By Philip Pullella and Mahmoud Mourad | CAIRO CAIRO Pope Francis, making a two-day visit to Egypt, urged Muslim leaders on Friday to unite in renouncing religious extremism at a time when Islamist militants are targeting ancient Christian communities across the Middle East. Francis’s trip, aimed at improving Christian-Muslim ties, comes just three weeks after Islamic State suicide bombers killed at least 45 people in two Egyptian […]
Dubai-based business tycoon Mohamed Alabbar is weighing buying in to venture capital firms in the Middle East to help kick start his $1 billion technology fund, according to people familiar with the matter. Representatives for Alabbar held talks with several regional companies, including Middle East Venture Partners and BECO Capital, about either buying them entirely, joining as a co-investor or making a significant investment in the firms, […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. When Barack Obama was vacationing recently with Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey aboard a $300 million yacht in Tahiti, one wonders if he ever hummed Springsteen’s “All Or Nothin’ At All.” At the moment, it seems like he […]
JERUSALEM Israel intends to build 15,000 new settlement homes in East Jerusalem, the Housing Ministry said on Friday despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to “hold back” on settlements as part of a possible new push for Israeli-Palestinian peace. A formal announcement of the settlement plan, quickly condemned by the chief Palestinian negotiator, could come around the time Trump is scheduled to visit Israel next month. Israel […]
Emerging market equities have been the darling asset class de jour in 2017, mainly in Asia and Latin America, despite the March FOMC rate hike, a US Dollar Index at or above 100 and a mini-swoon in crude oil after a Saudi-Russian output cut spat. Earnings growth (India/Thailand) a stabilized currency (China), policy reforms (India, Brazil, Indonesia) local interest rate cuts (Brazil) and lower US protectionist policies […]
Distribution agreement boosts Eikon’s robust research offering with economic sovereign reports London, 28 April 2017 – Users of Thomson Reuters flagship financial platform Eikon can now access Oxford Business Group’s full range of research on emerging economies, following a distribution agreement between the two firms, giving financial professionals instant access to OBG’s extensive range of reports and economic updates. OBG content is available through Eikon’s real-time and […]
CAIRO Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ratified legal amendments that allow the president to make judicial appointments to its top courts, a move judges said would erode the independence of the judicial system. Parliament passed the amendments on Wednesday but some judges had called on Sisi to hold off on ratifying them, calling the amendments an unconstitutional breach of separation of powers. The amendments were issued […]
That small drama points to the bigger issue confronting Francis as he lands in Cairo against a backdrop of swirling anxiety and turmoil. Christians across the Middle East are under intense pressure. After years of persecution by Islamist militants, half of Iraq’s Christian population has fled, and a lonely beach in Libya was the setting for the 2015 beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in orange jumpsuits. Continue […]
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is in talks with investors about introducing its US-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants brand to the UAE. Pascal Gauvin, IHG’s India, Middle East and Africa COO, told Arabian Business that Nasdaq-listed IHG began discussions with investors in January and hopes to sign a deal this year. After that, it intends to launch boutique hotel brand Kimpton in Dubai, first, within the next 3-5 […]
. 240 modern gas stations across the country set for completion by 2020 · Strong support is required to encourage organized companies to step in to the service field. 26 April 2017 Riyadh – Petromin, the leading lubricants and automotive services company in Saudi Arabia, outlined plans to build 240 gas stations across the Kingdom at the 10th edition of the Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment […]
Drone maker DJI has issued a software update intended to frustrate Isis terrorists who have been using low-cost “quadcopters” to drop improvised bombs in Syria and Iraq. The move to create new “no fly zones” for its products across Iraq and Syria is DJI’s first admission, albeit a tacit one, that its products have been commandeered by terrorists. It is also the latest sign of tension between […]
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump complained on Thursday that U.S. ally Saudi Arabia was not treating the United States fairly and Washington was losing a “tremendous amount of money” defending the kingdom. In an interview with Reuters, Trump confirmed his administration was in talks about possible visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel in the second half of May. He is due to make his first trip abroad as […]
