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Rare was the commentator who predicted that the overthrow of Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in (was it only?) mid-January would be followed by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s demise and the probable overthrow of the even more entrenched Qadhafi regime in Libya.
Judge agrees to postponement after defendants claim Cayman Islands case has hindered preparations
Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa said on 8 February that Arab leaders should make popular demands for political freedoms a “priority”,
There were predictions that events in Tunisia and Egypt would lead to greater unrest in Sanaa. But, so far, any disruption has been more about party politics than grass-roots demonstrations
Meetings
SALMAN BIN HAMAD: Comments on freedom; SENIOR AL-SAUD: Meetings with international dignitaries; NAYEF BIN ABDELAZIZ: Jeddah floods leadership; AL-SAUD: Marriages and funerals; BADR BIN ABDELAZIZ: Overseas trip; TURKI BIN TALAL: Tribal mediation
Confronted yet again by damaging rumours, Saudi sources moved quickly to quash a 10 February report that King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz was seriously ill or was dead, apparently having suffered a heart attack after a heated telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama.
The 3 February demonstrations in Sanaa were diffused by midday due to disunity among the Yemeni demonstrators, and Syria’s equivalent did not take root, but mass protests in Egypt
Pro and anti-government demonstrations were due to be held in Tehran as GSN went to press. The former will celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian revolution on 11 February, while the latter will be a march in support of Tunisia’s Jasmine revolution and the anti-Mubarak protesters in Egypt.
With Bahrain’s ‘Day of Rage’ scheduled for 14 February, a political opposition that has generally been contained by the state since the intifadas of the mid-90s could now present a real challenge to Al- Khalifa rule.
Reports from Oman that an Emirati spy ring was operating in the Sultanate cast bilateral relations between Gulf neighbours in an unusually negative light. Analysts have expounded a range of theories to explain the affair, from an Emirati royal keen to lead an Oman-UAE confederation to envy of Muscat’s budding relationships with international powers
The Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) Yemen Forum head Ginny Hill told a 7 February meeting on ‘Egypt and the road ahead’ that turmoil in Sanaa reflected a battle for control of the capital between the ruling
Protests across the Arab world have highlighted problems related to the ‘youth bulge’. Young Saudis, often well educated and media savvy, face poor job prospects, gender segregation and constraints on freedom of expression
Heir apparent Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani met commander of US Central Command. Qatar and France have agreed to cancel a meeting of a mediation group on Lebanon.
In November 2009, more than 500 people were killed in devastating floods in Jeddah and there was considerable damage to the city’s failing infrastructure.
