November, 2016

• 14 November

  Masdar to develop hi-fi water desalination technologies

  

    Abu Dhabi / WAM Masdar Institute is keen to strengthen its research efforts in the field of water desalination in the light of the challenges facing the region, including the scarcity of water resources, Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf, Interim Provost, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, has said. She cited that the per capita consumption of water in the state ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  Tensions as Turkey heads to vote on new Erdogan powers

  

    Istanbul /AFP Turkey is heading to a referendum on granting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan new powers as early as next spring, ratcheting up tensions amid a crackdown on dissent and pro-Kurdish politicians, analysts say. The courts have arrested over 35,000 people under a state of emergency imposed in the wake of the failed July 15 coup aimed at unseating ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  Rare IS-claimed suicide attack kills 8 near Baghdad

    Karbala / AP A rare suicide bombing in an oasis town south of Baghdad killed eight people on Monday, Iraqi officials said, an attack claimed by the IS group. The attack in Ain al-Tamer, which also wounded at least six people, involved multiple suicide bombers, some of whom may have been killed by security forces before they could blow themselves ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  Turkey ‘temporarily’ shuts crossing with Syria

    Istanbul / AP Turkey on Monday closed a border crossing with Syria in the southeastern province of Kilis after violent clashes in the Syrian town of Azaz, a local official said. “The border gate remains open only for ambulances,” the official said. Turkish media reported that the closure of the Oncupinar border crossing, which faces Bab al-Salama inside Syria, was ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  Palestinians decry Israel bill to legalise settler homes

  

    Ramallah / AFP Palestinian leaders on Monday denounced an Israeli bill to legalise several thousand Jewish homes in the occupied West Bank, vowing to take up the issue at the UN Security Council. They also sharply criticised a separate bill that would limit the volume of calls to prayers at mosques in Israel and Jerusalem, a measure government watchdogs ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  Kerry in Oman for Yemen peace talks

    Muscat /AFP US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks on Monday with officials in Oman on efforts to end Yemen’s 19-month conflict, state media in Muscat said. Kerry and Oman’s Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi discussed the “peaceful and humanitarian role played by the sultanate in Yemen,” ONA state news agency reported. Kerry is also expected to meet ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  Hand grenade drone adds to IS arsenal around Mosul

  

    Arbid / AFP The IS group drone hovered in the sky over the advancing Iraqi forces before dropping a grenade, the extremists’ latest move to weaponise small off-the-shelf aircraft. Down below, the grenade exploded on the roof of a building where Iraqi police forces were sheltering as they advanced some 10 kilometres (six miles) south of Mosul, the last ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  Pakistan: India killed 7 troops in Kashmir

    Islamabad/AFP The Pakistani military accused India on Monday of killing seven soldiers in cross-border fire in disputed Kashmir, in what appeared to be an unusually high toll after months of surging tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours. “Seven soldiers embraced shahadat (martyrdom) at the Line of Control (LoC) in Bhimber sector in a crossfire LOC violation by Indian troops late ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  US$50 million funding round for renewable energy projects opens

  

    Abu Dhabi / WAM The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) have officially opened the fifth round of funding for renewable energy projects in developing countries. The funding round of approximately US$ 50 million is part of ADFD’s US$ 350 million (AED 1.285 billion) commitment offering concessional loans to renewable energy projects endorsed ...

  Read More »
• 14 November

  Ajman Tourism sponsors fourth Gulf Business Women Forum

  

    Ajman / Emirates Business HH Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, honored the Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) for sponsoring and supporting the 4th Gulf Business Women Forum that was held on November 9-10 at Fairmont Ajman Hotel. In line with its commitment to support the Forum and keenness to communicate with ...

  Read More »