Saudi Arabia: SFO denies it is dropping GPT investigation

Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has played down reports it is poised to drop an investigation into allegations of bribery made against EADS subsidiary GPT Special Project Management related to contracts in Saudi Arabia. On 25 April, investigative news website Exaronews.com quoted an SFO insider as saying the investigation was effectively already dead, and that SFO director David Green was working out how to manage the politically sensitive decision to drop it.

Saudi Arabia: Ad campaign against abuse of women

Saudi Arabia has launched its first advertising campaign against the abuse of women, with a striking poster of a women, in niqab, with one bruised eye. The damaged eye, peeping through the black fabric that covers all of her body and most of her face, is paired with the slogan: “What is hidden is greater – together, fighting violence against women”. A more idiomatic translation might be “the tip of the iceberg”; an English version of the poster read: “Some things can’t be covered, fighting women’s abuse together”.

UN torture expert’s visit cancelled – again

Bahrain has cancelled a visit by the UN special rapporteur on torture Juan Méndez, the second time it has called off his trip at short notice. Méndez was due to be in Bahrain from 8 to 15 May but, on 22 April, was handed a letter that said the National Dialogue was taking longer than envisaged, and that his visit could damage its chances of success.

Dos and Don’ts in the UAE

Following UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed’s state visit to Britain – overshadowed in the UK by allegations that three Britons were mistreated in UAE custody – the Foreign Office has issued an updated list of Dos and Don’ts in the UAE, intended to help Britons avoid conduct which “can lead to fines, imprisonment and deportation” – and make for the kind of uncomfortable politics London would rather avoid.

Dos and Don’ts in the UAE

UN torture expert’s visit cancelled – again

Relations with Washington tense

Bahrain’s parliament has called for the US ambassador in Bahrain to stop “interfering in domestic affairs” and meeting government opponents. According to 6 May reports in the pro-government press, the cabinet has agreed to the proposal, and will take diplomatic measures, though it is not clear what that might entail. Certainly, Manama’s recent pique at a critical US State Department report has exacerbated existing tensions between Washington and Bahrain. On 30 April, the Bahrain parliament denounced the report – which detailed “serious” human rights abuses – and accused ambassador Thomas Krajeski of being biased.

New Kuwait media law is a step backwards

On 24 April, Kuwait’s prime minister, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, met some of the country’s leading editors, and – following a “candid, frank and expanded meeting” (in the words of state news agency Kuna) – put the brakes on a controversial media law, which in its current state would seriously undermine press freedom. “If you are against the bill, it will be shelved,” he said, suggesting that consultations between journalists and the government could lead to an amended version.

Prince Khalid sacked as King Abdullah continues to clear out the old guard

No reason has been given for the dismissal of Saudi deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan. In a 20 April royal order, King Abdullah installed Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah in the post, the latest in a string of appointments apparently aimed at...

Gulf leaders at the White House

Following US secretary of state John Kerry’s Gulf tour in March, the Gulf headed to Washington in April. First up was Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed, who had a working lunch with President Barack Obama on 16 April. The UAE is seen as one...

New Kuwait media law is a step backwards

9 May 2013

Saudi Arabia subsidy reform? 

