10 December 2016 Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Dubai Health Authority has launched a medical complaints portal, said a top health official. The move from manual to an electronic complaints system will further enhance efficiency and is applicable for patients within the country and medical tourists. Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, Director of Health Regulation and Dubai Medical Tourism Project at the DHA, said: “We already have a […]
Donald Trump has picked Andrew Liveris, the chief executive of Dow Chemical, to lead his advisory council on manufacturing, giving him a connection to the new administration at a time when he is trying to secure approvals for a complex $130bn merger with DuPont. Mr Liveris previously served in a similar advisory role for President Barack Obama. At a rally in an arena in Michigan on Friday […]
By Alister Doyle | OSLO OSLO Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said an accord to end a 52-year civil war with Marxist rebels was a “ray of hope” for solving conflicts from Syria to South Sudan as he collected the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday. In an acceptance speech that quoted an anti-war song by Bob Dylan, the 2016 Literature Laureate, Santos said Colombia itself had drawn […]
Amazon has partnered with Irvine, California-based audio and voice solutions company Conexant Systems to accelerate the adoption of smart home appliances. Conexant It has released an Alexa Voice Service (AVS) approved AudioSmart 2-mic Development Kit designed for smart home applications. Special Feaure The Industry Cloud: Why It’s Next Coud computing has engulfed lots of IT, but one of the untapped regions of the tech and business world […]
By Jack Kim and Nataly Pak | SEOUL SEOUL Protestors demanding that South Korean President Park Geun-hye step down marched on Saturday for a seventh straight weekend, a day after parliament voted overwhelmingly to impeach her and put the fate of her presidency in the hands of a nine-judge court. The crowd estimated by organisers at 200,000 packing a large square in downtown Seoul was significantly smaller […]
Photo Syrian Army soldiers driving past the Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, in the Homs Governorate. Credit Omar Sanadiki/Reuters BEIRUT, Lebanon — Islamic State fighters appeared close to retaking Palmyra, Syria, on Saturday, just nine months after Syrian government forces drove them from the desert city, where they had terrorized residents and blown up irreplaceable ancient monuments. Residents said Islamic State militants were battling soldiers in the […]
10 December 2016 Dubai, UAE: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has reached financial closure for the 2,400MW Hassyan clean coal power project. The project uses the Independent Power Producer (IPP) procurement model on a Build Own Operate (BOO) basis and is supported by a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with DEWA. Last June, DEWA signed the PPA, Shareholders Agreement (SHA), and other project agreements with the […]
DP World has said work will start next year to improve facilities for cruise liner tourists docking in Dubai as part of plans to attract 20 million visitors annually by 2020. The operator of Rashid Port said work will start to connect cruise terminal 2 and 3 with a 465-metre bridge while the number of quays will be increased. The company added that the current quays will […]
By John Irish | PARIS PARIS Backers of the Syrian opposition appeared resigned to the fall of eastern Aleppo on Saturday, with the United States urging Russia to show “grace” when officials meet in Geneva to try to reach a deal for civilians and fighters to leave the city. Syrian government and allied forces have in the last two weeks driven rebels from most of their territory […]
US biotechnology stocks have surrendered much of the gains accrued in the wake of last month’s presidential election after comments from Donald Trump stoked concerns that the incoming administration will crack down on rising drug prices. The Nasdaq biotechnology index has skidded almost 4 per cent from Tuesday’s closing level after the president-elect told Time Magazine that he does not “like what has happened with drug prices” […]
By Antonella Cinelli and Isla Binnie | ROME ROME Political parties made their cases to Italy’s president on Saturday for ways out of a government crisis prompted by Matteo Renzi’s resignation as prime minister following his defeat in a referendum on constitutional reform. Renzi’s Democratic Party (PD) was planning to use a meeting with President Sergio Mattarella later in the day to argue that Foreign Minister Paolo […]
newslide Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik debut new duet on film soundtrack American pop star Taylor Swift and former One Direction member Zayn Malik released a surprise duet on Friday, December 9 after joining forces for the upcoming Fifty Shades Darker movie soundtrack. I Don’t Wanna Live Forever will feature in the sequel to the Fifty Shades of Grey film, based on the hugely successful trilogy by […]
