London / AFP The British government pledged on Saturday to match European Union funding for farmers, universities and infrastructure projects following Brexit, as it sought to allay fears over key sectors. The commitment, intended to address uncertainty arising from the June 23 vote to quit the bloc, could cost £4.5 billion a year, finance minister Philip Hammond said. The ...
Read More »Uncategorized
Aleppo doctors implore USA for help
Brussels / AFP Doctors in Syria’s Aleppo made a heart-wrenching plea on Thursday for the US to help civilians in the city, hit by fresh fighting despite a promised Russian aid window. A longtime ally of the regime in Damascus, Russia has provided air cover for pro-government forces for nearly a year, including in the escalating battle for Aleppo. ...
Read More »Air Arabia records net profit of AED245 million
Sharjah /Â WAM Air Arabia (PJSC) on Thursday announced strong financial results for the first half of 2016 ending June 30, 2016, reporting a net profit of AED245 million for the first half of 2016 ending June 30, 2016, an increase of 3.5 percent compared to the AED237 million reported for the same period last year. The Middle East and ...
Read More »Region’s largest theme park to open its gates to public in Dubai on October 31
Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai Parks and Resorts announced on Thursday that the region’s largest theme park destination will open its gates to the public on October 31. This unique destination will be comprised of three theme parks – Bollywood Parksâ„¢ Dubai, MOTIONGATEâ„¢ Dubai, and LEGOLAND® Dubai, together with LEGOLAND® Water Park. The destination will also include Riverlandâ„¢ Dubai, ...
Read More »Dubai Chamber concludes summer training programme
DUBAI / Emirates Business The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry successfully concluded a summer training programme for 16 students from different UAE universities running between July 17 and August 11 as part of its effort to promote Emiratisation in the organisation. Under the annual programme, which is dedicated to the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al ...
Read More »IEA cuts oil demand forecast for 2017 on Brexit impact
Paris / AFP The IEA said on Thursday it had cut its oil demand growth forecast for 2017 because of a weaker outlook for the world economy following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. Global oil demand growth is now expected to slow to 1.2 million barrels per day in 2017 from 1.4 mb/d this year “due to ...
Read More »TUI confident despite terror blow to tourism
Berlin / AFP German-British travel giant TUI said on Thursday it is weathering the hard times brought on by a series of terrorist attacks despite a slide in revenues in its third quarter. “People still want to travel, but they’re travelling differently,” chief executive Fritz Joussen said in a telephone conference. “The overall number of travellers will be higher ...
Read More »GCC lighting fixtures market surges ahead
Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Despite a softening in several sectors in the GCC amid a stuttering global oil price recovery, business in the regional lighting fixtures market appears to be booming. International lighting manufacturers and local suppliers reported a number of significant regional projects over the last 12 months, and anticipate double-digit business volume growth over the next ...
Read More »Tough times for China’s $15bn energy ambitions
Bloomberg China’s infrastructure investors have had a tough two weeks, with plugs being pulled on at least $15 billion of potential deals in nuclear power and electricity distribution. Britain and Australia refused to sign off on investments where state-owned Chinese companies were ready to provide much-needed funding. In both cases, the long-term utility programs were halted in the later ...
Read More »India coal ministry to seek environment tax on petcoke
Bloomberg India’s coal ministry, at the urging of state miner Coal India Ltd., is asking the government to levy an environmental tax on a competing fuel in effort to maintain coal’s cost-competitiveness, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Petcoke, an oil-refining by product and a coal substitute, is more polluting than coal and should be subject to ...
Read More »