Bloomberg Swatch Group AG said it’s developing an alternative to the iOS and Android operating systems for smartwatches as Switzerland’s largest maker of timepieces vies with Silicon Valley for control of consumers’ wrists. The first product using the Swiss-made system will be a Tissot smartwatch to be introduced at the end of 2018, Swatch Chief Executive Officer Nick Hayek …

  Bloomberg Google Inc. is scaling up investment in Africa by laying fiber optic cable, easing access to cheaper Android phones and training a workforce in digital skills as the US technology giant seeks to expand on the continent. “We laid about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of fiber in Uganda and we are busy doing about 1,000 kilometers in Ghana,’’ …

  Emirates Business Mobile phones have evolved considerably over the past two decades from being just simple communication devices to becoming the most innovative compact entertainment systems empowering people to view content on demand whilst having the ability to share their most intimate moments all from the palm of their hand. Smartphones are rapidly increasing in demand across the world …

  Dubai / WAM H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, on Wednesday announced that Dubai’s non-oil foreign trade in 2016 reached AED1.276 trillion despite the global slowdown. Sheikh Hamdan pointed out that the value of Dubai’s external trade rose 70 percent from AED754 billion in 2009 to AED1.276 trillion in 2016. …

  Kuwait / Emirates Business The State of Kuwait on Wednesday announced that it has successfully issued its inaugural dual-tranche USD 8 billion bond offering into the international debt markets. Notes due in 2022 (the five-year Bonds) and for the value of USD 3.5 billion and notes due in 2027 (the 10-year Bonds) for the value of USD 4.5 billion. …

  ABU DHABI / WAM Residents of the United Arab Emirates have a resoundingly positive view of the country they live in and of the future, in stark contrast to views from other countries around the world. According to Brunswick Insight’s global research, an overwhelming sense of well-being and security, trust in the capacity of business for doing good, and …

  Dubai / WAM Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER) achieved LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council for its third cooling plant located in Business Bay in Dubai. The certificate honours Empower’s efforts to preserve the environment, as the company is keen to ensure its projects are up to the international standards and its work goes in line …

  Abu Dhabi / WAM “The cyber attacks sought to deface and block government websites, including denial of service, hacking, deception, fraud, and identity and document theft,” said Eng. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director of TRA’s Policy and Programs Department, in a statement to Emirates News Agency (WAM). He noted that private companies were the most vulnerable to such attacks, registering 510 …

  Dubai / WAM As part of the 37th Plantation Week, Dubai Municipality opened on Wednesday Al Mizhar-2 Park in the presence of Sultan Butti Bin Mejren, Director-General of Dubai Land Department, Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality and a number of senior officials. Accompanied by Lootah and other Municipality officials, Bin Mejren toured the park, planted a group of …

  Dubai / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, officially launched the groundbreaking of the new Meydan One Mall development. During an evening ceremony attended by VIP guests and regional and international retailers, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed led the delegation at the development site and broke …