Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

• BBC News - Trial of Hosni Mubarak resumes in Egypt

  The trial of the former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, has resumed after a delay of almost two months. State TV showed the 83-year-old being stretchered into the court, at the police academy in the capital, Cairo.

• Entrepreneurial Ambitions Differ Across Saudi Arabia

  - Although small shares of Saudi Arabia's adult population own businesses or plan to open them soon, Gallup surveys in 2011 reveal these shares are even smaller outside the three major cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. Saudis living in these major cities are twice as likely as their counterparts in the rest of the country to be business owners (9% vs. 4%) and have plans to open a business in the next 12 months (4% vs. 2%). The differences in their ambitions may lie in the diverse challenges they face in becoming business owners and their attitudes.

• Ultra-Orthodox Attacks on Israel’s Women Linked to Arab Inequality - The Daily Beast

  What gives the ultra-Orthodox the ability to oppress women, in other words, is partly a political system in which Israel’s Arab citizens are largely barred from power. What the protesters in Beit Shemesh and their supporters in the United States need to remember is the fundamental interconnectedness of equal citizenship.

• The Army and the Economy in Egypt

  Should the production of pasta, mineral water, butane gas cylinders, and gas station services qualify as classified military secrets? And does discussing these enterprises in public pass as a crime of high treason? The leaders of the Egyptian Armed Forces believe the answer is “yes.”  Until this very day, the role of the military establishment in the economy remains one of the major taboos in Egyptian politics.

• Saudi Electricity to launch transmission firm in Jan | Reuters

  State-controlled Saudi Electricity Co (SEC) plans to launch a transmission subsidiary in January as it splits up into six companies to encourage competition, state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday. After the restructuring, SEC will be a holding company and will retain full ownership of the six companies, which include four power generation firms, one firm for distribution and another one for transmission.

• The Associated Press: Bahrain to host Saudi prince's news network

  Bahrain has been picked to host the headquarters for Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's new international Arabic news network despite months of unrest, according to the tiny Gulf kingdom's media oversight authority. Alwaleed's channel, dubbed Alarab, will be based in the Bahraini capital Manama's new Media City office complex, Sheik Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, a member of the Bahraini royal family and head of the country's Information Affairs Authority, said in a statement late Tuesday.

• Israel 'will launch significant Gaza offensive sooner or later' | World news | The Guardian

  A new Israeli military offensive against Gaza will be launched "sooner or later" and will be "swift and painful", Israel's most senior military officer has warned. Benny Gantz, the chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, was speaking on the third anniversary of the start of a major three-week assault on Gaza during which around 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

• The worst case for war with Iran - By Stephen M. Walt | Stephen M. Walt

  you'd like to read a textbook example of war-mongering disguised as "analysis," I recommend Matthew Kroenig's forthcoming article in Foreign Affairs, titled "Time to Attack Iran: Why a Strike Is the Least Bad Option." It is a remarkably poor piece of advocacy, all the more surprising because Kroenig is a smart scholar who has done some good work in the past. It makes one wonder if there's something peculiar in the D.C. water supply.

• Rick Perry on Abortion: Texan Gift of Life made him expand his anti-abortion views to include rape, incest

  Rick Perry may be trailing in the Iowa polls with one week to go but the one-time GOP frontrunner is not giving up just yet. The Texan has launched his latest bid to win over conservative voters thought to be key to his campaign hopes, telling a group of Iowans on Tuesday that his opposition to abortion has grown, and he now believes that it is wrong in all cases, including rape and incest.

• Moldova faces election delay as sole candidate pulls out | Reuters

  Moldova risks a prolonged political stalemate that may further slow down reforms in one of Europe's poorest nations as the only candidate for president said on Wednesday he was pulling out of this month's election. The withdrawal of parliament speaker Marian Lupu means the presidential election, which takes place in parliament rather than by popular vote, might be delayed if no other candidate steps in. The vote is currently scheduled for January 15.

• BBC News - Brazil economy overtakes UK, says CEBR

  Brazil has overtaken the UK as the world's sixth largest economy, an economic research group has said. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said its latest World Economic League Table showed Asian countries moving up and European countries falling back.

• The Forgotten Cold War: 20 Years Later, Myths About U.S. Victory Persist - The Daily Beast

  The perilous contest died, but a dangerous myth lived and thrived-- that President Ronald Reagan won the day with unmatchable hikes in military spending and by being tough and uncompromising. Today, that myth tugs daily in wrong directions regarding the most momentous U.S. policy decisions in hotspots like Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, and China.