Donald Trump has rejected the assessment of the US intelligence community that alleged hacking by Russia in the months before the election was aimed at helping the property mogul beat his rival Hillary Clinton. “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” the Trump transition team said after the Washington Post reported that the CIA had concluded that Russia tried to […]
ANKARA Turkey’s ruling AK Party on Saturday submitted to parliament a package of constitutional reform proposals that would expand the president’s powers, party officials said, in a move that could potentially see President Tayyip Erdogan govern until 2029. The package would also bring structural changes to Turkey’s security and judiciary, implementing criminal liability for the president, who previously was immune from all crimes except treason. The AKP, […]
St. Regis Doha served as the Strategic Hospitality Partner 10 December 2016 On 7th and 8th December 2016, Alfardan Group hosted the 4th CSR Conference in Qatar at Al Gassar Ballroom, in the St. Regis Doha. The event was organized by Dar Al Sharq and was held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani, Qatar Central Bank Governor. It focused on strategy […]
By Lamin Jahateh | BANJUL BANJUL Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow said on Saturday the country’s outgoing leader Yahya Jammeh had no authority to reject the results of Dec.1. polls, while the United Nations and African Union piled pressure on Jammeh to step aside. Long-ruling Jammeh on Friday called for another election in the tiny West African country after narrowly losing to opposition leader Adama Barrow, jeopardising what […]
For a quick study in market blindness, look at how an obscure US fund reacts to events in a country where markets do not even exist. Nearly two years ago US president Barack Obama and Cuban president Raúl Castro jointly announced their intent to rejuvenate the diplomatic and commercial relationship between their two countries. Until that day, the Cuba closed-end fund had historically traded beneath its net […]
Photo President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey visiting the mausoleum of an Islamic scholar in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, last month. Credit Pool photo by Kayhan Ozer, via Associated Press ISTANBUL — Almost a century after the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his supporters believe that they can restore the empire’s former glory. Stroll through the streets of any Turkish city and you […]
By Antonella Cinelli and Isla Binnie | ROME ROME Political parties made their cases to Italy’s head of state on Saturday for candidates to lead the country out of a government crisis prompted by Matteo Renzi’s resignation as prime minister. President Sergio Mattarella, a 75 year-old former constitutional court judge, must decide if someone can lead the country to elections scheduled for 2018, or whether an interim […]
DUBLIN A group of British and Irish lawyers are seeking to challenge Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in the Irish High Court to try to establish if Brexit can be reversed once divorce talks have been triggered. British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she wants to invoke Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty by the end of March, kicking off up to two […]
In early 2009, roughly at the time when this blog was launched which coincided with the start of the greatest monetary experiment of all time, we warned that there are two ways it will end: either in hyperinflation, or a deflationary supernova, the failure of currency and, eventually, barter. Now, almost 8 years later, some of the world’s top hedge funds are in agreement, and they are […]
newslide Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik debut new duet on film soundtrack American pop star Taylor Swift and former One Direction member Zayn Malik released a surprise duet on Friday, December 9 after joining forces for the upcoming Fifty Shades Darker movie soundtrack. I Don’t Wanna Live Forever will feature in the sequel to the Fifty Shades of Grey film, based on the hugely successful trilogy by […]
By Laila Bassam and John Davison | ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT Syrian’s military and Russian warplanes bombarded rebel-held districts of Aleppo on Saturday as Damascus’s allies said victory was near, but insurgents fought back and army advances halted after rapid gains during the week. The United States said it was meeting a Russian team in Geneva to find a way to save lives, but an agreement looked […]
Yahya Jammeh, the eccentric and capricious ruler of Gambia for the past 22 years, has reversed his decision to accept defeat in last week’s elections, saying he will call a fresh poll. He alleged voter irregularities and called for new “transparent” elections to be held by a “god-fearing” electoral commission, presumably not overseen by the same official that declared results a week ago. Speaking on Friday night, […]
