February 2011
Syria to give $250 million aid to poor
Syria's national social aid fund will start handing out financial aid to families living below the poverty line next Sunday, the official press reported Monday.
The fund will parcel out a total of $250 million to about 420,000 low-income families over seven days from 170 centres around the country.
On Sunday, the distribution of food aid to families afflicted by drought kicked off in the northeastern city of Deir Ezzor, according to the official daily Al-Thawra.
Drought has gripped Syria for the last five years crippling agricultural production, accelerating a rural exodus out of the parched northeast, and pushing up to three million people into poverty, according to UN estimates.
About 1,083 families have received food aid which included dried beans, rice, burghol (cracked wheat), oil and salt as part of a UN campaign to combat drought launched in 2009.
Syria, which is heading for a market economy, suffers from "considerable challenges," with 14 percent of its 22 million people living in poverty, according to deputy prime minister of economic affairs Abdallah Dardari.
One-fifth of the workforce is meanwhile unemployed.
The Syrian government announced mid-January plans to invest 14 billion dollars in development as part of a five-year plan (2011-2015).
http://www.peyamner.com/details.aspx?l=4&id=222822
February 12, 2011
Bahrain doles out money to families
(Latest appeasement comes as activists call for protests to demand political, social and economic reforms)
Ahead of protests planned to take place in Bahrain next week, the nation's king has said he will give 1,000 dinars ($2,650) to each Bahraini family.
Friday's announcement on state media came as the latest step that Sunni rulers have taken to appease the majority Shia public.
Activists have called for protests in Bahrain, starting from Monday, to demand political, social and economic reforms. The demonstrations will coincide with the tenth anniversary of Bahrain's constitution.
Although most analysts do not see any immediate risk of revolt after popular uprisings toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, the small island nation is considered the most vulnerable to unrest among Gulf Arab countries.
The Bahraini government has made several concessions in recent weeks, such as higher social spending and offering to release some minors arrested during a security crackdown against some Shi'ite groups last August.
'Sign of appreciation'
The Bahraini News Agency (BNA) reported that the financial concessions were to mark the anniversary of a national charter for reforms.
"On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the National Action Charter and as a sign of appreciation for the people of Bahrain who have approved it, King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa has ordered 1,000 dinars to be paid to every Bahraini family," Friday's report on BNA said.
Bahrain is one of the few Arab countries where the majority practices Shia Islam.
Tensions between the ruling family and the Shia majority population are usually at a low boil, although there were some clashes ahead of election last October.
It is not yet clear how widespread next week's protests will be, but analysts and diplomats say the Shia opposition group Wefaq will be waiting to see how many concessions the government is prepared to make.
Although Bahrain has a parliamentary system, many Shias feel elections have only served to co-opt them into the political system and did not improve their access to government jobs and services.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201121251854857192.html#
Syria to give $250 million aid to poor
Syria's national social aid fund will start handing out financial aid to families living below the poverty line next Sunday, the official press reported Monday.
The fund will parcel out a total of $250 million to about 420,000 low-income families over seven days from 170 centres around the country.
On Sunday, the distribution of food aid to families afflicted by drought kicked off in the northeastern city of Deir Ezzor, according to the official daily Al-Thawra.
Drought has gripped Syria for the last five years crippling agricultural production, accelerating a rural exodus out of the parched northeast, and pushing up to three million people into poverty, according to UN estimates.
About 1,083 families have received food aid which included dried beans, rice, burghol (cracked wheat), oil and salt as part of a UN campaign to combat drought launched in 2009.
Syria, which is heading for a market economy, suffers from "considerable challenges," with 14 percent of its 22 million people living in poverty, according to deputy prime minister of economic affairs Abdallah Dardari.
One-fifth of the workforce is meanwhile unemployed.
The Syrian government announced mid-January plans to invest 14 billion dollars in development as part of a five-year plan (2011-2015).
http://www.peyamner.com/details.aspx?l=4&id=222822
February 12, 2011
Bahrain doles out money to families
(Latest appeasement comes as activists call for protests to demand political, social and economic reforms)
Ahead of protests planned to take place in Bahrain next week, the nation's king has said he will give 1,000 dinars ($2,650) to each Bahraini family.
Friday's announcement on state media came as the latest step that Sunni rulers have taken to appease the majority Shia public.
Activists have called for protests in Bahrain, starting from Monday, to demand political, social and economic reforms. The demonstrations will coincide with the tenth anniversary of Bahrain's constitution.
Although most analysts do not see any immediate risk of revolt after popular uprisings toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, the small island nation is considered the most vulnerable to unrest among Gulf Arab countries.
The Bahraini government has made several concessions in recent weeks, such as higher social spending and offering to release some minors arrested during a security crackdown against some Shi'ite groups last August.
'Sign of appreciation'
The Bahraini News Agency (BNA) reported that the financial concessions were to mark the anniversary of a national charter for reforms.
"On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the National Action Charter and as a sign of appreciation for the people of Bahrain who have approved it, King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa has ordered 1,000 dinars to be paid to every Bahraini family," Friday's report on BNA said.
Bahrain is one of the few Arab countries where the majority practices Shia Islam.
Tensions between the ruling family and the Shia majority population are usually at a low boil, although there were some clashes ahead of election last October.
It is not yet clear how widespread next week's protests will be, but analysts and diplomats say the Shia opposition group Wefaq will be waiting to see how many concessions the government is prepared to make.
Although Bahrain has a parliamentary system, many Shias feel elections have only served to co-opt them into the political system and did not improve their access to government jobs and services.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201121251854857192.html#
hmmm .. looks like Kuwait may have been paid?
1/17/2011Kuwait Amir grants KD 1,000 for every citizen on nat''l celebrations occasion
KUWAIT, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah orders an Amiri grant of KD 1,000 (USD 3,559) for every Kuwaiti citizen including those born until February 1, 2011, a senior government official said Sunday.
Minister o State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan said Sheikh Sabah ordered the grant on the occasion of the 50th independence anniversary, 20th liberation anniversary and 5th anniversary of Sheikh Sabah's assumption of office, due next month.
Furthermor, Al-Roudhan said food ration would be offered for free between February 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2138386&Language=en
