|By TAP Staff| The growing political instability in the Gulf has not affected spending on infrastructure development, which is expected to swell by 77 percent in 2014 over last year. According to latest compilations by Global Investment House, the value of new infrastructure projects in GCC is expected to surge to $86 billion this year. The value of new projects in Qatar and the UAE would rise […]
|By TAP Staff| Dubai added to its financial market profile when Bank of America-Merrill Lynch announced on Monday it was moving its head of frontier markets research to the city. The move reflects the bank’s plan to take advantage of growing investor interest in the Gulf and surrounding region. Global firms have been strengthening their presence in the wake of surging stock markets, index upgrades and most […]
|By TAP Staff| Emaar Properties said it’s seeking to raise as much as $1.58 billion from the initial public offering of its malls unit in the UAE’s biggest IPO since 2007. Emaar Malls Group PJSC plans to sell 2 billion of its founders’ shares, or about 15 percent of its equity, in a price range of 2.5 dirhams to 2.9 dirhams apiece, according to a company statement […]
|By TAP Staff| Ramesh S. Ramakrishnan, Chairman of Transworld Group, a Dubai headquartered shipping, logistics and marine services provider, was honoured as “The Visionary and Businessman of the Decade” at the prestigious Maritime And Logistics Awards 2014 held in Mumbai, India on Friday. Ramakrishnan was recognised for his many pioneering and innovative initiatives, outstanding vontributions, visionary leadership and commitment to the development of maritime industry, both in […]
|By TAP Staff| Just over a year ago, China’s Xiaomi was little more than a mid-sized smartphone-maker with an odd name (Xiaomi means “millet”), trailing household brands such as Samsung, Lenovo, Coolpad and others. During the first six months of 2014, however, this four-year old company sold 26m smartphones, propelling it to pole position in the Chinese market. Next year, Lei Jun, its founder and CEO, expects […]
|By TAP Staff|The rising popularity of Islamic finance in the West is prompting analysts to conclude that the world is finally recognizing the fact Islamic finance is not just for Muslims and it ready to go mainstream. Islamic finance received a shot in the arm recently with the move by US investment bank Goldman Sachs to revive plans to issue its first sukuk. In June when the […]
|By TAP Staff| Emaar is eying significant investments by Chinese companies in its King Abdullah Economic City in Saudi Arabia. According to Fahd Al Rashed, chief executive of the city, several Chinese firms have shown interest and the company hopes to rope in up to 20 percent of investments from the Chinese. The King Abdulla Economic City envisages a port and business district as well as residential […]
President Obama on Wednesday in Washington. Mr. Obama says he is aware of the “political price” he pays for being deliberate. By PETER BAKER September 13, 2014 WASHINGTON — Just hours before announcing an escalated campaign against Islamic extremists last week, President Obama privately reflected on another time when a president weighed military action in the Middle East — the frenzied weeks leading up to the American invasion of […]
|By TAP Staff| Asia is giving expression to its growing disenchantment with the prevailing West-centred gold pricing mechanism by setting in place its own benchmarks that reflect the region’s market dynamics. China and Singapore are preparing to launch physical bullion contracts with an eye on gaining pricing power of the metal at a time when the global benchmark is under scrutiny. CME Group, the world’s leading derivatives […]
|By TAP Staff|Goldman Sachs is meeting investors this week for the sale of a dollar-denominated, benchmark-sized sukuk issue through its unit JANY Sukuk Co., people with knowledge of the deal said. The New York-based lender’s first foray into the Islamic capital markets three years ago ended without a sale amid criticism from scholars about the structure of its sukuk program and the use of funds raised. This […]
|By TAP Staff| Gold traded near a three-month low as the dollar advanced on speculation the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates next year, curbing demand. Gold has declined 5.2 percent this quarter as the outlook for higher borrowing costs reduced demand for an inflation hedge. Fed policy makers will meet Sept. 16-17. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of 10 […]
|By TAP Staff| Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), AstroLabs and Google have team up to launch a technology hub that will promote start-ups. Based in the DMCC free zone, the hub is expected to open early next year, catering to technology entrepreneurs from around the world looking to gain access to high-growth emerging markets, including the Emirates. AstroLabs, which is a DMCC member, trains Middle East and […]
