Photo He was the only man I saw when we entered the nearly empty village in northern Iraq, which had just recently been liberated from the Islamic State. The first thing he did when he approached our car was ask my colleague for a light. That’s when I noticed the pack of cigarettes sticking out of Mohamed Ahmed Saleh’s shirt pocket. Just over a week after the […]
DOHA: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met Qatar’s emir on Saturday during a visit to the oil-rich Gulf state, home to the largest US air base in the Middle East.The visit to Doha is part of a regional tour that has included stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel. Mattis is scheduled to visit Djibouti on Sunday.The Pentagon chief’s meeting with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani […]
The top 100 start-ups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) together have raised over $1.42 billion in funding and each has raised more than $500,000 individually, according to new research. Following a record year of more than $870 million in startup investment, analysts MAGNiTT published a report into the backgrounds of the founders of MENA’s most successful start-ups. It said the 100 start-ups, including the […]
Submitted by Jonathan Roth of RiskHedge In an exclusive video interview with RiskHedge, a long-time geopolitical expert says there is an alternate story making the rounds about the United States’ April 7 missile strike on Syria’s Shayrat Airbase in response to the Syrian regime’s alleged use of sarin gas on its own people. “Not all missiles made their target,” says Dr. Theodore Karasik, a senior advisor to […]
After sitting through a course in table manners last week, I’m confident I have previously ruined many chances to impress at formal dinners simply because I did not sit down properly or forgot to place my napkin to the left of the plate when I was ready to leave the table. Participants at the Dining Like A Diplomat workshop, organised by the Protocol School of Washington in […]
He broadened his point to argue that much of the chaos gripping the Middle East today was a result of mistrust between communities over historical wrongdoings that no one is willing to confront. “The past is not the past in the Middle East,” he said. “This is the biggest obstacle to peace and stability in the Middle East.” Eric D. Weitz, a history professor at the City […]
The Power Transmission and Distribution Business of L&T Construction has won its single largest order in the Middle East from the Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation, also known as Kahramaa. The order relates to Kahramaa’s ongoing electricity transmission network expansion plan which aims to meet the ever-increasing demand for power in the Gulf state. The $817 million order will involve the engineering, procurement and construction of […]
The three cases are part of a campaign by Saudi women, who have been broadcasting daring videos with their cellphones, using Facebook to organize street protests and posting Twitter messages to challenge the very idea of male supremacy in their famously patriarchal society. Continue reading the main story The campaign, started by a loose network of activists who have enlisted young, media-savvy women, has gone far beyond […]
Photo A woman laid flowers at a makeshift memorial in front of the Reina nightclub in Istanbul in January. On April 6, United States Special Operations forces carried out a ground raid in Syria that killed Abdurakhmon Uzbeki, an ISIS militant who had helped plot the attack on the nightclub. Credit Ozan Kose/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images WASHINGTON — United States Special Operations forces carried out a […]
It is clear now that from the very start, the hunters’ abduction was linked to the civil war in Syria, which has drawn in regional powers in an increasingly complicated proxy war. On one side of the hostage negotiations were Shiite powers — Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah — which firmly support the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. On the other were the Sunni powers Qatar […]
(Image: Samsung) Read any review of Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and there’s one consistent theme that appears: The position of the fingerprint sensor is seriously flawed. Must read: Apple’s big $1,000+ iPhone gamble Let’s take a look at what the reviewers have been saying. Let’s begin with Walt Mossberg over at The Verge: In my tests, the Galaxy S8 had the least reliable, most frustrating, biometric security […]
TEL AVIV U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday that Syria had dispersed its warplanes in recent days and that it retained chemical weapons, an issue he said would have to be taken up diplomatically. The United States launched dozens of missiles earlier this month against a Syrian air base in response to a chemical attack that killed 90 people, including 30 children. It says the […]
