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Ardi

Featured Blogs

BCG outlines critical actions that E&P companies in the GCC must take to survive

UAE. A new report by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy, delves into the challenges faced by Exploration & Production (E&P) companies here in the GCC region. The fact is, these are trying times for E&P companies globally. Following more than a decade of strong financial returns, the industry has experienced several difficult years caused […]

June 29

Middle East

Trying to Placate All, Iran Leader Zigs and Zags on Nuclear Talks

TEHRAN — Persian carpets were rolled out in the Beit-e Rahbar, the downtown Tehran offices of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday, a sign that important guests were on their way. One by one, members of Iran’s establishment, politicians, clerics and commanders filed in, many exchanging the perfunctory greetings of committed rivals. They sat cross-legged and waited anxiously, knowing a crucial week of nuclear negotiations […]

June 28

Middle East

Parents concerned by move to close school canteens in Abu Dhabi during Ramadan

ABU DHABI // Parents have expressed their concern at a decision to close school cafeterias during Ramadan. They say that an equal number of children are not fasting because they are not Muslim or are too young. The Abu Dhabi Education Council, which issued the ruling, said it “does not have a particular policy regarding serving food for students during the holy month of Ramadan, however schools […]

June 27

Middle East

Fujairah market shop owners left destitute a month after fire

FUJAIRAH // A month on from the fire that tore through the Friday Market in Masafi, shop owners are still waiting for promised financial relief and Government support. Some of those who lost their shops can no longer pay for their children’s schooling while others do not have a home or food to eat. Sayd Abdalmajed, a 35-year-old Bangladeshi trader, lost four vegetable shops and one pottery […]

June 27

Featured

Gold recovers as Greece deal fails

Gold edged higher on Friday, recovering from its lowest in more than two weeks as Greece failed to reach an agreement with its international creditors, although gains were capped by expectations of a U.S. interest rate hike. Asian equities fell as Greece failed again to reach an agreement with its creditors and stumbled towards a default, while major currencies like the euro and dollar drifted as the […]

June 26

Middle East

Iran Again Chided on Human Rights Amid Efforts to Reach Nuclear Deal

WASHINGTON — The State Department issued a dismal assessment of Iran’s record on human rights on Thursday, saying that the Iranian authorities had stifled dissent and engaged in “unlawful killings.” The assessment, part of a broad overview of human rights practices around the world, was published one day before Secretary of State John Kerry is to leave for Vienna to try to conclude a nuclear accord with […]

June 25

Featured Blogs

Stress is the main health concern for Middle East employers

UAE. The latest Towers Watson survey on Health Benefits reveals that employers are investing more in the health of their employees as many Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries have implemented new legislation and amendments to laws that deal with mandates for employee healthcare coverage. These changes are already in effect or will come into effect in phases over the next few years and will implicitly impact employers. […]

June 25

Middle East

Bombers target UAE aid convoy in Somalia

ABU DHABI // At least nine people were killed on Wednesday when a suicide car-bomber targeted a UAE aid convoy on a busy street in Mogadishu in Somalia. Most of the dead were Somali civilians caught in the blast and others were thought to be soldiers guarding the convoy. No UAE personnel were among the victims. At least six people were injured in the attack. They are […]

June 25

Middle East

U.N. Report on Gaza Finds Evidence of War Crimes by Israel and by Palestinian Militants

JERUSALEM — A United Nations investigation found “serious violations of international humanitarian law” that “may amount to war crimes” by both Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip during their bloody battle last summer, according to a report released on Monday in Geneva. The report, written by a two-member independent commission of inquiry and submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council, said that “impunity prevails […]

June 22

Middle East

My Ramadan: An expat fasts for understanding

ABU DHABI // In her first Ramadan in the UAE, trainer and triathlete Roisin Thomas has pledged to fast Ramadan both to challenge herself, to become a better athletic professional and to empathise with others. “Living here I see the workers on the streets and the carwash boys that go through hours of sweating, so I can really empathise with them,” said Ms Thomas. “I want to […]

