A review of my time in Yemen. And here's a photo of Sana'a, Yemen's capital, as it was then Imagine sitting on an uninhabited white sandy beach, with a turquoise sea and a turquoise sky. It sounds idyllic. Indeed, it should have been. But we were only on the beach as a bolt hole, for fear we would be shot at, like our colleagues the day before, som...
New Zealand PM bows out
Here's an article from The Economist which, while talking about John Key's resignation, states that NZ is "one of the most successful countries in the world. While this is debatable, there is no doubt that Key has had successes- namely international recognition- along with failures, housing, immigration and the environment. We have yet to see whether the new Prime Minister, John English, will have the same success.
I'm posting an article on the value of Bitcoin falling. It is written by Matein Kahlid, who writes weekly (normally) for Khaleej Times in Dubai. I used to work at Khaleej Times, on the business desk, so know Matein well. He writes fluently and clearly on business topics. So if you are invested in Bitcoin, here is one take on the subject. The virtua...
Globally, there's been a lot of excitement about females being able to drive in Saudi Arabia. It's not nearly as straightforward as that, with women in Saudi Arabia saying that some can and some can't. There are age limits in place. Some of the women activists have also be imprisoned in the Kingdom, as Amnesty International points out, as reported ...
The war in Yemen is a forgotten war. I was in Yemen for New Year about 20 years ago, and it was revelation. At that stage, the Civil War had ended so we were able to travel reasonably easy, much easier than today for example. Sana'a. Yemen's capital, was a delight to behold- a photographer's dream- but I'm sure it has been largely destroyed now. He...
The Middle East certainly dominates the news nowadays, so this article I read about Turkey and "fake news" and Israel and Palestine were intriguing to read, especially because I learned something. The first article appeared on the BBC and talks about how Turkey manipulates the news. Turkey is the world's largest jailer of journalists, ranking 157 o...
Enter your text here The issue with Iranian sanctions is a crazy one. Will the imposition of sanctions bring Iran to the negotiating table, as the US hopes, or will they have the opposite effect? With so much uncertainty about the reinstatement of sanctions on Iran I read this article in Al Monitor with considerable interest. Israel pins hope...
I read this media release from the New Zealand Super Fund with interest. I'm sure other companies could take a lead from the Fund in terms of their human resources policy. Features of the NZ Super Fund's new benefits package include a top-up to full pay for 26 weeks during primary carer parental leave, a KiwiSaver lump sum top up for unpaid parenta...
I don't understand sanctions on Iraq. Probably a lot of people don't. While three nuclear sites in Iran are exempt from sanctions this article also shows how the Iraqis are exempt on electricity sanctions from Iran. How does that work? This is how Al Monitor explains it. US gives Iraqis an out on Iran sanctions Bryant Harris November 5, 2018 Articl...
VAT was introduced in the UAE on 1 January 2018. I'm sure ex-pats find many items more expensive. Most were expensive before. Now, visitors to the UAE can claim back VAT but they are being warned about s phishing scam. This article was in Khaleej Times. The new phishing scam has come to light following e-mails being sent out to customers of a local...
Yemen is the forgotten story of the Middle East. The war between the Houthis, and the Saudis and the Emiratis and of course the US and the UK (although not directly) is ongoing. There is little sign of let up, despite the US imposing a 30-day deadline for the warring factions to resolve their differences. I spent time in Yemen, travelling around, a...
I'm intrigued about the war in Yemen (though that's probably the wrong word). I toured Yemen in 2000, long before the war between the Houthi "rebels" and the Sunni ruler. It is a wonderful country, where there is a considerable good will for the ruler and the people. The fact that there is war is unbelievable, largely led by the Saudias and the Emi...
One of the forgotten issues in the Middle East is that Lebanon has been without a government since May. On 9 October, Saad Hariri, the Lebanese Prime Minister, said that if a government was not formed without 10 days he would resign. That hasn't happened and he still waiting. (Lebanese also has a complex power sharing structure so that all factions...
Turkey jails more journalists than China, Russia and Egypt combined. Yet Erdogan speaks about the need to uphold the truth. This doesn't add up. What does Erdogan want? For many Turks, Erdogan is authoritarian and a dictator who is trying to change Turkish society from a secular state to increasingly Islamic. What will happen? This is what The Wash...
The right-wing Israeli government has come into criticism at the UN. This is not surprising. My short time in Bethlehem exposed the difficulty of life for Palestinians, which is controlled on a day-to-day basis by the Israelis. Here's what Al Monitor said. UN speech angers Israeli human rights activists Shlomi Eldar October 23, 2018 Article ...
Research shows that what happens in the UK, can happen elsewhere f you're poor in the UK you get less, worse news — especially online, new research suggests Poorer people are less likely to go straight to a news site, and the researchers found no online news brand that was read by significantly more poorer people than wealthier people. By Laura...
It looks as though Saudi Arabia has got away with allegedly killing a journalist- an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime- with little to no damage to its relations with the West. It is hardly surprising that it has happened. This is what Saudi Arabia was banking on. When I was in the Middle East, as a journalist (and yes I have met Jamal Khashoggi...
Will the US take "action" against Saudi Arabia for the alleged murder of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, at the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul, Turkey? It's unlikely that any retaliatory measure will be severe enough to put a USD $110 billion arms deal by the US at risk. More than that though. The US still sees Saudi Arabia as a key ally against the ...
Keeping an eye on what is happening with “disappeared” journalist Khashoggi, it would appear that a full-blown diplomatic incident is looming. This is not surprising. Journalists often “disappear” in Saudi and in the United Arab Emirates. This is how Al Monitor reports the incident.
Disappearance of Saudi journalist puts Erdogan in difficult situation
Semih Idiz October 9, 2018
Article Summary
I apologise for not having been around recently. I’ve travelled from the United Kingdom to New Zealand, arriving back on Wednesday evening, and now I’m getting back into things.
One of the items which appears to be on top of the news agenda is the alleged murder of the Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, (whom I’ve met) at the Saudi embassy in Turkey. I’m told by a Saudi source that murder is not typically the Saudi way. That it’s more likely that the Saudis will abduct someone and blackmail the family. Let’s see.
This is what the BBC wrote about the case.
Jamal Khashoggi: Turkey says journalist was murdered in Saudi consulate
7 October 2018Fears are growing over the missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, after Turkish officials said they believed he had been murdered.
One of the Qatari construction companies isn’t paying its workers. And workers just can’t up and leave, or move to another employers, according to the article below.
When I arrived in Dubai, in the UAE, the weekend was still only a day and a half (half of Friday and Saturday) although journalists seldom got Friday off (or I didn’t anyway). And if you wanted to leave an employer that was in Dubai proper- ie not in a free zone- you needed to ask the permission of your employer. Employers also retained employees’ passports.
This was the same in Qatar. A lot of people were not allowed to move to another employee. And I’ve heard of other people and companies not being paid. Therefore, I was not surprised to read this article in The Daily Mail.
Amnesty International says Qatar isn't paying World Cup stadium workers, with hundreds owed up to £4,000