Gulf News (United Arab Emirates) back issues from February 2009:
Caution about electronics market growth forecast.(Industry overview)
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: The Middle East's consumer electronics and technology market is poised to defy the global economic slowdown with a sales forecast this year exceeding the record high sales of $37 billion in 2008, according to industry sources. The market is forecast to grow to $39-$40 ...
Militant influence creeping across Pakistan.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Lahore: For months, the terrible events unfolding in the conflict-torn Swat valley in the North-west Frontier Province, have caused a deep unease across Pakistan. But now the fear has spread itself across the country. Militants operating in the valley have been able to close ...
First anniversary of the appointment of Shaikh Hamdan as Crown Prince and Shaikh Maktoum as Deputy Ruler.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: Sunday marks the first anniversary of the appointment of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum as Crown Prince of Dubai and the appointment of Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum as Deputy Ruler of Dubai. Since the appointments of Shaikh Hamdan ...
UAE signs air services pact with Philippines.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: The UAE has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Philippines to increase flights between the countries. Dubai: The UAE has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Philippines to increase flights between the countries. The two sides ...
Top earner Serena prepares for Dubai.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: The world's richest female athlete is preparing to pack her bags to head to Dubai to take part in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships which begins on February 15. Serena Williams became the all-time female athlete career prize money leader in women's sports by ...
Search goes on for cure-all pill.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Davos: The world's leading governments and international regulators are still only feeling their way as they try to arrive at a comprehensive solution to the global financial crisis within a broad consensus that international cooperation is required and protectionism is wrong. ...
Dubai 'a potent model that must be nurtured'.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: A new economic agenda is now needed to boost the expanding region further and control market challenges. Davos: Speakers at a special session on the Gulf economies on Friday discussed the need for a new economic agenda for the Gulf region in the context of the global ...
McIlroy 'blown away' by Tiger comparison.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: Rory McIlroy has used the words "mind-blowing" in response to Mark O'Meara's admission that his game at 19 is a notch above that of Tiger Woods at the same age. O'Meara compared McIlroy, with whom he was paired over the first two rounds, with his long-time friend Woods on ...
Region ups standards on human development.
Feb 01, 2009 ... All Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states succeeded in improving their rankings at the 2008 Human Development Index (HDI) survey on the back of investments on education and health. The annual HDI survey is issued by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Similar to ...
Ministry to review grade 12 results by year-end.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: Official says hard work will not be ignored while implementing the new well-considered assessment methods. Dubai: The Ministry of Education has announced that the results of grade 12 examinations will be reviewed by the year-end in the light of new assessment and ...
Residents favour cycling as a means of transport.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai/Abu Dhabi/Fujairah: Snail-paced traffic, blazing horns and rising blood pressure - this is what motorists have to go through on their daily route to work. But have they ever considered turning in their car for a bicycle? The scorching midday sun and the sheer ...
Oman Air sees 31% rise in passengers.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: Airline feels under pressure over yields despite seeing positive ticket sales. Muscat: Oman Air said it has recorded 31 per cent increase in passenger footprint in 2008. According to statistics released by the airline, 1.98 million passengers used it in 2008 ...
Consensus growing that oil prices are bottoming out.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: US traders data shows commercial hedgers liquidating short futures positions. Abu Dhabi: Expectations are everything in market price discovery. The world's largest oil consuming economy showed a decline of 3.5 per cent on Friday, the largest decline in its GDP since ...
Consumer electronics sales poised to defy global trend.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: The Middle East's consumer electronics and technology market is poised to defy the global economic slowdown with a sales forecast this year exceeding the 2008 record of $37 billion (Dh136 billion), according to industry sources. The market is forecast to grow to $39-$40 ...
Emcredit gets world certification.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: Emcredit, the country's leading credit information services company, said it has secured the ISO 27001 certification - an accreditation for information protection and security. The company said in a statement that it is now among a small number of credit bureaus in the ...
Dubai Internet City backs regional ICT summit.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: Dubai Internet City, the region's leading information technology cluster, said yesterday it is to be the official partner of a regional industry congress this month. The IDC Mena CIO Summit 2009 will be held from February 8 to 9. Chief information officers ...
Obama should start afresh.
Feb 01, 2009 ... US President Barack Obama's decision to appoint high profile special envoys for the Middle East and the Pakistan-Afghanistan regions merits both recognition and criticism. In sharp contrast to the controversial tenure of former president George W. Bush, the new US president has ...
