News

  Bloomberg Facebook Inc. bet early on virtual reality, buying Oculus VR 2 1/2 years ago to get its groundbreaking headset. Now it’s fighting claims that the Oculus Rift was built with stolen technology and promoted with a false origin story about a young entrepreneur tinkering in his parents’ garage. What started as a falling out between tech geeks has ...

  Bloomberg Optimism among America’s small businesses soared in December by the most since 1980 as expectations about the economy’s prospects improved dramatically in the aftermath of the presidential election. The National Federation of Independent Business’s index jumped 7.4 points last month to 105.8, the highest since the end of 2004, from 98.4. While seven of the 10 components increased ...

  Bloomberg Google, Facebook Inc. and other Internet companies will be covered by strict new European Union privacy rules that seek to limit access to consumers’ data. The EU proposed in a draft law unveiled in Brussels Tuesday giving online users more control of their settings and limiting the “overload of consent requests” for cookies people encounter when browsing the ...

  Bloomberg BMW lost its crown as the world’s biggest luxury-car brand to Mercedes-Benz, ending its reign after more than a decade amid a cluttered lineup of aging models. The Munich-based manufacturer sold 80,000 fewer cars last year than the Daimler AG brand, which drew younger buyers with sporty redesigns and a bigger array of increasingly popular SUVs. A rebound ...

  DUBAI / WAM Dubai-based developer Nakheel and Thai hotel group, Centara Hotels and Resorts, on Monday signed a joined venture agreement to create a 550-room, AED500 million beachfront resort with waterpark on Deira Islands in Dubai. Under the agreement, signed in Bangkok by Nakheel Chairman, Ali Rashid Lootah, and Centara Chairman, Suthikiati Chirathivat, the two companies will deliver an ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) announced the successful placement to institutional investors of a 30-year senior unsecured Formosa Bond, for a total nominal amount of US$885 million. The transaction follows NBAD’s inaugural US$696 million public Formosa Bond in October last year, the first 30 year Formosa Bond from the MENA region, which brings ...

  AJMAN / WAM The executive team of the Ajman Electronic Government discussed on Monday the progress in Ajman’s Digital Transformation Plan 2017-2022 and the mechanisms and initiatives to implement the plan in various operational sectors in the emirate. The team also reviewed the first 100-day plan of action, which aims to transform 30 top-priority services into e-services in sync ...

  DUBAI / WAM Dubai Financial Market (DFM) briefed a Kazakh delegation on Dubai’s leading position as a dynamic capital markets hub as well as DFM’s active role in further strengthening this position. This came up during the visit of a delegation from Kazakhstan’s Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) to DFM, where the parties explored potential areas of cooperation. Headed ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM HH Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, and Hans Joerg Schelling, Austrian Minister for Finance, met on Monday in Abu Dhabi to discuss how best to enhance friendly relations and co-operation between the UAE and Austria. The duo discussed areas of co-operation and co-ordination in the economic, ...

  Dubai / WAM Relevant authorities should intensify efforts and employ capable human resources to focus on conducting scientific researches and studies in the healthcare sector, and keep pace with the latest developments in medical technology and equipment, treatment techniques, medicines and rare surgeries that all contribute towards enhancing public health, urged His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice ...