By Isabel Coles and Stephen Kalin | NEAR MOSUL, Iraq NEAR MOSUL, Iraq Iraqi security forces on Thursday began the second phase of their offensive against Islamic State militants in Mosul, pushing from three directions into eastern districts where the battle has been deadlocked for nearly a month. Since the offensive to capture Mosul began 10 weeks ago, counter-terrorism forces have retaken a quarter of the city, […]
This year has been tough-going in more ways than one and, by most accounts, Singapore’s economy is expected to be heading for rougher seas in 2017. According to a survey by the Singapore Business Federation, 63 percent of local companies said the economic climate worsened in 2016 and 48 percent believed the downward spiral would continue in the new year. The Monetary Authority of Singapore also warned […]
Gasoline and Aromatics Project will add 4.2 mtpa of gasoline supply and 1.6 mtpa of aromatics Abu Dhabi, UAE – December 28, 2016 The Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (TAKREER), an ADNOC Group company announced, today, the awarding of two major contracts for its Gasoline and Aromatics Project (GAP), that will significantly increase its gasoline production capacity. As part of ADNOC’s growth strategy, TAKREER plans to expand […]
Mirdif Hills is set to become one of the most popular residential communities in Dubai. The freehold mixed-use residential, commercial and retail development promises home owners a wide range of residential, shopping and services options when it is completed. In recent years, reasonable rents and a growing volume of lifestyle amenities, such as supermarkets, schools, malls, healthcare facilities, parks and entertainment options have opened, increasing Mirdif’s popularity […]
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 27.12.2016 The Board of Executive Directors of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), in its 316th meeting on Sunday, gave the final go ahead for injecting US $863 million in to new financing development projects in a number of member countries namely; Guinea, U.A.E, Bahrain, Morocco, Senegal, Togo, Djibouti, Chad, Jordan, and Mali. The meeting also approved to a number of important […]
Gravity plays a crucial part in the growth of plants, especially in the early phase. This was amply demonstrated in the seedlings of cucumber analyzed for gravity-related changes in growth. Plants carry specialized cells that perceive gravity and distribute the growth hormone auxin to develop their vital features. Japanese researchers examined cucumber seedlings germinated at the International Space Station, where microgravity conditions prevailed. The results of the study were […]
M-Station is largest power plant in the UAE with total cost reaching AED 11.62 billion and will produce 2,760MW on completion Dubai, UAE, 27 December 2016 Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has announced that it has completed 53% of the M-Station expansion project. The M-Station is the newest and largest power production and water desalination plant in the UAE. DEWA completed 3.9 million safe man-hours without […]
TOKYO Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) is gauging demand for its first bond offering since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear calamity, with some market participants expecting a sale as early as February, people familiar with the plans said. Once-sceptical investors are now more comfortable with the utility’s outlook after government moves to reassess decommissioning and compensation costs, bankers and investors who asked not to be identified told Thomson Reuters […]
Did the Russians really rig the 2016 US election? The Daily Telegraph’s Tim Blair exposes ‘the truth’ – You bet they did! Secret documents recently discovered in a bin behind a Kremlin-district 24-hour cabbage and tobacco store reveal for the first time the devious extent of Russian interference. These plans were decades in the making. Read on, as never-before-seen communiques between Russian agents Sergei Potrov and Dimitri […]
By Stephen Kalin | EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq Iraqi forces will resume their push against Islamic State inside Mosul in the coming days, a U.S. battlefield commander said, in a new phase of the two-month-old operation that will see American troops deployed closer to the front line in the city. The battle for Mosul, involving 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security […]
Sweet Homes Group has revealed plans for its first hotel apartment project in Ajman, valued at AED141 million ($38.3 million). The developer said the serviced apartments project will be located along Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed road. Once completed, the development will feature 272 studio units and 72 one-bedroom apartments across an area of 11,394 square metres. Expected to be completed in 2019, the hotel apartment will also […]
