Latest in Tag: gulf Highlight
Latest in Tag: gulf
Al-Sisi meets King Salman in first Saudi visit
Egypt-Saudi relations have been strong and stable for years, says Al-Sisi
Egypt concerned over Yemen situation
Al-Houthi announced new parliament and interim government Friday
Qatar asks for time to implement labour reforms
By James M. Dorsey Qatari sports executives, in a bid to refute calls for depriving Qatar of its 2022 World Cup hosting rights, have asked their human rights and trade union critics as well as world football body FIFA to give them more time to address criticism of the Gulf state’s kafala or sponsorship system …
Mehleb travels to Kuwait with delegation of ministers
Visit is expected to discuss potential collaboration between the two countries
Prince Salman promises continuity as he takes Saudi Arabia throne
Its backing will remain unchanged, but the lifeblood of Gulf aid cannot continue indefinitely
Who supports terrorist forces in the ongoing wars?
There is a war, or rather wars, taking place in the Middle East between political Islam and ruling regimes, and most observers note that on one side of these wars stands a group of states and governments while the other includes religious, extremist, and militant groups and organisations. The current scene may bring to mind …
Al-Sisi in Abu Dhabi for high-stakes energy summit
UAE allocated more than $10bn in development aid to Egypt in 2014 alone, says Emirati Embassy in Cairo
Qatar gambles that labour reforms will satisfy critics
By James M. Dorsey 2022 World Cup host Qatar has announced a series of reforms to improve working and living conditions of its majority migrant labour population that address material concerns, but fall short of recommendations made in a government-sponsored study and demands of trade union and human rights activists. The litmus test for Qatar’s …
Potential UK club acquisition could help Qatar polish its image
By James M. Dorsey Qatar has booked two recent successes in what has become an uphill struggle to improve its tarnished image: a papering over of its rift with Saudi Arabia and the UAE sparked by Qatari support for the Muslim Brotherhood, and reports that it may be interested in acquiring London Premier League club …
Gulf human rights declaration increases heat on Qatar to act on migrant workers’ rights
By James M. Dorsey The adoption of a human rights declaration by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that was designed to shield wealthy Gulf monarchies including 2022 World Cup host Qatar from criticism by human rights and trade union activists is likely to increase pressure on the sports-focused Gulf state to significantly alter its controversial …
Marble and granite shine in international building trade fair in Cairo
Egypt is the tenth largest natural stone quarry producer in the world and the second largest exporter of marble blocks
Muslim Brotherhood faces pressure in Jordan
King Abdulla says group “hijacked the Arab Spring”, Brotherhood deputy leader to face military trial later this month
Shoukry asks Britain to support Libya’s ‘legitimate government institutions’
State institutions and dialogue are key to region’s stability, says Egypt FM
Angry Saudi football clubs pinpoint Gulf labour market contradictions
By James M. Dorsey Mounting anger among Saudi football clubs at their subjugation to quotas designed to encourage employment of Saudi nationals and reduce dependence on foreign labour illustrates problems encountered by wealthy Gulf countries in balancing the contradictory demands of labour markets, often lopsided demographics, social contracts involving a cradle-to-grave welfare state that creates …
Egypt and Gulf security equations
By Khaled Okasha At the end of last week, a statement was issued by the King of Saudi Arabia announcing the Riyadh supplementary agreement, whose goal is to clear the air in the Gulf. He hoped that moving forward with the agreement would bring about cooperation, free of past disagreements. Just one day before this, …
Gulf agreement on improved migrant worker conditions unlikely to end activist pressure
By James M. Dorsey Wealthy Gulf nations have agreed on measures to improve the working and living conditions of migrant workers who constitute a substantial segment, if not the majority, in a number of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. The measures constitute a bid to fend off more far-reaching demands by human rights …
Saudi company acquires controlling stake in professional network Jobzella
We are taking advantage of a new round of investment by expanding to the Gulf, says Batrawi
Likely Qatar deportation of striking workers raises concerns
By James M. Dorsey Qatar is signalling the rejection of demands of human rights and trade union activists to grant trade union and collective bargaining rights to its majority migrant worker population with the detention and likely deportation of more than 100 predominantly South Asian labourers who went on strike to protest low pay as …
International bonds issued in all markets, country minus guarantor: Dimian
Government received offers from abroad to finance Suez Canal project but opted to finance it domestically, say finance minster
Gulf football diplomacy highlights regional divisions
By James M. Dorsey Wealthy Gulf states have invited Jordan and Morocco to compete in future Gulf Cups as part of a bid to strengthen their fragile six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at a time that they have at best papered over deep rifts within the group. The invitation follows an earlier stalled attempt to …
Saudi, Emirati, and Bahraini ambassadors to return to Qatar
Decision follows a meeting of Gulf leaders in Riyadh, who reached an agreement seeking unity of GCC states
Study asserts that controversial Gulf labour regime reduces global inequality
By James M. Dorsey With the absence of labour rights in the Gulf under fire as a result of Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup, Gulf states are likely to take heart from a recent study that asserts that authoritarian regimes in the oil-rich Middle East and China have contributed more to …
International cooperation ministry denies receiving $1bn from Kuwait
Last aid to Egypt was $350m Saudi loan for electricity projects and promoting Saudi exports to Egypt, says ministry spokesperson
The ISIS within
By Nesreen Salem The video that emerged from Hama, Syria, depicting the stoning of a woman in yet another episode in the ISIS propaganda series, is the first punishment of its kind to emerge from Hama. The video shows a married woman who has been presumably promiscuous and has therefore deserved under Sharia law to be …
Egypt’s outlook upgraded to stable: Moody’s
Government bond rating confirmed at Caa1, however
Reshaping the Middle East: UAE leads the counterrevolution
By James M. Dorsey War planes from oil-rich Gulf states play a supporting role in the US-led air campaign to counter the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Despite their massive weapons acquisitions in recent years the Gulf states’ participation may make little military difference in the war against the jihadists, but it serves everyone’s …
Gulf proxy war: UAE seeks to further damage Qatar’s already tarnished image
By James M. Dorsey The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are locked in a propaganda war with public relations agencies and front organisations as proxies that is backfiring on both Gulf states. Disclosures of the proxy war have hit Qatar at a time that its image as the host of the 2022 World Cup is …
Islamic State: an ideological challenge to Saudi Arabia
By James M. Dorsey The meteoric rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its declaration of an Islamic State straddling the two Arab countries raises the spectre of a militant Islamist state in the heart of the Middle East East close to the borders of US allies like Israel, Jordan and …
Gulf States and their US critics seek to shape US perceptions on football pitch
By James M. Dorsey Gulf states seeking to polish images tarnished by allegations of violations of human rights and their critics are employing football in an effort to shape American perceptions. At stake for countries like Qatar and the UAE is more than just reputation; it is the ability to invest in strategic US assets …
Al-Sisi concludes Saudi Arabia visit
King Abdullah awards Al-Sisi Medal of King Abdulaziz