Wall Street Journal

By Teymoor Nabili in Middle East on October 4th, 2010

"Iraq Proven Oil Reserves Rise Significantly "  declares the Wall Street Journal, echoing a number of other news sources.

But are they "proven"?

So far, we have only assurances from the Iraq's oil minister Hussein al-Shahristani:

These aren't random figure

By Clayton Swisher in Middle East on April 2nd, 2010
Photo courtesy of Mohamed Nanabhay
I've been scooped on a story I should have owned. 
 
On February 23rd a US foreign service officer named Rachel Schneller appeared on a panel with Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan, right here in Doha, at a Forum I attended that was hosted by the Al Jazeera Cente for Strategic Studies. 
 
According to today's Wall Street Journal, she acknowledged sitting with Hamdan afterwards for a friendly cup of tea, in a meeting that had the blessing of her superiors back at the US state department.

Now that is news. 
 
Below is what I submitted that night from Dubai (I had to travel from Doha that afternoon on business and could not finish the discussion). 
By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on January 25th, 2010
Photo by EPA

Anti-semitism has reared its head in Greece this month.

The only remaining synagogue on the island of Crete, a lovingly restored medieval jewel, has been attacked by arsonists, not once, but twice.

The first attack, on the night of January 5, resulted in the destruction of about 1,800 books, many of them valuable. A second attack, 11 nights later, destroyed part of the synagogue’s wooden roof, and two offices.

By Teymoor Nabili in Americas on January 11th, 2010
Photo from AFP

The pages of the Wall Street Journal are the last place I would expect to find even the merest criticism of anything related to "homeland security", and yet here it is, a sober condemnation of the

inexplicable wave of hysteria that has swept over our government in the wake of the failed attempt by a rather pathetic aspiring terrorist to blow up a plane on Christmas Day.

The author's logic is compelling and his sentiment reminiscent of the quintessentially British attitude of "keep calm and carry on" that sustained the citizens of London through the blitz of 1940, and the IRA bombing campaigns of the 1980s.

However, logic rarely trumps emotion:

By Teymoor Nabili in Business on November 8th, 2009
Photo by Reuters

Now that some of the most respected institutions in corporate banking have been implicated in - and some destroyed by - dubious ethical and financial practices, it should come as no surprise that the same foul odour of corruption is now being detected lingering in the corridors of smaller companies on Wall Street.

Thus, the emergence of the biggest case of insider dealing ever uncovered, now spreading to implicate more and more people.

The Guardian's Will Hutton likens it to a poisonous melange of the worst characters in popular fiction, engaged in

a seedy world of secret tips, kickbacks and disposable, pre-paid mobile phones.

The Los Angeles Times writes of

By Teymoor Nabili in Business on May 29th, 2009

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is due in China this weekend.  Certainly there are plenty of topics, and differences, to keep him, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao occupied for a while. But on top of the issues of currency, trade barriers and Treasury purchases, the Wall Street Journal says Geithner also plans to tell Beijing it needs to take ”drastic measures” to reform it’s economy.

“That means encouraging Beijing to offer more generous health care, retirement, welfare,  educational and other benefits …”

I’m sure the prescription will provoke a wry smile or two in Beijing, and maybe even a polite enquiry along the lines of  “and do you plan to introduce these benefits at home, Mr Geithner?”

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