ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Saudi King’s Visit to Washington Vital for Region  [Jun 30]
“Arab diplomats and political analysts have described the current visit of the Custodian of the Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to Washington — his first since President Barack Obama assumed office — as of “paramount significance” for the Arab-Gulf security.  ‘The Saudi-US summit will tackle hot issues in the region including the Palestinian cause, Iran’s nuclear file, the current situation in Iraq and the political, economic and security issues between the two countries,’ they said.  The Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Jamal Al Shoubaki said that Palestinians were anxiously awaiting the results of the visit as the Palestinian issue was on top of the agenda in the summit.  ‘Arabs have a strong notion that the Obama administration did not exert enough pressure on the Israel to find a just and permanent settlement to the Middle East crisis or to resume the peace talks with the Palestinians,’..”  [Complete Report]

At White House, Obama and Saudi King Discuss Guantanamo, Mideast Peace Process  [Jun 30]
“Broaching a sensitive subject, President Obama assured the visiting king of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that he remains committed to closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a continuing source of friction between their governments.  A year after a reportedly rocky first meeting in Riyadh, Obama and King Abdullah held a brief, joint appearance before reporters in the Oval Office following lunch. Making ritual affirmations about the close ties between their two countries, the leaders said they discussed recently approved sanctions against Iran as well as the war in Afghanistan.  They also discussed the need for the Middle East peace process to move ‘forward in a significant and bold way,’ Obama said.  Fewer than 20 Saudis remain at Guantanamo Bay, but the prison is a symbol of George W. Bush-era detention policies and is unpopular in the Arab world.. ..The White House said Obama and Abdullah did discuss ‘efforts to prevent violent extremism,’ what the Bush administration once called ‘radical Islam.’..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia Sees 21% Rise in March Non-Oil Exports [Jun 30]
“Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, reported a 21 percent rise in non-oil exports in March as demand for petrochemicals and plastics gained momentum from global economic growth.  Non-oil exports increased to 11.4 billion riyals ($3 billion) from 9.4 billion riyals in the year-earlier period, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing data from the Central Department of Statistics and Information. Saudi March imports advanced 1 percent to 29.9 billion riyals.  Demand for plastics and fertilizers manufactured by Saudi Basic Industries Corp., the world’s largest petrochemicals maker by market value, has increased because of growing demand from the U.S. and China. The company, also known as Sabic, posted a net income of 5.43 billion riyals in the first quarter, compared with a loss of 970 million riyals, in the year-earlier period..”  [Complete Report]

Olympics Promoting UN Goal of Women’s Equality  [Jun 30]
“The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it will be promoting the U.N. goal of equality for women and will be pressing Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei to send female athletes to the Olympics for the first time when London hosts the games in 2012.  Anita DeFrantz, who heads the IOC’s women and sports commission, said there are 205 national Olympic committees, but those three countries are the only ones that have never sent women athletes to the games.. ..DeFrantz singled out Saudi Arabia in October for barring women from its Olympic teams and suggested the Saudis should be excluded from the 2012 London Olympics unless they end their male-only policy. Qatar sent a male-only team to the 2008 Beijing Games and Brunei also didn’t have a woman on its teams..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi to Award Yanbu Refinery Deals Soon  [Jun 30]
“State oil giant Saudi Aramco plans to award deals to build a 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) oil refinery in Yanbu in the coming few days, industry sources said on Wednesday.  Yanbu accounts for just under a quarter of Saudi plans to add around 1.7 million bpd of refining capacity to the current 2.1 million bpd.  Aramco has said it will push on with the project on the Red Sea coast even after U.S. firm ConocoPhillips (COP.N: Quote) withdrew in April. The partners had already tendered for the construction packages when Conoco pulled out, and planning had reached an advanced stage. Bidders for the deals had expected contracts would be awarded in May..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Coordinated Action Must For Global Growth – King  [Jun 29]
“King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, called for financial reform through strong supervisory and control systems instead of the imposition of taxes on financial institutions and reiterated the importance of supporting developing countries particularly those affected by the financial crisis.. ..’It is important that global growth should be stronger and more balanced and sustainable through the adoption of coordinated actions by G20 countries and simultaneously taking into account the needs and circumstances of each country,’ the King said on the concluding day of the summit, which was launched in late 2008 to deal with the global financial crisis.. ..King Abdullah also highlighted the measures Saudi Arabia took in the wake of the global economic meltdown..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Bank Deposits Rise to SR921.71 Billion in May  [Jun 29]
“A series of new financing deals concluded and in the pipeline continue to support improvement in Saudi bank private sector credit growth, which in May rose for a fifth month to its fastest pace of expansion in nine months. The latest Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency’s (SAMA’s) data support Banque Saudi Fransi’s view that momentum is building behind an economic recovery in Saudi Arabia; bank deposits increased for the first time in three months, the central bank added to its foreign asset holdings, money supply growth – while still weak – is showing signs of stabilization, and new letters of credit are being opened to accommodate greater trade flows..”  [Complete Report]

Ma’aden Board Agrees on $4.5 Billion Financing for Aloca Venture  [Jun 29]
” Saudi Arabian Mining Co., the state- controlled metals producer known as Ma’aden, said its board approved a $4.5 billion financing for the first phase of an aluminum smelter the company is developing with Alcoa Inc. in Saudi Arabia.  Ma’aden will borrow from local and foreign banks, and government funds, according to a company statement to the Saudi bourse today. The financing would represent 60 percent of the first phase of the project with a total cost of $7.5 billion, it said. The facility is to start production at the end of 2013..”  [Complete Report]

Scholars Divided Over Imam’s Fatwa on Music  [Jun 29]
“A fatwa (religious ruling) issued by Shaikh Adel Al Kalbani, a former imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, in which he claimed that Islam does not forbid singing and music has split Saudi scholars, Islamic thinkers and secularists.  ‘There is no clear-cut religious ruling that says singing and music are not permissible in Islam,’ Al Kalbani has said.  His fatwa shocked many of his supporters and students because he was one of the most fanatical scholars during the 1980s who strongly opposed singing and music. People are astonished by this 180 degrees shift in attitude.  A number of Saudi scholars, preachers, men of letters and writers who spoke to Gulf News were divided on the fatwa. Al Kalbani was strongly criticised specially on the internet which many of them said Al Kalbani has exited the Islamic Jamaa (group).  A majority of the Saudi scholars, whether in the official religious establishment or outside it, are unanimous in their stand against singing and music despite the fact that a huge singing opera is presented every year during the National Cultural and Heritage Festival (Janadriya)..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Telecom May Buy Stake in India Tower  [Jun 29]
“Saudi Telecom Company (7010.SE), the Arab world’s largest telecom company by market value, may buy 10 percent to 15 percent stake in a newly created Indian telecoms tower unit, the Business Standard reported on Tuesday.  The GTL-Reliance Infratel tower unit, formed after India’s No. 2 mobile operator Reliance Communications (RLCM.BO) agreed to offload its towers to GTL Infrastructure (GTLI.BO), is likely to dilute its stake at a value of $9 billion, the paper said citing sources with direct knowledge of the developments.  Officials at Reliance Communications, GTL Infrastructure and Saudi Telecom could not be immediately reached by Reuters for comment..”  [Complete Report]

Ma’aden Board Agrees on $4.5 Billion Financing for Aloca Venture  [Jun 29]
“Saudi Arabian Mining Co., the state- controlled metals producer known as Ma’aden, said its board approved a $4.5 billion financing for the first phase of an aluminum smelter the company is developing with Alcoa Inc. in Saudi Arabia.  Ma’aden will borrow from local and foreign banks, and government funds, according to a company statement to the Saudi bourse today. The financing would represent 60 percent of the first phase of the project with a total cost of $7.5 billion, it said. The facility is to start production at the end of 2013..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Saudi King Seeks Obama Action on Mideast Peace  [Jun 28]
“Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah will press U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington this week to take a stronger stance with Israel over stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, analysts and diplomats said.  The Saudi monarch will meet Obama on Tuesday after attending a G20 summit in Canada in the latest summit in the seven decades-old relationship between Washington and the world’s top oil exporter and a key regional ally.. ..”I think it’s time for the Saudis and all Arabs to tell the Americans that the situation cannot go on forever with the so-called peace process,” said Khaled al-Dakhil, a Saudi political analyst.  Last year Obama revived a long-standing U.S. request for Saudi Arabia to make gestures towards normalising relations with Israel as an incentive to the Jewish state to take up serious negotiations over establishing a Palestinian state.  But Saudi Arabia said it would not make concessions beyond the 2002 Arab peace plan originated by King Abdullah, which offers Israel recognition in return for returning occupied territories and allowing a Palestinian state alongside Israel..”  [Complete Report]

U.S.-Saudi Relations Ahead of Abdullah-Obama Talks  [Jun 28]
“Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah will meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, the nuclear standoff with Iran, and economic cooperation.  Here is some background on relations between the United States and the world’s largest oil exporter. Oil has always been at the heart of the political, diplomatic and economic links that tie Riyadh to its ally Washington.. .. Washington has relied on the world’s biggest oil exporter to play a moderating role in the OPEC cartel by countering demands by countries such as Iran or Venezuela for higher prices or the use of oil as a political weapon to pressure the West.  But the strategic alliance was tested to the limit by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by mainly Saudi hijackers loyal to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.  Many U.S. officials then took a hostile line, arguing that Saudi Arabia’s lack of political freedom and its austere Islamic Wahhabi doctrine made it a breeding ground for militants..”  [Complete Report]

No Financial Commitments Placed on KSA: Assaf  [Jun 28]
“Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of Finance, said Saturday that the G20 meeting in Toronto would see ‘no financial commitments placed on the Kingdom’, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported Sunday.  Muhammad Al-Jasser, the governor of the Kingdom’s central bank SAMA, was meanwhile reported by Al-Watan as saying that Saudi Arabia was one of the ‘five most important and influential countries in the G20 group’. ‘There are no plans to buy European sovereign debt,’ Al-Jasser was quoted as saying on the sidelines of the G20 summit.  Al-Jasser also said the Kingdom will not implement proposed new bank taxes..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Aramco Invites Bids for Wasit Gas Plant  [Jun 28]
“State oil giant Saudi Aramco has invited companies to bid for the construction of the biggest gas plant in the kingdom, industry sources said on Sunday.  After completing a crude oil capacity expansion plan last year, the world’s top oil exporter has focused on developing gas production to meet rapidly rising domestic demand.  Aramco has given no cost estimate for the Wasit plant, but industry sources said it would cost between $6 billion and $8 billion.  Twelve companies have passed Aramco’s qualification process and can bid for each of the four construction packages. The packages are for a gas unit, a cogeneration power plant, a sulfur recovery unit with utilities and the final package is for a natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation plant.  Bidding would close by Sept. 29, the sources said and the contract would probably be awarded in January..”  [Complete Report]

Wedding Costs Force Saudis to Look For Brides Overseas  [Jun 28]
“More than 2,100 Saudi men married non-Saudi women last year, the Ministry of Justice has revealed.  The ministry said Yemenis topped the list of foreign women marrying Saudi men with 1,017 marriage contracts concluded at the Saudi Shariah courts in 2009. They are followed by Syrians (164), Pakistanis (145) and Palestinians (104).  According to official statistics, 1,944 Saudi women married foreign men last year representing 1.4 per cent of the total number of marriage contracts concluded in the courts. Foreign men who were married to Saudi women consisted of: 419 Yemenis, 407 Kuwaitis, 193 Qataris and 176 Syrians.. ..The study said the reason for this was the refusal of fathers to marry their daughters on the basis of ‘tribal incompatibility’.  It said some fathers would not allow their working daughters to marry because they want to have their salaries, a privilege which they may go in case their daughters get married.  ‘The judicial system in Saudi Arabia does not support Saudi women to marry on their own,’ it said..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Saudi Central Bank Expects Inflation to Stay Subdued  [Jun 27]
“Saudi Arabia’s central bank expects no acute inflationary pressures in the second quarter, according to a report released on its website.  Inflation slowed to a quarterly 1.1 percent in the January- March period, from 1.5 percent in the final three months of 2009, the bank said. The slowdown came as price increases for imports and rents subsided, it said.  Inflation is expected to remain at a similar level in the second quarter, led by rents, fuel, water and food and beverages, the report said..” [Complete Report]

Privatizing Saudi TV Will Improve Quality: Ministry  [Jun 27]
“The Ministry of Culture and Information is keen to privatize its nine channels and radio stations because this will improve the quality of its programs, according to Eng. Saleh Al-Mughaileth, Assistant Deputy Minister of Information for Television Affairs.  He said that Saudi TV is currently facing a number of bureaucratic, fiscal and administrative challenges because it complies with government rules on advertising.  ‘I think that turning Saudi TV and radio stations into private institutions would free this sector from lots of restrictions,’.. ..Al-Mughaileth emphasized that Saudi TV cannot have the same content as private sector media companies because it is a public sector broadcaster..”  [Complete Report]

Kingdom Participates in G20 Young Entrepreneurs Summit  [Jun 27]
“The Centennial Fund established with a Royal Decree to help young Saudi men and women participated in the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Summit (YES) that concluded Tuesday in Toronto, Canada.  Entrepreneurs, academics, government officials and youth entrepreneurship organizations from G20 nations including representatives from the Centennial Fund of Saudi Arabia met in Toronto to discuss ways to harness the potential of young entrepreneurs worldwide.  The Centennial Fund was established in 2004 with a mandate to help budding Saudi entrepreneurs achieve financial independence through self-employment or start their own commercially successful businesses.  The idea of establishing the Centennial Fund was floated in 1999 and later emerged as a requirement to start programs that support young people to reduce the unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia and the development of the local economy..”  [Complete Report]

Malaysia Continues to Lure Saudi Tourists  [Jun 27]
“For the fifth year in a row, Malaysia continues to attract a large number of Saudi tourists, a senior tours and sales executive has said.  “For five years in a row Malaysia has topped the countries attracting Saudi summer vacationers. Egypt and the UAE are usually next in popularity,” Mahmud Hamid, a tours and sales executive, told Saudi Gazette.  According to tour and travel experts, people choose their destinations depending on the areas they live in..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Economic Clash of Civilizations  [Jun 26]
“The G20 Summit that gets under way here amid unprecedented security on Saturday at the Metro Toronto Convention Center is being tipped by many as an economic clash of civilizations. Signs of deep rifts over how to quickly cut national deficits instead of continuing to stimulate them were visible among the global economic leaders.. ..Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah is already in Toronto to represent Saudi Arabia at the summit. Saudi membership of the G20 is in direct recognition of its position as the single largest oil exporter in the world, in addition to being a country with the largest oil reserves.  King Abdullah is representing the Arab and Islamic world at the summit, seeking to hold discussions with leaders on Arab and Islamic issues, especially the Palestinian cause, the future of the Arab-Israel peace process and Iran’s nuclear files, analysts here in Toronto underlined..”  [Complete Report]

Draft Law Sets Conditions for Saudi Women to Marry Foreigners  [Jun 26]
“The proposed new law governing the marriage of Saudi nationals to foreigners will permit Saudi women to marry non-Saudis born in the Kingdom to a Saudi mother or parents both of non-Saudi nationality, on the condition that prospective husbands have legal residence, birth certificates from the department of Civil Status, and have lived in the Kingdom for at least 15 years, sources have said.. ..The sources said that breaches of the law would be penalized with fines of up to SR100,000, barring the non-Saudi spouse from entering the Kingdom, and the annulment of residency status and deportation if the spouse is already present in the country.  The new laws are expected to replace rulings on marriage to non-Saudis dating back 38 years..”  [Complete Report]

Aramco-Total JV Secures $8.5b in Financing  [Jun 26]
“Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Co., which is 62.5 percent owned by Saudi Aramco and 37.5 percent owned by Total SA, signed the finance documents for $8.5 billion of senior project finance facilities that have been secured for the Jubail refinery.  French oil major Total and Saudi Aramco have completed an $8.5 billion financing for their joint refinery in the Kingdom, the companies said in a statement on Friday.  ‘Finances totaling $8.5 billion were secured from multiple sources including $4.01 billion from the Public Investment Fund and Export Credit Agencies (covered and direct), and $4.49 billion from commercial financial institutions.’  ‘The senior loan facilities have a tenor of 16 years with an all in pricing of 1.85 percent (above LIBOR) for the US dollar commercial and Export Credit Agencies (ECA) covered loan facilities,’ the statement said.. ..The financing has been very well received by a diverse group of local, regional and international banks, with commitments received for over $13.5 billion..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

The G20′s Twenty Agendas  [Jun 25]
“Heads of state from the Group of Twenty (G20) advanced economies meet in Toronto on June 26 and 27 to discuss policies to balance global growth and strengthen global financial supervision.. ..Saudi Arabia, the only OPEC representative at the G20, “will continue to keep a low profile,” as they did last year, says University of Vermont political science and international affairs expert F. Gregory Gause. “Anything agreed to by the core G7 and the BRICs would not be opposed by the Saudis,” he says. But the Saudis might weigh in on energy issues and financial stability, which have major implications for the Saudi economy, says Ibrahim A. Warde, an international business professor at Tufts University. Saudi Arabia is also concerned about the impact of global financial instability on sovereign wealth funds and fellow Arab countries like debt-riddled Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia wants stronger banking regulations (Reuters) and more conservative lending policies, but opposes creating a global financial regulator..”   [Complete Report]

Saudi-Funded TV Offices in Iraq Close in Face of Warnings  [Jun 25]
“The Baghdad offices of Al-Arabiya television closed on Friday after the interior ministry warned the Saudi-funded satellite network was under surveillance by insurgents, a staffer said.  ‘Interior ministry sources told us they had information that terrorist groups were closely watching the bureau in preparation for an attack,’ the Al-Arabiya journalist told AFP, asking not to be identified.  ‘The management asked all staff — journalists and technicians — not to come to work today.’  Al-Arabiya’s headquarters in Dubai could not immediately be reached for comment.  But an Iraqi interior ministry official said: ‘There are terrorist threats’ to the channel’s offices in the Al-Harthiyah area of west Baghdad. He did not elaborate.  The pan-Arab television channel has been no stranger to attack by suspected Sunni Arab insurgents or pressure from the Shiite-led government..”  [Complete Report]

Rising Unemployment Among Saudis  [Jun 25]
“A recent newspaper report about the unemployment of Saudis in the private sector was deeply upsetting. The report said 147,000 Saudis were fired from their jobs and 821 foreign workers were employed in the year 2009.  Instead of finding jobs for Saudi youths, the private sector is driving them out of their establishments. The employers have their own justifications and the present regulations allow them to dismiss Saudis with impunity. The social ramifications of the growing unemployment rate are extremely grave. The government should intervene by enacting laws. Employment of foreigners should not be more attractive to employers than the employment of Saudis.. ..The unemployment issue in the Kingdom has been artificially created by businessmen who receive benefits from the government but refuse to do anything for the welfare of the people in return..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Kingdom, US to Make Joint Efforts to Confront Terror  [Jun 24]
“US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Smith said Wednesday that the Kingdom and his country would make combined efforts to counter challenges such as terrorism that face the two countries. He described Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s upcoming visit to the US as ‘very important.’.. ..King Abdullah is scheduled to visit the US soon after attending the G20 summit in Toronto on June 26-27. His talks with US President Barack Obama will focus on the prospects of reviving the Middle East peace process and strengthening bilateral relations. The Arab peace initiative, which has been welcomed by all countries except Israel, is the brainchild of King Abdullah.  Obama will host Saudi King Abdullah in Washington on June 29, the White House said..”  [Complete Report]

Aramco Refutes ‘Secret’ Spill Claims  [Jun 24]
” Despite US media reports claiming Saudi Aramco cleaned up a secret oil spill in 1993 using supertankers, the company states there is no factual basis for either assertion.  During coverage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Nicholas Pozzi, a former Saudi Aramco employee, maintained a 1993 accident caused millions of liters of crude oil to spill into the Arabian Gulf and that he was in the team that developed a plan to remove the crude using Saudi-owned supertankers.  Saudi Aramco refuted his claims in an official statement and stated that Pozzi worked as a foreman in the company’s East-West Pipeline Department. ‘However, he made no significant contribution to the company’s spill preparedness or response teams during his employment or at any other time.’..” [Complete Report]

Shell: Saudi Arabia May Benefit From LNG Imports [Jun 24]
“Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest energy producer, may benefit from importing liquefied natural gas to boost domestic supply and maximize profits from oil exports, a Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) executive said Thursday.  ‘In an environment where much crude and fuel oil is being burnt up for power, there’s a strong case to bring in more gas and free up some of that [oil] for export,’ De la Rey Venter, Shell’s global head of LNG, said at the National Oil Companies congress in London.  ‘I don’t know what the kingdom will decide.’..”  [Complete Report]

GCC’s Free Trade Deal With EU Sticks Over Saudi Export Tariff  [Jun 24]
“After two decades, the gap between the GCC and the EU on a free-trade agreement has been narrowed down to “two to three paragraphs” of a 2,000-page document, trade negotiators say.  The main sticking point is over export duties, according to EU and GCC officials.  Negotiators say one Gulf country wants to impose duties on some of its exports. EU and GCC diplomats say that country is Saudi Arabia which, they say, wants to impose tariffs on its petrochemical exports.  Marcus Noland, the deputy director and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, explained that tariffs could be used as a way to influence global prices for petrochemical products..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia Selected to CANSO Executive Board  [Jun 24]
“The Kingdom has been selected to become a member of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO).  The organization recognized the Kingdom’s position as a leading country in the Middle East and its geographical location, which allows it to act as a link between Europe, Asia and Africa.  This announcement was made during CANSO’s 14th conference in Oslo recently.  The conference chose president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Abdullah Al-Rahimi to become a member of CANSO’s executive board and a representative of the Middle East region for 2010-2011.  This decision also recognized the Kingdom’s efforts in developing its civil aviation services as well as safety and security measures.  The CANSO board includes representatives of New Zealand, Austria, Australia, Ireland, Spain and the United States, as well as the vice president of Boeing Co..”  [Complete Report]

Heat Wave: Saudi Scholar Calls for Delaying Dhuhur Prayer  [Jun 24]
“A Saudi scholar has ruled that Muslims in the Kingdom can delay performing the Dhuhur (afternoon) prayer until it is close to the time of the Asr (later afternoon) prayer because of the unprecedented high temperature in Saudi Arabia these days which led to power cuts in various parts of the country.  ‘People in extremely hot areas are permitted to delay the Dhuhur prayer until late afternoon,’ Shaikh Abdul Mohsin Al Obaikan, religious adviser at the Royal Court told local Arabic daily Al Watan yesterday.. ..Saudi Arabia is currently witnessing an unprecedented high temperature which caused repeated power cuts as many of the power generating turbines stopped functioning.  Temperature in some areas reached more than 51C.  Weather experts had earlier predicted that the kingdom would this year witness an extremely hot summer.  They said the worst is still to come, especially between July 20 and August 20..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

