Bloomberg Canada will end restrictions on Mexican travelers while its North American partner opens its market further to Canadian beef. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto made the announcement during a state visit on Tuesday in Ottawa, ahead of the Three Amigos summit on Wednesday that includes U.S. President Barack Obama. Canada will lift its ...
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First US chain hotel in a half-century opens in Cuba
Havana, Cuba / AFP Starwood Hotels took over management of a luxury hotel in central Havana, becoming the first big American hospitality chain with a presence on the island since the Cuban Revolution a half-century ago. The newly-rechristened Cuba Four Points by Sheraton on Havana’s Quinta Avenida — a hotel owned by the Cuban military — now will be managed ...
Read More »Brazilian bank chief says no rate cut in sight as inflation target elusive
Bloomberg Brazil’s new central bank chief Ilan Goldfajn suggested it’s too early to think about cutting rates as inflation remains above target and the government has yet to implement budget cuts. Short-dated swap rates rose. Consumer prices will increase 4.7 percent next year, still above the target set by the government, the central bank said in its quarterly inflation ...
Read More »Income polarization in US takes toll on consumption: IMF
Bloomberg The widening rich-poor divide in America has robbed the economy of a year’s worth of consumption, according to the International Monetary Fund. Middle-class households declined as a share of the population between 1970 and 2014, while the proportion in high- and low-income brackets expanded, according to new research by IMF economists Ali Alichi, Kory Kantenga and Juan Sole. ...
Read More »Dubai remains MENA’s most transparent realty market
Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai has recorded continued progress and retained its position as the most transparent real estate market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to JLL and LaSalle Investment Management’s 2016 Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI). The Emirate placed (48th) out of 109 markets covered globally to remain in the ‘Semi-Transparent’ category, ...
Read More »MIST moves to 14 spot in ‘Arab region universities’ rankings
Abu Dhabi / WAM The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) on Wednesday announced it has moved up to the 14th spot overall in the 2016 US News and World Report Best Arab Region Universities Rankings, up from the 23rd position last year. The research-based institution has also edged up to fifth spot in the ‘Energy’ field, eighth in Chemistry, ...
Read More »Dhofar Global wins BIZZ award
Dubai / Emirates Business Dhofar Global, a leading supplier of hygiene care products in the Middle East, received the BIZZ 2016 Award presented annually by the World Confederation of Business (WORLDCOB), a leading organization that encourages worldwide business development. The award, which was given in recognition of the company’s business excellence, was received by Dhofar’s Group COO, Michael Anthony ...
Read More »Dubai firm seals AUD400mn deal for Oz’s ‘active lifestyle’ destination
Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai-based business conglomerate Najibi Group, which recently opened the doors to its new investment and development company Sanad Capital Pty Ltd in Australia, has announced its very first venture on the nation’s Sunshine Coast – an AUD 400 million ‘active lifestyle’ destination. Talal Y. Najibi, Executive Chairman of Najibi, says this project heavily complements ...
Read More »DSOA installs ME’s first Smart Street Solution at high-tech park
Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, in collaboration with Huawei, a leading global ICT solutions provider, on Wednesday installed the first Smart Street Solution in the Middle East region at the high-tech park. The Smart Street Solution incorporates a number of advanced ...
Read More »India aims at $8.9 billion in energy efficiency cost savings
New Delhi / Bloomberg India’s plan to replace energy-intensive appliances with more efficient designs is expected to save as much as 600 billion rupees ($8.9 billion) a year, according to the head of the government arm spearheading the country’s drive. The federal power ministry’s plan to replace incandescent lights with LED bulbs and use energy-efficient irrigation pumps, fans and air ...
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