In Wednesday's Middle East papers

27 August 2008 05:30  [Source: ICIS news]

OMAN TRIBUNE

Front Page

HM presides over cabinet meeting
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said presided over the meeting of the Council of Ministers at Bait Al Barakah on Tuesday.

Higher education in Netherlands in focus
The Ministry of Higher Education organised an introductory lecture on Higher Education in the Netherlands in the presence of HE Dr Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Sarmi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Higher Education and HE Steven Van Wrech, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Sultanate.

Business

Dollar spikes to six-month high
The dollar scored a six-month high against the euro and a two-year peak against the British pound on Tuesday, as dealers digested evidence of slowing economic growth in Europe. 

Crude exports jump 5.3% in June
The Sultanate’s total crude oil exports rose 5.3% to 153.2m barrels as at the end of June 2008 compared 128.5m barrels exported during the corresponding period in 2007.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Front Page

Hurricane Gustav kills five in Haiti, aims at Cuba
Hurricane Gustav slammed into Haiti Tuesday, killing at least five as it lashed the desperately poor Caribbean nation with powerful winds and heavy rain, just days behind deadly Tropical Storm Fay.

Sudanese jet hijackers want to fly to Paris
Hijackers who forced a Sudanese airliner to land in Libya have demanded fuel to fly on to Paris, Libya's state news agency Jana said on Wednesday.

Business

Consumer confidence dips again in the UAE
The UAE recorded a steep fall in consumer confidence for the second time this year, according to a new research.

ADCB sues Morgan Stanley
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) and GCC institutional investors, which suffered substantial losses in the investments made in Cheyne SIV, will join the class legal action against a U.S investment bank and rating agencies to recover losses.

ARAB TIMES

Front Page

Cabinet refers refinery project to Audit probe
The Kuwait Cabinet referred a multi-billion-dollar oil refinery project to the Audit Bureau for investigation on Monday after MPs questioned the bidding process and awarding of contracts.

Airlines set to cut fares
Most incoming flights to Kuwait have been fully booked until end of August and many airlines will slash their fares at the beginning of Sept, says PNJ Kumar, the General Manager of Caesars Travels.

Business

Kuwait pumps 2.5 mbpd oil, more capacity soon 
Opec-member Kuwait is pumping at around 2.5m bbl/day (bpd) of crude oil and aims to boost capacity to 3m bbl/day bpd in the first half of 2009, a top oil official said on Monday.

Kuwait’s Zain launches mobile phone service in Saudi 
Zain, the leading mobile operator in 22 countries across the Middle East and Africa announces the launch of commercial services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, commencing Aug 26, 2008.

ARAB NEWS

Front Page

Makkah police unveil Ramadan security plan
Special security plans will be implemented to ensure the safety and comfort of pilgrims in Makkah during the month of Ramadan, which begins on Sunday or Monday depending on the sighting of the moon.

Man gets jail term for seizing and robbing judge
The Court of Cassation has upheld the six years’ imprisonment and 1,000 lashes handed down by a Jeddah court against a Saudi citizen who held a judge captive at his own home and robbed him of SR300,000 at gunpoint. The man, who is an AIDS patient, invited the judge to his house saying he sought the judge’s opinion on how to bring back his estranged wife also an AIDS patient.

Business

Money supply growth eases again in July, reports SAMA
Annual growth in Saudi money supply, an indicator of future inflation, eased for the second consecutive month to 20.85% in July from 21.34% in June, the central bank said yesterday. M3, the broadest measure of money circulating the Saudi economy, hit SR877.05bn ($233.9bn) at the end of July compared with SR725.71bn a year earlier, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) said in a monthly report on its website.

CMA sets no limits on foreign stock ownership
Saudi Arabia has set no limit on the number of shares which non-resident investors can own in listed firms under groundbreaking new guidelines it issued last week that opened the door to foreign buyers.

TEHRAN TIMES

Front Page

Scientific advancement essential for health and wealth of nation: Leader
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said here on Tuesday that scientific advancement is one of the best means for strengthening the country and boosting the national economy.

IAA spotlights nomad art and culture
The Iranian Academy of Arts (IAA) is holding a seminar on the art and culture of Iran’s nomads that will open at Tehran’s Aseman Cultural Center on Wednesday.

Business

Iran to put 750 industrial plans into operation in Govt. Week
Concurrent with the Government Week (Aug. 23-30), 750 industrial and mining projects will go on stream in Iran with $1.07bn worth of investment, announced the industries and mines minister here on Tuesday.

INCC allots $13.1m to hand-woven carpet industry
The director of Iran National Carpet Center (INCC) here on Tuesday announced that the INCC has allotted 125bn rials ($13.1 million) worth of banking facilities to the investment in the country’s hand-woven carpet industry.

ALJAZEERA

Front Page

Clinton calls for Democratic unity 
Hillary Clinton has called on US Democrats to unite behind presidential nominee Barack Obama, saying that despite a bruising primary battle, they were on the "same team".

Georgian leader hits out at Moscow 
The Georgian president has accused Russia of trying to "wipe Georgia from the map", following Moscow's recognition of Georgia's two breakaway regions as independent states.

Business

S Korea officials warned off golf 
Lee Myung-bak, South Korea's president, has told his officials to stop playing golf, saying it sends the wrong message to people suffering the effects of the country's economic downturn.

US central bank auctions funds 
The Federal Reserve, the US central bank, has auctioned $25bn of loans to US banks in the latest bid to improve poor credit conditions in the US.

THE DAILY STAR

Front Page

Berri postpones vote on draft Lebanese electoral law until September 25
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri postponed Tuesday the vote on new draft electoral law for next year's parliamentary polls to September 25 after the parliamentary majority refused to adopt the new law without further reforms. As different MPs stated their arguments regarding the electoral law.

Kouchner worries about lingering 'hatred' among feuding Lebanese parties – report
Lebanese media on Tuesday reported that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was satisfied with the outcomes with his visit to Lebanon and Syria, but had expressed concern about "hidden tensions among Lebanese groups."

Business

Prices of goods in Lebanon surge by 7.2% since start of year - report
Prices of consumer goods continued to climb in Lebanon as the debate over the minimum wages intensified. According to a study by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prices of goods in general rose by 7.2% in the first seven months of 2008. The central bank estimates that inflation in Lebanon could reach as high as 15% at the end of 2008.

Why consumers should always be society's top priority
In economics and business articles in the press and academia, we tend to worry more about business interests and needs than consumer rights and wants. The financial element is important but should never overshadow the greater role played by consumption in any modern society.|

GULF DAILY NEWS

Front Page

Black gold
Bahrain's booming oil and gas sector received a further boost yesterday.

Bahrain's longest BD41m flyover
Work on assembling Bahrain's longest flyover officially began yesterday.

Business

Oil-gas boom
Bahrain's booming oil and gas production surged in the first half of the year, a report said yesterday.

Saudi calls boost for Zain customers 
Bahrain subscribers of Zain will now be able to make calls at local rates and receive them for free while in Saudi Arabia, it was revealed yesterday.

By: Staff Reporter
+44 20 8652 3214

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