THE appointment of Abdulbaset Sieda to head the Syrian National Council (SNC) opposition comes at a time when the SNC is undergoing what was euphemistically called a restructuring and opening up to other opposition groups...
FOR many years, strategists have debated whether Turkey would be a "bridge" or a "gully" between predominantly Christian Europe and the Arab/Muslim Middle East. If Turkey were admitted to the European Union, it would be a bridge binding these two worlds...
CAIRO DENOUNCING a "coup" by Cairo's shadowy military rulers, Egyptian liberals and Islamists readied mass protests on Friday against the dissolution of the parliament elected after last year's overthrow of veteran general Hosni Mubarak.
DOHA MINISTER of Culture, Arts and Heritage HE Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al Kuwari joined British Ambassador HE Michael O'Neill in celebrating the diamond jubilee and birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II...
LONDON STOCKS around the world rallied on Friday despite uncertainty over Greece as investors appeared to bet on fresh stimulus from the United States and Europe to boost growth and fight the eurozone crisis...
FRANCE on Friday dashed Ukraine's hopes of a surprise second straight win in Group D and possible qualification for Euro 2012's knock-out phase, as they beat the tournament cohosts 2-0 in rain-soaked Donetsk...
IN his book Making Rumours, record producer Ken Caillat recounts with humour and detail the tumultuous year of betrayal, drama and rock 'n' roll excess behind recording Fleetwood Mac's 1977 Rumours album, which has sold over 40 million copies...
DOHA THE Ministry of Environment (MoE) held an educational awareness programme recently. The programme was designed for school students of the second semester 2012. It was organised by Qatar Green Centre. The Qatar Green Centre held activities for both male and female students, largely focusing on education. The programme included a series of field visits and awareness lectures, involving school students...
DOHA QATARGAs has announced its support to Qatar Golf Association (QGA) with the sponsorship of the QGA Junior Golf Programme. At a function in its head office, Chief Operating Officer (Administration) Ghanim al Kuwari, handed over a cheque to QGA General Secretary Fahad Nasser al Naimi. Kuwari said: "We are very pleased to continue to partner with Qatar Golf Association to support the Junior Golf Programme. We believe that our support will help to popularise golf in Qatar, especially amongst the younger generation. Promoting and supporting sporting activities is an important element of our corporate social responsibility programme, supporting the human development pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030...
DOHA GLOBAL travel technology company, Sabre Holdings, has joined members of the travel and tourism industry to fight sexual exploitation of children by signing the tourism code of conduct. A tourism-driven initiative to prevent child exploitation, the initiative is co-funded by the Swiss government and the private sector, and supported by Ending Child Prostitution and Trafficking (EPCAT) International network, with UNICEF and the World Tourism Organisation acting as advisory partners. Sabre Travel Network Middle East, a subsidiary of Sabre Holdings, operates 21 offices across 11 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Qatar....
NEW YORK A FORMER Goldman Sachs director accused of feeding confidential information to a corrupt hedge fund manager has been convicted of conspiracy and three counts of securities fraud. A jury acquitted Rajat Gupta on two other securities fraud counts. Gupta's adult daughters hugged and wept as the verdict was read. He showed no visible reaction. The 63-year-old Gupta — born in India, educated at Harvard and well-known in corporate America — has been the most prominent defendant prosecuted so far in a wide-ranging probe of alleged insider trading in the hedge fund industry by investigators armed with wiretaps...
VIENNA OPEC members will reduce the group's output to adhere to its 30 million barrels per day (bpd) output ceiling and the effects should be seen in July, OPEC Secretary- General Abdullah al Badri told a news briefing on Friday. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed at a meeting in Vienna on Thursday to maintain the 30 million bpd production ceiling. Badri said that would entail curbing actual supplies by 1.6 million bpd. "We overproduced by 1.6 (million barrels per day) now we decide to take out the 1.6 and stay with the 30 million," he said. "Everybody will respect that...
FRANKFURT THE European Central Bank (ECB) has more money on standby to lend to banks, its president Mario Draghi said on Friday, as market nervousness prevailed two days ahead of Greek elections. "The euro system will continue to supply liquidity to solvent banks where needed," Draghi told a conference in Frankfurt. He justified massive cash infusions on the grounds of "increased financial instability." His remarks appeared to presage more lending if needed, possibly following the formula of 1 trillion euros that the ECB lent in December and February in unlimited three-year loans to eurozone banks....
THE Tour de France roll of honour risks being turned on its head should seven-time winner Lance Armstrong be proved guilty of cheating. The Texan, who won cycling's greatest race from 1999 to 2005 - faces new doping allegations brought by the US Anti-Doping Agency this week, acusations which he vehemently denies. If eventually proved and Armstrong is punished he risks having his seven record Tour titles stripped from his cv, leaving organisers of the cycling blue riband with a major headache....
LEBRON James called on his teammates to step up. They delivered but in the end, the league MVP saved the Miami Heat from another late meltdown. James scored 32 points, including a pair of clinching free throws with seven seconds left, and the visiting Heat held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-96 on Thursday night to square the NBA Finals at one game apiece. "This series is going to be so tight, we're going to need guys to step up," James said. "We played well for 36 minutes and we didn't want to let this one slip away.
NEWLY-CROWNED French Open champion Rafael Nadal's start to the grasscourt season at Halle was cut short when the top seed crashed out in the quarter-final to Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber. Kohlschreiber, ranked 28 in the world and defending champion here, notched up his first-ever victory over Nadal in nine encounters, winning 6-3, 6-4. The German will now play the winner of the match between Czech ace Tomas Berdych and Germany's injury-prone former world number two Tommy Haas. "I said it was going to be tough," Nadal said. "He plays well on this court. You just have to congratulate him. He played very aggressive, served well, returned well. He played better than me...
A FEW years ago, when H o n g n a m Kim, a professor here at E w h a Womans University, decided to build a house, she knew she wanted it to take the form of a hanok, the traditional wooden structure dating to the Joseon dynasty in 1392. But she also needed a modern basement where she could pursue her work. Kim, 64, is an art historian, but not just any art historian. She is a former director-general of the National Museum of Korea and a former director of the National Folk Museum, and currently helps to run the National Trust of Korea, a nongovernment environmental and cultural preservationist group.
SOME friends were gushing recently about a new mobile application called Pair, intended for people in a relationship. Initially, I didn't see the appeal of the app, which lets the two partners send messages and photos back and forth. First, the idea of adding another service to the daily routine of Twitter, Facebook and their ilk seemed exhausting. And wouldn't it be just as easy to exchange emails, text messages or, better yet, just flirt face to face? Curious, I tried it – even though I'm single. I recruited a friend to help me test it. And, after a few hours, the app started to grow on me. Something was thrilling about the secret little notes that Shaun, my temporary beau, and I sent to each other throughout the day. ...
BRITISH singer Adele regained her place at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart for the 24th time with her Grammywinning album 21, holding off new entries from Alan Jackson, The Beach Boys and Neil Young. Adele's 21 sold 75,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan figures in its 68th week on the chart, buoyed by NBC's special Adele Live in London, which aired on June 3. The album has yet to drop out of the top 10 since its US release in February 2011. The Someone Like You singer beat out debuts from three veterans of the music industry. ...
MOSCOW RUSSIA is not discussing plans for a Syrian political transformation following the exit of President Bashar al- Assad, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday, emphasising Moscow's strong opposition to external interference.
WASHINGTON PRESIDENT Barack Obama challenged reporters on Thursday to check out his analysis of the Republicans' plan for taxes, the budget and the deficit - a plan sketched so far only in vague terms...
