EDUCATION-UAE: Al Ain Book Fair opens

Suhail bin Rakad Al Amiri, Director of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Al Ain Educational Zone, yesterday inaugurated the 8th Book Fair organized by the Educational Programs and Syllabi Section at Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Centre in Al Ain.

SCIENCE-UAE: Workshop on Arab ‘intelligent systems’

The Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) will unveil its first - intelligent systems" products, including a voice-enabled system, a smart inspector robot for long pipes and a smart menu navigation system. The products will be introduced at a promotional workshop to be held on February 19 and 20 at the University City in Sharjah, one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a report in the ‘Gulf News'.

IRAQ: US war plans receive setbacks, say UAE dailies

Attempts by the US to push the world towards approving waging of war on Iraq have received successive setbacks, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Arabic dailies said today.

ENVIRONMENT-GULF: Better cooperation to solve water problems urged

Effective collaboration between governments, the private sector and the civil community in the Arabian Gulf can help solve environmental and water problems.

PALESTINE: UAE sponsors maintenance works for three mosques

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Red Crescent Society (RCS) completed maintenance works for three historical mosques in three main cities in Palestine across the green line.

FINANCES-UAE: Small banks more cost efficient, says study

A recent research study on 35 commercial banks operating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) found that small banks were more cost efficient than large ones. The study further discovered that small banks improved their returns in the year 2000, while large banks maintained constant returns during that period.

MIDDLE EAST: Sharon’s day in court will come

A United Arab Emirates (UAE) newspaper today commented on the Belgium Highest Court of Appeal's decision, which decided to bring suit against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for his barbaric genocide against the unarmed Palestinian people.

POLITICS-IRAQ: Baghdad Celebrates, and Waits for War

The streets of Baghdad filled up Thursday night as people celebrated the last night of the Muslim feast of Eid Al-Adha. Families paraded along busy streets, stopping at cafés and restaurants.

IRAN: Al-Qaeda presence refuted

Iran on Thursday rejected as - baseless" recent allegations by CIA Director George Tenet that suspected terror network Al-Qaeda had established presence in Iran.

IRAQ: UN inspectors destroy mustard gas, artillery shells

UN weapons inspectors continued Thursday the destruction of mustard gas canisters and artillery shells left over from the previous round of weapons inspections, a UN spokesman said in Baghdad.

PAKISTAN: India’s missile testing condemned

Pakistan condemned India's testing of an anti-ship cruise missile, saying it would usher in a new era of arms race and add to tension between the two nuclear rivals, the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported Thursday.

IRAQ: Experts say Samoud missile exceeds UN allowed range

In a finding that could bolster the US case for a war on Iraq, an international team of experts summoned by United Nations weapons inspectors has concluded that Iraq's al-Samoud 2 missiles exceeded the range of 150 kilometers imposed by the world body.

INDIA: Supersonic anti-ship cruise missile successfully test fired

India's supersonic anti-ship cruise missile ‘Brahmos' was on Wednesday successfully test fired from a warship stationed in the Bay of Bengal off eastern Indian state of Orissa's Coast and hit the target accurately, local press reported on Thursday.

AFGHANISTAN: Disabled leave for Europe on World Peace Tour

Five disabled Afghans who lost their limbs to landmines continued yesterday their journey of a lifetime from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to the rest of the world. They will bring a message of peace to the major cities in the West, and hope for the two million landmine victims in Afghanistan.

IRAQ: Ulterior motives behind US warmongering, suspects UAE paper

newspaper has said that Israel's vehement criticism of both France and Germany over their stance on the Iraq issue is cause for concern for the Arab world that suspects "ulterior motives" behind warmongering.

IRAQ: NATO on the rocks

The 54-year-old military NATO alliance "is under enormous strain" as divergence of opinion among its members on the issue of disarming Iraq is boiling over, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) English daily believes.

ECONOMY-EGYPT: New EU Controls Threaten Farmers

New pesticide controls are set to make it harder for Egyptian farmers to export to the European Union.

IRAQ: Arab-Islamic world urged to back European initiative

The French-German-Russian initiative on Iraq is opening up a new window of hope to spare the Middle East a devastating war, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) press reported today in an optimistic note.

TOURISM-UAE: Sharjah hotel guests surge 13.71 percent in 2002

Sharjah, one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), recorded a 13.71 percent surge in hotel guests in 2002, with overall occupancy in its 53 hotels and furnished apartments standing at 62 percent, against 57 percent in 2001.

THAILAND: Reporter gunned down on tourist resort island of Phuket

A reporter for Thailand's largest-circulation newspaper, ‘Thai Rath', was gunned down in an execution-style murder in the southern resort island of Phuket, news reports said Wednesday.

SAUDI ARABIA: Fourteen pilgrims killed in a stampede

Fourteen pilgrims of different nationalities have lost their lives in a stampede in Mina while performing the Hajj (Muslim pilgrimage) rituals, it was announced here today.