3rd April 2013

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Baird in Bahrain: What about those Canadian arms sales to Saudi Arabia?
I knew it had to be a hoax, even if the dateline didn't read April 1. A story buzzing around social media yesterday morning claimed that John Baird had been embarrassed by reporters at a press conference in Amman, Jordan. The piece asserted that journalists had peppered Baird with a series of questions about Canadian politics, concluding:"An unidentied reporter suggested that Canada sounded more like an autocracy than a democracy ... At this point Minister Baird indicated that the Press Conference was over." Now come on. We know that scenario is not going to happen. Because if there's one thing Harper's government does do almost as well as many autocracies, it's limit access and manage the media. Read More Bahrain News Agency quoted Sheikh Khalid as saying in a press conference held at the Algerian Foreign Ministry headquarters "A brother does not mediate between his brother and an alien side". He pointed out that all brotherly and friendly countries can convey Bahrain's stance to Iran to provide an accurate account of the situation. Read More

Bahrain government welcomes improved relations with RCSI after ethics row
The Bahraini government has expressed satisfaction with the outcome of meetings held at the weekend with a delegation from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland(RCSI) after the controversial cancellation of a conference on medical ethics.

A delegation from the college travelled to Bahrain to meet ofcials to deal with the fallout of Prof Tom Collinss resignation last month as president of the RCSIs Bahrain campus. He told staff and students last month he was stepping down in protest over the cancellation of the conference on medical ethics which he helped organise. Read More The High Criminal Court in Manama also sentenced nine other people to 10 years for their role in the bomb plot on January 28. The homemade device was reportedly concealed under a makeshift roadblock set up by protesters on the highway and was detonated when the policemen wanted to clear the way for vehicles. Read More

16 men sentenced for Bahrain bomb attack

A court in Bahrain has sentenced seven men to 15 years in jail for attempted murder and making, possessing and detonating a homemade bomb that injured ve policemen in Bani Jamra, a village west of the capital Manama.

Bahrain Denies Algerian Mediation between the Kingdom and Iran

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa has denied requesting Algerian mediation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Islamic Republic of Iran.