9 May 2013

Adnoc chooses Shell for $10bn Bab JV 

9 May 2013

Relations with Washington tense

9 May 2013

UAE: Iranian MPs visit disputed islands

9 May 2013

Saudi Arabia: SFO denies it is dropping GPT investigation

9 May 2013

Saudi Arabia: Ad campaign against abuse of women

9 May 2013

Saudi Arabia: Protocol chief removed

9 May 2013

UN torture expert’s visit cancelled – again

9 May 2013

Oman: Muscat secures release of Iranian scientist held in US

9 May 2013

Dos and Don’ts in the UAE

9 May 2013

Sheikh Tamim’s busy schedule

9 May 2013

Qatar steadfast in its support for Islamist groups

9 May 2013

Concerns over health of Qatari emir fuel rumours he may abdicate

9 May 2013

Dozens of candidates, but few political differences in Iran’s presidential poll

25 April 2013

Ian Henderson dies

25 April 2013

French intelligence chief’s MidEast links

25 April 2013

FAC questions UK cuts in Iraq

25 April 2013

Crown Prince Salman talks up reform at Grand Prix

25 April 2013

Gulf leaders at the White House

25 April 2013

Prince Khalid sacked as King Abdullah continues to clear out the old guard

25 April 2013

Musallam Al-Barrak sentenced to five years in jail

25 April 2013

Prince Fahd Bin Abdullah appointment

25 April 2013

Abbas makes groundbreaking visit

25 April 2013

Understanding Al-Saud genealogy as important as ever in Saudi history

11 April 2013

Yemeni economy to feel blow of Saudi deportations  

11 April 2013

Kuwait seeks to lose one million expatriates  

11 April 2013

Thousands of ‘foreigners’ to get Kuwaiti citizenship

11 April 2013

UAE: Sheikh Khalifa’s British state visit

11 April 2013

Saudi Arabia: Miteb Bin Abdullah’s Paris hotel 

11 April 2013

Saudi Arabia: Badr Bin Abdelaziz funeral

11 April 2013

This Saudi Arabia: Paralysis reports denied 

11 April 2013

Saudi Arabia: Women ‘allowed to ride bicycles’ 

11 April 2013

Qatar: Emir Sheikh Hamad’s meetings 

11 April 2013

Qatar’s support for Mishaal

11 April 2013

Former UK diplomats turn business advisers 

11 April 2013

Kuwait holds first execution since 2007 

11 April 2013

Iraq executes 18 men

11 April 2013

New UAE hunting lodge

11 April 2013

Dubai hunting firm to win rights to Maasai ancestral lands 

11 April 2013

UAE: Number of defendants swells to 106 in Al-Islah trial 

11 April 2013

Syria’s opposition PM – friend of Qatar?

11 April 2013

Al-Khatib’s ‘resignation’ seen as dig at Qatar

11 April 2013

Saudi Arabia cracks down on migrant workers 

11 April 2013

Arab League summit: who was there?

11 April 2013

Case against Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr gets under way

11 April 2013

Barzani says Kurds will not accept subjugation

11 April 2013

Syria tops the agenda at Arab League summit in Doha

11 April 2013

Oman protesters arrested after performance by US band

21 March 2013

Bahrain’s moderate Crown Prince Salman named first deputy prime minister

21 March 2013

Iraq’s budget: A victory for centralism

21 March 2013

UAE seeks to freshen its image with reshuffle announced on Twitter

21 March 2013

UAE Government list

21 March 2013

Riyadh and Doha display united front on Syria – but cracks likely to widen

21 March 2013

Iraq: Sunni protesters hit wall despite intense mobilisation

21 March 2013

Iraq bombings mark tenth anniversary

21 March 2013

Yemen: National Dialogue begins 

21 March 2013

Seven Saudi young men executed for robbery

21 March 2013

Saudi Arabia: ACPRA co-founders sentenced 

21 March 2013

Oman: Strikes 

21 March 2013

Saudi Arabia: ‘Spy ring’ 

21 March 2013

Saudi Arabia: Khalid Bin Bandar settles

21 March 2013

As relations improve, Kuwait eyes investment opportunities in Iraq

21 March 2013

Trade links and investment pull Kuwait and Iraq closer

21 March 2013

LSE’s problems highlight wider questions for underfunded academics

21 March 2013

Yemen Risk Management Report: Thousands protest in the south as National Dialogue begins

21 March 2013

Bahrain Risk Management Report: Crown Prince Salman appointed first deputy prime minister

21 March 2013

Limits of UAE tolerance tested as tight security marks start of Al-Islah trial

7 March 2013

Saudi Arabia: More than 160 protesters arrested

7 March 2013

Saudi Arabia: Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s position strengthened

