Gulf News, Sept 29 – From a sleepy fishing village to the centre of the region’s pearl industry and then a 1970s oil producer, Dubai’s economy has seen some drastic changes over the last century.
Iraq government to begin disarming militias
Gulf News, Sept 26 – A major Sunni group is holding talks with the Iraqi government over disarming of the Shiite militia belonging to Moqtada Al Sadr, Iraqi political sources said.
Arab states attempt single currency by 2010
Saudi Gazette, Sept 26 – PETTY politics and diverging inflation rates are the main risks to Gulf Arab attempts to set up an EU-style monetary union by 2010, although the single currency plan still has a good chance of success.
Iraq Central Bank: Reserves enough to support Iraqi dinar
Al-Sabah – sector in spite of the continuing violence and enough reserves are available to support the local currency.
Pope did not intend to offend Muslims
Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI did not intend to offend Muslim believers, said a Vatican spokesman on Friday, who accompanied him during his pilgrimage in Germany.
The Pope controversially quoted from a book recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of Christianity and Islam.
Iraq reconciliation could fail – Dulaimi
Gulfnews, September 15 – Iraq’s political system could collapse if death squads are not reined in, according to Sunni political leader Adnan Al Dulaimi on Thursday.
The statement comes after more than 80 dead bodies were found in and around Baghdad in just 48 hours.
Iran military war games : A mere empty show of power
Amid Iran-EU talks in the effort to convince the Iranian regime to stop it’s suspicious nuclear program and in the run-up to the decision by the international community on how to tackle these efforts by the mullahs to obtain nuclear weapons, Tehran launched, beginning from August 19, a series of ridiculous war games on its frontiers with Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan. These drills continued until September 8.
The war games were clearly an attempt to prevent a firm international decision against Tehran’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.
According to the deputy commander of the Iran’s ground forces Brig. Gen. Hosseini, in these maneuvers the regime’s military “changed face and transformed into a flexible army to carry out irregular operations.â€
Internal sources say that contrary to regime’s propaganda that the maneuvers involved 12 military divisions, in reality only a handful of units took part in the drills from each division. The total number of involved personnel was hardly enough for a company or even a battalion. Tehran’s inability to deploy its military force was clearly evident in images that were broadcasted on state television.
From Iran to Lebanon – Choosing between dishonor and war
Nima Sharif
Just two days after Ahmadinejad, Iran’s hardliner President, announced the completion of nuclear cycle in Natanz while making mockery of the United Nations Security Council Presidential Statement, an Iranian state-run daily Sharq on April 13, stressed on the connection between Iran’s nuclear projects and it’s meddling in Iraq. The daily wrote, “Iran’s infiltration of Iraq will once again empower the Iran, Syria and Lebanon triangle, and will realize our country’s great interests.†The daily added, “The nuclear dossier and the developments in Iraq move in paralleled on both sides of our current international objectives.â€
Current bloodsheds and rising tensions in Iraq which are intended to give chances of survival to the mullah’s regime in Iran have now been extended through Lebanon. Western observers point directly to Iran as the main instigator and mastermind of this war and relate the war to the developments in the nuclear dossier of this country.
In fact the current war in Lebanon could be viewed as another bargaining chip in Tehran’s hands and it clearly puts mullahs’ regime ahead of the West in their confrontation as the 5+1 is yet to sanction Iran for it’s nuclear activities while the mullahs have already ignited the war they have been promising all along through their messages and threats to the West that will happen if they are taken to the Security Council.
Motorola buys Broadbus Technologies
AFX, Sept 8 – Telecommunications equipment maker Motorola Inc. said Friday it has completed the acquisition of privately held Broadbus Technologies Inc., which provides technology for video on demand.
Dollar gains on most major currencies
AFX, September 8 – The dollar strengthened against most major currencies Friday as a sell-off in the yen bolstered the U.S. currency.
In afternoon New York trading, the euro bought $1.2676, down from $1.2728 in New York late Thursday. The British pound dropped to $1.8649 from $1.8748.
