The initiative to set up the AIIB was announced in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. In October 2014, 22 Asian states signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the AIIB with the headquarters in the Chinese capital of Beijing. According to the AIIB …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2015
Saudi King Replaces World’s Longest-Serving Foreign Minister
In a cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud replaced the country’s Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal who has held the post since 1975, local media reported. The veteran foreign minister has been replaced with diplomat Adel al-Jubeir, who has served as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United …
Read More »A War Waged From German Soil: US Ramstein Base Key in Drone Attacks
The US Air Force base in Ramstein is a central and indispensible element in Barack Obama’s controversial use of drones in the war against terror. New documents are creating pressure for both Washington and the German government. Knowledge is power. Ignorance often means impotence. But sometimes ignorance can …
Read More »Interview with Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Abadi: ‘The Liberation of Tikrit Is Very Encouraging’
By Susanne Koelbl in Baghdad In a SPIEGEL interview, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi discusses his disappointment over delayed American support in Baghdad’s battle against the Islamic State and why it remains so difficult to prevail over the terrorist organization. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, 62, sits on …
Read More »Kazakhstan President to Continue Current Policies, Institute Infrastructure Programmes in New Term
BY MICHELLE WITTE President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was announced the winner of the country’s presidential election early morning on April 27, expressed his “grand satisfaction” at the country’s record-breaking voter turnout and said it was important to him to get a fresh mandate from the people …
Read More »Why an Iran Deal Won’t Lead to Nuclear Proliferation
When the P5+1 and Iran announced their framework agreement earlier this month, some analysts reiterated that a final deal would result in a proliferation cascade in the Middle East. This widely held and long-standing assumption remains largely unchallenged. But a careful look at the actual technical capability, political …
Read More »Data centre space in UAE and Saudi Arabia increased by 60 per cent since 2012
Data centre space in the UAE and Saudi Arabia have increased by 60 per cent since 2012, stated a report from Tariff Consultancy Ltd (TCL). The report was made after a study was conducted across all six GCC countries, Israel and Jordan. Along with Israel, the UAE and …
Read More »ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead: Radio Iran
The enigmatic chief of Islamic State jihadist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, Radio Iran has reported on Monday. Earlier, a Guardian report quoting sources with inside knowledge of the group reported that al-Baghdadi was severely injured in a US-led coalition air strike in March. According to that …
Read More »If OPEC is dead, how is Saudi Arabia still calling the shots in the oil market?
The last 11 months have been an unlikely journey for oil, with its widely unanticipated price dive, Saudi Arabia’s uncharacteristic refusal to stem the bloodletting, and financial havoc for petro-powers and energy companies. But as improbable as the journey has been, it is not over. A number of …
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