UAE city ranks near the top when buying a monthly internet subscription, a cappuccino, a pint of beer and a summer dress
Author Archives: Staff Writer
Almosafer
Ramadan booking trends revealed by Saudi’s Almosafer
Flagship brand of Seera Group’s Consumer Travel Business has released data highlighting travel trends for Eid season
Arsenal
Bahrain’s Gulf Air upgrades Baku flights for Europa League final
Bahrain’s national carrier says Dreamliner will be used to lift more Arsenal and Chelsea fans to final
Mount Everest
Two more climbers die reaching summit of Mount Everest
An American and Indian climber are the latest fatalities on one of the busiest-ever days on the the 8,848-metre peak
Brexit
Pound investors bailing out as Brexit chaos is back on the radar
With a senior minister resigning to add pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May to abandon her deal with the EU and quit, the risk of a disorderly Brexit is back on the radar
Abu Dhabi
UAE, Jordan agree to conduct joint military exercises
The move by the two Arab countries is to “ensure security and stability in the region”
Abu Dhabi
UAE firm gives 10,000 blue-collar workers free medical check-ups
Right Health screened workers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman
Fuel trading
Saudi Aramco starts fuel trading from UAE with ex-BP, Pemex hires
Aramco’s trading unit started doing deals earlier this month at its new office in Fujairah
Agility Public Warehousing
Orange pushed from Iraq as regulator seizes stake in mobile unit
Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission transferred the 44% stake in Korek owned jointly by Orange and Kuwaiti logistics company Agility to three investors
Miuccia Prada
Prada bans fur From catwalk, bowing to ethical fashion demand
Miuccia Prada, the creative director and controlling shareholder of Milan-based Prada said the company would no longer feature the material starting with her next runway show in September
Expo Centre Sharjah
17-day shopping sale in the UAE offers up to 75% discount
Ramadan Nights will take part until June 8
China
US Federal Reserve says economic risks have receded
Fed officials still expect solid growth this year, but below the torrid pace of the first quarter, when the US economy expanded 3.2%
Abu Dhabi
Khabib free to fight in Abu Dhabi as UFC shortens teammates’ suspension
Lebanese German fighter Khalid Taha also announced on his Instagram that he will take part in the UFC 242 in September
President Donald Trump
New York passes bill that would allow Congress to get Trump tax returns
Since before the 2016 election, Trump has claimed that his personal and corporate annual income statements have been under audit by the Internal Revenue Service and cannot be released
Filippo Ricci
Dressing ‘kings’ with Italy’s luxury czar Stefano Ricci
Focusing on the richest segment of society in emerging markets like Russia, China and the Middle East, the brand is about to open a shop in Turkmenistan
Keith Thurman
Keith Thurman says ready to ‘crucify’ Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao
The undefeated Thurman takes on Pacquiao in Las Vegas on July 20 in a contest that pits the WBA’s ‘super world champion’ against the body’s secondary ‘world’ champion
Gianni Infantino
IOC eyes 10 new board members but omits Coe and Infantino
The IOC Elections Committee’s nominees to become new members of the IOC’s governing body in June include Spyros Capralos, President of the Greek Olympic Committee
FIFA
FIFA drops plans for 48-team 2022 World Cup
FIFA president Gianni Infantino had supported the increase in the size of the tournament
Huawei
Japan’s Panasonic joins firms stepping away from Huawei after US ban
Panasonic’s business with Huawei includes the supply of ‘electronic parts’
infrastructure investment
Kuwait begins work on mega residential projects
South Sabah Al Ahmad residential city and South Saad Al Abdullah city are slated for completion in 2029
Abu Dhabi Crown prince
UAE working to safeguard maritime navigation, says Abu Dhabi Crown Prince
Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed has praised Jordan for its support of the UAE and Saudi Arabia
construction firm
Collapsed Saudi Oger’s debts total $10.67 billion
The firm’s collapse in 2017 left thousands of workers unpaid
Damac Properties
UAE gold card residency scheme to bolster economy, says Damac chairman
Experts have hailed the move as an important step in attracting entrepreneurs to the UAE
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque iftar catering to up to 30,000 worshippers per night
The iftar requires ten tonnes of vegetables and the process involves around 400 chefs
Bahrain government
Bahrain to increase penalties for misuse of social media
Bahrain said the bill is in line with the government directives to deal firmly with the misuse of social media
American troops
Pentagon to brief White House on 5,000-troop option for Middle East
President Donald Trump has dispatched an aircraft carrier and bombers to the Arabian Gulf in response to unspecified threats from Iran
Aniseh Chawkat
How Britain’s NCA stopped payments to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s niece
In an unprecedented case, a member of Syria’s ruling Assad family has forfeited the contents of her UK bank account.
