World Briefing By KAREEM FAHIM July 30, 2014 Residents of the eastern city of Benghazi marched Wednesday in protest against Islamist militias, the city’s dominant force for years, in a burst of public fury a day after the Islamist fighters seized a local special forces base. Residents marched to a hospital, temporarily routing fighters from the extremist militia Ansar al-Shariah, who had been providing security for the hospital. But […]
ABU DHABI // The internet needs more quality content in Arabic for the 141 million users who speak the language. Forty per cent of people in the Middle East have internet access, 87 per cent of them at home, and Arabic is the eighth most used language, according to Google figures. Half the population is under 25, the prime age group for internet use on phones and tablets, […]
DUBAI // Dubai has been ranked the world’s second-most expensive city in which to stay, and industry experts say tourists are travelling to nearby emirates to avoid the rising costs of hotels. In a list compiled by Bloomberg, Geneva was the most expensive city, and Kuwait and Zurich were third and fourth. The average cost of a room in Geneva is US$308 (Dh1,131), followed by Dubai at […]
DUBAI // Moein Al Bastaki was not aware of the controversy that becoming a magician would bring to his life. But Al Bastaki, 34, is adamant he can change the perceptions of magic and illusions among Gulf Arabs. “Coming from an Islamic background I faced a lot of difficulties,” he says. “This concept of being a magician is totally wrong and, in the Quran, it’s totally against […]
(Reuters) – A Florida family scavenging for sunken treasure on a shipwreck has found the missing piece of a 300-year-old gold filigree necklace sacred to Spanish priests, officials said on Tuesday. Eric Schmitt, a professional salvager, was scavenging with his parents when he found the crumpled, square-shaped ornament on a leisure trip to hunt for artifacts in the wreckage of a convoy of 11 ships that […]
Libya, an oil-rich North African nation, has been plagued with violence since the 2011 uprising and NATO-backed campaign that killed strongman Moamar Gadhafi. Militias, many of them former anti-Gadhafi fighters, have fought for control of territory, resources and political influence. Libya’s government and parliament, also paralyzed by political feuding, have little control over the militias. The main fault line, both politically and military, runs between Islamists and […]
NEW DELHI: Gautam Adani plans to acquire power plants with a total capacity of 5,000 mw, but he will avoid aggressive bids to ensure good returns, a source close to the tycoon said a day after Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group outbid him to buy 1,800 mw hydro power capacity from Jaypee Group.
Gautam Adani is directly involved in evaluating offers and negotiations, something he left to company executives in the past, the source said. The company is in talks with several power sector players, including GMR, Lanco, Indiabulls, Avantha Power and Athena, the source said.
Another person in the Adani Group said there are many sellers in the market, offering projects with a combined capacity of nearly 50,000 mw.
 
All the moves:Joan Collins shows Percy Gibson the way this week in St Tropez Photo: Getty Images The images of Joan Collins OBE – actress, personality, national and international icon – dancing the night away in St Tropez this week bring joy to the heart. At 82, La Collins makes fifth husband Percy Gibson, 32 years her junior, look rather less limber. Singing along, with bare arms […]
The European Commission has already said it will investigate the new policy statement from the Prime Minister to see if it complies with European law Photo: REUTERS The Prime Minister has scored a brilliant summer hit with the headline writers. “EU migrant benefit curbs fast-tracked”; “Government announces limits on EU migrants’ benefits access”; “New rules on migrant benefits to be announced as UK makes system more robust against […]
By DAVID E. SANGER July 29, 2014 WASHINGTON — The Obama administration officials engaged in nuclear negotiations with Iran ran into a wall of skepticism at two congressional hearings on Tuesday, with members of both parties insisting on a vote on any final agreement with the Tehran government and administration officials strongly hinting that they have little intention of complying. The disagreements surfaced after Wendy R. Sherman, the under secretary […]
World Briefing By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS July 29, 2014 Insurgents fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad detonated bomb-packed tunnels under buildings in the contested northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday, killing at least 13 soldiers and pro-government militiamen, said opposition activists at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain. The explosives were in two tunnels dug under the city’s ancient quarter, they said. This entry passed through the […]