• Saudi Arabia "vulnerable to high food prices' | Retail | AMEinfo.com

  Saudi wealth manager NCB Capital has said the kingdom remains vulnerable to increases in food prices due to its high dependence on imports, Arab News has reported. The inability to fully pass on higher costs to consumers will exert pressure on the margins of food companies

• Saudi hospitals losing millions through rejected insurance claims forms | Healthcare | AMEinfo.com

  Several private hospitals in Saudi Arabia are losing millions of riyals annually, as health insurance firms reject improperly filled out the documents required to confirm payments for medical services rendered by hospitals to insured patients,

• I knew Christopher Hitchens better than you - Satire - Salon.com

  Christopher Hitchens and I were friends for 40 years, plus another five when we were enemies. He took ideas so seriously that if he disagreed with you on a matter that he deemed important, he’d literally throw you in a ditch. It was 1972, the height of our mutual virility. He and I went to a pub to celebrate his most recent intellectual victory over the establishment press. I intimated that sometimes women could be funny on purpose. Even back then, the thought enraged him. Hitchens threw a drink in my face, pressed a lit cigarette into my neck, and hit me over the head with a barstool. The next thing I knew, it was two days later and I was lying hogtied and naked beside the M5. Hitch had already severely damaged my reputation in a vicious essay in the Guardian. But that’s how he operated, and that’s why we loved him.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

• Mercosur approves Palestinian free trade deal - Yahoo! News

  The Mercosur trade group of four South American nations has signed a free trade agreement with the Palestinian Authority. It's the first trade deal between the Palestinian territories and a bloc of nations outside the Arab world.

• Thousands of Women Mass in Major March in Cairo - NYTimes.com

  CAIRO — Several thousand women demanding the end of military rule marched through downtown Cairo on Tuesday evening in an extraordinary expression of anger over images of soldiers beating, stripping and kicking female demonstrators in Tahrir Square.

• Cash-flow problems delay Dubai skyscraper - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

  Liquidity woes may push Dubai’s second tallest skyscraper, the Pentominium, past its completion date as developer Trident struggles with financing, the project manager said. The planned 516m tower in Dubai Marina was scheduled for completion in 2013 but saw work suspended in August amid wider financing concerns.

• BP, Total and Statoil secure Angola rights - FT.com

  A new exploration frontier off the coast of Angola that may be similar to oil fields found in Brazil is to be opened after the government of the African country awarded drilling rights to some of the world’s largest energy groups. Britain’s BP, Total of France and Norway’s Statoil all secured licences to explore in Angola’s pre-salt deposits – a layer of salt accumulated millions of years ago under the sea.

• BP to exit solar business after 40 years - FT.com

  BP will close the chapter on more than 40 years of history after deciding to shut down its solar business, once regarded as one of its flagship alternative energy divisions. The group has told staff that it had made the decision after the business became unprofitable.

• Saudi Dairy Giant Spends $83M On Argentina Farms : NPR

  Saudi Arabia's largest dairy company said Wednesday it is buying Argentine farm operator Fondomonte S.A. for $83 million in a bid to secure access to animal feed. The acquisition will give Riyadh-based Almarai Co. control of roughly 30,000 acres of farmland in the South American nation. Almarai said the deal is in line with the desert kingdom's policy of "securing supplies and conserving local resources."

• China Hackers Hit U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Last Year

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hackers in China broke through the computer defenses of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last year and were able to access information about its operations and its 3 million members, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

• Barney Frank’s Protruding Nipples: Why Do Nipples Harden in the Cold? - Slate Magazine

  Rep. Barney Frank was "upstaged by his own chest" during a speech he gave Monday with erect nipples. According to the Huffington Post, his appearance “raised questions about how cold it was in the House chamber.” Why do nipples harden in the cold? No one knows, but it's probably for the same reason that cold gives you goose bumps.

• London club aims to shake-up Dubai’s nightlife scene - Lifestyle - ArabianBusiness.com

  Mahiki, the Mayfair club made famous by regulars such as Prince Harry, is hoping to shake-up the Gulf’s nightlife scene with the launch of its Dubai venue and infamous open-door policy. The owners of the venue are mulling a regional-wide expansion, and said Dubai’s clubbing scene had become a “spectator sport” thanks to strict door policies that bar entry for certain customers. The London club has previously pledged to allow entry to anyone, whether “fat, thin, bald, ugly or old”.

