Gulf News
Encyclopedia
Gulf News is a daily English language newspaper
published from Dubai
, in the United Arab Emirates
with a December 2009 BPA audited circulation of over 117,036 qualified copies.http://www.bpaww.com/Bpaww_com/Pages/Home.aspx The newspaper won the Asia - Pacific award for best newspaper production in July 1990.
Under new ownership, Gulf News was re-launched on December 10, 1985 and was free to the public. From February 1986, the public was charged one Dirham
(US 27 cents) a copy for the Gulf News package which comprised the broadsheet newspaper and a leisure supplement called Tabloid, which also contained classifieds.
After moving into new premises in 1986, Gulf News began to be distributed to other GCC countries: Bahrain
from September 1987; Oman
from April 1989; Saudi Arabia
from March 1989; and Qatar
from April 1989. It also became available in Pakistan
from August 1988. In November 1995 the width of the paper's broadsheet pages were reduced by four centimetres, to create the new international size of 38 centimetres.
Al Nisr Publishing
became a Limited Liability Company
(LLC) with a share capital of Dh15 million on May 26, 1997.
- Business (Daily)
- Weekend Review: Culture, Art & Reviews (Weekly)
- Tabloid: Celebrity happenings (Daily)
, Kuldip Nayar
, Dr. Faisal Alkasim,Joseph A. Kechichian, Marwan Al Kabalan, Rakesh Mani, Linda S. Heard, Stuart Reigeluth & Wael Al Sayegh
, the GCC and the Subcontinent
. The Abu Dhabi bureau was opened in 1982; Bahrain bureau in January 1988; Oman bureau in 1989; Manila bureau in August 1990; Al Ain bureau in 1994; Sharjah bureau in May, 1995; and the New Delhi bureau in November 1995.
The first Web Edition of Gulf News was launched on September 1, 1996.
Gulf News moved to its present headquarters on Sheikh Zayed Road
in April 2000. The new headquarters state-of-the-art technology throughout, with fibre-optic cabling and one of the most advanced printing press in the Middle East.
The regionally famous Gulf News Fun Drive was started in March 1986. The 26th Fun Drive was held in December 2006 and saw 750 all-terrain vehicles with over 2,800 participants. An earlier Fun Drive was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as being a significant first achievement. Another major event is the $6 million Dubai World Cup horse race meeting, which comprises seven top quality races, and includes a race for Purebred Arabians. Gulf News sponsors the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen, a Group 1 sprint which one of the main attractions, of the meeting. Gulf News also sponsors an entire evening of horse racing at Nad Al Sheba, with each race being named after one of its titles.
The paper also sponsors a number of other major sports events in the UAE, as well as seminars and conferences. Principal among this latter is the Arab Strategy Forum, where leaders in politics and industry gather to discuss current events affecting the region
's "immoral activities" communities, publishing complaints from members of the public against Orkut communities like "Dubai Sex", and officially bringing the complaints to the attention of the state telecom monopoly Etisalat
. The ensuing moral panic
resulted in a renewed ban of the site by Etisalat by July 4, 2007.
of sociology
at UAE University
Al Ain
which stated that the Nazi "holocaust was a mere lie devised by Zionists to blackmail humanity." It continued "It is evident that the holocaust was a conspiracy hatched by the Zionists and Nazis, and many innocent people gave their lives as a result of this inhuman plot." Editors later said it was a mistranslation from Arabic, although as the piece still made it to print it was clearly either not subject to editorial review before publication, or it was reviewed but deemed to be not offensive.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published from Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
with a December 2009 BPA audited circulation of over 117,036 qualified copies.http://www.bpaww.com/Bpaww_com/Pages/Home.aspx The newspaper won the Asia - Pacific award for best newspaper production in July 1990.
Early history
Gulf News was first launched in tabloid format on September 30, 1978 by prominent UAE businessman Abdul Wahab Galadari; its offices were located on the Airport Road, Dubai. In November 1984, three leading UAE businessmen, purchased the company and formed Al Nisr Publishing. The new owners of the paper were Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Abdullah Al Rostamani and Juma Al Majid. With the death of Abdullah Al Rostamani in 2006, his position on the board is held by a family nominee while the other directors remain.Under new ownership, Gulf News was re-launched on December 10, 1985 and was free to the public. From February 1986, the public was charged one Dirham
Dirham
Dirham or dirhem is a unit of currency in several Arab or Berber nations, and formerly the related unit of mass in the Ottoman Empire and Persian states...
(US 27 cents) a copy for the Gulf News package which comprised the broadsheet newspaper and a leisure supplement called Tabloid, which also contained classifieds.
After moving into new premises in 1986, Gulf News began to be distributed to other GCC countries: Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
from September 1987; Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
from April 1989; Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
from March 1989; and Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
from April 1989. It also became available in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
from August 1988. In November 1995 the width of the paper's broadsheet pages were reduced by four centimetres, to create the new international size of 38 centimetres.
