January, 2017

• 24 January

  Abu Dhabi to host 2019 Special Olympics World Games

    Abu Dhabi / WAM Abu Dhabi will be the host of the 2019 Special Olympics World Games, the world’s largest humanitarian and sporting event, to be held first time in the Middle East, it was officially announced on Tuesday. The games will take place in venues throughout Abu Dhabi from March 14- 21, 2019. At a press conference in Zayed ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  Russia-led Syria talks end with truce pledge amid Iran tensions

  

    Bloomberg Russian-led talks on Syria ended with agreement on Tuesday to bolster a cease-fire even as apparent disputes with Iran, a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, threaten to hold up efforts to end the six-year civil war. Russia, Turkey and Iran will set up “a trilateral mechanism to observe and ensure full compliance with the cease-fire, prevent ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  Iraqi forces battle IS in pocket of eastern Mosul

    MOSUL / AP Fierce fighting erupted in Mosul on Tuesday as Iraqi forces tried to drive IS militants from one of their last bastions in the eastern half of the city, as aid groups expressed concern for the estimated 750,000 people still in the militant-held west. Hundreds of civilians fled from the northeastern Rashidiya neighborhood on foot as Iraqi helicopters ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  Turkish president lands in Mozambique for talks

    JOHANNESBURG / AP Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Mozambique on an Africa tour in which he is promoting trade and asking governments to crack down on institutions linked to Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric accused of organizing a coup attempt last year. Erdogan arrived in the Mozambican capital of Maputo from Tanzania. He also plans to visit ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  Hopes fade for justice for dead, lost Sri Lankan journalists

    COLOMBO / AP Activists and relatives say hope is fading fast for the new Sri Lankan government to act against the perpetrators in the killings and disappearances of journalists during the long civil war or the country’s previous administration. President Maithripala Siriena campaigned on a promise of ending a culture of impunity before he defeated the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa in ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  UK government loses Brexit case, must consult Parliament

  

    LONDON / AP Britain’s government must get parliamentary approval before starting the process of leaving the European Union, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday, potentially delaying Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to trigger negotiations by the end of March. The 8-3 ruling forces the government to put a bill before Parliament, giving pro-EU politicians a chance to soften the terms ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  Serbia and Kosovo seek to calm nerves after train confrontation

    Bloomberg The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo are heading to Brussels for talks called by the European Union aimed at soothing simmering tensions after Serbia tried to send a train adorned with nationalist symbols across the border. EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini called the meeting for Tuesday under the auspices of negotiations to normalize relations between Kosovo and ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  Teen’s case casts spotlight on Israel detentions

  

    SILWAD / AP High school student Hamza Hamad spent 10 months in an Israeli jail for alleged links to the Hamas group, but was never charged with a crime. The 16-year-old is one of the youngest among thousands of Palestinians who have been held in so-called administrative detention in half a century of Israeli military occupation. The teen’s case spotlights ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  DCCA partners with MOHAP to develop health sector

  

    Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai Creative Clusters Authority (DCCA), a government regulatory body mandated to foster the economic development of Dubai’s creative clusters and related knowledge industries, signed a partnership agreement with the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) to support the country’s efforts in developing the healthcare sector and providing an enabling environment for advancing the pharmaceuticals ...

  Read More »
• 24 January

  ADNOC opens ‘Xpress’ stations

  

    Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Saeed Mubarak Al Rashdi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of ADNOC Distribution, on Tuesday launched the new ADNOC Xpress concept of petrol stations in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Part of ADNOC Distribution’s expanding network, the new Xpress stations are set to service the most congested areas of Abu Dhabi city and its suburbs. The ...

  Read More »