OIC to Expand Cooperation With China  [Jun 23]
“Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Jeddah-based Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said on Tuesday that the OIC wanted to establish stronger relations with China.  In a statement after his meetings with Chinese officials, he said the two sides would jointly organize an academic seminar on the historical relationship between China and the Muslim World.. ..Both sides explored different avenues for enhancing the consultation and cooperation between the OIC and China, particularly in the political, economic, trade and cultural fields.  “The OIC and China share a common position on many international issues and this therefore highlights the importance of support provided to each other on issues of shared concern with particular reference to the Palestinian issue and the Middle East peace process,” the communiqué said.  The Chinese side emphasized that it attaches importance to the role being played by the 57-member OIC as an influential organization. The OIC reciprocated by saying that it respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China..”  [Complete Report]

Sir Tom Appointed Ambassador to Kingdom  [Jun 23]
“Sir Tom Phillips KCMG has been appointed ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in succession to Sir William Patey KCMG, according to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).  Sir Tom will take up his appointment during September 2010. Sir Tom joined the FCO in 1983 having previously worked for the Department of Health and Social Security.  His first overseas posting was as first secretary in the British High Commission in Harare, and he returned to Africa as high commissioner in Uganda in 2000.  He has served as ambassador to Israel since 2006 and was previously the director responsible for Afghanistan and South Asia at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.  After a posting to the British Embassy in Washington in the mid-1990s, he returned to London in 1997 to head the Foreign Office’s Eastern Adriatic Department including through the period of the Kosovo crisis.  On his appointment as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sir Tom said: “I am delighted and honored to be given this opportunity to serve in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia..”  [Complete Report]

Gulf Capital Targets Saudi Arabia in $370 Million Spending Plan  [Jun 23]
“Gulf Capital, the United Arab Emirates-based private equity firm, plans to invest 1.4 billion riyals ($373 million) over the next three years as it seeks opportunities in Saudi Arabia.  ‘We are sitting on a lot of liquidity,’ Karim El Solh, the Abu Dhabi-based company’s chief executive officer, said in an interview in Riyadh yesterday. ‘We hope that the bulk of that will end up in Saudi Arabia.’  Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil supplier, is attracting international investors as its economy expands due to higher oil prices. The Carlyle Group and Deutsche Bank AG announced Saudi investments this year, while Qatar First Investment Bank, founded in 2008 with $1 billion of capital, plans to open an office in the country by the end of the year.  Gulf Capital, which was established in 2006 with 300 shareholders, plans to buy a Saudi food company this year..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Hai’a Staff to Learn English  [Jun 22]
“The Prince Sultan Chair for Youth Research and Hisba at King Abdulaziz University here has recommended that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai’a) learn English to help them communicate with foreigners in the Kingdom and “convey the correct image” of the Hai’a.  ‘The recommendation followed a discussion on the training needs of the Hai’a, and the program or English language diploma is designed for Hai’a field staff and focuses on language skills and ways of appropriate communication with foreigners,’..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia Offers Aid of US$ 10.8 Million for IDPs [Jun 22]
“Saudi Arabia has offered aid of US$ 10.8 million to United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to support Internally Displaced Persons relief efforts in Pakistan.According to a press release issued by UNHCR here on Monday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and UNHCR was signed on Sunday.  The Refugee Agency will use this grant to buy food and non food items  for the Pakistani IDPs. These relief items including 25,000 tents, 379,200 plastic sheets, 100,000 sleeping mattresses and 25,000 kitchen sets.  In addition 20,000 food packages would be distributed during the forthcoming Holy Month of Ramzan..”  [Complete Report]

Schlumberger Opens Al-Khafji Oilfield Services Base in Saudi Arabia  [Jun 22]
“Schlumberger, the leading supplier of oil services technology, today inaugurated the new Al-Khafji Oilfield Services base in Saudi Arabia. The facility, located in Al-Khafji City, represents an investment of more than SR20m and supports the full complement of Schlumberger services.  The new base is built on 20,000m² of property generously provided and supported by Al-Khafji Joint Operations (KJO). It consists of workshops and maintenance laboratories as well as office space and an equipment storage yard that is designed to support current KJO operations, future expansion needs and Schlumberger’s Sauditization strategy.  The state-of-the-art facility houses more than 300 employees and encompasses the full repair and maintenance of specialized oilfield technologies and equipment in addition to engineering, planning and operations support expertise for the entire range of Schlumberger Oilfield Services during the life of an oil and gas reservoirs..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Business Confidence Slightly Wavers  [Jun 22]
“Banque Saudi Fransi said greater global economic uncertainty in light of the euro zone debt crisis and volatility in oil prices over the last two months has taken a toll on sentiment among Saudi business executives.  The BSF Business Confidence Index, which attempts to gauge market sentiment on a quarterly basis, fell to 99.8 points in the third quarter, from 100.7 points in the second quarter, chief economist John Sfakianakis said.  He also said business executives have adopted greater caution in their outlooks for financial performance, bank lending, investment strategies and hiring plans.  With lower oil price expectations in mind, fewer businesses are confident that sales will improve in the coming two quarters, Sfakianakis said.  More executives are choosing cash and bonds as their top investment picks in next two quarters, highlighting risk aversion..” [Complete Report]

Summer Heat Causes Blowouts in Saudi Electric Grid  [Jun 22]
“Blistering summer temperatures coupled with a sandstorm caused power failures on Monday in the western region of Saudi Arabia, as the region suffered under debilitating heat wave.  The skyrocketing demand for electricity to power air conditioners forced eight power turbines to go off line causing several Saudi cities to lose their power, said the Saudi Electricity Company.  Company official Ahmed Al Dubekhi said in a recent statement that ‘Blackouts are taking place this summer because of an increase in the electrical loads.’  Speaking before the turbine failures, he said that the company was prepared for the spikes in demand..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Saudi Gold Reserves Over Twice Previous Estimate [Jun 21]
“Saudi Arabia’s central bank holds more than twice the amount of gold previously estimated, a shift that analysts said reflected more of an accounting adjustment than an indication the oil rich nation was veering away from its conservative reserve policy. A June report by the World Gold Council, an industry group that tracks gold bullion holdings by nations the world over, showed the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency’s gold reserve figure climbed to 322.9 tons compared to 143 tons reported in March. The council said its gold data was ‘modified from the first quarter 2008 as a result of the adjustment of the SAMA’s gold accounts.’ Analysts said the change either signaled an accounting revision or that the kingdom, which sits atop the world’s largest proven reserves of conventional crude oil, had stepped up buying gold in 2008 as the metal’s value took a frequent beating during the global economic meltdown. The same financial downturn also pummeled the price of oil, Saudi Arabia’s chief export. Gold prices have gained steadily this year, settling Friday at a record $1,258.30 an ounce..”  [Complete Report]

Canadian-Saudi Firms Plan First Ever Property Exchange [Jun 21]
“A Canadian firm has teamed up with a Saudi Arabian company to create the first global real estate securities exchange, with the first group of exchanges slated for autumn of 2012 in Dubai, Canada and London. Saudi’s International Real Estate Exchange Group (IREX) and Canada’s egX announced on Monday the establishment of IREX Group, which will create and operate a securities marketplace for listing and trading of real estate assets in the world’s key financial hubs. For its Middle East and North Africa branch, the company is looking at Dubai as a main option to set up an exchange, but is not ruling out other areas in the Gulf Arab region, Safar al-Harthi, executive chairman of the group, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference. Qatar and Bahrain are among areas being considered..”  [Complete Report]

Boeing Plans to Expand Defense, Energy Services in Saudi Arabia [Jun 21]
” Boeing Co. wants to expand in Saudi Arabia by supporting defense systems, energy services and training needed by the world’s largest oil supplier. ‘We are here to support the kingdom’s defensive needs in the long run,’ Kenneth Combs, the president of Boeing Middle East, said in an interview today. ‘We are getting involved with other commercial business to expand what Boeing is doing.’ U.S. companies, including Boeing and General Electric Co., are trying to boost their presence in Saudi Arabia as the Saudi government spends $400 billion over five years to build infrastructure, increase energy production and train its citizens. In May, General Electric won a contract worth almost $300 million from Saudi Electricity Co. Boeing began providing the kingdom with military systems in 1978, when Saudi Arabia bought its first F-15 fighter jets. Now, the company employs about 200 people in the country and has ‘a very good presence on the military side,’ Combs said..”  [Complete Report]

Citadel Seeks A$250m for Saudi Arabia Mine [Jun 21]
“ASX-listed Citadel Resources was looking to raise up to A$250-million through an entitlement offer to existing shareholders.  Citadel said in a statement on Monday that it would use the funds raised from the rights issue for the development of its Jabal Sayid copper and gold project, in Saudi Arabia, as well as to cover corporate costs, project evaluation and exploration. The Jabal Sayid project was on track for commissioning in mid-2011, the company reported. The mine was expected produce about 57 000 t/y of copper in concentrate, and the average life-of-mine head grade through the concentrator will be 2 3% copper and about 0,3 g/t gold.  Citadel is a 70% shareholder in Bariq Mining, which holds the exploitation licence that covers the Jabal Sayid project. The exploitation licence has a 30-year term and does not require any royalty payments to the Saudi Arabian government..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Ups Silo Capacity for Wheat Imports [Jun 21]
“Saudi Arabia’s grains authority plans to increase the capacity of its silos by 21 percent before the end of 2012 as the kingdom prepares for growing reliance on wheat imports. Since 2008 the desert country’s authorities have sought to save water by reducing the amount of wheat they buy from local farmers by 12.5 percent a year, abandoning a 30-year wheat cultivation plan that had helped the country cover its domestic needs. The policy has turned Saudi Arabia’s state-run Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization (GSFMO) into one of the biggest new buyers in the international grains market. Meanwhile wheat farmers have been abandoning cultivation of the crop at a faster rate than the annual purchasing decline the authorities had targeted. Waleed Al-Khariji, GSFMO’s managing director, said Saudi Arabia’s grain silos now have a capacity of around 2.5 million tonnes. Within a month the organisation would award tenders to expand this capacity by 530,000 tonnes, Khariji told Reuters in a telephone interview..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Group to Invest $300 Million in Katsina [Jun 21]
“A group of investors from Saudi Arabia under the auspices of Foras international investors are to commit about $300million for investment in three areas of agriculture, housing and infrastructure in Katsina State. Leader of the group Mr. Salim Lalani who made the disclosure to newsmen while signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the state government over the weekend said the group will deploy its expertise and resources in the state with a view to boosting the overall economic development. Mr. Lalani who disclosed their intention to spread their tentacles to other parts of the country said the conglomerate will select a pilot project, bring in seed money before inviting other stakeholders and technical people from around the globe to come and put in their resources..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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King Starts 4-Nation Tour [Jun 20]
“King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, arrived in the Moroccan city of Casablanca Saturday at the start of a four-nation tour that will also take him to Canada, the United States and France.  The King will participate in the G-20 summit in Toronto on June 26-27. Then he will arrive in the US on a state visit, followed by visits to Morocco and France.. ..Before his departure from Jeddah, King Abdullah issued a Royal Order deputizing Crown Prince Sultan, Deputy Premier, Defense and Aviation Minister and Inspector General, to run the country’s affairs and to look after the interests of the people during his absence.. ..King Abdullah thanked the prime minister for his call.  In the US, King Abdullah will meet President Barack Obama, and on July 12 he will travel to France to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy.  Their talks are expected to focus on the situation in the Middle East and global economic issues as well as the enhancement of bilateral relations..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Women Use Fatwa in Driving Bid  [Jun 20]
“Saudi women plan to turn a controversial fatwa (religious ruling) to their advantage and launch a campaign to achieve their long-standing demand to drive in this conservative kingdom.  If the demand is not met, the women threatened to follow through the fatwa which allows them to breastfeed their drivers and turn them into their sons.  The campaign will be launched under the slogan: ‘We either be allowed to drive or breastfeed foreigners,’ a journalist told Gulf News.. ..The controversial fatwa, which was regarded as both funny and weird, issued recently by Shaikh Abdul Mohsin Bin Nasser Al Obaikan, member of Saudi Council of Senior Scholars and adviser to the king, has sparked a debate in society.  The renowned scholar said Saudi women can breastfeed their foreign drivers for them to be become their sons and brothers to their daughters..”  [Complete Report]

25 Ex-Gitmo Saudis Relapse Into Militancy  [Jun 20]
“Around 25 former detainees from Guantanamo Bay camp returned to militancy after going through a rehabilitation program for Al-Qaeda members in Saudi Arabia, a security official said Saturday. The United States has sent back around 120 Saudis from the detention camp at the US naval base in Cuba. Saudi Arabia has put the returned prisoners along with other Al-Qaeda suspects through a rehabilitation program which includes religious re-education by clerics and financial help to start a new life.. ..Around 11 Saudis from Guantanamo have gone to Yemen, an operating base for Al-Qaeda, while others have been jailed again or killed after attending the program, said Abdulrahman Al-Hadlaq, Director General of the General Administration for Intellectual Security overseeing the rehabilitation.  He pinpointed strong personal ties among former prisoners but also tough US tactics as the reason why some 20 percent of the returned Saudis relapsed into militancy compared to 9.5 percent of other participants in the rehabilitation program..”  [Complete Report]

Flexible Yuan Unlikely to Lead to GCC Peg Shift  [Jun 20]
“China’s decision to allow a more flexible yuan, which may signal an end to the currency’s dollar peg, is unlikely to prompt Gulf Arab states to drop their dollar links, economists said.  ‘There’s no pressure on the pegs right now,’ Farouk Soussa, Citigroup Inc’s chief economist for the Middle East, said in a telephone interview. ‘The only time the peg really comes under pressure is when the monetary cycles are out of kilter and we’re not in that place right now.’  China’s central bank said yesterday it will allow a more flexible yuan. Gulf Arab states, five of which peg their currencies to the dollar, came under pressure to revalue two years ago as inflation accelerated to records and the dollar weakened. Inflation has since slowed. Gulf states rely on oil exports priced in dollars for a majority of their revenue.. ..Inflation in Saudi Arabia accelerated to a year’s high of 5.4 percent in May.  ‘If the economic conditions in our region change and the diversification of our economies change significantly from oil and another regime proves to be better for us, I can assure you we will not hesitate,’ Saudi Central Bank Governor Muhammad al- Jasser said in a Jan. 24 interview. ‘So it’s not like there’s a dogmatic attachment to the dollar. It just happens to be very helpful to us.’..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Obama, Abdullah Working Toward M-E Peace: Envoy  [Jun  19]
“James Smith, the US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has described King Abdullah as a global political leader respected internationally for his peace initiatives and work to bring security to the Mideast.  Ambassador Smith said that King Abdullah and US President Barak Obama were seeking a just and comprehensive peace in the Mideast, and that the US administration regarded the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques as ‘seriously committed’.  mith said that President Obama also remained committed to the vision he outlined in his historic speech in Cairo, and that dialogue channels between the US and the Kingdom were open to discuss a political solution of satisfaction to all parties.. ..Smith said that both sides had to offer concessions and that the continuation of dialogue would eventually lead to a definitive solution. ‘Palestinians want a state and Israelis want security, and both must continue to engage in dialogue to achieve it,’ Smith said..”  [Complete Report]

IEA Chief Sees Slide in Global Oil Output  [Jun 19]
“Global oil output could slide by up to 900,000 barrels a day from projected levels for 2015 if oil producing countries follow the US lead and impose moratoriums on development of new offshore oil reserves, International Energy Agency executive director Nobuo Tanaka said Friday.  The Paris-based organization is conducting research on the possible impact of the US moratorium and its implications worldwide, Tanaka said, Dow Jones Newswires reported.  ‘If other countries like Angola, Brazil and the North Sea (countries) put on hold new offshore development and there is also one or two years of delay, the impact on global oil output might be 800,000 barrels a day to 900,000 barrels a day by 2015,’ Tanaka told Dow Jones.. ..Although the decline would represent about one percent of global oil output, ‘given that spare oil production capacity is about six million barrels a day, (a drop of) roughly one million barrels a day can’t be ignored,’..”  [Complete Report]

Tusculum College Official Visits Saudi Arabia  [Jun 19]
“Jacquelyn D. Elliott, vice president for enrollment management at Tusculum College, recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Saudi Arabia where she was one of four American presenters at conferences for various universities over a four-day period.   Elliott was selected to be a presenter at ‘The Essential Academic Leader II’ a conference sponsored by the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Higher Education and the Academic Leadership Center, which is under the auspices of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.  The Academic Leadership Center was formed to help build a high level of quality academic leadership in Saudi Arabian universities.   The Middle Eastern country has experienced rapid growth in higher education in the past decade with the creation of new schools as well as expansion of existing universities.  The stateside equivalent to the Academic Leadership Center is the American Council on Education..”  [Complete Report]

Ma’aden-Alcoa Joint Venture Breaks Ground in Saudi Arabia  [Jun 19]
“The Saudi Arabian Mining Company Ma’aden and Alcoa today officially broke ground on a project that will become the world’s largest fully integrated aluminium complex, at Ras az Zawr in Saudi Arabia.  In December 2009 the two companies announced their joint venture to develop a fully integrated, world-class aluminum industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In its initial phases, the joint venture will develop a fully integrated industrial complex, consisting of a bauxite mine at Al Ba’aitha and an alumina refinery, aluminum smelter and rolling mill on the Arabian Gulf coast at Ras Az Zawr. Ground breaking has now officially begun to pave the way for construction of the smelter and rolling mill that will serve the packaging and other industries..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Prince Naif Chair Sets Up Female Extremism Research Team [Jun 18]
“The Supervisor of the Prince Naif Chair for Intellectual Security Studies at King Saud University has said that a female team has been set up to research ‘signs of intellectual extremism in women’.  Khaled Al-Durais told Al-Watan Arabic daily on Tuesday that the move would represent a ‘practical study of a sample of families who have among them ideological extremists’ and that it came in response to ‘recent events revealing the role of women in Al-Qaeda’.  The government announced earlier this month the arrest of Saudi woman Haila Al-Suqayyer in Buraidah on charges of funding and recruiting for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.. ..Abdul Mun’im Al-Mushawwah, the supervisor of the ‘Al-Sakeena’ – ‘Tranquility’ – program to combat terrorism through the internet, meanwhile, has said that 80 percent of terrorist recruitment is conducted through the worldwide web and that the medium represents a ‘particular threat’ to women.  ‘Women are the most easily influenced by extremist websites’..” [Complete Report]

Saudi Regulator Shortlists Eight Groups for Airport Contract  [Jun 18]
“Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, the industry regulator, shortlisted eight groups for the contract to develop the first phase of an airport at Medina, Islam’s second holy city.  Khalid al-Khaibary, the authority’s spokesman, said in a phone interview today that the winner of the tender will develop, own and operate the airport, the cost of which is estimated at 6 billion riyals ($1.6 billion), for 25 years before transferring it to the government.  The authority designed the airport, which will replace an existing one, to handle as many as 8 million passengers a year. The aim is to attract more pilgrims to Medina.. ..The airport authority plans to spend $10 billion to $20 billion on developing and upgrading airports by 2020, with private investors set to contribute as much as $10 billion to the projects..”  [Complete Report]

Haj Pilgrims Face Accommodation Crisis  [Jun 18]
“Tens of thousands of Indian pilgrims intending to perform the Haj this year are threatened by a looming crisis as they may find no accommodation in the holy cities in Saudi Arabia when they reach there in November. Diplomatic sources said almost all available accommodation at Mecca and Medinah have been taken over for pilgrims from other countries, and the 1,16,000 pilgrims who would go through the Haj Committee of India this year would find it difficult to find convenient buildings. Normally, accommodation arrangements are done 10 months before the Haj commences. But following a Delhi High Court stay order restraining the two top office-bearers of the Haj Committee of India from functioning, all work has come to a standstill..”  [Complete Report]

Islamic Development Bank to Start Fund for Affordable Homes  [Jun 18]
“The Saudi Arabian-based Islamic Development Bank plans to start a $500 million fund to provide financing for developers of affordable houses in Muslim countries, an executive at the bank said in an interview.  Khalid al-Aboodi, chief executive officer of the Islamic Development Bank’s Islamic Corp. for the Development of the Private Sector, said the fund would be started in the third quarter and by the end of the year at the latest.  The fund will invest only in the 56 member-countries of the Islamic Development Bank. In early stages the fund will invest in 10 countries, and later it will expand into the rest of the bank’s membership, he added.  Al-Aboodi didn’t specify which countries but said they are distributed between the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia.  ‘We have chosen the 10 countries carefully and we already identified a couple of projects that we will invest in,’..” [Complete Report]

History Rode The Horse to Victory in New Exhibit  [Jun 18]
“On the back of this noble beast, wars were lost and won, brides were delivered to royal weddings and the words of the Prophet Mohammed were spread. On its swift feet, the strong pushed past the village and created the nation.  The role of the horse in history is the focus of ‘A Gift from the Desert: The Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse,’ an exhibit at The Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, which runs through October 15.  ‘The horse had more impact than any other animal in the story of culture, politics and religion. It affected the cradle of civilization,’ said Sandra Olsen, co-curator of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and a curator of the exhibit.  Many of the 408 works in the exhibit have never been displayed outside of Saudi Arabia, or the 19 countries which contributed to the landmark study of a single animal on human history.. ..The exhibit is sponsored by The Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation, which is headed by Prince Faissal bin Abdullah bin Mohammad and Prince Nawaf bin Faisal bin Fahad. The Saudis donated more than $2.3 million to bring the exhibit to the United States.  According to Prince Nawaf, his grandfather was the last of the knights who united the country on horseback..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Kingdom May Enrich Uranium for Nuclear Plants  [Jun 17]
“Saudi Arabia may mine and enrich uranium to fuel power plants if it embarks on a civilian nuclear energy program, a consultant preparing a draft nuclear strategy for the Kingdom said on Wednesday.  Saudi Arabia would want to play a role in as many of the stages of generating nuclear power as possible eventually, said David Cox, president for energy at the UK branch of Finnish management consultancy Poyry.   ‘Enrichment could happen there and the same with mining uranium,’ Cox said in a telephone interview with Reuters. ‘But outsourcing will happen initially.’  Earlier this month, King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy appointed Poyry to help prepare a draft of the national vision and high-level strategy in the area of nuclear and renewable energy. The Kingdom instructed Poyry to evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of its involvement in all stages of the nuclear power generation cycle..”  [Complete Report]

