In Monday's Middle East papers

01 September 2008 05:30  [Source: ICIS news]

OMAN TRIBUNE

Front page

HM exchanges greetings
On the advent of the Holy Month of Ramadan, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has exchanged cables of greetings with leaders of Arab and Islamic countries.

All prepared for Holy Month of Ramadan
Muslims across the world are preparing for the Holy Month of Ramadan, which will this year take place amid sharp hikes in food prices and in many countries an ever-present fear of violence.

Business

Salalah Flour Mills lays out expansion plans
Salalah Flour Mills SAOG (SFM) on Sunday announced plans to hike production capacity to 1,100 tonnes/day by the next five years.

Honda launches all-new 2009 Pilot
The all-new Honda 2009 Pilot will set a new standard for the mid-size SUV segment with its unique blend of crossover refinement, fuel efficiency and eight passenger-family, SUV functionality, said a press release.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Front page

New Orleans scrambles to evacuate ahead of monster storm
Desperate to avoid a repeat of the 2005 Katrina catastrophe, residents of New Orleans evacuated their city on Sunday as a new hurricane hailed as 'the mother of all storms' threatened the disaster-scarred metropolis.

Abbas, Olmert to hold new round of Mideast peace talks
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Sunday for a new round of US-backed talks aimed at securing a peace agreement by the end of the year.

Business

Dubai Bank plans global expansion
Dubai Bank plans to become a major global Islamic lender over the next five years through acquisitions and has set up a $5bn financing programme to aid expansion, its chief financial officer said on Sunday.

Central Bank discusses union law
The newly constituted board of directors of Central Bank of the UAE in its first meeting last week discussed the requirements to amend the law governing the central bank, monetary system and organisation of banking.

ARAB TIMES

Front page

Leave without fines-no questions asked; Illegal expats get 45-day amnesty
Kuwait on Saturday granted illegal foreign residents a 45-days amnesty to legalise their status or leave the country without paying a fine.

‘Violators’ face one-month jail; Ramadan to start on Monday
The Crescent Sighting Authority of the State of Kuwait has announced this evening that Sunday, 31 August, 2008, will mark the last day of Sha’ban month, 1429 Hijri year (the Arabic lunar calendar). Therefore, Ramadan 1, 1429 H, will fall on Monday, 1 September, 2008, the authority said in a statement.

Business

Kuwait Finance invests in China real estate project 
Kuwait Finance House (KFH), the Gulf state’s biggest bank by market value, said on Saturday it was investing $275m in a real estate project in China as part of plans to boost its exposure to Asia.

Iran, Oman to discuss gas deal 
Iran’s oil minister will travel to Muscat in the next week to discuss plans to export Iranian gas to Oman from where it could be exported using an Omani liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.

ARAB NEWS

Front page

King, crown prince greet Muslims
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, have greeted the people in the Kingdom on the occasion of the beginning of Ramadan in a message, acting Culture and Information Minister Saud Al-Mutahammi said.

Abbas rejects partial peace agreement - Summit fails to bridge gaps
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Israel’s idea of an interim peace agreement at a summit yesterday, a Palestinian negotiator said, insisting on an all-or-nothing approach that virtually ruled out an accord by a January target date.

Business

Mumtalakat eyes investment abroad
Bahrain Mumtalakat Holdings Company (Mumtalakat), with over $10bn assets under management, is keen to explore investment opportunities internationally as part of a medium-to-long term strategy to enhance the company’s investment portfolio, a top official of the company revealed.

Gustav hits oil output
US energy companies shut nearly all offshore oil production and were racing to bring down flood-prone Louisiana refineries yesterday ahead of Hurricane Gustav’s landfall, which could rival the wrath of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.

TEHRAN TIMES

Front page

MKO given ultimatum to leave Iraq: report
Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf said on Sunday Iraq’s government has given the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organisation a six-month deadline to leave the country.

Iranian plays line up for German festival
Five Iranian plays are scheduled to be performed during the International Theater Landscapes festival in Ruhr, which opens today.

Business

Ties between Central and South Asia facing hiccups: expert
Links between Central Asia and South Asia stand a chance of improving only if the historical linkages of the past are given their due importance and applied in the modern context, a strategic affairs expert has said.

Spain’s PM says economic bad times could drag on
Spain faces adverse economic conditions that could last longer than expected, but they should be followed by a strong recovery, Spain’s prime minister said on Sunday.

ALJAZEERA

Front page

Millions brace for Hurricane Gustav
Millions of people across the US Gulf coast are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Gustav, described as "the storm of the century".

India flood victims swamp hospitals
Twelve days after the Kosi river broke its bank, more than half a million people remain stranded in villages across northern India and hospitals are struggling to help flood victims.

Business

China agrees $3bn Iraq oil deal 
Iraq and China have agreed the terms of a $3bn oil service contract, Iraq's oil minister says, announcing the first major oil contract with a foreign firm since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

US woes rattle Asian stockmarkets
Asian stocks have fallen to a two-year low, due mainly to fears that the US government will have to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two troubled US mortgage giants.

THE DAILY STAR

Front page

Berri flays Gadhafi over Sadr's disappearance
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday held Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi responsible for the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sader, a Shiite cleric who founded Berri's Amal Movement.

Sleiman set for key visit aimed at thanking Qatar for support
President Michel Sleiman is expected to hold talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani in Doha on Monday, and then to resume a tour of regional capitals after the holy month of Ramadan.

Business

Lebanon ranks 118th for economic growth environment
Global investment bank Goldman Sachs ranked Lebanon in 118th place among 181 countries globally on its Growth Environment Scores (GES) for 2007, down from 116th place in the previous survey and from 78th place in 1997, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group.

Byblos Bank issues 2 million Series 2008 preferred shares
The Extraordinary General Assembly of Byblos Bank on Friday approved the issuance of 2 million Series 2008 preferred shares, the largest issuance of its kind in Lebanon for the year 2008, through which the bank raised $200m.

GULF DAILY NEWS

Front page

Going global
Bahrain stepped up its global investment campaign yesterday, with a pioneering deal for a $500m loan.

One-man picket 
A Bahraini worker is staging a one-man picketing campaign against what he claims is victimisation by Bapco management.

Business

Mumtalakat signs $500m loan deal 
Bahrain won a massive vote of confidence yesterday, with a pioneering deal for a $500m loan to step up its worldwide investment campaign.

DHL opens service centre in Budaiya 
DHL Express yesterday officially opened a new service point located on Budaiya Highway.

By: Staff Reporter
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