7 March 2013

Execution of seven Saudi young men on hold

7 March 2013

Oman's Supreme Court overturns verdicts against activists

7 March 2013

Concerns over Qatar’s Islamist connections grow ever louder in North Africa

7 March 2013

Unrest derails Yemen dialogue preparations

7 March 2013

Tight security for Abu Dhabi’s most anticipated trial

7 March 2013

Shiites deported in another UAE crackdown

7 March 2013

Clifford Chance to open first foreign-Saudi law partnership

7 March 2013

Qatari poet’s life sentence cut to 15 years

7 March 2013

Iran seeks to restrict international reach of its politicised cinema

7 March 2013

UAE - Emirates Risk Management Report: Dubai seeks more sukuk trade, plans central regulator

7 March 2013

Ten years after the Iraq invasion, the GSN 2003 archive opens to general readership

5 March 2013

Yemen’s National Dialogue to start in March

21 February 2013

Bahrain needs negotiations, not dialogue

21 February 2013

Doha discovers planets, plans space centre

21 February 2013

Saudi Arabia: More protests in Eastern Province

21 February 2013

Jailed Saudi prince to return home

21 February 2013

Saud Bin Nayef’s Eastern Province post

21 February 2013

Riyadh governorship team well received

21 February 2013

Qatar: Emir Sheikh Hamad’s South American tour

21 February 2013

Five acquitted of insulting Kuwait emir

21 February 2013

Iraq: Attack on Iranian dissidents

21 February 2013

Presidential candidates jockey for support ahead of Iran’s crucial June polls

21 February 2013

Yemen: Seizure of arms cache prompts UN warning

21 February 2013

Gamma and Trovicor face OECD probe over alleged supply of surveillance software to Bahrain

21 February 2013

Bahrain’s National Dialogue edges on as violence marks anniversary of uprising

21 February 2013

The £73.8m cost of UK diplomacy in the Gulf region

21 February 2013

UAE to try 94 people linked to Al-Islah

7 February 2013

Saudi Arabia: Abdelaziz Bin Salman’s Libya meeting

7 February 2013

French socialist leader slams Doha over Mali

7 February 2013

Iraq: UK visa centre in Baghdad

7 February 2013

See more:

Perspectives

A selection of free articles from GSN's extensive database

Ten years after the Iraq invasion, the GSN 2003 archive opens to general readership

To mark the tenth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, and to give wider public access to some of our reporting and analysis, GSN has unlocked the archive of its newsletters published in 2003 (accessible at www.gsn-online.com). The invasion was hardly a surprise; US determination to depose Saddam Hussein had been clear for months, but too little thought went into its repercussions. Few of those behind the invasion saw the potential for the turbulence it unleashed. A reading of pre-2003 GSN shows just how inevitable conflict was. ‘Global terrorism’ was high on the agenda as the George W Bush administration came to power.

Issue 942 - 5 March 2013

Concerns over democracy and human rights

The mood of crisis in Gulf affairs, with decisions on a war against Iraq perhaps just weeks away, is proving a delicate test for the West’s readiness to promote a democracy and human rights agenda.

Issue 697 - 7 November 2002

Peninsula Shield and Abu Musa

Defence ministers of the GCC states, meeting in Kuwait, endorsed an earlier proposal by Oman that the Peninsula Shield joint defence force be increased tenfold to 100,000 men. Currently the Peninsula Shield force, based at Hafr Al-Batin in north-eastern Saudi Arabia, has a strength of about 10,000 men.

Issue 450 - 30 November 1992

Iran, Iraq and Baghdad’s troubled finances

Iraq’s financial situation is far from satisfactory. The Gulf states and Saudi Arabia have provided the country with something like $30bn but there are some signs of a growing reluctance to lend any more.

Issue 200 - 28 November 1982

Loves me, loves me not: Ten years of the Qatar/Bahrain causeway

This week’s story on Qatar and Bahrain notes that plans for a causeway linking the two countries remain dead in the water, despite hopes they might be revived before the 2022 soccer World Cup.

