5th April 2012

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Formula One becomes part of Bahrain power struggle - 05/04/12
A year after an antigovernment revolt forced Bahrain's rulers to cancel the kingdom's coveted Formula One race, the grand prix is again smack in the middle of a power struggle. Protesters aiming to break the Sunni regime's grip on power have stepped up their campaign against the event holding rallies across the island, plastering antiFormula One posters on walls and criticizing the F1 chief and race drivers on social media websites. The country's leadership is determined to stage the April 22 race as it seeks to show signs of stability nearly 14 months after the country's Shiite majority began a sustained uprising seeking a greater voice in the kingdom's affairs of the kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Read More Reprinted here:
Formula One becomes part of Bahrain power struggle Boston.com Formula One becomes part of Bahrain power struggle Boston.com www.greenwichtime.com/sports/ article/Formula-One-becomespart-of-Bahrain-powerstruggle-3461835.php Formula One becomes part of Bahrain power struggle - From the Wires - Salon.com abcnews.go.com/International/ wireStory/formula-part-bahrainpower-struggle-16080636 Racing in Bahrain: Formula One becomes political tool in Gulf kingdom's power struggle 4/5/2012 12:50:26 PM | Newser

NGOs urge Bahrain to free activist on hunger strike - 04/04/12

Former world champion Damon Hill on Thursday demanded a rethink over the contentious Bahrain Grand Prix which is due to take place in two weeks despite ongoing anti-government protests in the troubled Gulf state. Hill was part of a fact-nding mission to Bahrain, which also

included FIA chief Jean Todt, earlier this year and expressed his support for a return of the race which had been cancelled in 2011. But a violent crackdown on demonstrations has continued, prompting Shiite activists to demand the race be scrapped. "What we must put above all else is what will be the penalty in terms of human cost if the race goes ahead?" Hill told The Guardian. Read More

Bahrain Grand Prix: Damon Hill says Formula 1 should think again - 05/04/12
Former world champion Damon Hill says Formula 1 should re-think plans to hold the Bahrain Grand Prix. Hill backed the race after visiting the country on a factfinding mission with motorsport boss Jean Todt in December.

But now he has told the Guardian : "What we must put above all else is what will be the penalty in terms of human cost if the race goes ahead. "It would be a bad state of affairs, bad for F1, to be seen to be enforcing martial law to hold the race." Last year's Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled following civil unrest in February 2011 in which about 40 people were killed after government forces stormed a protest camp in the Gulf state's capital, Manama. Read More Six weeks ago Hill, who went on a fact-nding mission to the island kingdom last autumn accompanied by FIA president Jean Todt, had said that the sport could travel to Bahrain this year with a clear conscience and not just as a tool for some sort of cover-up. "Things are different now, Hill said. The protests have not abated and may even have become more determined and calculated. It is a worrying state of affairs. Read More

Hill unease with Bahrain Grand Prix 05/04/12

Damon Hill has expressed concern at the prospect of visiting Bahrain for next month's grand prix. Hill was particularly vocal a year ago at a time when the

season-opening event was postponed in the wake of anti-government protests that resulted in a number of deaths prior to it being cancelled completely. With this year's grand prix just a fortnight away, Hill said: "What we must put above all else is what will be the penalty in terms of human cost if the race goes ahead." Read More

Damon Hill urges F1 governing body the FIA to rethink its Bahrain called in extra support stance on the Bahrain from the neighbouring Grand Prix - 05/04/12
kingdom, Saudi Arabia. More than 80 people died and the country now has hundreds of political prisoners. Despite the crushing of the opposition, former MP, Matar Ibrahim Mattar, says the protest hasn't ended. Read More In a major blow to race organisers, the 1996 world champion admitted he was once again having grave doubts about the wisdom of hosting a grand prix in a country where ongoing tensions resulted in the death of an anti-government protester last weekend.

Bahrain Grand Prix under pressure - 05/04/12

Last year people took to the streets demanding that the Royal Family give them reform - and the world was watching. There was anger around the world when a bloody crackdown followed.

Hill makes Bahrain uturn - 05/04/12

Damon Hill has urged the FIA to rethink its willingness to race in Bahrain amid ongoing unrest in the country. Violent protests have taken place again this week as the race draws closer, with the shooting of a 22-year-old

proving the catalyst for rioting and clashesbetween the police and demonstrators over the weekend. After opposing the race in 2011 Hill then changed his stance in January after visiting Bahrain, saying that Formula One could return "with a clear conscience". Now, amidst the violence, Hill has reverted to his previous position saying that the grand prix could do more harm than good. Read More Defenders has recently returned from a trip toBahrain where she hoped the authorities would rule Abdulhadi - who has now been on hunger strike for 57 days - could be released on bail pending a re-trial. She told Channel 4 News the organisation has serious concerns for Abdulhadi's health: "We did get to speak to him briefly when his lawyer called to tell Abdulhadi what had happened and the lawyer passed the phone to me. Read More own grudges against its Sunni ruling family.

