Thursday 12 April 2012

The Middle East


"The Brotherhood's candidate for president, Khairat al-Shater, said this week the group would not accept an International Monetary Fund loan unless its terms were changed or a new government was formed to monitor how it is spent, demands that almost certainly won't be met."

-- Gag... Half measures do not avail 50% benefits. Accepting any IMF loan, or doing business with it in any way may not get you pregnant but you certainly will get screwed. "By their fruits ye shall know them." If the Brotherhood seeks to participate in any way in Infinite Growth, then it is being run by infinite growth and this is just a charade. It's just like liberal Democrats. They play nicer theme music and they're packaged better, but the results are still the same. -- MCR.



Egypt's Brotherhood raises stakes by excluding IMF
In all but ruling out an early agreement on an IMF loan, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has dramatically raised the stakes in its struggle with the army-led administration for control of a country still reeling from a year of political turmoil.


11 April, 2012

The Brotherhood's candidate for president, Khairat al-Shater, said this week the group would not accept an International Monetary Fund loan unless its terms were changed or a new government was formed to monitor how it is spent, demands that almost certainly won't be met.

Even without a loan before the presidential election in May and June, whoever comes to power will be forced, sooner or later, to impose hugely unpopular taxes and cuts in government spending to reduce budget and balance of payments deficits inflated by a year of political and economic turmoil.

But any delay in securing a loan brings closer the prospect of a fully fledged fiscal crisis that would mean a jump in consumer prices and interest rates, a sharp devaluation and huge pressure on banks.

For article GO HERE


Witnesses: mob violence on rise in Bahrain
Mobs with iron rods and sticks ransacked a supermarket belonging to a major Shiite-owned business group Wednesday, a company official said, as part of a spike in violence in the Gulf nation in retaliation for a bomb attack on police.


11 April, 2012

The attack appeared linked to a wave of reprisals and intimidation by suspected Sunni groups angered by the 14-month-old uprising by Bahrain's Shiite majority seeking to weaken the powers of the kingdom's Sunni monarchy.

The growing unrest, which has included vigilante-style attacks in some Shiite areas, also could escalate worries by Formula One teams about whether to participate in the April 22 Bahrain Grand Prix. The race was called off last year amid security fears and Bahrain's leaders are pushing hard to bring back the event as a sign of stability in the island nation.

Amir Jawad, a board member for the Jawad Business Group, said the mob smashed windows and caused other damage to the supermarket in what he called a "systematic" series of attacks. The crowds also roamed outside the headquarters of the company, which owns supermarkets, cafes and fast-food outlets.

Jawad said company security guards detained at least two suspected attackers. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

"The vigilantes used iron, steel and wood sticks," he said.

Jawad sites have faced sporadic vandalism since the uprising began in February 2011 in the strategic Gulf nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Bahrain's Shiites account for about 70 per cent of the population, but they claim they face widespread discrimination and are kept from top government or military posts.

Nearly 50 people have died in the Arab Spring's longest-running street battles. Apparent Sunni mobs have stepped up reprisals following a blast Monday that injured seven policemen. On Tuesday, Bahrain said four suspects had been arrested in connection with the blast.

In some Shiite areas, apparent Sunni hard-liners carrying knives and sticks staged hit-and-run attacks late Tuesday and set up roadblocks, said witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity in fear of receiving pressures from authorities.

The largest Shiite political group, Al Wefaq, claimed that security forces failed to confront the "militias."

In Egypt, a prominent Bahraini activist was barred Wednesday from entering the country upon the request of a security agency, an airport official said.

Nabeel Rajab is the second Bahraini activist to have difficulties coming into Egypt in recent weeks. Pro-democracy groups say authorities have been cracking down on networking between regional activists.

Activists say the deportations indicate that while authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak may have been removed during last year's uprising, his security agencies are unchanged and may be tracking dissenters even more closely than before.

Rajab wrote on his Twitter account before leaving: "In Mubarak's Egypt, we were never barred from entering. Now in post-revolution Egypt, we are."

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