Railway along King Fahd Causeway under study

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

 The governments of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are studying the possibility of building a railway line parallel to King Fahd Causeway to ease the flow of goods between the two countries. This is part of a larger 2,177 km Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) railway project that will connect Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Bahraini Transport Minister Kamal Ahmad said studies are under way to determine the project’s feasibility. “The Saudi and Bahraini governments have charged five organizations to study the possibility of building a bridge that will hold railway tracks parallel to King Fahd Causeway,” said Ahmad. The five organizations are the two countries’ ministries of finance and transportation and the King Fahd Causeway Authority.

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Egypt wins $ 8 bn Saudi and UAE aid, names PM

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

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Former UN diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei was named deputy president for foreign affairs. News quickly followed of $ 8 billion in grants, loans and fuel from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Saudi Arabia approved $ 5 billion in aid to Egypt and the UAE has offered $ 3 billion in desperately needed support for the economy . The Saudi funds comprise a $ 2 billion central bank deposit, $ 2 billion in energy products, and $ 1 billion in cash, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said.The UAE will make a $ 1 billion grant to Egypt and a $ 2 billion loan, state news agency WAM said. The $ 2 billion loan would take the form of an interest-free deposit with Egypt’s central bank, WAM said.

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The 4th Gulf Research Meeting Held in Cambridge

Source: Emirates News Agency (Read full story)

In his keynote address, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of this event which has become an annual gathering to discuss different Gulf-related issues with a variety of strategic political and economic themes. Dr. Sager also pointed out that this edition of the GRM is being held amidst regional and international turmoil stemming from the developments taking place in the Arab Spring countries, especially countries such as Syria, Yemen and Egypt. As a result, the GCC countries face a number of challenges that require in-depth analysis in the search for policy solutions. Issues such as Saudi Arabia and the Arab Spring, Sustainable Development Challenges in the Gulf Region, GCC-Iraq Relations, and Boundaries and Territories in the Gulf were among the pertinent topics covered.

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Emir receives greetings from world leaders

Source: The Peninsula (Read full story)

The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received congratulations from several world leaders on assuming power. The cables of congratulations were received from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Comoros President Ikililou Dhoinine, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav, and Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid.  The Emir received similar cables from Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly President Mustapha Ben Jaafar, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Arab League Secretary General Nabil El Araby, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi.

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Citizens to swear allegiance to Sheikh Tamim as Emir

Source: The Peninsula Qatar (Read full story)

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The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will receive Qatari citizens at the Emiri Diwan today and tomorrow to swear allegiance to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as the Emir of Qatar, the Qatar News Agency reported yesterday. The Emir will address the nation today at 8am. The Emiri Diwan has also declared today a national holiday.  Meanwhile, the Emir met yesterday at Al Wajbah Palace members of the ruling family and decision-makers. The Emir and the Heir Apparent will receive Qatari citizens at the Emiri Diwan today from 9am to 11.30am and from 3.30pm to 6pm. They will also receive citizens from 8am to 11.30am tomorrow “to swear allegiance to H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as the Emir of Qatar,” Qatar News Agency said.

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Weekend shift: A welcome change

Source: The Saudi Gazette (Read full story)

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Saudi Arabia, the biggest Arab economy, had been the only member of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to have a Thursday-Friday weekend after Oman shifted to a Friday-Saturday weekend last month. However, some Saudi companies, including food producer Savola had already announced they would change their own weekend to Friday and Saturday to improve their coordination with regional partners. The decision aligns Saudi Arabia’s work schedule with everybody else, John Sfakianakis, chief investment strategist at MASIC, a Riyadh-based investment company, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. “It will make the Saudi market more aligned with regional markets,” he said.

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Bahrain dismantles pro-Iran group

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

Bahrain announced yesterday the arrest of leading members of the radical opposition February 14 Revolution Youth Coalition, an influential clandestine cyber-group accused of links to Iran. “After an extensive investigation, several members of the February 14 terrorist organization were identified … (and) the main actors who took part in criminal acts have been arrested,” the Interior Ministry said. The group has been the main motor behind disturbances that began in 2011. The ministry said the group’s spiritual leader is Hadi Al-Mudaressi, a leading cleric living in the Iraqi city of Karbala, and said he “provided divisive sectarian support to the organization.”

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Hezbollah supporters to be thrown out of GCC countries

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

Members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah who are residing in Gulf Cooperation Council states will pay the price for the Shiite movement’s military role in Syria against freedom fighters. A GCC statement, citing a ministerial council decision, said the measures will affect Hezbollah members’ “residency permits, and financial and commercial transactions.” The statement urged the Lebanese government to “assume its responsibilities toward the behavior of Hezbollah and its illegal and inhumane practices in Syria and the region.”

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