Hill: Bahrain GP creating more problems - 05/04/12

Damon Hill has called on the FIA to reconsider its position on the Bahrain GP, saying holding the race will create "more problems" than it will solve. Last weekend, protesters specifically targeted the grand

prix as they demonstrated in the streets of Abu Saiba and Tubli with police reportedly firing tear gas on the crowds. According to Aljazeera, a youth dressed in a white death shroud and a black hood was filmed reading a statement that said: "We (object to) holding a sports race that belittles the sacrifices of our children and ignores our suffering and wounds. Read More

Situation critical as Bahrain hunger striker nears death 05/04/12

As concerns grow for the life of leading Bahrain activist Abdulhadi alKhawaja, a Dublin-based human rights group tells Channel 4 News violence will escalate in the kingdom if Abdulhadi dies. Mary Lawlor, the executive director of charity Front Line

Health of Bahraini activist at risk on day 57 of hunger strike 05/04/12

Health of prominent Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja remains at risk, as he enters the 57th day of his hunger strike in prison. Read More

'US strikingly hypocritical towards Bahraini hunger striker - 05/04/12

The US behavior towards Bahraini hunger striker Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a classic nonviolence and prodemocracy activist, is a clear example of the US hypocrisy on rights issues, an analyst tells Press TV. Read More Weary of the dangers posed by the democratic sentiments being voiced by Bahraini protesters, Saudi Arabia, the most powerful of the Gulf kingdoms, sent troops to Bahrain in order to quell mass protests in March 2011. The Bahraini government then tore down the landmark Pearl Square monument in the capital Manama, the epicentre of the protest movement, in an effort to prevent further protests. Read More

Sunnis seek own voice in Bahrain's turmoil - 04/04/12

Bahrain's Sunni Muslim minority, fearful of Shi'ite political assertiveness, is spawning factions that rail against compromise with the island's sectarian majority, while nursing their

The emergence of hardline Sunni groups is further evidence of sectarian polarization in Bahrain, where a Shi'ite-led opposition movement persists despite the crushing of the mass protests it organized during last year's burst of Arab revolts. Read More continue to support the airline.

Ahram Online interviews Bahraini activist Maryam AlKhawaja - 05/04/12

PThe Bahraini uprising that erupted in February 2011 was a thorn in the side of the Gulf monarchies fearing that the wave of Arab uprisings that had ousted dictators in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya could threaten their own thrones.

Minister denies plans to dissolve Gulf Air 05/04/12

Manama Bahrain's finance minister has denied a report that the government was planning to dissolve the national airline Gulf Air and insisted that it would

A local daily yesterday reported that Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa said that the government would go for the least expensive option in dealing with the airline's financial woes by dissolving Gulf Air and setting up a new company. Read More

Bahrain: the silenced revolt - 05/04/12

WHO has heard anything concrete about the protests in Bahrain? Very few people, no doubt. Not because it is a small country, but because in the contemporary world, what doesnt appear in the media virtually does not exist. The same media which is exacerbating what is occurring in Syria is silent when it comes

to passing judgment on allies of the United States. In this case, the ally being the monarchy of King Al Khalifa. If there is any reference to the conflict in Bahrain in the media, it is reduced to a confrontation between Shiites and Sunnis. Although 70% of the countrys inhabitants are Shiite and the other 30% Sunni the branch of Islam professed by the ruling dynasty the essence of the protest in this country is neither sectarian nor religious. Read More

The Price of Union: The Gulf and the Global Economy - 05/04/12
The six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have emerged as influential regional and international actors over the past decade. Led by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, they have invested heavily in struggling Western economies, built up enormous capital accumulations during the post-2003 oil-price boom, and contain some of the worlds largest conventional supplies of oil and natural gas. Their relative stability and proWestern orientation has also enhanced their geo-strategic attractiveness as relatively secure places to do business in a volatile region.

Set against this optimistic backdrop, however, is the political upheaval and age of uncertainty affecting the Arab World. Although the uprisings have yet to seriously impact the GCC states, with the significant exception of Bahrain, they have generated a reassessment of the mechanisms of regional cooperation. Last Mays announcement that the GCC would invite membership bids from Jordan and Morocco surprised many observers, while in December Saudi Arabias King Abdullah suggested a shift toward a single entity. This proposal for deeper integration looks set to become reality in an as-yet undefined Arab Gulf Union Council, to be fleshed out at a meeting in May 2012. Read More