China has eclipsed Singapore as the biggest source of investment in Malaysian real estate, as soaring domestic property prices push mainland investors to hunt for bargains abroad. Chinese groups have invested more than $2.1bn in Malaysian real estate over the past three years, compared with $985m invested by Singaporean companies between 2014 and 2016, according to figures from Real Capital Analytics based on completed transactions of $10m […]
The federal government has tasked Innovation and Science Australia (ISA) with developing a plan that will put Australia in a position as a leading “innovation nation” by 2030. In its 2030 Strategic Plan Issues paper, the independent body charged with researching, planning, and advising the government on all science, research, and innovation matters highlighted six challenges it sees as central to shaping the strategy, with one placing […]
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will sign an order on Tuesday aimed at making it easier for companies to produce energy in the United States, administration officials said on Sunday. Under Trump, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is aiming to aggressively roll back Obama-era environmental regulations. Trump plans to sign the executive order at the EPA to reduce “unnecessary regulatory obstacles that restrict the responsible use of domestic […]
26 March 2017 Dubai, UAE – Rotana, one of the leading hotel management companies in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, today signed an agreement with RSG International, a UAE-based global conglomerate, with interests in the property development, automotive and industrial equipment sectors across the Middle East, North America and South Asia, for a new five star hotel and serviced apartment project in Dubai, […]
GCC expats are miles behind their counterparts in North America, Europe and Asia when it comes to retirement planning, a study by global financial firm Guardian Wealth Management has found. In fact, in the annual pensions survey conducted by GWM, it found that 64.21 percent of GCC expats have no pension at all. This is compared to 14.49 percent in North America, 43.85 percent in Europe and […]
The Australian government has signed a formal “Dialogue on Innovation” agreement with China that will see both countries exchange ideas between government representatives, business, and the research sector. Under the arrangement, both countries will contribute up to AU$6 million over three years to the next round of the Joint Research Centres, under the Australia-China Science and Research Fund (ACSRF), which supports strategic science, technology, and innovation collaboration […]
26 March 2017 Rebrand to emphasize unique integrated structure Open D Group reinforces position as a global expert in efficient retail and brand focussed solutions with a shopper approach Open D Group, Retail Access and Sparkle, the award winning retail and branding design agencies, have today announced their rebrand to ODG to implement a simpler, cleaner, agile and integrated organization to deliver its expertise in Intelligence, Branding, […]
Fresh from a mammoth, big budget UAE show, Guns n’ Roses have been named the top grossing live act in the world. According to stats compiled by Pollstar, the reformed rock legends bank an average of $5,004,737 (Dh18.3 million) per show, with the average ticket price set at $101.82 (Dh373). Regular tickets for the band’s controversy struck show at Dubai Autism Rocks Arena on March 3 – […]
Last week, the Office for National Statistics released the inflation results for the British economy. Even though most analysts weren’t expecting any huge differences, the numbers (updated until February) paint a completely different picture. In February, the inflation rate increased rather sharply. On a month-on-month basis, the CPI increased by 0.7% (whereas January was a month with deflation). The current YoY inflation rate based on the CPI […]
By Vladimir Soldatkin and Rania El Gamal | KUWAIT KUWAIT A joint committee of ministers from OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers has agreed to review whether a global pact to limit supplies should be extended by six months, it said in a statement on Sunday. An earlier draft of the statement said the committee “reports high level of conformity and recommends six-month extension”. But the final statement […]
Samsung will seek this week to draw a line under the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone safety scandal with the launch of the South Korean technology company’s latest handset, the Galaxy S8. Released last August, the Note 7 was hastily withdrawn after a series of incidents in which the phones caught fire. Samsung expects the debacle, which dealt a severe blow to its reputation, to have cost the […]
26 March 2017 Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Dubai, a city where Arabic tradition meets urban lifestyle, has risen to become one of the most prominent holiday and business hub of the world. The city offers a distinctively unique experience for travelers and this year Rixos Hotels ushers in a special one with the opening of Rixos Premium Dubai on 15th May, 2017. Located at the heart […]
