In Monday's Middle East papers

29 June 2009 05:00  [Source: ICIS news]

OMAN TRIBUNE

Front page

Unity talks begin in Cairo as Hamas frees Fatah men
The two main Palestinian factions began a new round of talks in Cairo on Sunday, facing a 10-day deadline for a reconciliation agreement, Egypt’s official Mena news agency reported.

Iran detains local UK embassy staff
Iran has detained several local British embassy staff, sparking a new row with Britain on Sunday that underscored the hardline leadership’s effort to blame post-election unrest on foreign powers, not popular anger.

Business

Sandstorms delay Iraq’s oil field bids
Iraq is this week due to unveil which foreign firms have won contracts to develop its oil and gas fields, nearly four decades after Saddam Hussein’s party nationalised the country’s energy infrastructure.

NBO signs $475m deal with ORPC
National Bank of Oman SAOG (NBO) signed a $475m syndicated working capital facility with Oman Refineries & Petrochemicals Co (ORPC), along with five local Banks and two regional Banks.

KHALEEJ TIMES

Front page

Iran spars with US and Britain over election
Iran accused the United States of trying to destabilise it and sparked a new row with Britain on Sunday, underscoring the hardline leadership’s efforts to blame post-election unrest on foreign powers rather than popular anger.

Iraq steps up security ahead of US city withdrawal
Iraqi security forces bolstered checkpoints and banned motorcycles from the streets of Baghdad as they prepared on Sunday for more violence before this week’s withdrawal of US combat troops from the capital and other cities and towns.

Business

Property drags DFM to seven-month low
Investors concerned about the potential merger of the Middle East’s biggest property developer dumped Emaar Properties shares and helped drive the Dubai bourse’s index to its biggest decline in more than seven months.

New federal law to back banks’ bonds
In a bid to boost liquidity in the banking sector and stimulate lending, a new law that extends a federal government guarantee to bonds issued by local banks is in the offing, according to UAE Central Bank Governor Sultan bin Nasser Al Suwaidi.

ARAB TIMES

No new updates

ARAB NEWS

Front page

‘Enemies targeted nation’s security’
Prince Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior, said on Saturday Saudi Arabia is one of the most secure and stable countries of the world.

Iran seizes UK Embassy staff
Iran arrested eight local British Embassy staff triggering London’s fury and further exacerbating tensions with the West.

Business

New asset classes for Islamic investments
The water industry and agriculture are emerging as major new asset classes for Islamic financial institutions, especially in the field of sustainable investments.

Motamarat signs deal with OnTrack
Motamarat, a subsidiary of Saudi Research and Marketing Group, recently signed an agreement with OnTrack International, a leading human resource development and training company in Europe.

TEHRAN TIMES

No new updates

ALJAZEERA

Front page

Honduras under curfew after coup
The newly sworn-in acting president of Honduras has imposed a two-day nationwide curfew following a military coup that sent Manuel Zelaya, the president, into exile.

Army warning follows Beirut unrest
The Lebanese army has warned that any armed person on the streets will be fired on, after at least one person was killed in clashes between supporters of two political rivals.

Business

No new updates

THE DAILY STAR

Front page

Hariri to start consultations on makeup of next cabinet
Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri will conduct parliamentary deliberations on Monday over the make-up of the next government, a process that could take days or weeks to conclude.

Jumblatt vows to thwart efforts to ‘privatise’
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said on Sunday that the public sector should be preserved, adding that he would not be part of a cabinet that promotes "privatisation."

Business

World Bank lowers Lebanon growth forecast to 2.5%
In its updated outlook on the global economy, the World Bank revised downward its economic growth forecast for Lebanon to 2.5% in 2009 from an earlier forecast of 4% at the end of last year.

Lebanon sees 28% rise in government revenues
Lebanon’s fiscal performance up to the end of April showed a broad increase in the government’s revenues by 28% to LBP 4.2 trillion or $2.8bn in the first four months of 2009 compared to LBP 3.3 trillion or $2.2bn in the same period in 2008.

GULF DAILY NEWS

Front page

Bills reprieve for the poor
A reprieve was ordered yesterday for low-income families in arrears on their electricity bills.

Fresh clashes rock Tehran
Riot police clashed with more than 3,000 protesters near a mosque in north Tehran yesterday, using tear gas and truncheons to break up the first post-election demonstration in five days.

Business

Group enters key sales partnership
Almoayyed Group is joining the business partner programme for sales of Alcatel-Lucent enterprise solutions to businesses in the region.

Bahrain seeks stronger GCC-Asean trade ties
Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa yesterday called for stronger and balanced economic relations between the GCC and the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).

By: Staff Reporter
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