Oman
Al Qaeda militants from Yemen have infiltrated into Oman....
Omani authorities have cracked down on bloggers with several arrests. There is increasing tension amongst the local population demanding jobs and better standards of living....
The failure of the GCC to accept or even negotiate a Saudi proposal for further integration is a blow to the Saudi regional position....
The relationships between the GCC and Iran have deteriorated on a number of fronts....
Concessions made by the Sultan of Oman have not satisfied the protestors demands....
Deaths and injuries were reported in demonstrations in Oman calling for improvement of economic conditions and political change....
Stock markets across the GCC have tumbled as a result of the demonstrations in Egypt....
Oman announced that it has uncovered a UAE spy ring, which the UAE denied. This is a most serious development to hit inter-GCC relations in recent years....
Oman endorses another five-year development plan. The plan will contribute further to the so far apparently successful economic efforts by the government to diversify the economy....
The increase of oil price to over US$ 90 per barrel is a positive development for all GCC states and Yemen....
The US diplomatic cables published by wikileaks is likely to increase the risk of Iranian or Shiite attacks against some GCC states, who are claimed to have pushed the US to bomb Iran....
Confirmation that the Japanese tanker hit in the Strait of Hormuz last month was by a suicide bomber indicates that there is an increased Al Qaeda activity in the GCC....
The announcements by Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman that they do not intend to ban the BlackBerry from operating in their territories are good in demonstrating their commitment to business-friendliness....
The possible attack against a Japanese oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz may have been carried out by Iran, Al Qaeda or less likely pirates....
The revival of the Omani flagship project, Blue City, is an indication that Oman’s economic diversification plans are back on track....
Naval exercises by Iran in the Straits of Hormuz have prompted GCC leaders to strengthen their joint defenses and call for a united effort against Iran....
Data released by the Omani Central Bank and government show that Oman’s economy has fared better than predicted and better than most other GCC economies....
The eminent liquidation of the Blue City project represents the failure of the country’s flagship and first venture into master-plan developments....
Increasing tensions between the West and Iran increases the risk of Iranian attacks against Western interests in the GCC....
A leading Kuwaiti daily reported government sources as saying that there is an increased Al Qaeda threat in the Gulf, in view of the ongoing Yemen war....