World Briefing By REUTERS July 29, 2014 Militant fighters overran a Libyan special forces base in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday after a battle that killed at least 30 people. An officer with the special forces, which are allied with a renegade general, Khalifa Hifter, said they had to abandon their main camp in the southeast of Benghazi under attack from Islamist fighters and former rebel […]
DUBAI // Nearly 20 years ago a filmmaker and a musician tracked down a group of long-forgotten entertainers in Havana and turned them into global music and movie stars. Wim Wenders and Ry Cooder sparked a rebirth of traditional Cuban music with The Buena Vista Social Club. Now the filmmaker Ray Haddad and the British musician Jason Carter aim to do the same with the musical tradition […]
ABU DHABI // The image of Emirati female managers as subservient employees in a male-dominated work environment is a myth, a new study suggests. In fact they are clever, ambitious, hard working and not afraid to stand up to sex discrimination in pursuit of their professional success. “They are ambitious, but they are trying to pick their battles,” said Dr Hayfaa Tlaiss, researcher and author of the […]
DUBAI // One of the UAE’s most well-known designers, Lamya Abedin, wants to make the abaya an essential fixture in every woman’s wardrobe – not just in the Arab world, but around the globe. The founder of the couture line the Queen of Spades already sells her clothes in South Africa, her first venture outside the GCC. The popularity of her designs comes from the abaya doubling […]
A Palestinian displays a portrait of the deputy chief of the Hamas movement, Ismail Haniya, in the rubble of his home in Gaza. By BEN HUBBARD and JODI RUDOREN July 29, 2014 GAZA CITY — Israeli airstrikes flattened the four-story home of Hamas’s top political leader in the Gaza Strip and destroyed offices of the movement’s radio and television station early Tuesday, suggesting a slight operational shift as the battle entered its 22nd […]
Op-Ed Contributors Overblown Fears of Foreign Fighters By CHAMS EDDINE ZAOUGUI and PIETER VAN OSTAEYEN July 29, 2014 BRUSSELS — Since the start of the Syrian civil war, the phenomenon of foreign fighters has been watched warily by Western governments. This is no surprise: Syria is the No. 1 destination for jihadists. Over the last few months, the fear that foreign fighters will return to the West and carry out terrorist attacks has […]
ABU DHABI // A husband who accused his wife of cheating on him does not have sufficient grounds for divorce, the Court of Cassation has ruled. The man, from an Arab country, filed a divorce lawsuit in which he alleged she was committing adultery. He said she repeatedly left the house without his permission, leaving their child behind with the housemaid. The Personal Status Court initially refused […]
People walk through the rubble of the Prophet Younis Mosque after it was destroyed in a bomb attack by militants of the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), in the city of Mosul, July 24, 2014. REUTERS A campaign by Sunni insurgents to establish an Islamic caliphate across Iraq and Syria and expel other Muslim sects and religions is […]
It seems that Generation Y has mistakenly taken its inspiration for matrimony from the short-lived marriages of Hollywood celebrities. Although many of them are in happy relationships now, their early attempts at marriage were famed for their brevity. Take Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton – they managed two years. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries lasted three. Renée Zellweger and Kenny Chesney quit after six months. Till […]
World Briefing By RICK GLADSTONE July 28, 2014 Amir Hekmati, an American of Iranian descent incarcerated in Tehran for nearly three years, spent his 31st birthday in prison on Monday, despite new pleas to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for his compassionate release sent from prominent Muslim American figures in his home state, Michigan. Letters from the Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and from the Imams’ Council […]
DUBAI // Cinemas, restaurants and shops were packed as thousands escaped the scorching heat and enjoyed the first day of Eid Al Fitr in Dubai and Abu Dhabi malls. Dubai Mall welcomed crowds as many people who had spent the past month fasting for Ramadan made the most of the end of the holy month. Although most of those enjoying a public holiday were residents, the high […]
The success of this nation was built by millions of hands, many from overseas – doctors, teachers, inventors, academics, businesspeople – and succeeding in the decades to come means staying open to those who can really contribute Photo: REUTERS This Government has a long-term economic plan to secure a better future for Britain – and controlling immigration is a vital part of it. Under Labour, 2.5 million more […]
The importance of peace, solidarity, tolerance, respect and following the teachings of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed were prominent in sermons across the country to mark the start of Eid Al Fitr on Monday. Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Ruler of Ajman, performed Eid prayers at Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi Mosque. Sheikh Hussein Al Hosani, director of the Islamic Scientific Institute in Ajman, congratulated […]