June 21

What's On

WikiLeaks Dumps More Sony Docs, Include Secret Apple Deal

A second cache of 276,394 documents stolen from Sony Pictures Entertainment — possibly by hackers in North Korea — was posted online Thursday by the not-for-profit media organization WikiLeaks. Posted on the third anniversary of WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange’s asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, the latest Sony documents include confidential memos from executives on coming films, notes on IT strategies, financial forecasts and movie marketing […]

June 19

Middle East

Karzai, Vowing That He’s Done, Discusses His Afghanistan Legacy

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Thursday called for a radical transformation of politics, economics and individual lifestyles to confront environmental degradation and climate change, as his much-awaited papal encyclical blended a biting critique of consumerism and irresponsible development with a plea for swift and unified global action. The vision that Francis outlined in the 184-page encyclical is sweeping in ambition and scope: He described a relentless […]

June 18

Featured Blogs

Private wealth in the UAE will see the strongest growth in the GCC with a projected CAGR of 10.7% over the next five years, BCG study finds

UAE. Private wealth in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) showed solid growth in 2014 (8.4 percent), according to a new report by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Global Wealth 2015: Winning the Growth Game, being released today. In the UAE, the growth of private wealth was driven mainly by equities. After all, between 2013 and 2014, the amount of wealth held in equities rose by 13.8 percent […]

June 17

What's On

Big Gaming Guns Come Out at E3

The theme so far this week at the three-day Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center has been video-gaming, with Sony claiming the keynote address slot. Here are nine announcements from the conference so far: New “Doom” on the Way Bethesda got E3 under way by showing off the latest installments of first-person shooter “Doom” and post-apocalyptic role-playing saga “Fallout 4.” The latter game will […]

June 16

Middle East

Egyptian Court Confirms Death Sentence for Ousted President Morsi

Video | Morsi Death Sentence Confirmed by Judge A judge in Egypt announced the confirmation of last month’s sentence of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK June 16, 2015 CAIRO — An Egyptian judge slammed the rule of the deposed president Mohamed Morsi as “a black night that lasted a whole year” and confirmed a death sentence against […]

June 16

Featured

Shetty’s NMC buys ProVita for $160m

|By TAP Staff| LSE-listed leading UAE healthcare player NMC Health announced entering into an agreement to acquire ProVita International Medical Center, provider of long-term medical care in the UAE, for an equity consideration of $160.6 million. The payment will be made in cash, from TVM Capital Healthcare Partners, the Olayan Group, Al Zarooni Emirates Investment and other minority shareholders, the company said. ProVita is a pioneer in […]

June 15

Middle East

UK politicians back motion to return QE2 from Dubai

ABU DHABI // Thirty-six members of the British parliament have signed a motion calling for the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner to be returned to Scotland from its Dubai berth. The early day motion, a measure to call for a formal debate in parliament, has been predominantly backed by members of the Scottish National Party (SNP). After expressing “grave concern” at the condition of the vessel, the […]

June 13

Middle East

Explosion Destroys Ancient Cultural Heritage Site in Yemen Capital

Video | Explosion in Old City of Sana A Unesco world heritage site was damaged on Friday by a blast that witnesses said was caused by airstrikes in Yemen’s capital. By RICK GLADSTONE June 12, 2015 A protected 2,500-year-old cultural heritage site in Yemen’s capital, Sana, was obliterated in an explosion early Friday, and witnesses and news reports said the cause was a missile or bomb from a Saudi […]

June 12

Featured Blogs

Dubai's private sector output expands at slightly faster pace in May, but growth remains weaker than at the start of 2015

UAE. Dubai private sector companies indicated a modest rebound in output growth from the 18-month low recorded during April, according to the latest Emirates NBD Dubai Economy Tracker™ report. The latest survey also pointed to a slightly faster expansion of incoming new work, while modest job creation and positive sentiment regarding the business outlook was sustained. Of the three key sub-sectors monitored by the survey, construction was […]

June 11

Middle East

Supreme Court Backs White House on Jerusalem Passport Dispute

By ADAM LIPTAK June 8, 2015 WASHINGTON — Against the backdrop of generations of conflict in the Middle East and the longstanding tensions between Congress and presidents on the conduct of foreign policy there, the Supreme Court on Monday struck down a law that allowed American parents of children born in Jerusalem to obtain passports saying the children were born in Israel. The vote was 6 to 3, with […]

June 08

Middle East

Trial begins for Kuwaiti politician accused of insulting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince

