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Gold hits 3-month high
Gold rose 0.5 percent to a three-month high on Thursday, targeting a break above $1,300 after disappointing U.S. retail sales data weighed on the dollar and increased bullion’s appeal as a currency hedge. The dollar index tumbled 0.4 percent after U.S. retail sales fell unexpectedly in January and the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week, in the latest signs of slowing […]
US border check post to be extended to Dubai
A U.S. border checkpoint located a day’s flight from New York in the Arabian desert promises to become an oasis for weary travelers heading for the States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened an Abu Dhabi base on Jan. 24, the first in the Middle East and the second outside the Americas after Ireland. Another post is planned in Dubai within a year as part of a […]
Vodafone, Bharti score big win in $10b spectrum auction
Indian mobile phone market leaders Bharti Airtel and Vodafone bought airwaves worth about $3 billion each in a hotly contested auction that raised nearly $10 billion, far exceeding the government’s target. No.1 Bharti and second-ranked Vodafone said they had won airwaves in the premium 900 megahertz band that was available in three key cities — Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Conglomerate Reliance Industries, a new entrant in telecoms that is seen […]
Oman may be forced to sell assets if oil price falls
Oman may have to start selling foreign assets or borrow on international markets in coming years if government spending rises during a period of lower oil prices and economic growth, a report in a magazine published by its central bank said. “The sultanate has to tolerate one of the options in the coming years if there is any prediction of decrease in GDP (gross domestic product) growth […]
Empower starts $600m loan syndication
The $600 million loan which Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corp (Empower) is using to back its acquisition of Palm Utilities is being syndicated to other lenders, three banking sources said on Thursday. Dubai district cooling firm Empower announced last month that it was buying Palm Utilities from a unit of Dubai World for $500 million, the latest in a series of acquisitions which have seen assets shuffled […]
UAE market an oasis in global storm
|By Arjuna Mahendran|The GCC stock and bond markets remain a safe haven to investors, underpinned by solid fundamentals. The Expo 2020, MSCI inclusion of the UAE and Qatari markets in the emerging market (EM) category, infrastructure spending across countries – the GCC Railway project to mention one – the revival of trade, tourism and real estate – as tensions in Egypt, Syria and Iran subside somewhat – […]
Asian stocks drop after year’s longest gain period
Asian stocks dropped after the regional benchmark index climbed for a sixth day yesterday to cap its longest run of advances this year. Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. slid 4.5 percent in Tokyo after Japan’s second-largest beermaker’s net-income forecast missed estimates. Tokyo Tatemono Co. plunged 8.3 percent after the developer predicted full-year operating profit below analyst expectations. Qantas Airways Ltd. jumped 6.3 percent after the Sydney Morning Herald […]
Dubai residents are feeling the pinch
During the past two years, statistics show that Dubai’s economy is on the path to a robust recovery. Some say that a new boom is unfolding, but not everyone agrees as not all economic sectors are witnessing dramatic improvements. In general, UAE is enjoying political stability and a strong revival in the tourism sector. Real estate prices and residential rents are firmly advancing too. However, along that, […]
Emirates, Jetstar agree for codeshare
Emirates and Jetstar have announced an agreement which is set to open up new destinations for Emirates passengers across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia as the Dubai-based airline continues to connect people, places and passions. Emirates’ code will now be placed on a number of routes operated by Jetstar Airways in Australia and New Zealand and Jetstar Asia, giving passengers access to 27 new routes […]
Kejriwal is taking full advantage of CM post
|By Upendra Prasad| When Congress leaders had forced unwilling Kejriwal to form his government in Delhi, he said the Congress will have to repent its decision to allow him to become CM. It is clear now what he meant by saying it. In an unprecedented move, he has ordered institution of a case against present and former Petroleum Ministers as also Mukesh Ambani to manipulate and hike […]
Comcast to buy Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion
Comcast Corp is buying Time Warner Cable Inc for $45.2 billion in an all-stock deal, combining the nation’s two largest cable operators, according to people familiar with the matter. The friendly takeover comes as a surprise after months of public pursuit of Time Warner Cable by smaller rival Charter Communications Inc, and immediately raised questions as to whether it would pass regulatory scrutiny. Comcast will pay $158.82 […]
Cyber attack adds to online currency risks
A massive cyber attack from unknown sources that has been spamming bitcoin exchanges is highlighting some of the dangers people can encounter when they exchange cash for digital currencies like the bitcoin, experts said on Wednesday. The attack, which is technically known as a distributed denial of service attack, involved thousands of phantom transactions, forcing at least three of the online platforms that store bitcoins and trade […]
