By James M. Dorsey Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s investment of $1 billion and option to pump a further $480 million into Richard Branson’s ventures in space, confirmed during the prince’s recent visit to the United States, was more than just another headline-grabbing move. By focusing on space sciences, long a field rejected by ultra-conservative Islamic scholars, some of whom insist that the earth is flat, Prince […]
By James M. Dorsey Twin attacks earlier this week on Pakistani security forces in the troubled province of Balochistan cast a light on a sustained and violent campaign against police and paramilitary units as well as Shiite and Christian minorities. The attacks by groups, some of which have had links to Pakistan’s powerful military and intelligence apparatus as well as Saudi Arabia, spotlight the Pakistani state’s inability to […]
By James M. Dorsey Stepped up Saudi efforts to forge close diplomatic, economic and cultural ties to Shia-majority Iraq in a bid to counter significant Iranian influence in the country appear to be paying off. The Saudi initiative demonstrates the kingdom’s ability to engage rather than exclusively pursue a muscular, assertive and confrontational policy towards the Islamic republic and its perceived allies. It raises the question whether […]
By James M. Dorsey Bangladesh, in a twist of irony, is looking to Saudi Arabia to fund a $ 1 billion plan to build hundreds of mosques and religious centres to counter militant Islam that for much of the past decade traced its roots to ultra-conservative strands of the faith promoted by a multi-billion dollar Saudi campaign. The Bangladeshi plan constitutes the first effort by a Muslim country to enlist […]
By James M. Dorsey There’s a cutting-off-the-nose-to-spite-the face aspect to a Saudi plan to turn Qatar into an island by digging a 60-kilometre ocean channel through the two countries’ land border that would accommodate a nuclear waste heap as well as a military base. If implemented, the channel would signal the kingdom’s belief that relations between the world’s only two Wahhabi states will not any time soon return to […]
By James M. Dorsey Iranian leaders are struggling, three months after anti-government protests swept the Islamic republic, to ensure that environmental issues that helped sparked a popular uprising in Syria in 2011 leading to a brutal civil war don’t threaten the clergy’s grip on power. Like Syria, Iran has been confronting a drought that has affected much of the country for more than a decade with precipitation dropping to its lowest […]
By James M. Dorsey When Miguel Torres, scion of an iconic Spanish winemaking dynasty, described the impact of the Catalan quest for independence on his more than a century-old business in a letter to wine writer Andrew Jefford, little did he realize that he had put his finger on one of the current world’s most fundamental battles: nationalism and populism vs. inclusive multi-culturalism. It is a struggle that is tearing […]
By James M. Dorsey In his effort to improve Saudi Arabia’s badly tarnished image and project the kingdom as embracing an unidentified form of moderate Islam, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has hinted that he envisions a conservative rather than an ultra-conservative society, but not one in which citizens are fully free to make personal, let alone political choices of their own. Prince Mohammed’s vision, although […]
By James M Dorsey The Middle East has a knack for sucking external powers into its conflicts. China’s ventures into the region have shown how difficult it is to maintain its principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. China’s abandonment of non-interference is manifested by its (largely ineffective) efforts to mediate conflicts in South Sudan, Syria and Afghanistan as well as between Israel and Palestine and even between Saudi […]
By James M. Dorsey Saudi Arabia, in an indication that it is serious about shaving off the sharp edges of its Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, has agreed to surrender control of the Great Mosque in Brussels. The decision follows mounting Belgian criticism of alleged intolerance and supremacism that was being propagated by the mosque’s Saudi administrators as well as social reforms in the kingdom introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including […]
|By Matein Khalid|The rise in Brent crude to $60 a barrel and the trade volume ballast generated by the world’s first post Lehman synchronized economic recovery is hugely positive for UAE economic growth in 2018. After all, the UAE is unique because Abu Dhabi’s 100 billion barrels of proven oil reserves is complemented by Dubai’s role as the Gulf’s financial, logistics, aviation, shopping and services hub. The […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| UAE-based multinational company, Crescent Enterprises, has announced the successful closing of its investment in ColubrisMX and XCath, two next-generation micro-robotic medical device companies through its newly launched corporate venture arm, Crescent Enterprises Venture Capital (CE-VC). Developed at the University of Texas Medical School’s Microsurgical Robotics Laboratory and incorporated in Texas, USA, both companies design and develop next-generation robotic technologies that are expected to revolutionise […]
