company:alarabiya.net

Le premier ministre koweitien s’interroge sur l’avenir de l’état-providence dans son pays..

Kuwaitis unleash anger after PM declaring ‘welfare state is over’ - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2013/11/04/Kuwaitis-unleash-anger-after-PM-declaring-welfare-state-is-over-.

Kuwaitis have unleashed their anger on social media when Prime Minister Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah recently declared that the country‘s “welfare state is over.”
Sabah was also backed by the Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Rola Dashti when she said that “low fees paid for services and goods, with an almost complete absence of tax revenues will force Kuwait to face a deficit between 2021-2029.”
One Kuwaiti parliamentarian, Hussein al-Kuwayaan, told Al Arabiya that Sabah’s statement has “depressed” the Kuwaiti people.
“The prime minister needs to explain to the citizens how the welfare era is over,” Kuwayaan said.
The parliament member, who intends to grill the health minister for corruption and neglecting projects including cancelling tenders for four hospitals, said the government is not capable of providing Kuwaitis with basic needs.
The political activist Fahed al-Thanian told Al Arabiya that Kuwaitis have “lost faith” in their consecutive cabinets, especially that an economic surplus has disappeared on the backdrop of the lack of development in the country.
Thanian said the country suffers from epidemic corruption that is the subject of ”gossip” from both Kuwaitis and the government.
“Many oil producers stopped depending on their oil revenues, diversifying their internal and external investments, but Kuwait is the only country that has a nominal surplus exceeding dozens of billions for over 10 years,” he said.
“We didn’t see any investment projects, and all we hear about are losses and deficit, and the government has nothing to do but keep on nagging about the deficit and the debts and its inability to meet the needs of the citizens,” he lamented.
“The citizens are still waiting for raises in salary, housing, health services, quality education, that we’re only hearing about in fairy tales.”

Le Premier ministre irakien à Washington veut des armes, ce n’est sans doute pas la meilleure attitude pour améliorer ses relations avec les minorités sunnites et kurdes du pays.

Apache helicopters will not solve Maliki’s problems - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/2013/10/31/Apache-helicopters-will-not-solve-Maliki-s-problems.html

When U.S. President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sit in the Oval Office tomorrow, there will be a lot of topics of discussion to catch up on: a spike in attacks by 124 percent this year, Maliki’s failure at inclusive governance, and al-Qaeda’s speedy return to Iraq. There will also be a more positive conversation on Iraq’s increased oil production and military aid.
For Baghdad’s strongman, his urgent visit is to request more military equipment from Washington, mainly Apache helicopters, finalizing F-16 fighter jet contracts, and possibly acquiring drones, as one of his aides told Reuters. It is no surprise that the security agenda is the top priority for his visit. Since Maliki came to the U.S., the last time being December 2011, Iraq has witnessed its highest level of violence, with an average death toll of 700 a month. Just this week, ahead of his visit, more than 120 Iraqis were killed by al-Qaeda suicide bombings targeting civilians in cafes and markets.
Obama’s dilemma
For Washington, the al-Qaeda resurgence in Iraq is a serious concern and while the Iraqi government sees it mostly as a security challenge, the Obama administration favors tackling the problem “asymmetrically” through a broad strategy. Washington would like to see Maliki doing more to heal the country’s sectarian divide and to make more inroads with its Sunni and Kurdish minorities. Since assuming power in 2006, Maliki, who is extremely fearful to the point of paranoia over the possibility of a Baathist coup, has attempted to solidify his loyalists’ grip on the army. He also slapped the highest-ranking Sunni politician in the country, former Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi with a death sentence, forcing him into exile.
After Obama’s historic phone call to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rowhani on October 2nd, Maliki is no longer a unique asset in reaching out to Tehran.
Joyce Karam
Obama carries a big stick on this visit. Knowing Maliki’s security vulnerability, the U.S. should link any military assistance or intelligence sharing to the Iraqi premier making political progress with his opponents. Integrating Iraqi Sunnis in a political process, working on a new electoral law that offers better representation, reaching an agreement on oil revenues and appeasing tribes in the country’s western region would certainly go a long way in addressing the country’s divisions and isolating al-Qaeda.

Saudi woman runs for Jeddah’s Chamber of Commerce board membership - Alarabiya.net

▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/10/03/Saudi-woman-runs-for-Jeddah-s-Chamber-of-Commerce-board-membershi

Salama said that by running for the chamber’s board, she is seeking to help match Saudi women with the opportunities that men commonly enjoy.
“We really need to bridge the gap between women and opportunities,” Salama told Al Arabiya News.

