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Bahrain’s Need to Step Up Against Dubai and Qatar - June 17, 2014 by Holly

Recently, Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority specified they will raise the domestic selling prices for diesel fuel to a point it is twice the price from years ago. Bahrain had also announced its cut from fuel subsidies. Bahrain’s parliament members boycotted weekly meetings to protest against the price hikes, which made Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa reconsider the plan.

However, Bahrain needs to do more to increase its chances against Dubai and Qatar, its biggest rivals in the business. Bahrain’s financial sector is still sluggish, and local protests threatens the progress of tourism and the service industry in the country.

According to economists, more money for Bahrain will mean a greater reduction to welfare repayments. If Bahrain should proceed with it, then it risks itself a greater civil discord as Bahrain citizens are normally granted welfare from the start of their lives until the end.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s economy grew in 2013 by 5.3 %, but unrest is still threatening the country’s productivity, and investor’s interest. Foreign financial companies are also threatening to pull out their employees from Bahrain, placing them to Dubai to avoid the unrest and ensure maximum productivity.

Bahrain markets itself as a significantly affordable alternative to Dubai and Qatar in doing business, with low cost skilled local workforce than the other two countries.

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UK-Bahrain Relations Criticised Upon Bahrain King’s UK Visit - May 16, 2014 by Holly

King Hamad Bin Issa al-Khalifa will take part in the Royal Windsor Horse Show during the weekend as he travels to the United Kingdom. Many activists plan to expose the human rights abuses committed by the Bahrain kingdom under his rule, and the government’s plans to gain positive public relations and images worldwide.

Democracy activists point out that many of Bahrain’s protesters, including women and children, were detained and tortured, but there was only little-reported arrest from Bahrain’s state media.

According to Bahrain’s Al-Wefaq opposition, 170 protesters, which included 29 children, faced arrest in April. Bahrain’s riot control officers have also injured 58 protesters through the use of birdshot.

Bahrain observers note that police and anti-government groups fighting in the country are a common sight in any part of the country.

They said the UK and Bahrain relationship faces controversy because despite the obvious mistreatment and abuse of the government upon its citizens, the UK still sells Bahrain military equipment worth £18m, including jet fighters and lethal equipment worth £1 billion.

John Horne of Bahrain watch also pointed out that the UK government is increasing its support for Bahrain’s government, which is an enabler of state violence and protecting the Bahraini, and even British officials, responsible for instigating the violence.

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Moody’s Ranks Bahrain Banking System From Negative to Stable - April 14, 2014 by Holly

Credit rating agency Moody’s had ranked Bahrain higher because of solid funding, high liquidity, good capital positions and increasing government spending. Moody’s said that they expect non-performing loans to have moderate to efficient growth in the next few months. Thye also expect Bahrain’s loan-to-gross growth ratio to remain stable around 6%.

Moody’s is expecting that Bahrain’s non-oil GDP will strengthen to 3.8% in 2014 from 3% because of more activities in the construction industry. High government spending will also stimulate better manufacturing activities, tourism and will boost the prices of properties, which will aid the recovery of the country’s property market. Moody’s expects the growth of domestic credit to 8%.

Bahrain’s strong earnings recovery in 2013 will help its banks have pre-provision and bottom line profits around 1.9% and 1.4% of its average assets over the outlook period. The moderate loan growth will help support interest and non-interest incomes, which can be countered by the highly competitive and low-interest-rate environment.

However, the increased government spending, while helpful for many Bahrain industries, could limit the support it provides to banks in case of fiscal emergencies. This ranks Bahrain quite low in systemic support uplifts over Moody’s outlook period.

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Blast Kills Three Bahrain Policemen, Government Blames Terrorists - March 11, 2014 by Holly

The Interior Ministry pointed out that the blast occurred when police tried to disperse the protesters in the village of Daih when the bomb, allegedly triggered by a remote detonator, exploded. Authorities had detained four men in connection with the bomb. The interrogation revealed that the bombers were guided by “terrorists” abroad.