Construction site accidents drop.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: Trauma centre says number of job-related injuries declined between September and December. Dubai: Summer last year proved dangerous for construction workers in Dubai, recording the highest number of construction-related injuries that required surgery, the Rashid Hospital ...
Employment for UAE nationals.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said on Saturday its participation in the Abu Dhabi Recruitment Show 2009 will highlight its efforts to recruit more UAE nationals. The Adac pavilion at the show has been designed to provide extensive information and an environment which ...
Mitchell has a big role.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Sixty one years after the passage of United Nations Resolution 181 creating the state of Israel on Palestinian land, the ensuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unsolved. Numerous US administrations, beginning with that of president Dwight Eisenhower, attempted to mediate the problem, ...
Ministry seeks to minimise impact of financial crisis.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: A meeting of UAE Minister of Economy Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri and the heads of various economic departments in the UAE proposed a new set of initiatives to strengthen the economy and minimise the impact of the global financial crisis. These proposals follow a series ...
Australians celebrate their growing presence in the UAE.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Abu Dhabi: Australians in the UAE capital expressed their satisfaction with the growing presence of their community and greater interaction with locals and other communities with the regular social activities. "The number of Australians is increasing in the UAE and they have ...
'I treat people as individuals'.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: When Butch Harmon, widely considered one of the greatest golf coaches of all time, was approached to set up his first academy outside the US in Dubai three years ago, he thought, "No other place in the world has a city of sport? So why not?" Today, The Butch Harmon School ...
Eagles drive McIlroy to lead.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: Two eagles - one in the second round, the other in the third - were the highlight for Rory McIlroy yesterday as another immaculate performance drove him to the summit of the Dubai Desert Classic standings. The teenager from Northern Ireland was forced to complete the last ...
Dubai to host Global Agenda Summit.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Davos: The 2009 Global Agenda Summit will be held in Dubai from November 20 to 22, Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, told Gulf News on Saturday. The first successful meeting of the Global Agenda Summit was held last year in Dubai. Speaking ...
When happiness becomes hard to find.
Feb 01, 2009 ... One of the important parts of the mix at the Davos meetings is the inclusion of many delegates from outside the normal economic and government worlds. They bring a vital element of social conscience and wider commitment to the debates, and what is very refreshing is that they are not ...
Oosthuizen swings closer to leaderboard summit.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: Louis Oosthuizen's sensational January swing continued at Emirates Golf Club yesterday pushing him closer to the summit of the Dubai Desert Classic leaderboard. The South African holed in one on the 11th as he attempted to finish his second round, which had to be pushed ...
Car manufacturers have lost their shine on KSE.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: Plunging auto sales raise fresh concern over state of equity markets. Karachi: Plummeting car sales in Pakistan have raised fresh concerns over the future state of the country's equity markets. Car manufacturers with branch plants and local franchises in Pakistan, ...
Price of LPG cylinders reduced.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: For the second time in two months Emirates Gas has reduced the price of 22-kg LP Gas cylinders from Dh96 to Dh86, marking an 18 per cent reduction in price. The price drop enables Dubai residents to meet challenges caused by the global financial ...
UN to announce probe into Benazir assassination.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Islamabad: The UN Secretary General is expected to announce an investigation commission to probe the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Ban Ki-moon will visit Islamabad in the first week of February. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi told reporters on ...
Air Wing rescues stranded tourists from mountain.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: A group of tourists spent an entire night on a mountain after a police rescue mission failed due to extreme darkness. Ras Al Khaimah: A group of tourists spent an entire night on a mountain after a police rescue mission failed due to extreme darkness. Two ...
Indian investors expect another pre-poll financial stimulus package.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Mumbai: The writing on the wall for stock investors in India is: Brace for choppy markets as the focus shifts to an interim budget in the coming weeks and probable national elections in April-May. The government is widely expected to pursue another economic stimulus package for ...
Ayesha Depala in vogue.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai's famed export Ayesha Depala, known for her pastel-perfect creations, is a familiar fixture on the fashion circuit. But, surprisingly, it was not her sartorial skills that made the cut with Vogue India's editorial team. In one of its forthcoming issues, the lifestyle and ...
World becomes more inclusive.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: However there is a greater need to understand other cultures and societies than many have been able to show to date. Governments of individual nation states now have to coordinate their internal affairs in areas where they have never worked together before, thanks to the ...
