News

Bloomberg BMW AG will keep spreading the gospel of free trade and back its rhetoric up by investing more in its massive US plant, all as the Trump administration mulls higher tariffs on imported autos. The German automaker is presenting two SUVs at the Los Angeles auto show this week: a refreshed X5 crossover and a new three-row model, the ...

Bloomberg International Business Machines Corp Chief Executive Officer Ginni Rometty joined a growing chorus of tech executives lambasting web platforms, like Google and Facebook Inc, over their collection of user data and urged governments to target regulation at those companies. Without naming company names, Rometty pointed to the “irresponsible handling of personal data by a few dominant consumer-facing platform companies” ...

DUBAI / WAM The UAE remains a global leader in terms of smartphone adoption, second only to Singapore, with smartphones accounting for 85 percent of total connections, according to reports from GSMA Intelligence. The reports highlight that the Gulf region is set to be a global leader in the deployment of 5G networks in the next two years. The number ...

DUBAI / Emirates Business Emaar Properties PJSC has announced that its wholly-owned hospitality and leisure business subsidiary, Emaar Hospitality Group has signed definitive documentation with Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) to divest its entire economic interest in a portfolio of five hotels in Dubai. Both Emaar and ADNH announced that the transaction closing is subject to meeting various conditions and ...

Bloomberg Saudi Aramco will seek more acquisitions to speed its expansion in refining and petrochemicals as Saudi Arabia pushes ahead with plans to diversify its economy from reliance on sales of crude. The purchases will be in addition to Aramco’s planned purchase of government-controlled chemicals producer Saudi Basic Industries Corp, Aramco Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser said on Tuesday in ...

Dubai / WAM Musicians representing about 190 nations have been brought together in the Dubai desert to perform an unprecedented rendition of the UAE national anthem, as part of Expo 2020 Dubai’s celebrations to mark the 47th UAE National Day and the Year of Zayed – honouring the country’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The orchestral performance ...

Emirates Business Etihad Airways has re-launched Boutique, its inflight shopping magazine, which has been revamped into a more contemporary editorial-style publication with richer photography and a wider product range to compliment the airline’s award-winning inflight offering and to provide guests more choice. The magazine features 90 new products, inflight exclusives, gift ideas and brand-new fragrances on the market including L’Interdit ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), has marked the UAE’s 47th National Day with the launch of the company’s community campaign, entitled, ‘Remembering 47 Wonderful Years Together’. The campaign is a social media-focused storytelling programme designed to evoke cherished memories of life in the UAE. The campaign was kicked off with the official launch of ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), issued operating licences to 211 health facilities in the country this year as well as ordered the closure of 24 private companies for non-compliance with the set regulations. The issuance of licences and closure orders are part of the ministry’s supervisory mandate and a part of its strategy to ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE Ministry of Finance and the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance have signed an agreement for the financing of Stage Two of the Etihad Rail national rail network. The second stage will extend 605 kilometres from Ghuweifat on the border with Saudi Arabia to Fujairah on the east coast, to be followed by future route ...