The public prosecutors named the four suspects who were arrested and said that they had admitted to the bombing that killed the three police officers. The suspects were of different nationalities but with Bahraini names.

The bombing was accused on Iran on Thursday, to which an Iranian official had condemned the torture and jailing practices Bahrain has on its critics. Recently, Bahrain had imposed a new law against those insulting Bahraini loyalties.

According to Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed al-Khalifa that the violence in Bahrain was the work of Iran. He said that it was “Terrorism. Premeditated. Pure and simple.”

Iran had also denied having links to Bahrain’s opposition, but it upholds the cause of Shiites living in the country.

Bahrain’s Shiite majority had always been discriminated, which led to protests against the Sunni royalty and government in the kingdom of Bahrain. Protests nationwide had called for political reform and equal rights for all Shiites and other minority groups in the kingdom.

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What You Actually Do When You Practice Your Right to No Win No Fee Claims - February 17, 2014 by Holly

No win no fee is a right available to every UK national. I view it as a privilege because it allows for instant justice especially for the poorer side of the UK. Despite news of legal aid cuts for UK law personnel, no win no fee will still prevail, or so I think, because it becomes a barometer for UK’s compensation culture.

When we file a personal injury claim against another person, we actually help authorities note the number of accidents happening in the country. Statistical data is very important especially in the development of public infrastructures and road planning. Public developers and respective authorities can also gauge “pressure points” that lead to accidents.

In the workplace, an accident injury claim will indicate the likelihood of equipment failure, the actual hazard of an environment for industrial and chemical factories, or the stress levels of their employees on a general level. Accidents happen due to carelessness. Stress makes one vulnerable to making errors, which can be costly for businesses.

So, working with your no win no fee claims expert is not just to pay them 25% to make your life easier in getting your injury compensation; it also helps everyone to know that you were injured and that responsible parties, even those partly responsible, need to step up action to help prevent further repetitions of your accident.

Insults Towards Bahraini King Earns Tougher Penalties - February 6, 2014 by Holly

The Bahraini King has approved a new law that could earn anybody who disgraces or insults him in public up to seven years imprisonment and a fine of up to $26,500. According to political analysts, this is part of the increasing sensitivity of the Bahraini kingdom, including other Gulf Arab states for public criticism. The law also includes senior officials and ruling family members.

Aside from Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar also have their own penalties for insulting Royal Family members. Each country has a history of imprisoning a citizen for political dissent.

The report from the Bahrain News Agency said that the penalties will apply to “anybody who has insulted, in any kind or public manner, the king of Bahrain, its flag, or its national emblem.”

According to Jalila Sayed, a Bahraini Lawyer, the new laws will further increase human rights criticism against Bahrain. Despite its alliance with the United States and the presence of the US navy in the country, Bahrain continues to treat public demonstrations harshly and limit democracy in its country.

Political analysts said that the Shiite and Sunni muslims continue to perceive the conflict as sectarian, with the democracy push of the Shiites a form of trying to overtake the country from its Sunni rulers.

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Bahrain Calls On Neighbours to Monitor Weapons Trafficking - January 7, 2014 by Holly

Lt. General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah al-Khalifa had asked the visiting undersecretaries of the GCC interior ministries and security directors about illegal weapons trafficking in a meeting in Manama. The Lieutenant General said that the development of security and anti-terrorism programs is imperative for each country.

 

He praised the GCC for handling risks and emergency scenarios that had emerged the previous year and he said that improving the joint efforts is crucial to handling more security scenarios.

The meeting had discussed the four anti-terror operations on December 28 and 29, which had Bahrain’s security detail defusing a car bomb, having arrested 13 prisoners about to escape the country and a raid of shipments of weapons and ammunition including a weapons warehouse in Al Quraya.

