In Friday's Middle East papers

OMAN TRIBUNE

Panel puts off Palestinian January elections
The Palestinian electoral commission on Thursday said the elections called for January should be postponed because the vote can not take place in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Obama world’s most powerful person
US President Barack Obama can add another accolade to his already long list of awards after being named the world’s most powerful person in an inaugural ranking by Forbes magazine.

IEA sees oil price jump sending global recovery on detour
Demand for oil is surprisingly strong as China and the United States lead global economic recovery, but rising oil prices and mysteries in the data could derail the trend, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Thursday.

Jobless claims in US fall to lowest since January
The number of US workers filing new claims for jobless benefits last week fell to the lowest level since January, the government said on Thursday, showing the hard-hit labour market may be slowly improving.

US to seize Iran-linked buildings
Federal prosecutors took steps to seize four US Mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit organisation long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.

Bomb blast kills seven at Pakistan’s spy agency
A massive bomb blast exploded outside the local headquarters of Pakistan’s intelligence agency in the city of Peshawar on Friday, killing at least seven people.

Yahoo completes Maktoob takeover
Yahoo’s acquisition of Arab language portal Maktoob.com – a landmark deal widely expected to give a major fillip to Middle East’s online media advertising sector – was completed on Thursday, the founder of the region’s largest online community said.

Shaikh Saud holds talks with British business delegation
Shaikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, on Wednesday received a British business delegation led by Guy Warrington, Consul-General at the British Embassy in Dubai, at the Al Dhait Palace here on Wednesday.

Women to practice as lawyers
Justice Minister Muhammad Al-Eisa said on Thursday the Kingdom’s efforts to revamp the judicial system were well under way and that women would eventually be allowed to practice as lawyers representing women clients.

US weighs options on Afghanistan
A senior White House official has said US President Barack Obama is calling on his national security team to revise the options for the war strategy in Afghanistan.

Indian products attract Saudi businesses
A multisector catalog exhibition organised by the Indian Embassy at the Asharqia Chamber on Wednesday brought together Saudi and Indian business executives.

Trendiest Italian jewellery a big hit in Saudi market
In spite of gold becoming more precious and expensive by the day, its demand in Saudi Arabia remains steady with Saudis longing increasingly for the trendiest Italian jewellery, according to a market leader.

Suicide blast hits Peshawar
A suspected suicide car bomb attack in the Pakistani city of Peshawar has badly damaged a building belonging to Pakistan’s national intelligence agency, killing at least eight people.

Petraeus urges Nato Afghan boost
The Taliban has recovered from being forced from power in Afghanistan to the extent that it is now ahead of the Nato-led forces fighting them, the commander of US Central Command has said.

No new updates

Sleiman, Assad vow coordination during Damascus talks
The Lebanese and Syrian presidents vowed during talks in Damascus on Thursday to keep up coordination between the two countries amid signs of improved ties.

Climate satirists send serious message
Environmental campaigners satirised Lebanon’s leaders on Thursday, to urge the newly formed government to engage the global community in the fight against climate change.

Public debt, economy priorities for Cabinet
Can this new Cabinet under the young Premier Saad Hariri succeed where other premiers have failed?

Russian president urges modernisation of country’s economy
Russia needs to shed its dependence on exports of raw materials and to build a new hi-tech economy to survive, President Dmitry Medvedev said in his annual state-of-the-nation address, on Thursday.

Ferry services to be revived
Plans are underway to revive a ferry service in Muharraq that faded out nearly 50 years ago by turning it into a tourist attraction, it emerged yesterday.

BD275,000 projects for Budaiya on way
Residents in Budaiya are set to benefit from two major projects worth BD275,000, it has been announced.

Forum to highlight key role of industrial sector
A panel of acclaimed regional and international business leaders and industrialists will gather in Bahrain in January to take part in the first forum dedicated to the Gulf’s industrial sector.

ABC Islamic Bank posts $6.4m profit
ABC Islamic Bank made a profit of $6.4m in the first nine months of the year.