Do you think camels are only useful for crossing the sand dunes – or as photo opportunities for tourists? Think again. Camels have always offered much more to Arab society than simply a means of transport. They also provided their owners with meat, milk, clothes and more besides – and many of these other uses for “Bedu’s best friend” are increasingly coming back into fashion. With the […]
Photo Residents walked through the destruction in eastern Aleppo last month, after it was brought back under the control of government forces. Credit Hassan Ammar/Associated Press President Bashar al-Assad of Syria suggested in an interview published Friday that he could foresee cooperation with the Trump administration and might even countenance the deployment of American soldiers in the country one day. The remarks by Mr. Assad appeared to […]
If you want to check the pulse of the mining sector one of the best places to go is the Mining Indaba in Cape Town. For this year’s annual gathering, with the sector in a far better place than it was 12 months ago when the mining industry was wallowing in debt, many executives, bankers and government officials may have been looking forward to some warm weather […]
By Huda Majeed and Ahmed Rasheed | BAGHDAD BAGHDAD Tension between Iraq’s Shi’ite leaders mounted on Sunday as the toll from protests in central Baghdad on Saturday increased to six killed, five demonstrators loyal to the fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and one policeman. At least 174 other protesters were injured in clashes that pitted police and Sadr’s followers who had gathered to demand an overhaul of a […]
PNC Menon is a busy man — it takes several months to lock an interview into his diary. But on the day of our meeting in Dubai, the Indian-born real estate developer exudes characteristic warmth and courtesy, refusing to allow Arabian Business to leave without a bowl of Middle Eastern halva and repeatedly asking whether we have enough milk in our tea. A long-term UAE resident and […]
ISTANBUL President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday the final goal of a Turkish incursion into Syria was not just to retake the city of al-Bab from Islamic State, but to cleanse a border region including Raqqa of the jihadists. Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are pressing a major offensive on al-Bab, 30 km (20 miles) south of the Turkish border. The advance risks putting them in direct conflict with […]
PARIS France’s financial prosecutor plans to pursue legal proceedings in the coming week in connection with its investigation into fake work allegations involving presidential candidate Francois Fillon and his wife, the weekly Journal de Dimanche newspaper reported. The report cited unidentified sources. Reuters was unable to reach the prosecutor for comment, nor was it able to reach officials representing conservative candidate Fillon. Fillon’s lawyer did not immediately […]
By Ju-min Park and Matt Spetalnick | SEOUL/WASHINGTON SEOUL/WASHINGTON North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea early on Sunday, the first such test since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, and his administration indicated that Washington would have a calibrated response to avoid escalating tensions. The test was likely to have been of an intermediate-range Musudan-class missile that landed in the Sea of Japan, according […]
If you’ve been dreaming for years about having your own R2-D2 or BB-8, get ready. Just don’t expect your new robot companion to do too much, because you might be disappointed. A new generation of personal robots and devices is in the works and several are slated to head to homes beginning later this year. Among the more notable is Kuri, a robot developed by Redwood City, […]
A modern dance work from celebrity choreographer Benjamin Millepied, and set to brand new music by Philip Glass, will receive its regional premiere at Dubai Opera. Millepied’s leading LA Dance Project will present On the Other Side on September 28, the third and final instalment of his jewel-inspired ballet trilogy. The company – which the French choreographer founded and has directed since 2011 – will also perform […]
The Louisiana State Police never did tell White what happened to his son. He learned of their account through a news release posted online that evening, March 3, 2014. The police said that Victor White III, while detained in the back seat of a locked police car, his hands shackled behind his back, had committed suicide by shooting himself in the back with a handgun that an […]
12 February 2017 Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. (NYSE: MMC), a global professional services firm offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people, is a strategic partner of the newly published 2017 Global Risks Report, an annual publication released by the World Economic Forum at Davos. This year’s 2017 Global Risks Report reveals that economic inequality, societal polarisation and intensifying […]
Opec countries drastically curbed their output in the first month of their new production agreement, in the clearest sign to date that the world’s biggest oil producers are committed to living up to the November pact to cut global supplies. The limits adopted by the oil cartel in January have been “one of the deepest in the history of Opec output cut initiatives”, the International Energy Agency […]
A day before Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Tesla, officially announces his company’s foray into the Middle East, social media is abuzz with the possible location for the American carmaker’s first showroom in the UAE. A billboard has sprung up on Khalifa Juma Al Nabooda’s building on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai – which earlier housed Porsche cars – indicating the showroom opening in “summer 2017”. […]
ATHENS Thousands of Greeks evacuated their homes in the second-biggest city of Thessaloniki on Sunday to allow experts to defuse a World War Two bomb. The 250 kg (550 lb) bomb was discovered about 5 metres (16 feet) below ground during excavation works at a petrol station last week. Up to 72,000 residents living within a 2 km (1.2 miles) radius of the bomb site were asked […]
Ford’s autonomous vehicle platform runs this Fusion Hybrid. Image via Ford. Ford has just announced a $1 billion investment in artificial intelligence startup Argo AI to bolster the automaker’s self-driving car technology. The acquisition-sized investment will make Ford the majority shareholder of Argo AI, though Ford plans to spread out the funds over a five-year period. Argo AI was founded (somewhat recently) by Brian Salesky, the former […]
Good morning. Critique by “Sid Vicious” not pretty If things had gone differently, Washington would now be gossiping about the role of Sidney Blumenthal within a Clinton White House. A congressional inquisition over his much-publicized emails with then-Secretary of State Clinton, his longtime friend, now seems so distant, doesn’t it? But it’s still fitting the journalist-activist and historian should weigh in on Donald Trump. A cerebral but […]
SEOUL South Korea and the United States agreed to explore all possible options to rein in North Korean provocations during a phone call between U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, South Korea’s presidential Blue House said. Flynn had requested the call with Kim after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile early on Sunday, the Blue House said in a statement. […]
ERBIL, Iraq Western-backed Syrian forces should isolate Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria “by the spring” before an offensive on the city itself, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said on Saturday. The Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes the powerful Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, launched the campaign on Raqqa in November. It announced this month the start of a new phase in the offensive, aiming to complete […]
By Nidal al-Mughrabi | GAZA GAZA In Ramadan Odwan’s barbershop in Gaza, hair isn’t just blow-dried, it’s blowtorch-dried. “People have gone crazy about it, many people are curious to go through the experience and they are not afraid,” he told Reuters. “People here love adventures.” Odwan, 37, is not the first stylist in the world to use flame to straighten hair, but his craft is unique in […]
TOKYO Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corp probably suffered a group net loss of about 400 billion yen ($3.52 billion) in the nine months through December, the Nikkei reported on Sunday. The loss is largely due to a goodwill impairment of around 600 billion yen on a U.S. nuclear unit that came to light in late 2016. During the year-earlier period, Toshiba lost a similarly significant 479.4 billion yen. […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for February 12, 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 Concert Get tickets […]
The European government bond market had what is known in technical circles as a minor freak-out this week. Yet as yields in eurozone bonds diverged sharply, the markets for stocks, corporate debt and currencies carried on regardless. The Cac 40 index of large French-listed companies was barely changed on the week. The euro weakened per cent against the US dollar, but at the same time the dollar […]
Mr. Kushner, on something of a crash course in diplomacy, has been speaking with Arab leaders in recent weeks. But he is a mystery to most Middle Eastern officials. He has no experience in government or international affairs. His up-close exposure to the Arab world amounts to little more than trips to a handful of Persian Gulf countries and a star-studded jaunt to Jordan. Continue reading the […]
