uae news

UAE signs accord with US for nuclear cooperationShaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday signed a bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation that enhances international standards of nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security.

qatar meeting

Hamas and Jihad leaders in Qatar for Gaza meeting Damascus, Syria: The leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad Palestinian groups arrived in Doha on Friday to attend an Arab meeting on the Gaza crisis, Palestinian politicians said.
"A private plane sent by the Emir of Qatar took them from Damascus this morning," said a Hamas official.

saudi news

Saudi grand mufti criticises pro-Gaza protests saudi arabia. Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Shaikh Abdul Aziz Alu Al Shaikh, who is also head of the Senior Scholars Commission, lambasted the pro-Gaza protests held in several Arab and Muslim countries last Friday calling it a nonsense.
"These are nonsense and do no good to anybody," he said in remarks published on Saturday. "The mob does not bring any good, and there is no benefit out of it.
"It is pure nonsense," he said, adding that such useless acts should be replaced by donations to the Palestinians. "Paying money and sending aid are beneficial, but demonstrations are ... useless mob and noise," he said. Inviting Hamas leaders to the righteous way, Shaikh Alu Al Shaikh called on them to respond positively to true voices uttered.
The Grand Mufti lauded the fundraising campaign, launched by King Abdullah and that is named after him, to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians, who are victims of blatant aggression and a crippling blockade imposed by Israel.
"This blessed campaign is the right Islamic work before everything else," he said and urged both Saudis and expatriates to "give what they can to help their Palestinian brothers."
The remarks from the top religious figure in the Kingdom came one week after a similar controversial statement made by another senior figure, Shaikh Saleh Al Laheidan, head of the Supreme Judiciary Council.
He said such protest rallies are corrupt practices that serve only to create anarchy on the earth. "These are destructive acts that prevent people from remembering Allah," he said.

gulf today

Bahrain telethon raises $3.9m for Gaza victim. A telethon organised by Bahrain television has raised $3.9 million in support of victims in Gaza amid a royal pledge to rebuild a school shelled by Israelis.
The nine-hour television event had a promising start after Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the head of the Royal Charity Foundation and chairman of the Bahrain National Committee for the Support of Palestinians in Gaza, donated BD100,000 ($265,957).
Leading businessmen and companies pledged generous contributions during the telethon. The second telethon will be held next Friday.
King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa pledged to rebuild Al Fakhoora School, in the Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza, where dozens of people were killed in an Israeli attack.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compassion for Gazans under fire from the Israelis for the third consecutive week has been high among Bahrainis and expatriates.
On Friday, two massive rallies were held in Duraz, a village west to Manama, and in the city of Muharraq.
Thousands of worshippers staged the rally in Duraz after Shiite leaders held a common Friday prayer and called for greater support to Palestinians.
Muharraq Stadium was lit up in the evening when thousands of people gathered to listen to speeches praising the people in Gaza and condemning the Israelis for their atrocities

gulf today

Gas blast injures several people in Kuwait Agencies
An explosion caused by a gas leak shook a Shiite Muslim prayer hall in southern Kuwait on Sunday, injuring several people and leaving some trapped under rubble, the interior minister said.
Sheikh Jaber Khaled Al Sabah, who inspected rescue operations at the partially collapsed two-storey building, said the blast had occurred because of a gas leak.
"Work is going on to save the four trapped people. I was able to speak to two of them," the minister said outside the building which was lit by floodlights. A row of ambulances stood by to rush the injured to hospitals.
Several people were injured in there explosion, but resident said the prayer hall was not crowded when it occurred. There were no further details about the casualties.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Police cordoned off the building in the town of Ahmadi, a major energy centre in the Gulf oil exporting state. The site is close to the headquarters of state oil companies.

GULF TODAY

Qatar Airways holds Dubai event to promote Houston flights
In the lead up to the much anticipated launch of daily flights to Houston, Qatar Airways on Sunday embarked on a GCC-wide promotional road show meeting key travel trade and industry partners to highlight the new route.
Led by Qatar Airways Executive Vice-President Commercial Ali Al Rais and a delegation of senior airline personnel, the first stop on the month-long tour is Dubai where media were briefed on details of the airline's first new route of 2009. A gala dinner for the corporate, travel trade and media has also been scheduled in Dubai.
Qatar Airways is poised to launch daily non-stop flights between Doha and Houston – the airline's third US gateway city – on March 30, using Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft. The route will offer passengers with convenient connections to and from Dubai.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The GCC promotional road show travels to Kuwait City on January 14 followed by Bahrain on January 18, with Qatar Airways' Doha base the next port of call on January 25.
Three days later on January 28, the event moves onto Abu Dhabi, before concluding in Muscat two weeks later on February 10.
The new Houston link will be the Qatar national carrier's first foray into southern United States, connecting two significant global energy centres. Houston will complement Qatar Airways' popular existing US routes to New York and Washington DC, launched in mid-2007.
The airline currently offers daily non-stop flights between Doha and both New York's JFK International Airport and Washington Dulles.
The airline will fly daily to Houston's George Bush International Airport offering flexibility and convenience to business and leisure travellers flying to Houston and beyond.
At almost 17 hours flying time, the Doha – Houston route will be one of the longest non-stop flights in the world.