• Dutch firm targets super-rich Arabs with $1m submarines - Lifestyle - ArabianBusiness.com

  For the GCC’s super-rich residents that are bored with their 150-ft yachts, private jets and luxury speedboats, now there's another toy on offer – a personal submarine. Dutch company U-Boat Worx is targeting the region’s wealthiest residents with its range of private submarines, with prices starting from €730,000 ($951,371) per craft.

• Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo to meet fans in Dubai - Lifestyle - ArabianBusiness.com

  Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo will be in Dubai Mall next week to raise funds for international charity Save the Children. The Real Madrid player, who will also be participating in this year’s Dubai Sports Council's (DSC) Sixth Dubai International Sports Conference, will meet fans in the mall on December 27, and sign 10 charity t-shirts for winners of a Dubai Mall competition.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

• Domestic oil use in Saudi Arabia at 10-year high | Energy, Oil and Gas | AMEinfo.com

  According to official Saudi figures, crude oil consumption in the kingdom rose 13.7% in October from the previous month, reaching the highest level since at least 2002, Bloomberg has reported. The country used an average of 2.02 million barrels a day of oil in October compared with 1.78 million barrels in September,

• Israel's Emerging "Jewish Hezbollah" by Mark Perry | The Middle East Channel

  "I don't want to exaggerate, but it's time to call this what it is," a veteran IDF officer noted in a recent telephone conversation on the Nablus incident. "It might be news in America, but it's no secret in Israel. This is a very real crisis. What we have here is the birth of a state within a state. The birth of a kind of Jewish Hezbollah." This former officer went on to speculate that "what is emerging in the West Bank" is "a three-state solution: Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and, standing between them, a radical settler state."

• Portugal to Pass Security Laws as Crime Rises Amid Austerity - Bloomberg

  Portugal’s government is set to propose laws to make streets safer amid an increase in crime during the country’s year-long recession, Justice Minister Paula Teixeira da Cruz said. The government will soon propose legislation to bolster cooperation between different police forces,

• Woman Burned Alive in Brooklyn Elevator - Police Arrest Man - NYTimes.com

  Mr. Isaac, 47, methodically set the woman aflame, burning her alive in the elevator of her building in Brooklyn on Saturday, only a few feet from her apartment door, the police said. He sprayed the flammable liquid in the woman’s face and over her cowering body, and then lighted a Molotov cocktail to ignite the fire.

• Israel frees hundreds in second phase of swap - The Washington Post

  Also Sunday, the Israeli government moved ahead with its plan to accelerate building in West Bank settlements and East Jerusalem, announcing that it would invite bids to construct more than 1,000 homes there. The new housing will be in the settlements of Beitar Ilit and Givat Zeev, and in Har Homa, a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem built on West Bank land annexed to the city. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the stepped-up construction last month after the Palestinians were accepted as a member state in UNESCO.

• Saudi Prince Buys $300 Million Stake in Twitter - WSJ.com

  Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has made a $300 million investment in Twitter Inc., expanding his media empire into social-media sites and giving the billionaire a stake in an online forum that was widely used by activists in this year's Arab uprisings.

• UAE food prices are among lowest in world | Retail | AMEinfo.com

  Food prices in the UAE are now some of the lowest in the world, thanks in part to ongoing government controls introduced earlier this year, The National has reported. The UAE Government sought to protect consumers in May when it launched a campaign to freeze or reduce the prices of 400 basic commodities until the end of the year.

• Records show colonizers were not done with Goa - The Times of India

  After 50 years, one tends to think that the Portuguese colonial power kept itself busy elsewhere after Goa was liberated from its rule by the Indian army. But the colonizers nursed dreams of recapturing the tiny coastal Indian region for several years, even bombing Goa twice under the Indian union.

• A New Home for Hamas? - By Houriya Ahmed and Julia Pettengill | Foreign Policy

  The shifting allegiances in this tumultuous era of Arab politics have come to resemble a game of musical chairs. According to an unnamed Hamas official quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the hard-line Palestinian group is seeking to move its political headquarters from Damascus as early as this week. Its reliance on the tottering regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria has left it significantly weakened and in search of a new base for political operations, and Egypt and Qatar have both materialized as possible new bases, according to the official. In the case of the Qatari capital of Doha, that may not necessarily be a bad thing.

• Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir - NYTimes.com

  I sure hope that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, understands that the standing ovation he got in Congress this year was not for his politics. That ovation was bought and paid for by the Israel lobby. The real test is what would happen if Bibi tried to speak at, let’s say, the University of Wisconsin. My guess is that many students would boycott him and many Jewish students would stay away, not because they are hostile but because they are confused.

