Bahrain king says foreign plot against Gulf foiled

Having been 'snubbed' by the new Saudi King Salman, it appears the uneasy relationshipo with our 'allies' in The Gulf is ebbing.

Manama (AFP) - Bahrain went to the polls Saturday for its first legislative elections since a failed pro-democracy uprising in 2011, with the opposition boycotting the vote in the tiny Gulf monarchy.

One week after we reported that the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard (which two weeks ago was designated by the US as a terrorist organization), Qassem Soleimani, was observed in Erbil last Sunday where he met with Kurdistan regional president Barzani to discuss the growing crisis - the latest indication of Iran's surg

ISLAMABAD: "Are you with us or with Qatar?" Saudi King Salman raised this question during a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had visited the Gulf Kingdom for finding a diplomatic solution to the Qatar crisis.The Saudi monarch asked Sharif to take a clear position on Qatar during their meeting in Jeddah on Monday, The Express Tribune reported, citing diplomatic sources."Pakistan has told Saudi Arabia it will not take sides in the brewing diplomatic crisis in the Middle East after Riyadh asked Islamabad 'are you with us or with Qatar'," the paper said.Pakistan has been trea

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said a foreign plot against his kingdom had been foiled and thanked troops brought in from neighbouring countries to help end increasing unrest after weeks of protests.

Bahrain's King Hamad on Tuesday proclaimed a three-month state of emergency, a day after a Saudi-led military force entered the tiny island nation to help put down Shiite-led protests."Due to the ongoing circumstances in Bahrain ... King Hamad has announced a state of national emergency as of Tuesday for three months," state television said.The king had instructed the commander of the armed forces to restore order using the army, police forces, units of the National Guard and "any other force" if necessary, said the statement.

Obama is due to speak any moment about his summit with Arab leaders at Camp David, a meeting held to reassure the Persian Gulf states over the impact of a possible nuclear deal with Iran.