United Arab Emirates

Dubai-based Nakheel signed on Thursday a Dh290.5 million construction contract with Parkway International Contracting to start building a new four-star beachfront hotel on Deira Islands. The hotel is being developed by Nakheel and Thai hotel group Centara Hotels and Resorts, under a Dh500 million joint venture between the two. Centara …

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was suspending oil shipments through the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandeb strait, one of the world’s most important tanker routes, after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis attacked two ships in the waterway. Brent futures rose 19 cents to $74.12 a barrel by 1305 GMT, extending their rally …

The business park at Dubai South has announced it has entered into a partnership with the Union of European Expert Chambers (UCEE) to establish a permanent exhibition and business centre for the members of UCEE at the business park. The partnership aims to encourage European small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) …

MAC Cosmetics, one of the world’s largest make-up brands, has fired Kuwaiti social media star Sondos Alqattan over a controversial video in which she criticised the rights of Filipino workers. In a statement sent to Gulf News on Wednesday evening, the company said it did not support Alqattan’s beliefs, and …

Foreign diplomatic missions of labour-sending countries will have counters at Dubai’s main amnesty centre in Al Aweer to facilitate the early repatriation of residents overstaying their visas from August 1, Gulf News has learnt. However, those seeking to legalise their residency status during the upcoming amnesty will not have to …

Enoc Group has opened a service station in Al Barsha, as part of its expansion plans aimed at building 54 new service stations by 2020. The new 40,002 sqft solar-powered service station offers a range of automotive services such as the tandem 8 bridge canopy, eight digital dispensers with stage …

State-linked developer Emaar Properties and Dubai Holding will build a new mall, said to be larger than Dubai Mall, at their flagship project Dubai Creek Harbour. Dubai Square, as the developer has named the project, will also have around 1,500 hotel rooms and thousands more apartment units. The project is …

Work on a 12-lane Shindagha bridge connecting the historic districts of Al Shindagha and Al Ras has begun and, according to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the bridge will not replace the Shindagha Tunnel. Originally designed to replace the 45-year-old Shindagha Tunnel, the only crossing in the area, the …

Demand for both business loans and personal loans picked up pace in the UAE in the second quarter of this year according to the latest Credit Sentiment Survey of the Central Bank of UAE. The survey is a quarterly study by the central bank, which collects information from senior credit …

Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi was inaugurated in Abu Dhabi  on Monday by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of …

Property developer Nakheel on Sunday announced the completion of a new Dh60 million retail Pavilion at Badrah in Jebel Ali. The new retail complex, operated by Nakheel Malls, will offer more than 800 households at its Badrah and Veneto communities a host of shops, cafes and amenities.26 outlets coming to Pavilion …

UAE residents must include their online assets such as social media accounts and valuable resources including holdings in cryptocurrencies in their wills to ensure their accounts are managed as they wish after their death. Lawyers and lawmakers around the globe have been grappling with the legal way of distributing online …

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, discussed on Friday, cooperation and partnership strategies with President …

From February 25 till the end of June this year, 719 commercial and residential buildings were visited by Civil Defence inspectors as part of a crackdown on building owners who refuse to comply with fire safety law, said the department. Of the total, 14 buildings were posted with red stickers …

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and President Xi Jinping of China, have witnessed the …

One of General Electric Co’s largest and most valuable customers, Saudi Arabia, is lining up competitors to bid against GE for lucrative power plant work, according to five people familiar with the situation. State-controlled Saudi Electricity Co (SEC) has qualified at least two companies — Power Systems Mfg LLC and …

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) on Thursday awarded contracts worth Dh5.88 billion ($1.6 billion) to an affiliate of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to conduct the world’s largest 3D onshore and offshore seismic survey to find new oil and gas reserves. The contract was awarded to to BGP Inc, …

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to arrive in the UAE on Thursday on a three-day state visit, the first to a foreign country since he was re-elected. President Xi’s visit features a series of high-level meetings aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries with a view to beginning …

Even as the US-imposed sanctions on Iran has put India’s energy security in jeopardy, UAE Ambassador to India Ahmad Al Banna has allayed fears of an oil shortage, saying his country as well as Saudi Arabia can fill in if supply from Iran is disrupted. “In the international market, the …

A new Salik toll gate will open on Shaikh Zayed road in Jebel Ali from October 24, the Roads and Transport Authority confirmed on Wednesday. The Salik gate, third on Shaikh Zayed road and seventh overall, will be located near Energy Metro station, helping divert traffic to Yalayis road and …

Dubai-based developer Emaar will build a Chinatown within the retail district of Dubai Creek Harbour, it said Wednesday. In a statement, Emaar said it would be the region’s largest such Chinese district, occupying a central location at the firm’s newest mega-project, Creek Harbour. The company also announced that it would …

Mashreq has posted first-half 2018 net profit of Dh1.2 billion up 5.2 per cent compared to Dh1.1 billion in the same period in 2017. For the second quarter of this year the bank reported a net profit of Dh563 million compared to Dh557 million in the same quarter last year …

