Unlike the desert variety, Dake Rechsand’s breathable sand retains water for a longer duration while allowing air to circulate, creating an ideal environment for vegetation to thrive
Author Archives: Gavin Gibbon
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Oil prices
Saudi Arabia cuts oil prices for Asia buyers as OPEC adds supply
Saudi Aramco lowered the key Arab Light grade by $1.10 from January to $2.20-a-barrel above the benchmark it uses
Arabian Business
AED100,000 start-up prize on the table at the Arabian Business Awards ‘Future Falcons’ pitch event
Our prestigious Arabian Business Awards daytime event features an exciting pitch competition for start-ups to win a package of support and mentoring worth up to AED100,000
foreign currency reserves
Look beyond oil for clues into $447bn Saudi currency stash
Sharp increases in the central bank’s net foreign assets now coincide with payouts from state-controlled oil producer Saudi Aramco
Aviation
Emirates issues fresh wave of restrictions for travellers from African countries
In light of continued Covid concerns, the carrier has issued fresh notices for travellers from 15 destinations in Africa
Education
Dubai’s education authority sanctions Covid-enforced distance learning switch
Classes, grades and entire schools can move to remote learning for a 48-hour period, if necessary, without prior approval
Select Group
Select Group awards $171.3m contract for Dubai’s Business Bay development
China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East scheduled to start work on the project in Q1 this year
National Aquarium Abu Dhabi
Even sea creatures haven’t escaped Covid-19 supply chain crunch
Flight restrictions and border closures have meant fewer passengers moving, which has subsequently led to fewer flights in general and has spurred an increase in air shipping costs
Non-oil economy
UAE’s non-oil economy continues recovery, but Covid concerns persist
Business confidence falls to a three-month low over renewed Covid concerns and spread of omicron variant
Artificial intelligence
Four trends for 2022 that offer a glimpse of AI’s regional future
AI is something that is in our hands already and proving itself every day, even though it goes largely unnoticed
Carolyn Yaffe
Workplace bullying is a scourge that must be addressed
Workplace bullying can result in serious psychological trauma leaving internal wounds and feelings of shame
Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai reaches halfway point with nearly 9 million visits since opening
Expo’s season passes generated almost half of all visits, with repeat attendees reaching 3.5 million
Dubai
Dubai Duty Free reveals $976m annual sales for 2021
Figures released on Tuesday showed over nine million sales transactions were recorded at Dubai Duty Free throughout the last 12 months
Great Arab Minds
Sheikh Mohammed launches AED100m initiative to find 1,000 ‘Great Arab Minds’
Fund will be administered from the Museum of the Future, the emirate’s new global scientific landmark, with a committee of four Emirati ministers who will develop a system to identify and highlight the extraordinary thinkers and talents that the initiative will support
oil supply
OPEC+ set to boost supply again as oil market looks tighter
23-nation alliance led by Saudi Arabia and Russia is on track to ratify another modest output revival of 400,000 barrels a day, restoring supplies shuttered during the pandemic
Aviation
Flydubai to receive aircraft order as budget carrier continues to soar
Despite concerns over the Covid omicron variant, CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith has revealed confidence in the sector’s ongoing recovery
Gold
Gold holds biggest decline in six weeks after bond yields surge
Bullion fell last year in its biggest annual decline since 2015 as central banks started to dial back pandemic-era stimulus to fight inflation
Omicron variant
Kuwait reveals new restrictions to curb spread of Covid variant
All kinds of public gatherings in closed places would be banned from Sunday through to February 28
Oil prices
Oil steadies near $76 ahead of OPEC+ meeting on supply policy
OPEC+ alliance is set to ratify a 400,000-barrel-a-day production increase for February when it gathers on Tuesday
Aviation
UK-UAE tourism and business travel to take short-term hit on new Covid restrictions
Covid-19 recovery was underway globally, with some markets making stronger comebacks than others, but the new omicron variant has once again challenged progress
Cybersecurity
The Monkey Kingdom hack: A shining example of what to do in a crisis
Why the best defence against losing out to scammers in 2022 is your own knowledge
Digitisation
New Aramco, AEC partnership to focus on accelerating Saudi Arabia’s digital ecosystem
Announcement comes as Aramco pursues several business digitalisation programmes under its industrial investment program, Aramco Namaat
cloud computing
How cloud computing is facilitating Saudi’s medical research
King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre’s deployment of Oracle Cloud has allowed for more efficient data management, processing, integration and analysis
Investment
Insights for investors: GCC sees fundamental shift in global capital flows in post-pandemic world
For GCC investors, the post-pandemic operating landscape is becoming more apparent as new bounds converge with already present components
Investment
Central bank action crucial, as gold remains subdued
Some observers are currently floating the idea that the shiny metal could be entering something of an existential crisis with gold companies needing to describe their relevance in the future, by bringing the asset more into the digital era
Aero International
Emirates retains title as world’s safest airline
With a risk index of 95.05 percent, Emirates beat out its nearest rivals KLM (93.31 percent), JetBlue (91.61 percent), Delta (91.55 percent) and easyJet (91.28 percent) among the 25 airlines surveyed
AB Money
Range Developments expands second citizenship offer in Grenada
Since 2011, Range Developments has developed 5-star luxury hotels in the Caribbean – the latest of which is the InterContinental Grenada Resort
Alpha Dhabi Holding
Alpha Dhabi raises stake in Aldar Properties to 29.8%, becomes one of largest shareholders
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm acquired an additional 17% shareholding of Aldar Properties in line with its new AED8bn strategic investment plan
Cyber Security
Are you prepared for more OT threats?