• Why Tom Friedman is a true friend of Israel - By Stephen M. Walt | Stephen M. Walt

  Many of you probably saw Tom Friedman's startling column in yesterday's New York Times, where he attacked the Republican presidential candidates for pandering on the subject of Israel. He also informed his readers that all those standing ovations for Netanyahu in Congress were "bought and paid for by the Israel lobby," and he correctly noted that this blind and unconditional support for Israel was not really "pro-Israel" at all. Why? Because it was leading Israel away from a two-state solution and toward one of three disastrous options from Israel's perspective: 1) apartheid, 2) ethnic cleansing, or 3) a binational democratic state which would eventually be dominated by the more numerous Palestinians.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

• Can Venture Capital Save The World? - Forbes

  Novogratz plays the role of auditor because, as CEO and founder of the Acumen Fund, helping people starts with financial due diligence. In April Acumen sank $1.9 million into the bank in exchange for an 18% stake, one small investment in a decadelong experiment in charitable giving. Instead of shoveling aid dollars to causes or governments that give away life-­sustaining goods and services, Acumen espouses investing money wisely in small-time entrepreneurs in the developing world who strive to solve problems, from mosquito netting to bottled water to affordable housing. It’s a new twist on the old adage about teaching a man to fish, except that Novogratz wants to build an entire fish market.

• Saudi reshuffle boosts economy team | beyondbrics

  King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia appointed two heavyweights to head up the ministry of economy and planning, and the ministry of commerce and industry at a time when consolidating economic planning is crucial to maximizing the benefits of the huge spending earmarked for the coming years.

• IDF agrees to expansion of West Bank settlement - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

  ** But yeah, clearly, Israel wants peace...***

  Israel's military establishment has approved the establishment of a new, permanent neighborhood and a farm near the West Bank settlement of Efrat. The projects will go beyond the community's current built-up area, constituting an effective expansion of the Etzion Bloc of settlements toward the north and north-east. After they are completed, Jewish settlement in northern Gush Etzion will reach the edges of Bethlehem's southernmost suburbs

• Backlash for Lowe's as ads pulled from Muslim show - Yahoo! News

  Lowe's Home Improvement has found itself facing a backlash after the retail giant pulled ads from a reality show about American Muslims. The retail giant stopped advertising on TLC's "All-American Muslim" after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association complained, saying the program was "propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values."

• Perry continues campaign push in Iowa, faces hecklers – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

  **Oh Republican candidates...**

  "No greater example of it than this administration sending millions of dollars into the solar industry, and we lost that money," Perry began. "I want to say it was over $500 million that went to the country Solynda."

• Peter Beinart Is Right—or, a One-State Solution Is Inevitable if Settlements Continue - Atlantic Mobile

  A number of Goldblog readers have forwarded me this video of Peter Beinart speaking at the recent General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. These readers are critical of Peter's assertion that Israel is, in essence, forcing a one-state solution on itself by continuing the occupation and settlement of the West Bank. I watched the video, and, alas, I don't find much to dispute with what Peter says. This isn't the easiest thing for me to acknowledge; I disagree with much of Peter's Middle East political analysis, and I disagree with many of his peacemaking suggestions. But he's not wrong about the most crucial thing: Israel will soon enough be forced to face a choice: Grant citizenship to the Arabs of the West Bank, or cease to call itself a Jewish democracy. Here is a bit of what Peter said:

• Lauren Scruggs, Model, Walks Into Plane Propeller, Survives (VIDEO)

  A 23-year-old model and fashion editor is lucky to be alive after she accidentally walked into a small plane's propeller on Saturday. Lauren Scruggs, of Plano, Texas, was getting off a small private plane after looking at Christmas lights around the area when she walked into the moving propeller, Fox Dallas reports.

• Alec Baldwin: My Flying Lesson

  First off, I would like to apologize to the other passengers onboard the American Airlines flight that I was thrown off of yesterday. It was never my intention to inconvenience anyone with my "issue" with a certain flight attendant.

• Saudi government considers banning smartphones for public employees | Telecoms | AMEinfo.com

  The Saudi government is considering banning all public employees from using smartphones and tablets, such as iPhones, iPads, and BlackBerry devices, during working hours after receiving complaints from the public,

• Kuwait set to open $3.3bn terminal in 2016 | Aviation | AMEinfo.com

  *** Hmmm, somehow I don't see the need for 25 million passengers to commute via Kuwait... ***

  The Kuwaiti ministry of public works has said a new, KD900m ($3.3bn) passenger terminal presently under construction at Kuwait International Airport is due to open in September 2016, Zawya Dow Jones has reported. The new terminal will have capacity to accommodate 13 million passengers annually in the first stage, with the ability to increase this number to 25 million and to 50 million in later stages.