I will pay a state visit to the UAE on July 19th at the invitation of His Highness President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE will be the first stop of my first overseas trip this year and also the first Arab state I will visit since my …

Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and Royal Fund Investment (RFI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at cementing stront trade ties between DMCC and the growing Chinese business community. The MoU, which commits both parties to help Chinese corporations to set up in Dubai and DMCC free zones, was …

Dubai Municipality on Tuesday revealed the details of the excavation for the Deep Tunnel Storm Water System for Airport City-Expo 2020 which will begin in December. The mega tunnel project will offer a long-term solution for rainwater drainage for 100 years to come in Al Maktoum Airport area, the Expo …

The government of Alberta province in Canada will be opening a representative office in the UAE to broaden ties between the two countries. The announcement came during the visit of the UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazroui to the oil rich region of Alberta earlier this month. “We welcome this …

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are increasing their exposure to listed assets as private market deal activity slows, according to research from the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF). A recent report on global SWFs by Sovereign Investment Lab at Bocconi University, found that sovereign wealth funds’ (SWFs) appetite for …

Huawei, a leading global provider of communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, aims to continue its success in the UAE by focusing on Research and Development (R&D), among other things, according to Mei Xin Li, deputy chief of communications and public relations. Huawei is giving R&D a priority and …

he UAE and China — the world’s most populous nation with the second largest economy — enjoy a strategic relationship and a deep-rooted friendship. For almost five decades, relations between the two countries as well as economic cooperation and trade have been soaring, with more room for development in the …

Children of tourists, under the age of 18 visiting UAE will be exempted from visa fee, during the summer season from July 15th to September 15th of each year UAE cabinet announced on Sunday The new law came in support of family tourism and to reduce the cost on visitors …

Organ transplant programmes in the UAE have made giant strides over the last few years, with the number of transplants between living related members growing, and the first successful deceased donor transplants in the country. But top doctors in the country have said there is still a long way to …

he UAE enjoys the most fruitful cooperation with China among all Middle East countries and the two nations are keen to take these ties to a new level, the Chinese ambassador to the UAE said yesterday. “At present, the China-UAE relationship is at its best. It is an exemplary model …

Despite often claiming to have lofty goals of changing the world, many start-ups are still purely profit driven. Some, like Mums@Work, were started with a mission in mind, and continue to be underpinned by that mission to this day. Louise Karim, who joined the company as managing director two and …

Baker Hughes, a GE Company, is aiming to double its investments in the petrochemical industry in the UAE and also expand its footprint in the region due to growing opportunities driven by higher oil prices, a top executive of the firm told Gulf News recently in an interview. The firm, …

Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), welcomed a high-level delegation from German company Voith, which specialises in systems, products and services serving five important markets: energy, oil and gas, paper, raw materials and transport and automotive. The visit aimed to enhance cooperation …

As the UAE continues to strengthen its relations with China, more and more Chinese expatriates continue to make the emirates their home, opening businesses and creating a vibrant Chinese community in the country. An estimated 200,000 Chinese currently reside in the UAE with more than 4,000 Chinese companies operating in …

The UAE Space Agency celebrated its fourth anniversary on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, with the agency confirming that the UAE’s ambitious Mars Hope Mission remains on track for 2020. Created in 2014, the UAE Space Agency is tasked with developing the country’s space sector through a number of initiatives including …

I work in a company under a limited labour contract. My contract is going to expire in September 2018. I am leaving work at the end of my labour contract but my employer has said that I must work for a notice period of three months. The notice period is …

GDP growth in the GCC to shift from a contraction of 0.3% in 2017 to a growth of 2.5% in 2018 Published: 14:41 July 11, 2018 Babu Das Augustine, Banking Editor   Dubai: Oil prices are forecast to average above $70 (Dh257) this year, despite the potential increase in output …

Retailers and the tourism industry have reacted positively to the announcement that visitors to the UAE will soon be able to claim back any value added tax (VAT) they are charged. On Wednesday, the UAE cabinet agreed to put in place a system that will allow tourists to receive refunds …

Developers in Dubai are getting back to basics — set the price right and the sales will follow. The developer of the Dh1.3 billion “Se7en City” high-rise cluster in JLT (Jumeirah Lake Towers) is doing just that. Starting at Dh925 a square foot, it has so far sold more than …

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and its allies are doing what they can to offset crude output shortfalls that have kept global supplies tight and prices high, but they don’t want to overdo it. That was the message from the UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazroui after being …

Thinking of buying or renting a home right now in Dubai? Based on 2018 second-quarter transaction data, the answer will not be an easy one for residents to make. Another 3,200 homes were delivered in the second quarter on top of the estimated 3,800 units completed in the first three …

Dubai Duty Free (DDF) announced it has signed a partnership deal with C-Trip, a Chinese online agency, to promote the Duty Free to customers travelling to Dubai from China. In a statement, Dubai Duty Free said the deal highlights the importance of Chinese travellers as they account for nearly 15 …