|By Matein Khalid|I am often asked by investors to articulate my “philosophy” of real estate investing. Tough question. My ideal deal is one where it is possible to buy brick and mortar assets at 60 – 70% of replacement cost. This usually occurs in the aftermath of a banking crisis or economic shock. This was the case in Florida homes in 2009 or Spanish office space in […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB ) announcement of new Shari’ah governance regulations applicable to wholesale and retail Islamic banks in Bahrain are a positive development, Moody’s said in a report. Effective June 2018, the new regulations will make Islamic banks subject to an Independent External Shari’ah Compliance Audit, to ensure that all Islamic banks activities are Shari’ah compliant. Additionally, all internal Shari’ah board […]
Acquisition Positions JumpStart for International Growth & Expansion of its Mobile Game Offerings for Consumers and Educational Institutions Worldwide TORRANCE, CALIF. (July 6, 2017) – NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (“NetDragon”; Hong Kong Stock Code: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, announced that it has acquired JumpStart, the leader in learning-based games for kids. A major player in the global online and mobile learning space, NetDragon […]
This glimpse of the future was crafted by: Kate Yoxall When Nicolaus Copernicus proved in the 16th century that the earth actually revolved around the sun, he did more than inflict a breathtaking blow to the human ego. He threw a new paradigm into the atmosphere. Soon brows began to furl with questions around the way that society was configured; if the earth itself was not the centre of […]
Lubna Qassim is no career diplomat, but in her varied legal and political career, she has had the privilege of walking the corridors of power in London and Dubai. These days, as well as being executive vice president and group general counsel for Emirates NBD, Qassim is a member of several corporate boards. Qassim, the eldest of four daughters, credits her business acumen to the fact that […]
“We need to reassess every single thing we are doing as to what we can do to bring an end to this conflict,” added Mr. Beasley, a former governor of South Carolina who was appointed to lead the agency by the Trump administration in March. Continue reading the main story By making Riyadh, the Saudi capital, the first stop on his tour, observers say, Mr. Trump has […]
According to the new order, tobacco cannot be sold within 100 meters, or about 330 feet, of schools, playgrounds or anywhere children might gather. Municipalities must also designate smoking areas that are far from these places, and away from elevators, stairwells, gas stations, health centers and wherever food is prepared. “No smoking” signs are to be posted in all public places. Continue reading the main story The […]
A festival, unlike, say, a concert or exhibition, is a contained, utopian world, with a focus on a set of circumscribed pursuits. Like a highbrow summer camp for adults, festivals offer a jot of escapism, a chance to turn our attention away from some of the weightier issues of the past year. What makes them stand apart from other events is the joy of sharing the same […]
ABU DHABI // Teachers with a strong grasp of technology and more authority to control unruly classrooms are needed to improve the standard of education. That was the message for decision-makers at a public event aimed at giving an insight into the classroom. The Minister of State for Youth Affairs joined officials from the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) for a meeting with Emirati students about the […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for May 18, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Ellen Fortini rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE. Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [email protected] newslide Abu Dhabi Art workshop Take […]
Erwin Chemerinsky, one of the most well-known legal minds in the country and the founding dean of University of California Irvine School of Law, is on the move. Mr. Chemerinsky is packing up his work at UCI Law, which he helped launched in 2009, to lead UC Berkeley School of Law. At the elite Northern California […] (via WSJ)
The welcome Traffic is terrible when I leave the airport, but half an hour into the drive, the pretty side of Prague starts to emerge, a show that’s continued until I’m in the vibrant lobby of the hotel, on a quiet side street. There’s enough time to drink a tall glass of juice as forms are filled in, passports scanned and keys handed over. These keys, by […]