Seeking Saudis [Jun 17]
“International business schools eager for new markets are looking to Saudi Arabia, where a still-strong economy and a big government push to boost management skills have created a pool of potential M.B.A.s.  As nearby economies like Dubai’s sag, B-schools have begun eyeing the small but growing new niche in the desert kingdom, particularly given Saudi students’ taste for foreign education. A handful of international schools have launched programs in the country, and more are recruiting Saudi students to their existing campuses.  A closed, conservative culture and reams of government red tape make Saudi Arabia a daunting place to set up shop. But its leaders are pouring money into education in an effort to tackle high unemployment and train Saudis to run the big businesses that now often depend on expat talent.. ..The number of Saudi students taking the GMAT business school entrance test annually nearly quadrupled between 2005 and 2009, to 1,200, and the government is offering scholarships to students who go overseas to earn M.B.A.s..”  [Complete Report]

Eco-Friendly Haj: Saudi Officials are Listening  [Jun 17]
“..What better place to begin educating and imprinting a sense of environmentalism than a place where three million Muslims visit each year to carry out one of the five ‘pillars’ of Islam?  Other Muslims are thinking similarly to Osman. At the International Islamic Green Movement meeting in Jakarta this April participants called on their governments to implement new strategies to make the holy pilgrimage more environmentally sustainable.  The plan proposed at the conference includes banning plastic bottles at pilgrimage sites and holding workshops to discuss the connection between environmentalism and Islamic teachings.  Mohamed Sembiring, a member of the Indonesian environmental organization Kehati, said the initiative is expected to include ‘many new approaches to the Haj. Among these are eco-friendly mosques.’.. ..For their part, Saudi Arabia’s government appears ready to take on the proposed initiatives, which include the use of biodegradable plastic containers, making mosques eco-friendly and promoting awareness of the environment and climate change at the pilgrimage.  A Saudi official told The Media Line that the government believes there is much work to be done to bring awareness of environmental issues to the Haj..”  [Complete Report]

Private Sector to Lead Saudi Arabia Growth  [Jun 17]
“Saudi Arabia’s economy is projected to sharply rebound by around 3.9 per cent in 2010 on the back of a strong private sector performance despite dormant domestic credit, a key bank in the Gulf kingdom said yesterday.  Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) said this year’s real GDP growth would be sharply higher than the 0.6 per cent expansion in 2009, adding that the oil sector is expected to expand after a sharp fall in 2009.  ‘We are maintaining our 3.9 per cent real GDP growth forecast for Saudi Arabia despite the likelihood that oil sector expansion looks set to be slower than earlier anticipated, with total oil production averaging 8.35 million barrels a day,’ BSF said in a 15-page study sent to Emirates Business.  ‘Non-oil government and private sector participants will steer most of the economic growth in 2010. New data of the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) show the government has revised 2009 real GDP growth to 0.6 per cent from 0.2 per cent as the global economy shrank 0.6 per cent.’..” [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia Seeks Turkish Investment [Jun 17]
“Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergün has said Saudi Arabia is looking for Turkish automotive firms to invest in the Saudi bus and truck manufacturing industry.  Ergün met with Saudi Minister for Commerce and Industry Abdullah Zainal Alireza — who was in Turkey to attend the 2nd Turkey-World Trade Bridge, organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) — yesterday in the northwestern province of Kocaeli. Ergün said his Saudi counterpart expressed the Saudi desire to benefit from Turkey’s advanced automotive industry.. ..Trade volume between the two countries was around $5 billion before the financial crisis, falling to $4 billion last year due to the turbulence in global financial markets. There are currently 180 Turkish firms operating in Saudi Arabia..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi University to Build World’s Largest Solar Hot Water System  [Jun 17]
“Millennium Energy Industries (MEI) announced on Wednesday that it was awarded the design and build contract of the largest solar district hot water project in the world, for the Princess Noura University for Women Project in Riyadh. The university is a flagship project in the Kingdom and reaffirms the country’s focus on education and energy efficiency.. ..The solar district water heating system, which will be engineered, procured, and constructed by Millennium Energy Industries (MEI), will support the district-heating network for the entire university campus.  The university campus will include student accommodation and a world class hospital..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Kingdom Reassures Azerbaijan of Support Over Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict  [Jun 16]
“During a visit to Azerbaijan, a delegation from the Shoura Council backed the country’s territorial integrity under the resolutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  ‘We support all resolutions on the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,’ said Shoura Speaker Abdullah Al-Asheikh as the delegation arrived at Heydar Aliyev International Airport on Monday.  The Nagornoh-Karabakh conflict took place from February 1988 to May 1994 in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by Armenia and Azerbaijan. Turkish officials and experts will discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations process in Washington D.C. this week.  Alsheikh  added that the Kingdom’s stand on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue conforms with the international resolutions issued by the UN and the OIC which support efforts of Azerbaijan to reach a peaceful settlement..” [Complete Report]

Riyadh Upgrades Air Capabilities Amid Rising Tensions With Iran  [Jun 16]
“Saudi Arabia could bear the brunt of the fallout of a conflict between Israel and Iran if tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program come to a head. This could explain why the oil-rich kingdom, with an eye to Iran, appears to be investing in its air power, while denying reports it gave Israel permission to use its airspace for a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.  According to media reports, Riyadh is looking to boost its already impressive air capabilities by purchasing more F-15 aircraft and updating the ones it has through a couple of multimillion-dollar contracts with Lockheed Martin Corp. and Goodrich Corp.  In particular, a widely cited article in Jane’s Defense Weekly pointed to Saudi concerns about Iran’s growing influence in the region and its ambitions to become a nuclear power.  ‘Any war with Iran will be an air force and missile war, so Saudi Arabia has to enhance its air force’s capabilities,’ Mustafa Alani, a military analyst based in Dubai, was quoted as telling Jane’s. ‘Saudi procurement strategies have been focused on acquisition of the most advanced defense technologies so that they can be interoperable with the U.S. and this is the latest evidence of that.’..” [Complete Report]

Saudi Schools Could Teach Human Rights  [Jun 16]
“Saudi Arabia may introduce the subject of human rights in its educational syllabus for male and female students at all educational levels, a senior human rights official told Gulf News.  ‘The project is in its final stages at the ministry of higher education after it has been approved by the supreme authority [the king],’ he said.  In a statement to Gulf News, Dr Zaid Al Hussain, deputy chairman of the Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC), said the commission was trying to make human rights a subject in the educational syllabi at all general education levels in the Kingdom.. ..Addressing the rights of Saudi women, Al Hussain said King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has been leading the efforts to achieve a ‘qualitative leap’ in women’s freedoms in the Kingdom. ‘Saudi women now have full rights in any government department she goes to for her affairs,’ he said..”  [Complete Report]

KSA Creating More Job Opportunities for Saudis and Expatriates  [Jun 16]
“Abdul Wahid Al-Hameed, the Saudi Deputy Minister of Labor, told G20 ministers of labor Monday night that the Kingdom held a ‘significant economic position in the world’ and that it’s handling of the global financial crisis was ‘creating jobs for its own citizens and those of other countries’.  ‘The Kingdom recruited 1,500,000 workers from abroad last year,’ Al-Hameed told the ministers’ meeting at the International Labor Conference currently in progress in Geneva.  ‘Their money transfers have contributed in strengthening the economies of their home countries.’  Remittances from Saudi Arabia’s estimated nine million mostly Asian foreign workers are soaring as the Kingdom recruits more of them for its massive development plan.  At $18.4 billion in 2008 and 15.0 billion in the first eight months of 2009, earnings sent abroad equalled four percent of Saudi gross domestic product..”  [Complete Report]

Call for Strategic Saudi-Jordan Partnership  [Jun 16]
“A senior Jordanian official has called for establishing a strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and his country. ‘Saudi Arabia tops the list of Jordan’s trading partners,’ said Yaarub Al-Qudat, executive director of Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation.  Speaking on the sidelines of the Saudi-Jordan Business Council meeting here, he said Jordan imports Saudi products worth $530 million.  ‘It represents 15.5 percent of Jordan’s total foreign trade,’ he pointed out.  Highlighting Jordan’s investment climate, Al-Qudat said his country received foreign investment worth $2.38 billion last year compared to $1.98 billion in 2005. He estimated Saudi investment in Jordan at $1.87 billion.  Meanwhile, Muhammad Al-Audah, head of the Saudi business delegation, commended the outcome of the two-day meeting. ‘The council wanted to remove all obstacles facing investors and traders in both countries,’..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia Tenders for 990,000 Tonnes of Wheat  [Jun 16]
“Saudi Arabia’s state grains buyer is tendering to purchase 990,000 tonnes of wheat, European traders said on Wednesday.  It would be one of the largest grain tenders issued this year and closes on Friday.  Some 550,000 tonnes were for shipment to Jeddah and 440,000 tonnes to Dammam, traders said.  The wheat was sought for ten shipments between October 2010 and April 2011..”  [Complete Report]

SCTA Launches the Saudi Voyager Travel and Tourism Magazine  [Jun 16]
“The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) recently launched its first English language travel and tourism magazine the “Saudi Voyager.” The goal of this quarterly magazine, the newest publication of the SCTA, is to introduce tourism, travel, and heritage potentials in the Kingdom to English-speaking readers, in addition to all those interested in tourism, travel, and dimensions of culture and heritage of the Kingdom.  The first edition opens with an interview with His Royal Highness, Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of SCTA, highlighting his vision for Saudi tourism, tourism investment opportunities, and new tourism projects in the Kingdom. HRH also refers to the efforts undertaken by SCTA in the fields of tourism, antiquities, and urban heritage.  Urban Heritage is the general theme of the first edition, which coincides with the start of the First International Conference of the Architectural Heritage in Islamic countries..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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 King Launches the First Saudi-Made Vehicle  [Jun 15]
“King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has launched the first Saudi-made vehicle named Ghazal 1 during a reception at his palace in Jeddah, Monday.. ..Al-Anqari said that the team worked on the project for more than two years with the support of King Saud University.  He said Ghazal 1 proves the ability, talent and determination of the Kingdom’s youth to overcome all obstacles..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Inflation at 1-Year Peak; May Accelerate  [Jun 15]
“Inflation in Saudi Arabia may accelerate further in the coming months, after hitting a one-year high of 5.4 percent year-on-year in May on rents and food prices, economists said on Monday.  Price pressures are seen rising again this year as oil exporters recover but inflation is expected to stay in single digits across the Gulf.  Inflation in the biggest Arab economy started picking up again after slowing to a two-and-a-half year low of 3.5 percent in October. It stood at 4.9 percent in April, which is still well below a record high of 11.1 percent seen in July 2008.  Saudi consumer prices now stand at the highest level among six Gulf oil producers..”  [Complete Report]

Jeddah Seeks to Enforce Saudi-Only Ramadan Stalls  [Jun 15]
“The municipality has announced that married women and men under the age of 30 — as well as all foreign workers — will be barred from applying for seasonal Ramadan food vendors’ permits. This year, only women who are widowed or divorced will be eligible for the permit.  ‘A (male) applicant must be a Saudi citizen, at least 30 years of age and must be committed to work in the stall or shop the license was issued for,’ said Wadea Abu Al-Hamayel, president of the municipality office in charge of downtown (Balad) affairs.. ..Abu Al-Hamayel emphasized the need for the male permit holders to be personally present at the food stalls. The women must ensure their proxy male employees are present.  Ramadan stalls are supposed to be reserved for Saudi operators only, but in the past officials have found that Saudis with permits have outsourced their operations to foreign workers..”  [Complete Report]

GDF Suez: To Build 1,730 MW Power Plant In Arabia  [Jun 15]
“French utility GDF Suez (GSZ.FR) Tuesday announced a 20-year power purchase agreement with Saudi Electricity Co (5110.SA), and said that it–along with its partners Aljomaih Holding Co of Saudi Arabia and Japan’s Sojitz Corp. (2768.TO)–will start building the 1,730 megawatt gas-fired power plant for the project. State-controlled Saudi Electricity Company will buy all of the plant’s output over a 20 year period, GDF Suez said.  The total cost of the investment will be approximately $2.1 billion and early power is expected by May 1, 2012. Full completion of the plant, situated approximately 125 kilometers west of Riaydh, is scheduled March 2013, the company said..”  [Complete Report]

Japan, Saudi Arabia Agree On Joint Crude Oil Storage  [Jun 15]
“Japan and Saudi Arabia have agreed on joint use of crude oil storage facilities in southern Japan in exchange for a preferential right to secure oil there in times of emergency, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Monday.  ‘The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy and Saudi Aramco agreed in principle on a project, under which Saudi Aramco will utilise crude oil storage facilities in Okinawa,’ the ministry said in a press release, adding that the project is beneficial to both countries.
Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that under the agreement, by the end of this year, Japan will begin storing 3.78 million barrels of Aramco’s crude oil.  The project is expected to help Saudi Arabia deepen ties with oil markets participants in East Asia while for Japan, it will contribute to increasing energy security by giving Japan higher priority in receiving oil supplies from the local oil storage in the event of an emergency..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Greif, Saudi Firm to Team Up For Joint Venture  [Jun 14]
“Greif Inc. said Monday it is forming a joint venture with a Saudi Arabian company to handle the production of ‘flexible’ industrial packaging.  Greif said the joint venture will include a business that makes a type of container called ‘flexible intermediate bulk containers,’ otherwise known as ‘big bags.’  The joint venture will be with the National Scientific Company Ltd., a subsidiary of Dabbagh Group Holding Co., which is a business group out of Saudi Arabia. Greif said it will manage the joint venture.  The joint venture plans to build a factory in Saudi Arabia.  Shares of Greif were unchanged in extended trading, after the announcement..”  [Complete Report]

Mecca’s Historic Traders Face Economic Hard Times [Jun 14]
“Nawaf Muhammad, a jewelry shop owner in Mecca hopes he can keep his business afloat despite tough economic times. Other traders in Saudi Arabia’s holiest city won’t be so lucky.  Store keepers in the city have cut costs, sold their shops or left altogether as pilgrims, worried by the current global crisis, spend less on gifts and souvenirs, or stay away altogether.. ..In total, the haj season brings in around SAR40 billion to the Saudi economy, or about 10% of the non-oil private sector’s contribution to gross domestic product.  ‘We’re still a few months away from haj but the signs are not too encouraging. The numbers of visitors are much less than what we used to see,’ Khaled Abu Hatem, a souvenir dealer in the historic market of Gaza Street, said.  Traders complain that the demolition of some 1,400-year-old buildings from the early Islamic period to enlarge the Grand Mosque, or make room for either new roads or high rise towers for pilgrims flocking to the city, harm their business.  The government is paying tens of thousands of riyals in compensation per square meter to the owners of demolished buildings around the Grand Mosque that encloses the Kaaba, the black shrine which devout Muslims all over the world face during prayer. In tough times, the offer is irresistible for recession-hit shop owners who want to sell out..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Islamic Ministry to Set Guidelines for Women Preachers in Saudi Arabia  [Jun 13]
“The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is working on a special mechanism for  women preachers in the kingdom.  ‘All women, who want to involve themselves in Da’awa work, should strictly abide by the rules and regulations being enacted by the ministry,’ a ministry source told Gulf News.  The move comes in the wake of reports that some women are engaged in spreading deviant ideology and extremist views under the cover of Da’awa work.  ‘It [The law] is aimed at broadening Da’awa work among women as well as ensure their active participation in combating deviant ideology. This also aims at preventing any unqualified women or those lenient to Al Qaida from wearing the mantle of a preacher,’ the source said.  Under the new mechanism, the ministries of interior and Islamic affairs will restrict Da’awa work to only those women, who secured licence and formal card from the authorities.  The move is significant in the wake of the recent revelations about Al Qaida’s plan to use Saudi women for spreading their ideology..”  [Complete report]

Gulf States Not to Back Attack Against Iran [Jun 13]
“Gulf states will not support any military action against Iran despite being wary about its nuclear programme, analysts said on Saturday.  ‘Saudi Arabia will not cooperate with Israel or any other country to attack Iran. We have always advocated a peaceful solution to the Iran crisis,’ Dr Abdul Aziz Hamad of King Saud University told  Gulf News.  Saudi and US defence officials were quoted in a report in The Times as saying that Riyadh will allow Israeli jets to use its airspace if Tel Aviv decides to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.  ‘The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,’ the London-based newspaper said, quoting a US defence source.  ‘They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the [US] State Department,’ the report said, quoting an unnamed Saudi official.  However, experts said although Gulf states continue to be concerned about Iran’s designs, they would not support any military action against the Islamic republic..”  [Complete report]

Agency Set Up For Protection of Consumers  [Jun 13]
“Commerce and Industry Minister Abdullah Zainal Alireza announced Sunday the government’s decision to set up a high-level agency for consumer protection. He also disclosed plans to ensure an adequate supply of goods in the market in order to control price fluctuations.  ‘The Council of Ministers has decided to set up a major unit, at the level of an agency, at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for consumer protection,’ Alireza told a seminar in Riyadh entitled ‘Consumer Protection in Saudi Arabia: Vision and Global Experience.’  He said the ministry had signed an agreement with a specialized international company to prepare a futuristic vision of the new agency with the objective of improving its efficiency and enabling it to provide the best possible services to the public..”  [Complete Report]

Saudis Act Aggressively to Denounce Terrorism  [Jun 13]
“When terrorists in the Middle East attack innocent civilians, observers in the West often ask a pained question: Where’s the outrage in the Muslim world? Why don’t Islamic religious authorities speak out more forcefully against the terrorists and their wealthy financiers?  It remains a potent issue: Terrorism has damaged the Islamic world far more than the West, and too many Muslims have been cowed and silent. But a powerful and so far largely unreported denunciation of terrorism emerged last month from Saudi Arabia’s top religious leadership, known as the Council of Senior Ulema. The Saudi fatwa is a tough condemnation of terror and of the underground network that finances it. It has impressed senior U.S. military commanders and intelligence officers, who were surprised when it came out. One sent me a translation of the fatwa, and Saudi officials provided some helpful background..”  [Complete  Report]

New Saudi Company Leases Asia Land For Rice
“As Saudi Arabian investors accelerate efforts to farm land overseas, a group of leading businessmen said on Saturday that they were launching an agricultural company to grow rice under contract with growers in Asia.  The Far East Agricultural Investment Co, an SR100m ($26.6m) investment vehicle, has already arranged leases in Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan and the Philippines for aromatic and long grain basmati rice, both intended to export to Saudi Arabia at market prices, said Mohammed Abdulla al-Rajhi, chairman of the new company. The first harvest of rice, about 60,000 tons, is due to arrive to Saudi Arabia early next year, he said.  ‘We will start with rice, but we will expand to cover all other strategic foods the kingdom needs,’ Mr Rajhi told Financial Times. Mr Rajhi, who also heads the Tabuk Agricultural Development Company, said that the new company would grow tropical fruits and contract land suitable for wheat and corn in central Asia..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Tourism to Bag SR66 Billion This Year  [Jun 13]
“Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry is expected to make a revenue of SR66 billion this year, said Salah Al-Bakhit, deputy chairman of Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).  ‘This figure is 4.76 percent more than the revenue earned in 2009,’ Al-Bakhit said in a statement that was carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.  He was optimistic about the future of the country’s tourism industry. ‘By the year 2015 its revenue would reach SR118 billion and by 2020 it would jump further to SR232 billion,’ he said.  Making a presentation on ‘Creating a tourism investment climate in the Kingdom,’ Al-Bakhit said the revenue of transport sector would increase by eight percent in 2010 to reach SR30 billion.  Restaurants and coffee shops are expected to earn a revenue of SR36 billion in 2010, up 9 percent compared to last year.  The number of jobs in the tourism sector rose from 333,125 in 2000 to 457,658 in 2009, registering an annual growth rate of 7.4 percent.  ‘The number of Saudis working in the field rose by 60 percent from 66,704 to 117,384 during the same period,’ the official said..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Saudi Arabia Denies Flight Deal Against Iran  [Jun 12]
“Gulf states will not support any military action against Iran despite being wary about its nuclear programme, analysts said on Saturday.  ‘Saudi Arabia will not cooperate with Israel or any other country to attack Iran. We have always advocated a peaceful solution to the Iran crisis,’ Dr Abdul Aziz Hamad of King Saud University told Gulf News.  Saudi and US defence officials were quoted in a report in The Times as saying that Riyadh will allow Israeli jets to use its airspace if Tel Aviv decides to attack Iranian nuclear facilities.  ‘The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,’ the London-based newspaper said, quoting a US defence source..”  [Complete Report]

Saudis Tests Clearing Skies for Israel to Bomb Iran  [Jun 12]
“Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to allow Israeli jets to use its airspace in a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times newspaper reported on Saturday.  ‘The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,’ a US defence source in the area told the paper.  ‘They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the (US) State Department.’.. ..A source in Saudi Arabia said the arrangement was common knowledge within defence circles in the kingdom.  ‘We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing,’ the source told The Times..”  [Complete Report]

IFC’s Saudi Venture to Finance Creating 15,000 Homes [Jun 12]
“The International Finance Corp said its Saudi Home Loans Co venture is planning to spend SR7.5bn ($2bn) to build 15,000 homes for middle- income Saudis by 2020.  The venture with Saudi partners will provide 2.5 million riyals to build 5,000 homes over the next three years alone, Walid al-Murshed, Saudi country manager for the IFC, said in a telephone interview on Saturday.  ‘We have around 1 billion riyals in cash and we need to raise the remaining 1.5 billion riyals,’ he said. ‘We haven’t decided yet on how we will raise the money.’  Saudi Home Loans will probably borrow some of the funds from banks and is also considering a sale of bonds or Islamic bonds, known as sukuk, to secure the rest of the money, al- Murshed said. According to IFC estimates, Saudi Arabia needs to build 200,000 homes a year to meet demand from a population that is growing by 2.5 percent annually..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Saudi May See 8% Rise in Bank Loans in 2010  [Jun 11]
“Bank lending in Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, may grow 8 percent this year, said Said al-Shaikh, chief economist at the National Commercial Bank.  In 2009 ‘despite the actions that have been taken by the monetary authority to stimulate lending, unfortunately Saudi banks were cautious and risk averse,’ al-Shaikh said in a presentation at an Arab-Turkish economic forum today in Istanbul. ‘As of 2010 we see a pick-up in lending’ with Saudi banks having ‘enough liquidity to deploy.’  National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia’s largest lender in terms of assets, expects the kingdom’s non-oil economy to expand 4 percent this year, helping overall economic growth to reach 3.5 percent, al-Shaikh said.  Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil producer and its economy depends on hydrocarbon exports for revenue and growth. Oil prices may average $75 a barrel this year from $61 in 2009, al-Shaikh said..”  [Complete Report]