Dubai (Masaader News) April 27, 2017 – Ebtkaar New Media Services, a UAE-based company, has launched “Masaader News ” platform, a news analysis web platform that provides 24/7 economic, political and social updates on the GCC, Middle East and Global News in Arabic and English. The company said in a press release: “Masaader News is not only a news portal, but also a service that allows job […]
Just in case someone attempts to fly a drone over Iraq and Syria, DJI has made sure it will not happen. DJI added parts of Iraq and Syria to its No-Fly Zone or NFZ list. It means DJI-made drones will be prevented from flying in and around the war-torn region, which is currently embroiled in a war. Several news reports stated that terrorist organizations like the Islamic State had […]
DUBAI// With barely a second to take in a gulp of air, professional wrestling hopefuls were trained to run the ropes, hit the mat and take knocks under the watchful eyes of talent spotters. Forty men and women from across the Middle East and India are being pushed to their limit and beyond this weekend as part of a global search by WWE at Dubai Opera House. […]
The Israeli agency that liaises with the Palestinians on civilian affairs, known as Cogat (an acronym for Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories), said Israel supplies Gaza with 30 percent of its total electricity needs at a monthly cost of about $11 million. Continue reading the main story Israel did not immediately cut off the supply, apparently hoping that international donors would step in and pay. […]
Egypt is still suffering from coordinated Palm Sunday bombings of two Christian churches that killed more than 40 people, nearly killed the head of the Coptic Church and prompted President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to declare a three-month state of emergency. Continue reading the main story Francis will lend his support to the roughly 250,000 Roman Catholics in Egypt and insist on the protection of minority rights, including […]
ISTANBUL: A Russian naval intelligence ship sank off Turkey’s Black Sea coast after colliding with a vessel carrying livestock on Thursday and all 78 personnel on board were evacuated, Turkey’s coastal safety authority said.The ship, identified as the “Liman,” collided with the Togo-flagged “Youzarsif H,” the coastal safety authority said on its website.Turkish authorities dispatched a tugboat and three fast rescue vessels, it said. Turkish shipping agency […]
A desire to volunteer led Abdul Karim Al Zarouni to the war-torn Syria where he saw both ISIL brutalities and the deep scar they have left in the minds of young Syrian children. It is every student’s dream to have a gap year and see what the world has to offer. But nobody wants a gap year, and see something as horrible as ISIL troops trying to […]
Qatar Airways grows route network This week Qatar Airways announced 12 new flight routes for 2018. The Doha-based airline will launch services to San Francisco next year, as well as Cardiff in Wales, Utapao in Thailand, Chittagong in Bangladesh, Mykonos in Greece, Málaga in Spain, Accra in Ghana, Lisbon in Portugal, Abidjan in Ivory Coast, Prague in the Czech Republic, Kiev in Ukraine and Mombasa in Kenya. […]
Dubai-based Speedex, which is best known as a supplier of tools and hardware but also offers ideas and inspiration for every part of the home, has launched a series of in-store workshops to boost the development of a DIY culture in the UAE. The goal is to encourage people to make things and make friends, while enjoying a taster arts-and-crafts session that is designed to demystify the […]
Yoav Galant, the Israeli construction minister, also declined to confirm the strikes but told Channel 10, “Our enemies must know: We will know to use our power to protect our interests by ourselves.” Continue reading the main story Large explosions were heard miles from the airport that serves Damascus, the Syrian capital, and the glow of flames could be seen in the distance, according to residents in […]
Since at its core, yesterday’s 1-page “tax plan” was a Goldman creation, who better to explain what Trump offered than Goldman Sachs itself, which it did overnight in a far lengthier note from its chief Washington analyst Alec Phillips. Here is Goldman with an elaboration of the handful of bullet points contained on the much anticipated one page, extended to 6 pages. Q&A on the President’s Tax […]
A UAE court on Wednesday sentenced an Iranian to 10 years in prison followed by deportation for attempting to ship a generator to his home country in breach of international sanctions. The appeals court in Abu Dhabi found the unnamed man guilty of “attempting to export a power generator to Iran for its nuclear programme, in breach of international sanctions,” state news agency WAM reported. It did […]
