By SOMINI SENGUPTA November 10, 2014 UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations secretary general announced on Monday that a five-member panel would investigate the attacks on more than 100 United Nations facilities and the death of 11 of its staff members during the Gaza conflict during the summer, defying Israeli demands to wait until the conclusion of its own government inquiry. The United Nations usually conducts such in-house inquiries […]
|By TAP Staff| Amanat Holdings announced that its AED 1.375 billion Initial Public Offering (IPO) was nearly 10 times oversubscribed. The integrated healthcare and education company collected more than AED 13.6 billion in total during its 16-day IPO. The company said shares have been allocated proportionately to subscribers and excess funds are due to be returned to investors on November 11, 2014. Amanat is scheduled to list […]
|By TAP Staff| Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Court of First Instance hast confirmed its jurisdiction over a lawsuit by an expatriate investor, resident in Dubai, against India’s ICICI Bank, registered in the DIFC. In May, Indian citizen Kishanchand Gangaram Bhatia filed suit in the DIFC Court of First Instance alleging that ICICI Bank induced him to invest in an unsuitable fund and had not disclosed material […]
|By TAP Staff| Tecom Investments, a unit of Dubai Holding has mandated banks to raise a syndicated loan, with two banking sources saying the facility would be worth 4 billion dirhams ($1.1 billion). The banks are Citi, Dubai Islamic Bank , Mashreq, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Noor Bank. Tecom Investments is expected to use the proceeds for its growth plans, while some of the cash will […]
New Delhi: The attorney-general (A-G) has recommended cancellation of a proposed defence deal for the acquisition of eight minesweeper vessels, estimated to be worth about Rs 6,000 crore, from the South Korean Kangnam Corporation after allegations of involvement of middlemen, official sources in the ministry of defence (MoD) have confirmed. The MoD had sought the view of A-G Mukul Rohatgi in the matter. The government may […]
National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), the largest lender in the United Arab Emirates, has appointed a veteran former Barclays banker to run its consumer banking business, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday. Suvrat Saigal, previously head of consumer banking at Barclays in India, takes over from George Beatty, who resigned in January as NBAD’s general manager of consumer and elite banking. An […]
|By TAP Staff| Nigerian property investors account for 60 percent of hotel apartment purchases in the Dubai hospitality market, according to a Nigerian newspaper. During the property market boom which suffered a crash in the world economic recession of late 2008 to 2010, Nigerian investors accounted for well over 40 percent of Dubai’s residential market, such that a significant number of houses on Palm Jumaireh—one of Dubai’s exclusive […]
Israeli police officers arrested a right-wing activist on Thursday after he tried to access the sacred plateau revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary in the Old City of Jerusalem. By ISABEL KERSHNER and JODI RUDOREN October 30, 2014 JERUSALEM — Under heavy pressure and the threat of new Israeli-Palestinian strife, Israel announced on Thursday that it would reopen a contested holy site in […]
Alongside the Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping centers, sits an ersatz version of what would be an authentic retail experience in most Persian Gulf cities: an Arab souk. If, in the evening, you stroll through this air-conditioned, hassle- and haggle-free caricature of a market, staffed mostly by smiling South Asians, you can amble out onto the shores of man-made Burj Khalifa Lake, named after […]
Look at computer models for the Venice-like Arabian Canal proposed for central Dubai, or the plans for the world’s biggest shopping mall, and it seems as if the collapse of the United Arab Emirates real estate market six years ago never happened. Citibank estimated earlier this year that there were already two thirds of a trillion dollars worth of construction projects underway in the UAE. That was […]
|By TAP Staff| International Monetary Fund is pleased to note the moderation in the prices of Dubai’s properties, a senior IMF official said. The IMF has previously warned that rapid rises in Dubai real estate prices, which earlier this year were in some cases a third higher than they were 12 months previously, could lead to another bubble and then a crash in the emirate. But Masood […]
|By Rashidul Bari| When I was writing Grameen Social Business Model, a book detailing the search for a weapon to use against poverty and terrorism, Malala Yousafzai played a key, but kind of secondary, role, a supporting character. But I kind of found, when I was writing another article, “Why do they Hate Obama?” that the force of Malala kept trying to take over, kept trying to […]