Turkey’s PM Denies Reports on Saudi Arabia Fund  [Jun 11]
“Turkish prime minister said on Thursday that recent news published by the media claiming that 15 billion USD received from Saudi Arabia caused an increase in portfolio investments and deposits in Turkey were totally wrong.  Replying to questions at a press conference held after the “Sixth Meeting of the Investment Advisory Council of Turkey”, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on several news stories claiming that Turkey had overcome the crisis thanks to a substantial amount of money it received from Saudi Arabia.  ‘Several press organs claimed that Turkey received 15 billion USD from Saudi Arabia and this money caused an increase in portfolio investments and deposits. These allegations are totally wrong and unfounded. Please do not give them any credit,’ Erdogan said.  Pointing to the news stating ‘monthly increase in deposits at banks broke a record with 10 percent, amounting to 23.5 billion Turkish liras, in May 2006′, Erdogan said such deposits were the savings of residents of Turkey..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Saudi, China Scientists Decode Camel DNA  [Jun 10]
“Scientists from Saudi Arabia and China said on Wednesday that they had completed mapping the genome of the Arabian camel.  It took 20 scientists from Riyadh’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and China’s Shenzhen-based BGI – formerly the Beijing Genomics Institute – more than one year to decode the entire genetic makeup of the single-humped camel, Camelus dromedarius, the omnipresent native of the Arabian peninsula.  ‘The Arabian camel today enters a highly exclusive club of selected few mammals which have had their full genome sequenced and analysed,’ the two institutions said in a joint statement.  Sequencing and analysing the entire camel genome, which has ‘remarkable similarities’ to cattle, could lead to a better understanding of the camel’s ability to survive in the harsh desert environment, they said..”  [Complete Report]

Climate Study Request at UN Talks  [Jun 10]
“Saudi Arabia blocked a request by island nations led by Barbados for the United Nations to produce a study outlining the potential effects of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) of warming on their countries and people.  The request was rejected after talks overran late yesterday and resumed today at a UN meeting in Bonn. The islands’ request was backed by Australia and the European Union’s 27 members before Saudi Arabia said it couldn’t accept the demand. It received backing from Kuwait and other oil producers. The rejection of the request ‘is on the border of alarming,’ Grenada’s envoy, Dessima Williams, told delegates today, speaking on behalf of the bloc of 43 island and low-lying nations. She said the group will table the request again at year-end talks in Cancun, Mexico.  The islands pleaded for the study to be carried out to give them access to information they can’t easily get hold of..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Aramco to Supply Full July Oil Volumes to Asia [Jun 10]
“Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the world’s largest state-owned oil company, will supply full contractual volumes of crude to Asia for loading in July as prices remain within its preferred range.  Saudi Aramco, as the company is known, will provide 100 percent of cargoes sold under long-term contracts for an eighth month, according to a survey of three refinery officials in Japan and one in China, all of whom asked to remain unidentified, citing confidentiality agreements with the Middle East producer.  The decision to provide full exports comes after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed in March to leave output quotas unchanged for the fifth time since 2008. The group is exceeding targets by the equivalent of a little more than a supertanker a day.  Arab Light, the country’s biggest export grade, was at $71.96 a barrel yesterday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s up 83 percent from its low on Feb. 18, 2009.  Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on March 30 that oil prices in the $70 to $80 range are ‘as close to perfect as possible’ and he hopes they remain in that area..”  [Complete Report]

Finland’s Poyry Wins Saudi Nuclear Consulting Deal  [Jun 10]
“Saudi Arabia has brought in engineering and consulting company Poyry to give advice on a strategy for the use of nuclear and renewable energy, the Finnish group said on Thursday.  Philipp Elkuch from Poyry’s nuclear energy business group said over the next few months the firm would create a long-term roadmap for Saudi Arabia to diversify its energy sources.  ‘We need to look at long-term energy policy, what they should do in the next (decades) in order to change the way they produce electricity also to see what are their options, what is possible and what is not,’ Elkuch told Reuters.  He said the roadmap would include advice on, for example, what kind of regulatory bodies would be needed in the country and in the case of nuclear energy what international treaties would need to be observed..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Saudi Electric to Get Loan for $2.1 bln Plant in June  [Jun 9]
“A consortium led by Saudi Electricity (5110.SE: Quote) will sign this month a loan agreement with local and foreign banks worth up to $1.47 billion to help finance a new power plant, its chief executive said.  “Up to 70 percent of the financing required for Riyadh 11 power plant will come in loans from banks. We expect to sign the agreement for this loan within two to three weeks,” Ali Saleh al-Barrak, chief executive of the state-controlled power utility, told Reuters.  ‘The partners in the plant will contribute 30 percent of the project’s cost in equity’.  The firm said earlier on Wednesday that it has agreed to form a joint-venture with GDF Suez (GSZ.PA: Quote), Japan’s Sojitz Corp (2768.T: Quote) and the local Jomaih Holding Group to operate the plant in the power-hungry Saudi Arabia. [ID:nLDE6580GS]  Saudi Electricity will hold a 50 percent stake in the Darmaa Power Co joint-venture while GDF Suez, Sojitz and together hold the remaining half. The plant will have a 1,730 megawatts capacity..”  [Complete Report]

Historical Film Footage of Saudi Arabia Online  [Jun 9]
“Critical Past has just launched one of the world’s largest online resources for royalty-free, historic film clips and photos. Available now at www.CriticalPast.com, the collection spans thousands of hours of video and millions of still images, all of which are available for free viewing online, or consumers may download the clips for a few dollars.. ..There are more than 100 clips directly related to Saudi Arabia at the site, with the earliest ones dating from 1916. For instance, footage from 1945 shows the meeting of King Abdulaziz with US President Franklin Roosevelt aboard the USS Quincy (CA-71) at Great Bitter Lake, Suez Canal, during World War II. The clips highlight many aspects of the meeting and it is especially interesting to view Ibn Saud’s sons and the government officials who accompanied him.  There are many film clips of official Saudi visits to the United States..”  [Complete Report]

US Firms Eye Kingdom’s Health Care, Water Sectors  [Jun 9]
“US Commerce Undersecretary for International Trade Francisco J. Sanchez visited Saudi Arabia this week with a delegation of 11 American specialized companies in health care and water and waste management to explore possible investment opportunities as Saudi Arabia is increasing its focus on these sectors.  Sanchez, on the first mission abroad after his appointment by President Barack Obama in March this year, said: ‘Saudi Arabia and the US have a long history of strong friends and allies on many fronts including commerce.’  The US delegation consisted of CDM, Inc., Dame Tech Corporation, Headworks BIO, Inc., HKS, Inc., ITT Water and Wastewater, Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch, Numotech, Inc., Patient Education Institute, SSWIFT USA Ltd., Sylvan Source and Ted Jacob Engineering Group. The delegation visited Riyadh first. After the Jeddah visit, the delegation left for Qatar.  Sanchez said the Riyadh visit exceeded his expectations as the delegation met with the minister of health and officials of water management, other government and private sector officials to explore investment opportunities..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Shares Rise to Week-High  [Jun 9]
“Saudi Arabian shares advanced to the highest level in more than a week led by petrochemical companies as oil rose for a second day and on speculation the past month’s drop may have been overdone.  Saudi Basic Industries Corp., the world’s largest petrochemical maker, rose to the highest since May 31. Riyad Bank, Saudi Arabia’s third-largest lender by market value, and Saudi British Bank gained after they were raised to “buy” at EFG-Hermes Holding SAE. The Saudi Tadawul All Share Index rallied for a third day, climbing 1.3 percent to 6,076.05, the highest since June 1 as of 12:44 p.m. in Riyadh.  ‘Oil is holding resiliently above $70, helping the overall situation,’ said Haissam Arabi, chief executive officer of Gulfmena Alternative Investments in Dubai. ‘Petrochemicals have especially been oversold on the back of the Europe crisis and prices are extremely attractive. Saudi is a cheap entry point right now.’..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – QATAR – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Washington Latin Students Make Connection in Qatar  [Jun 8]
“When Martha Cutts, head of Washington Latin Public Charter School, asked her students if anyone was interested in Arabic language and culture classes, she thought five or six kids might raise their hands.   Instead, she heard from 175.  Of those students, 75 eighth- and ninth-graders ended up enrolling in the Arabic program, which is offered at the school through the Qatar Foundation International, an organization aimed at opening connections between the United States and Qatar and helping U.S. and Qatari students learn about each other. Over spring break, 16 Washington Latin students went to Qatar, a small country on the Persian Gulf near Saudi Arabia, to meet kids their age and see the country, along with students from a school in Boston.  It was an eye-opening experience for the U.S. and Qatari students, since most of them knew only what they’d seen on the news or in movies..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Shoura Decision on Women Members After Summer Break  [Jun 8]
“The Shoura Council is considering amendments to regulations governing its relations with other authorities and its own work, including the participation of women in the Council.  Shoura Chairman Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh said that there was a ‘certain vision on the issue’.  ‘The picture will be clearer after the summer holidays,’ he said.   Aal Al-Shiekh said that the Council, complying with directives from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Crown Prince and the Second Deputy Premier, had over the past year seen ‘movement in its relations with other government bodies’..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Aramco Has 260 Billion Barrels Oil Reserves [Jun 8]
“Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the world’s biggest state oil company, has 260 billion barrels of oil reserves, said Mohammed Al-Qahtani, the executive director of the company’s Petroleum Engineering & Development unit.  ‘To ensure availability and reliability, we have invested heavily in new developments to increase oil production capacity,’ Al-Qahtani said at a conference in Beijing today. ‘A lack of resources isn’t a constraining factor.’  Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest crude exporter, with output of 8.29 million barrels a day in May, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Middle Eastern kingdom had proved reserves of 264.1 billion barrels at the end of 2008, according to BP Plc’s Statistical Review of World Energy.  Saudi Aramco aims to increase natural gas output to 15.5 billion cubic feet a day by 2014 from the current 11.2 billion cubic feet a day, Al-Qahtani said..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Mortgage Law Eagerly Awaited  [Jun 8]
“The Saudi mortgage law, expected to be enacted by the end of the year, can increase demand for housing by around 50 percent, according to a real estate expert. ‘The enactment of the mortgage law is eagerly awaited, as it can help end users tackle their financing problems,’ Ahmed Ali Al Kulli, general manager of Emaar Middle East, told Arab News on the sidelines of the three-day Cityscape Jeddah 2010, which opened with the support of Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed on Monday. Marking the event is a real estate exhibition in which more than 100 local and regional property investors, developers and service providers are showcasing their current and future projects, and services, at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events.  Kulli said the Kingdom was one of the countries not affected by the world financial crisis and with its strong and buoyant economy held excellent prospects for the booming real estate sector..”  [Complete Report]

Deutsche Bank Subsidiary Obtains Brokerage License In Saudi Arabia  [Jun 8]
“Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia (DSSA), a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank, has received a brokerage license from Capital Market Authority of Saudi Arabia.  The license will allow DSSA to provide various brokerage and financial services including trading in securities, custody, underwriting, arranging and advising as well as providing investment funds and client portfolio management.  DSSA will capitalize on its global investment banking platform in developing the financial solutions to Saudi based clients and international entities operating in or wishing to enter the Saudi market, according to Deutsche Bank.. ..’The establishment of DSSA is an important step that will allow Deutsche Bank to pursue more effectively one of its important objectives, contributing to the development of the Saudi capital markets and developing Saudi investment banking talent and expertise.’..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia to Join International Grains Council  [Jun 8]
“Saudi Arabia is completing the formal process to become a member of the International Grains Council, the body’s executive director said on Tuesday,  signalling the country’s future import needs.  Speaking at the IGC’s conference in London, Etsuo Kitahara, executive director of the IGC, said the formal procedure to finalise new membership should be completed in the coming weeks.  The move follows Saudi Arabia’s decision in 2008 to abandon its self-sufficiency domestic wheat growing programme due to reduced water supplies..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Saif Bin Zayed Arrives in Jeddah  [Jun 7]
“Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, arrived on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, starting an official visit to the Kingdom.  Shaikh Saif was received upon arrival at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport by Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Al Asri Al Daheri, UAE ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and a number of Saudi officials.  Minister of Economy Sultan Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Labour Saqr Gobash and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammad Gergash are accompanying Shaikh Saif on his Saudi visit..”  [Complete Report]

Prefers Oil At $70-$80  [Jun 7]
“Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, still prefers a crude oil price ranging between $70 and $80 a barrel, the kingdom’s oil minister said in comments published Monday.  “I believe a price between $70 and $80 is fair,” Saudi oil minister Ali Naimi said in an interview with Petroleum Policy Intelligence, a U.K. consultancy. “Ideally $75 is the best [price] but there is no way to simply target $75.’ The interview was conducted May 18. Front-month oil futures in New York traded Monday at just over $71 a barrel.  Naimi said oil prices at $70-$80 a barrel were ‘delivering the revenue we need’ in Saudi Arabia to maintain macroeconomic stability.  Naimi said he believed the world oil market was not oversupplied, as some industry analysts believe, and said he saw no let up in Asia’s healthy economic growth nor in that region’s oil demand despite Europe’s recent financial problems.  Naimi said the kingdom’s oil output stood at around 8.05 million barrels a day, on par with the country’s production quota under the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ output allocation system. However, many industry analysts have put Saudi production higher at around 8.15 million to 8.20 million barrels a day..” [Complete Report]

Saudis Can Join International Schools [Jun 7]
“The Ministry of Education has given its approval for Saudis to be admitted to Saudi-owned international schools for foreign communities from the beginning of the next academic year.  Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported Ibrahim Al-Salim, the chairman of the National Education Committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as saying that the ministry had issued its approval in response to numerous requests from parents who note that the schools teach their curriculums in English.  The ministry, according to Al-Salim, has approved the move only for schools with a 70-percent rating in the schools’ classification register and that are owned by Saudi nationals.  The schools formerly only admitted Saudis whose parents were employed in the diplomatic corps and with approval from the ministry, Al-Salim said, or the children of Saudis returning from abroad who were ‘not able to join Saudi schools due to their educational circumstances’..”  [Complete Report]

Lawsuit May Be Filed Against MTV  [Jun 7]
“The Jeddah Municipal Council on Sunday hinted that it is considering a lawsuit against MTV Networks, which is owned by Viacom, for airing a recent short documentary about Saudi youths in which members of the council were shown in footage without their consent.   The council said in a statement that broadcasting images of council members is ‘an aggression against the rights of others’ and said the members would demand their rights according to the regulations and laws in such cases.  The council suggested in its statement that the segment that showed the municipal council was distorted and misleading, but it did not elaborate. The segment in question pertained to a young Saudi man discussing the lack of women on the council.  Saudi lawyer Sulaiman Al-Jumaie, who defended Muhammad Abdul Jawad, the man deemed the ‘Sex Braggart’ for going on an LBC program earlier this year talking about his sexual conquests, said he would defend those youths who appeared on the MTV documentary if a case were brought against them..”  [Complete Report]
 
Rabeah, US Official Discuss Health Care Cooperation  [Jun 7]
“Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah, Minister of Health, held discussions in Riyadh Sunday with Francisco Sanchez, the United States’ Deputy Secretary of International Trade, to boost cooperation on health care between the Kingdom and the US.  Participants at the meeting included a US trade delegation representing some 15 companies, including those involved in construction of hospitals and health facilities, medicine producers and manufacturers of medical equipment, surgical thread, surgery tools and other industrial and pharmaceutical requirements. They also discussed cooperation on expanding the provision of health care services for citizens..” [Complete Report]

Desalination Only Solution to Avert Crisis  [Jun 7]
“WITH 24 million cubic meters per day (m3/day) of production capacity, the desalination plants in the Arab world represent nearly 50 percent of the world’s total desalination capacity. Saudi Arabia is the biggest producer of desalinated water in the Arab World. Jeddah, the commercial hub of the Kingdom, has been relying on seawater desalination for decades. Adil Bushnak, the Saudi entrepreneur who heads several companies active in water, environment and energy services, says the role of desalination as a major source of domestic water supply will greatly increase in Arab countries because of population growth, increasing urbanization, industrialization and depletion of non-renewable sources of water.  He agrees that desalination of seawater is a costly affair but asserts that it is the ‘only solution,’ especially on the coast, to meet the drinking water requirements..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – QATAR – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Help Educate Children in Gaza, Qatar Emir’s Wife Tells International Agencies  [Jun 7]
“Shaikha Mouza Bint Nasser Al Misnad, wife of Qatar’s emir and Unesco Special Envoy, called upon international agencies to help Palestinian children and youth in Gaza with their education.  “The right to an education is a human right. Today, schoolchildren and university students in Gaza and the West Bank are not able to fully exercise their right to an education,” Shaikha Mouza said. “As Special Envoy to Unesco for Basic and Higher Education, I call on all international agencies to focus their attention on lifting the blockade of Gaza to ensure the rights of Palestinian children and youth,” she said in a statement carried by Qatar News Agency (QNA).  Shaikha Mouza, an active international figure, said the lethal incident in which Israeli forces killed activists on a humanitarian mission in support of Palestinians should be used to lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – QATAR – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Qatar Minister Joins Protest Rally Against Israel [Jun 6]
“Qatar’s minister of culture, arts and heritage was among hundreds of citizens and residents who staged a rally to protest against Israel for its deadly raid on Gaza-bound ships carrying humanitarian aid.  Hamad Bin Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari, in an emotional speech, praised the activists on the ships, saying that the largest international organisations had not been able to do what they did.   ”Efforts to break the Israeli siege must continue,” the minister said, quoted by Qatari daily The Peninsula.  Speakers at the rally said that the murder of nine aid workers in the Israeli raid had taken place in international waters..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Court to Hear Cases of 97 Detained Bahraini Fishermen  [Jun 6]
“A Qatari court on Monday will decide the fate of 97 Bahrain-based fishermen in Doha’s custody for allegedly entering the country’s waters illegally.  According to Bahraini human rights activists, 31 Bahrainis and 66 Asians will be tried by a court in Rayyan, in the western part of Doha, amid hopes that the Qatari authorities would allow them to go home after paying fines.  One of the detainees, Adel Al Taweel, has been held for one month now after he was shot for failing to heed warning shots by Qatar’s coastguards to leave Qatari waters.  The 37-year-old Bahraini was treated at a local hospital, but the authorities did not release him despite the arrival of a medical team and a human rights delegation from Bahrain to repatriate him.  Ahmad Khalil, the father of three fishermen held in Qatar, said that he was looking forward to being reunited with them..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar to Bear the Cost of Taking Israel to ICJ  [Jun 6]
“Putting its weight behind the decision of fellow Arab states to take Israel to the ICJ for its botched aid fleet raid that killed nine activists, Qatar has said it would meet all the expenses to be incurred on the legal proceedings.  Qatar has also said it would fund a worldwide media campaign to expose Israel, its blockade of the Gaza Strip and the aggression it has been perpetrating in the territory, a report in ‘The Peninsula Daily’ said.  According to the report, Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa said that Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, has assured the League of the country’s moral and financial support on the above issues.  At Qatar’s behest the foreign ministers of Arab League member countries met in Cairo on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the Israeli raid and its Gaza blockade.  “We heartily appreciate Qatar’s commitment to meeting the expenses of taking Israel to court for the crime (the flotilla attack) and launching a global media campaign to expose the Israeli blockade of and aggression in Gaza,” Moussa was quoted as saying by the paper..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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New Generation of Saudi Novelists Breaks Taboos  [Jun 6]
“In a country where cinema and theatre are banned and most forms of public expression are censored, Saudi novelists are enjoying new popularity by breaking taboos with daring novels.  Although most of the works remain banned from bookshops in this ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, Saudi book lovers buy them from other Arab countries where they are freely sold.  One of these novels, Abdo Khal’s “She Throws Sparks” went all the way to grab the Arab world’s equivalent of the Booker Prize for this year.  The work, which won the International Prize for Arab Fiction in March, exposes the gap between abundant wealth and poverty in a Saudi city in what the judges’ citation called a ‘painfully satirical novel’.  ‘The book gives the reader a taste of the horrifying reality of the excessive world of the palace’ and ‘the agonising story of those who have become enslaved by it, drawn by its promise of glamour’, the citation said..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi to Restrict Use of ‘Sheikh’ Title  [Jun 6]
“Saudi Arabia has announced it is to restrict the use of the title of ‘Sheikh’ to religious scholars and tribal leaders only.  Abdul Rahman Al-Hazza, a spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Information, said that the new directive was aimed in part to reduce tensions within tribes that arose because of the use of ‘Sheikh’ by people who were not entitled to use it.. ..The Ministry has alerted local newspapers and magazines to instruct them to use the title only for religious scholars and tribal leaders, the newspaper said..”  [Complete Report]

Call to Allow Female Students at Saudi’s KFUPM University  [Jun 6]
“Academics in Saudi Arabia have called for changes to the enrolment policy of King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) to allow women students.  ‘It has a good reputation for the high academic standards of its graduates. The question which can be posed is, why does this university not open its doors to females?’ Dr Hassa Aal Al-Sheikh, dean of the Women’s College at Al-Yamamah University in Riyadh, told the Saudi Gazette.  She said male and female students could have separate sections so would not break any rules about the mingling of the sexes.. ..No official comment was reported from KFUPM, but Dr Abdul Rahman Al-Ossayyil, professor of political science at the university, said he supported the move.  ‘KFUPM is a specialised university. Therefore, the idea of establishing a women’s section at the university would be a fruitful and good initiative,’ he told the paper.  ‘The equality of Saudi men and women in education is very important,’..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Railways Extends Haramain Bid Date  [Jun 6]
“Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) has extended the due date for the bidding of the second phase of Haramain High Speed Railway Project (HHR), connecting Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah, to July 3.  Announcing the extension, SRO president Abdulaziz Al Hokail said the decision was taken after a number of consortia requested for an extension for the period granted to them to submit their technical and financial proposals.  ‘In order to obtain more accurate, professional and integrated proposals, SRO has approved the request of consortia to extend the period until July 3,’ he added.  Al Hokail pointed out that a huge project such as the HHR requires SRO and the competitors to act carefully when making the final proposals which will be reflected positively to select the best offer submitted.  However, he added that this delay will not affect the specific date for commissioning the project which is scheduled for the end of 2012..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – QATAR – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Qatar Agrees to Supply LNG  [Jun 5]
“Qatar has agreed to supply 500 million cubic feet (MMCF) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh.  This assurance came from the Gulf country during a meeting with a Bangladesh delegation led by Energy Secretary Mohammad Masbahuddin that returned home yesterday after a four-day visit to Qatar.  “We had a successful discussion with top officials of the Qatar’s state-owned petroleum agency. They showed a positive indication to supply about 500mmcf liquefied gas to meet our deficit,” said a member of the delegation.  Bangladesh has been experiencing nagging gas crisis that hit hard the country’s industry and other business and also power generation. The present production is now estimated at 1,900mmcf against the demand of more than 2,400mmcf. To meet the daily deficit of 500mmcf, the government moved to import LNG on suitable terms of price and transportation..”  [Complete Report]

