There May Be A Cabinet Reshuffle (And Trouble) Ahead

Background Information Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed: Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed ( the name means "The New Morning") Was founded in 2004 the day after the entire Al-Sabah (The Morning) staff walked out of their jobs. Al-Sabah was financed by American company Harris which opposed the paper's independence. Four weeks after the new paper was established there was an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap chief editor Ismael Zayer in which his bodyguard and chauffeur died. Guns are very much in evidence in the paper's offices ever since. It's a good paper that struggles hard to be independent. They've got very high standards and often get scoops and leaks. It published an exhaustive series of articles during the constitutional process, has a vibrant culture section, and the editorials tend to be pretty good. They have a small English section which you can find here. The current English version has an editorial by Ismael Zayer. Check it out. On balance I'd be inclined to take this story seriously - if only as a declaration of intent. The timing's interesting. - mfi There's a very short piece on the front page of Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed [Arabic Language] this morning saying that sources "close to" Nouri al-Maliki have told the paper that a major cabinet reshuffle is planned for next month. The paper says that their sources have told them that the reshuffle will involve 9 ministries including the ministries of Defense and Interior and one key economic ministry. According to the paper the nine ministers are being replaced because they have not performed to "the minimum standard" in their work. The paper says that the reshuffle will be announced after Maliki finishes his current round of visits to foreign capitals. The paper adds that the first cabinet change under Maliki was the resignation of the Transport minister. markfromireland Update: Karbala News cover it in a bit more detail citing Al Sabah Al Jadeed's story