National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) secured shareholders’ assent to merge with First Gulf Bank (FGB) at a meeting on Wednesday, a spokesman for NBAD said. First Gulf Bank also secured shareholders’ approval on Wednesday, FGB’s chief executive Andre Sayegh said. The pair announced in July that their boards had approved the tie-up, which will create one of the largest banks in the Middle East and Africa […]
I spot the ship long before the car pulls up to the cruise terminal at Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed. Part of the Celebrity Cruises fleet, the stately Celebrity Constellation – dark blue and white, and marked with a distinctive “X” logo at the top – stands 13 decks tall. Orange lifeboats hang high on Deck 5, and the shaded gangplank looks like a tunnel boring into the […]
The European Central Bank has decided to scale back its landmark quantitive easing programme from €80bn to €60bn a month, in a move that responds to hawks’ concerns about ultra-loose monetary policy but which could unsettle markets. The bank confirmed that it would buy €80bn a month of bonds under the current leg of the programme until March, but added that it would reduce the purchase size […]
The UK’s National Grid has agreed to sell a 61 per cent stake in its gas distribution network to a consortium of global investors, a deal that will plug the 11m homes the network serves into investors such as China’s sovereign wealth fund and Australian investment bank Macquarie. The terms of the transaction imply an enterprise value for the division of around £13.8bn including debt. The investment […]
Dubai, UAE, 8 December Bollywood Parks™ Dubai, part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, the largest integrated theme park destination in the region, unveils Jaan-e-Jigar, the regions first Broadway-style Bollywood show in all its grandeur at the Rajmahal Theatre, which is located in the heart and soul of the park. Dubai’s answer to world-class entertainment, Jaan-e-Jigar is the biggest Bollywood style show to ever hit the region, where […]
Submitted by MiddleEastEye.net via TheAntiMedia.org, Saudi authorities banned journalist Jamal Khashoggi from writing in newspapers, appearing on TV and attending conferences, the Alkhalij Aljadid reported in Arabic. This came after Khashoggi’s remarks during a presentation he made at a Washington think-tank on 10 November in which he was critical of Donald Trump’s ascension to the US presidency. Two weeks ago, an official Saudi source was cited by […]
US stocks hit fresh highs on Tuesday led by transportation, as investors solidified their bets on an improving economy under the Trump administration. The benchmark S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite each clinched their best daily performances since the day before the US election, with the first two also setting new records. Stock markets have been invigorated by the possibility of a wave of […]
A group of investors will pay $1.12 billion for Saudi Oger’s stake in Jordan’s Arab Bank and expects to complete the deal by mid-January, a member of the consortium told Al Arabiya TV on Wednesday. Saudi Arabian conglomerate Astra Group was part of the consortium, led by Arab Bank Group Chairman Sabih al-Masri, that was buying the 20 percent stake, Ghassan Akeel, chief executive for Saudi Arabia […]
Donald Trump is planning to hand responsibility for immigration and the US-Mexico border to John Kelly, a retired general who led US military operations in Latin America. The president-elect has chosen the former Marine general to be secretary of homeland security, head of the department that oversees immigration policy, US media reported on Wednesday. The job would give Mr Kelly, 66, a pivotal role in implementing border […]
By Hamid Shalizi and Josh Smith | KABUL KABUL Afghan and American officials are increasingly worried that any deepening of ties between Russia and Taliban militants fighting to topple the government in Kabul could complicate an already precarious security situation. Russian officials have denied they provide aid to the insurgents, who are contesting large swathes of territory and inflicting heavy casualties, and say their limited contacts are […]
News stories are released on weekdays. 2 hours ago Vatican confirms ban on homosexual candidates for priesthood The Vatican has confirmed that homosexual men should not be ordained to the priesthood. In a new instruction for the training of seminarians, entitled The Gift of the Priestly Vocation, the Congregation for the Clergy says that the Church “cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those […]
General assembly meetings of FGB and NBAD held on December 7th Combined bank has total assets of approximately AED655 billion (US$178 billion), representing a 27% market share of UAE banking sector[1] Shareholders approve combined bank’s board of directors from effective merger date Effective date of merger towards the end of Q1 2017 as initially planned. Abu Dhabi, 7 December 2016 Shareholders in First Gulf Bank PJSC (FGB) […]
