More MENA Business News

New Suzuki Alto Lapin with enhanced performance and fuel economy launched

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:34 GMT

Suzuki Motor Corporation has announced the Japanese domestic launch of the new Alto Lapin, a minivehicle that combines a distinctive retro design with outstanding fuel economy.

DM opens customer service counter at Dubai Industrial City

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:33 GMT

Dubai Municipality has announced the opening of its customer service counter at Dubai Industrial City.

Bin Ham Group launches new four-star property

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:26 GMT

Bin Ham group, owners of City Seasons Group of luxury hotels and hotel apartments in the UAE, has launched City Seasons Hotel, Dubai with a fresh approach to extending affordable luxury for business travelers, families and holiday makers.

Imdaad to expand service fleet with more compactors

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:22 GMT

In its efforts to provide the most efficient and best environmental services, Imdaad, the high-end facility management service provider under Dubai World, announced more investment in its fleet to match the growth in business and the need for environment-friendly services.

Six thousand plus students learned language of 31 languages offered at Eton Institute in Dubai

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:21 GMT

Over six thousand students have learned a second language or upgraded their level of 31 languages offered at the Eton Institute of Languages.

Dana Gas announces new gas discovery in Egypt

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Dana Gas announces new gas discovery in Egypt

Kuwait's Wataniya to begin Dubai flights

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Kuwait's Wataniya to begin Dubai flights

Al-Rajhi Bank installs chip-cards based ATMs across Saudi Arabia

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Al-Rajhi Bank installs chip-cards based ATMs across Saudi Arabia

UAE- Tighter visitor visa rules pondered

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

UAE- Tighter visitor visa rules pondered

Saudi NCB organises Future of Islamic Banking symposium

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Saudi NCB organises Future of Islamic Banking symposium

Depa Saudi Arabia awarded $7.84m contract

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Depa Saudi Arabia awarded $7.84m contract

Work begins for key development projects in Jeddah

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Work begins for key development projects in Jeddah

Technical hitch delays Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange trading

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Technical hitch delays Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange trading

UAE- Meydan cancels $1.3b racecourse deal

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

UAE- Meydan cancels $1.3b racecourse deal

Palestinians can legalise stay in UAE

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Palestinians can legalise stay in UAE

UAE- Salam International shareholders get right for board directorship

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

UAE- Salam International shareholders get right for board directorship

Internet services back to normal in Qatar

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Internet services back to normal in Qatar

Ofiicial: Arab organizations to adopt unified financial, pay system

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

Ofiicial: Arab organizations to adopt unified financial, pay system

2008 milestone year for Dubai Duty Free as it crosses $1b sales mark

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

2008 milestone year for Dubai Duty Free as it crosses $1b sales mark

UAE- DWTC plans to relocate two exhibitions

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:15 GMT

UAE- DWTC plans to relocate two exhibitions

Equity research offer from Dubai based Daman

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:09 GMT

Daman Securities has team up, Chicago based, independent third-party equity researcher Morningstar, Inc to provide analysis of the UAE equity markets. Keith Reid, Director, Daman Securities, talks to Phil Blizzard about the new service.

Dubai Tourism staff visits Centre for Autism

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:09 GMT

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) organized a special visit to the Center for Autism in Dubai, which comes under their framework of Corporate Social Responsibility activities.

Bahrain's sovereign ratings outlook changed to negative

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:01 GMT

Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook on Bahrain's sovereign ratings to negative from stable.

Hyundai discount season launched today

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:57 GMT

Hyundai, represented by Juma Al Majid in the UAE, today launches the Hyundai discount season.

Seagate ships desktop hard drive with world's highest areal density

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:55 GMT

Seagate today announced first-to-market volume shipments of a mainstream desktop hard drive with the industry's highest areal density.

Intel predicts dynamic changes in notebook market in 2009

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:47 GMT

Intel Corporation views 2009 as the year in which the mobility market will become a key influencer across the consumer and enterprise segment.

