I still remember where I was when the Panama Papers were released to an astonished world. I’d been at a friend’s birthday in Oxford, and I was driving back to London on the Sunday evening. As the T20 cricket World Cup Final reached its conclusion, I pulled into a motorway service station just outside London, ready to celebrate England’s win. Sadly, we managed to snatch defeat from […]
Seef District, Kingdom of Bahrain – Sunday,02nd of April 2017 As part of the collaboration with the GCC countries, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Bahrain announces that citizens across the six nations will enjoy further price reductions on roaming rates as of 1 April, 2017. This marks the second year of price reductions, and will continue with further reductions every year, until 2020. The Roaming Regulation began […]
SHARJAH // The Big Heart Foundation has donated $1 million (Dh3.67m) to cover the university tuition and living expenses of 21 Syrian refugee students in Lebanon. A Sharjah-based global humanitarian charity dedicated to helping refugees and people in need worldwide, TBHF will provide the students with monthly salaries to enable them to cover their living expenses while at university in Lebanon. The donation made by TBHF under […]
Here are the main questions facing markets as a new trading week and the start of the second quarter beckons. What are the likely drivers?A host of market-moving events confront investors as the calendar flips over to April. These include France’s presidential elections and the opening salvos of the UK’s divorce from the EU. But there is also the prospect of a sustained recovery in global activity, […]
PARIS/BORDEAUX French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen told a political rally on Sunday that the euro currency which she wants France to ditch was like a knife in the ribs of the French people. The leader of the eurosceptic and anti-immigrant National Front (FN) also told the rally in the city of Bordeaux that the forthcoming election for president could herald a “change in civilization”. Encouraged by […]
Samsung Galaxy S8. Photo by Michael Krigsman. Samsung’s Unpacked launch party this week for the long-awaited Galaxy S8 phone was a gadget lover’s dream. From the bright screen to its waterproof body, the phone is exciting. Although the Galaxy S8 and its larger brother/sister, the S8+, have received a lot of attention, one enterprise showpiece is a new docking station called the DeX Station , which is […]
Submitted by Wolf Richter of WolfStreet The Last time automakers tried this was in 2009! In a few days, automakers are going to report their new vehicle deliveries for March. TrueCar, Kelley Blue Book, and LMC Automotive are predicting total vehicle sales slightly above the flat-line compared to March a year ago, though sales were down year-over-year in both January and February. TrueCar forecasts an increase of […]
When visiting the Dubai home of British artist Sacha Jafri – whose work can be found in the collections of Barack Obama, Bill Gates and George Clooney, among many others – it is hard to tell where his personal space ends and the public-viewing gallery begins. His living room, which opens into exhibition rooms, is like a child’s playhouse. There are heart-shaped rugs on the floor, colourful […]
More than a third of CEOs in the Middle East say they are very confident about their company’s prospects over the next 12 months, despite global challenges, according to a new survey. PwC’s Annual Global CEO Survey, which interviewed 50 company chiefs in the Middle East, painted a positive, albeit guarded, picture about growth in the region. Thirty-eight percent of CEOs said they are confident about the […]
It can be a lonely business working outside a traditional office environment as a freelancer, independent professional or start-up entrepreneur. Given the costs associated with renting a commercial space, a popular option many choose in those circumstances is to build their empire from home. But while it can save money, this approach has downsides, not least when workers need quick access to a scanner, 3-D printer or […]
Didi Chuxing may have defeated Uber, but China’s dominant ride-hailing platform is no match for the country’s local governments after being forced to gut its urban fleet to comply with regulations. Didi’s core business of cheap ride-hailing now faces a tough fight in the big urban markets, which it built after a bruising battle with local and foreign rivals. Uber ceded the Chinese market — its largest — […]
Ecommerce platform MallfortheWorld has announced that consumers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar will now have access to more than 150 of US retailers through its app, marking its first foray into the Middle East. MallfortheWorld said in a statement that its cross platform app, with both desktop and mobile versions available, will launch in other Gulf countries by the end of the year. The website […]