Al Nisr Publishing
Al Nisr Publishing
Al Nisr Publishing is a company based in Dubai, UAE. The company is a part of Al Tayer Group. It was established in 1985 by Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Abdullah Al Rostamani and Juma Al Majid. It employs 1,050 people and has branches in Manila, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah...
became a Limited Liability Company
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
(LLC) with a share capital of Dh15 million on May 26, 1997.
Sections
Besides the daily broadsheet newspaper, Gulf News publishes the following:- Business (Daily)
- Weekend Review: Culture, Art & Reviews (Weekly)
- Tabloid: Celebrity happenings (Daily)
Opinion
Regular op-ed contributors to Gulf News include: Uri AvneryUri Avnery
Uri Avnery is an Israeli writer and founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement.A member of the Irgun as a teenager, Avnery sat in the Knesset from 1965–74 and 1979–81...
, Kuldip Nayar
Kuldip Nayar
Kuldip Nayar is a veteran Indian journalist and syndicated columnist, noted for his long career as a left-wing political commentator.-Early life and education:Nayar was born at Sialkot, Punjab, British India on 14 August 1923....
, Dr. Faisal Alkasim,Joseph A. Kechichian, Marwan Al Kabalan, Rakesh Mani, Linda S. Heard, Stuart Reigeluth & Wael Al Sayegh
Foreign bureaus
In order to provide better local coverage for its readers, Gulf News opened various bureaus around the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, the GCC and the Subcontinent
Subcontinent
A subcontinent is a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent. By dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent, or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision...
. The Abu Dhabi bureau was opened in 1982; Bahrain bureau in January 1988; Oman bureau in 1989; Manila bureau in August 1990; Al Ain bureau in 1994; Sharjah bureau in May, 1995; and the New Delhi bureau in November 1995.
The first Web Edition of Gulf News was launched on September 1, 1996.
Gulf News moved to its present headquarters on Sheikh Zayed Road
Sheikh Zayed Road
E 11 is a highway in the United Arab Emirates. The longest road in the UAE, E 11 streches from Al Silah in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and ends in Ras Al Khaimah emirate at the Oman border, running roughly parallel to UAE's coastline along the Persian Gulf...
in April 2000. The new headquarters state-of-the-art technology throughout, with fibre-optic cabling and one of the most advanced printing press in the Middle East.
Sponsorship and promotion
Gulf News was the first newspaper in the region to promote the arts, culture, music and sport through sponsorship of events. In March 1989 Gulf News started the Gulf Business Awards in collaboration with DHL for the Best Chief Executive, Enterprise and Businessman. The scheme was discontinued in 1996.The regionally famous Gulf News Fun Drive was started in March 1986. The 26th Fun Drive was held in December 2006 and saw 750 all-terrain vehicles with over 2,800 participants. An earlier Fun Drive was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as being a significant first achievement. Another major event is the $6 million Dubai World Cup horse race meeting, which comprises seven top quality races, and includes a race for Purebred Arabians. Gulf News sponsors the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen, a Group 1 sprint which one of the main attractions, of the meeting. Gulf News also sponsors an entire evening of horse racing at Nad Al Sheba, with each race being named after one of its titles.
The paper also sponsors a number of other major sports events in the UAE, as well as seminars and conferences. Principal among this latter is the Arab Strategy Forum, where leaders in politics and industry gather to discuss current events affecting the region
Role in Orkut ban
On July 3, 2007, Gulf News revisited the issue of OrkutOrkut
Orkut is a social networking website that is owned and operated by Google Inc. The service is designed to help users meet new and old friends and maintain existing relationships...
's "immoral activities" communities, publishing complaints from members of the public against Orkut communities like "Dubai Sex", and officially bringing the complaints to the attention of the state telecom monopoly Etisalat
Etisalat
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
. The ensuing moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
resulted in a renewed ban of the site by Etisalat by July 4, 2007.
Holocaust denial
On January 4, 2009, the paper published an article by Dr Mohammad Abdullah Al Mutawa, a professorProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at UAE University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
Al Ain
Al Ain
Al Ain |Spring]]), also known as the Garden City due to its greenery, is the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the fourth largest city in the United Arab Emirates. With a population of 374,000 , it is located approximately 160 km east of the capital Abu Dhabi and about...
which stated that the Nazi "holocaust was a mere lie devised by Zionists to blackmail humanity." It continued "It is evident that the holocaust was a conspiracy hatched by the Zionists and Nazis, and many innocent people gave their lives as a result of this inhuman plot." Editors later said it was a mistranslation from Arabic, although as the piece still made it to print it was clearly either not subject to editorial review before publication, or it was reviewed but deemed to be not offensive.
External links
- Gulf News
- Timeline: Important Milestones Gulf News 30 September 2007
- XPRESS