Travelport GDS announces new partnership with Royal Jordanian Airlines

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:43 GMT

Travelport GDS, one of the world's leading global distribution system (GDS) providers operating both the Galileo and Worldspan platforms, announced today that it has renewed its distributor agreement with the oneworld member, Royal Jordanian Airlines, to continue distributing the Galileo GDS in Jordan.

Krueger International forecasts 100% increase in GCC turnover

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:39 GMT

One of America's largest office furniture manufacturing companies, Krueger International, (KI) is forecasting a 100% increase in GCC turnover in the 2009 financial year.

Al Madina A'Zarqa announces tie up with Anantara Hotels and Resorts

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:38 GMT

Blue City Company 1 (BCC1) has announced an agreement with the internationally recognized luxury hotel group, Anantara Hotels & Resorts, part of the Minor Hotel Group, one of Asia's leading hotel owners and operators, for a new beachfront hotel development in Al Madina A'Zarqa - the most significant real estate infrastructure project in the Sultanate of Oman currently under Phase One of its construction.

wasl appoints three facilities management service providers to improve services for selected properties

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:31 GMT

wasl, the asset management group owned by Dubai Real Estate Corporation (DREC), today announced the appointment of BK Gulf, Operon Middle East and Imdaad as exclusive facilities management service providers for 778 villas and 32 mixed use buildings at various locations in Dubai, that are part of wasl's portfolio.

Westcon Middle East inks distribution agreement with SonicWall

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:26 GMT

WestconME, a value-added distributor of security, convergence and mobility products and solutions for leading technology vendors, has announced that it has recently signed a strategic distribution agreement with SonicWall, Inc., a provider of data protection and security solutions.

Avaya announces increased channel focus for 2009 at MENA Business Partner Conference

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:18 GMT

Avaya, a leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, is to host its annual Business Partner Conference on January 20, 2009 at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai.

ITS participates at ITI 6th international conference on Information and Communications Technology

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:16 GMT

Within the framework of focusing on human resources development, ITS, the leading international IT solutions provider participated at the 6th international conference on Information and Communications Technology organized by Information Technology Institute(ITI) recently under the auspices of Dr. Tarek Kamel, Minister of Communications and IT.

Intel predicts dynamic changes in mobile market

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:14 GMT

Intel Corporation predicts that the mobility market will become a key influencer across the consumer and enterprise segment in 2009, the company said in a press release. Developments in the mobile internet space will help fuel this trend through the implementation of mobile workstations, thinner and lighter notebooks and netbooks, in addition to the deployment of mobile internet devices, wireless networking components, and services. 2009 will also see a greater focus on mobile internet expansion due to the increasingly pervasive nature of the internet and the trends accelerating its growth such as social networking. An increase in online participation will result in an increased demand for products such as Notebook PC's, Netbooks and MID's.

Arabian Fashion World to take place in London, April 6th 2009

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:08 GMT

Arabian Fashion World showcasing Arabian fashion and culture will be launched on 6th April 2009 at InterContinental London Park Lane.

Sweet Homes awards $123m construction project

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:08 GMT

Dubai-based developer Sweet Homes has awarded a Dhs450m ($123m) contract to Sharjah-based Master Civil Construction Company for the construction of Towers B10, B14 and B15 - three out of the nine towers comprising its Dhs1.7bn 'Rainbow Towers' project. The move follows the completion of an Dhs12 million shoring and excavation contract undertaken by Piling Tech LLC for the initial groundwork of the three towers. The project, which is being built in Emirates City in Ajman, marks the developer's first development in the UAE, and is set for completion by the last quarter of 2010.

Suez canal to keep fees unchanged

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:02 GMT

The Suez Canal will keep transit fees unchanged this year due to the global financial crisis, said Ahmed Fadel, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority. The canal generated $5.4bn of revenue last year, a 17% increase from 2007, Fadel added. Seven percent fewer ships are expected to pass through the canal next year, Bloomberg reported.