US auto makers start price war
A one-two punch of bad weather and overproduction has ignited a price war among U.S. car dealers and manufacturers. Frigid temperatures and winter storms in the past six weeks have slowed retail sales and showroom traffic, inflating inventories of unsold vehicles and triggering a new round of steep discounts by carmakers and their dealers. While many analysts believe the spike in incentives is a short-term reaction, “the […]
Doping scandal probe clears Godolphin owners
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has been cleared of any wrongdoing following a doping scandal at his Godolphin racing organisation that saw a trainer banned for eight years, an internal report said on Wednesday. HH Sheikh Mohammed, Dubai’s ruler and Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, commissioned a report by Lord Stevens, the former Metropolitan Police chief commissioner, to investigate the scandal and interview key […]
Dubai may enforce minimum salary for car ownership
Dubai is considering the introduction of a salary threshold for being eligible to own a car, Director General of Dubai Municipality Hussain Lootah told a local newspaper. This will encourage more people to use Dubai’s public transportation, he said. “There are more than 200 nationalities in Dubai,” he said. “I can’t see [education and awareness] having an effect. Adding that, “unless you go hard, no one will […]
Abu Dhabi-backed space unit to fly clients this year
U.K. billionaire Richard Branson said his Virgin Galactic venture is on track to carry its first fare-paying passenger to the edge of space this year, and that he plans to take his family on a flight some time in 2014. Virgin Galactic, which completed the third rocket-powered supersonic flight of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle from Mojave Air and Space Port in California last month, is on course to […]
India approves subsidy for raw sugar exports
India, the world’s biggest sugar producer after Brazil, will introduce a subsidy on raw sweetener exports to boost shipments amid a domestic glut, a government official said. The cabinet approved a 3,333 rupees ($54) a metric ton subsidy for exports in February and March and will review the amount in April, the official, who asked not to be named because the person isn’t authorized to speak to […]
Senator sues Obama over phone surveillance
President Barack Obama was sued by Senator Rand Paul over U.S. electronic surveillance he claims is illegal, adding to challenges that may land post-Sept. 11 government data collection in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Kentucky Republican announced today that he had filed his complaint in Washington federal court. Paul was joined as co-plaintiff by FreedomWorks Inc., a Tea Party-backed group. The filing couldn’t be immediately confirmed in […]
Fox News – The Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan has already put the world on notice, from its standard stance on opulence in the S550 to the impeccably impressive S63 AMG super sedan. Now, the sedan gets a sleeker, sportier companion: the 2015 S-Class Coupe. A striking profile marks the S-Class Coupe apart from the teeming hordes of four-doored coupe wannabes. This is a true coupe, and it wears its proportions like a larger-than-life sports […]
Nokia renews legal battle over India assets transfer to Microsoft
Nokia said on Wednesday it plans to challenge a Delhi High Court ruling that is blocking the transfer to Microsoft of assets related to its mobile phone business. One such asset – a plant in Chennai – is among Nokia’s biggest phone-making factories. Local authorities seized it last year in a tax dispute, blocking its transfer to Microsoft which bought Nokia’s mobile phone business. Nokia agreed in […]
CNN reports on the ‘plight’ of Burj Khalifa residents
CNN has reported on the plight of Burj Khalifa residents who faced the threat of unplugged air-conditioning and out of service elevators in a dispute with developer Emaar Properties over unpaid service fees. “ What is it like to live in the tallest building in the world? “Well, if the elevators stop, not that great. “Unplugged air conditioning and out-of-service elevators became a real threat for residents of […]
Deutsche Bank agrees to hand over documents
Deutsche Bank AG agreed to hand over documents related to a probe into the operations of its Dubai-based wealth management division after being taken to court by the emirate’s financial free zone regulator. The Dubai Financial Services Authority began proceedings against the Frankfurt-based lender at the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts on Oct. 31 in an attempt to force the bank to comply with its investigation. Deutsche […]
Gold retreats from 3-month high
Gold retreated from the highest level since November as a five-day advance damped physical demand and U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen pledged to continue with a gradual tapering of stimulus. Bullion for immediate delivery lost as much as 0.6 percent to $1,284.15 an ounce, and was at $1,286.78 at 3:12 p.m. in Singapore. Prices climbed to $1,293.93 yesterday, the highest level since Nov. 14, capping a […]