Issue 933 - 11 October 2012

Growing tensions with Baghdad over oil law, Hashemi

long- standing political tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad have escalated in recent months, putting the Kurds at the centre of Iraqi politics: issues at stake include the presence on Kurdish soil of fugitive vice president Tariq Al-Hashemi, wanted by Baghdad, and a dispute over oil contracts which shows no signs of resolution.

Issue 919 - 8 March 2012

Saleh accepts UN resolution, but escalating unrest continues to claim lives

Embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh has accepted the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2014 of 24 October condemning the country’s violence on all sides and demanded a political transition.

Issue 911 - 28 October 2011

Senior Al-Saud still absent abroad, huge 2011 budget announced

Four senior royals (King Abdullah, interior minister and second deputy premier Nayef, Riyadh governor Prince Salman and Crown Prince Sultan) have long-standing health problems, highlighted by their various absences from Saudi Arabia in the past two years.

Issue 892 - 17 January 2011

Some signs of economic recovery in Dubai, but yet more debt is revealed

Dubai Group, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding, has revealed $4bn of debt in addition to the $6bn already declared. The group is now looking to restructure all $10bn, of which the original $6bn is owed to banks and $4bn made up of inter-company loans.

Issue 899 - 29 April 2011

Critics attack ‘regressive’ Saudi press law

Amendments criticised for undoing all the gains in freedom of expression made under King Abdullah. The Kingdom has amended its Press and Publications Law of November 2000.

Issue 902 - 10 June 2011

Iraqiya suspends talks until demands are met

Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi’s decision to suspend talks with prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki until demands on reform are met is the biggest threat to Iraq’s political stability since the current government was formed

Issue 902 - 10 June 2011

Emir reappoints prime minister despite opposition

Emir reappoints prime minister despite opposition, Nigerian kingpin released, Rafsanjani son accused of cheating, Al-Attiyah in line for Arab League job

Issue 898 - 8 April 2011

No sign of an official retreat from the Bahraini crackdown

King Hamad shows no sign of relaxing a security campaign that seems intended to squeeze opposition outside parliament and depress voter turnout in support of opponents within the constitutional framework, when legislative elections are held on 23 October

Issue 885 - 17 September 2010

From tense Basra and Baghdad to ‘relaxed’ Anbar: Iraq’s security outlook as US withdrawal looms

With the 31 August deadline looming for the withdrawal of US combat forces in Iraq, GSN has visited locations across the country to conduct a wide-ranging assessment of the security situation and the likely impact of withdrawal. We asked what the drawdown would mean on the ground and whether the Iraqi Security Forces will cope.

Issue 881 - 16 July 2010

Yemen-based networks take fight to the Kingdom

Yemeni-based militants constitute one external threat to expatriates. Indeed, the prospect of establishing bases in Yemen has been mentioned prominently in militant communiqués and in Saudi government statements since 2006.

Issue 839 - 24 October 2008

Bahrain commission chief’s comments raise questions over impartiality of inquiry

The storm over comments made by the chair of the body set up to investigate human rights abuses since February, has cast doubts over its credibility. Some observers believe this could work against the interests of the king, who may have a vested interest in the panel digging deep and its findings being deemed credible

Issue 907 - 2 September 2011

UAE internet activists got used to arrest and detention before Arab Spring

While many chose anonymity, Ahmed Mansoor Ali Abdullah Al-Abd Al-Shehi argued that, as a proud Emirati who simply wanted to help his nation develop, he had no reason to hide his identity. “It’s because I care for my country that I feel these issues need to be discussed,”

Issue 899 - 29 April 2011

Yemeni opposition cages in Saleh as violence prompts high-profile defections

As the president’s close allies declare open support for protesters demanding regime change, the balance of power in the capital has shifted

Issue 897 - 25 March 2011

Crown Prince Salman takes centre stage to facilitate dialogue

Salman has emerged as a major player only in the past few years. As recently as 2007, it was thought he was marginal in shaping government policy and overshadowed by his powerful great-uncle, prime minister Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa,

Issue 895 - 25 February 2011

Government cracks down as opposition regains momentum

Tehran’s security forces and riot police were on the streets on Sunday 20 February using batons and tear gas to prevent opposition groups and individuals from commemorating the deaths of two young Iranians, Sanee Zhaleh, a Kurd, and Mohammad Mokhtari, who were shot dead during anti-government protests on 14 February.