Honeywell International Inc (HON.N) said on Friday its commercial aviation after-sales business was benefiting from robust air travel, while its energy division was getting a lift from stable oil prices, sending shares to a record high. The diversified U.S. manufacturer’s shares rose as much as 3.6 percent to $128.30 in afternoon trading. Honeywell, which made an unsuccessful bid for rival United Technologies Inc (UTX.N) last year, also […]
Photo President Trump met with Aya Hijazi in the Oval Office on Friday. Credit Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times WASHINGTON — President Trump welcomed Aya Hijazi, an American aid worker detained for three years in Egypt, to the Oval Office on Friday after quietly working to secure her release this week. “We are very happy to have Aya back home and it’s a great honor […]
DOHA: Qatari citizens held hostage in Iraq by unidentified gunmen since 2015 have been freed and handed over to the Iraqi interior ministry, Qatar-based al-Jazeera reported on Friday.The satellite channel gave no further details on the release of the hostages, who were seized by gunmen in December 2015 while on a hunting trip near the border with Saudi Arabia.An Iraqi security official later said Iraq would hand […]
ABU DHABI // The capital is the safest cities in the world, according to a 300-strong online index. Compiled by Numbeo.com, a database of user-contributed information, the Crime Index Rate puts the capital in 288th place among 288 cities in terms of crime, meaning it is the safest city on the planet. Dubai is in 279th place. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of […]
As an ardent Brexiter, Simon Boyd did not support Theresa May to be prime minister. After all, she not only sat out the UK’s EU referendum contest last June but quietly voiced support for key arguments to remain in the bloc. But now Mr Boyd, the managing director of a specialty steelmaker in south-west England and regional head of a pro-Brexit business group, has the zeal of […]
Dubai-based retailer Marka has announced that it is opening the first Reem Al Bawadi outlet in Abu Dhabi as part of its ongoing expansion plans for its flagship brand. The new restaurant brings Reem Al Bawadi to Dalma Mall and will offer a total capacity of 243 covers, with 111 seats inside and 132 seats outside. The venue, which will open this spring, also features a TV […]
Yet another wildlife species has fallen victim to a deadly fungus that could potentially result in significant biodiversity loss. Nearly a month after Tech Times reported about three species of Texas bats carrying the Pd fungus, putting them at risk for the lethal white nose syndrome, biologists warn salamanders are in danger of being decimated. Researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland reveal that fire salamander populations […]
HMH – Hospitality Management Holding is all set for a strong presence at Arabian Travel Market 2017 (ATM). 21 April 2017HMH – Hospitality Management Holding is all set for a strong presence at Arabian Travel Market 2017 (ATM). Mr Ferghal Purcell, COO of HMH, said, “We have a number of strategic announcements lined up for ATM this year that is the MENA region’s largest B2B travel and […]
ABU DHABI // Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, held bilateral talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to discuss efforts to bring about an end to conflicts in the region as well as increasing security cooperation and economic ties. The UAE is Russia’s closest partner in the GCC, and Moscow has […]
France has launched an anti-terror investigation after a policeman was killed and two other officers injured in an apparent Islamist attack in Paris on Thursday that threatens to disrupt the country’s presidential election. French authorities said the suspected gunman had been shot dead in the assault on the Champs-Élysées shortly before 9pm local time. One civilian was also injured in the attack. “We are convinced that the […]
Booking a trip can feel like navigating through a maze, with hundreds of thousands of hotels, flight options and combinations to choose from. Which is where online travel agencies come into play. Filtering results as per your selection offers a convenient way to book flight deals and hotel stays that match your budget, date and time requests, as well as your personal preference when it comes to […]
Australia has done everything it can to make the refugees it detains in offshore camps voiceless — confiscating phones, refusing journalists access and threatening staff with jail if they speak out about the wretched conditions. But behind the fences, those detained on the South Pacific islands of Manus and Nauru are telling their stories to the world by embracing the arts: writing articles and books, drawing cartoons and […]
