Shaikh Mohammed asks to end sanctions on Iran

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

Sanctions on Iran should be lifted and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad should be ousted.  These were some of the observations made by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during a no-holds-barred interview with the BBC.  … He recounted a conversation with former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the subject: “I talked to Ahmadinejad and he said, ‘If I send a rocket to Israel, how many Palestinians will I kill! And then the US and Europe will destroy my cities. I’m not crazy to go for that. It’s a weapon of the past.’” Shaikh Mohammed said sanctions on Iran should be lifted now as there was an agreement to inspect the country’s nuclear sites.  Regarding the civil war in Syria, he said the UAE was not following countries like Qatar that were intervening because it was unclear whether some of the rebels were extremists.

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GCC to adopt unified policy on power, water consumption

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

Water and electricity officials from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states will meet in Kuwait on Tuesday to discuss linkage project, said an official source. The meeting is being organized by GCC’s electricity cooperation committee.  He said the committee will explore the possibility of implementing the joint legal and legislative rules to strengthen rationalyzing (sic) the consumption of water and electricity, in addition to discussing subscribers’ services in the Gulf.   The average daily consumption of water per individual in the Gulf states varies between 300 and 750 liters daily, which is the highest in the world.

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Bahrain suspends “national dialogue” with opposition

Source: Al-Akhbar English (Read full story)

The Bahraini government has suspended a national dialogue with opposition groups aimed at ending nearly three years of political deadlock in the US-allied country, raising the prospect of further instability.  The opposition has boycotted the talks for months over the arrest of some of their leaders including their top chief Ali Salman last month, with prospects for a solution on the horizon looking bleak.

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Gulf states focus on green energy

Source: Al-Monitor (Read full story)

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) announced that the success of the Gulf countries in achieving their current renewable energy goals could lead to creating 116,000 jobs yearly in the Middle East in this sector until 2030. IRENA pointed out that the Gulf countries have started executing renewable energy projects and setting long-term goals to encourage the spread and adoption of these projects. They have also taken tangible steps to diversify energy sources for economic and environmental reasons.  IRENA issued a report titled “Renewable Energy and Jobs” … [that] points out, “Renewable energy currently provides jobs for around 6 million people worldwide. It is also expected that doubling the share of renewable energy among the global energy sources could contribute to increasing this figure to more than 16 million in the next two decades.”

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Saudi Arabia, France make their move in Lebanon

Source: Al-Monitor (Read full story)

The Saudi decision to give $3 billion in aid to the Lebanese army to purchase French weapons and ammunition came as a surprise to both supporters and opponents of the move. The amount is the highest ever to the army, but the most alluring aspect of the initiative is not limited to the allocated sum. In fact, rarely has the Lebanese state received any donations. Rather, the bigger surprise is the emerging Saudi-French partnership, which constitutes a turning point in the Middle East. With the shrinking American role in the area, a void has opened that regional forces and terrorist organizations from everywhere are rushing to fill.

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Saudi-US ties ‘critical to cement political transitions in Mideast’

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held wide-ranging talks on Sunday with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry, aiming to find common grounds over the US policy on the Israeli-Palestine conflict, Syria and Iran.   Kerry also met Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, said Johann Schmonsees, a spokesman of the US Embassy.  After holding talks, Kerry said strengthening the US-Saudi partnership was critical to Middle Eastern security and stability and cementing tentative political transitions around the region.   Kerry conveyed the greetings of US President Barack Obama to the king, who reciprocated.

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Tests prove held man is top Saudi militant linked with Iran embassy attack in Beirut

Source: The National (Read full story)

DNA tests yesterday showed that the man detained in Beirut and suspected in the Iran embassy bombing is the Saudi commander of an Al Qaeda-linked group.  The tests confirmed that the detained man is Majid Al Majid, the commander of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, the army said yesterday.  The group had claimed responsibility for a number of attacks, including the November 19 twin bombings at the Iranian embassy in Beirut that killed at least 23 people and wounded dozens.  Al Majid is being held in a military hospital because “he is in poor health”, a medical official said.

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It is forbidden to use phones while driving, says mufti

Source: Arab News (Read full story)

It is forbidden to use phones while driving because of the danger of causing accidents, the Eastern Province’s mufti said here recently.  Khalaf bin Mohammed Al-Mutlaq was speaking to the media here during the launch of a campaign entitled “Don’t Be Captive to Your Mobile.”  He also warned that young people are becoming addicted to the technology on their smart phones, distracting them from their school and religious duties.  “It is forbidden to drive and use your mobile because of the risks involved.”

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