• West Asia

    President renames excellence award; VP says march towards Vision 2021 will continue

    The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has ordered that the Emirates Government Service Excellence Award be renamed the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award as a tribute to the outstanding role played by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of…

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  • West Asia

    Yemen’s dire need for WOMENOMICS

    In his speech at the 68th session of the U.N. General Assembly, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talked about many key issues that matter to the world, but what was more interesting for me personally was the interest he showed in empowering women in the economic sector―let’s call it, “womenomics.”…

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  • West Asia

    Saudi Arabia’s desire to hold talks with Iran

    Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal made an important announcement Tuesday when he said that he invited his Iranian counterpart and that he is ready to negotiate with him. This announcement signaled a change in Saudi Arabia’s policy toward Iran and came during US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s…

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  • East Asia

    [Asia Round-up] It pays to be cautious about digital cash

    The collapse of the bitcoin exchange MtGox tells a lot about both entrepreneurs and cyber buyers. Some US$450 million is said to have been lost from the debacle. The vision of inflation-less currency that can move easily and without cost between sender and receiver is an attractive one. But, one…

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  • South Asia

    Love of the Arts: From Mumbai to Kuwait!

    Director and writer Arif Kazi A few years ago, when I started my TV program “The Other,” which hosts non-Arab cultural figures to be introduced to an Arab audience, I met Mr. Arif Kazi for the first time. A mutual friend suggested him to be my guest for our new…

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  • South Asia

    IMF says Pakistan economy on track but inflation looms

    ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund said Saturday that Pakistan’s economic reform program remained broadly on track, but warned over rising inflation. Pakistan received a $6.7 billion IMF bailout package last year to help the country achieve economic reforms, particularly in its troubled energy sector. “The IMF is encouraged by the…

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  • West Asia

    Graffiti in Jeddah, traditional Islamic city

    A man walks by a graffiti on a wall in the old city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 9, 2014. Jeddah has been a traditional hub for commerce along the Red Sea and the port of entry for many Muslims traveling to Mecca to perform the religious obligations for…

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  • East Asia

    High Goals on Big Screens

    Though soccer is considered the most famous sport around the globe, it’s still not presented well in movies. American football stole the spotlight, and it’s either documentaries or comedy movies like “She’s The Man” or “Shaolin Soccer”. Only recently those studios really started to do some real soccer movies. Recently,…

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  • West Asia

    “Nasser” – key word in Egyptian Presidential Elections

    A few years ago, and for almost half a century back, going to the polls was not a regular habit for Egyptians. The face of one ultimate president, Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak, was shading the backdrop of the stage. So, Egyptians believed that even if they tried to choose an…

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  • West Asia

    Kuwait, future bridge of Silk Road

    The 13th Al-Arabi Magazine Forum held on March 3-5 The two TV announcers Ms. Manal Omran and Ms. Sodaba Ali were calling the honored names and institution representatives to receive their golden boats from the Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Salem Al-Humoud…

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