Oman back to the GCC fold,” said Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of London-based consulting firm Cornerstone Global Associates.
“It will give Saudi greater regional influence and greater geological leverage.”

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/oman ... -1.1953449

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 03 Jan 2017 15:32

300 lashes for man from Hyderabad in Saudi Arabia jail

HYDERABAD: Mohammed Mansoor Hussain from Malakpet is desperately seeking release from a Saudi prison after being sentenced to one-year jail and 300 lashes for a robbery which he has claimed he did not commit. Hussain's mother Hoor Unisa has now sent an SOS to Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to get her son out of the Wadi Al Dawaser jail.
It was on August 25, 2016, that 32-year-old Hussain's life turned upside down. On the fateful day, Hussain, who has an MBA and was working as a marketing auditor for Abdel Hadi Abdallah Al Qahtani and sons Limited in Riyadh since March 2013, had gone to a bank to deposit 1,06,000 Saudi Riyal.
"When he reached the bank, two men accosted him. One pointed a weapon at him and demanded that he part with the cash bag. They took it and left in a car which had no registration number," his mother Hoor Unisa told TOI.
Hussain has claimed that his boss advised him to lodge a complaint with the local police. But when he went there they took him into custody, accusing him of the crime instead. All these details are described in a letter that Hoor Unisa wrote to Sushma Swaraj on December 31, 2016.
"My son protested his innocence. He described how the incident took place, but the police did not believe him," Hoor Unisa told TOI, adding that in the past he had deposited even bigger amounts.
A few days ago Hoor Unisa spoke to her son in jail. "He was asked to sign the judgment copy. But he refused. He said he won't sign as he has not done anything. He is being threatened in jail," Noor Unisa said.
Hoor Unisa has six children. The eldest is a daughter and Hussain is second of five brothers. The family is now in a state of shock.

After completing his MBA, Hussain had worked in a local private company in Hyderabad for eight months before getting a job visa in Saudi Arabia. "All his papers are in order," his mother said.
"Since there was no CCTV facility in the area and no eye-witnesses, there's no way my son can prove his innocence," she said.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 04 Jan 2017 18:38

An Israeli soldier filmed shooting dead a wounded Palestinian attacker after he had been disarmed of a knife has been convicted of manslaughter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38501886

In general there is widespread support for this soldier in Israel even if he was on wrong side, where as Palestinians are celebrating his indictment.