General Electric is planning to launch products based on what it calls a Digital Ghost, a combination of its digital twin efforts and industrial control technologies, to thwart cyberattacks. This effort, which is likely to be commercialized in the next year, aims to us physics to thwart attacks. Industrial machines would be able to sense anomalies that would trigger an autoimmune response to attacks. GE’s plans could […]
PARIS French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen sought on Sunday to reassure voters concerned over her plans to withdraw the country from the euro zone, saying it “wouldn’t be chaos” and she would seek “well-prepared” talks with other European Union countries. Opinion polls show the anti-EU, anti-immigrant National Front (FN) leader qualifying for the April 23 first round of the presidential election but losing the May 7 […]
DUBAI // A troupe of 22 young dancers is heading to Disneyland Paris this week to perform for crowds at the theme park. Step Up Academy, based in Motor City, will be twirling and pirouetting on stage in one of the biggest theme parks in Europe. The expat youngsters, aged eight to 15, from 14 countries from Colombia to Egypt, Lebanon to Italy, will perform their 20-minute […]
HONG KONG Carrie Lam, who won an election to become Hong Kong’s first female chief executive on Sunday, is a former student activist who climbed the rungs of the civil service over 36 years, and a tough, capable and possibly divisive Beijing-backed leader. Lam, 59, most recently Hong Kong’s number two official, has to unify the Chinese-ruled city as public resentment swells at Beijing’s growing interference in […]
ILOILO CITY — More than three decades since he last visited Iloilo, United Kingdom Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Philippines Richard Graham was all praises for the development of the city when he landed at the airport Friday morning. Graham and the other members of the British delegation were briefed of Iloilo City’s Urban Renewal Project, a pet project of Senator Franklin Drilon, by landscape architect […]
It was a bumper day for John McCain when on Friday Donald Trump’s Republican nemesis gloated as Trump’s “art of the deal” collapsed in the last minute, after the President and Ryan-led effort to repeal Obamacare suffered what appears to be a terminal setback. In the wake of Trump’s misfortune, McCain renewed his calls on Friday for a return to a legacy neocon status quo, when speaking […]
By James Pomfret and Venus Wu | HONG KONG HONG KONG A Beijing-backed civil servant, Carrie Lam, was chosen to be Hong Kong’s next leader on Sunday amid accusations that Beijing is meddling and denying the financial hub a more populist leader perhaps better able to defuse political tension. The majority of the China-ruled city’s 7.3 million people have no say in deciding their leader, who is […]
25 March 2017 Atlanta – The Coca-Cola Company today announced a number of senior leadership appointments to drive its ongoing transformation into a growth-oriented, consumer-centered, total beverage company. Key changes, which will be effective when President and COO James Quincey becomes Chief Executive Officer on May 1, include: Combining Global Marketing, Customer and Commercial Leadership, and Strategy into one combined function under the leadership of a new […]
It’s a little weird to think of India and China as buddies. There has been at least a half-century of rank hostility between the two most populous nations in the world, ostensibly kicking off when India gave the Dalai Lama refuge, post the Chinese invasion of Tibet. A short but debilitating border war in 1962; claimed occupation of territories by both sides; China’s alliance with Pakistan and […]
By Alastair Macdonald and Jan Strupczewski | ROME ROME Europeans must contain their squabbling and carping about the EU if the Union is to survive, leaders warned on Saturday as they marked the 60th anniversary of its founding in Rome by signing a formal declaration of unity. Four days before Prime Minister Theresa May, absent from the ceremony in the Italian capital, delivers an unprecedented blow to […]
Apartment rental rates in Dubai saw minor increases in February, while there was significant fluctuation in Abu Dhabi rents, according to a new report. Real estate website Bayut said that with the addition of new units over the past few months, the market is becoming more affordable for both buyers and renters. According to Bayut.com, the average rent in Dubai rose from AED114,000 to AED115,000 last mohth […]
25 March 2017 Abu Dhabi, UAE – Etihad Airways is reassuring passengers of its highest level of service to minimise disruption following the introduction of a new US travel directive on electronic devices. Effective March 25, passengers on all US-bound flights from, or transiting through, Abu Dhabi International Airport will not be permitted to carry electronic devices bigger than a smart phone or mobile into the aircraft […]