Arab Media Outlook report next week.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Dubai: The Arab Media Outlook 2008 to 2012 report, compiled on the current state of the Arab media, based on extensive research on media in 12 Arab countries, will be released next week. The report, brought out by ...
Running riot with the rates.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: Why banks shouldn't be allowed to change pricing policy at will. If someone at the world's local bank would answer lending rate questions this piece may not get written. But they won't, so it is. The probability is that there are many borrower's concerned ...
Pilot smashes turns on a tow world record twice in two days.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Al Ain: Swift Glider Aerobatic Team pilot, Guy Westgate, smashed the world record for turns on a tow twice in a span of two days at the second day of Al Ain Aerobatic Show 2009. Westgate, who is an eight-time UK aerobatic champion in his S-1 glider, yesterday did 14 turns on a ...
Police arrest man on theft charges.
Feb 01, 2009 ... Byline: Police arrested an Armenian man who is suspected of stealing from several shops. Dubai: Police arrested an Armenian man who is suspected of stealing from several shops. The suspect came to Dubai on a business visa and stayed in one of the small hotels in Naif ...
Increased globalisation seen as pill for crisis ills.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: Ministers clear about importance of doha and copenhagen summits. Davos: There was unanimous agreement among a wide variety of government ministers that successful conclusions for both the ongoing Doha Round on trade liberalisation, and the Copenhagan summit on global ...
Governments must get the public interested.
Feb 02, 2009 ... It has been a long five days in Davos, ranging from high drama to detailed debate on what to do about the global financial crisis. The high point of drama was the Erdogan-Peres row on stage in front of hundreds of people, when Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was infuriated by Israeli ...
Awaiting Obama's deeds, not words.
Feb 02, 2009 ... The election of Barack Hussain Obama as the first non-white president of the United States, followed less than three months later by the Republican party's choice of former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele as the first black national chairman in its history, clearly show how far ...
Dh100b boost for Al Ghrabia in Abu Dhabi's Western Region.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Abu Dhabi: The Al Ghrabia region has been allocated Dh100 billion by the government to boost development, a top official said recently. The Ministry of the Interior's 999 magazine said in its February issue that Mohammad Bin Uzwan Al Mazroui, Director General of the Al Ghrabia ...
A time of crisis and opportunity.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: Solutions to the downturn must look beyond the impact on the market, financial institutions and developed countries. Every day the prospects for the global economy look bleaker. We don't know how deep or long-lasting the downturn will be. But we do know there is plenty ...
Turner's wildest fantasies come true.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Dubai: Matthew Turner had hoped to make the cut at this year's Dubai Desert Classic, but not even in his wildest fantasies had he imagined he would finish level-par after four rounds in a tournament as big as this. The Emirates Golf Club prodigy, three-under going into ...
US-Manila ties on track.
Feb 02, 2009 ... President Gloria Arroyo made it a point to not only send a congratulatory letter expressing gratitude to former US president George W. Bush a week before he left office, she also thanked America for the support extended to the Philippines over security and economic matters throughout ...
Injured Gaza children strike friendship enroute to Dubai.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Dubai: Through the hardship and pain endured during the Israeli assault on Gaza - causing untold hardships and felling the living standards - 3-year-old Yara has found a friend. Yara, whose hearing is impaired, struck an instant friendship with 13-year-old Mutasem Abu Karesh, ...
Pakistan Army chiefs vow to back government.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: Powerful panel reviews situation on border with India and looming protest by lawyers. Islamabad: The powerful committee comprising the three armed forces chiefs of Pakistan has announced its support for government efforts to create a national consensus in the wake of ...
Bitter truths about likely sugar crisis.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Lahore: A sugar crisis is set to hit the country's economy, already reeling under an energy crisis, wheat and fertiliser shortages. The price of sugar is set to hit Rs48 (Dh2.22) per kg this month. Unlike the energy and fertiliser crisis, the impending sugar crisis is a result ...
Delhi residents plump for car pool as a viable option.
Feb 02, 2009 ... New Delhi: The recent strike by the oil sector companies that made petrol and diesel scarce to the otherwise wheel-happy Delhi residents has been an eye-opener. It has forced many to rethink about car pooling. With roughly 1,000 vehicles joining the Delhi traffic daily and its ...