crude production
Saudi Aramco’s gas deal signals commitment to oil cuts, Brookfield says
Saudi Aramco announced that it’s taking a 25% stake in Sempra Energy’s Port Arthur liquefied natural gas terminal in Texas
Carlos Ghosn
Carlos Ghosn’s fight to prove his innocence begins in Tokyo
The trial probably won’t get underway until 2020, several pre-trial hearings between now and then
Background
14 hotels included in Saudi Arabia’s ‘major tourism project’
The Kingdom is pursuing private investors to turn 90 islands off the Red Sea coast into a tourism destination.
economic workshop
Palestinians confirm will not attend US-led meeting in Bahrain
The Palestinians had already said they had not been informed about the event and were expected not to attend
Background
Foundation stone laid for $27m sports stadium in Fujairah
The new stadium is the latest bid to boost the emirate’s economy by ensuring an investment-conducive environment
Background
DHA completes renovation, expansion of Rashid Hospital’s trauma centre laboratory
The trauma centre laboratory provides accurate, quick, relevant results within 30 minutes from the receipt of a sample to all patients of the emergency department and inpatients of wards/ICUs
Boeing
US FAA chief says no 737 MAX fix yet ahead of fence-mending summit
In a sign of the work remaining to be done before the MAX 8 can fly again, interim FAA chief Dan Elwell said his agency has not yet received Boeing’s proposed fix for the automated control system blamed in the crashes
Background
Over 9,514 new business licenses issued in Dubai from January to April
DED issued 2,805 new licenses during April 2019, a growth of 60%
India
India’s Modi heads for re-election, early trends show
Exit polls had pointed to a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist government, but the opposition are clinging to hopes of a win
bank loans
Over 50% of UAE residents overlook financial fine print, says study
The fine print in a financial product, which often times carries more weight than the offer itself, is designed to be overlooked, writes Ambareen Musa, CEO and founder of Souqalmal.com
Brexit
British PM May stares at defeat in final Brexit gambit
Beleaguered premier is in the last throes of a tumultuous rule focused all-but exclusively on guiding her fractured country out of the European Union
draft law
UAE’s FNC approves draft law to protect elderly Emiratis
Federal National Council agrees draft legislation to increase punishments for rogue care homes in the UAE
Booker International Prize
Omanis praise Jokha Alharthi for ‘historic’ Man Booker literature prize
Director general of Oman’s culture ministry, poet Saif al-Rahbi lead tributes to author Jokha Alharthi
Abu Dhabi Media
100 key figures to appear at Emirati Media Forum
Emirati Media Forum lines up heads of UAE media institutions, managing editors, editors-in-chief of local newspapers, senior writers, thinkers, intellectuals and academics
Bharatiya Janata Party
Opposition leader Gandhi says gloomy Indian exit polls ‘fake’
A slew of exit polls released after the world’s largest election ended on Sunday projected that Modi and his allies would return to power
Background
Abu Dhabi agency releases first fish batch to boost stocks
Environment Agency has released the first batch of economically-important and over-exploited fish species into Abu Dhabi waters
cinema operator
Mexican cinema operator eyes major expansion in Oman
Cinepolis says it plans to open new Sohar cinema on Thursday, with plans for two more in Oman by the end of this year
Airbnb
Airbnb launches Arabic website amid 63% growth in UAE visitors
Short-term rental platform welcomed over 145,000 guests from around the world so far this year
France
UAE welcomes international help to probe ship attacks
Investigation into the attacks on four tankers in UAE waters, will include the United States, France and Norway
Arabian Business StartUp
Silicon Valley start-up to build over 4,000 new homes in Saudi Arabia
Under the agreement, 4,101 housing units will be built by Katerra in Makkah, Madinah, Al Baha, Al Jawf and Al Qasim
Ban Ki-moon
Dubai’s Gems signs former UN chief Ban Ki-moon as ambassador
Gems Education announces that Ban Ki-moon has accepted the ambassadorship for next three years
2019 Cricket World Cup
OSN launches ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 broadcast package
Dubai-based OSN launches dedicated ICC world cup season pass for AED199
Background
UAE condemns missile attacks on Saudi holy city
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation slams attempt by Houthi rebels to target Makkah during Ramadan
British Telecom
UK telecoms giant EE says to launch 5G without Huawei
EE had announced earlier that it would bring Huawei’s first 5G phone, the Huawei Mate 20 X 5G, to Britain
Bayut.com
UAE property portal launches Saudi ops amid MENA expansion plan
Bayut says Saudi expansion is first step to create ‘formidable pan Arab brand with operations across the MENA region’
BR Shetty
Business community hails UAE gold card residency scheme
An initial batch of 6,800 will be granted a new residency status as part of the move
Dubai
Dubai expats see disposable income drop by nearly a fifth
Foreign workers say average monthly salaries fall by 17% to $2,856