|By TAP Staff| Flydubai, Dubai’s low-cost carrier, is following its big brother Emirates airlines to debut a benchmark-sized sukuk issue for which it has mandated seven banks. “As part of the diversification of our financial strategy, we are in discussion with our advisers to explore the possibility of issuing a bond and we will continue to explore all financing options available to us,” flydubai said in a […]
|By TAP Staff| Dubai-headquartered Transworld Group and NAWAH announced entering into a formal agreement to service Iraq’s growing demand for imports, linking their shipping, logistics, marine services and port capabilities. As part of their agreement, Transworld Group and NAWAH Port Management will team up to increase the flow of essential goods coming from the broader Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Far East and Southeast Asia into the historic […]
By BRIAN KNOWLTON October 12, 2014 WASHINGTON — Fighters for the Islamic State were managing to blend in with disenfranchised Sunni populations in some Iraqi towns and villages near the capital, raising the chances of militant attacks against targets in Baghdad, President Obama’s top military adviser said on Sunday. “I have no doubt there will be days when they use indirect fire into Baghdad,” the adviser, Gen. Martin E. […]
|By TAP Staff| The Board of Directors of Emaar Properties has approved a Special Cash Dividend of AED 9 billion (US$ 2.45 billion) to be distributed to the company’s shareholders taking the total value of dividends distributed this year to over AED 17.12 billion (US$ 4.66 billion) – one of the largest announced by any listed company in the UAE. The total value of the dividends is […]
|By TAP Staff| Etisalat is planning its first ever sukuk issuance in a follow-up to its debut conventional bond earlier this year, bankers are being quoted as saying. According to these sources, the state monopoly telecom player of the UAE, rated Aa3/AA-/A+, is in talks with banks for the potential Islamic bond issuance, proceeds of which are set to go towards infrastructural improvements of its telecommunications network. […]
|By TAP Staff| The herd mentality on the UAE stock market is once again visible, with a flurry of new stock listings that could scupper the market’s nascent revival. Prospective companies do not seem to be in a mood to wait and want to go to the market ahead of others. The first IPO in five years came when Emaar Malls Group floated an issue and attracted […]
|By TAP Staff| Mobogenie , the fastest growing developer of applications for android and mobile devices, announced the launch of a new app development platform named CYMaker at the Global App Summit in Dubai. Mobogenie claims it will open up the world of app development through a simplified, free of cost solution with no limitations, no hidden fees, and no credit card requirement. Visitors to the Global […]
|By TAP Staff| RAK Petroleum said it would offer shares worth $25 million to institutional and retail investors in Norway and a private placement to certain international institutions. The IPO would be listed on the Oslo exchange. Current shareholders will be able to place their shares in the offer as well, the company said in a statement. RAK Petroleum said its assets included a 42.8 percent stake in DNO ASA, an […]
| By TAP Staff| A mismatch between buyer and seller expectations is attributed to be one of the main reasons for the signs 0f Dubai property market levelling off, according to analysts. The “over-exuberance” seen in recent months is clearly losing steam and this by itself should ensure that the market does not head towards the traditional crash. The annual price growth in the Dubai property market […]
|By TAP Staff| The Dubai International Financial Centre Court appointed Philip Bowers and Neville Kahn of advisory firm Deloitte as joint provisional liquidators of Portuguese financial group Espirito Santo’s Dubai subsidiary ES Bankers (Dubai) Ltd (ESBD. This came after the regulator was informed ESBD was “no longer able to meet its obligations and continue as a going concern”, the statement added. The DIFC action is the latest […]
Regal position: escorting the Queen to Ladies Day at Royal Ascot Photo: Rex Features Forget Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs. This week, we have had a glimpse behind the scenes of a real-life royal household, with the news that The Queen has been advertising for someone to remove chewing gum from the floors and furniture at Holyrood House. Her Majesty’s chosen cleaner must be available to prise pink […]
Dubai’s Emirates Airline, the world’s largest carrier by international traffic flown, has signed a deal with TAAG Angola Airlines to manage the carrier for 10 years and cooperate on “commercial opportunities” in Africa. The Gulf carrier, which also has a partnership agreement with Australia’s Qantas Airways, will code-share on cargo and passenger services, participate in each carrier’s frequent flier programs and coordinate ground handling, Emirates said in […]
