Business GCC Retail Saudi Arabia UAE

Emirates, Saudia, WhatsApp top MENA Best Brand Rankings

Arnold Pinto 15/02/2024

YouGov BrandIndex lists the rankings Emirates in the UAE, Saudia (Saudi Airlines) in Saudi Arabia, and WhatsApp in Egypt have been rated as the top-ranked brands by consumers, according to YouGov’s newly released Best Brand Rankings 2024. Emirates cruises in the UAE with an Index score of 60.7,

Business GCC Oman Transport UAE

Oman and Etihad Rail Company partners with Al Jazeera Steel

Arnold Pinto 14/02/2024

MoU signed for rail transport between Oman and UAE Oman and Etihad Rail Company (OER), the developer and operator of the UAE-Oman Rail Network, has entered an agreement with Al Jazeera Steel Products (AJSP), a leading Oman-based steel structural products and tube manufacturer, for the transportation of raw materials and finished products on the railway […]

Business Events GCC UAE

MAHABIZ 2024, set for February 24-25 debut in Dubai

PR News Desk 13/02/2024

B2B event expected to feature 800+ delegates The Gulf Maharashtra Business Forum (GMBF) Global is set to host MAHABIZ 2024, a business conclave at Atlantis The Palm in Dubai from February 24-25, 2024. The event, themed ‘Connect with Opportunities to Progress,’ aims to create a platform for fostering funding opportunities, promoting collaboration, and facilitating growth

Business Tech

Google unveils Gemini, its most advanced AI model

Arnold Pinto 13/02/2024

Gemini gets a new mobile app interface Google has announced a significant evolution in Gemini, its AI collaboration tool formerly known as Bard. Sissie Hsiao, Vice President and General Manager of Google Assistant and Gemini, shared insights into the latest developments, highlighting the transformation of Bard into Gemini to represent its advanced family of models […]

Business

Product strength, Middle East focus fuel crude’s resilience

PR News Desk 12/02/2024

Gold and silver outlook remains bullish In the volatile world of crude oil, prices continue to oscillate within a range, guided by the ebb and flow of demand concerns and the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape. Writing for Saxo Bank MENA’s latest Weekly Commodities Report, Ole Hanson, Head of Commodities Strategy at Saxo Bank, noted that […]

Business Real Estate UAE

Property sales net Emaar Development AED37 billion in 2023

PR News Desk 12/02/2024

Developer unveils 27 new projects in the UAE Emaar Development, a prominent UAE-based property development company, achieved a 22% surge in property sales in 2023, reaching AED37.4 billion ($10.2 billion) compared to AED30.7 billion (US$8.4 billion) in 2022. The property sales performance is credited to the launch of 27 new projects in the UAE, spanning […]

Business Travel

UN World Tourism Organization rebrands to UN Tourism

Arnold Pinto 11/02/2024

Interbrand commissioned for the makeover The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has rebranded itself as UN Tourism to affirm its role as the United Nations specialised agency for tourism. The new branding was unveiled at the opening of Madrid’s FITUR Tourism Congress, showcasing a fresh logo that incorporates a dynamic human figure in motion. Accompanied by […]

Aviation Business

Airbus and Tata Group to produce H125 helicopters in India

Arnold Pinto 11/02/2024

Helicopters destined for Indian and export markets France’s Airbus Helicopters has joined forces with India’s Tata Group to inaugurate a Final Assembly Line (FAL) for helicopters in India. The 24-month setup process is anticipated to conclude in 2026, with the location jointly determined by Airbus and the Tata Group. In partnership with Airbus, the facility […]

Business GCC Saudi Arabia

‘Alat’ aims to make Saudi Arabia a tech manufacturing hub

Arnold Pinto 09/02/2024

New PIF company to create 39,000 jobs by 2030 Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Saudi Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), has launched ‘Alat’, a PIF company that will establish a cutting-edge global sustainable technology manufacturing hub in Saudi Arabia. Focused on […]

Business GCC Tech

kevin. swipes Middle East with innovative payment technology

Arnold Pinto 09/02/2024

Lithuanian firm set to open new office in Dubai kevin., a first-of-its-kind payments acceptance network based out of Vilnius, Lithuania, is set to introduce its innovative payment technology in the Middle East region with the imminent opening of its first international office in Dubai, UAE. This strategic move into the Middle East region, starting with […]

