April, 2016

• 5 April

  Alaska bets on bulk with $2.6bn Virgin America acquisition

  

  Bloomberg From an initial overture five months ago through a two-day bidding war last week, Alaska Air Group Inc. was determined to acquire Virgin America Inc. as a means toward national expansion – and protection from larger rivals. The combination boosts Alaska’s West Coast might with greater access to California, while providing more service to flight-constrained East Coast cities such ...

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• 5 April

  Hollywood in a bottle!

  

  Los Angeles / AFP A Technicolor scientist surrounded by the latest virtual reality technology inspects a vial containing a few droplets of water — and one million copies of an old movie encoded into DNA. The company has come a long way since the Hollywood golden age, when the world gazed in awe at the lush palette of “The Wizard ...

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• 5 April

  Reviving the ‘ski-love’

  

  Almaty, Kazakhstan / AFP The season may be drawing to a close at Central Asian Kazakhstan’s Chimbulak winter sports resort, but skiiers and snowboarders are still carving their way down a broad piste framed by the snow-speckled spruces of the Tien-Shan mountains. After a dip in interest that accompanied the collapse of the Soviet Union, the landlocked region is witnessing ...

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• 5 April

  DoubleTree by Hilton: Crafting memorable experiences

  

  Our Correspondent / EMIRATES BUSINESS With a fast-growing, global collection of more than 455 upscale hotels in gateway cities, metropolitan areas and vacation destinations across six continents and nearly 40,000 rooms in the pipeline, every little thing at DoubleTree by Hilton inspires to create a rewarding experience for the hotel guests. Located on the popular The Walk promenade in Dubai, ...

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• 5 April

  Entering the era of new norms

  

  Sunaina Rana/ Emirates Business With a record number of CEOs and VPs from across the Arabian Gulf region in attendance, the recently-concluded Top CEO Conference brought many global issues into a regional context in Dubai. The aim behind this innovative conference was to help the executives and leaders to look at the possible impact of these burning issues, which are ...

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• 4 April

  EU-Turkey migrant deal to cost $320mn

  

  Brussels / AFP An enormous and complex logistical operation involving thousands of EU and other officials was launched on Monday to ship migrants from Greece back to Turkey under a controversial accord between Brussels and Ankara. The European Commission estimates it will cost 280 million euros ($320 million) to implement the deal over the next six months. The EU will ...

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• 4 April

  ‘Renewables’ hotspot’ IRENA turns five

  

  RITIKA SHARMA / EMIRATES BUSINESS Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) marked half a decade of efforts towards a sustainable and green planet on Monday. Turning five, the global body looks forward to expanding its role as the universal voice of renewables. Adnan Z Amin, IRENA Director-General, said, “The past five years have witnessed a dramatic shift in the ...

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• 4 April

  EGA deploys tech innovation to boost production, operation

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) implemented advanced technologies to improve productivity and enhance operational procedures at its operations, while maintaining the highest standards of environmental conservation. As part of its mandate to drive an ongoing quest for innovation-based improvements, the dedicated Technology Development and Transfer department at EGA continuously forges ahead in identifying and implementing technological advancements ...

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• 4 April

  Emirates, Malaysia Airlines enhance codesharing

  DUBAI / WAM Emirates and Malaysia Airlines on Monday unveiled new routes and frequent flyer benefits as part of their codeshare agreement to provide customers seamless connections and world class travel experiences, across the globe. The new routes cover 15 key Malaysian cities: Langkawi, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Miri, Bintulu, Sibu, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Labuan, Alor Setar, Kota Bharu, ...

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• 4 April

  DMCC hosts Global Tea Forum today

  DUBAI / WAM The 6th edition of the Global Dubai Tea Forum, hosted by Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), will take place from April 5-7. The forum is expected to draw more than 300 delegates from over 30 tea producing and consuming countries, bringing together producers, merchant exporters, buyers, blenders, machine manufacturers, raw material suppliers and government entities to discuss ...

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