Bloomberg Cathay Dragon, the sister carrier of Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., is considering replacing all its 23 Airbus Group SE single-aisle jets as the airline proposes to modernize its narrowbody fleet. The airline has initiated a so-called request for proposal as it seeks to upgrade its 15 A320 and eight A321 aircraft, it said in an e-mail. …

  Bloomberg A surge in demand for Mediterranean holidays suggests Britons are coming to terms with a weaker pound and the threat of terrorist attacks, according to Monarch Airlines Ltd., the UK’s second-biggest leisure carrier. Vacation bookings for summer 2017 are up 40 percent, Monarch reported. While the increase may have been enhanced by lower sales during this year’s peak …

  RELAXNEWS A new year inevitably brings change, and 2017 will be no exception in the fashion world, as new runway talent breaks through and models already on the scene continue their rise to fame. So which upcoming model will catch the eye of brands and designers this year? And who will be the most bookable name at the next …

  AFP If you’re not yet familiar with the word ‘Greenery’ in fashion terms, then you’re about to be. Pantone has just named the hue its Color of the Year for 2017, and the zesty shade popped up all over the Spring/Summer 2017 catwalks last fall. Greenery is described as “a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first …

  Relaxnews If your leggings became a wardrobe staple this year, replacing your jeans on rest days and not solely seen on trips to the gym, then consider yourself part of one of 2016’s most fashionable trends: athleisure. So big was the trend that the Merriam-Webster dictionary included ‘athleisure’ as a new word for its 2016 edition, defining it as …

  Relaxnews Classic staples like cotton, linen, wool, denim, knits, silk and synthetic materials will evidently be on the agenda this spring. However, they won’t be the only fabrics on trend for the spring/summer 2017 season. At the last round of catwalk shows, held fall 2016, designers showcased creations made with more unusual materials or with seasonal updates of fabrics …

  Nairobi / AFP It was one of the most momentous events in the battle against poaching: 11 giant pyres of elephant tusks going up in flames in Kenya as the world looked on. The largest-ever destruction of ivory, which took place in April, was the pinnacle of efforts to jolt mankind into stopping the slaughter of wildlife, while sending …

  Ouagadougou/ AFP Thrusting their arm into a box full of hungry mosquitoes, a group of brave volunteers in a Burkina Faso laboratory test an innovative weapon in the fight against malaria — soap. The team behind the “Faso Soap” project aims to create a cheap, accessible product to repel mosquitoes and protect people from a disease that claimed nearly …

  DUBAI / WAM Trade between the UAE and China is expected to increase to US$60 billion (AED216 billion) by the end of this year, up from $54.8 in 2015, as the UAE is now China’s second largest trading partner in the Middle East and the region’s biggest market for Chinese goods, according to the Dubai Economic Council (DEC). China, …

  DUBAI / WAM Foreign investors purchased shares worth AED1.8 billion on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) over the week, while the value of stocks they sold amounted to AED1.9 billion, a DFM report said. The net foreign investment during the period reached AED150.1 million, as aggregate sale. The value of shares bought by foreigner investors comprised 35.6 per cent …