ABU DHABI // Three people were jailed on Monday by the Federal Supreme Court for joining terror groups. The Emirati was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the court’s state security division, aftering being convicted of joining a terrorist organisation and taking on a leadership role. The court also placed the man under observation for three years after he serves his jail term, reported Wam, the […]
After months of sending government troops to battle militants blowing up oil pipelines in the Niger Delta, Muhammadu Buhari tried a different tack. The Nigerian president invited the region’s community leaders and traditional rulers to his villa this month for talks — a step energy sector executives hoped could halt a wave of sabotage since January that has cost the country billions of dollars in damages and […]
ABU DHABI // The UAE has an important role in uniting Arab countries behind issues such as the Syrian crisis, a conference heard on Monday. Amr Moussa, former secretary general of the Arab League and Egyptian minister of foreign affairs said it was crucial that Saudi Arabia and Egypt should overcome their differences and share the same foreign policy objectives. “We need to get serious now. Even […]
Photo Members from the Free Syrian Army take part in a battle in northern Syria last month against Islamic State fighters. Credit Nazeer Al-Khatib/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images BEIRUT, Lebanon — The hours are ticking down to what the Syrian government and its main ally, Russia, say could be the most devastating aerial assault yet on besieged rebel-held districts in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The Obama […]
Dubai, UAE – November 14, 2016 Gulf Islamic Investments LLC (‘GII’), a UAE based Islamic financial services company, today announced the successful closing of US.$145 million fund raising for “Apttus”, a Silicon valley based company delivering Enterprise Class, Software-as-a-Service (Saas) Solutions to complete the Quote-to-Cash customer process and the Procure-to-Pay supplier process. This is the fourth company out of Silicon Valley for which GII has raised funds […]
ABU DHABI // An aircraft has been chartered to fly Al Ain FC supporters to the first leg of the Asian Champions League final against South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Saturday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, requested the airplane to take the fans to the city of Jeonju as part of the leadership’s support […]
GAZA: Days after the 12th anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leaders descended into new recriminations over who may have been involved in the demise of the former president.Coming two weeks before a meeting that is expected to overhaul the leadership of Fatah, the party of Arafat and President Mahmoud Abbas, the accusations underscore a growing animosity that threatens the movement’s stability.Speaking at a memorial […]
ABU DHABI // Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, met Dr Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, Davos, who was visiting the UAE to attend the Global Agenda Summit. Sheikh Abdullah welcomed the participation of Dr Schwab at the summit to exchange ideas on the most current issues facing the world, with a view to […]
ABU DHABI // Mass extinction of species, how to boost economic growth without harming the planet and the effects of mass agriculture are all issues to be addressed at the Cop 22 summit. The meeting in Morocco, which began this week, follows last year’s Paris Agreement, where 196 countries committed to reducing global warming to less than 2°C. One of the major discussion points is that the […]
UAE. Middle East businesses embracing digital transformations in order to gain business advantage and drive innovation are being warned to place digital trust and cyber security at the heart of such change. The advice has been issued by two new senior experts in IT, digital transformation and cyber security appointed by PA Consulting Group Middle East and North Africa as part of an aggressive recruitment phase to […]
While Chinese truck manufacturers have invested in product quality and service in the Middle East, Western brands will need to expand their presence with high-tech trucks in the region, a report said. Now is an outstanding time to rebuild market presence in the Middle East, as structural shifts directly play to the advantage of high-quality truck manufacturers, said the new study entitled “The Truck Industry in the […]
This is the last in a daily series that explores how expats from around the world feel ahead of the US presidential election on November 8. We have spoken to people from Latin America, South Asia, Africa, Russia and East Asia and the MENA region. ABU DHABI // American expatriates voiced their preference for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican Donald Trump as one of the most acrimonious US […]
