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| GCC Expansion Plan |
 THE
proposal to enlarge the Gulf Cooperation Council to Jordan and
Morocco, made at a council summit meeting in Riyadh last month,
marks a profound change in the nature of the organisation as
it reaches its 30th anniversary. This decision, which went practically
unnoticed in the West, is all the more worthy of attention in
that it is likely to usher in long-term changes in the region´s
political scenario. Initially set up to provide a safeguard
against an Iranian military threat and to create regional economic
integration in the Arabian peninsula, the Gulf Cooperation Council
has moved away from its early... |
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| LESSONS FOR CHINA FROM ARAB SPRING |
 FROM:
Ministry of State S e c u r i t y TO: President Hu Jintao SUBJECT:
The Arab Spring Dear President Hu: You asked for our assessment
of the Arab Spring. Our conclusion is that the revolutions in
the Arab world contain some important lessons for the rule of
the Chinese Communist Party, because what this contagion reveals
is something very new about revolutions unfolding in the 21st
century and something very old about why they explode. Let´s
start with the new. Sometime around the year 2000, the world
achieved a very high level of connectivity, virtually flattening
the global economic. |
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Egypt’s hopes all but over, Ivory Coast qualifies
AP
JOHANNESBURG EGYPT’S hopes of defending its title at next year’s African Cup of Nations are all but gone after the seven-time continental champion was held to a damaging 0-0 draw at home by South Africa in qualifying on Sunday.
Egypt‚ which has won Africa’s top football tournament three times in a row‚ is now almost certain to fail to qualify for the first time in 33 years.
Egypt remains bottom of its group, six points off leader South Africa with two games to go and with little chance of making Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012‚ even as one of the two best second- place teams.
Ivory Coast has qualified after a 6-2 win for Didier Drogba’s team away at Benin.
Ivory Coast is the second country‚ after surprise package Botswana‚ to claim one of the 14 finals places on offer in Africa’s 44-team qualifying competition.
There were 14 games across the continent on Sunday as the competition passed the halfway mark.
A late equalizer by captain Joseph Yobo rescued a point for Nigeria in Ethiopia, Sudan won to keep the pressure on top-ranked African team Ghana, Libya was held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Comoros and under-pressure Tunisia beat Chad 5-0 to revive its campaign.
A desperate Egypt’s Group G fixture with South Africa was moved to a military stadium in Cairo because of the threat of crowd trouble, due to the African champion’s disastrous form and recent sectarian violence in the city.
In a tense match with few clear-cut chances, South Africa defended for long spells to claim a valuable point for their own hopes — leaving Egypt still winless and on the brink of a shock elimination.
The Pharaohs last failed to qualify for the African championship in 1978 and have dominated the tournament over the past five years.
Egypt coach Hassan Shehata did not attend the official post-match press conference, increasing speculation the 2006, 2008 and 2010 Cup of Nations-winning coach will leave his job after seven years in charge.
South Africa ‚ which played without injured captain and playmaker Steven Pienaar ‚ leads the group by two points from Niger.
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