• Facebook makes Gowalla acquisition | Media and Advertising | AMEinfo.com

  Facebook has acquired location sharing service Gowalla for an undisclosed sum, CNN has reported. Most of Gowalla's employees, including founder Josh Williams, will move to Facebook's offices in Palo Alto. The team will work on Facebook's Timeline feature, which launched at this year's F8 conference and is gradually rolling out to Facebook's 800 million members.

• Putin's Treasure Dive Find Was Staged: Spokesman

  ** I don't believe it, it was staged!?!?***

  The widely publicized incident in which Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pulled up ancient Greek jug fragments from the seabed on a diving expedition was staged, his chief spokesman said. The August dive in the Kerch Strait that connects the Black and Azov seas was reported extensively in Russian and overseas media. Putin is noted for his habit of appearing in vigorous and adventurous settings, including fishing while stripped to the waist and riding with leather-clad motorcyclists.

• President Obama calls on Bill Clinton to help unveil energy efficiency program for office buildings - 44 - The Washington Post

  President Obama will announce on Friday a partnership with private companies to invest $4 billion toward making federal government and commercial office buildings more energy-efficient, a program the administration predicted could create tens of thousands of jobs. The program is part of a Better Buildings Initiative that Obama outlined in his State of the Union address in January to increase the energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 20 percent by 2020.

• Nearly half German city to evacuate Sunday for defusing of WWII era bomb - News - Stripes

  About 45,000 residents of the German city of Koblenz, nearly half of the city’s population, are under evacuation orders Sunday following the discovery of what local officials said was one of the largest unexploded bombs ever found, believed to have been dropped by the British Royal Air Force during World War II. The nearly 4,000-pound bomb, packed with more than 3,000 pounds of explosives, as well as other unexploded ordnance, were discovered in the Rhine River, where the water levels have dropped significantly due to a lack of rain over the past few weeks, according to local authorities.

• 5 Corporations Who Owe Americans Thanks This Thanksgiving Day | Death and Taxes

  Forming a corporation means never having to say you’re sorry. It’s very structure is built around the idea that no one is culpable for wrong action. However, since Citizens United vs. FEC dictated to every American citizen that corporations are people (in their totality), we think that like any good person, they should give thanks where required. Here are five corporations and banks who were either bailed out in recent years or who pay next to nothing in federal taxes.

• Dubai to star in shoot-'em-up computer game - Media - ArabianBusiness.com

  A shoot-em-up computer game which pits gamers against a hostile sandstorm-ravaged Dubai is set to be released next year, its creators have said. Publisher 2K Games said that its much anticipated military shooter Spec Ops: The Line will be released in spring 2012.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

• Russia strikes first Bahrain arms deal after riots - Industries - ArabianBusiness.com

  Russia for the first time is selling weapons to Bahrain after the UK and France banned deliveries of security equipment to the Gulf monarchy because of its crackdown on protesters.

• Western spy tools aid in crackdown on Arab dissent - Technology - ArabianBusiness.com

  The use of the system for interrogation in Bahrain illustrates how Western-produced surveillance technology sold to one authoritarian government became an investigative tool of choice to gather information about political dissidents - and silence them. Companies are free to sell such equipment almost anywhere. For the most part, the US and European countries lack export controls to deter the use of such systems for repression.

• Bahrain plans new industrial city in east of kingdom - Construction - ArabianBusiness.com

  A new industrial city could be built in the east of Bahrain, a senior minister has announced.

• Middle East Policy: A zero-sum game? - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

  Perhaps the primary cause of America's declining influence is its stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict. If the US was really serious about getting on "the right side of history" in the Middle East, it would have long since adopted a balanced and proactive stance. Let us say it frankly: this would mean putting tangible pressure on Israel to adhere to the international consensus - land for peace, based on the 1967 lines, in the framework of the 1967 UN Security Council Resolution 242. "Pathetic" does not adequately describe Obama's position on this matter. In fairness, several of his predecessors were almost equally supine.

• Saudi Arabia Buys 660,000 Tons of U.S., European Hard Wheat - Bloomberg

  Saudi Arabia bought 660,000 metric tons of hard wheat from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Canada for delivery from November to February, the Grain Silos and Flour Mills Organization said. The average price is $346 per ton, including cost and freight, the government-run wheat importer said in an e-mailed statement. The kingdom will receive six shipments in the port of Jeddah and six in Dammam, according to the statement.

