In Thursday's Middle East papers

24 July 2008 05:30  [Source: ICIS news]

 

OMAN TRIBUNE

 

Front page

 

Singh goes all out to win IAEA, NSG nod

With the trust vote behind it, the Manmohan Singh government is going all out to win the support of the IAEA board and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) countries, which are expected to decide soon on giving India a passport to global trade in nuclear fuel and technologies.

 

Iran ‘to get’ Russian anti-aircraft system by year-end

Iran is set to rece-ive an advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft system by year-end that could help fend off any preemptive strikes against its nuclear facilities, senior Israeli defence sources said on Wednesday.

 

Business & Industry

 

US farm move augurs well for trade deal, says India

India welcomed on Wednesday an offer by the United States to limit its farm subsidies as part of efforts to save a global trade deal.

 

Oil falls as Dolly threat eases

Oil dipped below $127 a barrel on Wednesday, falling for a second straight session, as concern eased that Hurricane Dolly would hit Gulf of Mexico crude supply.

 

KHALEEJ TIMES

 

Front page

 

Magnitude 6.8 quake injures at least 109 in northern Japan

At least 109 people were injured in a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that hit northern Japan shortly after midnight on Wednesday, media reports said Thursday.

 

Magnitude 6.4 quake near Russia's Kuril Islands

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Russia's Kuril Islands in the northern Pacific, the US Geological Survey reported on Wednesday.

 

Business & Industry

 

Overcapacity could trigger airfare war

Airlines operating the Gulf-India sector are heading for a potential crisis that could trigger a price war or lead to a significant scaling back of operations as rocketing fuel prices, a dwindling load factor and surplus capacities begin to bite, analysts said.

 

Dubai rents jump 22pc

Residential rents in Dubai shot up 22 per cent year-on-year, but still lower compared to the previous figure, data released by Asteco Property Management, a property services consultancy firm in the UAE, show.

 

ARAB TIMES

 

Front page

 

Food, housing drive Kuwait inflation above 11%

Kuwait inflation jumped to a record 11.4 percent in April, accelerating for a fifth straight month as high housing and food costs continued to spur price rises in the Gulf Arab oil producer. April inflation advanced from 10.2 percent in March, government data obtained by Reuters showed on Tuesday.

 

Govt slammed over strikes by Asians

Recent strikes by of cleaners in the health and education ministries as well as other public agencies on Monday are a bad omens for the country, Chairperson of Kuwait Human Rights Society (KHRS) Ali Al-Baghli told the Arab Times.

 

Business & Industry

 

KIPCO inks $350 million loan deal with top banks

KIPCO – the Kuwait Projects Company – has announced the completion of a $ 350 million (KD 93 million) three year ‘club deal’ loan facility with a panel of major international b '20149&ccid=12">'

 

GBK 1st local bank to launch Mobile Plus Service

Gulf Bank is providing its customers access to their banking requirements from anywhere in the world with its new Mobile Plus Service. The new service offers banking features, specifical

 

ARAB NEWS  

 

Front page

 

Dialogue aims to save mankind from destruction: Ceric

Mustafa Ceric, the mufti of Bosnia, has said that the Madrid Interfaith Conference, which was organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) following a call by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, was aimed at saving mankind from total destruction.

 

Blackout hits eastern and central parts

Blackouts struck many parts of the Kingdom yesterday for several hours, affecting public life, factories and businesses. The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) blamed the incident on the...

 

Business & Industry

 

No new updates.

 

TEHRAN TIMES

 

Front page

 

No new updates.

 

ALJAZEERA  

 

Front page

 

Obama vows support for Israel

Barack Obama, the US Democratic presidential candidate, has said he backs Israel's decision not to negotiate with the Palestinian group Hamas.

 

Karadzic 'to run own defence'

Radovan Karadzic, the captured former Bosnian Serb leader, is to conduct his own defence against charges of genocide and is convinced he will be cleared, according  to relatives and associates.

 

Business & Industry

 

No new updates.

 

THE DAILY STAR

 

Front page

 

Berri warns ministerial team to stay on task

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Wednesday that the ministerial statement committee's primary task is to draft a policy platform for the new government, while stressing that the committee, made up of an assortment of ministers from competing political coalitions, is not the "proper forum for a national dialogue."

 

Lebanese car market sees simultaneous boom, shift to more fuel-efficient cars

The price of gasoline in Lebanon is approximately 34,000 Lebanese pounds ($21.3) per 20 liters and a robust 11-12 percent inflation is taking a heavy toll on the economy. To make matters worse, the Goldman Sachs analyst who predicted 2007's $100 per barrel of oil in 2005 recently predicted $200 per barrel by the end of 2008.

 

Business & Industry

 

Lebanon considers increasing electricity fares to curb deficit

The Lebanese government appears to be giving serious thought to revising the electricity tariff structure in a bid to alleviate the mounting deficit of Electricite du Liban (EDL). This was the impression given during a news conference by Energy and Water Minister Alan Tabourian and Finance Minister Mohammad Shatah Wednesday.

 

GULF DAILY NEWS

 

Front page

 

$5bn STEEL GIANT!

A $5 billion steel giant that will be able to meet 15 per cent of the region's demands within five years is to be launched by Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House (GFH). The company, HadeedMENA, will be able to produce eight million tonnes of steel a year when it begins full production in about four years and will then increase this to 12m tonnes.

 

Batelco profit slips despite soaring revenues

Batelco's profit slipped in the first half of the year, despite soaring revenues. Profit was down 2.8 per cent to BD50.8 million, on revenues that rose by 17.7pc to BD160.5m.

 

Business & Industry

 

Batelco gains fall

Batelco suffered a fall in profit in the first half of this year despite significant increase in revenues. But the company continued to grow at home and overseas despite the full impact of deregulation and competition in all the markets in which it participates, Batelco chairman Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said at a board meeting yesterday.

 

KHCB profit soars 224pc to $69.5m

Khaleeji Commercial Bank (KHCB) saw first half net profit hit BD26.2 million ($69.5m), an increase of 224 per cent compared to BD8.1m reported for the same period last year. Total assets reached BD483m, an increase of 182pc over the same period last year and 57pc over first quarter of this year.

By: Staff Reporter
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