Dubai / Emirates Business The third edition of Arab Luxury World was held successfully, rich with valuable insights and learnings for those in attendance. Organised by Mediaquest, the two-day conference took place at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi. More than 30 panel discussions, presentations and private sessions provided an in-depth exploration of the latest ideas and trends in the ...

  Tribune news service Bahrain’s Public Relations (PR) sector is under threat from an economic slowdown caused by low oil prices, according to an expert. The government has launched an austerity drive to tackle rising public debt and reduce the national deficit, but lower public spending also means less investment in the private sector. US presidential advisor Mary Jo Jacobi ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Supply chain risk in the Middle East and North Africa remained relatively stable during the first quarter of the year, at 4.371, according to the CIPS Risk Index, produced by Dun & Bradstreet for the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS). The score remains high however by historical standard and compared to other regions, ...

  Seoul / AFP Tens of thousands of North Koreans, brandishing red flags and chanting slogans, paraded in Pyongyang to celebrate the start of the Stalinist regime’s latest five-year economic plan, state media reported on Thursday. The “mass mobilization” took place on Wednesday in the sprawling Kim Il Sung square in the North Korean capital. It marked the beginning of a ...

  Vienna / AFP Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine said on Thursday it had pulled off a slight increase in full-year profits despite a “negative” international economic climate that has hampered steel and oil prices. Investors cheered the results which beat analysts’ forecasts. Shares in Voestalpine, which specialises in steel used in the rail, automobile, aviation, home appliances and oil and gas ...

  Tokyo / AFP Japan has temporarily suspended live cattle imports from Australia after “some” cows were found to have a gastrointestinal disease, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday. The infected animals arrived in Japan by air and tested positive for Johne’s disease, also known as paratuberculosis, while in quarantine, a ministry official said. Tokyo imposed a temporary ban on ...

  New Delhi / Tribune News Service Indian companies’ earnings growth is recovering and they are all set to post a double-digit profit growth for the fiscal years to come, after seeing flattish to weak growth for a few years now, according to analysts. To be sure, this growth comes on a low base. Kotak Insititutional Equities, an arm of ...

  Beijing / Bloomberg China sent shares of renewable-energy companies higher by forcing grid operators to buy wind and solar power in regions where network congestion has idled plants. Grid companies will have to buy sufficient power that ensures wind farms across nine regions including Xinjiang and Gansu can operate at least 1,800 hours a year, according to a statement ...

  AFP The European Central Bank held key interest rates at historic lows Thursday, but made no announcement regarding Greece despite speculation it may offer a helping hand to its cash-strapped banks. Meeting in the Austrian capital instead of its usual home venue in Frankfurt, the ECB’s decision-making governing council voted not to alter borrowing costs, which have been at ...

  AP A US congressional committee is investigating how hackers managed to divert US$101 million from Bank of Bangladesh accounts held at the Federal Reserve in New York. The February theft led the Bangladesh central bank’s chairman to resign, and added to worries about the security of online bank data. This week, the Science Committee in the US House of ...