Travel, Real Estate & Local Info

10+ hour, 10+ min ago (231+ words) The event took place at Westminster Abbey. The King has joined senior Christian clerics from the UK and Middle East for an Advent service celebrating "light, hope and, above all, the peace of this season. Charles attended the service at Westminster Abbey where the congregation was drawn from churches across the country to mark the run-up to Christmas. In a foreword to the official order of service, the King, who is a committed Anglican Christian, said: "It is a great joy to gather with you in the most glorious setting of Westminster Abbey as we celebrate the light, hope and, above all, the peace of this season of Advent. "This period is one of preparation, of readying ourselves and looking forward to the wonder of Christ's birth. "Today, we gather for prayer, reflection and music, and to celebrate the Good…...

1+ day, 7+ hour ago (529+ words) Written by Joy Chakravarty More than 94% of boards report efficient board processes, but information quality (41%) and rigid decision frameworks (38%) limit agility A unique study that examines how boards across the region drive organisational value, reveals a new generation of boards that are shifting from compliance-led oversight to strategic engines of long-term value creation. It found out that 94 per cent of respondents described their board processes as efficient, while pointing out to poor information quality (41 per cent) and rigid decision frameworks (38 per cent) as key barriers to agile decision-making. These results were part of the inaugural Middle East edition of its flagship Board Value Index, a study conducted by Board Intelligence, a board technology and advisory firm. It aims to track the value that boards deliver for their organisations, identify the key challenges they face, and uncover opportunities to enhance their…...

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (202+ words) Before the 1967 war, radio ruled the Middle East'TV was a rare luxury. For the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Israel, the airwaves buzzed with news, and more often than not, propaganda. Alongside the giants like the BBC, hundreds of smaller stations across the region churned out their own political messages. GUEST: Margaret Peacock, Professor of History, University of Alabama and author of Frequencies of Deceit: How Global Propaganda Wars Shaped the Middle East PRODUCER: Ali Benton " Originally broadcast on March 19, 2025 Program: LNL Summer: Radio propaganda wars in the Middle East Brought to you by Before the 1967 war, radio ruled the Middle East'TV was a rare luxury. For the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Israel, the airwaves buzzed with news, and more often than not, propaganda. Alongside the giants like the BBC, hundreds of smaller stations across…...

1+ day, 14+ hour ago (617+ words) BBVA expands its BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking services in the Middle East after receiving In-Principle Approval from ADGM. BBVA Expands its CIB Services in the Middle East after Receiving In-Principle Approval from ADGM BBVA has received In-Principle Approval (IPA) from ADGM's Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) to obtain a Category 4 (CAT4) license. This authorization will allow BBVA to expand its range of corporate and investment banking service activities and strengthen its position as a strategic partner for corporate and institutional clients in the region. Eduardo Ortiz Gross, Head of BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) in the Middle East, has been appointed Senior Executive Officer for the Abu Dhabi branch, where he will lead the bank's operations across the region. BBVA has been present in Abu Dhabi through a Representative Office since 2013. With this new license, the bank, one of the most…...

2+ day, 1+ hour ago (341+ words) Etihad's Arik De (left) and Condor's Jens Boyd. German leisure carrier Condor will expand its Middle East network next summer with new daily flights from Frankfurt and Berlin to Abu Dhabi, enabled through a strategic partnership and codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways. A Frankfurt-Abu Dhabi service will begin May 1, 2026, followed by Berlin-Abu Dhabi on June 15. Frankfurt flights will be operated daily with A330s, while Berlin will be served daily with A320neos. The move marks the airline's first operation to the Gulf using its A330neo fleet. "This codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways is the great foundation on which we are building our new services to Abu Dhabi to better connect Germany's capital Berlin and Europe's financial hub Frankfurt to the GCC and beyond," says Jens Boyd, Condor's commercial director and executive committee member. Etihad plans to place its code on Condor's new Abu Dhabi…...

2+ day, 4+ hour ago (457+ words) The US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, has stated that a "benevolent monarchy" has "worked best" in the Middle East. Speaking at a panel on Syria during the Doha Forum on Sunday, Barrack praised the Syrian administration of President Ahmad al-Sharaa's "epic" and "heroic" achievements following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The US envoy warned against western efforts to impose democratic models on the Middle East, arguing that such initiatives "have not been successful". "Almost every decision that the West has imposed on the region, rather than allowing it to evolve on its own, has been a mistake," Barrack said. "Every time we intervene, whether it's in Libya, Iraq, or any of the other places where we've tried to create a colonised mandate, it has not been successful. We end up with paralysis," he added. Barrack urged…...

3+ day, 15+ hour ago (66+ words) Eighteen arrested for injuring dozens with smoke bombs, fireworks at Tel Aviv derby The arrests followed a weeks-long undercover investigation that gathered evidence of a coordinated plan by organized ... Eighteen arrested for injuring dozens with smoke bombs, fireworks at Tel Aviv derby The arrests followed a weeks-long undercover investigation that gathered evidence of a coordinated plan by organized groups of fans, according to police....

3+ day, 18+ hour ago (532+ words) JACKSONVILLE, N.C. " Fourth time's a charm? Middle Creek played for three regional finals in the mid-2010s, and lost all three. In the Mustangs' first regional appearance in nine years, they had a different result than the previous three. Middle Creek defeated top-seeded Jacksonville, 31-21, on the road in the 2025 6A East regional final. It was played on Saturday, Dec. 6 after wintery weather on Saturday forced a time change. Two of the Mustangs' earlier regional losses came by just one score to Wake Forest. Middle Creek (11-2 overall) is now led by Andrae Jacobs, a young head coach in his 30s. He took over the program in 2021. The Mustangs, the 6A East's 3-seed, will take on 6A West top seed Watauga in the 6A state championship. The 6A state championship will be played at Kenan Stadium on Friday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. The Cardinals' second-leading tackler, Bradley Ruse, missed the game after suffering…...

5+ day, 5+ hour ago (385+ words) As travel to the region hits new highs, Evgenii Pavlov, General Manager for Yango Ads in MEA, shares how AI-driven targeting, first-party data, and multi-channel strategies are transforming digital advertising performance across the region. 1. What are the most exciting developments in digital advertising in the region? AI and modern adtech enable brands to interpret consumer behaviour in real time and deliver messages at the exact moment of intent. At the same time, first-party, consent-based data is becoming essential for privacy-safe, effective marketing. These shifts are helping travel and hospitality brands move from broad awareness to driving real bookings and engagement. 2. How can adtech help travel and hospitality brands maximise campaigns during peak periods? With 27.6 million international visitors projected for the UAE in 2025, adtech is critical for capturing peak-season demand. Travel peaks vary'summer for emerging markets and winter for GCC residents'so…...

5+ day, 15+ hour ago (295+ words) A newly formed task force based in the Middle East is now equipped and ready to deploy one-way attack drones, U.S. Central Command has announced. Task Force Scorpion Strike was formed four months after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth released a memo calling for the rapid integration of drone technology across all military services. The unit is already equipped with a squadron of Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System drones, known as LUCAS drones. With a robust, simple design, LUCAS drones have a wingspan of about 8 feet and can be used flexibly as munitions. Designed by U.S.-based SpektreWorks, they bear similarities to Iran's Shahed-136 drones and can maneuver in swarms. The LUCAS drones are a product of a damaged Shahed drone that was captured several years ago. A U.S. defense official recently told CNN that developers were able to reverse-engineer the Iranian weapon…...