In Wednesday's Middle East Papers

23 January 2008 04:51  [Source: ICIS news]

MUMBAI (ICIS news)--These were the top stories at  4:30 GMT in the following Middle-East newspapers’ online versions on Wednesday. ICIS has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. To go to the individual websites, click the links below:

 

THE TIMES OF OMAN

 

Front Page

 

Israel eases Gaza blockade amid humanitarian fears 

Israel decided on Monday to ease its blockade of the impoverished Gaza Strip, allowing in some fuel and medicine, amid mounting international concern of a humanitarian crisis

 

Hillary, Obama acrimony spills over 

Bad blood and pent-up anger boiled over as Democratic foes Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seethed and accused one another of truth twisting in a rancorous 2008 campaign debate.

 

Business

 

As Islamic banks boom, scholars are hard to find 

The green-fronted Kuwait Finance House Auto mall on Bahrain's main showroom highway is a bank that sells cars.

 

Chinese feel pain as Beijing revalues currency 

As China gradually relaxes its controls on its currency, few stand to lose as much as Wu Xiao, a Shanghai black market money changer who may soon be out of a job. 

 

OMAN TRIBUNE

 

Front Page

 

Disaster stares Gazans in face

Lights returned to parts of Gaza City on Tuesday as Israel eased a blockade and allowed in limited amounts of fuel to the impoverished Hamas-run territory.

 

Delhi on high alert ahead of Republic Day

Delhi Police have asked all citizens including shopkeepers, security guards, auto rickshaw drivers, bus drivers/conductors and parking lot attendants to keep a strict vigil on suspicious people, objects and to be alert ahead of Republic Day,

 

Business

 

Seminar on metrology held
Muscat A seminar on the importance of metrology and its impact on both society and economy was opened by the Directorate General for Standards and Specifi-cations at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry under the auspices of Mohsen Bin Khamis Al Blaushi , Adviser of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, on Tuesday.

 

Asian stocks bloodied, Fed saves Europe’s day

European shares jumped nearly 2% on Tuesday, led by financial stocks, after a surprise and aggressive US interest rate cut turned widespread losses into gains even as Asian markets, which closed ahead of the Fed announcement, took a battering with key markets shedding up to 8% in a nervous sell-off

 

KHALEEJ TIMES

 

Front Page

 

UAE property dealers stumble in stock market rumble

Shares in real-estate developers such as Emaar Properties which have higher foreign ownership than other publicly traded companies led the declines in Dubai, whose main index plunged further on Tuesday by 345.11 points or 6.2 per cent to close at 5,210.58.

 

Hollywood actor Heath Ledger found dead

Actor Heath Ledger, 28, who rocketed to fame in his role as a gay cowboy in the Oscar-winning movie “Brokeback Mountain,” was found dead in a New York residence on Tuesday, police said

 

Business

 

Rate cut poised to stoke UAE inflation

The UAE and other dollar-pegged Gulf countries, already reeling under sharp increases in cost of living, will come under increased inflationary pressure following a massive 0.75 per cent rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.

 

UAE exports to Europe slacken after China's abolition of tarrifs

The recent abolition of a series of tariff and non-tariff barriers in giant emerging markets such as China has stunted the "quantitative progress" of UAE exports to Spain and eroded its reputation as a re-export hub to European countries.

 

ARAB TIMES

 

Front Page

 

Schlumberger buys Raytheon technology to extract oil from shale using microwave heating 

A major defense contractor is selling technology to a large oilfield services company that hopes microwaves will someday become a key tool in unlocking the vast but hard-to-extract oil reserves in the US West's underground shale deposits.

 

'Pair of fools' jailed in bungled burglary in Australia 

Two Australian robbers thought they were hauling away a big sack of cash from the Cuckoo Restaurant, but it turned out to be bread rolls--and one of them accidentally shot the other in the buttocks during the heist

 

Business

 

GCC to consider revaluing – Qatar 

Gulf Arab oil producers would consider revaluing their dollar-pegged currencies together at some stage to tackle rising inflation, Qatar’s finance minister said on Monday.

 

Investors unfazed by fluctuations 

Financial analysts assured traders at Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE), particularly small investors on the situation in the market caused by profit-taking which affected most of the sectors and is considered a retracement to the unnatural hikes of cheap shares.

 

ARAB NEWS

 

Front Page

 

Global recession likely WEF topic

As 2,500 world leaders gather today at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in this picturesque mountain village, stock indices are plummeting around the globe. Although the forum’s theme focuses on the power of collaborative innovation, the most likely topic will be political and economic tensions that threaten global prosperity.

 

Saudis urged to reform mindset

Saudis need to change their mindset and gradually change to a knowledge-based society in a way which would not affect the social structure of the country, Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said here yesterday.

 

Business

 

Lock, stock and barrel
Stock market turmoil swept around the world again yesterday, with the Gulf and Asian shares pummeled by fears of a US recession before hopes of international action helped Europe put up resistance.

 

Compete in service quality, insurance firms told

Health insurance companies, which are proliferating across Saudi Arabia, should compete not in terms of price but quality of service.

 

TEHRAN TIMES

 

Front Page

 

Iran ready to pipe gas to the EU

Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki has announced that Iran is ready to supply gas for a major European Union pipeline scheme, but added that it is up to the bloc to decide whether it wanted it or not, Reuters reported.

 

World land artists flock to Hormoz Island

A group of Iranian and foreign artists are heading to Hormoz Island in southern Iran on 26 January to take part in Iran’s 15th Persian Gulf Environmental Art Festival.

 

Business

 

Government backs economy in face of turmoil

The economy is in a good position to weather the current turmoil on financial markets, UK Prime Minister's spokesman said on Tuesday.

 

Turkish growth, borrowing hurt

Turkey's economic expansion will probably remain subdued and the government may be forced to sell bonds more cheaply as fallout from the U.S. sub-prime crisis spreads to emerging markets, Economy Minister Mehmet Simsek said.

 

 

By: Staff Reporter
+44 20 8652 3214

< previous article(VIDEO - ICIS news Europe Lunchtime Bulletin 27 October 2009)

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly