May, 2016

• 11 May

  EU-Turkey migrant deal is ‘botched job’, says Spain

  Madrid / AFP Spain’s foreign minister on Wednesday described the EU’s deal with Turkey to stem the influx of migrants as a “botched job”, blasting Europe’s “inadequate” response to its worst migration crisis since World War II. Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said he was unhappy with leaving the solution to the crisis in the hands of a country outside the European ...

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• 11 May

  Germany hopes for truce extension in Ukraine talks

    Berlin / AFP Germany’s foreign minister said he hoped the warring sides in Ukraine’s conflict could agree to extend a shaky truce, ahead of peace talks in Berlin later Wednesday. Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he also wanted negotiators to move forward on organising local elections in eastern Ukraine, warning that each round of fruitless talks risks undermining a fragile peace ...

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• 11 May

  Queen calls Chinese delegation ‘very rude’

  

    London / AFP Queen Elizabeth II was caught on camera describing some Chinese officials as “very rude” in a rare diplomatic gaffe by the long-serving British monarch over a state visit that drummed up billions in Chinese investment. Her comments, aired on Wednesday, came just hours after Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday also made inadvertently public remarks, referring ...

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• 11 May

  A spy chief’s hardened perspective

  

    Early in his tenure as director of national intelligence, James Clapper could sometimes be heard complaining “I’m too old for this [expletive]!” He has now served almost six years as America’s top intelligence official, and when I asked him this week how much longer he would be in harness, he consulted his calendar and answered with relief, “265 days!” ...

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• 11 May

  In Hiroshima, Obama must send N-free world message

    Hiroshima stands as an obnoxious reminder of atrocities of a nuclear war. It keeps warning us that such an apocalypse should never be repeated. With Barack Obama’s trip to Hiroshima this month — the first by a sitting US President — hopes are raised the visit would renew push for global nuclear disarmament in light of horror Hiroshima still ...

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• 11 May

  Don’t worry about the Trump transition

    Jonathan Bernstein Good for Donald Trump for getting an early start on his presidential transition team. Though Chris Christie may not be ideal for this particular job, it is a vital task, especially since Trump’s challenges will be unusually difficult, should he actually win the election. This is in part because, as Politico reported on Monday before the Christie ...

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• 11 May

  How to shorten airport lines? Get rid of the TSA

  This spring, millions of Americans have learned to dread going to the airport. An unfortunate combination of surging passenger volumes and declining numbers of screeners have led to security lines that can average over an hour in length. Thousands of passengers are missing flights daily. Meanwhile, airports and airlines across the U.S. are struggling to contain passenger anger. In desperation ...

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• 11 May

  Social selling: The new face of trade in UAE

  

    Ritika Sharma / Emirates Business If you think a salesman glued to his smartphone, busy in social media, is hampering his company’s business, think again; this could not be the case at least in the UAE. A recent survey has revealed that UAE salespeople who spend around 4.8 hours per week on social media are actually boosting the sales ...

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• 11 May

  Vertu’s bespoke luxury mobiles don Arabic calligraphy

  

    Sunaina Rana / Emirates Business Renowned Arabic calligraphy artist Wissam Shawkat has collaborated with Vertu luxury mobiles to create exclusive designs for the brand’s bespoke offering during Ramadan, revering the theme of ‘love’. This unique collaboration reinforces the importance of Middle East in the luxury handmade mobile phone brand sales, and offers customers an opportunity to own a piece ...

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• 11 May

  Amlak posts AED 123mn profit for Q1

  

    Dubai / Emirates Business Amlak Finance PJSC, a leading specialized real estate financier in the Middle East, announced its financial results for first quarter ended March 31. The company’s net group profits were reported at AED 123 million. Amlak’s Total Revenue reached AED 363 million in Q1 2016 compared to AED 104 million in Q1 last year. The strong ...

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