Tracing the history of the Grand Mosque’s expansion - Alarabiya.net English

▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/special-reports/hajj-2013/2013/10/03/History-of-the-developments-of-the-grand-mosque-.html

Reportage positif* sur les travaux d’expansion de la grande mosquée de la Mecque, loin des controverses sur le sujet.

Une vidéo de La Mecque, prise avec une Go Pro ▻http://www.al-kanz.org/2013/08/21/mecque-gopro

*Al Arabiya est un média saoudien.

#LaMecque #ArabieSaoudite

Les Émirats vont-ils taxer les envois de fonds des travailleurs immigrés à leur famille restée au pays ? L’impôt sur le revenu n’existant pas, les immigrés qui sont la majorité de la population seraient les seuls à supporter une fiscalité directe...

UAE considers imposing tax on remittances abroad - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/banking-and-finance/2013/09/28/UAE-considers-imposing-tax-on-remittances-abroad.html

The UAE is considering whether to impose a tax on the billions of dollars which foreign guest workers send back to their home countries every year, government and banking sources said.
It is unclear whether authorities will proceed with the tax, which would mark a major shift of policy, potentially raising costs in the economy and reducing the supply of foreign labor on which much of the UAE’s boom is based.
But the proposal reflects growing concern in the UAE and other Gulf countries that they may be becoming too dependent on foreign workers and are losing too much of their wealth in the form of remittances abroad.
A circular discussing the proposal and requesting feedback was sent to some banks and financial institutions in the UAE, the sources said.
“It is a pilot project, in the initial stages. Based on the feedback from banks and others, a decision will be taken,” said a Ministry of Finance source.

Dubai’s Union Properties to seek foreign ownership increase - Alarabiya.net English

▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/property/2013/09/25/Dubai-s-Union-Properties-to-seek-foreign-ownership-increase.html

Dubai developer Union Properties is to seek board approval to increase the percentage of shares which foreign investors are allowed to hold in the company, its chairman said on Wednesday.
The move is part of a wider trend by companies in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to review their often-low foreign ownership caps ahead of their admittance into the MSCI Emerging Markets Index in May.
“We are studying how much we could increase (the foreign ownership limit) to and will recommend to the board by December,” Khalid bin Kalban, chairman of Union Properties, told reporters at a media event in Dubai.
At present, non-UAE nationals can own up to 15 percent of the developer, a favorite stock among retail investors on the Dubai Financial Market.

Ça commence à faire du monde...

Arabia deports 800,000 illegal foreign workers - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
Saudi▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/2013/09/22/Saudi-Arabia-deports-800-000-illegal-foreign-workers.html

Saudi Gazette, Riyadh
More than 800,000 illegal expatriate workers have been deported so far thanks to the extended grace period, an Arabic language daily newspaper quoted Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor for Labor Affairs Ahmad Al-Humaidan as saying on Saturday.
“This will be reflected on Saudi youth and they will get more job opportunities. We, in the Ministry of Labor, are pleased that the Saudi market is now clean of those who were tampering with internal matters. Even though the figures are not precise, they are good numbers that bode well for a bright future for the labor market in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Al-Humaidan described the number of workers whose status has been rectified as “good.”
He confirmed that deporting workers who try to circumvent regulations in the country is in the interest of Saudi citizens as this will provide them jobs.
He further called on those who claim to be serious in rectifying the status of their workers to do so as soon as possible, otherwise they will bear the consequences.
He reiterated that there will be no exemptions for big businesses from the implementation of labor regulations even if they have 250,000 workers or more.

Morocco hikes fuel prices in bid to fix state finances - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2013/09/17/Morocco-hikes-fuel-prices-in-bid-to-fix-state-finances.html

Hijab Hegemony – a fashion heads up ! - Alarabiya.net
Quand le voile islamique devient un accessoire de mode.

▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/2013/09/13/Hijab-Hegemony-a-fashion-heads-up-.html

Saudis revealed through rap -

Alarabiya.net English |
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2013/09/13/Saudis-revealed-through-rap.html

Time is of the essence in Saudi Arabia. Hip Hop, RnB and Rap are heavily infused in the music culture locally.
Hip Hop reached the Middle East in the early nineties and its ability to give the youth a platform to voice their thoughts, emotions and dreams, gave it momentum and due credibility.
“Many people who don’t even speak English as a first language are the biggest fans of Tupac and Biggie in Saudi Arabia,” said Salwa Qasim, a 25-year-old Saudi artist.
DAM, Omar Offendum, Shadia Mansour, The Narcicyst, Low Key, Arabian Knightz among many others claimed their right to fame and garnered international attention; locally, Molham Homsi and Anas Arabi.
Recently, a young “half-American, half-Saudi” returned to the Kingdom with the dream of encouraging and educating the youth interested in rap on his summer break.
In a humble effort, Reef Loretto organized “Revealed Through Rap” a five-day workshop in Dahran.