PM Meets Prime Minister of Qatar  [Jun 5]
“Prime Minister David Cameron has met his Qatari counterpart today.  Mr Cameron and Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al Thani held talks on a range of topics including Gaza and Sudan.  A Downing Street Spokesman said:  “The Prime Minister met His Excellency Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar for over one hour at Chequers this morning.  “They discussed the strong bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Qatar and look forward to strengthening those ties. They discussed the regional situations in Gaza and Iran. They also spoke about the latest situation in Sudan and Eritrea, where the Prime Minister welcomed Qatar’s continued leadership.”..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – OMAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Oldest Omani Man Dat 137 [Jun5]
“The oldest living Omani, Bashir Al Saalmi, has died at thea ge of 137 in Sumayil, located about 100-km northwest off Muscat, according to a report by Oman News Agency on Saturday.  He has left behind him 13 chidlren around 300 gradnchildren, the report says.  The report claims that Al Saalmi never went to hospital for treatment during his lifetime. In his last days when took seriously ill, he was fed honey and fresh meat..”  [Complete Report]

Death Toll Rises From Cyclone Phet in Oman  [Jun 5]
“Cyclone Phet killed 15 people and left two missing in Oman before barrelling towards Pakistan, a civil defence force official said on Saturday.  Thirteen Omanis and two expatriates were killed by the storm, he said.  Lt. General Malek Bin Sulaiman Al Ma’amari told Oman’s state television that the dead included a non-commissioned officer of the Civil Defence. The officer died while trying to rescue a family from surging waters in Rustaq, northwest of the country, Al Ma’amari said.  One more person died in Sumayil when his car was washed away in surging wadi waters while the fifth death was reported from the northwest..”  [Complete Report]

Falmouth Coastguard Completes Oman Cyclone Rescue  [Jun 5]
“Twenty-three people have been rescued from two fishing vessels stranded off Oman in a cyclone.  Falmouth Coastguard co-ordinated the search for nine people on the barge Kanta and 14 on the tug named Roma.  The coastguard used satellite communication to find a nearby tanker which travelled 300 miles (482.8km) to locate the two vessels.  The crews boarded the tanker on Friday, 30 hours after the rescue was launched. No-one was injured in the incident. At the height of the cyclone wind speeds reached 200mph (321.kph) and waves were as high as 10m (32ft).  Falmouth Coastguard watch manager Marc Thomas said: “This was an incredibly dangerous mission for all vessels involved due to a severe tropical cyclone.  “We are very grateful to the captains and crews of all the vessels that were involved in this very difficult and drawn out rescue.” ..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – KUWAIT – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Amnesty Urges Kuwait to Release Top Writer [Jun 5]
“Amnesty International appealed to Kuwait on Saturday to immediately release a prominent writer whose family and lawyer insist he is being illegally detained.  In a letter addressed to the Gulf state’s ruler, the London-based rights watchdog called for all charges against Mohammad Abdulqader al-Jassem, who has been in custody since May 11 pending a trial, to be dropped.  “Amnesty International considers that Mohammad Abdulqader al-Jassem is a prisoner of conscience, held solely on account of his legitimate exercise of his right to freedom of expression, and is calling for his immediate and unconditional release,” it said in a statement.  Jassem has been charged with undermining the emir’s status, attacking the regime and spreading false information that harmed Kuwait’s national interests, which carries a penalty of several years in jail..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Berlin, Moscow Eye Quick U.N. Move on Iran Sanctions  [Jun 5]
“The leaders of Germany and Russia said on Saturday that world powers were on the verge of approving a new round of sanctions against Iran for its nuclear work.  World powers are at loggerheads with Iran over its uranium enrichment program, which they believe is a cover to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its nuclear work is for the peaceful generation of electricity.  Germany and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — have been discussing a fourth round of sanctions for months and Washington has said a vote is likely next week.  German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev north of Berlin, described the consensus among world powers on the issue as a “major diplomatic advance” and said she expected the U.N. to move quickly.  “It is possible that in the near future the sanctions can be approved by the U.N. Security Council,” Merkel said..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Jams Documentary of Iranian Protester Neda  [Jun 5]
“The Voice of America’s Persian News Network says Iran tried to jam a television documentary about a woman shot dead during post-election protests last year.  PNN says it received many complaints from Iranian viewers that their signal was jammed soon after the network began airing the documentary about Neda Agha-Soltan Wednesday.  The network says viewers in different parts of Iran also informed VOA that their electricity went out shortly after the documentary went on air.  However, the documentary is also available on the Internet and has been downloaded tens of thousands of times.  VOA plans to re-broadcast the documentary on June 12, the anniversary of Iran’s disputed presidential election, and on June 20, the anniversary of Neda Agha-Soltan’s death.  She was shot and killed in Tehran, apparently by Iranian security forces, during one of several violent anti-government protests that followed the Iranian election.  Mobile phone images and a video showing her dying moments were widely seen around the world, and her name became a rallying cry for those demonstrating for reform in Iran..”  [Complete Report]

Medvedev Calls on Iran to Stop ‘Irresponsible Behavior’ [Jun 5]
“Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Iran to stop what he termed its “irresponsible behavior” and urged the Iranian govnernment to listen to the international community.  Medvedev, speaking to reporters today after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Meseberg, Germany, said that an agreement on a new set of international sanctions aimed at Iran is “almost there.”..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – Bahrain – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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IFJ Calls for Special Inquiry, Prepares its Own Journalists’ Compensation Dossier  [Jun 5]
“The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is preparing a journalists’ compensation dossier on the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound ships as the international media watchdog called for a special inquiry into the killing of a journalist and injuries to others during the lethal raid.  The dossier will form the basis of journalists’ claims for compensation in the aftermath of the deadly raid on the ships carrying humanitarian aid for besieged Palestinians.  “We now know that one journalist died and at least one other is seriously injured in horrifying circumstances that remain unexplained,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “We are also gathering information about the treatment of journalists and the confiscation of their material, all of which raises new concerns about the violations of their rights.”  The IFJ said that a specific inquiry into the treatment of journalists is required because around 100 of the people detained by the Israeli authorities were thought to be journalists from across the globe..”  [Complete Report]

GCC Should Allow Fishermen to Have Greater Access to Gulf Waters  [Jun 5]
“Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries should draft a fishing agreement that would allow their nationals to use the Gulf waters with less restrictions, a leading Bahraini MP has said.  “The GCC have agreements on commercial activities that allow businessmen and entrepreneurs to conduct all kinds of activities in any of the six member states as local citizens,” said Adel Al Mouawda, the head of the parliamentary committee for foreign affairs, defence and national security.  “The same principles should apply to fishing which is a commercial activity, within a specific legal frame,” he said.  His call was made three weeks after a Bahraini fisherman was shot after straying into Qatari waters..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Qaeda Threat to Kidnap Saudi Royals to Free Female Operative  [Jun 5]
“In order to secure the release of its female operative arrested by Saudi forces, Al Qaeda has threatened to kidnap Saudi princes and ministers, a television report has said. In an audiotape played on Al Arabiya TV, an Al Qaeda regional commander reportedly threatened “major operations” against the kingdom following the arrest of Haylah Al Qassir. Qassir was believed to be responsible for recruiting women to the group as well as handling money issues, the report said. “Al Qaeda is organising cells to kidnap princes, ministers and officials including military commanders,” Saeed Al Shehri said in the audiotape. He said that ‘preacher’ Heila Al Qsayer, a widow of a Saudi Al Qaeda militant killed six years ago by the Saudi authorities, was arrested in Qassim, north of the capital, but did not specify when..”  [Complete Report]

Judges Requested to Heed Terrorism Financing Edict [Jun 5]
“King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has ordered the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to work in accordance with the Board of Senior Ulema’s recent edict criminalizing the financing of terrorism.  In response to the order, a circular issued to judges across the Kingdom by SJC president Saleh Bin Humaid stated that the Board of Senior Ulema viewed the financing of terrorism as ‘one of the means and reasons for the survival and increase of terrorism’. ‘The Board ruled therefore that financing, or making attempts to finance terrorism, is prohibited and is a crime punishable by Shariah,’ the circular said.  ‘That includes persons who provide or raise money or participate in the activity in any way whatsoever. Anyone who knowingly perpetrates the crime is punishable by Shariah.’..”  [Complete Report]

Kingdom on Road to Energy Efficiency  [Jun 5]
“The first ever Public Stakeholder meeting, the initial step in the process to certify an energy efficiency project under the rules of the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), was held in Jeddah on May 31. The meeting started the process of putting the Kingdom on the road to being energy efficient.  ‘This is a relatively small project, however it’s symbolically highly significant, as is this first stakeholder meeting. This is history in the making,’ said Xenel-Balderrie’s CEO Rachad Itani who conducted the meeting. The project, which involves a switch from electric to absorption chillers for the King Road Tower building, will reduce CO2 emissions by about 10,000 tons per year, generating emission credits that could amount to $2 million over the project’s 10-year registration period.. ..Participants in this first stakeholder consultation included three representatives from Green Nation, Saudi Arabia’s first eco-friendly initiative..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Shares Decline on Lower Confidence in Global Recovery  [Jun 5]
“Saudi Arabian shares slumped on the week’s first day, led by insurance and petrochemicals companies, as global stock markets and oil declined after a report showed the U.S. added fewer jobs than expected last month.  Al-Ahlia Cooperative Insurance, Allied Cooperative Insurance Group (ACIG) and Saudi Basic Industries Corp., the world’s largest petrochemical maker, helped the Saudi Tadawul All Share Index to slide as much as 3.06 percent and fell 1.23 percent to 5927.45 at 3:30 p.m. local time.  ‘The sell-off is coupled with global market psychology,’ said John Sfakianakis, chief economist at Banque Saudi Fransi. ‘Investors are selling off in anticipation of a further market decline which took a beating in the U.S. and Europe yesterday as sovereign concerns mounted and a weak U.S. employment market didn’t help sentiment.’  The S&P 500 Index declined 3.4 percent to 1,064.88, the lowest in four months, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 324.06 points, or 3.2 percent, to 9,931.22..”  [Complete Report]

French Defence Minister Begins Two Day Visit to Saudi Arabia  [Jun 5]
“French Defence Minister Herve Morin is beginning a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, considered an important customer for the French defence industry.  A diplomatic source says Morin was due to meet Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to discuss ‘questions of regional security and cooperation on defence.’  The French minister is also expected to meet King Abdullah. In July last year, France and Saudi Arabia reached agreement on the sale to the Saudi airforce of three Airbus A330-MRTT military refuelling planes.  The two countries are also discussing the possible acquisition by the Saudi navy of helicopters and three FREMM frigates..”  [Complete Report]

Turkish FM Due to Saudi Arabia for OIC Meeting  [Jun 5]
“Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is set to depart for Saudi Arabia on Saturday to participate in an executive board meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah.  The OIC meeting on Sunday is expected to discuss developments in the aftermath a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.   The Israeli raid on the Gaza flotilla on May 31 killed nine activists — eight of them are Turkish nationals — and wounded many others..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – KUWAIT – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Kuwaiti Journalists Tied to Israel: Iranian Ambassador  [Jun 4]
“Iran’s outgoing ambassador to Kuwait has accused some of the local journalists of receiving money to attack Iran and defend Israel, Kuwaiti media reported.  “They are journalists for hire and promote Zionists,” Ali Jannati allegedly said, arguing that the Israeli government often praised them and that their views were always given prominence on the Israeli foreign ministry website, Al Aan reported on Thursday.  “Kuwait’s democracy and press freedom are not found in other countries. The existence of a free press is a highly positive thing and we benefit a lot from opinion pieces and political analyses. We also welcome criticism on domestic and international issues,” he said.  “However, there are some fabricated news about the Islamic Republic of Iran and some of the opinion pieces are by journalists paid to write against Iran. Anti-Iran news are concocted and there is no attempt to check their veracity or accuracy,” he said, quoted by Al Jareeda daily.  However, no names or references were given by the ambassador at the farewell lunch he hosted for journalists in Kuwait..”  [Complete Report]

Kuwait Foreign Assets Soar to $277 bln: Report  [Jun 4]
“The foreign assets of OPEC member Kuwait swelled to 277 billion dollars at the end of the fiscal year to March 31, up from 238 billion dollars a year earlier, the Al-Jarida newspaper said Friday.  The assets are held in two state-owned funds, the Reserve Fund for Future Generations (RFFG) whose assets grew to 220 billion dollars on March 31 up on 196 billion dollars the previous year.  The second fund is the General State Reserve with 57 billion dollars at the end of the last fiscal year up from 42 billion dollars, Al-Jarida said.  Finance Minister Mustafa al-Shamali gave a briefing on Kuwait’s financial postion to parliament at a secret session on Thursday and declined to reveal any figures to reporters.  Kuwaiti foreign investments, which were estimated to have soared to a record 300 billion dollars in 2008, were severely affected by the global economic crisis.  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in its 2009 World Investment Report that Kuwait sovereign wealth fund assets shrank by 94 billion dollars last year due to the economic meltdown.  But KIA categorically denied the report without providing any figures..”  [Complete Report]

Kuwait Partnership  [Jun 4]
“A group of higher education officials from the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) college in Kuwait visited the University of Dayton to explore partnerships between the two schools.  PAAET officials Meshal Metle, dean of the College of Business Studies; Wael Alhasawi, dean of the College of Technological Studies; and Muhammad Alhatem, director of quality control, visited the University from May 21 through May 26 to explore ways the two institutions might join forces.  “We believe the University of Dayton is an excellent educational opportunity for PAAET students to continue their education,” said Metle. “There are many opportunities to pursue and we look forward to working with our University of Dayton colleagues to make a stronger partnership a reality.”..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Iran’s Leaders Warn Dissidents Who Have Strayed From Khomeini Legacy  [Jun 4]
” Iran’s leaders warned political dissidents Friday that they have strayed from the Islamic Republic’s path, the latest threats in a purge of politicians who once followed the Islamic revolutionary leadership but who are now aligned with the country’s vocal opposition.  In key speeches, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, also condemned Israel’s deadly raid early Monday on a pro-Palestinian aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip. Khamenei predicted the end of the Jewish nation, telling millions of worshipers that Israel is “falling into the valley of death” because of strategic blunders. Speaking during the 21st anniversary of the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the two leaders said politicians with more moderate interpretations of Khomeini’s will and edicts have betrayed his legacy..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Disputes IAEA Assertion on Nuclear Equipment  [Jun 4]
“Iran yesterday challenged the International Atomic Energy Agency’s assertion in a report issued this week that a Tehran laboratory in recent months housed sensitive equipment that could aid in separating weapon-usable nuclear material.. ..Experiments conducted at the Jabr Ibn Jayan Multipurpose Research Laboratory were aimed at producing uranium metal from spent nuclear fuel to serve as radiation shielding, Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Ali Akbar Salehi said, adding without providing details that his country possessed a large quantity of depleted uranium. The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s statement that the facility had carried out pyroprocessing work was a “misinterpretation,” he said.  “The experiments have no relation to pyroprocessing,” state media quoted Salehi as saying. “We believe the agency used this false report about a process that has not yet taken place, with the purpose of influencing public opinion.”..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Issues Bonds for South Pars Gas Field [Jun 4]
“Iran issued a series of bonds to help finance developments of its South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, Iranian banks said. Branches of the Iranian Bank Mellat in foreign countries began issuing bonds for the development of the giant gas complex in the Persian Gulf, the semiofficial Mehr News Agency reports.  Four tiers of bonds worth a total of $1.2 billion would fund South Pars development, the bank announced.  Iran is eager to bring foreign revenue into the country as Western countries push for tighter sanctions as punishment for a controversial nuclear program..”  [Complete Report]

Formalities of Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline Completed: Qamar  [Jun 4]
“The formalities of the Pak-Iran gas pipeline have been completed and physical work on the project would start after a survey on the pipeline is completed, Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Syed Naveed Qamar Shah said on Thursday.  The minister made these remarks while answering a question in the National Assembly. Qamar said that Iran would provide 750 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and the project would help in power generation of 5,000 MW. Replying to a supplementary question, the minister said that the existing gas fields in the country were sufficient to meet the requirements for the next 25 years. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader said that 22 oil and gas exploration licences were issued during the last four months. He informed the House that more than one trillion tonnes of salt reserves were present in the country. Qamar said that the country produced 4.7 metric tonnes of gold, 6.4 metric tonnes of silver and 54,543 metric tonnes of copper during the last three years..”  [Complete Report]

Iran-Backed Shi’ites are Back on Patrol in Yemen [Jun 4]
“Yemeni sources said fighters from the Iranian-backed Believing Youth, which agreed to a ceasefire in February 2010, were restoring positions and renewing patrols in the Saada province near the border with Saudi Arabia. They said the renewed rebel operations have generated friction with Yemeni security forces.  We could quickly return to the same situation as that of a few months ago,” a Yemeni source said.. ..”The Houthis [Believing Youth] have sought to regain control of positions it lost in the war,” the source said.  The Believing Youth has acknowledged the bloody clash in Bani Awair, in which six others were also injured. But the Shi’ites said the tribes, equipped and trained by the regime of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, was violating the ceasefire by taking over schools and ambushing rebels..”  [Complete Report]
 

ARABIALINK Daily News – Bahrain – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Islamists’ Hegemony Blamed for Women’s Failure to Win Bahrain Elections  [Jun 4]
“The first woman to be elected to parliament in the Gulf blamed the hegemony of Islamist societies and women’s “hibernation” for the failure of female candidates to win in elections.  Lateefa Al Gaood, narrowly lost in the 2002 Bahraini elections, but won in the 2006 polls after she ran unopposed in her constituency.  “There is a deplorable lack of awareness among voters about the positive roles that women can play and religious societies have compounded the situation by not selecting women on their lists,” Al Gaood said.  “There is also a problem with the candidates who suffer from hibernation. They do not allow themselves enough time to prepare for the elections and have very little or no interaction with voters,” she said.  Women should have a stronger social presence and should interact at least with the female voters to convince them of their ability to represent them and serve their interests in parliament..”  [Complete Report]

Bahrain’s Liberals Need to Interact With Common Man  [Jun 4]
“Bahrain’s liberals have a chance to win seats in the next parliamentary elections if they are able to readjust their communication and interaction with the street, a political leader has said.  “Contrary to all claims, the Bahraini street is very receptive to the idea of liberal representatives in the lower chamber,” Ahmad Juma, the head of Al Meethaq Society, said.  “However, liberals need to distance themselves from their elitist speeches and to remedy to their lack of contact with common people,” he said.  Islamist societies, both Sunni and Shiites, were able to gather huge support and win in the 2006 elections thanks to their special political speeches and to their charity work, Ahmad, one of Bahrain’s best known liberal writers, said.  The 40-seat lower chamber is overwhelmingly dominated by religious figures whose positions have often resulted in bitter standoffs alongside sectarian lines.  “According to our information, the street is now fed up with the very few achievements reached by the lawmakers who focused more on in-fighting and bickering..”  [Complete Report]

Bahrain Urged to Pull Out of Arab Peace Initiative  [Jun 4]
“An Islamic society has urged Bahrain to pull out of the Arab peace initiative because the Israelis are not interested in peaceful co-existence.  “We call upon Bahrain and all the other Arab countries that have endorsed the Arab peace Initiative to withdraw their support and not to engage in any movement to promote peace with the Israelis,” the Islamic Tribune (Al Menbar) said. “Unfortunately, Israel is not interested in peace and is keen only on murders and destruction. The latest instance of savage attacks on the Freedom Flotilla heroes, which included women and children, is another blatant indication of a dark, blood-stained Zionist history,” the society said. Al Menbar, an off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, has seven of the 40 lower chamber seats in the bicameral parliament and is the third largest block..”  [Complete Report]

LMRA Launching New Visa Sweep   [Jun 4]
“Authorities hope to send home or legalise more than 40,000 “irregular” workers in Bahrain by the end of the year, it emerged yesterday.  They have already slashed the number of illegal workers from 48,000 to 43,000 in the past three months.  However, Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) corporate communication manager Waheed Al Balushi said that was just the start.  He also said authorities no longer viewed “free visa” workers or those who overstay their visa as illegal – since many of them could actually be victims of rogue bosses.  “We now use the term irregular workers instead of illegal workers because it puts a criminal label on them,” Mr Al Balushi told the GDN yesterday.  “Not all of these workers are intentionally here illegally, since their employer could have not renewed their visa..”  [Complete Report]
  
Hundreds to Protest Israel’s Gaza Raid   [Jun 4]
“Hundreds of protesters are expected to take to the streets of Bahrain today, demanding Israeli leaders be put on trial for war crimes.  The demonstration, which begins at 5pm at the road parallel to the Al Fateh Mosque in Juffair, will involve a march to the Marina Club, said organisers.  Participants want tough action to be taken against Israel following its deadly raid on an aid ship heading for Gaza on Monday, which killed nine civilians.  “We have already received a very enthusiastic response from people who have pledged they will attend,” said Bahrain Society Against Normalisation with Zionist Enemy secretary-general Mohammed Musaed. “We hope hundreds will turn up.”  Mr Musaed said the protest was being organised by a coalition of political, vocational and social organisations in Bahrain, the Palestine Support Committee and Campaign on Behalf of Palestine..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Qaeda Threat Evidence of Failure, says Grand Mufti  [Jun  4]
“The Al-Qaeda statement posted Thursday manifests the group’s failure and weakness which has made it resort to issuing threats, said Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti and Chairman of the Board of Senior Ulama.  The Grand Mufti was commenting on the Al-Qaeda threats to carry out kidnappings in Saudi Arabia to avenge the arrest of a female supporter.  Aal Al-Sheikh hoped that these threats will be ‘empty words’.. ..’We are a Muslim nation so we have to challenge this group and continue on our principles and values. We should never accept to be humiliated and we should not in any way sympathize with the deviant group or listen to them. It is strictly forbidden for any Muslim to cooperate with them,’..”  [Complete Report]

