The White House on Friday denied that U.S. President Joe Biden was intentionally snubbing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by failing to include him so far in an early round of phone calls to foreign leaders since taking office on Jan. 20. The lack of direct contact between the Democratic …
Read More »Bahraini king awarded by outgoing Trump with Legion of Merit
Bahrain’s King Hamad was awarded a rare medal by US President Donald Trump in recognition of his “remarkable efforts” to consolidate relations and the close partnership between the two countries, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported on Tuesday. Trump decorated the monarch with the Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, “a …
Read More »Pakistan responds with its own Kashmir report to UN
Pakistan gave U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres a dossier on Tuesday accusing India of stoking terrorism in Pakistan, a day after India provided a dossier to some U.N. Security Council members accusing militants from Pakistan of attempting an attack in the disputed Indian territory Kashmir. The tit-for-tat moves come ahead of …
Read More »New tensions brewing over Kashmir with PM Khan
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday his government will give provisional provincial status to part of Kashmir, drawing condemnation from India, which has long objected to any such changes by Islamabad. Khan’s proposal would apply to Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan’s only land link to China, which is the northern part …
Read More »Bahamut hacker group reportedly targeting everyone from US to India
Saudi diplomats, Sikh separatists and Indian business executives have been among those targeted by a group of hired hackers, according to research published on Wednesday by software firm BlackBerry Corp BB.BA. The report here on the group, known publicly as Bahamut, the name assigned to the mythical sea monster of …
Read More »The Unruly ‘Tenet’ in the House: Christopher Nolan on Art after-before-after the Empire
I’ve been struggling to write a review of this little sci-fi action masterpiece Tenet (2020) for quite some time now if only because it’s such a hard movie to understand. And I’m saying this as a sci-fi buff whose watched and read his fair share of reverse flow time travel …
Read More »Splicing and Dicing: interview with Fantasy-SF author Asmaa Kadry
Emad El-Din Aysha: Tell me something about yourself, your CV? Asmaa Kadry: Forget CV’s, they’re highly overrated. I think you could say that I’m an eclectic soul: Internationally accredited Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist & NLP life coach Public speaker & certified trainer Author whose written and published 10 books until now mostly …
Read More »ADNOC evluating chemical investment in India
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, Adani Group, BASF SE and Borealis AG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to engage in a joint feasibility study to further evaluate a collaboration for the establishment of a chemical complex in Mundra, Gujarat, India. This is the next step of …
Read More »Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre at International Astronautical Congress 2020
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) revealed the winning logo from the design competition held for the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2020. IAC, which will be hosted in Dubai for the first time in the Arab world, is a global event that brings together leading space specialists and decision-makers …
Read More »Turning Point in US Foreign Policy?
By Graham E. Fuller | Is American foreign policy, so long drifting towards collapse and irrelevance, about to be revolutionized? An article written by veteran journalist Stephen Kinzer in the Boston Globe today contains exciting news with revolutionary implications for US foreign policy, America’s place in the world, and a …
Read More »Abu Dhabi selling real estate to Indian investors
An Indian real estate consultant Anarock announced on Monday that it has partnered with Aldar Properties to sell housing and commercial assets located in Abu Dhabi to Indian investors, Press Trust of India, PTI, reported on Monday. Aldar Properties PJSC is Abu Dhabi’s leading property development, management and investment company. …
Read More »Plans for Dubai Startup Hub Roadshow in India afoot
Innovative start-ups from India will have the opportunity to pitch and compete for business set-up support in Dubai at the first-ever roadshow to be organised by the Dubai Startup Hub in Delhi and Bangalore from 24th to 26th June, 2019. The Dubai Startup Hub is an initiative of the Dubai …
Read More »Modernising Trade in the Indian Ocean Rim Conference celebrates UAE
The United Arab Emirates participated in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)’s biggest trade event of the year entitled, “Modernising Trade in the Indian Ocean Rim Conference” which concluded today in Durban, South Africa. The three-day conference gathered more than 100 delegates from IORA Member States, comprising of government officials …
Read More »IndiGo connects India and UAE
IndiGo commenced two new daily direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Abu Dhabi yesterday. The inaugural flight from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi to Abu Dhabi took flight on Wednesday, 5th June at 19:55 Local Time (LT), while the flight from Abu Dhabi to Chhatrapati Shivaji International …
