In order to make the process of transferring a commercial visit visa to a work visa easier in Kuwait, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has decided to no longer require applicants from having a university degree in order to do so, in a limited number of technical professions. Mohammad Al-Kandaria, the undersecretary for…
Category Archives: Region
Dubai Ranked 25th for World’s Most Expensive Office Rentals
According to the international real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis, Dubai is among the world’s most expensive countries in which to rent office space, ranking 25th in the world. Overall occupancy costs average out to about $92.56 per square foot in the Gulf emirate. Abu Dhabi was also examined in the report, but found…
Boston Consulting Firm Expanding Operations in Middle East
The Boston Consulting Group, an international management consulting company, announced the appointment of two of its own Principals to Partners. The move is part of BCG’s continued expansion into the Middle East market. The new partners, Hermann Riedl and Dr. Alexander Türpitz, have years of experience in Technology, Telecommunications, Media and the Public Sector with…
Saudi Begins Push to Replace Foreign Cabbies With Homegrown Drivers
The Saudi government is considering a plan to hire about 28,000 Saudi workers to man the extensive limousine service within the country in order to replace a similar number of foreign workers who at the moment inhabit most of this job sector. The plan stipulates that a Saudi driver will receive a salary of about…
World’s Tallest Tower to be Built in Jeddah
In a bit more than five years from now the world’s largest building will be completed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Known as the Kingdom Tower, the plans for the building’s construction by the Kingdom Holding Company were announced in mid-April, 2012 by the KHC’s Chairman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Also announced was the increase in…
Tariq Al Farsi Appointed General Manager of Bank Nizwa
Coming into his position as general manager of Retail and Private Banking with eleven years of experience in investment, retail and corporate banking, Tariq Al Farsi is well-positioned to continue to lead Oman’s Islamic Bank Nizwa to further success. Al Farsi is a native Omani and has a history of successfully running Islamic banks. He…
Two New Medical Cities worth SR 2 Billion in Planning Stages in Saudi Arabia
Over SR2 billion is going to be invested in the creation of two private medical cities by the Doctor Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Group. The first city will be situated in north Riyadh and will have 500 beds and will cost SR1.5 billion. The second medical city will cost SR 800 million and will be equipped…
Dubai Tower Stalled in Favor of London Dynamic Tower
Officials in Dubai are disappointed that their city will not be the home to the first ‘rotating tower’ to be constructed in the world. Instead, the first “Dyanamic Tower” will be constructed in London, beginning soon. “We will announce the start of the construction in London in due time. Most probably within the year,” said…
Qatar Getting Ready for 2020 Olympics
In order to have a chance at winning their bid to host the 2020 Olympics, Qatar is speeding up work on several infrastructure projects, including the Doha Metro project. Qatar Railways’ Deputy Chief Executive Geoff Mee, said that phase 1A of the Gulf state’s $40 billion rail network will be finished by 2019, right in…
Safari Land Development Under Way in Riyadh
An agreement was signed last week between the real estate development company Dar Al Arkan and the investment and real estate development company Al Othaim. The agreement is a 15 year lease for a 10,963 square meter space in the Alqasr Mall which was developed by Dar Al Arkan in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Al…
-
Independent Middle East News
- Abbas Appoints New PA Prime Minister June 2, 2013by Mahmoud Abu Ghosh Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas summoned academic Rami Hamdallah to his Ramallah office on Sunday and appointed him to serve as the new PA prime minister. Hamdallah, president of An-Najah University in Nablus, will succeed former Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who submitted his resignation in April. Fayyad had been a former e […]
- Report Takes Aim at Palestinian Prisons May 22, 2013by Mahmoud Abu Ghosh Eleven Palestinians have died in Fatah and Hamas detention centers during 2012, according to a report released Tuesday by the Palestinian Independent Commission For Human Rights (ICHR). Two of the Palestinians died in detention centers run by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, while the nine others died in […]
- Salam Fayyad Resigns April 11, 2013by Mahmoud Abu Ghosh Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has reportedly tendered his resignation, after intense criticism against him within the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. It is not yet clear whether PA President Mahmoud Abbas will accept Fayyad’s resignation at this time, although the two have been at odds on several issues. PA offi […]
- Jordan & PA Coordinating Takeover of Jerusalem April 1, 2013by Eitam Abadi Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas signed an agreement on Sunday confirming their “common goal to defending” Jerusalem and their opposition to efforts to “Judaize” Israel’s ancient capital city. PA Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud al-Habash said the agreement confirmed Jordan’s role as protector of the […]
- Palestinian Sentenced to 6 Months for Facebook ‘Like’ March 30, 2013by Mahmoud Abu Ghosh A Palestinian man who clicked “Like” on a Facebook status criticizing a high ranking official of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority has been sentenced to six months in a PA prison facility. Anas Ismail, 29, of Salfit, near Nablus, was found guilty of “libel and slander.” Ismail said that the PA’s American-trained […]
- Abbas Appoints New PA Prime Minister June 2, 2013