The Tainted Veil, a UAE production, was screened to more than 75 guests at a private showing in London on Tuesday. The documentary, a collaboration between veteran documentary filmmaker Ovidio Salazar, Emirati Nahla Al Fahad and Mazen Al Khayrat, looks into the origins of the hijab, its place in society and the implications and effects over the centuries that have led it to becoming a source of […]
By KAREEM FAHIM June 16, 2015 BAGHDAD — Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen released a video statement on Tuesday confirming the death of its leader, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, in an American missile strike last week. His death was also confirmed by the Obama administration on Tuesday. Mr. Wuhayshi, 38, who had led Qaeda operations in Yemen since 2002 and was also the global extremist network’s second-ranking leader, was killed along […]
The theme so far this week at the three-day Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center has been video-gaming, with Sony claiming the keynote address slot. Here are nine announcements from the conference so far: New “Doom” on the Way Bethesda got E3 under way by showing off the latest installments of first-person shooter “Doom” and post-apocalyptic role-playing saga “Fallout 4.” The latter game will […]
The black flag of the Islamic State, left, flew over Tal Abyad, Syria, on Tuesday. After Kurdish and rebel fighters took over the town later Tuesday, they hoisted a Kurdish militia flag. By BEN HUBBARD June 16, 2015 ISTANBUL — Kurdish militias and rebel fighters on Tuesday took full control of the strategic Syrian town of Tal Abyad on Turkey’s border, striking a blow against the Islamic State and expanding […]
Video | Morsi Death Sentence Confirmed by Judge A judge in Egypt announced the confirmation of last month’s sentence of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK June 16, 2015 CAIRO — An Egyptian judge slammed the rule of the deposed president Mohamed Morsi as “a black night that lasted a whole year” and confirmed a death sentence against […]
ISTANBUL — A coalition of Kurdish militias and Arab rebels stormed into a strategic Syrian town on the Turkey border on Monday, seizing most of it from Islamic State fighters who had long used the area to smuggle supplies and fighters into their self-declared caliphate, according to Kurdish militia leaders and activists. The complete loss of the town, Tal Abyad, would deal a major blow to the […]
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon says it believes a weekend airstrike in Libya killed an Islamist militant leader responsible for the deaths of dozens of Westerners in North Africa, though the Pentagon was still conducting an assessment and could not confirm that the attack had succeeded. The Libyan government said on Sunday night that Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed in the strike. But Col. Steven H. Warren, a Pentagon […]
Guest | Jun 15, 2015 | 0 comments In lieu of the recent release of the latest driving game to hit the shelves, Project CARS, we thought we’d take a look at the best racers throughout the history of gaming. Project CARS is a pure racing simulator, with authentic handling and crisp graphics, but no-one can deny that other driving games have influenced this great racer. Let’s […]
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO The United States and Russia are competing for a strategic role in Brazil’s plan to launch commercial satellites from its base near the equator, opening up a new theater in their rivalry for allies and influence. Brazil’s government expects to choose a partner to help provide technology in the coming months, three sources with knowledge of the deliberations told Reuters. Brazil partnered with Ukraine over […]
BAHRAIN. On June 12, 2015, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on the Kingdom of Bahrain at ‘BBB-/A-3’. We also affirmed our long- and short-term foreign and local currency credit ratings on the Central Bank of Bahrain at ‘BBB-/A-3’. The outlooks on both Bahrain and its central bank remain negative. RATIONALE We expect that Bahrain’s fiscal […]
By JODI RUDOREN June 14, 2015 JERUSALEM — In a pre-emptive strike against a forthcoming United Nations report on the war last year between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday issued a lengthy paper arguing that its troops adhered to international law and blaming the militants for most of the s civilian casualties in Gaza. Israel has refused to cooperate with the […]
Actors preparing for “1945,” a play produced by Al-Midan Theater after one inspired by the case of a convicted murderer generated protests. By DIAA HADID June 13, 2015 HAIFA, Israel — The play had been staged many times for Arabic-speaking audiences in Israel without controversy. But a performance with Hebrew subtitles for a wider audience was all it took to touch off a major furor. The play, “Parallel Time,” […]
