Articles written by arabian post staff

U.S. Embracing a New Approach on Battling ISIS in Iraq

WASHINGTON — In a major shift of focus in the battle against the Islamic State, the Obama administration is planning to establish a new military base in Anbar Province and send 400 American military trainers to help Iraqi forces retake the city of Ramadi. Although a final decision by the White House has yet to be announced, the plan follows months of behind-the-scenes debate about how prominently […]

June 10

In Shift, U.S. Will Send 450 Advisers to Help Iraq Fight ISIS

WASHINGTON — President Obama has authorized the deployment of up to 450 more American troops to Iraq to train and assist the Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State, the White House announced on Wednesday, signaling a major shift of focus in the fight against the Sunni militant group. The United States forces will use Al Taqqadum, an Iraqi base near the town of Habbaniya in eastern Anbar […]

June 10

Top U.S. Military Official Seeks to Assure Israeli on Security

Video | U.S. General Affirms Support for Israel Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accepted an award from his Israeli counterpart and emphasized the American military’s strong relationship with Israel. By HELENE COOPER June 9, 2015 TEL AVIV — The Obama administration on Tuesday ramped up efforts to ease Israel’s opposition to a possible nuclear deal with Iran, as the top American military leader […]

June 09

ISIS Proves Its Persistence With Attacks in Libya and Iraq

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and KAREEM FAHIM June 9, 2015 CAIRO — Islamic State militants staged attacks near Baghdad and the Libyan city of Surt on Tuesday, underscoring the group’s persistent strength on both fronts despite a monthslong American-led air campaign against it in Syria and Iraq. In Libya, the Islamic State captured a critical power plant along the coastal road westward from its stronghold in Surt toward Misurata, a commercial center […]

June 09

Political unrest dents business confidence in region

Political unrest dents business confidence in region DUBAI, 3 days ago Political turmoil and instability in the region have led to a drop in business confidence in the UAE and Middle East in the first quarter (Q1) of 2015, according to a new survey of finance professionals. The Global Economic Conditions Survey for the first quarter of 2015, carried out by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified […]

June 07

Op-Ed Contributor: Art and Hypocrisy in the Gulf

Op-Ed Contributor By NICHOLAS MCGEEHAN May 28, 2015 LONDON — On May 11, the Lebanese artist Walid Raad was turned away at the airport when he tried to enter the United Arab Emirates, where the government is making a big investment in art with the Saadiyat Island project. The project, in the capital, Abu Dhabi, will include branches of the Louvre and the Guggenheim as well as a campus […]

May 28

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Yemeni-Americans, Thrust Into Limbo, Say U.S. Embassy Unfairly Revokes Passports

Mosed Shaye Omar, 64, a naturalized American citizen since 1978, sued the State Department and Secretary John Kerry, claiming he was coerced into acknowledging that he had a name different from what was on his passport. By LIZ ROBBINS May 27, 2015 For nearly five hours on Jan. 21, 2013, in a windowless room at the United States Embassy in Sana, Yemen, an American citizen and Brooklyn grocery store […]

May 28

World

The path to a wearable future lies in academia

The path to a wearable future lies in academia NEW YORK, 16 days ago By Jeremy Wagstaff For a glimpse of what is, what might have been and what may lie ahead in wearable devices, look beyond branded tech and Silicon Valley start-ups to the messy labs, dry papers and solemn conferences of academia. There you’d find that you might control your smartphone with your tongue, skin […]

May 22

ISIS Fighters Seize Control of Syrian City of Palmyra, and Ancient Ruins

Slide Show | The Ancient Syrian City of Palmyra Islamic State militants have destroyed historical sites and sold off artifacts in other cities, and some fear they may do the same in Palmyra. By ANNE BARNARD and HWAIDA SAAD May 20, 2015 BEIRUT, Lebanon — Islamic State militants swept into the historic desert city of Palmyra in central Syria on Wednesday, and by evening were in control of it, residents and […]

May 21

At War Blog: West Point and the Culinary Institute of America: An Exchange of Experiences

