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  • Countering Extremism: Social Media
    State Department trolls Islamic State militants on Twitter

    The Twitter account “State of Islam” using the handle @Dawla_accountt tweeted to its 1,226 followers Monday night: “#IslamicState is the SOLE SAVIOUR of millions of Sunni muslims against Iraqi-Syria Army butchers,” with an attachment to three propaganda photos claiming to show brutality against Sunnis. About 16 hours later, a team at the State Department responded directly to the tweet.

  • U.S. State Department
    Obama Taps Senior Aide for No. 2 State Department Job

    After months of intense debate between the White House and the State Department, President Barack Obama nominated Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken for the position of deputy secretary of State, the No. 2 job in Foggy Bottom on Friday. The president came to that view despite the opinion of Secretary of State John Kerry, who advocated for Wendy Sherman, the under secretary of state for political affairs and chief U.S. negotiator on the Iran nuclear talks.

  • 'Little Sparta'
    In the UAE, the United States has a quiet, potent ally nicknamed ‘Little Sparta’

    The American presence at Al-Dhafra, which the Pentagon has not publicly acknowledged, is a vital part of the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State militants: The base’s twin runways have launched more strike aircraft — including the Air Force’s most-sophisticated warplane, the F-22 Raptor — than any other military facility in the region.

  • Investment
    Why Foreign investment is elusive for MENA startups

    But why can’t they raise funds while remaining in the Middle East? “In the hierarchy of  Silicon Valley venture firms,” says Nasr, “the focus is generally on the Bay Area first, California second, and the rest of the US after that. Most US VCs don’t have a presence or much awareness outside North America. When you’re investing, one of the most important things is the market; so other than very big markets such as China, India or Brazil, there is not much interest or appetite.”

  • MENA Startups
    What do investors in the MENA want from startups?

    While most of the funders surveyed currently have a presence in either Jordan, the UAE, or Lebanon, 83% plan to expand and increase their activity in the next two years, and most of them are seeking to become more involved in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. While challenges in obtaining investment differ from one market to the other, there are some similarities across the region. Thirty-six percent of entrepreneurs surveyed said that the supply of venture funding in their countries was small, and 24% thought that investors are not offering enough value beyond cash.

  • Mobile Gaming
    PlayPhone partners with Saudi Arabian mobile carrier to take games to the Middle East

    Mobily is the leading mobile carrier in Saudi Arabia, and it has more than 200 million mobile subscribers. Mobily will call its store PlayZone, and it will make it available in the Middle East and  North Africa, starting with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. More countries will roll out in the future.

  • Media
    Misstated Excerpt of Times Article Offers Fresh Take on President Sisi of Egypt

    There is no such thing as bad press for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, at least not if it is translated by the Egyptian news media.

  • Yemen
    Houthi rebels sign deal with Yemen parties to form new government

    The accord aims to address a decade-old Shi'ite Houthi insurgency and a spate of bloodshed this month that posed a major threat to U.N.-backed efforts to stabilise the country, which neighbours oil giant Saudi Arabia and has also struggled to contain al Qaeda militants and southern secessionists.

  • Ma'aden
    Saudi Ma’aden, Alcoa start commercial ops at huge aluminium plant

    Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Ma'aden) said on Monday its joint aluminium smelter with U.S.-based Alcoa has started commercial operations. The $10.8 billion aluminium plant at Ras al-Khair, on the Gulf coast of the kingdom, had experienced issues during the initial start-up phase last year when it had to shut one of its two smelting lines in October due to problems encountered during ramp-up.

  • Solar Power
    Solar Power Investors Start to See Some Light and Heat

    Prices have stabilized as growth in demand for panels is finally outpacing capacity expansion. This benefits manufacturers. Most top-tier suppliers of solar modules reported profit margins that topped 15% in the first quarter, up from 10% toward the end of 2013, according to Matthew Feinstein of Lux Research.