DUBAI // Social media has changed the face of diplomacy and governments must adapt to their loss of control over information, a US state department official says. Richard Buangan, managing director for international media engagement, said times had changed with the public’s growing access to information and news worldwide. “In diplomacy and media, a conversation can be the most powerful tool we have,” Mr Buangan said. “Conversations […]
Director Shubhashish Bhutiani’s critically-acclaimed film Hotel Salvation is a bittersweet comedy-drama about of a dying father’s cross-country trip with his son to a kind of sacred hospice in India where the elderly can have their sins absolved in their final days. It had its regional premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival in December, but if you missed it there is another chance to catch it, courtesy […]
Traditional medicine in the Middle East, which is studied at the Zayed Center for Herbal Research, can be broken down into four categories: the Prophet, Physicians, Arabs and Elders, says professor Maha Barakat, the director general of Health Authority – Abu Dhabi. The Medicine of the Prophet (Teb Al Nabawi) This concerns Quranic references to healing, in addition to what the Prophet Mohammed practised to treat ailments. […]
CAIRO: The head of Egypt’s Al-Azhar university, one of the world’s leading Islamic seats of learning, has been replaced after labelling a controversial Muslim reformer an apostate, the institution said.The development came as Al-Azhar is pressured by critics who say the venerable Sunni Muslim authority has not done enough to counter Islamist extremism.Ahmed Hosni Taha, the acting university president, had been forced to apologize on Thursday after […]
The balance of power within Hamas, which Israel, the United States and much of the West defines as a terrorist organization, has been shifting to Gaza, according to experts. The group seized control of the Palestinian coastal enclave in 2007 after beating its main rival, Fatah, led by President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, in parliamentary elections a year earlier. Continue reading the main story In […]
Most sectors in the Middle East are likely to adopt a “wait and see” policy on hiring during 2017 as companies monitor market conditions, according to a new report. Recruitment agency Michael Page Middle East said real estate firms are most likely to buck this trend, with signs that hiring activity is returning as liquidity enters the market. The report added that, following a move to reduce […]
DUBAI // Almost 1,000 animals at Dubai Zoo will be relocated to the new Dubai Safari Park, which 4,000 creatures will call home when it opens. The 119-hectare park is tentatively due to open in late 2017 in Al Warqa 5. It will replace Dubai Zoo and offer animals a better quality of life. Timothy Husband, the park’s technical director, said that some of the animals will […]
May 6, 2017 by: Jeevan Vasagar in Singapore and Michael Peel in Bangkok Puma Energy, the fuel storage and petrol station business backed by Swiss commodities trading house Trafigura, wants to expand in Myanmar across a range of fuel and petroleum products after opening a $100m storage facility at the southern port of Thilawa. The new terminal, with a capacity of 91m cubic metres, opens the prospect […]
Authored by Jim Quinn via The Burning Platform blog, In Part One of this article I detailed how propaganda has been utilized by the Deep State for decades to control the minds of the masses and allow those in control to reap the benefits of never ending war. In Part Two I will discuss recent events, false flags, and propaganda campaigns utilized by the Deep State to […]
Mr. Greenblatt got a very different message at an earlier dinner with two other prominent Palestinians, Salam Fayyad and Ziad Asali, and two American Jewish diplomats, Elliott Abrams and Dennis B. Ross. They all told him that a breakthrough was not realistic now, and that Mr. Trump would be better off pursuing incremental advances, like bettering the economic fortunes of the Palestinians. Continue reading the main story […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for May 6, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Ellen Fortini rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE. newslide Abu Dhabi Workshop Sign up now to attend a media workshop with DJ Eric San, popularly known as Kid Koala. During the […]
North America, the UK, Germany and Australia remain the top property investment destination for UAE residents, according to a YouGov survey conducted by IP Global, the property investment firm. The survey results showed that when it comes to investing in property abroad, the US and Canada are the most popular markets among UAE citizens. Chicago and Los Angeles were highlighted as popular investment destinations in the US. […]
Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed his first foreign trip as president will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican. Trump will add the three stops to an already announced visit to NATO and G7 summits in Brussels and Sicily later this month. “My first foreign trip as president of the United States will be to Saudi Arabia, then Israel, and then to a place that […]
LEBANON: Alaa plays the horrifying video she kept on her phone that shows her moments after she was riddled with bullets, her jaw shredded, hand punctured, and chest bleeding. “Did you not see the video?” the Syrian teenager asks visitors, in defiance of its cruelty, to show how far she has come.It has been a long road. And a missed childhood.From Alan Kurdi lying dead face down […]
Significantly, the agreement to establish the de-escalation zones has not been accepted by all opposition groups, and it left loopholes for Syria to continue undiminished attacks on the rebels, factors that combined to hinder the last attempt by Iran, Russia and Turkey to forge a cease-fire. Continue reading the main story Nevertheless, one of the representatives of the Syrian opposition groups at talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, Col. […]
When NPR’s David Folkenflik was growing up in the Southern California town of Laguna Beach, he would occasionally visit an enormous newsstand where readers could find almost anything they wanted to read. The Economist was next to Time. The surfer magazines were next to the tattoo magazines. The fake or dubious news — the National Enquirers of the world — were also in their own slots, somewhere in the […]
Photo Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting in February. Credit Mark Lennihan/Associated Press Iran responded angrily on Thursday to criticisms by Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, accusing him of acts that violate the United Nations Charter and calling his kingdom an instigator of “dangerous ambitions in the region and beyond.” The Iranian response came in a formal protest letter […]
Abu Dhabi, UAE – 04 May, 2017 ITWORX Education, the front-running education services provider, has won the BETT Middle East Game Changer Award for its Children in Distress program, powered by its social learning solution: WinjiGo. The award is a tribute to the innovation ITWORX Education brings to the Ed-Tech landscape and the impact it continues to make in delivering sustainable, quality education to children around the […]
White House officials said foreign leaders would be more willing to help the United States if disagreements over human rights and other issues were aired in private. They cited the recent release of an Egyptian-American aid worker detained in Egypt, which was negotiated in quiet talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Continue reading the main story “Obama’s approach was to build support with the Arab public through […]
UAE members of LinkedIn, the online professional network, have been ranked the most connected in the world with an average of more than 200 per individual. New figures released by LinkedIn showed that UAE-based users have an average of 211 connections. They also revealed that the network has hit the 500 million members milestone globally and 22 million members in the MENA region. Ali Matar, head of […]
MUSCAT // Travel agents in Muscat say holiday bookings for Dubai have risen by 80 per cent in the past 12 months, as Omanis hit by rising inflation opt for destinations closer to home. Dubai has taken over from Thailand as the top holiday destination for Omanis. “Omani travellers now prefer to go on holiday in Dubai … more than other destinations,” Veenith Laghari, a tour operator […]
May 4, 2017 by: Katrina Manson in New York Donald Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican on his first foreign trip as US president in an effort to unite a coalition against Islamist terrorism and Iran and extract more from traditional allies. The travel plans mark a departure from US foreign policy norms, which usually see new presidents visit neighbouring Canada or Mexico within a month of taking office. […]
Under the memorandum they signed as guarantors of a cease-fire, fighting between government forces and insurgents is to stop in four zones that include rebel-held territory in the north, central and southern parts of the country. Continue reading the main story It remains unclear precisely how the guarantors will monitor compliance with what they are calling “de-escalation zones.” Aleksandr Lavrentyev, the Russian negotiator at the Astana talks, […]
JERUSALEM: A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli police near a flashpoint holy site in Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Thursday and was shot and wounded, Israeli authorities said.The incident occurred near the site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs in the tense city, where several hundred Israeli settlers live under heavy guard among some 200,000 […]