Photo Leah Pfeiffer, left, a student at the Culinary Institute of America, and Chuck Yu, a West Point cadet, cooking in a C.I.A. kitchen in October 2013.Credit Mike Groll for The New York Times We are hard pressed to think of many world-class liberal arts colleges with entire student bodies ambitiously studying and training toward a single profession – and in uniforms that are far from Vassar’s […]

May 15

Microsoft summit highlights data analysis trends

Talhouk … turning data into insights. Microsoft summit highlights data analysis trends DUBAI, 1 days ago The second Microsoft Dynamics Summit, which concluded recently in Dubai, UAE has provided new insights on how Dynamics tools will enable organisations to more effectively make sense of data and fuel greater speed and precision in decision-making. The summit took place at Jumeirah Beach Hotel and attracted hundreds of business leaders, […]

April 22

Banking & Finance

GCC banks record double digit growth

|By TAP Staff| According to a new study by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the banking industry in the Middle East maintained double-digit revenue growth in 2014 with a 10.0 percent increase, stemming largely from major customer segments such as retail and corporate banking as well as international business and treasury. Based on the banks’ 2014 annual results released in the first quarter of 2015, the newest […]

March 30

Dubai selling out LSE stake

|By TAP Staff| Dubai’s stock exchange operators Borse Dubai Ltd said it was selling its remaining stake of 17.4 percent in the London Stock Exchange Group. Borse Dubai holds the biggest shareholder in the premier global exchange, valued at about $2.2 billion. Borse Dubai is the holding company for Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and NASDAQ Dubai. Borse Dubai was created 6 August, 2007 to consolidate the Government […]

March 25

Dubai Investments to float unit next year

Dubai Investments, a diversified Gulf-based investment group, plans to float shares in at least one subsidiary next year and could also divest other holdings, its chief executive said on Monday. The firm, which reported a 63 percent rise in annual profit to 1.34 billion dirhams ($364.8 million) last year, has primed three subsidiaries – in financial services and property, plus district cooling firm Emicool – to potentially […]

March 18

Dubai construction workers stage protest

Hundreds of foreign construction workers staged a rare public protest outside the opulent Dubai Mall on Tuesday in a pay dispute with their company, witnesses said. Dubai authorities deployed riot police to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in downtown Dubai, where the world’s tallest building is located, blocking some roads while negotiators tried to settle a dispute about overtime pay. The workers, from south Asia, said the […]

March 10

Fitch sees real estate weighing on Dubai bank ratings

|By TAP Staff| The UAE banks benefit from an improving operating environment, sound liquidity and sound capital ratios, but some asset quality issues remain in Dubai, largely relating to the weak performance of the real estate sector and some large Dubai government-related entity (GRE) problem loans and profit levels, ratings agency Fitch said in a report. But both real estate issues and the problem loans of Dubai […]

March 04

Britain is becoming a friend who can’t be trusted, says top US general

Gen Odierno said that British defence cuts are already jeopardising US-UK joint operations Photo: AP Ever since the Cold War ended more than two decades ago, America has never entertained any serious doubts about Britain’s ability to fulfil its commitment as a vital military ally when tackling threats to the Western alliance. Until now. For the dramatic cuts to Britain’s defence budget implemented since the Coalition took power […]

March 02

ABC Islamic Bank profit up 23pc to 15m

ABC Islamic Bank profit up 23pc to 15m MANAMA, 1 days ago ABC Islamic Bank has posted a net profit of $15.1 million last year, a 23 per cent increase as compared to $12.2 million recorded in 2013. The net profit for the fourth quarter was $3.6 million, 19 per cent higher than the same period of the previous year, said a statement. The total operating income […]

February 27

Crude price drop forces Iran cash crunch

The Iranian oil ministry won’t be able to pay staff or invest in boosting production if parliament proceeds with a plan to slash funding, according to Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh. “The oil industry’s situation is deplorable,” Zanganeh said in comments reported by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. A draft bill reviewed by parliament Monday would cut the ministry’s budget to $3 billion in the Iranian […]