Read More »Filling the Lacuna: First Anthology of Poetry on the Partition of India in 1947
Reviewed by Ameer Imam* Some wounds never heal up and bleed for ages. History is always in a hurry. It never thinks what is left behind. It never cares if its work is finished or unfinished. It moves like a river without thinking for a while that its banks …
Read More »UAE Central Bank says India main destination of remittances
India was the leading destination for outward personal remittances from the UAE during 2018, according to figures included in the annual report of the UAE Central Bank, released this week. An analysis of the Central Bank report carried in the Abu Dhabi daily newspaper, The National, showed that 38.1 percent …
Read More »ADNOC building strategic partnership with India
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, has marked the inauguration of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India. To mark the occasion, the Indian and United Arab Emirates flags and a video of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE …
Read More »Dear Makhmalbaf! There Is Iranian Cinema Even In India
By Gouthama Siddarthan* Is there paucity of stories in India? When I was buying fruit juice at a roadside shop, I happened on a lad stretching out arms. Handing the juice over to him, I was just watching what he was doing. He crossed the road and sat on a …
Read More »Indian analyst: India’s objective is not to attack Pakistan
This is an interview conducted by Emad El-Din AyshaBy with the Indian analyst and editor of International Affairs Review, Aditi Bhaduri on the Pakistani- Indian recent clashes: The Levant News: What is the Indian position now? Does it want escalation of the hostilities? What does India want from Pakistan that …
Read More »India given waiver over Iran port development
The top U.S. diplomat has granted an exception to certain U.S. sanctions that will allow the India-led development of a port in Iran as part of a new transportation corridor designed to boost Afghanistan’s economy, a State Department spokesman said on Tuesday. The exception granted by Secretary of State Mike …
Read More »Adnoc aims to deepen energy ties with India
Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), met Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at an invitation-only energy leaders’ roundtable, as the UAE seeks to expand partnership and investment opportunities, especially in the energy sector. The roundtable, …
Read More »Expected rise in Saudi oil output to meet India’s demand
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, said on Monday it is committed to meeting India’s rising oil demand as the kingdom expects its oil production to rise next month from the current 10.7 million barrels per day, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih said on Monday. India, the world’s …
Read More »India to keep buying Iranian oil despite US sanctions
India will buy 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November, two industry sources said, indicating that the world’s third-biggest oil importer is to continue purchasing crude from the Islamic republic despite US sanctions coming into force on November 4. “Refiners have placed November nominations to lift 1.25 million tonnes …
Read More »Dubai’s Burj Khalifa beams Gandhi’s images
Mahatma Gandhi’s images beamed on Burj Khalifa this evening, marking the commencement of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of India’s Father of the Nation. The special LED show, jointly organised by the Indian Embassy, Abu Dhabi, Indian Consulate in Dubai and Emaar Properties, took place at 8:20pm and 8:40pm on Tuesday. Gandhi Jayanti …
Read More »Russia is said to plan air-defence deal with India next week
Russia is expected to sign a deal to supply advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India next week during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, a Russian official said. The threat of US sanctions against buyers of Russian weapons — imposed most recently on China — won’t affect the …
Read More »Asia’s August Iran oil imports hit 2-month low, set to drop further
Imports of Iranian crude oil by major buyers in Asia hit a two-month low in August, hurt by a more than 80 per cent plunge in South Korean purchases ahead of upcoming US sanctions on Tehran, government and ship-tracking data showed. China, India, Japan and South Korea last month imported …
Read More »Video: Police beat Hindu woman for being in the company of Muslim man
A video showing a Hindu woman being beaten up by the police for being in the company of a Muslim man has set Twitter on fire. The video posted by journalist @PiyushRaiTOI received thousands of retweets in a few hours, with tweeps expressing outrage at the fact that the common …
Read More »India has no plans to buy Iran oil in November
India is not planning to buy any crude oil from Iran in November, raising the prospect that Tehran will lose another major customer as US sanctions hit. Indian Oil Corp. and Bharat Petroleum Corp. haven’t asked for any Iranian cargoes for loading in November, according to officials at the companies. …
Read More »Careem acquires talent and technology of India’s Commut
Dubai-based ride-hailing company Careem has acquired the talent and technology of India’s third largest mass transport app — Commut — for an undisclosed amount. The Hyderabad-based Commut is a minibus shuttle service for daily office commuters in the state since November 2015. Careem said in a statement the deal will …
Read More »India cancels rare Pakistan meeting over ‘brutal killings’
