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P.O.W. Deal Gives Qatar a Victory, and a New Test

DOHA, Qatar — The five hardened Taliban militants were quickly whisked in a fleet of cars to the shoulder of a highway on the outskirts of the capital just as they arrived. There, out of the public eye and under the watchful gaze of Qatari security, they exchanged warm hugs with a welcome delegation and then once more were whisked off into hiding.If Qatar holds to its [...]

GL Events exhibitions: The United Arab Emirates on the way to become THE hub for the Pool & SPA in the Middle East

United Arab Emirates, June 2014 – GL Events exhibitions, the organizer of Piscine Middle East exhibition has confirmed the attendance of  2 800 visitors during the second edition of Piscine Middle East held in Abu Dhabi from the 22-24th of April. Most part of these visitors was architects, developers and key buyers specialized in pool and spa industry. The event hosted visitors from 50 different countries. 88% [...]

DCCE announces the first class of “Carbon Ambassadors”

For consolidating green economy culture and Supported by DEWA and UNDP 5th June 2014, Dubai, UAE : Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) has announced the first class of Carbon Ambassador 2014-2015, as part of a ceremony celebrating the World Environment Day in Al Qouz sustainable building on 5 June 2014.  HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority initiated the [...]

Etisalat bond may set record for tight pricing

An impending bond issue by Abu Dhabi-based telecommunications firm Etisalat may not only be the region's largest deal so far this year, but also set a record for tight pricing as the Gulf becomes more of a mainstream investment destination. Etisalat's debut bond will replace some of the debt used to fund its 4.2 billion euro ($5.7 billion) purchase of a majority stake in Morocco's Maroc Telecom [...]

Shopping and health checkup: women in Sharjah get cardiovascular screenings at mall

Campaign conducts 3,685 checks in the Northern Emirates SHARJAH // Women in Sharjah were the latest in the UAE to be encouraged to check their cardiovascular health at a free initiative being run in conjunction with Al Qassimi Hospital. The initiative, held at My City Centre yesterday, is part of Go Red for Women, a global campaign founded by the American Heart Association to raise awareness about [...]

Too Many Ports, Not Enough Trade in the Middle East

An aerial view of Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi Reuters Capacity at seaports and airports in the Middle East is growing faster than regional trade, potentially jeopardizing the viability of billions of dollars worth of new investment in transportation infrastructure. Government-led investment in regional logistics and transport has taken off in the past decade, driven by energy-rich Gulf Arab countries trying to carve out a niche as [...]

Syrian election vote counting begins

Election officials began counting votes in Syria's presidential election early on Wednesday as polls closed in government-held areas.State-run media reported that voting closed at midnight and that officials began the process of checking the number of votes against lists of registered voters to ensure the numbers matched. Syrians on Tuesday voted in their first election in nearly 50 years, which the incumbent Bashar al-Assad is widely expected [...]

Can G.I. Be Tied to 6 Lost Lives? Facts Are Murky

WASHINGTON — Did the search for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl cost the lives of American soldiers?Since last weekend’s prisoner exchange in which Afghan insurgents turned over Sergeant Bergdahl after five years of captivity, a number of the men who served with him have called him a deserter. Some have gone further, blaming him for the deaths of six to eight soldiers.That second claim is hardening into a news [...]

Prisoner Deal Puts President on Defensive

WASHINGTON — The White House argued on Tuesday that the “unique circumstances” presented by the opportunity to return Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl gave President Obama the authority to lawfully bypass a federal statute requiring the Pentagon to notify Congress a month before he transferred the five Taliban detainees necessary to complete the deal.But the White House was forced by turns to defend its decision not to notify Congress and [...]

Air India seeks compensation from Boeing

Air India Ltd. said it’s demanding compensation from Boeing Co for delivering 787 Dreamliner aircraft that don’t meet promised fuel-efficiency targets because the planes are heavier than planned. Design changes made after targets were set meant some 787s are overweight, Air India Chairman Rohit Nandan said in an interview in Doha, Qatar. The Mumbai-based airline and the planemaker are negotiating a formula for compensation, which may be [...]

Banker-turned-bookie is World Cup betting king

Inside a nondescript office building in central London, a roomful of men and women sit at computer screens and talk over Skype with people in faraway places. Sharp-edged Cantonese fills the air, and a flat-screen TV emits a continuous din. It’s the chanting, singing Midlands crowd at Birmingham, England’s Villa Park Stadium: Liverpool at Aston Villa. The match has just kicked off. The name of the company, [...]

Abbas Swears In a New Palestinian Government

JERUSALEM — President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority swore in a transitional government on Monday intended to unify the West Bank and Gaza after seven years of division, though the run-up was marred by last-minute disputes over its composition.The move is likely to complicate further the Palestinians’ already fraught relations with Israel and put them under international scrutiny because the new government is supported by Hamas, [...]