|By TAP Staff| A $32 billion project to make the Al Maktoum International airport at Dubai World Central as the world’s biggest airport has received approval. When completed, the airport targets to handle more than 200 million passengers per year. The first phase of the expansion alone aims to build enough runway and terminal space to handle 120 million passengers a year and 100 mammoth Airbus A380 […]
|By TAP Staff| Abu Dhabi is hosting a meeting of Global Opportunity Network on September 9, along with London, Shanghai, San Fransisco, Mumbai and other global cities. The meeting will discuss how the pressure for change can be used to create more resilient and sustainable societies. Global Opportunity Network has presented five risks that will inspire this year’s opportunity panels. The Abu Dhabi meeting will take place […]
|By TAP Staff|Meraas Holding said the first phase of its ambitious e $2.7 billion Dubai Parks and Resorts project incorporating the Legoland park would be completed by 2016. In addition to the Legoland park, that initial phase will include a Bollywood-themed park celebrating the Indian film industry and another known as Motiongate Dubai promising to bring Hollywood characters to life. Plans also call for a central retail […]
|By TAP Staff|President Obama is planning a speech Wednesday to outline a broader offensive against Islamic militants in the Middle East, a move welcomed by a number of key congressional leaders who have come to view the insurgent group as an increasingly menacing threat to the U.S, Los Angeles Times reported. Foreshadowing his remarks to the nation, Obama said in an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet […]
|By TAP Staff| Emaar Properties will launch the initial public offer of its shopping malls and retailing unit on Sept. 14. The developer further said the subsidiary will be listed on Dubai’s main stock market on Oct. 2. The offer would be one of the largest equity sales in the Middle East since 2008, underlining Dubai’s recovery from a credit crisis that forced many state-linked developers to […]
Valérie Trierweiler, the high-heeled hellcat whose memoir of their time together has plunged the surreally unpopular president into the biggest crisis anyone at the Elysée Palace can recall Photo: REX FEATURES Beneath the twinkling chandeliers of Cardiff Castle’s banqueting hall last week, François Hollande wore the pale, sweaty look of a man in big trouble. Back home, the economy was collapsing, the public was in revolt, the government […]
To me, visiting old churches makes more sense as a fundraiser than a bucket of cold water thrown over my head She hasn’t got the heaves, but if Miss Opsimath’s cough isn’t better by next Saturday, I’d better take my bike. So my cousin told me, when the possibility of my borrowing the mare was discussed. I’ll probably be more comfortable on the bike, because, although this […]
|By TAP Staff|The global Sukuk industry is expected to be one of the fastest growing segments of the Islamic finance industry with huge growth potential in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, according to a report by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This is particularly true of Dubai where Sukuks are expected to play an important role over the next decade in securing funds for […]
|By TAP Staff| King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia warned that terrorists will target the West if the world does not unite to confront them. King Abdullah made the statement during a presentation of credentials ceremony held in Jeddah yesterday for new ambassadors to Saudi Arabia, including U.S. Ambassador Joseph W. Westphal. “If neglected I’m sure they [terrorists] will reach Europe in a month and America […]
Barack Obama got a warm reception in Rhode Island last week, yet his lack of strategy has dismayed many others Photo: AP Just in case you thought that the Leader of the Free World was secretly harbouring a calculated, well-developed plan for bringing Isil under control and putting Russia’s imperial leader back in his box, Barack Obama banged that idea firmly on the head last week. He gave […]
By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE August 29, 2014 GENEVA — The number of refugees from the Syrian civil war has risen above three million, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday, calling the crisis “the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era.” More than a million people have fled in the last 12 months alone, the refugee agency said, counting only those who registered as refugees. The total number is believed to […]
|By TAP Staff| Forbes has ranked Dubai ahead of Los Angeles, Beijing and Sydney as the most influential city in the world. Dubai was ranked seventh on a list topped by London. The rankings are based on eight factors including the amount of foreign direct investment they have attracted; the concentration of corporate headquarters; how many particular business niches they dominate; air connectivity (ease of travel to […]
