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Arab States Weekly Review 3rd – 9th July 2010

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:03:12 +0000

Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Fadlallah died aged 74 in Beirut, Lebanon. Fadlallah, a prominent Lebanese twelver Shia marja, was a spiritual mentor to Hezbollah and to Iraq’s ruling Dawa party. In his later years he urged tolerance among the region’s many sects.

At least 45 Iraqi Shia pilgrims were killed during a series of bombings in Baghdad. Most of them were on their way to a shrine.

Arab States Weekly Review 10 – 16 April 2010

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:17:02 +0000

Shimon Perez, President of Israel, accused Syria of supplying scud missiles to Hezbollah in the south of Lebanon. Syria has dismissed the accusations as “fabrications”, and believes Israel is trying to set the stage for “Israeli aggression”. Last year Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his organization could hit “any city in Israel”, but did not give details.

At least two Palestinian militants were killed in an Israeli army strike in the Gaza strip. The Israeli military says it hit a Palestinian group which was planting explosives near Gaza’s perimeter fence.

Arab States Weekly Review 6 – 12 Feb 2010

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:47:53 +0000

Fighting continued between Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government a mere 12 hours after a ceasefire deal was announced. At least one soldier and a government official were killed in the northern district of Iqab.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon expressed his concerns over ‘escalating threats’ posed by Israel to the Middle-East. His comment came just days after aggressive exchanges of accusations between the foreign ministers of Syria and Israel, fueling media speculations over a next ‘imminent war’.

Arab States Weekly Review 12-18 Dec 09

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:40:23 +0000

A ship carrying a cargo of livestock sank off the coast of Lebanon. The vessel, headed from Uruguay to the Syrian port of Tartous, sank due to bad weather. At least 9 bodies have been recovered, with an estimated 35 still missing.

The defence ministry of Yemen reports it has foiled an Al-Qaeda attack, killing 34 suspected militants and arresting 17. The operations were carried out in the Abyan and Arhab regions. The Al-Qaeda group was planning a number of attacks against local and foreign targets, according to Yemeni officials.

The term of Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestine Authority, has been extended indefinitely as has the mandate of the parliament. Elections were due in January but have been postponed due to differences between rival factions Fatah and Hamas.

Arab States Weekly Review 14-20 Nov 09

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:47:56 +0000

Fighting intensified in Yemen, where Saudi Arabian forces blockade the northern coastline and assist Yemeni government forces to clamp down on rebels loyal to the Houthi clan. The Houthis are a militant group of Zaydi Shia operating in the rugged northern area of Yemen.

Fatah, the Palestinian group in power in the West Bank, says that the UN should recognize an independent state in the West Bank territory, in response to a stalemate in the search for a settlement with Israel.

The Dubai Government Economic Committee reported its economy is growing at a rate of 5%, less than in previous years but still higher than the most cautious forecasts.

In Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah was re-elected as the head of Hezbollah following a congress which also adopted the newest party manifesto.

Total net profits of listed firms on the Stock Exchange of Kuwait dropped by over 70% in the first three quarters of 2009, according to a recent economic report. The global financial crisis is to blame.