By THOMAS ERDBRINK June 13, 2015 TEHRAN — With a little more than two weeks before the deadline for a nuclear deal, Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, said Saturday that he expected relief from economic sanctions within a “couple of months” after an agreement with six world powers was signed. Speaking at a news conference to recognize the second anniversary of his election, Mr. Rouhani dismissed reports that Iranians would […]
INTERNATIONAL. This year Ipsos celebrates 20 years of the European Media and Marketing Survey (EMS) or as it is called now, The Ipsos Affluent Survey Europe. The Affluent European whom the survey tracks comes in all shapes and sizes, with a myriad of different wants and needs, yet, these individuals (the Top 13% of income earners) have one thing in common: they have significant disposable income and […]
TUNISIA. There has been robust growth in Internet access and usage over the past few years and Africa is now primed to take advantage of the social and economic opportunities that the Internet can bring to people across the continent. This was the focus of an address delivered to delegates at the Africa Internet Summit (AIS) recently held in Tunisia by Kathy Brown, President & CEO of […]
ABU DHABI // Thirty-six members of the British parliament have signed a motion calling for the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner to be returned to Scotland from its Dubai berth. The early day motion, a measure to call for a formal debate in parliament, has been predominantly backed by members of the Scottish National Party (SNP). After expressing “grave concern” at the condition of the vessel, the […]
ABU DHABI // The first flight carrying humanitarian aid from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation to the people of Yemen left Abu Dhabi yesterday. The foundation said the flight would be the first of many before Ramadan begins next week, the state news agency Wam reported. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, ordered that […]
Video | Orange’s Boss Meets With Netanyahu Stéphane Richard, the chief executive of Orange, the French telecom giant, tells Israel’s prime minister that he regrets the furor caused by his statements about doing business in the country. By JODI RUDOREN June 12, 2015 JERUSALEM — The chief executive of a French telecommunications company made an extraordinary personal pilgrimage on Friday to apologize to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, […]
Video | Explosion in Old City of Sana A Unesco world heritage site was damaged on Friday by a blast that witnesses said was caused by airstrikes in Yemen’s capital. By RICK GLADSTONE June 12, 2015 A protected 2,500-year-old cultural heritage site in Yemen’s capital, Sana, was obliterated in an explosion early Friday, and witnesses and news reports said the cause was a missile or bomb from a Saudi […]
Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a graduation and commissioning ceremony at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., last month. By HELENE COOPER June 11, 2015 NAPLES, Italy — The United States is considering establishing a new network of American military bases in Iraq to aid in the fight against the Islamic State, senior military and administration officials said […]
Contributing Op-Ed Writer June 11, 2015 Shmuel Rosner TEL AVIV — Reuven Rivlin was elected president of Israel a year ago. Since then, this Likud Party member and former speaker of the Knesset has become Israel’s voice of moderation and reason on many issues. He has denounced racism, defended the autonomy of Israel’s judiciary and argued for better relations between Jews and Arabs. Mr. Rivlin is the […]
A motorcyclist rides past the entrance of the headquarters of Hon Hai, which is also known by its trading name Foxconn, in Tucheng, New Taipei city, December 24, 2013. Reuters/Pichi Chuang/Files MUMBAI Foxconn Technology is in talks to manufacture Apple’s(AAPL.O) iPhone in India, government officials said, in a move that could lower prices in the world’s No.3 smartphone market where the U.S. firm trails Samsung Electronics and […]
UAE. Invesco today released its third annual Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management Study[1], an in-depth report on the complex investment behaviour of sovereign wealth funds, conducted amongst more than 50 individual sovereign investors across the globe representing $7.09 trillion2 of assets, including Middle East based sovereign wealth funds. This year’s study took place against a backdrop of an extreme fall in the price of oil and provides […]
UAE. Economic Insight: Middle East Q2 2015 is produced by Cebr, ICAEW’s partner and economic forecaster. Commissioned by ICAEW, the report provides a snapshot of the region’s economic performance. The report undertakes a quarterly review of the Middle East, focusing on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait), as well as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon […]
