February, 2017

• 4 February

  Nafta end may hit even movie theater popcorn

  

    Bloomberg As Donald Trump’s administration prepares to renegotiate Nafta, the head of Mexico’s largest movie theater chain is warning that an end to free trade could convince him to buy his popcorn from Argentina instead of the US. Cinepolis de Mexico SA, the world’s fourth-largest cinema chain, buys about $10 million a year of American kernels from farmers in ...

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• 4 February

  Cattle industry concerned by Trump pledge on Nafta

    Bloomberg The largest US cattle trade group said it’s “very concerned” about President Donald Trump’s pledge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, which calls into question whether the industry will continue to enjoy its current level of market access in Mexico and Canada. A shakeup of Nafta now would come as US beef output is forecast to ...

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• 4 February

  Snap future hinges on Google ties

  

    Bloomberg Every year at its annual I/O conference, Google gives away stuff. Last May, the trinkets included a tiny pamphlet with a code that let attendees follow the company on Snapchat. At one point earlier that year, a much bigger alliance was in the works. The companies discussed a feature that would have let a Snapchat user point the ...

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• 4 February

  Apple didn’t make much off those USB wires it made you buy

  

    Bloomberg The timeline of the Apple universe can be measured as BC and AC: That is, before its popular MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops had only USB-C ports, and after, when it became your only choice. The decision to ditch the traditional USB port was announced October 27, and the Apple congregation quickly split into two camps. Some fantasized ...

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• 4 February

  Nintendo promises more smartphone games a year

  

    TOKYO / AP Nintendo Co. President Tatsumi Kimishima said the company is committed to delivering more content for smartphones, noting that the success of “Pokemon Go,” a smartphone augmented-reality game, boosted sales of other Pokemon games and of 3DS machines. That helped Kyoto-based Nintendo, which creates Super Mario games, report a better-than-expected October-December profit of 64.7 billion yen ($569 ...

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• 2 February

  DGCX trades 1.37 million contracts worth $33 billion

    DUBAI / WAM The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) traded an aggregate 1.37 million contracts in January, valued at $33 billion. The exchange recorded its highest daily trading volume for 2017 on January 25 with 117,637 contracts, valued at $2.9 billion. The British Pound and Yen futures witnessed a substantial year-on-year growth in volumes, up 87 percent and ...

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• 2 February

  UAE first country to criminalise hate speech

    DUBAI / WAM The UAE is the first country to issue a law that criminalises the hate speech and prevent threats to peace and stability as experienced by other Arab and Islamic countries, according to Dr Hanif Hassan Al Qassim, Chairman of the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue. He made the statement during a seminar ...

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• 2 February

  Global rise of cities poses challenge to sustainable urban development

    GENEVA / WAM The global rise of cities has been unprecedented. Every week, nearly 1.5 million people become urban dwellers. By 2050, the urban population will account for more than two-thirds of the world’s population. “Cities are evolving faster than ever and encountering unprecedented demographic, environmental, economic and social challenges. Sustainable urban development is the current global priority; however, ...

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• 2 February

  ICD issues $1 billion sukuk

    DUBAI / WAM Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) successfully completed the issuance of a $1 billion 10-year sukuk. The sukuk was well received by regional and international investors and generated orders exceeding $3 billion. The $1billion sukuk will be listed on the Nasdaq Dubai exchange and is the first to be issued from the region in 2017 and the ...

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• 2 February

  MoHAP showcases innovative health services at Arab Health

    Dubai / Emirates Business The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) announced that the Ministry’s participation this year has had a strong line up of innovative health services launched globally and regionally during its participation at the Arab Health Exhibition & Congress 2017, which was hailed by participants and visitors as a success, revealing the UAE’s excellence and leadership ...

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