Issue 895 - 25 February 2011

Bahrain government starts national dialogue process, but further unrest continues

The streets of Manama remained tense as GSN went to press, though political opposition groups are beginning a national dialogue. Disagreement over whether the Al-Khalifas should stay or go threatens to undermine the process

Issue 895 - 25 February 2011

Minister’s resignation accepted

Interior minister Sheikh Jaber Khaled Al-Sabah’s 13 January resignation request has been accepted by Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, following allegations that a man was tortured to death while in police custody.

Issue 894 - 11 February 2011

Silence over future of assembly

The mandate for the current Federal National Council (FNC) expires in February, but there is still no news on whether the government plans to allow another election. Last week, several FNC members pressed the government to announce arrangements for the election of a new house, and to give the council more power. But the UAE’s ruling Supreme Council has failed to clarify the situation.

Issue 887 - 15 October 2010

US confirms Omani role in Iranian release

The US State Department on 15 September confirmed the role of the Omani government in securing the release of imprisoned hiker Sarah Shourd, who was arrested with two other Americans by Iran 13 months ago when walking in the mountainous Iranian/Iraqi border region

Issue 885 - 17 September 2010

Border issues pose potential for conflict

Public tensions have died down following reports of a skirmish between Emirati and Saudi vessels that was blamed on a dispute over the route of the Dolphin pipeline which brings Qatari gas to the UAE

Issue 875 - 23 April 2010

See more:

Gulf Merchant Families

Anyone doing business in the Gulf is very likely to find him or herself either a competitor or partner of one of the region’s powerful merchant families. Produced by CbI’s due diligence and research team, with support from experienced GSN editorial staff, the Merchant Family Series of reports provides valuable insights to all investors interested in understanding the Gulf business environment.

Published in May 2013, this map provides an overview of licensed blocks in UAE both onshore and offshore. The location of oil and gas fields and associated existing and planned pipeline, refineries, processing facilities and tanker terminals are shown.

Published in February 2013, this file groups together a series of graphics showing Saudi Arabia's energy comsumption mix, electricity generation capacity gap, and 2032 generation targets.

Corrections

There are currently no correction announcements. An archive of past announcements may be read on the following page.

New Kuwait media law is a step backwards

A dozen bombs? It’s a good day in Iraq

On 20 April, Iraq held its first countrywide elections since the withdrawal of US troops in late 2011. The vote for provincial councils, widely touted as a litmus test for Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki ahead of parliamentary elections in 2014, was seen also as a test of how well Iraq’s political institutions and security forces could handle nationwide polls.

Understanding Al-Saud genealogy as important as ever in Saudi history

Any discussion of Saudi politics and business quickly turns to questions about the influence of Al-Saud princes and other key players in the royal pecking order, and who will succeed King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz.

SEE ALL POSTS

Events

28-29 May

Iraq Petrochem 2013, London

12-13 June

2nd Oil & Gas Security Summit 2013, London

17 June

Iraq Power, London

18-20 June

Iraq Petroleum, London

19-20 June

World National Oil Companies Congress, London

1-3 September

CIO Summit Middle East, UAE

16-17 September

2nd Edition Middle East Homeland Security Summit, Qatar

23-25 September

Power and Water Middle East, UAE

24-25 September

Smart Grids and Smart Meters Summit, UAE

29 September-2 October

Middle East Process Engineering Conference & Exhibition, Bahrain

SEE ALL EVENTS

Politics

Archive

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7 March 2013

7 March 2013