A year on from the explosion, Beirut still a shell of its former self and questions remain unanswered August 4, 2021 One year ago today, the world looked on in horror as Beirut exploded. The monumental blast at what turned out to be a nitrate storage hangar decimated the area surrounding the Lebanese capital’s port and beyond, with the damage estimated to be around $4.6bn. The story is one of grave corruption and mismanagement. Over 2,700 [...]
Boohoo to bolster Debenhams stores and e-commerce sites in the Middle East July 14, 2021 Boohoo, which bought Debenhams for £55m, has partnered with the Alshaya group to bolster the ex-high street staple’s presence in the Middle East. Kuwait-based Alshaya, which currently run Debenhams stores in shopping malls, will have exclusive rights to operate the Debenhams stores and local e-commerce sites in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman and [...]
Illegal drugs worth £11m seized by Royal Marines in Arabian Sea February 17, 2021 The Royal Navy have seized more than 2.6 tonnes of illegal drugs in an operation lasting 10 hours. In total 2.4 tonnes of heroin, crystal methamphetamine and hashish were seized, adding to the 275 kilograms of heroin confiscated two days previously. All up, the haul had a street value of £11m. Sailors on board the [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Premier League toasts beIN deal; banker set to buy Lille; breakaways boosted; Australian Open delay; and Griezmann bins Huawei December 17, 2020 Christmas cheer has arrived early at the Premier League after it agreed a new $500m deal with beIN Sports. The contract, which gives beIN exclusive broadcast rights in 24 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, is effectively a three-year extension to their deal for 2019-22. It comes as a boost to the Premier [...]
Citigroup appoints first female head of Middle East and North Africa operations December 8, 2020 Citigroup has appointed Elissar Farah Antonios as the first woman to head the bank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) operations. MENA is Citi’s fastest growing region in its emerging markets portfolio and contributes 30 per cent of the bank’s net income in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Antonios joined Citigroup in 2005 as [...]
Trump’s peace plan has shifted the Palestinian direction of travel February 5, 2020 History is usually a cruel mistress to its losers, particularly in the case of peoples attempting to create new nations who failed in their aspirations. Not much is heard today of the Republic of Biafra, for example, an attempt led largely by the Igbo people to create an independent state carved out of Nigeria’s eastern [...]
Iran protesters take to streets for third day after shooting down of plane January 13, 2020 Protesters have taken to the streets of Iran for a third day running, as outage over the authorities’ admission it accidentally shot down a Ukranian airliner, despite repeated denials that Iranian forces were responsible. Demonstrations in the country began on Saturday following the Iranian military’s admission that it had mistakenly shot down the plane, killing [...]
Iran’s ambassador to UK summoned by Foreign Office following arrest of British ambassador January 13, 2020 Iran’s ambassador to the UK has been summoned by the Foreign Office in response to the “unacceptable” arrest of the British ambassador to Iran in Tehran this weekend. Robert Macaire was detained for a short time on Saturday night after attending a vigil for those who died when Iranian forces mistakenly shot down a passenger [...]
Both black boxes from crashed Ukranian plane found in Iran January 8, 2020 Both black boxes from a Ukranian airliner that crashed just outside Tehran early on Wednesday have been found, according to Iranian state television. The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed earlier shortly after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport this morning, killing all 176 people on board. Read more: Iran plane crash: Three Brits [...]
Gold and oil prices climb as Iran crisis deepens after attacks January 8, 2020 Gold and oil prices have risen after Iranian missile attacks on Iraqi military bases housing US and UK personnel caused already heightened tensions in the Middle East to flare. The precious metal surged more than two per cent to hit a seven-year high overnight, breaking through the $1,600 barrier for the first time since 2013 [...]