Gilaine Guirguis appointed hotel manager at Hilton Nuweiba Coral Resort

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:59 GMT

Hilton Hotels announced the appointment of Gilaine Guirguis as Hotel Manager at the Hilton Nuweiba Coral Resort.

Bank stake sale approved

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:57 GMT

Bank of Sharjah has announced that its board has approved plans to sell a 30% stake in Emirates Lebanon Bank to El Capital. Emirates Lebanon is Bank of Sharjah's fully owned, Beirut-based unit.

Rising education fees scare off prospective students

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:56 GMT

The education sector is one of the best markers of inflation for the Gulf. If the region's schools are full and prosperous, then it shows that the expats that cities like Dubai rely on have started to settle. Which is why the latest report from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) will have made uncomfortable reading for the education sector - and for Dubai as a whole.

BECA reports record results in 2008

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:32 GMT

The Bahrain Exhibition & Convention Authority (BECA) says it achieved record results in the fourth quarter of 2008 as Bahrain's MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conferences and Exhibitions) sector saw a 35% increase in demand. Dr. Hassan Abdulla Fakhro, Minister of Industry & Commerce and chairman of BECA, said an estimated 119 confirmed bookings at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre (BIEC) will have attracted more than 385,000 international, regional, and local visitors and contributed $153.9m economic impact to Bahrain.

Independent full-service agencies to sustain growth in 2009

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:31 GMT

Professionally managed independent communications agencies will not be affected by the global financial crisis which is now slowly forcing multinational agencies in the UAE to reduce their number of staff and streamline operations.

Bulgari unveils its first luxury skincare counter in Middle East exclusively at Harvey Nichols, Dubai

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:27 GMT

After building its fragrance portfolio, Bulgari strengthens its presence in the world of beauty with a new skincare beauty counter exclusively at Harvey Nichols.

Aswaaq joins hands with UAE GDA to launch Thalassaemia Screening Campaign

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:27 GMT

In line with its social responsibility and as part of its various initiatives to support the UAE community, Aswaaq launches "Thalassaemia Screening Campaign' from 4th to 8th January 2009.

Rasmala raises $120m for equity fund

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:18 GMT

Dubai-based investment bank Rasmala has raised $120m for its Sharia-compliant private equity fund, Rasmala Middle East & North Africa (Mena) Private Equity Fund 2, MEED has reported. It hopes to increase this to $350m by 30 June. The fund will focus on investing in mid-sized development opportunities in the GCC and Egypt.

Kahramaa awards $358m contract

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:14 GMT

Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has awarded a $358m three-year contract for the supply of high voltage power cables to Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Cables & Metals, MEED has reported. Under the contract, Riyadh Cables & Metals will store cables at its warehouse, ready for delivery to Kahramaa's contractors within two days of an order.

Hilton slashes prices by up to 50% on weekend breaks

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:08 GMT

Hilton Hotels has slashed prices by up to 50% on weekend breaks until the end of August 2009, for bookings made from today to January 31st, 2009.

Gulf Navigation Holding commences 2009 as a new chemical tanker "Gulf Deffi" joins its fleet

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:07 GMT

Gulf Navigation Holding PJSC, has announced that it has taken delivery of the Gulf Deffi a newly built tanker constructed at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan, South Korea, this delivery is the first of three tankers expected this year.

Qatar's internet restored to full capacity

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:07 GMT

Qtel has recently provided a full update on the internet issues that affected Qatar in December, and assured customers that internet capacity is now back to 100%.

ADTA launches premier gourmet event

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:51 GMT

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the apex body responsible for managing the tourism industry within the emirate of Abu Dhabi, has launched the UAE capital's first premier gourmet event - Gourmet Abu Dhabi - to take place from 5 to 14 February 2009.