• The symbolism of sweatpants - FT.com

  There is a bit of vanity in possessing a couple of pairs of sweatpants with swooshes, stripes and leaping wildcats on them, but beyond that they’re inexpensive, easy to care for and practical. They can go from bed to street and back to bed again in an endless cycle that mirrors the downward cycle of the communities where these garments flap on clotheslines and hang on balcony railings. In short, sweatpants are a sign of surrender, of giving up, of hopelessness, of no longer needing to make an effort in society.

I'm off to the States for a family reunion in Florida. 5am and I'm off to the Riyadh airport for a long roundabout way of getting home.

Not the most enjoyable Saudi experience... especially when the guy goes to pray for a half hour.

• Kuwait to test private power | Commentary | MEED

  At the same time, Kuwait does not have sufficiently strong finances to continue to award engineering, procurement and construction contracts to meet its electricity needs. It has no choice, but to develop more power generation capacity using the private sector. The Al-Zour North project is the country’s first independent water and power project (IWPP) and shows Kuwait is starting to recognise this. The project is set to be followed by a series of similar schemes as the government has said that every new project over 500MW in capacity must be privately funded.

• Who had the worst week in Washington? Newt Gingrich. - The Washington Post

  “I was happy to see that Newt Gingrich has staked out a position on the war, a position, or two, or maybe three,” Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) joked at an annual congressional dinner on Wednesday. Zing! Newt Gingrich, for turning your rhetorical firepower on yourself, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something.

• In Libya, CIA is gathering intelligence on rebels - The Washington Post

  The Obama administration has sent teams of CIA operatives into Libya in a rush to gather intelligence on the identities and capabilities of rebel forces opposed to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, according to US officials. The information has become more crucial as the administration and its coalition partners move closer to providing direct military aid or guidance to the disorganized and beleaguered rebel army.

• American Labor And A Workers’ Movement At Georgetown University | The New Republic

  This year at Georgetown University, another such labor moment occurred—in a modest but still instructive fashion. After a campaign that began in the muck of July, the roughly 200 men and women who work either at the student cafeteria or at one of a handful of campus fast-food outlets (including a Starbucks) are close to winning recognition from Aramark, their employer, whose $12 billion annual revenue makes it one the largest service providers in the nation. The workers, most of whom are black or Latino, have become members of Unite Here, the leading union in the culinary trades.

• Expat arrivals push UAE population to 8.26m in 2010 - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

  The population of the UAE reached 8.26 million people by the end of the first half of 2010, according to latest figures published by the UAE Statistics Bureau. Emirati nationals accounted for 11.5 percent of the population at the end of June, totalling 947,997 people, the data showed, while non-nationals numbered 7,316,073.

• flydubai set to begin flights to Ethiopia on April 22 - Travel & Hospitality - ArabianBusiness.com

  flydubai, Dubai's first low cost airline, has announced it is to begin flights to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Flights to the East African nation will begin on April 22 and operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, the carrier said in a statement. Ethiopia will be flydubai's destination in Africa, where it also serves Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti.

• Saudi Arabia Camels Get No Relief as Ukraine Grain Curbs Boost Feed Prices - Bloomberg

  Ukraine, once the world’s largest barley exporter, extended curbs on grain shipments, potentially driving prices higher and denying supply to consumers including the 1 million camels owned by Saudi Arabia’s Bedouin. Ukraine approved an extension of quotas on exports to July 1, Agriculture Minister Mykola Prysyazhnyuk said in Kiev today. The limits, imposed in October, were scheduled to end tomorrow. Saudi Arabia, the largest global barley importer, has turned instead to growers including Australia for supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Google making app that would identify people's faces - CNN.com

  Google is working on a mobile application that would allow users to snap pictures of people's faces in order to access their personal information, a director for the project said this week. In order to be identified by the software, people would have to check a box agreeing to give Google permission to access their pictures and profile information, said Hartmut Neven, the Google engineering director for image-recognition development. Google's Profiles product includes a user's name, phone number and e-mail address. Google has not said what personal data might be displayed once a person is identified by its facial-recognition system.