Abandon 1,500 Widows and Children in 19 Countries [Jun 4]
“The head of Awasir – the Society for the Welfare of Saudi Families Abroad – has said that unlicensed marriages, many conducted “in secrecy”, have left homeless or in poverty over 1,500 abandoned widows and children in 19 countries across the world.  Awasir president Tawfiq Al-Suwailam said that the society was setting up a database of information on families left in dire straits by Saudi husbands and fathers, and that a precise survey ordered by Prince Naif, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, revealed data on 575 Saudi families – comprising 1,552 widows and children left fatherless in 19 countries – eligible for help from Awasir.. ..’The countries where they are found stretch from the Philippines in the east to the United States in the west, and approximately 90 percent of them are in brotherly nations such as Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon and the Philippines,’  he said.  Many of the families, Al-Suwaliam said, had been living homeless or in poverty, in many cases due to unregulated marriages, ‘such as misyar, misfaar and ‘urfi marriages’..” [Complete Report]

Women Join Online Campaign Against Unemployment  [Jun 4]
“Unemployed Saudis are looking to the Internet to campaign against unemployment. One of the recent campaigns launched was titled ‘A Job is a Right and Not a Gift!’ Another campaign launched recently was called ‘Employ Us or We Will Travel.’  Women also started to campaign recently saying that while the idea of Saudi women working as maids is rejected, other jobs are not given to them.. ..One of the most famous campaigns launched recently and called “Her Dream,” is directed against the unemployment of women. The campaign has a website and it lists a number of jobs available in different regions. Each member can write her story about her fruitless effort to find work.. ..A group of unemployed women from this website visited local lawyer Samir Al-Khalaf to file a lawsuit against a number of government departments for their unjustified bureaucracy in employing women..” [Complete Report]

Centennial’s Stolle Lands $34 Million Saudi Deal  [Jun 4]
“Officials are expected to announce today a $34 million contract between a metro Denver equipment manufacturer and a Saudi Arabian company, aided by a U.S. government loan.  In the deal, Centennial-based Stolle Machinery will sell aluminum and steel-can-making equipment to a Jeddah firm.  Funding will be provided by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States.  It marks the first time the bank has made a loan to a private Saudi company. All previous Export-Import loans in Saudi Arabia were made to the Saudi government or to semi-public entities backed by the government.  Stolle bills itself as “the leading supplier of machinery for the canmaking industry.” The company has two divisions — the Centennial operation, which makes equipment for food and beverage cans, and an Ohio unit that provides machines for can ends.  The Saudi contract ‘is good news for the Stolle workers and good news for the Colorado economy,’..” [Complete Report]

Russia Sends Arab Telecoms Satellite Into Space [Jun 4]
“Russia has successfully sent a telecommunications satellite from Saudi Arabia into space on Friday, said a spokesman for the Federal Space Agency. At 02:00 a.m. Moscow time (2200 GMT Thursday), the Arabsat-5B telecommunications satellite blasted off atop a Russian Proton-M carrier rocket from Kazakh Baikonur cosmodrome, and was expected to separate from the Briz-M booster some nine hours and 13 minutes later and enter its orbit at the geostationary orbit east of 26 degrees longitude.  As a new generation satellite, the 5420-kg Arabsat-5B was anticipated to work for 15 years, covering the area of the Middle East and North Africa..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – QATAR – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Saudi Businessman Offers 1,000 One-Riyal coins to Doha Museum [Jun 4]
“A Saudi businessman has offered a collection of 1,000 silver Saudi one-riyal coins to the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.  The businessman, Bassam Omar Salama, said that the collection was part of 3 million Saudi one-riyal coins minted in the United States in 1944 at the request of King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud.  In a letter he sent to the museum on the occasion, Salama said he had received 3,000 silver Saudi one-riyal coins and was gifting 1,000 of them to the Museum of Islamic Art in recognition of its role in preserving rare Islamic collections, Qatar News Agency reported.  Bassam said that he recovered the money from a cargo with three million silver Saudi one-riyal coins shipped to the port of Ras Tannoura, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region, during World War II.  However, the ship, SS John Barry, never made it to the port after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Arabian Sea more than 185km off Oman in August 1944 and sank in waters so deep that no one thought she could ever be salvaged.  “The treasure remained underwater until 1994 when a team of my friends financed an operation to recover the treasure with the aid of the US government..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar 2022 Gathers Momentum  [Jun 4]
“The leader of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid tells World Football Insider the Gulf state’s campaign has gathered momentum.  Qatar was ranked second behind England in WFI’s World Cup Bid Power Index published last week, with Russia in third spot and USA fourth. Australia dropped out of the top four from the No.2 position they occupied in the February edition.  Commenting on the bid power index, Qatar bid CEO Hassan Al Thawadi told INSIDER: “We are involved in a race with strong competition, so this kind of positive recognition for our bid and hosting concept demonstrates how far we have come over the past year.  “We are delighted that the Qatar offer is being welcomed, understood and supported. Players and fans will benefit from our compact hosting concept, enabling them to stay in the same base throughout the entire competition.”..”  [Complete Report]

Wealthy Qatar Tries to Build Niche as Conflict Mediator [Jun 4]
“Sudanese rebel leaders, far from the war in Darfur, whiled away their free time in recent months smoking fruit-flavoured waterpipes and dining at all-you-can-eat buffets in Doha luxury hotels as peace talks wore on.  Their stay is on gas-rich Qatar’s tab, part of government efforts to boost the tiny Gulf Arab state’s credentials as the mediator-of-choice in regional and international conflicts.  “Qatar is a good place for negotiation, because the climate here is good for it. They are not seeking to benefit from the negotiation, unlike Chad and other neighbouring countries,” said Hassan al Sadig, a negotiator from Darfur’s main rebel group who was staying at the Doha Movenpick.  Qatar, sitting in the shadow of top oil exporter and political rival Saudi Arabia, has endeavoured to cut a unique profile as a diplomatic arbiter and peace broker in recent years, interceding in conflicts from Lebanon to Yemen and, most recently, Darfur..”  [Complete Report]

Royal Dutch Shell Imports 2nd LNG cargo at $5.2/mmBtu  [Jun 4]
“Royal Dutch Shell has imported its second spot shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) this fiscal, industry sources said.  Shell yesterday received a LNG cargo from Qatar at its Hazira import facility in Gujarat, they said.  QatarGas, a natural gas company of Qatar, sold the shipment to Petronet at about $5.20 per million British thermal units. This price is before levy of 5 per cent customs duty, regasification charges, local taxes and margins.  Shell India’s spokesperson could not be contacted immediately for comments.  The company had imported a cargo at $4.93 per mmBtu in early April.  Petronet LNG, the company that operates nation’s only other operational LNG import facility at Dahej, in Gujarat, has not imported any shipment from the spot market since December.  The flooding of gas from Reliance Industries’ eastern offshore KG-D6 field, coupled with no spare capacity in GAIL India’s pipeline network that transports gas to users in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, had cramped out spot LNG purchases..”  [Complete Report]

Firm Appeals Against The Qatari Investment At Astakos  [Jun 4]
“Engal energy appealed to Greece’s energy watchdog against the decision to grant Qatar a licence to create a 1010MW power unit.  Qatar had said it would incest some invest 3 bil. euro to create a LNG terminal and an unit that will produce electric power in the Astakos Naval Industrial Zone (NAVIPE) in the western part of Greece.  Qataris were granted a licence in 15 days, a record time.  Engal said it had also submitted a request to create a biomass unit in the area.  The firm notes that RAE, the energy watchdog, should have evaluated the two applications in a comparable way..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – OMAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Financial Aid Rumours Trigger Traffic Jam in Muscat  [Jun 4]
“Rumours about financial aid for widows and divorcees triggered a traffic jam and chaos outside the Omani Women’s Association (OWA) Salalah office in the southern region, according to a report in Arabic daily Shabiba.  People believed that the OWA was authorised to collect relevant documents to be forwarded for the grant and thus thronged the OWA premises in large numbers.  The OWA shut their gates and put a notice outside which said: “Dear citizens do not come to association for registration.”  However, what infuriated the crowds was a cardboard box outside the gates in which people had placed applications. The OWA had no knowledge of the box and who put it there..”  [Complete Report]

Chinese and Omani Defense Chiefs Discuss Stronger Ties, Anti-Piracy Operation [Jun 4]
“..China and Oman on Thursday pledged to enhance military relations, including joint efforts to combat piracy off Somalia.  The pledge came out of the hour-long talks between Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and his Omani counterpart Aayyid Badr Bin Saud Bin Hareb Al-Busaidi.  Liang recalled his visit to Oman in 2008, saying the visit helped communications between the two militaries.  Liang said bilateral ties were developing soundly, and proposed the two militaries strengthen exchanges and expand areas of cooperation.  Badr echoed Liang’s proposal and called for the two militaries to step up personnel training and other substantive cooperation.  Liang briefed Badr on the Chinese navy’s operations to crack down on pirates at the Gulf of Aden and Somalia..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – KUWAIT – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Sister Demands Release of Jailed Kuwaiti Blogger  [Jun 3]
“The sister of a prominent Kuwaiti blogger, on trial accused of insulting the head of state, said Thursday the charges against him were political and called for his release.  Blogger and journalist Mohammad Abdul-Kader al-Jassem faces up to 18 years’ imprisonment if convicted, according to his lawyers. He was detained on May 11 after a complaint against him was issued by the office of Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.  “We demand his release and the dropping of all charges against him,” his sister Sabiha Abdul-Kader al-Jassem told Reuters during a visit to London. “The charges are all political because of his criticism of the government.”  She added: “What I want to say to the world is that Mohammad Abdul-Kader al-Jassem is a lawyer and author … and cannot in any way break the law in anything he does or writes. He practised his right, the right we in Kuwait have been used to, freedom of expression, freedom to write, freedom to publish.”..”
http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-49032620100603

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Nobel Winners Join Call for Release of US Hikers in Iran  [Jun 3]
” A group of rights activists, including Nobel laureates and US actress Mia Farrow, have called for the release of three US hikers held in Iran on the occasion of Iranian Mother’s Day.  The activists, all mothers, signed a statement calling on Iranian authorities to release Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd, who were arrested in July 2009 after straying over the Iraqi border into Iran. “On the occasion of Mother’s Day in Iran, we urge the Iranian authorities to use this happy occasion to demonstrate the values of mercy and compassion and release Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd on humanitarian grounds,” said the statement.  “These three young people have been denied their freedom for too long. It is high time they came home to their families,” it added. “Individual citizens should not pay the price of tensions between nations or be used as bargaining chips.”  Among the signatories to the statement are Louise Arbor, the former United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees and Mairead Maguire and Betty Williams, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize for their work fostering peace in Northern Ireland..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Court Confirms Jail, Lashes for Film Maker  [Jun 3]
“An Iranian court has confirmed a sentence of three-and-a-half years in jail and 50 lashes for a journalist and film maker found guilty of anti-state propaganda and insulting the supreme leader, media reported.  Mohammad Nourizad was arrested late last year after he published on his blog letters deemed disrespectful to Iran’s highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior officials.  Opposition blogs say he has been beaten while in detention in Tehran’s Evin jail where he has begun a hunger strike. The confirmation of his sentence comes as authorities prepare for the first anniversary, on June 12, of the disputed presidential election which brought millions of people to the streets in protest amid concerns about vote rigging.  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government says the vote was fair and blamed foreign powers for stirring unrest..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Eyes Chinese LNG Deal [Jun 3]
“China is exploring a $1.2 billion deal with Iran to build six tankers in the coming years to transport liquefied natural gas, Iranian officials said.  Mohammad Souri, president of the National Iranian Tanker Co., said each LNG tanker was worth around $200 million. The project, he said, would likely be carried out within three years, the semiofficial Fars News Agency reports.  Iran is looking for export routes for its rich natural gas reserves in the face of tighter sanctions over its controversial nuclear program. LNG shipments are less politically sensitive than conventional natural gas pipelines.  Souri added that if Tehran comes through with the necessary credit for the Chinese LNG tankers, Iran could begin preparations for LNG exports as early as 2012..”  [Complete Report]

Nokia-Siemens Rues Iran Crackdown Role  [Jun 3]
“Nokia-Siemens Networks on Wednesday (2 June) admitted its share of the blame for Iran’s brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrators last year after selling mobile phone surveillance to the authoritarian regime.  “We absolutely do find ourselves in a tricky situation and need the help of people in this room to help us navigate in these challenging times,” Barry French, head of marketing and corporate affairs with Nokia-Siemens Networks, a joint venture of Nokia (NOK) and Siemens (SI), told MEPs during a hearing on human rights and new information technologies.  The Finnish-German telecoms joint venture was at the centre of an ethics controversy last year when it emerged that it had supplied surveillance technology to two Iranian mobile phone operators. The technology was used to track down dissidents amid the mass protests following the contested re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009..”  [Complete Report]

Contraband Trade in Iran Worth $19 Billion [Jun 3]
“Iranian contraband trade is worth 19 billion dollars a year, according to estimates by the head of Iran’s anti-smuggling department, cited by a local newspaper on Thursday.  “Some 16 billion dollars worth of goods have been smuggled into Iran, while three billion dollars worth have been exported illegally during the last Iranian year,” that ended in March 2010, Saeed Mortazavi was quoted as saying in Donya-e Eqtesad newspaper.  Smuggled imports represent one third of what Iran imports legally, which amounted to around 50 billion dollars during the same period, another official from the same department, Samad Marashi, was reported as saying by the Mehr news agency.  Mortazavi, who was Tehran’s hardline prosecutor prior to his recent appointment, gave no further details of the goods being smuggled into and out of the country.  “Only three percent of smuggled goods are identified and seized by the police,” he said, adding that the large majority of contraband is smuggled “by powerful organised gangs that we must identify.” Much of the illegal trafficking takes place between Iran and its number one trade partner the United Arab Emirates, with around one hundred speedboats smuggling goods daily across the Gulf, an official at the Iranian chamber of commerce Hamid Hosseini said last year..”  [Complete Report]

 
Gold Falls as Higher Equity Markets May Curb Investment Demand  [Jun 3]
“Gold fell in New York on speculation gains in equity markets will curb investor demand for the metal.  Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index of shares jumped 0.3 percent after the gauge rose 2.6 percent yesterday. Through the end of May, gold climbed 11 percent as investors sought an alternative to falling equities and currency values.  “In the short term, strength in equities could suppress gold prices,” said Bayram Dincer, a commodity analyst at LGT Capital Management in Pfaeffikon, Switzerland. “If risk aversion is declining, this will not attract new buyers in gold.”  Gold futures for delivery in August dropped $3.10, or 0.3 percent, to $1,219.50 an ounce at 8:39 a.m. on the Comex in New York.  The precious metal has gained in all major currencies this year, led by a 30 percent increase in gold priced in euros, on speculation Europe’s debts will slow economic growth..”  [Complete Report]

Time Not Right for Closer Relations with Iran: MOFA  [Jun 3]
“The time is not right for Taiwan and Iran to develop closer relations, despite a strong desire by both sides to do so, a Taiwan foreign ministry official said Thursday.  Taiwan and Iran both intend to boost their already strong trade relationship but “the time is not right” to take the bilateral relations to the next level, said Lin Jinn-jong, director-general of the Department of West Asian Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), at a press briefing.  As the international community has been contemplating sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear energy policies, “it’s not appropriate at this moment to step up exchanges (with Iran) , ” Lin said.  On May 21, the Associated Press reported that Taiwan had turned down a request by Iran to open a “diplomatic mission” in Taiwan. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang rebutted the report May 25, saying that his ministry has not received any request from Iran to open a trade office in Taiwan.  According to Lin, Iran is Taiwan’s third largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait..”  [Complete Report]

Cosmetics Flood Iran’s Markets  [Jun 3]
“Make-up was banned in Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution, but cosmetics have become so popular now that Iran is the second-largest market in the Middle East for cosmetics.  Following the revolution, the morality police patrolled the streets, fining or even arresting women who did not follow the strict rules in place until they were eased after the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. Many women were quick to catch on after a decision to allow imports in the mid-1990s and it became increasingly common to see a chicly dressed urban woman wearing make-up.  According to a recent survey Iranians spend about $2 billion a year on cosmetics and this country of 74 million accounts for 29 per cent of the Middle East market, which is dominated by Saudi Arabia..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – Bahrain – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Dubai Islamic Bank Faces Legal Fight in Bahrain [Jun 3]
“Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC, the emirate’s largest Shariah-compliant lender, faces a $651 million legal battle in Bahrain with four businessmen who it accuses separately of fraud in Dubai, legal documents show.  Bahrain resident Charles Ridley and business partners Ryan Cornelius, Erin Nil and Arthur Fitzwilliam have filed a civil suit in Manama requesting a precautionary attachment order on 245.5 million Bahrain dinars ($651 million) of the Islamic bank’s funds held by the Central Bank of Bahrain, according to the filing.  The Bahrain civil case comes after prosecutors in Dubai charged Mr. Ridley and his fellow plaintiffs in the Bahrain claim with alleged fraud of $501 million. A judge in Manama is scheduled to hear the request for an attachment on DIB’s funds in Bahrain on June 14.  A spokesman for the partly government-owned Dubai Islamic Bank, or DIB, declined to comment on the case when called by Zawya Dow Jones.  “We are of the firm opinion the court will pass its judgment in favor of our clients against the Dubai Islamic Bank,”..”  [Complete Report]

Bahrain Posts an All-time Record Industrial Growth [Jun 3]
“Bahrain has posted an all time record industrial growth over the last few years. The contribution of the industrial sector in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stands at 17 per cent. “The performance builds on other landmark achievements in the era of His Majesty King Hamad”, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Economic Development Board chairman said. Chairing the EDB executive committee meeting, he paid tribute to His Majesty for initiating the reform project which ensured Bahrain a quantum leap forward. He cited Bahrain’s legislative, political, economic and industrial development strides. He also urged more coordination with concerned parties in charge of carrying out industrial projects. “This would streamline the execution of projects to reflect our aspirations, growth momentum and soaring industrial investments”..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Al Qaeda Orders Abduction of Christians, Royals in Saudi Arabia  [Jun 3]
“A leader of Al Qaeda’s wing in the Arabian Peninsula ordered the group’s ‘soldiers’ to abduct Saudi princes, cabinet ministers and Christian residents in the kingdom in a recording posted on an Islamist website.  Al Qaeda has in previous years targeted Western nationals in Saudi Arabia in a campaign to destabilize the world’s top oil exporting country’s U.S.-allied government led by the Al Saud family.  ‘Form cells to abduct Christians, Al Saud princes, seionr officials including ministers and officer,’ the speaker identified as Saeed al-Shehri said in the Arabic-language recording posted on a website that often carries Al Qaeda statements. The abductions are meant to force the release of Islamists held in the kingdom, he said..”  [Complete Report]

OIC Calls Emergency Meeting to Discuss Israeli Attack  [Jun 3]
“The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has called an extraordinary meeting of the member states of its executive committee in Jeddah on Sunday.  The call follows a request from a number of OIC member states to hold an urgent meeting at the level of foreign ministers to review the tragic developments following the heinous Israeli attack on Gaza aid flotilla.  The executive committee is comprised of representatives of Tajikistan, Syria, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Senegal, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Palestine..”  [Complete Report]

Website Supervisors Held for Links to Terror Outfits  [Jun 3]
“The Ministry of Interior has arrested a group of website supervisors who have been found to have connections with terrorist organizations.  This is according to Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Hadlaq, Director General of the General Administration for Intellectual Security at the Ministry of Interior. He said all of them will stand trial.. ..Dr. Eisa Al-Ghaith, a judge at the Ministry of Justice, said that these sites instigate opposition against certain individuals and institutions; publish articles accusing others of infidelity; and support terrorist acts.  He said these websites edit the news to create sedition in the country and also promotes corruption and attacks on others. He classified these websites into three kinds: e-newspapers, chat forums and general websites.  He said the supervisors of these websites violate the rules of the Islamic Shariah..”  [Complete Report]

Attack on Flotilla Mars US Team’s Meeting at JCCI  [Jun 3]
“The Israeli raid on the flotilla taking aid to Gaza was a hot topic at a meeting between the delegation of US Congress Chiefs of Staff and members of the Saudi business community at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Wednesday.  Attempts by the US delegation not to discuss the issue were in vain as Saudi businessmen and businesswomen insisted that the continuous US support of the Israeli aggression in the region would have a direct impact on the sales of American products.  Saudi businesspersons said the priority for them is to have peace in the region which will allow all countries to prosper economically.. ..’We understand America’s commitment to Israel and that’s fine. It is a decision that America takes. But at the same time we don’t understand the blind US support for Israel at the expense of its own values, not to mention at the expense of US interests in the region.’..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia to Allow Foreign Ownership in New City [Jun 3]
“King Abdullah Economic City, one of four metropolitan areas under construction in Saudi Arabia, will be the first place where foreigners are allowed to own property as the kingdom seeks new sources of investment.  The city, known as KAEC and named after the head of state, is being built by Emaar Economic City, a company controlled by the Saudi Arabian government and Dubai’s biggest property developer. When completed in 2025, the $27 billion project will cover about the same area as Brussels.  ‘This is the first freehold city in Saudi Arabia,’ Fahd Al-Rasheed, Emaar Economic City’s chief executive officer, said in an interview. ‘A lot of people want to invest in the Saudi market and see it as a frontier for real estate investment because of the population explosion here.’  KAEC, about an hour’s drive from Jeddah, is designed to house about 2 million people and generate 1 million jobs. The city is part of a $400 billion plan announced by the government in 2008 to invest in Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure and make the country less dependent on the oil industry. Saudi Arabia’s population has more than doubled since 1986 to about 25.5 million..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – QATAR – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here] 

Qatar Idles LNG Ships as Year-End Gas 18% More  [Jun 3]
“Qatar, the world’s biggest producer of liquefied natural gas, is idling at least eight tankers in the Gulf of Oman as prices for year-end delivery exceed those for next month by 18 percent.  The Qatar Liquefied Gas Co. vessels have a combined capacity of 1.8 million cubic meters (63.6 million cubic feet), enough to supply the U.K. for more than a month. The ships are off the United Arab Emirates, and their depth in the water signals they have full or partial cargoes, ship-tracking data from AIS Live Ltd. compiled by Bloomberg show.  Natural gas for July delivery was up 3.3 percent at $4.572 a million British thermal units at 11:38 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. December futures were at $5.39, meaning producers can earn more by selling later in the year, when cold weather spurs demand for heating fuel..”  [Complete Report]

