Gulf in the News – June 10, 2013

Qatar’s emir poised to cede power to son

Source: Al Bawaba (Read full story)

Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, 33, is set to be Qatar’s next emir, Al Bawaba Arabic reported. Hamad is the son of current emir Khalifa Al Thani. Previous news reports have stated that the father and current incumbent Al Thani, 61, has been suffering from health problems for some time. Meanwhile, Hamad’s cousin, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem, is expected to step down as prime minister. Jasem, however, will stay on with the Qatar Investment Authority, which manages wealth that recycles gas revenues. He will also continue his role with UK’s retail darling, Harrods. According to the Daily Telegraph, the United States and Iran were briefed on the succession earlier this year.

Sultanate, US military co-operation reviewed

Source: Oman Daily Observer (Read full story)

During the meeting, the march of the good bilateral relations binding the Sultanate and the United State were reviewed, in addition to topics of common concern. Meanwhile, Sayyid Badr bin Saud al Busaidy, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, also received in his office at Mu’askar Bait Al Falaj yesterday Gen Austin. The meeting reviewed the existing military co-operation between the two friendly countries and discussed issues of common concern. Separately, Lt Gen Ahmed bin Harith al Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF), also received in Al Shafaq Club yesterday Gen Austin. The meeting was attended by Brigadier Rashid bin Saif al Shidi, Assistant SAF Chief of Staff for Operations and Planning, the US Ambassador to the Sultanate and the Military Attaché at the US Embassy in Muscat.

‘10 killed’ as Zaidis, Yemen police clash

Source: Gulf Times (Read full story)

The Zaidis are participating in an ongoing national dialogue launched in March to discuss the impoverished country’s main problems, including the issue of the Houthi rebellion.  The Zaidis belong to an offshoot of Shia Islam and are a minority in Sunni Yemen.  An air strike believed to have been carried out by a US drone killed six presumed members of Al Qaeda in north Yemen yesterday, a tribal source said.  The air raid targeted a vehicle in the Khab al-Shath area near Al Jawf, the source said, adding that the six dead included suspected Al Qaeda member Hassan al-Saleh Huraydan and his brother.  The tribal source had earlier put the number of dead at five.  “A Saudi national is among the dead,” the source said of the air strike that took place in the province bordering Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia to maintain natural gas self-sufficiency

Source: Saudi Gazette (Read full story)

Saudi Arabia will remain self-sufficient in natural gas, with production rising from an estimated 116.2bn cubic meters (bcm) in 2013 to 152bcm by 2022, Business Monitor International said in its quarterly updates. Efforts to tap the Red Sea and continued efforts to extract tight gas could surprise to the upside. With industry estimates placing the country’s technically recoverable shale gas resources at an estimated 18.1trn cubic meter (tcm) in April 2012 and pressure stemming from domestic consumption, Aramco announced an accelerated timetable for shale gas development. Alongside new offshore drilling, industry sources told Reuters in January 2013 that the Kingdom will see record rig counts as it boosts efforts to tap unconventional gas before 2020.

Kerry postpones Mideast visit

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was to return to the region this week for talks with Israelis and Palestinians, has postponed his visit, Israeli media reported on Monday. According to Israel HaYom, a newspaper considered close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kerry had been due to arrive on Tuesday, but put off the visit “to give (Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas) more time” to decide whether to drop his insistence on a settlement freeze before returning to negotiations. Kerry was likely to reschedule his visit for the following week, it said. Israeli and American officials both refused to comment on the report.

UAE trains Afghan women on trafficking victim shelter management

Source: Gulf News (Read full story)

The meeting also reviewed the report of the UAE Embassy in Vienna on the Third Ministerial Meeting against Human Trafficking, as well as the discussion of the UN report on drugs and crimes at the second regional meeting to combat human trafficking and smuggling of migrants. The meeting also reviewed the UAE initiative to donate $50,000 (Dh183,600) to the UN in support of human trafficking victims, especially women and children. A number of other topics were discussed during the meeting such as the UN annual report development fund for human trafficking victims, as well as the activities of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.