Author: Jaasir al-Rahman

The U.S. Defense Department has ordered the carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and her escorts to deploy to the Eastern Mediterranean, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin confirmed in a statement Saturday. The deployment is part of the American effort to “deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel,” Austin said. The announcement confirms early press reports of Eisenhower’s impending mission. Accompanying commands include the cruiser USS Philippine Sea, the destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason, and the nine aircraft squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 3. The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group will augment a growing accumulation of firepower off Israel’s…

Fresh from announcing the UAE has recorded a US$7 billion increase in revenues in the first seven months of 2023, the Emirates has announced another move towards becoming the region’s, and the world’s, most profitable tourism destination. Occupancies across the country averaged at 75 percent from January to July this year, which equated to around 56 million room nights. Now, Emirates Tourism Council, chaired by HE Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, has formed a Hospitality Advisory Committee to enhance the competitiveness of the UAE’s hospitality sector. This announcement comes after the UAE hospitality sector recorded AED26 billion revenues from January…

The caretaker government in Pakistan is planning to repatriate over 1.1 million Afghan nationals living illegally in the country back to Afghanistan, sources have told WION. The caretaker cabinet on Tuesday (Sep 26) approved the move. The meeting of caretaker cabinet was held in Pakistani capital Islamabad. Pakistan shares a border with Afghanistan but it is largely porous with no impediment to movement of people between the two sides. The terror elements from Afghanistan have often crossed border into Pakistan and maintained their presence in regions which have, over the years, come to be known as terrorist havens. The latest decision by the…

The EU has signalled the completion date for its enlargment plan, as the bloc looks at increasing its geographical size. European Council President Charles Michel has announced that the block is aiming to grant membership to its candidate countries by 2030. While Ursula von der Leyen has argued against putting a date on it, the EU’s enlargement chief Olivér Várhelyi has backed Michel’s timeline. EU chiefs are eyeing up geographical expansion of the bloc, with eight recognised candidates for membership: Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Moldova, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign…

ABU DHABI, 28th September, 2023 (WAM) — Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, held talks with Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry for Malaysia, in Abu Dhabi to pursue deeper trade and investment ties. The meeting was part of a visit to the UAE by a delegation of Malaysia’s leading trade officials. During the discussions, Al Zeyoudi commended the strong relations between the two countries and reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to enhance trade cooperation and develop opportunities for the business communities of both sides. The two sides also reviewed the progress of…

Leaders of the United States, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were working to finalize a joint infrastructure deal that could be announced this weekend at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, according to an official familiar with the matter. If it comes together, the arrangement would involve ship transit between India and Saudi Arabia, then trains through Saudi Arabia and the UAE, likely to Jordan, then ship transit to Turkey and onward from there by train, according to a diplomat familiar with the negotiations. Biden is aiming to use the G20 to show participating countries…

The amount of Russian oil to be piped through Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan in 2023 has been reduced to 180,000 tons, Interfax news agency cited the head of the transportation department of Kazakhstan’s Kaztransoil pipeline monopoly as saying on Friday. In July, the company had announced an agreement to pump 300,000 tons of oil from Russia to Uzbekistan through Kazakhstan this year. Interfax cited department director Abay Beisembaev as saying that Kazakhstan had transported 48,500 tons of Russian oil to Uzbekistan in the first half of 2023 and a further 131,500 tons were planned in the second half of the year. No reason was given…

Budapest (12/8 – 33) Mahmadzohir will theoretically be eligible to run for president in 2027. In Tajikistan, only the president is permitted to enjoy an unfettered public profile. An intriguing exception to this norm is emerging, however, with another figure amassing huge levels of apparent popularity and prominence. This person too is a member of the ruling family. Ismoil Mahmadzohir, who turned 26 last month, is the grandson of President Emomali Rahmon. His mother, Firuza, is one of Rahmon’s seven daughters. He attended the Elite British Prep School Queen Ethelburga’s College and is the CEO of IM Group. Mahmadzohir – a visually…

Dubai: Free zones in the UAE are reinforcing their status as the go-to places for new businesses – both domestic and those coming in from overseas – with more clarity available on corporate tax incentives ‘designated’ zones can provide to tenants. The UAE’s tax authorities have made it clear that businesses based in qualifying free zones get to have 0 per cent tax rate, provided certain key conditions are met. Even otherwise, free zones have been drawing heavy interest in the year-to-date, especially with new businesses to the UAE seeking office space. In fact, demand for commercial space in free…

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Over the past three years the ecotourism arrivals more than doubled in Kazakhstan, Kazinform cites the Culture and Sports Ministry. In 2020 their number made 985,000 to grow up to 2 million at the close of 2022 which tells of ecotourism growth dynamics. New tourist sites, such as visitor’s centres, camping and glamping sites are being built at the national parks of Kazakhstan. They provide information about the local ecosystem, wild animals, trails, routes, trailheads, etc. For the past two years 14 new visitor’s centres were opened countrywide. Of which seven and financed by private investments. The number…