Vodafone Wants Virgin Out of Qatar  [Jun 3]
“Vodafone Qatar is demanding that the country’s telecom regulator force Virgin Mobile out of the market or cough up damages for allegedly changing conditions of its licence.  Late last month, Vodafone Qatar said it was considering legal action against ictQATAR for allowing Virgin into the market as a third provider, calling it a breach of Vodafone Qatar’s licence agreement.   Vodafone became Qatar’s second mobile operator after obtaining their licence in 2007, breaking Qtel’s monopoly in Qatar.  Virgin however signed a partnership deal with Qtel earlier this year that allows Qtel to offer a prepaid mobile service under the Virgin brand.  In response to Vodafone’s claims, ictQATAR said it was ready to investigate and take action against any company that was offering public telecom services without a licence..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – OMAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Weakened Cyclone Phet Hits Oman, Causes Floods  [Jun 3]
“Tropical storm Phet hit Oman, causing landslides and floods in the eastern part of the country and halting oil and gas production, before losing intensity on Friday.  Heavy rains drenched Oman’s east coast as strong winds uprooted trees and signboards.  The Oman News Agency said that army forces were deployed in the region as civil defense rescued three people from an area engulfed by floods in Wadi Sal valley.  Meanwhile, Oman halted its oil and gas production due to bad weather as Cyclone Phet hit the small oil-producing country’s coast, but no facilities were damaged, DPO and Oman LNG spokesmen said on Friday.  “We won’t load any oil because no ship is able to anchor at our facility due to rough seas,” a spokesman for state-controlled Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell, said.  “I have never seen rains like this in the seven to eight years I have lived here,” Eugene M. Joseph, operations manager at Al Askara Youth Hostel, told Gulf News over the phone as he prepared to leave the small town on the east coast..”  [Complete Report]

Oman Air Launches Dar Es Salaam – Muscat Flights  [Jun 3]
“MUSCAT-based Oman Air today launched its maiden flight between Dar es Salaam and the Omani capital. The four weekly flights have been scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with the aircrafts departing at Muscat International Airport to Julius Nyerere International Airport and back to Oman.  The Dar es Salaam route brings to 38 the total number of the Arabian airline destinations, worldwide.  Philippe Georgious, the company’s Chief Officer Corporate, told reporters in Dar es Salaam that, “Oman Air is delighted to add Dar es Salaam to its rapidly expanding network, and we have worked tirelessly to launch this route.”  He said with historical ties and the flourishing trade and business between Oman and Tanzania, the airline was confident that the new service will further strengthen the excellent existing bilateral ties..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – QATAR – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Qatar Calls for Probe  [Jun 2]
“Qatar has urged the UN Human Rights Council to issue a resolution condemning Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom aid flotilla and calling for an investigation into the incident.  It called for the immediate release of all the detainees and injured activists and for their repatriation with the help of the UN and the International Red Cross. In a speech delivered by Abdullah Falah al-Dosari , Qatar’s permanent delegate at the UN Geneva headquarters, Qatar also urged Israel to allow the entry of all medical, food and construction supplies on the flotilla to the Gaza Strip and for lifting the siege on the area..”  [Complete Report]

Minor Reshuffle in Qatar Cabinet [Jun 2]
“Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani reshuffled his cabinet on Tuesday, replacing one minister and appointing another in a ministerial post that was vacant since the death of its last holder.  Official QNA news agency reported that the emir appointed Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al Thani as Minister of Business and Commerce.  The post has remained vacant since last minister Sheikh Fahd bin Jassim Al Thani was killed in a car accident on April 30, 2009, with International Cooperation Minister Khalid bin Mohamed al- Attiyah running the portfolio since then.  The emir also appointed Dr. Ghaith bin Mubarak al-Kuwari as Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs who will replace Sheikh Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Marri..”  [Complete Report]

Injaz Al-Arab Board Convenes in Qatar [Jun 2]
“Injaz Al-Arab, a non profit organization that prepares and inspires the Arab youth to succeed in a global economy, met in Qatar this week to host its bi-annual meeting for board members, where they learnt more about the operation in the country and highlighted regional achievements.  Operating in 13 countries across the Middle East and North Africa region, Injaz al-Arab – an affiliate of Junior Achievement World Wide – is a confederation of national operations collaborating with corporate volunteers and Ministries of Education to provide experiential education and training to Arab youth in work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – KUWAIT – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Kuwaiti Activists Given Heroes’ Welcome  [Jun 2]
“Kuwait lawmaker Waleed Al Tabtabai has vowed to return to Gaza with humanitarian aid hours after he was released by the Israelis who had detained him in a deadly raid on Freedom Flotilla.  “I will go back to Gaza to support the Palestinians. What the Israeli forces did was pure piracy and I refused to answer questions during their investigation with me,” the MP said.  “The Israelis beat me up, handcuffed me and did not allow me to use the bathroom,” he told the media upon his arrival in Jordan before his transfer alongside 15 Kuwaitis to Kuwait City.  The activists who included a lawyer and reporters working for Kuwait news Agency (Kuna) were welcomed at the airport at around 10 am by Jassem Al Khorafi, the parliament speaker, Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammad, the prime minister, officials and relatives in a joyous reunion..”  [Complete Report]

Kuwait’s Mina Abdulla Refinery Back to Full Capacity After Fire  [Jun 2]
“Kuwait’s Mina Abdulla oil refinery is operating at full capacity following a shutdown yesterday after a fire in a pipeline connected to a hydrogen unit, Kuwait National Petroleum Co. spokesman Mohammed al-Ajmi said today.  “The refinery is back to full capacity now since 2:00 a.m. this morning,” al-Ajmi said in a phone interview from Kuwait. “The fire was extinguised at 7:40 last night, the affected hydrogen unit has been isolated.”  Mina Abdulla is the second-largest of three refineries in the country and has a capacity of 270,000 barrels a day of oil..”  [Complete Report]

UAE, Kuwait Ink MoU on Civil Aviation Cooperation [Jun 2]
“The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) and Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) entered into a memorandum of agreement (MoU) for boosting joint cooperation in civil aviation sector.  The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the regional civil aviation conference which concluded here yesterday, by Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCCA and Fuawz Al Farah, Chairman of DGCA.  The memo, inked within the framework continued GCC coordination in civil aviation, envisages joint cooperation in diverse areas of exchange of knowledge, training, consultation and expertise.  Under the agreement, both parties will take optimal benefit from available potentials in both countries in fields like inspection, licensing, investigation of air crashes and assessment..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAQ – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Iraq’s North Says Villagers Flee Iranian Shelling  [Jun 2]
“Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region said on Tuesday dozens of families had been displaced in days of shelling by Iranian forces pursuing Kurdish rebels in the border region.  Senior Kurdish officials denied reports that Iranian troops had entered Iraqi territory in pursuit of rebels from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK).  They said more than 100 families had fled shelling over the past week along the northern stretch of Iraq’s border with Iran.  “Iranian troops did not make any incursion into the Kurdistan region, but the villages near the border have faced artillery shelling for the past week, displacing some 120 families from Joman near the border,” said Major General Jabbar Yawar, spokesman for the Kurdish peshmerga security forces.  Iranian forces frequently clash with rebels of the PJAK, an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which took up arms in 1984 for an ethnic homeland in southeast Turkey..”  [Complete Report]

Ayad Allawi: Sectarianism Could Lead to ‘Severe Violence’ in Iraq  [Jun 2]
“At the March elections in Iraq Ayad Allawi’s Iraqiya party won the largest share of the vote.  But no single party won an outright majority and the current Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki has joined with the Iraqi National Alliance in an attempt to stay in power.  This would thwart Ayad Allawi’s attempt to again be Prime Minister after he briefly held the office from 2004 to 2005.  Mr Allawi says the political power vacuum could worsen the sectarian divisions in Iraq leading to more violence and even a “sectarian war.”..”  [Complete Report]

Iraq Oil Minister Says Crude Prices ‘Reasonable’ [Jun 2]
“Iraq’s oil minister said Tuesday that world crude prices are “reasonable” and are high enough to encourage oil investment without hurting the global economic recovery.  Hussain al-Shahristani’s remarks in an interview with The Associated Press added to perceptions that OPEC is not eyeing any immediate changes in output despite the past weeks’ large price swings.  The 12-nation group has left its output targets unchanged for about a year-and-a-half, fearing that any sharp revisions could undermine slow gains as the world struggles to emerge from its worst recession in over six decades. It is scheduled to meet next in October.  Al-Shahristani said there has been “good progress” in the economic recovery and oil prices are not impairing that process.  “On the one hand it (oil price) is sufficiently high to encourage investment, to develop marginal fields, mostly outside of OPEC countries,”..”  [Complete Report]

Foster Wheeler Awarded Contract for New Grassroots Refinery in Iraq  [Jun 2]
“Foster Wheeler AG announced today that its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a feasibility study and front-end engineering design (FEED) contract by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil for a new grassroots refinery at Nassiriya in southern Iraq. The proposed refinery will have a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day.  The Foster Wheeler contract value for this project was not disclosed and will be included in the company’s second-quarter 2010 bookings.  In executing this contract, Foster Wheeler will develop the configuration of the new refinery to meet the client’s processing objectives, evaluate proprietary technologies, prepare a report covering the feasibility of the project and the design basis of the refinery facilities, engage the selected licensors and prepare the front-end engineering design package for the total project..”  [Complete Report]

Obama to Meet With Top U.S. Commander for Iraq  [Jun 2]
“President Barack Obama will meet with U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno at the Oval Office Wednesday morning to get a first-hand account of conditions in Iraq from the top commander for the country.  Odierno is responsible for determining the pace of withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. But the administration has said the deadline — the end of August — remains on schedule despite the recent spike in violence there.  “We plan for everything. But right now, every expectation is that we will meet the 50,000 as of the first of September,” said Secretary Robert Gates on May 20.  A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Saturday found that 64 percent of Americans favor the president’s plan to keep just 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of the summer, with 35 percent opposed.  But the national poll indicated that support for the planned removal could drop significantly if Iraq cannot solve its current problems in time..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Brazil’s Foreign Minister Says Nation Will Oppose, But Respect, Any New Iran Sanctions  [Jun 2]
“Brazil’s foreign minister said Tuesday that despite the nation’s strong opposition to any new sanctions on Iran, it would respect them if they are approved.  Foreign Minister Celso Amorim spoke before a Senate committee to explain Brazil’s role in an Iranian nuclear fuel-swap deal it helped broker with Turkey. “Brazil meticulously respects the sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council against Iran,” he said. “If there are sanctions, even if Brazil is not in favor, we’re going to respect them.”  Both Amorim and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have been outspoken in their opposition to potential new sanctions.  Iran insists its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, but the West fears it is geared toward nuclear weapons.  Last month, Silva and Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan finalized a fuel-swap deal with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that was similar to an agreement the U.S. and the International Atomic Energy Agency had pushed for last October, but which Iran at the time rejected..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Cenbank to Sell 45 bln Euros  [Jun 2]
” Iran’s central bank will sell 45 billion euros from its reserves to buy dollars and gold ingots, a report on the website of state-owned Press TV said on Wednesday.  There was no announcement of the sale on the bank’s website and officials at the bank declined comment.  Following the report, the euro eased slightly versus the dollar from around $1.2227 to $1.2213.  Traders said the news was having limited impact on the euro, and some in the market were sceptical about whether Tehran would be able to buy significant amounts of dollars, given that U.S. depository institutions are banned from processing transfers involving the country.  Last month Iran’s central bank governor hinted at a move away from the euro, reversing several years of Tehran publicly shunning the U.S. currency in keeping with its political hostility towards Washington..” [Complete Report]

Iran Rejects US Accusation it is Training Taliban  [Jun 2]
“Iran dismissed on Wednesday accusations by the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal that Tehran has helped train and arm Taliban insurgents.  “Those kinds of lies are designed to conceal the failures of the (NATO forces) in Afghanistan,” Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said.  On Sunday, McChrystal told reporters in Kabul that Iran _ Afghanistan’s western neighbor _ has generally assisted the Afghan government in fighting the insurgent group.  “There is, however, clear evidence of Iranian activity _ in some cases providing weaponry and training to the Taliban _ that is inappropriate,” he said. McChrystal did not provide details on how many fighters allegedly were trained in Iran.  Speaking in Brussels, where he met with EU officials and European lawmakers, Mottaki said that “in Afghanistan, Iran has always been part of the solution,” and that Tehran was cooperating with the government in Kabul to stabilize the war-torn nation..” [Complete Report]

No Uniform View With India on Iran: US  [Jun 2]
“US has acknowledged that there are differences with India on the issue of Iran, but praised New Delhi’s view point on the controversial nuclear issue and appreciated its implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions with regard to sanctions against Tehran.  “On Iran, we don’t necessarily have a uniform view of the issue, although on the nuclear question, India has made quite clear its opposition to a nuclear-armed Iran.  It has an admirable record of implementing previous security council resolutions,” the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, said in response to a question at a think-tank here.  “As I mentioned in my remarks, it’s been quite straightforward in holding India accountable at the IAEA board of governors when its failed to meet its obligations, and so that’s an issue on which it’s also important for us to continue to stay in close touch,” Burns said..”  [Complete Report]

Iranian Authorities Step Up Arrests of Women For ‘Immodest’ Dress  [Jun 2]
“Iranian authorities have begun police patrols in the capital to arrest women wearing clothes deemed improper. The campaign against loose-fitting veils and other signs of modernism comes as government opponents are calling for rallies to mark the anniversary of the disputed presidential election, and critics of the crackdown say it is stoking feelings of discontent.  But hard-liners say that improper veiling is a “security issue” and that “loose morality” threatens the core of the Islamic republic.  Iran’s interior minister has promised a “chastity plan” to promote the proper covering “from kindergarten to families,” though the details are unclear. Tehran police have been arresting women for wearing short coats or improper veils and even for being too suntanned. Witnesses report fines up to $800 for dress considered immodest..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – Bahrain – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

$26.5m Tamkeen Fund to Support SMEs  [Jun 2]
“A new BD10 million ($26.5 million) Support Fund will soon help 1,000 small and medium businesses affected by the recession, Tamkeen officials have announced.  It is being developed by a joint committee consisting of Tamkeen, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry and General Federation of Workers Trade Unions.  The new scheme is based on a study of the condition of Bahrain’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) conducted by KPMG at the end of last year, according to officials.  It follows a series of protests by SME owners who are angered by a BD10 monthly fee that applies to every expatriate working in Bahrain.  The fees are collected by Labour Market Regulatory Authority on behalf of the government.  Eighty per cent of the fees go to Tamkeen to train Bahrainis for the work place, create jobs and support local businesses..”  [Complete Report]

Bahrain Oil Field Output Surges to 2.7m Barrels [Jun 2]
“Average output from the Bahrain Oil Field rose over the first three months of this year to top 30,339 barrels per day (bpd), up from 30,030 last year.  According to the first quarterly report for 2010, the overall production topped 2.731 million barrels of crude oil.  The National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga) yesterday released the periodic report which features significant indices on oil and gas trends in Bahrain. Bapco has stepped up efforts to upgrade the field and boost its average output.  For this purpose Tatweer Petroleum Bahrain Field Development Company has been established to double oil and gas production.  The Noga survey also showed overall quarterly production from the Abu Saafa Field topped 13.705m barrels, up from 13.475m barrels last year.  This translates into a daily output of 152,280 barrels, up from 149,725 barrels last year..”  [Complete Report]

Bahrain GCC Nominee Lauds King Abdullah [Jun 2]
“n his first interview since being nominated by Bahrain for the post of Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani said on Monday that King Abdullah was resolved to “maintain the unity, stability and security of GCC states and strengthen the Council in the midst of the delicate circumstances the region and world are witnessing”.  Al-Zayani, currently the head of Public Security at Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior, said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ efforts to unify the positions of Gulf states and Arabs represented “a turning point in the course of GCC and Arab joint work”.  “I hope I am successful and capable of realizing the aspirations of the leaders,” Al-Zayani said..”  [Complete Report]

Key Pearl Testing Role for Bahrain  [Jun 2]
“Bahrain is spearheading international efforts to find ways to detect a new type of cultured pearls that cannot be distinguished from natural ones.  The country’s Pearl and Gem Testing Laboratory was the first to uncover the strong resemblance between real pearls and the Keshi type of cultured pearls.   It raised the issue at the World Jewellery Confederation’s last meeting, which was held in February in Munich, Germany.   International delegates agreed that a committee, which yesterday met for the first time in Bahrain, develops scientific-based testing and identification methods.  The meeting, held at the Industry and Commerce Ministry’s Diplomatic Area offices, is being attended by directors and experts from specialised pearl laboratories from across the world.  Countries taking part include the US, Thailand, Switzerland, Italy, the UK and Japan..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Shoura Council Strongly Condemns Israeli Attack  [Jun 2]
“The Shoura Council has strongly condemned the brutal Israeli  attack on a humanitarian flotilla that led to the deaths of at least 10 people on Monday.  At a meeting chaired by the council’s Vice President Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar on Tuesday, members attacked the actions of Israel’s troops after they boarded the Freedom Flotilla, which was transporting aid to Gaza.  The flotilla was attacked in international waters, 65 km off the Gaza coast. Hundreds of activists were transported to Israeli detention centers and hospitals.  Denouncing the attack, Shoura members described the violence as a flagrant violation of international norms and warned that it would worsen the conflict in the region.  The house also called on the global community to protect the people of Palestine from similar acts and put pressure on Israel to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip..”  [Complete Report]

Gulf Oil Unit Plans to Raise $1 Billion in Saudi IPO  [Jun 2]
“Gulf Oil Corp.’s Saudi Arabian unit plans to raise as much as $1 billion selling shares in the local market at the end of the year, Chairman Sanjay Hinduja said at a press conference in Mumbai today.  India’s Hinduja Group, controlled by billionaire brothers Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja owns Ashok Leyland Ltd., India’s second-biggest truckmaker, lender IndusInd Bank Ltd. and chemicals maker Gulf Oil. The group last month agreed to buy KBC Groep NV’s private bank for 1.35 billion euros ($1.69 billion) to expand its wealth-management business in Europe.  Saudi British Bank, 40 percent owned by HSBC Holdings Plc, will advise Gulf Oil on the unit’s initial public offer, Sanjay Hinduja said. Gulf Oil and its partner in the Saudi unit Dabbagh Group will together dilute a 30 percent stake in the IPO, he said..”  [Complete  Report]

KACST, Oxford Join Hands for Research  [Jun 2]
“King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) signed on Monday an agreement of cooperation with Oxford University to establish a joint research center in the field of petrochemicals.  The research center, which will be called KOPRC, will implement applied research projects in the oil refining and petrochemical industries, said KASCT President Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Suwail. Al-Suwail and Phil Clare, director of research services for Oxford University, signed the agreement.  ‘KOPRC will mainly focus on five research projects, including the development of catalysts for oil refining and petrochemical operations.  They will develop solid acidic catalysts for the oil refining process, solutions to help turn carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons, catalysts for polymerization operations and olefins besides developing catalysts for manufacturing clean fuel,’ added Al-Suwail.  The center will organize seminars, workshops and conferences as well as host researchers from both countries..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia Sends All-Female Group to Singapore Universities  [Jun 2]
“For the first time, Saudi Arabia has sent an all-female group to attend various degree and masters programmes at Singapore’s National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.  The 48 girls are here under the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme.  The Kingdom said besides Singapore’s high education standards, the students are also here because of the Republic’s safe living condition and multi-cultural environment.. ..Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Singapore, Dr Jamil M Merdad, said: ‘Singapore is the preferred place for our female students for so many reasons. One is the social values here. When they come to Singapore, they are very much at home – their ability to walk around safely in the streets.’..”  [Complete Report]



ARABIALINK Daily News – OMAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Omani FM Receives UAE Ambassador to Oman  [Jun 2]
“Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Omani Minister for Foreign Affairs, received in his office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE Ambassador to Oman, Mohammed Ali Al Osaimi, who delivered an invitation from H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, to attend “The Peace and Security Forum” which will take place in Abu Dhabi between the 5th and 8th of next November.  The forum will be the first of its kind in the region..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Visitors to Oman Expected to Increase in 2010  [Jun 2]
“The Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism cited the attractiveness of Oman as a destination for both regional and international tourism. Numbers have remained positive over recent years as a result of substantial tourism infrastructure developments and investment in the tourism sector.  The Sultanate of Oman is continuing their strategy of promoting Oman’s tourism potential internationally, penetrating new international markets as well as maintaining Oman’s reputation as an attractive destination for regional tourism.  The Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism has sent an Omani delegation to participate in the Saudi Tourism Show in Riyadh from June 1 to June 4, where they are promoting tourism to Oman from their GCC neighbours. The show gathers tourism executives, experts and government representatives from different countries, to discuss strategies and possible opportunities for cooperation in the area of eco-tourism..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – QATAR – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Qatar Plans to Secure Food Supplies Domestically  [Jun 1]
“Qatar is placing the emphasis on home-grown agricultural production over foreign farmland buys as it seeks to increase its food security, a top food supply official told Reuters on Tuesday.  Farming in the Gulf region is a challenge due to extreme heat, limited water supplies and high soil salinity. Despite the obstacles, Qatar and some other Gulf states are investing in technology that would help secure food supplies domestically.  “Qatar’s priority right now is to put in place the resources to enhance domestic production,” said Mahendra Shah, director at the Qatar National Food Security Program (QNFSP), a state entity established in 2008 to set the policy strategy for the securing food supplies.  Food price rises as commodities ran up to record highs in 2008 sent a shock through the Gulf, one of the world’s biggest food importing regions, and sent governments on a quest to secure future food supplies and defend against future inflationary rises in the prices of basic foodstuffs.  Only a tenth of Qatar’s around 65,000 hectares of arable land is being used for agriculture due to lack of fresh water supplies..” [Complete Report]

Qatar Condemns Israel [Jun 1]
“HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday condemned Israel’s deadly raid against a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, branding it an “act of piracy”.  The crimes that were committed at dawn today… remind all of us that there is an unjust blockade” in place against Gaza, the Emir told the 10th Doha Forum, calling for an end to the lockdown imposed by Israel.  “All those who speak of justice and freedom and democracy are now required to do something to break this blockade,” said Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa..”  [Complete Report]