Malicious cyberattacks are likely to increase given the opportunities for mission impact, social anxiety, and profit that disrupting systems and stealing intellectual property from OT and IT systems represent
Emerging Markets
Emerging markets in 2022: Headwinds to become tailwinds
Why 2022 could be a strong year for emerging countries after their vaccination programmes catch up
Oil prices
Oil edges higher as Libyan output falls ahead of OPEC+ meeting
Futures in New York advanced toward $76-a-barrel in Asian trading after sliding 2.3 percent on Friday
Omicron variant
Kuwait urges citizens to leave UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy amid Covid surge
Embassies said on Sunday evening that the surge in omicron cases might lead to re-imposing new measures, including full lockdowns and travel restrictions
Influencer marketing
Role of influencers and authentic content marketing in shaping future of retail e-commerce
As social media plays a vital role in the customer’s buying decisions, there is a heightened demand for influencers who can create authentic and interactive content that generate leads
remote working
UAE government staff given work-from-home option
Announcement comes with a number of UAE schools set to apply distance learning for the opening fortnight of the new academic term
Oil prices
Oil holds gains after six-day surge on shrinking US stockpiles
Crude is on course for the biggest annual advance in more than a decade, with gains underpinned by the rebound in global consumption from the depths of the pandemic
Emaar Development
Hareb resigns as CEO of Emaar Development
Resignation was announced through a note to Dubai Financial Market (DFM), which said the move was due to ‘personal reasons’
Aviation
Two million travellers to pass through Dubai International up to January 8, 2022
Dubai-based carrier warned that only passengers with valid tickets will be allowed into the terminal
covid-19
Saudi reinstates Covid social distancing requirements at holy sites
Visitors and workers are also urged to wear face masks and adhere to access times according to the permits issued
covid-19
Sheikh Mohamed warns Covid infections may increase but UAE will survive new wave
On Wednesday the UAE reported its highest number of daily coronavirus cases for six months
Aviation
UAE regulator probes Emirates flight ‘incident’ in Dubai
Boeing 777-300ER, bound for Washington DC, came within 175 feet of impacting the ground, according to reports
Oil prices
Oil holds near one-month high on signs US stockpiles falling
West Texas Intermediate was steady near $76-a-barrel after gaining 11 percent over the last five sessions
kuwait cabinet
Kuwait appoints Al-Rushaid as Finance Minister in new cabinet
Mohammed Al-Fares retained his position as oil minister in a cabinet that took five weeks to form
ADEK
UAE education authorities announce latest Covid restrictions
Abu Dhabi returns to remote learning, while schools in Dubai to continue with face-to-face lessons, but with new guidelines to contain virus spread
10000 Energy Drive
Saudi’s Sidra acquires HQ building of leading US energy company
Sidra Capital has taken a strategic interest in ‘10000 Energy Drive’ in Houston, Texas, which serves as the HQ building for Southwestern Energy, a NYSE listed company
E-commerce
The year of the climb – 2022 outlook for the B2B food and beverage industry
Today, what B2B consumers are looking for from the food and beverage industry is very different from pre-pandemic times, and these new expectations are here to stay beyond 2022
covid-19
Why higher education has changed for the better
Universities should enhance the community and society around them. To really fulfil this role, they need to be free to evolve as those societies do, to best serve those changing communities
US Treasuries
Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasuries drop to four-year low
Kingdom sold around $8 billion in US government debt, the most in over a year, bringing its stock to $116.5bn, according to Treasury Department data
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
Abu Dhabi in deal to spend £2.2bn on London rental homes
Greystar and ADIA will build their pipeline, starting with a seed asset in the south London neighbourhood of Battersea
fitness industry
Why the fitness subscription model is the industry way forward
Building and growing a successful subscription business model certainly takes effort and time, but the benefits are obvious
Abu Dhabi Global Markets
Why Abu Dhabi Global Markets is ‘one of the world’s leading regulators’
Abu Dhabi Global Markets released in 2018 its first guidance for the regulation of crypto asset activities, and updates have come fast and frequently since then
Qatar’s record bet on London homes sees $900m of sales
After splashing more than $1 billion on the former army barracks in 2008, the site’s owners are now signing deals with the world’s wealthiest home owners from Turkey to Hong Kong
covid-19
Bahrain set to move to ‘yellow alert’ status to combat Covid variant threat
Under Bahrain’s traffic light system, the move to yellow is sanctioned when the rolling average of positive coronavirus cases in intensive care units is 51 to 100 cases for seven days
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange
Alpha Dhabi Holding targets $2.2bn portfolio expansion
Board approved expansion of investment portfolio in the real estate, hospitality, healthcare, and petrochemicals sectors
CEO
Five red flags when interviewing a CEO candidate
While an organisation might take a chance with a new CEO, because of the candidate’s experience or by having big brands under their belt, knowing what to look out for and asking the right questions will reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person