Alba sponsors the UNPSD2013 to be hosted in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the period 24-27 June 2013

Bahrain News Agency - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

Manama: June 19 -- (BNA) -- Aluminum Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba)'s decision to be a platinum sponsor of the United Nations Public Services Forum, Day and Awards Ceremony (UNPSD2013) taking place in the Kingdom of Bahrain from June 24 - 27, 2013 underlines the company's commitment to support global initiatives being formed to strengthen best practices in public service. Organized under ...

Foreign direct investment in Arab world surges by 10 to $47.1b in 2012

albawaba - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

The UAE ranked second and its inflow rose 25 per cent to $9.6 billion Foreign direct investment, or FDI, into Arab world rose by nearly 10 per cent in 2012 led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to a latest report.Last year, Arab countries attracted FDI worth $47.1 billion despite political uncertainty in some of them compared to $42.9 billion in the previous year, the Arab Investment and ...

Qatar introduces bonds for trading in its market

albawaba - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

Qatar Exchange has announced the introduction of government bonds issued by the Qatar Central Bank for trading on the exchange, which will commence on 20 June 2013, in a step that supports the development of the financial market in the State of Qatar on the one hand and diversification of investment tools available for banks, institutions and investors on the other.The trading of government ...

Refugee activist extraordinaire Angelina Jolie returns to Jordan

albawaba - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

During her stay, Jolie is said to be meeting with Jordanian officials to discuss the inflow of Syrian refugees across Jordan's northern border, as well as how the Kingdom has been ...

Kuwaits acting oil minister says prices fair

Arabian Business - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

Kuwait's acting oil minister said on Wednesday current oil prices were "fair" and that the Gulf Arab state was producing around 3 million barrels of crude per ...

Pagasa chief Servando resigns to take on teaching job in Qatar

Inquirer - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

MANILA, Philippines -- Brain drain has claimed another ranking official of the state-run weather bureau. Vicente Malano, officer-in-charge at the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration told INQUIRER.net on Wednesday in a phone interview that he received a text message from Pagasa administrator Nathaniel Servando Tuesday night informing him of his decision to ...

2 killed 16 wounded in shell explosion in Egypts Assiut

Global Times - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

Two people, including an army recruit, were killed and 16 others wounded Tuesday after a shell hit a military unit in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Assiut, the state-run Al-Ahram Online reported.A soldier and a civil servant were killed, Assiut Security Chief, Maj. Gen. Abul Qassim Abu Daif said.He added that the wounded have been sent to ...

Suicide bomber kills pro-govt tribal leader 3 others in northern

Global Times - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

A suicide bomber killed a government-backed Sunni tribal leader and three people, and wounded six in a town in south of Iraq's northern city of Mosul, a local police source said Wednesday.The attack occurred late Tuesday night when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest near the tribal leader Sheikh Younis al-Rammahi while he was receiving his brothers and cousins at his house in the ...

HM King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein of Jordan departs from Amman to London today

Bahrain News Agency - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

Amman: June 19 -- (BNA)-- HM King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan departed from Amman today embarking on an official visit to the British Capital, London. The Jordanian News Agency (Petra) reported that HM King Abdullah II is expected to hold talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Minister William Hague. The Jordanian King is also expected ...

Egypts Mubarak interview I quit power to save lives

albawaba - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

Former Egyptian President waves from the dock (File photo: AFP) Toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said that his decision to step down was his own, adding that he could have remained in power if he had wanted to, in an interview ...

Blast hits Syrian port city of Latakia

The Star - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A loud explosion was heard near a military site in the Syrian port city of Latakia on Wednesday, opposition groups and state media said, but the cause of the blast was unclear. Explosions in Latakia, part of President Bashar al-Assad's stronghold on the Mediterranean coast, have been rare during Syria's two-year-old conflict. State television said the blast was ...

Egypt tourism minister resigns over Luxor governor

Fox News - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

The ancient temple in Luxor, Egypt. Egypt's minister of tourism has resigned following the appointment of a new governor in the temple city of Luxor who belongs to an Islamist party linked to a deadly attack on tourists, state TV said ...

Arab Fashion Finds Place on International Runways

Dubai Chronicle - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

The fashion of the Arab world is characterized with its unique culture and traditions. But although designers from the Middle East have been getting a lot of attention lately, Arab fashion is still missing exposure to international runways and fashion events. In the rare cases in which fashion weeks include something from the region, it is usually shadowed by more mainstream and commercial ...

Three people killed in northern Yemen bombing official

Baltimore Sun - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

SANAA (Reuters) - Three people were killed and eight wounded in a town in northern Yemen on Wednesday when a suicide bomber riding a motorbike blew himself up in a busy market, a security official said. The attack occurred in Saada, a town near the border ...

Will the Switzerland of the Middle East revive ever again

Pravda - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

After the war, Lebanon experienced a period of economic prosperity. Revenues from tourism in that period increased ten-fold. Lebanon is often called the "Switzerland of the Middle East." However, after the outbreak of the Civil War (1975-1983) the country faced difficult ...

Eleven Russian seafarers rescued in Arabian Sea after wreckage

Itar Tass - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

NEW DELHI, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - Eleven Russian seafarers were rescued from the MOL Comfort container ship that wrecked in the Arabian Sea, the Sri Lankan authorities said on Wednesday. They will be delivered to Colombo on Friday. After this a decision on restoring seafarers’ documents and their return to Russia will be taken. The Mol Comfort flying the flag of the Bahamas broke into two ...

Chinas renewed effort to restart Mideast peace talks

Global Times - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

China hosted an international conference on Israeli-Palestinian peace this week in a fresh attempt to relaunch the long-stalled talks between the two sides.Although it is widely recognized that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the core issue in the Middle East, the strenuous and painful steps toward peace have stoked deep skepticism. In the last three years, when most of the world's ...

Qatar Signs Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products

Bahrain News Agency - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

New York, June 19 (BNA) - Qatar signed last night the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. The signing ceremony took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN Shaikh Mishaal bin Hamad Al Thani signed the Protocol. The signing ceremony was attended by Representative of UN Secretary General and Head of the ...

Kuwait telco Viva signs $270m financing deal

Arabian Business - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

Kuwaiti telecoms operator Viva, part-owned by Saudi Telecom Co (STC) and the Kuwaiti government, has secured $270m to help fund plans to upgrade its network and expand in ...

Iran and Egypt Old Foes New Competitors

World Press Review - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

Demonstrators storm the offices of the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, in protest of President Morsi's expansion of powers in Alexandria, Egypt, on Nov. 23. (Photo: Mohamed Hanno, ...

Rockets fired from Gaza Strip toward southern Israel

Global Times - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

A rockets barrage was launched by militants from the Gaza Strip early Wednesday toward southern Israel, a military source told Xinhua.The barrage included three rockets which were launched toward the Ashkelon coast area. According to a scan carried out by the Israeli military, none of the rockets made their way into Israel and they all exploded within the Gaza Strip territories.No damages or ...

G8 members compare notes on Syria at summit

Global Times - Wednesday 19th June, 2013

The G8 summit closed here on Tuesday amid consensuses, compromises and differences over various issues, in particular the Syria crisis this time.Whatsoever, all the G8 members hoped the Syria issue could be solved, and British Prime Minister David Cameron, the host of this summit, called on all parties to implement their consensus to help Syria end its domestic ...