Sharjah

Sharjah registered real estate transactions worth Dhs3.5bn in February 2021

The Al Rugaiba area recorded the highest number of sales

SAUDI-HEALTH-VIRUS

Saudi says no cases of blood clots recorded among those who have been vaccinated

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority confirmed that over 2.3 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the kingdom

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone gaming

Ras Al Khaimah launches gaming business packages with 3-year UAE residency visas

Packages start from Dhs7,725, and business owners are being offered the same renewal rate for the lifetime of their business

Abu Dhabi utility Taqa to weigh sale of oil and gas assets

Taqa built its oil and gas unit mostly through acquisitions

EToro nears $10bn merger with Betsy Cohen SPAC

EToro became a member of the US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority last year

Kuwait Airways

Kuwait: Covid-19 PCR tests only from designated labs for incoming UAE passengers

Airlines must verify the tests were undertaken at pre-approved labs and that the results are not older than 72 hours

OPPO introduces all-5G Reno5 series in the UAE

Reno5 series incorporates advanced AI-powered photography features

AD Gaming formed to further gaming sector in Abu Dhabi

Global video game industry predicted to hit $300bn by 2026

Bahrain awarded $4.1bn worth of contracts in 2020

Covid-19 response sees Ministry of Health spending almost tripled compared to 2019

Cyber Security

Studying behavioural patterns to protect users from cyber frauds

Comarch’s Cyber Threat Protection (CTP) is an anti-fraud system that facilitates safe and seamless access to services such as banking and loyalty programmes where it is critical to confirm the identity of the user

Sheikh Mohammed forms tribunal to resolve disputes of inherited property

Members of the tribunal will include legal, financial and real estate experts

Covid-19: UAE reports 2,051 infections; nationwide case count crosses 432,000

The death toll in the UAE stands at 1,414

How Britain and the GCC are shaping the future of education in a post-Covid world

Gulf schools have proven themselves to be resilient, innovative and avid adopters of the latest digital solutions

UAE money laundering prosecution office

UAE gross bank assets at Dhs3.172 trillion at the end of January

Gross credit in the banking system grew from Dhs1.779 trillion by the end of December 2020 to Dhs1.779.2 trillion in January 2021

UAE 5G devices

UAE to examine and certify all 5G mobile phone devices in National Laboratory

The National Laboratory has been equipped with the necessary equipment to examine these mobile devices and ensure that they meet the approved technical standards

Saudi economy contracted 3.9% in fourth quarter as oil drags

The non-oil economy shrank an annual 0.8 per cent in the fourth quarter

Citigroup names key banker on Aramco IPO as Saudi CEO

Wassim Al Khatib will lead Citigroup’s investment banking and markets business in Saudi Arabia

Abu Dhabi court fines four people, jewellery firm Dhs90m for money laundering, fraud

Each of the four defendants has been handed a five-year imprisonment term followed by deportation and a fine of Dhs10m

Covid-19: UAE national vaccination campaign achieves 52.46% of target category

The country has provided nearly seven million vaccine doses to more than 205 medical centres

ADNOC Distribution

UAE’s ADNOC Distribution changes share dividend policy

It confirmed a minimum Dhs2.57bn dividend for 2022

Multi-mode noise cancellation earbuds from Soundcore now available in UAE

Liberty Air 2 Pro Air 2 Pro offer ANC without cutting off users from the surroundings

Sheikh Khalifa announces 2021 as Year of the 50th

The ‘Year of the 50th’ officially starts on April 6, 2021 and lasts until March 31, 2022

Biggest aluminum maker in Middle East sees prices staying high

Emirates Global Aluminium said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization were Dhs4.1bn in 2020

Saudi Arabia’s Almarai acquires Bakemart in UAE, Bahrain

The acquisition is fully financed from Almarai’s operating cash flow

Covid-19: UK adds Oman, Qatar to travel ‘red list’

This move is to protect the UK against new variants of the coronavirus infection

Meyan Mall Dubai

New Meyan Mall near Burj Al Arab in Dubai to open in April 2022

The mall consists of a ground level, two floors above it and two levels of basement parking

Kuwait masks

Kuwait: Schools to reopen in Sept, cinema entry only for vaccinated people post Ramadan

Some two million people in Kuwait are expected to receive Covid-19 vaccination by September

Dubai Municipality goes 100% paper-free

The Municipality provided 1,877,987 smart digital transactions in 2020

UAE Central Bank

Overall liquidity in UAE banking system back to pre-Covid levels – Central Bank

The Central Bank of the UAE projects the country’s real GDP to increase by 2.5 per cent in 2021

pensions of UAE Nationals working in the emirate’s public schools to 80%

Private schools in Dubai will not increase tuition fees next year, KHDA says

The annual Education Cost Index (ECI) for this year stands at -2.58 per cent