The GCC officials exhibited the confiscated smuggled weapons, ammunition and explosives the terrorists were using against policemen in their attacks. Included were Molotov cocktails and modified fire extinguisher guns designed to launch impaling iron rods against security detail

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Public Security Force Chief Major General Tarek al-Hasan said that the media is distorting the image of Bahrain’s government by not verifying what they hear. According to the security chief, they only report things that agree with their political disposition, which is severing the image of the country.

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Amensty International Blasts Bahrain for Torturing Children - December 20, 2013 by Holly

Bahrain’s Government, ranking very low in human rights observations, raises its notch another bar as Amnesty International condemns them of torturing children as young as 13 years old. Reports of authorities arresting children for participating in political protests have surfaced across the entire gulf region.

Amnesty International said in a statement that “By rounding up suspected under-age offenders and locking them up, Bahrain’s authorities are displaying an appalling disregard for its international human rights obligations.”

The al-Khalifa regime continues to crack down on pro-democracy protesters despite Amnesty International’s calls for restraint in handling protesters as evidence of riot police using excessive force to crush the protests were presented the previous year.

The organisation iterated that “All children under the age of 18 who have not committed any recognizable offence must be released immediately. Any allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be thoroughly investigated.” It also added that  “Bahrain’s government purports to respect human rights yet it is brazenly flouting international obligations on a routine basis by resorting to extreme measures such as imposing harsh prison sentences on children.”

Aside from children, doctors and nurses were also detained and tortured for helping protesters. They were also tortured because they held evidences of the full extent of atrocities the Bahraini government had committed to their people.

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Bahrain Government Sentences 12 Protesters to A Decade Behind Bars - November 26, 2013 by admin

Bahrain authorities had sentenced 12 protesters to 10 years imprisonment for their attempt to murder a Bahrain policeman during a 2012 crackdown against the Bahrain protests.  T least seventeen Shiite protesters were accused of attempting to murder policemen during an unauthorized demonstration the previous year. One of the seventeen were accused with a three year prison sentence. Four others were acquitted, leaving the remaining 12 to shoulder the long sentence.

The demonstrators have been imprisoned since May 1, 2012 after the nationwide anti-government protests began. The protests focused on demanding democratic reforms in the Sunni-ruled Bahrain. The seventeen protesters were detained after they attacked a police patrol vehicle and had an officer suffer injuries.

However, during the same circumstances, a police officer was tried for murdering a protester in April 19, 2012. The policeman was said to have shot Saleh Abbas during a rally in Shakura village. The protester was hit in the heart, lungs, stomach and spleen. The policeman’s lawyers said that he was the only person to open fire during the protests.

The stricter penalties and harsh treatment of protesters in Bahrain had left many international human rights organisations questioning their efforts in handling protests and ensuring the freedom of speech in the now-democratic country. Recently in October, it had jailed up to 15 years five Shiite activists in a mass trial.

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PPI Refunds Actually Contribute to the Wellness of UK Economy - November 14, 2013 by Holly

Payment protection insurance costs around £3000-3500 and for some consumers it might cost more because they paid for it for a long time or had added premiums to their insurance. With more news about consumers claiming their PPI refunds, theories from the Office of National Statistics and other economists are gaining evidence of its positive effects to the economy.

The Office of National Statistics once hinted that mis sold PPI actually limited the spending capability of households in the United Kingdom. It noted a 13.4% increase in the number of car registrations in the first half of 2013.

Aside from vehicles, many experts found consumers successfully reclaiming their PPI refunds spending the money improving their homes or making downpayments for new appliances or trying to reinvest the money to make it grow further.

PPI or payment protection insurance helps you repay loans, mortgages and credit cards effectively but failed to do its work for many consumers because they were ineligible for the insurance. If you were mis sold PPI, do not hesitate to work with claims management companies like PPI Claim Back Co to recover your money.

Economists said that the effects of PPI refunds are similar to a windfall but its major difference is that the money goes to households directly. Quantitative easing only works by reducing taxes or offsetting allowances in taxes. The consumer cannot spend the money in quantitative easing, leaving most local economies immobile as compared to PPI refunds.

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