Amnesty decries ‘extreme political violence’ in Egypt - Alarabiya.net

▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/09/10/Amnesty-decries-extreme-political-violence-in-Egypt.html

Amnesty International called on Tuesday for an independent investigation into killings by Egyptian security forces as well as torture and violations of the rights to free speech and assembly.

The military’s overthrow of President Mohammad Mursi in July after mass protests against him unleashed an “extreme level of political violence,” the London-based group told the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“Between 14 and 18 August, at least 1,089 people were killed, many due to the use of excessive, grossly disproportionate and unwarranted lethal force by security forces,” said Peter Splinter, Amnesty representative in Geneva.
Egyptian security forces have also failed to prevent or end a wave of sectarian attacks targeting Coptic Christians, he said, referring to attacks on the minority who make up 10 percent of its 85 million people.

Egypt : the destruction of a nation - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2013/08/23/Egypt-The-destruction-of-a-nation.html

Egypt: the destruction of a nation

Etonnant texte d’une incroyable ironie du « comique » Bassem Youssef...

Six rules of thumb for writing on Sunni/ Shiite concepts - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2013/05/31/Six-rules-of-thumb-for-writing-on-Sunni-Shiite-concepts-.html

Sur Al-Arabiya...

Fourth: when you hear people in Muslim communities or in the Middle East speaking in Sunni-Shiite terms, or analyzing events with reference to an age old civil war, or fearing a Shiite alliance from Iran through Iraq to Syria then Lebanon, or calling for a Sunni stance; when you hear that do not take that as statements about the actual facts out there rather ask yourself why do people insist on looking at events in such an archaic way? It is well known that all peoples place their political conflicts within a bigger narrative; and the question should be: Why do many Muslims insist on this narrative? When did it start to become a widely used one? How did the Islamic Revolution of Iran influence that? Most importantly what other narratives exist out there? We hear all the time of people saying its not a Sunni-Shiite thing… but for some reason those calls are not taken to be narratives about what is going on. Many observers prefer to consider them attempts to make things different.

The myth of the 1,400 year Sunni-Shia war - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
▻http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/07/2013719220768151.html

As described by the Saudi writer Abdullah Hamiddadin, this explanation of contemporary events is as absurd as explaining modern tensions between Turkey and the EU as being rooted in the ancient conflict between King Charles and the Empress of Byzantium. Positing that present-day political rivalries can be explained by examining ninth-century conflicts between European powers is transparent nonsense. However, the same logic is readily applied to conflicts within the Muslim world.

Report : Jordan Air Force captain joins Syria jihadists - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/01/Report-Jordan-Air-Force-captain-joins-Syria-jihadists.html

A Jordanian air force captain has allegedly “deserted” and joined Syria’s jihadist al-Nusra Front to fight against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, a member of his family and a Salafist leader said on Monday.
“Ahmad Atallah Shbeib al-Majali, born in 1984, took a leave from his job last Wednesday and travelled to Turkey on Friday and from there he went to Syria to join the rebels,” the family member told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Jordanian Salafists have said there were more than 500 jihadists from the country in Syria.

Saudi King Abdullah cuts holiday short due to ‘events in the region’ - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/06/15/Saudi-King-cuts-holiday-due-to-developments-in-the-region-.html

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia cut his holiday in Morocco short and returned to Jeddah on Friday “due to the repercussions of the events that are currently taking place in the region,” the state news agency SPA reported.

These events are understood to inlude the American decision to provide military support for the Syiran opposition.

On thursday 76 Islamic groups issued a declaration in Cairo calling for jehad against the Syrian regime, and its backers.

Mis à part le fait que ce sont des pactes de défense ’clé’ on n’en saura pas plus.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey announce defense cooperation - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/22/Saudi-Arabia-and-Turkey-announce-defense-cooperation.html

Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed key defense pacts on Tuesday following a visit to Ankara by the Saudi Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Prince Salman was met with Turkish defense minister Ismet Yilmaz.

Both officials “reviewed military cooperation relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them and discussed the latest developments at the regional and international arenas,” the agency reported.

