ARABIALINK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
/Provided as a service from the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC/
5.3.12 EDITION
Gulf Union Vital To Meet Threats: Crown Prince: CHIGAGO TRIBUTE
5.2.12
“I am emphasizing the Kingdom’s position that it denounces the unacceptable practice of Iran, which deprived UAE of its legitimate rights over three of its islands,” Crown Prince Naif added. “Saudi Arabia and other GCC states would stand united in supporting the UAE and Bahrain in safeguarding their sovereignty and stability. We consider security of these states as the security of the entire GCC states,” said the crown prince.
Counting The Cost Of Row With Saudi Arabia: GULF NEWS
Ramadhan Al-Sherbini | 5.3.12
Around two million Egyptians are working in Saudi Arabia, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of Egyptian expatriates abroad, according to non-official figures. “The continuation of this tension will heavily damage our business,” said Ahmad Mokhtar, the manager of a recruitment agency in Cairo. “The entry visa freeze to Saudi Arabia means that hundreds of companies like ours will not be able to process labour contracts. This will result in heavy losses,” he added.
Universities Play Key Role In Kingdom’s Transition To Knowledge Economy: ARAB NEWS
5.2.12
Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al-Anqari yesterday highlighted the role of Saudi universities in transforming the Kingdom into a knowledge economy and training young Saudi men and women and developing their various skills and capabilities. Addressing the third scientific conference of higher education students in the Kingdom, which is being held under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, he commended the quality of research projects presented by Saudi students at the conference.
Minister Backs Plan For Sports In Schools: CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Arab News | 5.3.12
Prince Faisal bin Abdullah considers the emergence of a national strategy for the development of school sports an achievement of the dream he had when he became minister. The minister of education made the remark while addressing the concluding session on the draft national school sports strategy under the title “The Partners Meet,” which was held in Riyadh yesterday in the presence of Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, a number of officials from the ministries and the General Presidency for Youth Welfare.
Saudi Women Flaunt Artistic Talent: ARAB NEWS
Fouzia Khan | 5.3.12
The art exhibition of Saudi artists Hiyam Al-Khurdy and Mariyam Sudayri were organized at Hilton Hotel under the auspices of Princess Najla Bint Saud bin Abdulaziz. The art exhibition was held for a day for artists to showcase their work in cooperation with an event management company. Princess Najla expressed joy over the unique artwork of the artists. BODY PIERCING TREND RISES AMONG SAUDI WOMEN: Several trends seen as imported from Western cultures have invaded Saudi Arabia and encouraged women to seek change through them. While clothes and accessories seem like the most traditional influences, piercing is the latest and most outrageous fashion among Saudi women, Al Arabiya reports.
Saudis Held Captive In Lebanon Back Home: ARAB NEWS
Walaa Hawari | 5.3.12
Two Saudi nationals, who were abducted and tortured in Lebanon, arrived at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam aboard Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Beirut last night. The two were rescued by the Lebanese security forces, who worked “in conjunction” with the Saudi Embassy in Beirut last Wednesday after being in captivity in an apartment for eight days.
Saudi To Invest US$53bn In Aviation Sector: ARABIAN BUSINESS
Sara Anabtawi | 5.3.12
Saudi Arabia plans to invest SAR200bn (US$53.33bn) in its aviation sector over the next five years, it has been reported. According to Arab News, the spending is in order to meet the demands of increasing air traffic in the kingdom due to a fast-growing population and economic development. The report did not give any specific information on how the sum would be allocated to certain projects and when, but there is currently major work ongoing in the country’s air transport industry, including the expansion of Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport and Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport.
Saudi Arabia And Egypt: Interests At The Time Of “Revolution”: AL ARABIYA
Adel Al-Toraifi | 5.3.12
The recent attack on the Saudi Embassy is not the first of its kind; there has been an atmosphere of tension and intimidation over the past year, but the vandalism that the embassy and its consulates were subjected to, the abuse directed towards the Saudi leadership, and the defamation campaigns and insults that accompanied the incident on some Egyptian media channels and on social networking websites were all grossly excessive. The Saudis had to choose between accepting the abuse launched by some – I do not say all – towards the Saudi leadership and people, or responding firmly to it, even though this would impact upon bilateral relations between the two countries.
