Saudi Arabia will probably deepen discounts for crude supplies to Asia after leading OPEC to maintain the group’s output target amid a global battle for market share, according to a Bloomberg survey of traders. The world’s biggest oil exporter will announce January official selling prices to buyers in Asia this week, after lifting its Arab Light grade from the lowest level in almost six years a month […]
Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) has chosen three banks to arrange a $1.8 billion seven-year loan to help fund general operations, its first such facility in a number of years, three banking sources told Reuters on Wednesday. The firm has chosen Citigroup, Emirates NBD and Societe Generale to arrange the loan, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information is not public. The three banks have […]
If you have an Xbox and you’re having a hard time signing on to Xbox Live, there may be a nefarious reason for that. A hacker group that made a name for itself by attacking online gaming services has apparently struck again. In a Twitter post, Lizard Squad claims it took Xbox Live down. This is the same Lizard Squad that executed a distributed denial of service […]
North Korea is an astonishing survival into the 21st century of 19th century traditions of oriental despotism. Just as the old kings of Korea were demigods, beyond mortal criticism and revered as infallible by their awed subjects, so the present-day rulers of North Korea are presented as geniuses who can make no mistakes. Moreover, in this tradition, the monarch personifies the nation – to mock Kim Jong-un […]
When Google recently rolled out the new Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system, it touted the release as its biggest Android update yet, with an emphasis on delivering an integrated experience across multiple devices. However, early users are fuming mad over Lollipop, with bugs and problems souring the Lollipop experience. What’s the problem? As one of our commenters wrote, “Where do I begin?” Batteries that drain too fast, […]
Herman von Rumpuy Photo: REX Tomorrow, Herman Van Rompuy (which, lest we forget, rhymes with ‘Pumpy’) steps down as President of the European Council. He may look like Sven-Göran Eriksson’s less exciting older brother, but for five years this unelected eminence very grise has dominated European politics. So what do you know about this human riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a bland, Belgian enigma? 1 The man […]
OPEC’s decision to cede no ground to rival producers underscored the price war in the crude market and the challenge to U.S. shale drillers. The 12-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries kept its output target unchanged even after the steepest slump in oil prices since the global recession, prompting speculation it has abandoned its role as a swing producer. Yesterday’s decision in Vienna propelled futures to the […]
Abu Dhabi’s crown prince paid a brief visit to Qatar on Friday, official media said, to cement reconciliation between the two Gulf Arab states before a regional summit they are to hold in Doha next month. The trip by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan was the first since the United Arab Emirates along with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar in March, accusing Doha […]
The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has said EU migrants should only be able to claim out-of-work benefits after three months By Raziye Akkoc 8:55AM GMT 27 Nov 2014 Follow The Deputy Prime Minister has waded into the argument about EU migrants on benefits by giving his support for “ensuring that EU jobseekers cannot claim out-of-work benefits from day one”. Nick Clegg, in an op-ed for the […]
FlyDubai’s debut Islamic bonds are signaling growing appetite for sukuk from aviation companies in the Gulf as they spend on airports and fleet expansion. The budget carrier raised $500 million this month in the first sale of the debt by a regional airline after Emirates, the world’s largest operator of A380 superjumbo planes. The issue received bids for more than six times the amount offered. Gulf cities […]
I recently reached out to my Twitter followers, asking “What can I, as a VOA reporter in Washington, write about that you need/want to know?” The responses were varied and interesting, but one topic dominated: U.S. policy in Syria. Why hasn’t the U.S. done more to help the Syrian people? “There is lot of frustration with the Obama’s administration’s ambiguous, vague and often incoherent strategy regarding dealing […]
In its bid for the wearables market, Sony Corp. is developing a watch made out of electronic paper for release as soon as next year, reported Bloomberg. Although not yet officially announced, the move is considered a trial of the company’s new venture-style approach to creating products. The face and wrist band of the watch will be made from a patented material that lets the surface area […]