• Israel West Bank Annexations Considered

  Israel is considering annexing major West Bank settlement blocs if the Palestinians unilaterally seek world recognition of a state, an Israeli official said Tuesday – moves that would deal a grave blow to prospects for negotiating a peace deal between the two sides. Israel has refrained from taking such a diplomatically explosive step for four decades. The fact that it is considering doing so reflects how seriously it is concerned by the Palestinian campaign to win international recognition of a state in the absence of peacemaking.

• Saudi Arabia pledges to stamp out corruption - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

  A senior Saudi Arabia minister on Monday said the kingdom would leave no stone unturned in its fight against corruption. Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Saudi's second deputy prime minister and minister of interior, made the pledge as he met with the man put in charge of a new anti-corruption unit.

• Abu Dhabi to pursue nuclear power, undeterred by Japan - Energy - ArabianBusiness.com

  Abu Dhabi will build a nuclear power plant even after an earthquake and tsunami in Japan damaged generators there and released radioactive material, the head of the Gulf emirate’s utility said today. “It’s a technology we should bring to the region,” Abdullah Saif al-Nuaimi, director general of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority said. Newer technology than that used in Japan’s damaged plants would make Abu Dhabi’s reactors safer, he said.

• Kuwaiti student harnesses solar power in sprinkler system

  A Kuwaiti high school student has managed to harness solar power and use it to run an irrigation system using sprinklers. The application aimed at reducing power consumption of irrigation systems and at best managing water resources, Saleh Mahdi Bu Salha told Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) on Monday. The innovation stores solar power into batteries which in turn run a sprinkler irrigation system's units strategically placed across a farm or field, he said.

• Pressure mounts on Kuwaiti govt to resign

  Political developments in Kuwait took a new turn yesterday with two Shiite MPs vowing to submit two grillings against the foreign and information ministers amid mounting pressure on the government to resign. MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan said he will file to grill Information Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah today while his fellow Shiite MP Saleh Ashour said he will file to grill Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah "within the next 48 hours".

• Syria lifting emergency law, official says - CNN.com

  Syria's emergency law, which has been in place nearly 50 years, is in the process of being lifted, a source close to the Syrian government said Sunday. The decision comes as the country grapples with deadly violence surrounding anti-government protests. Earlier, Reem Haddad, spokeswoman for the Syrian Information Ministry, told CNN that "it will be lifted." However, she could not say when.

• BBC News - Honduras drops arrest warrants for ousted Manuel Zelaya

  A Supreme Court judge in Honduras has dismissed three arrest warrants for former President Manuel Zelaya. The move allows Mr Zelaya to return without detention to Honduras, where he was ousted in a coup in June 2009. Judge Oscar Chincilla said Mr Zelaya still faced corruption charges over his plan while president to hold a vote on changing the constitution. Mr Zelaya has said the charges are politically motivated and he wanted them dropped.

• Did 'The Israel Lobby' Change Anything? - By Stephen M. Walt | Foreign Policy

  Five years ago this week, John Mearsheimer and I published The Israel Lobby in the London Review of Books. Our goal in writing the article (and subsequent book) was to break the taboo on discussions of the lobby's impact on U.S. foreign policy and to transform it into a topic that people could talk about openly and calmly. Because we believed the "special relationship" that the lobby had promoted was harmful to the United States and Israel (not to mention the Palestinians), we hoped that a more open discourse on this topic would move U.S. Middle East policy in a direction that would be better for almost everyone.

• Egypt tightens security for 'targeted' Al Baradei

  Cairo: Egyptian authorities have assigned a security guard for pro-reform campaigner Mohammad Al Baradei following reports that he faces the threat of assassination over his role in a popular revolt that toppled long-standing president Hosni Mubarak, an independent newspaper said on Monday.

• UAE cancels plans for Dubai, Abu Dhabi passenger rail link | Transport and Logistics | AMEinfo.com

  Richard Bowker, chief executive of Etihad Rail, has said that plans for a dedicated passenger link between Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been cancelled, The National has reported. "We may come back to it," Bowker said. Right now "it's all about priorities, it's all about focus." The company, formerly called Union Railway, said it is set to award the first construction contract for a freight line in the UAE's Western Region in the next two months.

• Shiite protesters rally in two Saudi villages

  Riyadh: Shiite protesters have staged rallies in two villages near Qatif in the oil-rich eastern province of Saudi Arabia, renewing demands for the release of prisoners and the withdrawal of Saudi forces in Bahrain in spite of requests from senior clerics to halt protests. About 400 people marched in Al Rabiya after Friday prayers, while 600 took to the streets of Al Awwamiya after mid-afternoon prayers carrying Saudi and Bahraini flags, residents said. The marches lasted for about one hour and the protesters demanded the release of nine prisoners held without trial since 1996 for their alleged role in the bombing of a US army complex in Al Khobar, an end to discrimination against the minority and the withdrawal of Saudi troops from Bahrain, said Fouad Ali, a resident of Al Awwamiya.

