Mideast banks, funds seek to tap women’s wealth
DUBAI: Emirati housewife Sarah Alzarouni brushed past a group of women clad in floor-length black robes, some with only their eyes showing, to enter through the frosted doors of one…
‘Hawi’, ‘Balls’ receive Arab film competition prizes at second Doha Tribeca Fest
Ibrahim El Batout’s third feature “Hawi” from Egypt won Best Arab Film while Josef Fares’ Lebanese comedy “Balls” picked up the award for Best Arab Filmmaker in recognition for its…
The ultimate nuclear test
By Sergio Duarte and Tibor Tóth NEW YORK: On Nov. 1, a team of over 35 experts will launch an exercise to inspect a simulated nuclear test site near the Dead…
Why this Zionist opposed Israel’s loyalty oath
By Moriel Rothman MIDDLEBURY, Vermont: In October, the Israeli cabinet approved a new law that will require all non-Jewish immigrants applying for citizenship to declare their loyalty to Israel as a…
China’s war on inequality
BEIJING: A major new target in the “Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development” that China just unveiled is to boost the growth rate for household (disposable) income so that…
David Cameron’s culture war
NEW YORK: British Prime Minister David Cameron’s government has announced some of the most draconian public-sector cuts any developed country government has ever attempted. Indeed, his minister of education recently…
Bahrain concerned about FX volatility, food costs
KUWAIT: Bahrain's central bank is concerned about volatility in global currency markets as well as rising food costs, its governor said on Sunday. Meanwhile Qatar's economy will expand strongly this…
Agricultural projects seek to wean Afghans off opium
HEART: Abdul Khaliq Stanikzai says the tiny mound of red and yellow threads in the palm of his hand could help cure Afghanistan of its opium addiction. With agricultural development…
French airline makes landmark flight to Baghdad
BAGHDAD: A French airliner landed at Baghdad International Airport Sunday, becoming one of the first passenger planes to fly into the Iraqi capital direct from Western Europe since the Gulf…
Niger votes on new constitution after coup
DAKAR: Voters in Niger were being asked Sunday to back a new constitution that would impose presidential term limits, though critics say it is unlikely to increase political stability in…