February 17

Sales & Marketing

Transworld unit launches service connecting all Indian ports

|By TAP Staff| Mumbai-based shipping and logistics provider Shreyas Shipping and Logistics Limited,, part of global conglomerate Transworld Group, has become introduced domestic containerised cargo movement at every Indian port, from Mundra up to Kolkata, all along peninsular Indian coasts. Shreyas is the first provider to offer this service. “This is a first in Indian maritime history. This will be Shreyas Shipping and Logistics Limited’s contribution towards […]

January 21

Why the A&E crisis is a tribute to the health service’s success

Politicians have exchanged blows over the A&E crisis Photo: Alamy The A&E crisis is rapidly becoming the dominant story of the election. Last week, Ed Miliband and David Cameron laid into each other in blood-curdling terms. The Tory denounced as “disgusting” his rival’s plan to “weaponise” the NHS as a political issue; his Labour rival proclaimed that this was “a crisis on his watch, as a result of […]

January 12

Op-Ed Contributor: Why I Won’t Serve Israel

Op-Ed Contributor By MORIEL ROTHMAN-ZECHER January 11, 2015 TEL AVIV — “WHAT are you,” he asked, “a leftist?” We were both wearing the surplus United States Marines uniforms given to prisoners at Israeli Military Jail No. 6. “It depends how you define ‘left,’ ” I said. “Don’t get clever with me. Why are you here?” “I didn’t want to be part of a system whose main task is the violent […]

January 12

Office demand drives up Dubai rents

|By TAP Staff| A shortage of prime office space in Dubai, which is being underpinned by robust demand, has translated into strong upward pressure on rents across the city, and a rapidly diminishing supply of Grade A space in more centrally located submarkets and freezones, according to the latest research from international real estate consultancy Cluttons. Cluttons’ Dubai Winter 2014 Commercial Market Outlook report shows that during […]

December 14

Economy

Dubai eighth costliest city for hotel stay

|By TAP Staff| Dubai is the world’s eighth costliest city to stay in a hotel, with New York occupying the number one slot, according to a new compilation of accommodation index. The index, compiled by GoEuro.com, covers 150 cities and over 60,000 properties to understand the effect of new trends in accommodation on the hotel industry. The increasing popularity of vacation sharing and continued growth of the […]

December 09

Economy

Shuaa Capital chief stepping down

Shuaa Capital’s executive chairman and board director, Sheikh Maktoum Hasher al-Maktoum, will step down from both roles in February, the Dubai-based investment bank said on Sunday. Maktoum will depart after the disclosure of its full-year results for 2014, Shuaa said in a statement. A member of Dubai’s ruling family, Maktoum served in his present capacity since May 2011. During his tenure, the firm underwent a significant turn-around […]

December 08

Sales & Marketing

Indian luxury show opens in Dubai

|By TAP Staff| The second edition of Royal India Luxury Show got under way in Dubai. The show provides glimpses of India’s royalty to visitors with the scions of some of the erstwhile princely states gracing the inaugural ceremony in royal attire. The event has participation from 22 Indian exhibitors representing travel, hospitality, leisure, luxury homes, fashion, weddings, jewellery and entertainment. The UAE offers immense growth opportunities […]

December 05

Burj Khalifa is world’s fifth costliest tower

|By TAP Staff| Construction data miners at Emporis have published a chart of the world’s most expensive buildings. According to the graphic, New York’s One World Trade Center is by far the world’s most expensive building, coming in at $3.9 billion, nearly double the second-most expensive buildings, Vegas’ Palazzo casino and London’s The Shard, which both cost $1.9B to build. Perhaps even more surprising, Dubai’s dizzying Burj […]

December 04

Saudi regulator stops Mobily, Zain trading after bitter dispute

|By TAP Staff| Saudi Arabia’s bourse regulator on Tuesday suspended share trading in the shares of Mobily and Zain Saudi after a bitter money dispute between the two telecom operators snowballed into a major controversy. The decision by the Capital Market Authority follows a Mobily statement that it had asked for arbitration about money it claims it is owed by smaller rival Zain Saudi. Trading in the […]

December 02