Tue Nov 27, 2012 2:31am EST * GIB arrangers include JPM, StanChart, NBAD, Barclays, SocGen * Plans to issue at least $500 mln from bond* Roadshows kick off Nov 28 in UAE, end Dec 3 (Adds roadshow details, background)DUBAI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Gulf International Bank (GIB), majority owned by the Saudi Arabian government, has picked six banks to arrange investor meetings ahead of a potential benchmark-sized, dollar-denominated bond, lead arrangers said on Tuesday.Roadshows Read more [...]

Gazans hard at work to reopen vital tunnels

RAFAH: During Israel’s eight-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said it hit more than 1,500

The US State Department was forced to deny Monday that it had invited a notorious rock star behind such classics as "Party Til You Puke" to represent America in the conservative Gulf state of Bahrain. Musician, DJ, motivational speaker and self-styled "King of Partying" Andrew W.K. had earlier claimed to have been named a US "cultural ambassador" to the troubled Arab kingdom, a close US ally beset by sectarian tension. "We will unite the human race with love and partying," he declared. Read more [...]

Andrew W. K. in Austin on March 20. (Gary Miller - FilmMagic) It seemed like a pretty neat idea when rocker Andrew W. K. posted on his Web site last week that the State Department was sending him as a cultural ambassador to Bahrain to help folks in that deeply unsettled country party their troubles away. The government used tear gas just Monday to disperse thousands of demonstrators and street battles flared, the Associated Press reported. So how about sending a rocker Read more [...]

Andrew W.K. won't be taking his party to Bahrain after all. The American performer announced on his website that he had been named a cultural ambassador to Bahrain, where he'd promote "partying and world peace." He had been tentatively invited by the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain to visit the country, but the State Department had second thoughts. Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday that the invitation to 33-year-old singer of songs including Read more [...]

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In bizarre news of the day, the U.S. Department of State of has named Andrew W.K. the Cultural Ambassador to the Middle East -- at least according to Andrew W.K.'s own website.UPDATE, 11/26: New York blog Brokelynis reporting that Andrew W.K. was not named the Cultural Ambassador to the Middle East, after an unnamed communications staffer in the State Department told the site that they had not heard of the singer's "new post." But a State Department source told DCist that W.K. was invited by Read more [...]

The Hague-Nov26 (BNA) Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Abdulla Abdullatif Abdullatif today led Bahrain's delegation to the Seventeenth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP-17) at the World Forum Convention Center (WFCC) at Churchillplein 10, The Hague, the Netherlands. The five-day session is scheduled to discuss the progress achieved to-date in implementing the convention. The Chemical Read more [...]

Post Contributor Badge This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story. More about badges | Request a badge Read more [...]