01 April 2017 Dubai’s trade performance has shown steady and sustainable growth over the last five years, with non-oil trade volumes in metric tonnes registering a compound growth rate of 6.1% according to figures from Dubai Customs. Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment which impacted global trade, Dubai’s trade volumes grew a healthy 8.2% in 2016, compared to the previous year, reflecting the resilience of the Emirate’s economy, and […]
Once upon a time Washington was simple: on one hand you had Republican interests, on the other: Democrats, and inbetween them perhaps, the occasional independent or “green.” Now… it’s less simple. At last check, DC currently boasts at least nine different parties, groups, factions or ideologies. Which is why keeping track of who wants what, and how the various groups allign, in US politics has become quite […]
Your smartphone is a very versatile tool that contains a huge amount of computational power. By using the right apps and augmenting the smartphone with other hardware you can make it do some very unusual things. Turn your smartphone into a tool to diagnose car problems Got a ‘Check Engine’ light on your dash, staring at you? In the trade that’s called ‘the money light.’ Wonder what […]
Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, grew 1.2 percent from a year earlier in the fourth quarter of 2016, official data has showed. The rate of growth increased compared with 0.9 percent in the third quarter, which was the slowest rate in over three years, according to preliminary data from the country’s Central Department of Statistics showed. They also showed that the Q4 GDP growth […]
Event will gather together CEOs, CMOs, Presidents and VPs from across the region and beyond Riyadh KSA, April 1 2017: For the first time, Saudi Arabia will host the ‘Top CEO Conference and Awards’ – an event which will see CEOs, CMOs, Presidents and VPs from across the Arabian Gulf region and beyond gather together on 10th and 11th April 2017 at Bay La Sun Hotel & […]
Damac Properties has announced that its in-house mortgage department has so far facilitated home financing worth AED600 million ($163 million) for hundreds of units across the UAE. Damac Properties said in a statement that it is the only luxury developer in the Middle East that has a dedicated one-stop-shop to provide direct support for existing and new customers. The developer said this is done by evaluating customers’ […]
Earlier this month I was given a genuine introduction to Fado in the Lisbon neighbourhood near where Mariza was raised and the music genre is said to have been born. In a dimly lit intimate nook in Alfama — the oldest district of Lisbon whose name is derived from either the Arabic Al hamma, meaning hot fountains or baths, or Alfamm, meaning the mouth — which barely […]
Those risks have been amplified by President Trump, whose administration has said it is “putting Iran on notice.” The tough talk from Washington has given early movers like Total pause, raising concerns as to whether long-awaited opportunities will materialize, or if the Trump administration will take a harder line and tighten already-complex rules on doing business with Tehran. Continue reading the main story Some major global companies […]
01 April 2017 Kuwait: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) has introduced a foreign currencies ATM machine at the airport branch in collaboration with K-Net in efforts to meet customers’ aspirations by offering them the best banking services and the most convenient banking experience as per highest standards of quality. “This ATM enables KFH and non-KFH customers to withdraw up to 4 different currencies; Dollar, Euro, Dirham and Riyal […]
More than three million counterfeit products of more than 30 renowned brands were confiscated in Dubai after four warehouses were raided in the emirate. One of the warehouses had a stock of over one million pieces of counterfeit products, including phone accessories, ladies’ handbags, clothes, leather goods, ink, printers, cosmetics, watches and contact lenses, state news agency WAM reported. It said around 928,000 items, including duplicate phones […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for March 28, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Ellen Fortini rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE. Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [email protected] newslide Abu Dhabi & Dubai Film […]
Hedge funds betting on a sharp drop in global equities suffered further this quarter, while the broader industry’s returns lagged behind those of US and European stocks. The flagship fund of Crispin Odey, who for several years has been warning of a violent bursting of a bubble inflated by central banks, is narrowly down for the year. The fund endured a nearly 50 per cent decline last […]
