An Israeli Cabinet minister is proposing that they all share a railway link that could cut overland travel distances between the Mediterranean and key Arab destinations by a half or two-thirds. The Regional Landbridge & Hub Initiative has been developed by Yisrael Katz, Israel’s minister of transportation and intelligence and a potential rival to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for leadership ...

The mini-deal on U.S. trade with China announced by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross last week deserves a cautious welcome. It’s narrow in scope, and the reasoning behind it, as related by Ross, is questionable at best, but it gets the main thing right: It expands rather than contracts the opportunities for mutually beneficial commerce. One can only hope that the ...

How many more atrocities committed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on its own people will go unpunished? What will it take for Syria’s allies to say ‘enough is enough’ and international community to act decisively against the brutality of Assad regime? Syrian president has carried out worst atrocities — widespread kidnappings, torture, barrel-bombings and chemical weapons attacks — unleashed against ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump claimed an “absolute right” to share information about terrorism with Russian officials, but some lawmakers in both parties expressed alarm over reports he had disclosed highly classified material in an Oval Office meeting last week and demanded a fuller accounting. “As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I ...

Bloomberg President Bashar al-Assad should be eliminated to stop the atrocities taking place in Syria, according to an Israeli minister in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Housing and Construction Minister Yoav Gallant, a retired major general who led the Israel Defense Forces’s southern command, which includes the Gaza Strip, pointed to U.S. allegations that the Assad regime built a crematorium at a ...

Bloomberg President Emmanuel Macron was spending Tuesday selecting his cabinet with new Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. Just back from meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Macron is huddling with Philippe throughout the day with the list of ministers is due to be released at 3 p.m. on Wednesday in Paris. Macron this month became the first French president to ...

Dubai / WAM Dubai Economy launched a new initiative to certify e-commerce websites, as part of its efforts to protect consumers, resolve their complaints and ensure best practices in online transactions. The “Digital Protection” service is aimed at e-commerce companies offering their services in mainland Dubai, as well as the free zones in the emirate. Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The UAE has provided the Yemeni health sector, during the period 2015 to 2017, with financial assistance amounting to AED502 million to support its medical and health services in emergency cases, combat contagious diseases and provide basic healthcare, as well as to train heath sector employees. This is within the framework of the UAE’s desire to ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Chef Middle East, a leading regional supplier of the finest quality foods to the hotel, dining and airline industries, inaugurated its new AED 75 million world-class distribution centre at Dubai Investments Park (DIP). Omar Al Mesmar, General Manager of DIP, attended the grand opening and cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the massive 10,000 square ...

DUBAI / WAM Emirates Transport (ET), announced net profits of AED182.4 million for 2016, an increase of 25 percent on 2015, as revenues also rose to AED2.395 billion, recording an increase of 10 percent on the previous year. The figures were revealed in the federal transport corporation’s Annual Report 2016. Mohammed Abdullah Al Jarman, General Manager of ET, said the ...