FBI probes billionaires for insider trading

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating possible insider trading involving billionaire investor Carl Icahn, golfer Phil Mickelson and Las Vegas gambler William Walters, a source familiar with the matter said. Federal investigators are looking into whether Mickelson and Walters may have traded illegally on private information provided by Icahn about his investments in public corporations, the source told Reuters, [...]

Op-Ed Contributor: The New Danger in Benghazi

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Forget the endless obsession with assigning blame for the attack in 2012 on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi. The United States has another large problem on its hands right now in Libya. Khalifa Hifter, a former Libyan general who is now an American citizen, is mounting what could be a de facto coup, with far-reaching consequences for Libya and the United States.General [...]

US airports: ‘menacing, cramped and devoid of humanity’

'No country demand anything like the same assurances as the USA immigration authorities' Photo: GETTY Having recently returned from the US, I feel obliged to offer a few thoughts about American transport. Because – certainly at Los Angeles and New York – something has gone very badly wrong. A lot of people complain about Heathrow and Gatwick but the truth is that we British have quietly set about [...]

Emaar gets rule exemption to float mall business on DFM

|By TAP Staff| The listing of Emaar Properties mall business on Dubai Financial Market instead of Nadaq Dubai as originally envisaged would necessitate an exemption from the DFM rule regarding the minimum size of the float. Emaar is floating only 25 percent of the mall business, while the minimum float required for a listing on DFM is 55 percent. Nasdaq Dubai, on the other hand, allows floatation [...]

Turkey orders arrests over Gaza flotilla raid

A Turkish court has ordered the arrest of four former Israeli military chiefs over a deadly 2010 raid by Israeli commandos on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship which killed nine unarmed human rights activists. The court in Istanbul will ask Interpol to issue international arrest warrants for the four commanders, Cihat Gokdemir, a lawyer working on the case, told AFP news agency. Turkish prosecutors are seeking life [...]

Petulant Nats can’t face up to their role in boosting Ukip

Alex Salmond's miscalculation gave No voters a perfect excuse to vote Ukip Photo: Christopher Pledger/Telegraph Has Alex Salmond lost it? The question becomes especially pertinent in the light of the SNP leader's extraordinary reaction to his party's decidedly underwhelming result in the Euro-elections.It is one thing for party bosses to be disappointed when their charges perform less well than anticipated. However, it is entirely another when they refuse [...]

Free health testing in Fujairah as part of campaign to raise awareness of heart disease

FUJAIRAH // Free health testing for women will be available this week at malls in Fujairah and Ajman. It is part of an initiative to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease – the number one killer of women not only in the UAE but across the world. The tests will include blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index and cholesterol level checks. The Go Red for Women campaign [...]

Pope Lays Wreath at Tomb of Zionism’s Founder

JERUSALEM — Making history for the second day running, Pope Francis laid a wreath Monday on the grave of the founder of Zionism, becoming the first pope to do so, a gesture of support to Israel after several symbolic signals the day before that lent a spiritual lift to Palestinian aspirations for sovereignty.At the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Francis added to his marathon morning in [...]

Mass Planned on Mount Zion Stirs Ancient Rivalries

JERUSALEM — The intimate Mass to be celebrated by Pope Francis on Monday in the Cenacle, the hall on Jerusalem’s Mount Zion venerated by Christians as the room of the Last Supper, is intended to cap a Holy Land pilgrimage promoting peace and tolerance.But ancient rivalries lurk just beneath the flagstones here, and the pope’s visit has brought them to the surface. Also holy to Jews and [...]

Pope Calls for Solutions to Conflicts in Mideast Visit

ON THE EAST BANK OF THE JORDAN RIVER — After visiting a site on Saturday where Jesus is believed to have been baptized, Pope Francis spoke about Jesus’s humility, “the fact that he bends down to wounded humanity in order to heal us.”So when some burly men prepared to carry a doctor in a wheelchair up four steps to the stage for a blessing, perhaps it should [...]

Putin’s comrade capitalism gets exposed

In the world’s biggest country, railways are still a route to riches. With nearly 1 billion passengers a year and $42 billion in annual sales, the state company Russian Railways is a giant commercial opportunity. At its head is Vladimir Yakunin, an old friend and long-standing ally of President Vladimir Putin. He oversees a company that strikes international deals, issues bonds to major investors and plans hugely [...]

Ride-Sharing App Uber Launches in Saudi Arabia

Uber San Francisco-based Uber — a smartphone app that connects passengers with cars for hire — officially launches in the Saudi capital Riyadh today after three months of beta testing, entering a new market with some unique opportunities. Saudi Arabia is a country with virtually no public transport and where half of the population — women — is not allowed to drive. Many of the regular cabs available [...]