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…
Republican election gains likely to embolden Israeli PM
JERUSALEM: A weakening of US President Barack Obama's Democrats in this week's US Congressional elections would make Israel more resistant to demands for a new freeze on Jewish settlement, analysts…
Ivory Coast presidential vote begins
ABIDJAN: The West African nation of Ivory Coast held a long-awaited presidential election Sunday, the first since civil war erupted in 2002 and split the world's leading cocoa producer in…
Arab League urges justice for ‘crimes’ revealed by WikiLeaks
CAIRO: The Arab League called on Friday for those behind the "crimes against humanity" contained in leaked Iraq war documents published by the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks to be brought to…
Egypt police shoot dead Sudanese migrant at Israel border
EL-ARISH: An Egyptian security official says a man from Sudan's Darfur region was shot dead trying to sneak across the border into Israel. Egyptian border guards surprised a group of…