Infrastructure works for two new berths at King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Economic City will be finished in the next few weeks, significantly boosting capacity. Berths 5 and 6 are part of the port’s expansion plan, which aims to significantly uprate the port’s capacity, thus boosting its standing in the maritime industry, both regionally and internationally, a statement said. “With the two new berths, […]
DARPA is well known for creating robots and other cool things for the American military, and there is no end in sight. The company is preparing to put into production its LUKE bionic arm, a robotic device that has been in development for the last eight years. This interesting bionic limb will eventually make it to the commercial market, but DARPA wants to allow war veterans to […]
A Dubai-based developer has announced a partnership with wellness real estate and technology firm Delos to introduce wellness inspired homes to the UAE over the next five years. MAG Property Development said the first project to be carried out by the partnership will be the residences at MAG of Life Creek Resort, the world’s largest wellness concept in Dubai Healthcare City phase 2. The MAG of Life […]
A nearby star is exhibiting bizarre dimming of its light, a puzzling phenomenon similar to what was observed with KIC 8462852, also known as “Tabby’s star.” Kepler Spots Dimming Of Young, Nearby Star RIK-210 RIK-210, a young star located 472 light-years away, is estimated to be between 5 and 10 million years old. It is about half as massive as the sun. Its radius is about 1.24 […]
DUBAI Iran plans to ask international oil companies to bid for the second phase of development of its Yadavaran and North Azadegan oilfields, a senior official said on Saturday. That means Chinese firms China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) [CNPET.UL] and Sinopec (0386.HK), which have played a leading role in developing the fields until now, will have to compete with other firms if they want to maintain that […]
A round up of some of 2016’s most significant corporate events and news stories. Smartphone sales © EPA A bright start to the year for Samsung Electronicswent up in smoke, after it took the unprecedented decision to axe its Galaxy Note 7 line, following a spate of safety issues that saw the smartphone banned from aircraft, writes Nic Fildes. The 2016 Galaxy Note iteration won substantial praise […]
Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), a developer of large-scale solar power plants and part of Saudi-based Abdul Latif Jameel Energy, has been awarded a 30-year 300MW solar project in Mexico. With this build-operate-own agreement, FRV said it is extending its global footprint into the Mexican market at a rate of $26.99/MWh for the first 15 years of the project. The construction of the plant will begin in mid-2018 […]
ABU DHABI // After going through a divorce and a custody battle for her children, Aysha Al Naqbi knows the trauma that marriage break-ups can cause. So, Ms Al Naqbi has decided to dedicate herself to helping other women going through similar experiences. “It can be tough being a divorced female,” says Ms Al Naqbi, 38, from Khor Fakkan. “You will get questioned a lot, ‘why you’re […]
Photo An Airbus A321 featuring the Iranian flag at an Airbus plant in Hamburg, Germany, this week. The acquisition of modern planes is an important achievement for President Hassan Rouhani of Iran. Credit Fabian Bimmer/Reuters The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus completed a deal on Thursday to sell 100 jetliners to Iran, a move described by both sides as a major step toward revitalizing Iran’s aged commercial fleet […]
Donald Trump turned up the heat under Lockheed Martin about the cost of its F-35 fighter jet, tweeting on Thursday that he had asked rival defence contractor Boeing to price its F-18 Super Hornet as an alternative. “Based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet!” Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday evening. […]
After India took the radical step of voiding the majority of its currency overnight to cut corruption and the nation’s reliance on cash, other countries with similar problems have been watching closely. Venezuala already followed suit by taking nearly half its bank notes out of circulation and now some politicians in Pakistan, India’s rival and neighbor, want their country to do the same. The upper house of […]
AMMAN Thousands of rebels and fighters were still waiting on Thursday to be evacuated from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo city but difficulties including harsh weather were complicating the final phase of the operation, a rebel spokesman said. Ahmed Kara Ali, the spokesman for the rebel group Ahrar al Sham, which is involved in the negotiations, told Reuters “large numbers” were left but that it was […]
The series of scattershot remarks has further unsettled a turbulent period in American foreign policy. It underscores Mr. Trump’s challenge in fashioning a coherent approach to the problems he will inherit in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, especially working with a team that consists of retired generals and an oil executive, few of whom have experience in the daily cascade of crises that confront every White […]