ABU DHABI // A Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood politician has been legally named as a felon after he failed to appear in court to answer charges of publicly insulting a leading member of the royal family. Mubarak Al Duwailah – who is being tried at the Federal Supreme Court in his absence – is also accused of saying that the Judicial Department had fabricated evidence against the group […]

June 08

What's On

Apple WWDC Brings Updates to OS X, watchOS, iOS and More

Tech giant Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicked off Monday at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco with the headlining keynote address. Among the topics discussed during the address were new capabilities for OS X, updates coming to iOS, native apps for the Apple Watch, a streaming music service, and a new version of the watchOS operating system. At the event, Apple also introduced […]

June 08

Featured

Qataris see anti-Arab bias in scandal

|TAP Special| Sections of public opinion in the Arab Gulf see anti-Arab bias and the grudge in losing the bid  for hosting World Cup as the main motivation for the campaign against Qatar in the award of 2022 tournament. As it becomes increasingly clear that the corruption scandal can have very negative implications for the hosting of the tournament, the Arab public opinion is also becoming more […]

June 08

GasGuzzlers

Road Music #1: Twistin’ Through the Twisties

/carlustblog.com/ The summer season of long car trips and top-down joyrides is upon us–and we are again confronted with the critical question of what mood music to have playing in the stereo as we drive. Today, we’ll discuss appropriate soundtrack selections for a mad dash down one of the squiggly lines on the map. While music preferences are highly subjective, I propose the following theory for your […]

June 08

Middle East

Brides of Syria Were Joined in Opposition to Violence

Video | Syria: Brides of Peace The sisters Kinda and Lubna Zaour walked through the main souk in Damascus dressed as brides, a symbol of love and peace. They were arrested almost immediately. By ANNE BARNARD June 7, 2015 BEIRUT — The blurry pictures circulating on social media showed several women in white, dressed as brides, standing shoulder to shoulder in a covered market in the old city of […]

June 07

Featured Blogs

Building sustainable, mixed-use developments

Adams … master-planning is important for sustainable developments. Master-planning key to sustainable mixed-use projects DUBAI, 3 days ago The Middle East has a unique set of challenges and opportunities with regard to creating large, mixed-use developments, says Louise Adams, former country manager UAE at Aurecon, an engineering, planning, project management and consulting company. Adams describes the importance of investing in master-planning, some of the current opportunities and […]

June 07

Featured

FIFA under pressure on Qatar World Cup

|TAP Special| The release of a new book, titled The Ugly Game, which claims to contain damning evidence of malpractices within FIFA, is ominously coinciding with a forthcoming debate by European lawmakers on the controversial decision awarding Qatar the right to host 2022 World Cup. The members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have been very critical of the voting process for the award of […]

June 07

Middle East

Tariq Aziz, Imprisoned Top Aide to Saddam Hussein, Dies at 79

By ALISSA J. RUBIN June 5, 2015 Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi foreign minister and deputy prime minister who for decades was the most public face of Saddam Hussein’s government on the world stage, died on Friday in Nasiriya, Iraq, where he had been imprisoned. He was 79. Adel Aldikhaly, the deputy governor of Nasiriya, said Mr. Aziz had had a heart attack after “a long-term incurable disease” and was transferred […]

June 06

Middle East

Tariq Aziz, Top Aide and Fervent Ally of Saddam Hussein, Dies at 79

Tariq Aziz, left, in 1992 at the United Nations as deputy prime minister of Iraq, talking with Chinmaya Rajaninath Gharekhan, the Indian delegate, at a meeting of the Security Council. By ALISSA J. RUBIN June 5, 2015 Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi foreign minister and deputy prime minister who for decades was the most public face of Saddam Hussein’s government on the world stage, died on Friday in Nasiriya, Iraq, where […]

June 06

Middle East

France Says It Opposes Boycotting Israel

By DIAA HADID June 5, 2015 RAMALLAH, West Bank — France is “firmly opposed” to a boycott of Israel, the French foreign minister said Friday, after the partly state-owned French telecommunications company Orange said it would seek to withdraw its brand from the Israeli market. The company’s decision was seen in Israel as the latest in a rapid succession of blows meant to isolate and punish the country over […]

June 05