Dubai / Emirates Business YPO, the premier chief executive leadership organization in the world, hosted a live Twitter chat with global and regional experts discussing entrepreneurship and business trends in the Middle East. The one-hour event took place in collaboration with Wamda — a platform and community that aims to accelerate entrepreneurship in the region — in an effort …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Front camera functionality is becoming just as important as having an effective rear-facing camera, and is rapidly climbing up the UAE smartphone shopper priority list, according to the country’s value-driven mobile brand, ‘Four’. In an era where selfies have become an integral part of the smartphone experience, a trend bolstered by the availability of photo-based …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Aramex (DFM: ARMX), a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions, today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2016. Aramex’s Net Profits increased by 36% to AED 125.7 million, up from AED 92.5 million in Q2 2015. Revenues were also up 17%, to AED 1,105 million compared to AED 946 …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Marka PJSC (DFM: MARKA), the first public stock retail operator in the UAE, has announced the launch of the first Vicolo restaurant in the UAE. Pioneering an Italian street food concept, the restaurant, a home-grown concept conceived by the Marka Hospitality Team, will open in Dubai Design District (d3). The inception of Vicolo will pave …

  ABU DHABI / Emirates Business The 5 Star Marriott Al Forsan Hotel is slated to open in Abu Dhabi later this year. A management agreement was signed between, H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Hajeri, Chairman, Al Forsan Holding, and Mr. Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director of Marriott International, Middle East and Africa in Abu Dhabi. The hotel is located adjacent …

  Bloomberg At the biggest oil market in the world, crude from Iran is back in vogue. The Persian Gulf state boosted exports to major oil consumers in Asia during the first half of this year, after international sanctions that restricted its supplies were eased in January. Japan’s purchases increased 28 percent, India bought 63 percent more, South Korea’s imports …

Reuters Iraq is negotiating with Exxon Mobil Corp. and Petrochina Co. to develop two oil fields in the south of the country as it seeks to maintain overall production at about 4.8 million barrels a day for the rest of 2016, Deputy Oil Minister Fayyad Al-Nima said. The companies have submitted offers to develop the Artawi and Nahran Omar fields, …

  TNS Bahrain residents must prepare for a spike in inflation as value-added tax (VAT) gets rolled out, experts have said. GCC states are expected to adopt VAT of up to five per cent from 2018 applying to most goods and services with basic food items, healthcare and education being exempted. The exact date of implementation is not yet known …

  TNS As much as BD165,000 can be saved a year as part of a new water and energy consumption campaign. It will initially focus on five-star hotels and aim to reduce consumption by three per cent in the next year. The campaign was launched by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) in partnership with Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority …

  Reuters OPEC member Algeria says it will launch a new “economic growth model” for the next four years focussed on reforming the tax system to bring in more revenue and reduce dependence on energy exports. The plan is part of long-awaited moves to diversify the North African economy away from oil and gas, which account for 95 percent of …