United Arab Emirates

The inaugural Ajman seaplane flight took off from Al Zora Marina on Wednesday, with Shaikh Abdul Aziz Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Ajman Tourism Development Department, on board. The 9 seater Cessna Caravan amphibian seaplane will have daily flights from Ajman to Dubai Creek at 8.30 am. The 17 …

The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) announced on Tuesday plans for its first ever Arab Innovation Forum, offering a platform for institutions, experts and entrepreneurs to come together and showcase their innovations. The organisers of the event, which will take place from February 26 to 28 at …

Emirates Islamic, the Islamic bank belonging to Emirates NBD Group, on Tuesday reported a net profit of Dh702 million, up 565 per cent compared to 2016. Total income for 2017 (net of customers’ share of profit and distribution to sukuk holders) declined by 4 per cent to Dh2.4 billion. “Emirates …

Construction will commence within weeks on three new mega projects in Sharjah, each of which will try to make full use of the emirate’s extensive waterfront possibilities. The combined investments would be in the range of Dh2.7 billion, including Dh2.4 billion on developing Maryam Island into a 460,000 square metre …

A groundbreaking natural desert reserve covering 10 per cent of Dubai’s total area has been launched. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched Al Marmoom Reserve on Tuesday. The first open desert reserve for public will house …

The Levant News Exclusive – By Arthur Blok* —  In Abu Dhabi the annual Sustainability Week (ADSW) kicked-off this weekend. This years’ theme is ‘Driving the Global Energy Transformation’. The event in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is largest sustainability gathering in the region, and a trendsetter in …

The UAE is considering removing all forms of gas and electricity subsidies in the future, the energy minister said on Monday. Speaking during a panel discussion on the Global Energy Transformation at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week conference in the capital, Suhail Mohammad Faraj Al Mazroui, Minister of Energy and …

The Federal Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice Falah Al Hajeri, on Monday upheld a 10-year jail sentence for a man found guilty of insulting and mocking a UAE leader. The court also dismissed the plea of the Emirati man, identified as Q.A.A.S.B., and upheld the Abu Dhabi Federal …

The UAE is looking into legal measures that it can take at the International Civil Aviation Organisation and other relevant organisations after a second civil aircraft was intercepted by Qatari fighter jets as it was landing in Bahrain’s International Airport. The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority said that flight was …

The UAE reiterated on Sunday that Shaikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family, was hosted in the UAE as a guest and left the country at his own request. According to an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Shaikh …

The World Future Energy Summit (WFES) will kick off in Abu Dhabi on Monday as the UAE government focuses on increasing the role of renewable energy in the energy mix, while helping to mitigate climate change. Taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, more than 30,000 visitors including …

A major upgrade for the Mafraq-Ghuweifat highway — the main route that connects the UAE to Saudi Arabia — has recently been completed, and is now open to vehicular traffic. The Dh5.3 billion upgrade covered a 246-kilometre stretch of the 327-kilometre highway, and should ease common problems like congestion and …

Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) with Akuo Energy, the leading French independent power producer (IPP) in renewable energy, to enter into the Krnovo Wind Farm, Montenegro’s first wind energy project. The agreement was signed by Niall Hannigan, Chief Financial Officer of Masdar, and …

The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week kicked off in the capital on Saturday with top experts announcing at the eighth session of the International Renewable Energy Agency’s general assembly that the world now has the capacity to generate more than 2,000 gigawatts of renewable energy. It is the ambitions deployment of …

It is exactly a year since the announcement of the UAE Energy Plan 2050, the country’s first energy strategy, and one that will serve for the next three decades. Increasing the contribution of clean energy to 50 per cent, and simultaneously, reducing the consumption of individuals and institutions by 40 …

Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan says that she is designing her own island in Dubai. During her appearance on The Wendy Williams Show on January 12, the Mean Girls actress revealed her plans to design one of the islands within The World Islands, an artificial archipelago of small islands off the coast of her adopted …

The UAE has denied a Qatari claim that its airspace was violated by an Emirates’ military aircraft in December. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash tweeted on Friday: “The Qatari complaint about the UAE’s violation of its airspace is untrue and confused; we are working to …

As discussions are on to open the UAE’s second hydrogen station in Abu Dhabi, experts find a bright future for hydrogen as an alternative green fuel in the UAE. “We are working closely with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), Masdar and Air Liquide [prominent hydrogen fuelling stations supplier] to …

The fifth edition of the emirate’s highly-anticipated annual music event, the Sharjah World Music Festival (SWMF 2018), begins on Saturday night, with an opening act by one of the finest Flamenco guitarists in the world, Vicente Amigo, at the Flag Island Amphitheatre. This will be accompanied by a free outdoor …

Qatar has lodged a complaint with the United Nations about what it calls a violation of its airspace last month by a United Arab Emirates (UAE) fighter jet, warning that Doha reserves the right to defend its skies and borders under international law. The Qatar News Agency (QNA) said Friday …

On Wednesday evening, appearing on a television programme ironically called Truth on a Doha channel, Qatar’s foreign minister managed to mislead, misinform and misspeak in a display of verbal dexterity that defied and defiled truthfulness. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, who’s also the Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar, …

Expo 2020 Dubai’s three key themes are mobility, sustainability and opportunity. Tied in to all three of those are its emphasis on supporting start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition to Expo’s commitment to support fledgling start-ups worldwide through its ExpoLive project, and its commitment to allocate at …

