Ramadan Diary: As Fasting Ends, the Lessons of Ramadan Linger – Ambah

Source: SUSRIS (Read full story)

Before we began our three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of Ramadan, I came across an article in a Saudi newspaper with a checklist of what makes a successful Ramadan. First on the list: Recognizing that one can change for the better and acquiring patience and strong will. This month my deficiencies have shone as if spotlights were directed at them. The article continues: Successful fasting means not only abstaining from food, drink, and lust from dawn to dusk, but also being honest, patient, and forgiving. I lose my temper with my children and argue with my sisters regularly. But, because I’m fasting and conscious of Ramadan’s requirements, I have become aware of that single moment, as quick as a finger-snap, when a person gives themselves the green light to lose their temper.

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Yemen foils Al Qaeda plot to seize cities

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

Yemeni authorities have foiled an Al Qaeda plot to seize control of two cities and an oil export terminal and to kidnap foreigners, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.  “The main aim of the plot was to seize control of two cities, Al Mukalla and Ghayl Bawazeer” in the southeast, Rajeh Badi told AFP, adding that oil export facilities near Mukalla were also to be targeted. Foreigners working at the terminal were to be kidnapped as well, he said. He said that the Mina Al Dhaba oil terminal west of Mukalla, and a nearby export facility for oil derivatives, were to be targeted by militants disguised in army uniforms.

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 US missions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to remain closed

Source: The National (Read full story)

The US State Department extended the closure period due to a continuing threat from terrorism in the Middle East. Numerous American embassies across the region were closed on Sunday due to an unusual step by authorities – issuing a worldwide travel alert for US citizens that arose due to an unspecified terrorist threat, possibly from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The embassies affected continue to provide emergency services for American citizen services. In a security message to US citizens overseas, the department said: “As previously noted, the department has been apprised of information that, out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees and others who may be visiting our installations, indicates we should institute these precautionary steps.

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Rockets hit UAE’s mission to Libya

Source: The National (Read full story)

The UAE Embassy in Libya was hit by two rocket-propelled grenades in a terror attack yesterday. The Assistant Foreign Minister for Security and Military Affairs, Faris Al Mazrouei, confirmed the incident to the state news agency Wam, but stressed no one was injured in the 5am assault. “An attack happened this morning on the Emirati embassy. There are no casualties,” Libyan interior ministry spokesman Rami Kaal said yesterday.  Mr Al Mazrouei said the embassy was helping Libyan investigators try to identify the culprits. Libyan security sources were quoted by Al Arabiya television as saying the rockets were aimed at the residence of the ambassador, Brig Gen Mohammed Al Kaabi.

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West-GCC alliance Tested in Syria as Iran-Syria Alliance Proves Firm

Source: INEGMA (Read full story)

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The GCC has announced its full support to the Syrian revolution and some Gulf countries are providing funds and arms to the rebels. GCC assistance is what helped the rebels stay in the fight and not the empty promises from European capitals and Washington. Now the West speaks about the threat of Al-Qaeda and fundamentalist groups that infiltrated the Syrian rebels and caution about arms falling into the “wrong hands.” But they forget that the absence of genuine military aid from so-called allies to the rebels was what created the vacuum of support which the extremist groups where more than glad to fill in Syria.

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Congress, Obama at odds over new Iran sanctions

Source: Kuwait Times (Read full story)

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Despite wide bilateral support in Congress for tougher sanctions, some Democrats and Republicans are embracing the administration’s cautious approach. In a letter last week to Obama, 18 GOP House members joined more than 100 of their Democratic colleagues in urging the president to “reinvigorate US efforts to secure a negotiated nuclear agreement” and give Rouhani a chance. Rouhani’s election clearly has bolstered hope of compromise. A former nuclear negotiator and relatively moderate cleric, Rouhani has suggested a more accommodating approach than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has final say on nuclear issues.

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Oman marks Renaissance Day

Source: Gulf News (Read full story)

It has been a long 43-year journey in which Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed has transformed Oman into a modern state. To mark the new beginning under Qaboos Omanis celebrate July 23 as Renaissance Day. When Qaboos, a graduate of the Sandhurst military academy, acceded to the throne on July 23, 1970, the country had only three schools, two hospitals and just about 10km of roads. He first changed the country’s name from the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman to the Sultanate of Oman and embarked on the task of ending the country’s isolation. Qaboos used the country’s oil revenues to modernise the nation while maintaining the country’s rich culture and heritage.  Today the country has over 1,000 schools and every region has a health centre and hospitals in every major town.

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Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant a threat to Gulf water plans

Source: The Peninsula (Read full story)

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In the near-absence of natural water resources, the GCC states depend almost entirely for potable water on the shallow sea, whose water they desalinate at huge costs. In that sense, and also because the GCC’s oil and gas exports are shipped through the Gulf, this shallow body of water is the lifeline of these countries and their people. The GCC states, with their economies collectively worth a whopping $1.5tn, are mulling a joint water supply system that takes seawater for desalination from outside the Gulf, media reports say. The Arabian Gulf is a relatively small body of seawater, 249 square kilometres in area; the widest stretch being 338km while the narrowest, the Strait of Hormuz, is barely 56km wide. The Gulf waters are deeper towards the Iranian coast — the average depth being 90 to 100 metres.

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