GE Capital plans another benchmark Islamic bond-exec
DUBAI: GE Capital, a unit of General Electric Co., plans to issue its second Islamic bond in late 2010 or in 2011, a senior executive said on Sunday. Aris Kekedjian,…
Palestinian firm sees better 2010 prospects
AMMAN: Political stability in the West Bank has brightened the business prospects of the largest Palestinian holding firm, its chairman said on Sunday. "Most of the companies that we invest…
Egypt to begin PR offensive against Nile Water treaty
CAIRO: Egypt is to begin a public relations initiative in the West in an attempt to bring the international community on board regarding its rights to the Nile water after…
S.Africa rail strike leaves millions stranded
JOHANNESBURG: A strike by rail workers in South Africa left two million commuters stranded Monday just 24 days from the kick-off of the World Cup, in which the rail network…
Over 1,000 executed every year for drugs, says report
VIENNA: More than 1,000 people face execution worldwide every year for drug-related offences, the human rights group IHRA said Monday in a report that called for the practice to be…
Activists call for Kuwait women to be appointed to judiciary
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwaiti activists and their supporters on Monday called for the appointment of women to the Gulf state's judiciary, from which they are still barred despite winning political rights.…
MP goes on hunger strike to protest constituency shuffle
CAIRO: MP Mostafa Bakry has gone on a hunger strike inside the People’s Assembly (PA) to protest against a draft law proposing a division of electoral constituencies, Bakry’s brother, Mahmoud,…
W. Sahara refugees bemoan the lack of work
DAKHLA REFUGEE CAMP: In the sprawling Dakhla camp for Western Sahara refugees, Abdala, a 35-year-old father, spends most of his days just lying in his tent. The reason is not…
Fear of Tehran haunts Iranian refugees in Turkey
NEVSEHIR: Tortured in jails and threatened with death, Behzad, Siyavash and Ali have, like hundreds of dissident Iranians, found refuge in Turkey, but peace of mind is still eluding them…
Niger charges driver in kidnap of Frenchman
NIAMEY: Authorities in Niger have charged the driver of a 78-year-old Frenchman with complicity in his April kidnapping, which has been claimed by the North African branch of Al-Qaeda, a…