South Korea Denies New LNG deal with Qatar [Jun 1]
“outh Korea’s energy ministry and state-run Korea Gas Corp Tuesday denied a media report that it had struck a new LNG import deal with Qatar.       The report quoted Seoul’s energy ministry as saying that Kogas has
agreed to buy an additional 2.1 million mt/year of LNG from Qatar’s RasGas. “The report is false. We have no such a deal,” said an official at the knowledge economy ministry. Kogas also denounced the report as “wrong”.  “We are consistently seeking new deals with LNG producers, including Qatar, as part of securing stable supplies, but we have no new deal with Qatar,” said the official..” [Complete Report]

Al Jazeera Accepts Resignations of Female Presenters  [Jun 1]
“Al Jazeera satellite channel has accepted the resignations of five female presenters who clashed with management over several issues, ranging from alleged harassment to dress code, a London-based Arab newspaper has reported.  “Al Jazeera, in line with its policy of rejecting arm-twisting, has accepted the resignation of the five rebellious presenters,” an official from the pan-Arab station said, quoted by Al Quds Al Arabi on Tuesday.  Jumana Nammour, Lina Zahr Al Deen, Jullinar Mousa, Nawfar Afli and Luna Al Shibl were among a group of eight women working for the Doha-based pan-Arab channel who had filed a complaint to protest against “repeated offensive public remarks” by an official from Al Jazeera about “clothes and decency”.. ..Ayman Jaballah, the deputy editor in chief, whose attitudes were cited by the women presenters in their petition as a major cause for their resignation, was appointed head of “Al Jazeera Live,” one of the station’s channels.  An ad-hoc investigation committee set up by Al Jazeera to look into the presenters’ petition had cleared Jaballah of the harassment complaint, saying that his attitudes and behaviour were within his prerogatives and that he did not make any remarks that could harm the presenters’ reputation..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar to Sell 5 Billion Riyals of Local Bonds at 6.5%  [Jun 1]
“Qatar, holder of the world’s third- largest natural gas reserves, will sell 5 billion riyals ($1.4 billion) of eight-year bonds as the Gulf nation seeks to develop a domestic debt market.  The securities will pay a coupon rate of 6.5 percent, Finance Minister Yousef Kamal told reporters in Doha today. Qatar sold 8.4 billion riyals of 10-year notes in June at 6.55 percent, according to Bloomberg data. The government also plans to offer 5 billion riyals of Islamic debt in the local market, Kamal said yesterday. Qatar is spending billions of dollars diversifying its economy and plans to invest in infrastructure projects, the international oil and gas industry, and sports and cultural attractions. The sale is the first from the Gulf nation since it raised $7 billion from international debt markets in a multi- tranche sale in November..” [Complete Report]

Qatar to invest in Macedonia  [Jun 1]
“The office of the Qatar Emir will receive some twenty projects related to investments in construction of hotels, shopping centres, filling stations and petrol depot in Macedonia by the end of June.  This has been agreed by Macedonian President Dorde Ivanov and Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Kalifa Al Tani at the meeting held within the framework of the 10th Forum in Doha.  They concluded that economic relations should focus on the cooperation between the two countries. The Emir of Qatar will personally entrust Qatar investment organs with the task of dealing with investment possibilities in Macedonia for the purpose of enhancing political and economic relations. Furthermore, the Emir plans to open Qatar embassy in Macedonia..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – KUWAIT – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Kuwait May Decide on New Oil Refinery by September  [Jun 1]
“Kuwait’s top oil policy body may decide by the end of September whether to build a fourth oil refinery to meet domestic fuel demand and for export after political opposition quashed the project last year.  The Supreme Petroleum Council will review technical committee findings on whether to resume the project at its next meeting, the committee’s head and council member Imad Alatiqi said in an interview in Bahrain today. The council could make a decision on the plan from this month through September, he said.  Kuwait, holder of the world’s fourth-largest crude oil reserves, put on hold a plan for what would be the Persian Gulf country’s fourth refinery in March 2009 after the government canceled contracts following political opposition. Costs for the project had almost quadrupled by 2007 to 4 billion Kuwaiti dinars ($13.7 billion), Alatiqi said.  “The economics of the project had changed,” leading a government audit committee to object to the plan, he said. “We have to address all the comments and questions of the audit committee or it won’t be worthwhile relaunching a project with any loopholes or problems in the plan.”..”  [Complete Report]

Kuwait, Iraq Likely to Reach Deal on Border Wells  [Jun 1]
“Chairman and Managing Director of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) Sami Al-Rushaid announced Tuesday that Kuwait and Iraq would reach an agreement on the exploitation of the oil wells on their border areas soon.  Speaking to reporters after the award ceremony of the Chairman’s Award for Health, Safety and Environment, Al-Rushaid said the two countries set up a joint panel to probe the border issue with KOC leading the Kuwaiti side.  He downplayed concerns about the impact of Iraq’s exploitation of its southern oil wells on Kuwait’s interests, saying that Kuwait’s two northern wells of Al-Retqa and Al-Abdaly account for small percentage of the country’s oil production.  The contract, signed by KOC and Shell on the development of Jurassic oil gas wells in northern Kuwait, has been brought into force recently,” he said, noting that experts from both sides are supervising the project..”  [Complete Report]

Kuwait Extends Hours Women Allowed to Work  [Jun 1]
“Females working in certain sectors, like banking and hospitality, in Kuwait will be able to work up until midnight under new Labour Ministry rules, it has been reported.  Female journalists, medical workers and lawyers will also be able to work nightshifts until this time, the Kuwait Times reports.  Dr. Mohammad Al-Afasi, Labour Minister, announced the new rules, according to the report, citing Al-Watan newspaper.  However, women will be banned from working in physically demanding roles, including handling petrochemicals and in manufacturing roles where chemicals are used, the report said.  The new rules also cover an outside work ban for both men and women between 12 noon and 4pm from June 1 until the end of August because of the extreme summer heat..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAQ – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Supreme Court Ratifies Iraq Election Results  [Jun 1]
“Iraq’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ratified the results of the nation’s March 7 parliamentary election, officially declaring the secular Iraqiya alliance the vote’s biggest winner.  The televised announcement by the court’s top judge marked the first major step toward resolving Iraq’s election crisis and the seating of a new parliament. But the government impasse remains far from over, and it could still take weeks, perhaps months, before lawmakers elect new leaders.  The March vote left the country without a clear winner, as none of Iraq’s major political coalitions won an outright majority.  According to the Iraqi constitution, President Jalal Talabani now has 15 days to call parliament to its first session, where lawmakers could vote to elect a speaker and a president..”  [Complete Report]

U.S. Welcomes Iraq’s Certification of Election Results  [Jun 1]
“U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday welcomed the certification by Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court of the March 7 parliamentary elections across the nation’s 18 provinces.  “The electoral commission has worked in a careful, professional way to bring the process to this concluding point,” she said. “This experience demonstrates that Iraqis want to use the political process to choose their leaders and settle differences.”  Clinton called on Iraq’s political leaders “to move forward without delay to form an inclusive and representative government that will work on behalf of the Iraqi people.”..”  [Complete Report]

Iraq’s North Says Villagers Flee Iranian Shelling  [Jun 1]
“Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region said on Tuesday dozens of families had been displaced in days of shelling by Iranian forces pursuing Kurdish rebels in the border region.  Senior Kurdish officials denied reports that Iranian troops had entered Iraqi territory in pursuit of rebels from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, PJAK.  They said more than 100 families had fled shelling over the past week along the northern stretch of Iraq’s border with Iran.  “Iranian troops did not make any incursion into the Kurdistan region, but the villages near the border have faced artillery shelling for the past week, displacing some 120 families from Joman near the border,” said Major General Jabbar Yawar, spokesman for the Kurdish peshmerga security forces..”  [Complete Report]

Iraq President’s Bloc Opens Crucial Party Congress  [Jun 1]
“Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan opened its party congress on Tuesday, just the third such meeting since its founding in 1975, amid charges of nepotism and graft.  Demands for reform of the PUK are likely to dominate the meeting, due to last several days, as it faces an upstart opposition movement and a loss of ground to the Kurdistan region’s other leading bloc, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of regional president Massud Barzani.  “Today was a good start, and I expect that it will be a successful conference,” said Fareed Asasart, a senior PUK official.  “There will be more opportunities for young members to take part in the leadership of the PUK, and there is a quota for women as well.”  Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi and Ammar al-Hakim, the head of a major Shiite political party, all attended the first day of the congress, which comes as parliamentary factions hold coalition talks nearly three months after a general election..” [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Iran Arrests Two Reporters Ahead of Poll Anniversary  [Jun 1]
“Iran has arrested two female journalists working for reformist newspapers ahead of the first anniversary of a disputed presidential election, an opposition website reported on Tuesday.  “Azam Veisameh and Mahbubeh Khansari were arrested by intelligence agents around midnight,” the Rahesabz website said, adding that agents had also searched the pair’s homes and seized computers.  Veisameh has been a parliament reporter for several top-selling reformist newspapers and magazines. Khansari was a city reporter for now-banned reformist dailies.  Iran has cracked down heavily on the pro-reform opposition, jailing scores of prominent reformist leaders, journalists and rights campaigners following last June’s re-election of the hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad..”  [Complete Report]

France Urges Rapid Adoption of Iran Sanctions  [Jun 1]
“A report by a U.N. watchdog saying Iran is stepping up uranium enrichment measures leaves world powers no alternative but to push for new sanctions, France’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.  “In light of the report, the Six (five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany) have no choice but to seek the rapid adoption of a new sanctions resolution,” ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters at a regular news briefing.  The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report on Monday that Iran was preparing extra equipment to enrich uranium to higher levels and continues to stockpile nuclear material.  The findings follow a deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey earlier this month under which Iran agreed to ship 1.2 tonnes of its low-enriched uranium stockpile abroad in return for fuel for a medical research reactor..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Forces Not in Iraq, Kurdish Region Official Says  [Jun 1]
“The Kurdistan Regional Government of oil-rich northern Iraq denied a report by al-Arabiya television that Iranian forces had penetrated 5 kilometers (3 miles) inside Iraqi territory.  “These reports about an Iranian incursion into Kurdistan are totally false,” Kawa Mahmoud, a spokesman for the regional government, said today in a telephone interview. “There may be Iranian activity near the border, but there is no incursion.”  Iranian forces have carried out operations in the border region to eliminate suspected militants from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, or PJAK. Turkey has targeted Kurdish opponents of its government the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, along its border with Iraq. PJAK and the PKK both advocate the formation of an independent Kurdistan in the region.  The KRG last month called for an immediate end to military operations in the border area, saying they violate Iraqi sovereignty..” [Complete Report]

Iran Wants Netanyahu to Face Trial for Gaza Raid  [Jun 1]
“Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called for Israel’s prime minister and defence minister to face trial for the deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla in the eastern Mediterranean.  The United States, Britain and France must also be held accountable for Monday’s Israeli raid on the aid ships, said Khamenei, who is all-powerful in the Islamic republic.  “The Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference must not be satisfied with anything less than a full lifting of the Gaza blockade,” he said in a statement.  Khamenei also called for “an end to the grabbing of Palestinian land in the West Bank and a trial of criminals such as (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and (Defence Minister Ehud) Barak.”  He said the “criminal attack … should have convinced everyone that Zionism is the new and more violent face of fascism which is backed by those states which advocate freedom and human rights, above all the US government.”  Washington, London and Paris should also be held accountable, he said..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – Bahrain – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

KBR Gets Task Order For Work in Bahrain  [Jun 1]
“The U.S. Army selected engineering and construction company KBR to support the construction of a life support area for troops operating in Bahrain.  Houston’s KBR says it will deploy approximately 1,400 of its personnel for the life-support area for the task order under the company’s Logistics Civil Augmentation Program IV contract vehicle.  The approximately $28 million award also includes the construction of hazardous material management, firefighting services and airfield operations facilities along with a life support area.  The new facilities will used by Army and U.S. Navy units deployed at the Defense Department’s sites in Bahrain..”  [Complete Report]

Bankers Held in Bahrain Allege Libel  [Jun 1]
“A London-based private investigator libellously accused three British executives of a $2bn scam in a bank collapse that has led to them being banned from leaving the Gulf state of Bahrain, according to a High Court claim. Hibis Europe wrongly alleged the trio had “systematically perpetrated a criminal fraud on a giant scale”, state the documents, which highlight the risks facing private detectives commissioned to probe suspected financial wrongdoing in corporations.  The alleged defamation – contested by Hibis – is the latest twist in a bitter legal dispute between two Saudi Arabian tycoons that has dragged in big financial institutions and executives from the surrounding region and beyond.. ..The bankers are caught up in the increasingly public falling out between two troubled Saudi conglomerates. Saad Group, owned by Saudi billionaire Maan al-Sanea, and Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi and Brothers (Ahab) are between them estimated to owe dozens of regional and international banks $20bn..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Saudi Youths in Trouble Over MTV Reality Show  [Jun 1]
“Saudi Arabia’s religious police are trying to bring to court three Saudi youths for challenging the kingdom’s austere lifestyle on an MTV reality show – a new test of the country’s stated commitment to reform.  Divisions have emerged within the influential religious establishment, including the religious police body itself, over long-held restrictions that have been enforced in the world’s leading oil producing country and key US ally.  An official at the Jeddah court confirmed the filing of the lawsuit for the crime of “openly declaring sin” and said it would take at least one week for the Islamic sharia court to decide whether to proceed with a trial or dismiss the case.. ..Aired last month, MTV’s “True Life – Resist the Power, Saudi Arabia” followed how three Saudi youths and a heavy metal band cope with the strictures they encounter in their daily life in Jeddah, seen as the kingdom’s most liberal city..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Fund Fuelling Terror in Afghanistan  [Jun 1]
“Millions of dollars from Saudi donors routed to Afghanistan through Pakistan’s tribal areas, have fuelled terrorism in the country during the last four years, Afghan financial intelligence unit has claimed.  The funds, totalling more than 920 million pounds, entered from Pakistan where they are converted into rupees or dollars, the favoured currency for terrorist operations, the Afghan financial intelligence unit FinTraca has claimed.. ..Although Saudi Arabia – the home of the bin Laden family – is considered a key ally in the war against terror, a US government report last year said that private Saudi backers were the chief source of finance for the Taleban..”  [Complete Report]

Kingdom’s Appointment as UN Body Head Noted  [Jun 1]
“The Council of Ministers has, at its weekly meeting chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, expressed its satisfaction that the Kingdom has been appointed to head the consultative committee for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees starting from July.  Saudi Arabia is the first Arab country to occupy the position.. ..The king also briefed ministers on the message he received from Spain’s King Juan Carlos I and discussions with US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano..”  [Complete Report]

Suit Filed Against Co-education in Primary School  [Jun 1]
” An Islamic scholar has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Education for allowing female teachers in girls schools to teach male pupils in the first, second and third elementary years.  Sheikh Youssef Al-Ahmad, a lecturer at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, has filed the lawsuit with the Court of Appeals in Riyadh to stop female teachers from teaching boys.  He has also called on the court to process the lawsuit according to the Kingdom’s regulations and to hold those responsible to account.  Al-Ahmad, a lecturer in Fiqh at the university’s Shariah College, said he filed the complaint after Noura Al-Faiz, deputy minister of education, allowed female teachers in private girls schools to teach boys in the first three years of elementary education. Sources said Al-Ahmad had written letters to both of the Kingdom’s deputy ministers of education and to the president of the Control and Investigation Board that included “religious advice” about the need to stop female teachers from teaching male students..”  [Complete Report]

Arabian American and AMAK Announce $88 Million in Financing for Saudi Mine Development  [Jun 1]
“Arabian American Development Co. (Nasdaq: ARSD) today announced that the Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Company (AMAK) has received a letter of commitment and term sheet for a 330 Million Saudi Riyal ($88.0 million USD) loan facility from the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF).  The loan will be used for completion of the site development including underground work, the purchase of machinery, equipment, and vehicles, working capital and contingency funds for the construction of the mine in the Al-Masane area of Saudi Arabia.  The SIDF has asked for personal guarantees from the shareholders, which includes a corporate guarantee from Arabian American as a condition of closing.  Funding of draws on the loan must be completed by the end of 2011, and the seven year, semi-annual amortization would begin approximately two years later.  A further condition states that AMAK must negotiate with the Ministry of Finance to extend the $11 million dollar note which was transferred from Arabian American to a long term arrangement..”  [Complete Report]

King Abdulaziz University Opens the First Institute of Tourism in Saudi Arabia  [Jun 1]
“Under the patronage of His Royal Highness, Prince Mishaal bin Majed bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Jeddah, King Abdulaziz University launched its Institute of Tourism.  Classes in the Institute of Tourism started in the second semester of this year, where a group of academics and instructors from top hotels operating in Saudi Arabia provides academic and practical lessons to 14 students.  Study at the Institute focuses on the practical side so that graduates will achieve academic excellence and professional competence necessary to land them in high-paying jobs in the sector.  After a tour of the Institute’s premises, Prince Mishaal was impressed about the facilities, saying: ‘Our confidence in the Saudi youths is significant.’..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – OMAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here] 

Omani Women’s Liberation Through The Camera Lens  [Jun 1]
“In Oman, many women today are enthusiastically embracing photography as a means to express their perceptions of the world they live in. Farhat Al Harthy, 29, and Amaal Al Busaidi are two such women. They had always wanted to present their world view through art but could not find the right medium until they picked up a camera.  Al Harthy’s tryst with photography began in 2006, although it was not until 2008, when she moved to Bahrain for a year to work for the Danish company, COWI, that she found herself completely hooked. She was thrilled by the sheer variety of stories she could tell through her pictures. It led her to join a weekend class for beginners to fine tune her basics and then follow this up by enrolling for a six week documentary photography workshop conducted by noted photographer Camille Zakharia..”  [Complete Report]

Oman: New Projects Signal Tourism Boom  [Jun 1]
“A four-star hotel coming up in Al Khuwair is among the many properties currently under way in Oman which signal the country’s booming tourism business. S A Salman Rizvi, general manager of an upcoming property named ‘The Platinum’ in Al Khuwair, said: “Our new four-star hotel, set to open soon, is yet another sign of Oman’s booming tourism sector.”  Even as the construction is nearing completion, The Platinum is receiving a very good response from prospective customers “largely because tourism is booming in the Sultanate.”  The Sultanate’s tourism sector continues to flourish in the face of international economic meltdown, Salman added.. ..Around nine new hotels are coming up in the Batinah Region in view of the booming tourism business..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – OMAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

L&T Seeks to Strengthen Presence in Oman  [May 31]
” L&T Oman (L&T), a joint venture of Indian engineering giant Larsen & Toubro Limited and The Zubair Corporation of Oman, aims to build on its robust performance of 2009 to emerge as a key player in the Sultanate’s rapidly expanding construction and infrastructure development sector.  A team of top executives from the parent company was in Muscat late last week on a visit designed to review L&T Oman’s operational successes of last year, and to chart a strategy for the joint venture’s energetic future growth.  The team, comprising K V Rangaswami, L&T Board Member and President of the Construction Division, and V B Gadgil, Senior Vice-President and Chairman of L&T Oman, met with L&T Oman’s senior management led by M Shyamsunder, Chief Executive, to explore opportunities for consolidating and strengthening the engineering conglomerate’s presence in the Sultanate..”  [Complete Report]

A’Duqum Port in Oman to Boost Country’s Economy [May 31]
“A’Duqum Port in Al Wusta Region currently under construction is one of the strategic projects being implemented by the Sultanate’s Government to boost the national economy and revive the economic and industrial activities in the Sultanate in particular and the whole region in general.  The Port of A’Duqum is  characterized by it’s strategic location, as it overlooks the Arabian Sea and not far from the international shipping lines that link the East with the West and  the regional shipping lines that link the AGCC countries  and the Indian Ocean Rim countries with the international shipping lines.  dditionally, A’Duqum Port will serve the shipping lines between the Ports of the Sultanate, support cargo movement, the industrial and tourism activities as it lies almost mid-way between Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat and Port of Salalah in the Dhofar Governorate..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – Bahrain – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Bahrain Fund Expects Profit This Year  [May 31]
“The Bahraini sovereign wealth fund that owns a stake in the car maker McLaren expects to return to profit this year, even as state funds face tighter regulation after the global financial crisis.  Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding, the GCC state’s US$10 billion (Dh36.7bn) fund, suffered losses connected to its stake in the national carrier Gulf Air and a reduction in aluminium prices, affecting its investment in the metal maker Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) last year, said Talal al Zain, the chief executive of Mumtalakat.  An expansion of the airline’s routes and McLaren’s good growth prospects were among the reasons for expecting a return to the black this year, he said.  “The major contributor to our consolidated loss in 2009 was Gulf Air,” Mr al Zain said yesterday. “With new management at the airline, we are already seeing the impact of a turnaround strategy, and the airline is on budget for January to the end of April, so we are targeting a big reduction in losses for Gulf Air this year.”..”  [Complete Report]

Bahrain Condemns The Israeli Barbaric Attack  [May 31]
“The Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemns the Israeli navy’s barbaric attack on the aid flotilla in international waters, an attack which caused the deaths of many innocent victims. The Kingdom of Bahrain emphasizes that the Israeli use of force against civilians, including women, children and elders from several countries who sought to provide humanitarian aid to those people besieged in the Gaza Strip, must be condemned, is unacceptable, and is contrary to the basic laws and standards governing international waters.  The Kingdom of Bahrain calls for the international community to fulfil its responsibility in light of these acts of unjustified terrorism. It demands a thorough investigation into the matter, and emphasizes the need for the immediate release of all those on board the flotilla’s vessels..”  [Complete Report]

GFH to Sell Stake in Bahrain Financial Harbour  [May 31]
“Gulf Finance House GFHB.BH (GFHK.KW) will sell its 50 percent stake in Bahrain Financial Harbour Holding to Emar Bahrain, GFH said in a statement on Monday.  The sale, which is part of the cash-strapped firm’s strategy of divesting non-core assets, come as Gulf Finance House raises funds to repay the remaining $100 million of a $300 million loan.  Analysts have valued GFH’s stake in Bahrain Financial Harbour at about $175 million.  Emar Bahrain already owned about 50 percent in Bahrain Financial Harbour, according to Bahrain’s commercial registry. Bankers say Emar Bahrain is linked to the country’s royal family.  The asset sale will help assuage investor fears of immediate liquidity concerns.  GFH was once one of the bigger investment houses in the Gulf but it was badly hit by the regional property crunch, shrinking its balance sheet to about $1.3 billion..”  [Complete Report]