• Libya declares halt to all military operations - Politics & Economics - ArabianBusiness.com

  Muammar Gaddafi's government said it was declaring a unilateral ceasefire in its offensive to crush Libya's revolt, as Western warplanes prepared to attack his forces. But government troops pounded the rebel-held western city of Misrata on Friday, killing at least 25 people including children, a doctor there told Reuters. Residents said there was no sign of a ceasefire. And in the rebel-controlled east, the government declaration was dismissed as a ruse or a sign Gaddafi was desperate.

• Bahraini carrier cancels services to Iran | Aviation | AMEinfo.com

  Bahrain's Gulf Air has announced the cancellation of flights to Iran and Iraq amid the civil unrest that has led to a state of emergency being declared in the country, The National has reported. Flights to Iran have been suspended until Monday while services to Iraq have been closed until Friday, the airline said. The rest of its services are operating as normal, it said.

• Oman Air moves from being a regional to an international airline | Aviation | AMEinfo.com

  Philippe Georgiou, Chief Officer, Commercial Affairs, Oman Air talks about how the airline has evolved from a regional to an international carrier serving niche destinations. He also talks to Phil Blizzard about the need to explore strategic alliances and consolidations to sustain profitability and how they see Oman Air providing a luxury in-flight experience.

• Kuwait's Wataniya Airways ceases operations, blames costs - ArabianBusiness.com

  Kuwait's Wataniya Airways said on Wednesday it was stopping its operations due to its financial situation and regional unrest. "Given the current financial situation of the company ... as well as the difficult political and security situation in the region, the board has decided to cease all Wataniya Airways operations," a company statement said.

  
  Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

A beautiful Dubai afternoon, alas I can't enjoy it. I'm off to Saudi Arabia for the first time this evening. Should be a trip.

• A Task for George W. Bush - The Atlantic

  **While I find most of Goldberg's articles to be abhorrent Israeli propaganda, he makes a few good points in this article** "Americans who seek the marginalization of Muslims in this country are unwittingly doing the work of Islamist extremists. I am not arguing that there are no radical Muslims in our midst -- the Ft. Hood shooter, among others, has proven that there are -- but I am arguing that the vast majority of American Muslims are law-abiding citizens uninterested in either committing terrorism against their country, or in seeking to impose shari'a, Islamic law, on it."

• East Texan Louie Gohmert lacks evidence of "terror babies" so he just yells at Anderson Cooper - Dallasnewsdallasnews.com

  **What is wrong with these people?** "The debate over the existence of terror babies continues to generate more heat than light. First, Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, went on Anderson Cooper's show on CNN and claimed illegal aliens were coming into America to have babies, take them back home for indoctrination, then send them back to the U.S. in 20-30 years as terrorists. "

• Scientists Create Invisibility Cloak Made From Silk - Huffington Post

  "Scientists at Tufts and Boston University have created a small "invisibility cloak" made of a gold-etched silk. The 1-cm square "cloak," made of a unique new metamaterial, works only on terahertz waves (T-rays) for now, but researchers hope in the near future to apply the same principles to make the material work at other wavelengths, and, with time, visible light spectrum."

• Medical Care Prices Fell for First Time in 35 Years - NYT

  "Then again, maybe the deflationary apocalypse really is upon us: For the first time in 35 years, the one sector of the economy always guaranteed to get more expensive suddenly became a bit cheaper in July. According to a report released today by the Labor Department, consumer prices over all grew 0.3 percent in July, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The medical care index, however, fell 0.1 percent in July, after three and a half decades of constant increases."

• Alvin Greene Indicted On Obscenity Charges - TPMMuckraker

  "South Carolina Senate candidate Alvin Greene (D) has been indicted by a grand jury on two charges relating to an incident last November in which he allegedly showed porn to a college student. Greene was indicted on one felony count of disseminating obscenity and one misdemeanor count of "communicating an obscene message to another person without consent." "

• US, Saudi sale, with helicopters, said to approach $60bn - Arabian Business

  "A proposed US weapons sale to Saudi Arabia of Boeing Co F-15 fighter jets also includes as many as 132 Boeing Apache attack helicopters and United Technologies UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that bring the total value of the package to around $60 billion, according to a government official familiar with the plan."