Funds tracking MSCI’s emerging markets index are likely to start buying several stocks in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar that will see their benchmark weightings increased after the end of trading on Tuesday. These include Emaar Properties, Dubai Islamic Bank and First Gulf Bank in the UAE, plus Doha’s Industries Qatar, Qatar National Bank, Doha Bank and Commercial Bank of Qatar. Gulf International Services will join […]
Three more private companies are expected to list shares on the UAE stock exchanges’ secondary market by mid-2015, the head of the stock market regulator said after the first two firms began trading on the platform on Tuesday. Announced in September, the new platform aims to encourage many of the Gulf state’s private companies, including family-owned firms who dominate the business landscape, to trade their shares through […]
Iran may propose that OPEC cut its output target by as much as 1 million barrels a day to halt the slide in crude prices when the country’s oil minister consults with his Saudi counterpart before the group gathers this week. Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi will talk on the sidelines of the meeting in Vienna of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting […]
Saudi Arabia’s Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) has suspended its chief executive Khalid al-Kaf, the kingdom’s No.2 telecom operator by subscribers said on Sunday. The company’s decision, effective from Nov. 21, follows errors in Mobily’s accounting that led the company to restate 18 months of previously-announced earnings, wiping out $381 million of prior profits. Kaf will be suspended until Mobily’s audit committee finishes a probe into these accounting errors, […]
As so often in Britain, the Dutch case involves the system colluding with a dysfunctional and absent father Photo: ALAMY Anyone wishing to see just how shocking the behaviour of our “child protection” system can be should watch an utterly chilling video on YouTube (see below: “Kidnap of children from their mother by Dutch social services…”). It shows 11-year-old twins screaming in protest as they are seized by […]
A panel of national representatives reviewed OPEC’s oil market outlook for 2015 this week, OPEC sources said, preparing the ground for a policy-setting meeting next week that will decide how to address a looming oversupply of crude. The Economic Commission Board concluded a two-day meeting in Vienna on Friday ahead of the gathering of the group’s oil ministers on Nov. 27. It does not recommend policy to […]
The Telangana government Saturday decided to build the world`s tallest tower and skyscrapers at 40 places around Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of Hyderabad. A meeting presided over by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao decided to build the world`s tallest tower in Sanjeevaiah Park abutting the picturesque lake. At the five-hour long review meeting, the chief minister decided to construct skyscrapers in the first phase on […]
Five weeks after launching its OS X Yosemite operating system, Apple has released an updated version: OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 (14C68k). This second beta version comes swiftly on the heels of the first, which was made available Monday but didn’t seem to address some of the issues with Wi-Fi that were plaguing users and developers. Since OS X Yosemite made its debut on Oct. 16, community members […]
Building on its previous work in electronic collaboration forms that include audio and video conferencing, Cisco Systems is now offering ways to manage workers’ day-to-day interactions and tasks. The networking giant this week announced the availability of Project Squared, a service aimed at offering an online gathering place for getting work done. Project Squared is delivered via an app or the Web. It is the latest response […]
By Nantoo Banerjee War is not all about attack. History has shown that tactical retreat as a war strategy had succeeded in winning more wars by entrapping advancing enemy than the show of blind belligerence by a brigade. Unfortunately, the use of tact is not a very strong point of this last Lok Sabha poll defeated Sonia-Rahul led Congress party. Its leaders are speaking in babel of […]
NEW DELHI: The T S R Subramanian committee, constituted about three months ago to review laws related to environment and forest protection, has recommended some big-ticket changes to the rules and legislation. These include a complete overhaul of certain laws, special fast-track dispensation for power, mining and linear projects, self-certification of compliance by industry and diluting the powers of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The committee’s […]
New Delhi: India has signed a euro 13 million deal with Airbus Defence and Space for the delivery of a dedicated facility in the country for the maintenance and repair its submarine fleet periscopes. The project is due to be completed in September 2016. “When a product is serviced, a lot of time is lost during the transport between different facilities. Once maintenance work can be […]