Business Defence & Security GCC Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia and Leonardo sign strategic partnership

Arnold Pinto 08/02/2024

Pact covers defence and aerospace advancements Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment and the General Authority for Military Industries have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Leonardo to explore, develop, and assess various investment and collaboration prospects within the defence and aerospace sector. The announcement occurred during a formal ceremony at

Business GCC UAE

2 new AWS Europe branches in UAE begin charging VAT

Arnold Pinto 08/02/2024

Tax invoices are also issued for UAE-based AWS accounts The two new local branches of Amazon Web Services EMEA (AWS Europe) located in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have begun charging local value-added tax (VAT) and issuing tax invoices for AWS accounts based in the UAE with effect from February 1, 2024. Launched on February 1, […]

Travel Business Lifestyle

Airbnb updates terms for pre-January 25, 2024 users

Arnold Pinto 07/02/2024

Evolving business determines new updates Airbnb has informed users who created their accounts on the short- and long-term homestay platform before January 25, 2024, about mandatory changes (updates) coming into effect after March 28, 2024. The updates apply to the platform’s Terms of Service, Payments Terms of Service, Host Damage Protection Terms, Rebooking

Business Sustainability

Mubadala and Infracapital spearhead investment in Zenobē

Arnold Pinto 07/02/2024

Zenobē specialises in EV fleet solutions and battery storage Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), the Abu Dhabi sovereign investor, has strategically invested in Zenobē, a London-based leader in fleet electrification and battery storage solutions. This move, in collaboration with Infracapital, M&G’s infrastructure equity investment arm of M&G, solidifies

Business Lifestyle

Meta posts record-breaking earnings in 2023

Arnold Pinto 06/02/2024

Facebook ends year with 3 billion monthly users Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has disclosed that the world’s leading social media platform concluded 2023 with unprecedented earnings and with a staggering 3.07 billion monthly active users, marking a notable 3% increase from 2022. Meta’s advertising business also exceeded analyst predictions during the fourth

Business Tech

Gartner: Global IT spending is poised to click $5 trillion in 2024

Arnold Pinto 06/02/2024

IT services to outpace communications services Worldwide IT spending is poised to reach $5 trillion (6.% growth) in 2024 according to the latest Gartner tech industry forecast. Although this projection marks a slight decrease from the previous quarter’s forecast of 8% growth, it still highlights a positive trajectory for the tech industry. Notably, IT services […]

Tech Business Events

MWC Barcelona 2024 launches ‘Future First’ theme

Arnold Pinto 05/02/2024

Event convenes tech, innovation, and global bonding GSMA, the organiser of MWC Barcelona (Mobile World Capital), has revealed a future-driven theme and a stellar lineup of speakers for the iconic global mobile technology ecosystem taking place from February 26-29, 2024, at the Fira Gran Via venue of Fira Barcelona under the theme of ‘Future First.’ […]

Business Tech

Global PC market recovered partially in Q4 2023

Arnold Pinto 05/02/2024

Gartner sees annual growth returning to PC sector in 2024 The worldwide PC market witnessed a slight uptick in the fourth quarter of 2023, signalling a potential turnaround after eight consecutive quarters of decline, as newly reported by Gartner. While the year 2023 recorded an overall annual decline of 14.8%, the quarter-over-quarter increase offers a […]

Business UAE

Global initiative launched to combat illicit hand-carried gold

Arnold Pinto 04/02/2024

WGC and DMCC lead a new partnership with stakeholders In a concerted effort to tackle the persistent trade of illicit hand-carried gold globally, the World Gold Council (WGC) and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) have launched a strategic partnership to fortify and standardise international regulations and procedures and plug a critical gap in the […]

Business Sustainability UAE

Serco strengthens its ESG offerings with acquistion of Climatize

PR News Desk 03/02/2024

The focus is on a sustainability-driven mindset In a strategic move aimed at enhancing its capabilities in environmental services, Serco, the global public services company, has acquired Climatize Engineering Consultants, a Dubai-based environmental and sustainability service provider. The acquisition aims to assist Serco’s clients in meeting their Environmental, Social,