The Prince and the Ayatollah: NEW YORK TIMES
Ed Husain | 5.1.12
Bahrain is a tiny island nation of 600,000 citizens, with a Parliament of only 40 members, and it cannot be understood if looked at in isolation. For one thing, it stands at the forefront of a regional cold war. Saudi Arabia lies to the west, connected by a 25-kilometer causeway built jointly by the Saudis and Bahrainis. To the east, across the waters of the Gulf, lies Iran. Both Tehran and Riyadh have major stakes in Bahrain.
Saudi Arabia Slams Iran Attitude on Gulf Islands as ‘Unacceptable’: AL ARABIYA
Reuters | 5.3.12
Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz has described as “unacceptable” Iran’s attitude towards three islands under its control which Gulf Cooperation Council member UAE claims it owns, a report said. “I reiterate the kingdom’s condemnation to the unacceptable attitude of neighboring Iran that continues to ignore the legitimate right of the United Arab Emirates over its three occupied islands,” said Prince Nayef, who is also Saudi Arabia’s interior minister.
Saudi Press Enjoys Considerable Freedom, Says Journalists’ Group: CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Arab News | 5.3.12
Saudi Journalists Association (SJA) has underscored the remarkable progress achieved by the Saudi press during the past 50 years. “The Saudi electronic media space is open without restrictions and journalists deal with many sensitive issues with courage,” it said.
UAE: ISLAMIST ACTIVIST DETAINED
Security agents detained a rights activist Sunday in the northern United Arab Emirates as part of an apparent widening crackdown on perceived opposition figures, a family member and a watchdog group said. The detention is the second in less than a week in the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah and reflects stepped up pressures by UAE authorities on Islamist groups, social media activists and others considered to be potential foes of the country’s network of ruling clans, AP/Washington Post reports.
ISRAEL: ACTIVIST, MARATHON RUNNER WITH LONG DISTANCE GOAL FOR PALESTINIAN FREEDOM
Sari Bashi, the 37-year-old founder of the human rights organization Gisha that fights for freedom of movement for Palestinians, belongs in this last category. She thinks about, oh, the usual random stuff, from her nephews to the situation in Syria to what she is going to eat when she is done. But more often than not, her mind eventually finds itself wandering to a particular recurring theme of her life – that of boundaries, Danna Harman (Haaretz) writes. Like, for example, the 1.7 million Palestinians who live in Gaza, most of whom, due to Israeli travel restrictions, are barred from leaving their 360 square kilometer strip to go to the West Bank, Israel or further afield, whether it be for work, study, seeing relatives, going to the hospital or most any other reason.MILITARY TO MONITOR SOCIAL NETWORKS: Israel’s military launched a new system this week to monitor information on the Internet, the chief military censor said on Tuesday, Sefi Krupsky (Haaretz) writes. 1000 PALESTINIAN OLIVE TREES UPROOTED: Israel said Monday it has ordered Palestinian villagers to uproot 1,000 olive trees planted in an area of the West Bank under Israeli control and declared a nature reserve, AFP reports.
BAHRAIN: PROTESTS BROKEN UP, CALLS TO FREE PRISONERS
Riot police firing tear gas and stun grenades routed protesters in Bahrain’s capital on Tuesday as the government came under mounting international pressure to release jailed leaders of last year’s uprising, Aamer Mohammed (Reuters) writes.
SYRIA: FORCES RAID COLLEGE DORMS
Syrian activists say government forces have raided college dorms and killed at least four people after an anti-government protest in Aleppo, as U.N. monitors renewed efforts to assess a frayed cease-fire, VOA reports.
EGYPT: MILITARY BACKS TRANSITION, BUT 11 KILLED IN CLASHES
Egypt’s military may hand over power to a civilian authority in the next three weeks should a presidential vote be decided in the first round, a spokesman for the armed forces chief of staff said Wednesday, CNN reports.
AFGHANISTAN: FACT SHEET – THE US-AFGHANISTAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
A White House Press release provides a statement and full document on the agreement signed between Obama and Karzai this week. In May 2010, in Washington, DC, President Obama and President Karzai committed our two countries to negotiate and conclude a strategic partnership that would provide a framework for our future relationship. On May 1, 2012, President Obama and President Karzai signed the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America. The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) is a legally binding executive agreement, undertaken between two sovereign nations.
/The daily news is provided as a service of the Saudi-US Trade Group, Washington, DC. Visit www.SUSTG.org for more information and to get a free email subscription to the News Review./</h4></div>