India cancelled on Friday a rare meeting between its foreign minister and her Pakistani counterpart scheduled to have taken place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, only a day after announcing it would take place. The Indian foreign ministry said the cancellation followed the “latest brutal killings of …
Read More »Indian oil refiner part-owned by Iranian company cancels Iran oil imports
India’s Chennai Petroleum will stop processing Iranian crude oil from October to keep its insurance coverage once new sanctions by the United States against Iran go into effect, three sources familiar with the issue said. Iran’s Naftiran Intertrade Co Ltd, a trading arm for state-owned National Iranian Oil Co, owns …
Read More »First Sikh Man inducted into Trump’s security detail
Ludhiana-born Anshdeep Singh Bhatia just became the first Sikh to be inducted into US President Donald Trump’s security team. Twitter users shared his story and congratulated him. According to a report by the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, Bhatia moved to the US in the year 2000 and always dreamt of …
Read More »Over 1,200 delegates from India to take part in Dubai Summit
More than 1,200 delegates from five Indian states are expected to take part in the second India-UAE Partnership Summit 2018 (IUPS) to be held in Dubai next month. The two-day event on October 30 and 31 is aimed at attracting investments into education, small- and medium-sized enterprises and skills development …
Read More »Kindergarten students in UAE donate for Kerala flood victims
When five-year-old Shrivardhan Ashok Kumar learnt that his school was collecting relief material for the Kerala flood victims, he didn’t hesitate to tell his parents and donate his pocket money towards the cause. “The people [affected by the floods] in Kerala are sad because they don’t have anything. That day …
Read More »Hinduja Group opens talks to pick up equity in UAE bank
The UK’s Hinduja Group confirmed talks are on with two UAE banks to acquire a possible equity stake in one of them, part of a move to expand its already sizeable business operations in this country. “We don’t do much of minority stakes — if the regulator allows it, we …
Read More »US to press India on Russia missiles, Iran oil
US President Donald Trump’s top two envoys were expected Thursday to press India not to buy Russian military equipment or Iranian oil, while seeking to bolster ties as China grows more assertive in the region. The “2+2” meeting in New Delhi of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense …
Read More »India-UAE food corridor to benefit 2m people
An ambitious project — the India-UAE food corridor — will benefit two million farmers and create an additional 200,000 jobs across India, thanks to cumulative investments of more than $5 billion (Dh18.35 billion) by the UAE in the next three years, a top Indian diplomat told Gulf News. Explaining the …
Read More »Banking the unbankable: Rise is on a mission
A majority of the UAE’s 750,000 maids earn less than Dh2,000 per month, according to Rise, a Dubai-based start-up aimed at providing banking facilities to low-income workers. While this may be a relatively small amount individually, Rise saw the potential for scale. Collectively, maids in the UAE make $5 billion …
Read More »US tech giants to fight India’s data localisation plans
US technology giants plan to intensify lobbying efforts against stringent Indian data localisation requirements, which they say will undermine their growth ambitions in India, sources told Reuters. US trade groups, representing companies such as Amazon, American Express and Microsoft, have opposed India’s push to store data locally. That push comes …
Read More »Kuwait plans domestic labour pact with India
Kuwait plans pacts with four Asian countries to recruit domestic labour under clear regulations, Kuwaiti Minister of Social Affairs and State for Economic Affairs Hend Al Sabeeh has said. The move comes amid a reported dispute over rules for employing domestic helpers from the Philippines. Al Sabeeh named India, Bangladesh …
Read More »India need not fear oil shortage: UAE envoy
Even as the US-imposed sanctions on Iran has put India’s energy security in jeopardy, UAE Ambassador to India Ahmad Al Banna has allayed fears of an oil shortage, saying his country as well as Saudi Arabia can fill in if supply from Iran is disrupted. “In the international market, the …
Read More »Indian and Pakistani expats face a gold vs currency dilemma
Demand for gold in the UAE is getting some serious competition now — from the currency exchange market. Rather than buy gold now, despite the near 6 per cent drop in prices since the start of the year, a good number of consumers, especially those from the Subcontinent, are using …
Read More »India’s Carnival in talks to buy cinemas in UAE, Bahrain
India’s Carnival Cinemas and a partner in the UAE are in talks to buy Qatar-based Novo Cinemas’ theatres in the UAE and Bahrain, three sources familiar with the matter said. The potential deal highlights moves to separate cross-border businesses in the Gulf following a boycott imposed on Qatar by Saudi …
Read More »Adnoc, Saudi Aramco sign deal to invest in India’s refinery plant
Energy giants Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Saudi Aramco will jointly invest in the development of $44 billion (Dh161 billion) Ratnagiri refinery and petrochemicals complex that is coming up in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. The two firms signed a framework agreement in this regard in New …
Read More »