Riyadh : SHARIF M. TAHABank credits destined for the private sector are poised to grow by 15.3 percent in the Kingdom in 2014 compared to 15.6 percent in 2013, the highest among the GCC countries, local media said quoting a report. Qatar has the second largest bank credit growth in the GCC countries predicted in 2014 at 14.7 percent (compared to 12.9 percent in 2013), followed by Oman at 12.6 percent (versus 14.3 percent), and the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) at 8.4 percent ( versus Read more [...]

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel made a previously unannounced visit to the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, the NATO-led coalition confirmed. Hagel was to visit US troops and meet with coalition officials in Kabul, the military said. The visit comes amid uncertainty between the US and Afghanistan on a major security deal, which Afghan President Hamid Karzai is refusing to sign. According to reports, Hagel does not plan to meet the Afghan leader. Earlier Saturday, Hagel - Read more [...]

AGENCIES  0  31 mins ago   |    MANAMA - The US military is committed to maintaining its 35,000-strong force in the Gulf region regardless of a nuclear deal with Iran, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said on Saturday in Bahrain. The United States has "more than 35,000 military personnel" in and around Read more [...]

MANAMA, Bahrain: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel opened the door for the US to sell missile defense and other weapons systems to US-friendly Gulf nations, with an eye toward boosting their abilities to counter Iran’s ballistic missiles, even as global powers ink a nuclear deal with Tehran. In a speech Saturday to Gulf leaders, Hagel made it clear that the emerging global agreement that would limit Iran’s nuclear program doesn’t mean the security threat from Iran is over. Instead, he laid Read more [...]