Even Kurdish guerrilla units are fully integrated by gender: Women occupy the same combat roles as men, and when the military goes to war, it sends a woman to command one of its major units. Continue reading the main story There is one big problem with this aspect of Kurdish life, in Turkey at least: It has, in effect, been outlawed as part of the Turkish government’s […]
Fresh from touting a deal to save hundreds of jobs at the Carrier plant in Indiana as proof he would hold to his election pledge to protect American workers, it appears to have escaped Donald Trump that his attack on Boeing’s contract to replace Air Force One would endanger the employment of thousands of highly skilled aerospace workers. After claiming this week that the “$4 billion” cost […]
Matteo Renzi will resign as Italian prime minister on Wednesday evening, bringing an end to nearly three years in office after he suffered a stinging defeat in a referendum on his flagship constitutional reforms. Mr Renzi announced his resignation on Twitter and his departure will be formalised with a visit to Sergio Mattarella, the Italian president, at 7pm on Wednesday. On Thursday, Mr Mattarella is expected to […]
DUBAI: Britain will help Gulf states “push back” against aggressive regional actions by Iran, Prime Minister Theresa May told the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Bahrain on Wednesday in a televised address.“We must… continue to confront state actors whose influence fuels instability in the region,” May told Gulf leaders at their annual summit.“So I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran […]
Alcohol intake is associated with higher rates of developing cancer, among white men and women. As part of the association, white wine was the most obvious correlation. The study, published in the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, suggested that nearly 3.6 percent of cancer cases around the globe can be associated with alcohol, especially the ones of the aerodigestive tract, […]
BERLIN Germany urged Israel in unusually strong language on Wednesday to scrap legislation that would legalise Israeli settlement homes built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, saying this would break international law. Germany tends to be more reserved than other European nations in its criticism of Israel due to the legacy of the Nazi Holocaust, but it has objected in the past few years […]
But in an era of internet hoaxes, fabrications and the increased use of fake news around the world to further political agendas, Bana’s Twitter account has also raised some questions of veracity and authenticity. Continue reading the main story Her messages are sophisticated for a 7-year-old, for example, particularly for one whose native language is not English. This is my reading place where I wanted to start […]
Sony plans to unleash some of its iconic PlayStation titles on smartphones from next spring, in its most determined attempt yet to capture a bigger share of the $35bn global mobile gaming market. The move follows the runaway success of augmented reality mobile game Pokémon Go, with rival Nintendo’s famous character demonstrating the power of Japan’s intellectual property when tapping into a global pool of smartphone users. […]
This is part of a series on the global rise of exchange traded funds Have we reached Peak ETF? And are we therefore at last in a “stockpicker’s market” where active fund managers skilled in bottom-up stock selection can feast on the mispricings and anomalies that the herd of exchange traded funds have left in their wake? It is beguiling to think that this could have happened. […]
Global medical technology business, Siemens Healthineers, has partnered with Middle Eastern investors to establish its first entity in the UAE. The business said it has joined forces with Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group and Electro Mechanical Co to expand its footprint to the UAE. Siemens Healthineers offers medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics and advanced medical services, consulting and healthcare IT services in the region. The partnership comes at […]
Video Iran’s President on Trump and Nuclear Deal President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said on Tuesday that he would not let the United States back out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal, warning of unspecified repercussions if Washington reneges. By IRINN, VIA REUTERS. Photo by Iranian Presidency, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. Watch in Times Video » TEHRAN — Iran’s president said on […]
Trafigura, one of the world’s largest commodity traders, has announced a 12 per cent decline in annual profits as challenging market conditions curbed money-making opportunities and it was forced to write down the value of port and rail assets. In the year to September, net profit was $975m, down from just over $1.1bn in 2015 which was a record year for trading the Geneva-based company. In spite […]
