GCC: Hezbollah terror group

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

The Gulf Cooperation Council yesterday unanimously declared Lebanon-based Hezbollah a terrorist organization and said it would take measures against the group’s interest in the Gulf countries. “All GCC countries are convinced that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization,” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Ghanim bin Fadl Al-Buainain told reporters following a meeting of GCC foreign ministers in Jeddah. He said the GCC countries had always tried to establish better ties with Iran and asked Tehran to stop its provocative actions including meddling in the internal affairs of Bahrain and espionage against Saudi Arabia.

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Bahrain budget deficit widened to $601m in ’12, below plan

Source: The Peninsula (Read full story)

Bahrain’s budget deficit widened sevenfold in 2012 to 227m dinars ($601m), but stayed well below an initial plan as the country reined in spending increases and revenue grew, data showed. The 2012 deficit was much lower than the 1.33bn dinars initially foreseen and is equivalent to two percent of gross domestic product, up from 0.3 percent in 2011, according to a Reuters calculation based on the official figures. Government expenditure in the small non-Opec oil exporter grew 14 percent to 3.26bn dinars, but that was below the 3.85bn planned, the finance ministry data showed.

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Panel moves to end sex segregation on campuses

Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)

The National Assembly’s legal and legislative committee yesterday approved a draft law stipulating to end a 13-year-old law that enforces sex segregation at government and private universities and some schools, a decision that was strongly criticized by Islamists as “disrespectful”. In taking the decision, the committee cited obstacles that hinder the educational process but insisted that girls and boys must be separated in the same classroom. The segregation law was passed by an Islamist and conservative-dominated Assembly in 1996 and implementation started three years later only at Kuwait University.

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Qatar launches its national primary healthcare strategy

Source: Gulf Times (Read full story)

Qatar yesterday launched its National Primary Healthcare Strategy 2013-2018 to help face future challenges. It was designed by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in accordance with the principles of Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar National Health Strategy 2011-2016. Eight goals are marked in the strategy. They are health promotion; screening; urgent care; chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs); home care; mental health; and maternal, newborn,  children and adolescents.

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Attacks on policemen are attacks on state

Source: Gulf Daily News (Read full story)

The spate of terror attacks targeting the security forces was condemned yesterday. The Cabinet, chaired by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, described the attacks on policemen as attacks on the state. It strongly denounced the terror blast which targeted the security forces on duty in Bani Jamra, which cost a policeman his leg and left the others injured. The Premier gave directives to ensure the injured policemen medical care and they and their families received all services, decent living and means to meet all their needs.

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DubaiSat-3: Emiratis are reaching for the stars

Source: The National (Read full story)

Work on developing the UAE’s newest satellite has begun before its predecessor has even left the launch pad. Emirati engineers in South Korea have completed the first design phase for DubaiSat-3, the third in a series of Earth-imaging satellites. The project will be transferred to Dubai in 18 months, when the manufacturing plant is built. Meanwhile, DubaiSat-2, which was built in South Korea, is expected to be launched at the Yasny Cosmodrome in Russia at the end of the year, later than planned to fit in with the base’s launch schedule.

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