By ERIC SCHMITT November 6, 2016 A joint Kurdish-Arab militia has begun a new phase in the operation to dislodge the Islamic State from its stronghold in Raqqa, Syria, moving to encircle the city and largely cut off the resupply of arms, supplies and fighters, American military officials confirmed on Sunday. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said on Sunday that he welcomed the start of the militia’s operation. “The […]
|By Matein Khalid| The fall in oil prices since 2014 has triggered a liquidity crunch and higher funding costs in the UAE banking system. EIBOR is almost double the London interbank rate LIBOR. Non-performing loan (NPL) have begun to rise as property prices have fallen 20% from their peak and corporate/SME borrowers are hit by a sharp downturn in the business cycle. DIB shares reflect these macro […]
The UAE was ranked first regionally and 16th globally in the latest Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum (Davos) in Switzerland. The report is one of the most important global competitiveness reports, which monitors annual performance and competitiveness of the economies of countries in terms of strength, weakness, impact on quality of life, prosperity and well-being of people. Switzerland, Singapore and the United States […]
By Mark Hosenball and Joseph Menn | WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO The Federal Bureau of Investigation is intensifying efforts to find enough evidence to enable the Justice Department to indict some of the Russians that U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded are hacking into American political parties and figures, U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials said on Thursday. Building legal cases is difficult, largely because the best evidence […]
|By Steve Austin| At first sight it appears that low oil prices are good for society. A low oil price helps us save dollars at the pump, acts as an economic catalyst making exchanges cheaper and thereby stimulating the economy. However, there are downsides as well, often out-of-sight-out-of-mind and we will address these today. Change in economic model For the first time we have entered an era […]
INTERNATIONAL. Nearly all of the Chief Strategy Officers (CSOs) surveyed by Accenture (NYSE: ACN) around the world acknowledge that digital disruption will reshape their industries, but very few are equipped to navigate the change. Those who feel most prepared are embracing new strategic alliances, devising more collaborative ways of operating with partners, and making themselves indispensable within a broader ecosystem. For the report ‘Thriving on Disruption’, the Accenture […]
CAIRO — Seven people were killed in Saudi Arabia when a missile fired from Yemen struck a commercial district in the city of Najran, the kingdom’s official news media confirmed on Wednesday. The attack, on Tuesday evening, appeared to have been carried out by Houthi militias in northern Yemen in retaliation for a series of deadly airstrikes by the Saudi-led military coalition on Monday and Tuesday. Those […]
UAE. Based on a new report by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) titled Self-Driving Vehicles, Robo-Taxis, and the Urban Mobility Revolution—and prepared in collaboration with the World Economic Forum—consumers around the world are surprisingly knowledgeable about Self-Driving Vehicles (SDVs) and their potential benefits, and, by and large, they are more than willing to give them a try. In fact, the study shows that 70% of consumers in […]
By ISABEL KERSHNER August 12, 2016 KIBBUTZ SDE BOKER, Israel — The rare, intimate and reflective interview with Israel’s founding prime minister was filmed nearly 50 years ago, but it never aired. David Ben-Gurion, at 82 and five years out of office, spoke in the six-hour interview of state-building and the biblical prophets that guided him; the security imperative of his young nation and Israel’s quest for spiritual and […]
INTERNATIONAL. A KPMG report finds that the global Political Risk and Crisis Management insurance market looks set to exceed $10bn by 2018 A KPMG report, out today, finds that the that the global Political Risk and Crisis Management insurance market looks set to exceed $10bn by 2018, an anticipated $2bn of growth. The challenging macroeconomic environment, recent terrorist attacks, growing cyber threats and global political uncertainties are […]
BREMEN, Germany — Believing he was answering a holy call, Harry Sarfo left his home in the working-class city of Bremen last year and drove for four straight days to reach the territory controlled by the Islamic State in Syria. He barely had time to settle in before members of the Islamic State’s secret service, wearing masks over their faces, came to inform him and his German […]
SAUDI ARABIA. — In line with its steadfast commitment to supporting the realization of the Saudi Vision 2030 – and its related strategic goals – The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has inaugurated a year-long Business Analyst Program in the Kingdom. The initiative is especially designed to help nurture young Saudi talents and equip the nation’s youth with the tools, knowledge, and leadership skills needed to excel in the […]