Une entente russo-américaine pour mettre fin à la guerre en Syrie par la négociation ?
Syrian opposition insists on Assad’s departure before any deal - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/05/08/Syrian-opposition-insists-on-Assad-s-departure-before-any-deal.ht

Syria’s main opposition National Coalition on Wednesday said any political settlement to the country’s two-year-old conflict must start with President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, implicitly rejecting a U.S.-Russian initiative for dialogue with the regime.
U.N.-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, meanwhile, hailed the agreement between Washington and Moscow to push both sides in the Syrian conflict to end the bloodshed and sit down for talks.
“The National Coalition welcomes all international efforts which call for a political solution to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people and their hope for a democratic state, so long as they begin with the departure of Bashar al-Assad and his regime,” the opposition umbrella group said.
The response could be a blow to the U.S.-Russian initiative, which is based on an international deal agreed in Geneva last year that makes no mention of Assad stepping down.
The opposition has long insisted that the embattled president cannot stay on, but the regime insists that Assad’s future will be decided in elections, with a presidential vote scheduled for 2014.
“This is the first hopeful news concerning that unhappy country in a very long time,” Brahimi said of the deal announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russia counterpart Sergei Lavrov after talks in Moscow on Tuesday.
“The statements made in Moscow constitute a very significant first step forward. It is nevertheless only a first step,” said Brahimi, who an aide said has been mulling resignation over the apparent absence of a political track to resolve a war that has killed more than 70,000 people.
“There is every reason to expect” backing for the accord from the remaining U.N. Security Council permanent members” – Britain, China and France, the veteran Algerian diplomat added.
“It is equally important that the entire region mobilizes in the support of the process.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Wednesday he will fly to the Russian resort of Sochi on Friday to discuss the Syrian conflict with President Vladimir Putin.
The U.S.-Russian deal was announced at a joint press conference, with Lavrov saying the two countries were ready to use all their resources to bring “the government and opposition to the negotiating table.”
“We agreed that Russia and the United States will encourage both the Syria government and opposition groups to find a political solution,” he said.
Lavrov and Kerry said they hoped they could convene an international conference by the end of May to build on a deal agreed by world powers in Geneva last June for a peaceful solution in Syria.
The Geneva deal, which calls for a transitional government but makes no mention of Assad’s fate, “should be the roadmap... by which the people of Syria can find their way to the new Syria and in which the bloodshed, the killing, the massacres can end,” Kerry said.

Qui paye ?

Dubai’s media industry grows, but headline challenges remain - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/2013/03/27/Dubai-s-media-industry-grows-but-headline-challenges-remain.html

Mr Hayek argued that, while there are more than 650 TV stations in the region, the top 50 attract between 90 and 95 per cent of the revenues.
“You have more than 600 channels that are struggling for 5 percent of market share. So these are probably 600 channels that no one watches and no one advertises on. This is a region that can barely sustain more than 50 channels,” said Mr Hayek.

‘Love in the time of apartheid’ : Israel army prevents ‘symbolic marriage’ near barrier - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/variety/2013/03/09/-Love-in-the-time-of-apartheid-Israel-army-prevents-symbolic-marr

‘Love in the time of apartheid’: Israel army prevents ‘symbolic marriage’ near barrier

Virtuel, symbolique... on retrouve un mode d’action déjà utilisé lors de la mise en place de « villages virtuels » comme celui de Bab al-shams il y a quelques semaines (►http://cpa.hypotheses.org/4144). Un tournant intéressant dans les formes de lutte. Post-moderne ?

La police égyptienne en grève pour obtenir le départ de son ministre.

Police in Egypt strike, demand they be left ‘out of politics’ - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page
▻http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/egypt/2013/03/08/Police-in-Egypt-strike-demand-they-be-left-out-of-politics-.html

AFP, Cairo -
Policemen across Egypt staged a strike on Thursday to demand the resignation of the interior minister, saying they no longer wanted to be used as a political tool, security officials said.
The discontent began weeks ago with isolated pockets of protest, but by Thursday police were on strike in areas of Cairo, Alexandria, the Nile Delta, the Suez Canal provinces, southern provinces and the Sinai peninsula.
Dozens of officers closed the Qasr al-Nil police station in Cairo, demanding the sacking of Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who they say is working with President Mohamed Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood to use the force in a political battle.
“Leave, Brotherhood minister,” the policemen chanted.
The police want a law to clearly lay down their powers and duties, and have also demanded weapons to deal with ongoing political protests.
In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, hundreds of central security force (CSF) conscripts withdrew from the security headquarters, saying they refused to protect the building any more, state television said.
Hundreds of central security officers are on strike in the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya, with police shutting down several police stations.
“We just want to stay out of politics,” one told a private satellite channel.
“We want to know what the ministry wants. We will not confront the people any more. The protesters are our relatives. We are losing our people and our brothers. My brother is a protester,” the officer said.
The police, particularly the CSF, have been engaged in violent and deadly street clashes with protesters, turning the public even more against an already reviled institution long accused of abuses.
“We want a law to protect us. They tell us to confront the protesters, then when we do we are put in jail,” the officer said.
The interior ministry has been the main apparatus of repression in Egypt for decades, and its heavy-handed tactics were a driving force behind the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Activists have long called for a complete restructuring of the ministry and police.