Young McIlroy joins the legends.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Dubai: At the far side of the chalets reserved for sponsors of the Dubai Desert Classic hangs a board listing the previous winners of the Classic, which celebrated its 20th anniversary until yesterday. Over the years the names of many top golfers such as Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, ...
Three Abu Dhabi teams for Gulf netball.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Netball League (ADNL) has selected three teams comprising some of the emirate's top players to represent Abu Dhabi at the Intergulf Championships in Bahrain on March 13 and 14. The championships, acknowledged as the Gulf's premier netball competition, ...
Family outing turns tragic as woman falls to death.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: Police say she lost her footing on the mountainous terrain and plunged 30 metres. Dubai: A woman was pronounced dead by Dubai police after she fell into Oman's Al Shuwaih valley on Friday night, authorities said on Sunday. The woman, a European national, was ...
Where hope lies at the end of a tunnel.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: Profiteers dream of a better life by controlling network of trenches that allow access to Gaza. Salah is in a pensive mood: He has not yet managed to buy himself a dwelling or a plot of land along the border despite being a middleman for goods moved from the Egyptian ...
Al Adeed coast to victory in third heat.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Dubai: The third heat for the 60-foot traditional dhow sailing race was held from the World Island offshore to the Burj Al Arab hotel here on Saturday. It was marked by dramatic twists of fortune, including a false start. Once the orange flare went up, Al Adeed, skippered by ...
DCD to accept ID Cards for transactions.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Dubai: The Dubai Courts Department (DCD) will become the first government body to start accepting identity cards, which are processed by the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA), with its clients next April. This was announced on Sunday by DCD's General Director, Dr Ahmad Bin ...
Industrial exports hit Dh46b in 2008.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: UAE unveils directory for the benefit of local and international buyers and help diversification. Dubai: The value of industrial exports from the UAE reached Dh46 billion last year and the forecast for this year is expected to be higher, according to industry experts. ...
Abu Dhabi Aviation's net profit rises 53%.(Financial report)
Feb 02, 2009 ... Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Aviation Co (ADA), the largest commercial helicopter operator in the Middle East, said on Sunday its net profit for the last financial year ended December 31 rose 53.24 per cent on year to Dh116.26 million, while revenue grew to Dh1.26 billion from Dh531.13 ...
UAE markets lose ground as Wall Street woes blow chill.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: While the trading session opened marginally positive, the UAE markets continued the bearish trend from last Thursday. Dubai: While the trading session opened marginally positive, the UAE markets continued the bearish trend from last Thursday. Dubai Financial ...
Amlak restructuring on case-by-case basis.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: Announcement on company's website does not specify whether this will include staff cuts. Dubai: Mortgage provider Amlak is set to restructure its workforce as the financial situation continues to bite into the real estate sector. In a statement to the Dubai ...
GM recalls limited number of 2004 Cadillac models.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Abu Dhabi: US automaker General Motors (GM) has launched a recall campaign on certain 2004 model year Cadillac SRX vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, the company said in a notice on Sunday. "On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift lever can be moved from ...
National plan sought to end strife in Bahrain.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Manama: Al Menbar Progressive Democratic Society has called for a national plan that would put an end to the "ominous deterioration of the situation" in Bahrain. A leftist political formation, Al Menbar warned that the failure to act responsibly by all concerned parties would ...
Gulf Navigation posts healthy 2008 profit.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: Shipping major's shares rise 6% on Dubai bourse as company appoints new chief executive. Dubai: A cautious strategy for navigating the current global financial downturn, and reliance on long-term charters have resulted in Gulf Navigation posting record profit growth for ...
Arabian adventure.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Camping enthusiasts, if you are looking for traditional desert retreat with modern amenities, then Watani Camp is the place for you. Ever wanted to learn how to cook Arabic food, make a falcon return to you in a whistle, navigate across the desert looking at the stars or take to ...
Handling Hamas with care.
Feb 02, 2009 ... The recent appointment of George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East is no doubt a positive sign of President Barack Obama's commitment to the region, signalling that there will be immediate and direct American involvement in the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. ...
'Plan to counter crisis is timely'.
Feb 02, 2009 ... Byline: Experts say measures are progressive and will provide required stimulus to business. Dubai: The new plan to lessen the impact of the financial crisis and strengthen the economy proposed by the Ministry of Economy and the economic departments of the country, is a timely ...