News

DUBAI / Emirates Business In recent years, since the oil price slump, plans have emerged across the Gulf to curb fiscal deficits and diversify economies, most notably through the development of national infrastructure, highlights a new report by Oliver Wyman. Titled “How Public-Private Partnerships can support the Gulf’s Economic development,” the report highlights the significance of the private sector’s contribution ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Aldar announced its financial results for the first half of 2018, delivering a resilient underlying performance across the business. According to a press statement, gross profit in the second quarter of 2018 increased by 20 percent to AED649 million compared to AED542 million in 2017. Commenting on the results, Talal Al Dhiyebi, Chief Executive Officer of ...

ABU DHABI / Emirates Business The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) successfully organised a workshop aimed at increasing more awareness on the significant role being played by today’s online marketplace and the benefits and advantages to be gained from it. The event, which was held in collaboration with the Expo 2020 Dubai Team at the Khalifa Innovation Centre in ...

ABU DHABI / WAM A group of Emirati employees from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has become the first group of trainees to start a two year professional development programme with Schlumberger, an oil and gas industry technology and service provider. The programme is part of Adnoc’s continued efforts to build a world-class workforce with enhanced advanced technology ...

Sharjah / Emirates Business Sharjah Airport Authority (SAA) announced that it has completed preparations for the peak of the travel season and an expected influx of Hajj pilgrims. Sharjah Airport, which is expecting to receive more than 1.1 million passengers on both scheduled and non-scheduled flights this August, has finalised arrangements for all procedures needed to ensure a comfortable travel ...

Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Agthia Group PJSC, one of the UAE’s leading food and beverage groups, reported H1 2018 net profit of AED109 million on revenues of AED1.01 billion, representing 1 percent like-for-like revenue growth. Agthia’s like-for-like profit also increased by 6 percent, driven by the Group’s relentless focus on cost efficiencies and optimization to add value to its ...

Bloomberg After decades of difficulties in Nigeria over crude theft, pollution and oil-related corruption, Royal Dutch Shell Plc still feels optimistic a fossil fuel can improve life in the country. The Anglo-Dutch oil major is seeking to develop Nigeria’s domestic energy market around natural gas. It’s plentiful, harder to steal, better for the environment and can underpin a robust industrial ...

Bloomberg Sempra Energy Chief Executive Officer Jeff Martin said he’s holding “constructive” talks with activist investors pressing for the company to shed assets and shake up its board. But Elliott Management Corp. and investor partner Bluescape Resources have been frustrated by the pace of the discussions and had hoped for a settlement before Sempra’s second-quarter earnings report, according to people ...

RIYADH / WAM The Government of Jeddah has combined its ancient heritage and its modern advancements through its public and private museums, the Corniche, the historic Jeddah wall, its entertainment and sporting locations, and especially its diving facilities. The Khuzam Palace Museum, part of the King Abdul Aziz Palace, is one of the city’s most important museums because of its ...

Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp.’s monster Vision Fund plans to lead an investment of $3 billion to $5 billion into Ele.me, the food delivery giant owned by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., people familiar with the matter said. The near-$100 billion fund led by Masayoshi Son is heading up discussions with potential investors including venture capital firms, said the people, who asked ...