The UAE is taking steady strides towards achieving its goal of becoming the global hub for a green economy, according to the State of Green Economy Report 2018 launched on Thursday that details the UAE’s success stories for others to replicate or scale up. The State of Green Economy Report …

Middle Eastern investment banking fees totalled an estimated $912.4 million during 2017, 0.1 per cent less than the value of fees recorded during 2016, according to data from Thomson Reuters. Debt capital markets (DCM) underwriting fees totalled $256.3 million, up 102 per cent year-on-year and the highest full year total …

Data on Dubai’s non-oil private sector December showed a marginal slowdown in growth with the Emirates NBD Dubai Economy Tracker Index (DETI) slipping to 54.7 in December, from 55.3 in November — the lowest reading since October 2016. Data indicated a slower rate of expansion in Dubai’s economy last month. …

Dr B.R. Shetty sure likes the sound of “100” … and its multiples. It was last year the founder of NMC Healthcare and owner of the 100th floor at the Burj Khalifa confirmed he will take on the producer’s role in the costliest move to be made in India. And …

The UAE Government will start security background checks of foreign workers from February 4, official sources said. “The security screening of job candidates means that they will have to produce good conduct certificates from their home countries, or the country, or countries, of their residence for work, or study, for …

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development (DED) is cracking down on businesses that are overcharging customers in the name of VAT (Value Added Tax), a senior Abui Dhabi official from the department said  on Tuesday. “We issued some fines in the first week either for collecting tax when businesses are …

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, on Monday unveiled a five-star plaque at the Customer Happiness Centre in the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (Dewa) headquarters. He underlined that happiness is a UAE’s lifestyle and the ultimate …

The ‘wills’ registration office in the capital where many non-Muslim residents register their wills, has reduced the registration charges from Dh5,500 to Dh950 from December. Though, the service charge was only Dh500 when the service started in August but from November, the office revised the service fee and started charging …

The Ministry of Finance stated that adopting value-added tax (VAT) in the UAE will have a positive effect on its development and competitiveness — and will contribute to building a sustainable knowledge-based economy for future generations, as the tax will provide additional financial resources and enable the UAE government to …

All the glitter has gone out of the UAE’s gold and jewellery sales since the start of the year, with leading retailers confirming sales declines — in volume terms — by more than half of what it used to be in the fourth quarter of 2017. Average daily sales are …

The treatment of a Pakistani eye surgeon based in Abu Dhabi requires urgent blood donations, and residents are being urged to donate AB- blood to the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank. Dr Omar Durrani, a 50-year-old physician who works at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Eye Institute, was diagnosed with leukaemia late …

Shawarma joints across the country will now have to adhere to new standards issued by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma). Esma announced on Saturday that it was enforcing new federal standards that would tighten controls at all stages of preparing the region’s most popular fast-food item. According …

The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) calls on citizens and residents to be wary of uninformed and unreliable sources of information who are circulating misleading information around the introduction of VAT in the country. The FTA emphasizes on the importance of referencing and checking accurate sources of information, such as the …

Oilfield services firms are expected to perform better this year due to recovery in oil prices and increase in tendering activity, top executives and analysts told Gulf News pointing out there will still be some challenges for the firms due to reduced profit margins. Oilfield services sector has been badly hit in …

A floating house has reportedly sunk in front of Burj Al Arab, Gulf News has learnt. There were no injuries in the incident. The floating house, which was placed in front of Burj Al Arab, sunk on Wednesday. Lt. Col. Ahmad Atiq Burqibah, Deputy Director of the Search and Rescue Department at …

The experience of pearl diving, a centuries-old tradition of Emirati culture, is now available in Ajman for citizens, residents and tourists. Abdul Aziz Bin Humaid Foundation in cooperation with Rahal Travel and Tours, a subsidiary of the Ajman Holding Group, has announced the launch of the Ajman Pearl Journey, which …

In a complex and rare surgery, oncology surgeon of Burjeel Hospital, Abu Dhabi, saved the life of a young Filipino patient from a high-risk cancerous pancreatic tumour. The four-centimetre tumour that occurred at the head of the pancreas was excised in an over four-hour surgery known as the Whipple procedure …

Dubai-based AI-powered health care start-up — Prognica — is aiming to improve clinical outcomes and accelerate the discovery of breakthrough advancements in the fight against cancer. Khalid Shaikh, founder and CEO of the company, told Gulf News that the process is to first digitise the blood sample slides through a …

The Emirates Healthcare Group has strategically partnered with Egypt’s Alameda Healthcare Group to expand health care facilities in Egypt. Alameda Health care Group, which has the largest healthcare footprint in Egypt that totals 860 beds, including both Dar El Fouad Hospital and As Salam International Hospital, in addition to chain …

Some 21 teams from 36 universities across 15 countries have been shortlisted for the Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) happening in Dubai in November 2018. The SDME is the world’s largest, most competitive competition where teams will design, build, and operate sustainable, cost- and energy-efficient models of solar-powered homes, with …

Don’t pay extra when buying mobile phone prepaid recharge cards, telecom companies told customers on Wednesday. The five per cent value-added tax (VAT) introduced in the UAE on January 1 is applied on goods and services that come under the purview of VAT law. Telecom companies are charging five per …

The emirate of Dubai could be compared to a number of cities around the world, and now, its being compared to the multi-billion dollar enterprise Google. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, took to social media on Tuesday …