Micro Focus appoints new head of Emerging Markets

Anas Jwaied is Micro Focus new vice president and general manager for Emerging Markets

Government employees in Abu Dhabi to receive full housing allowance

Citizens and residents living in Abu Dhabi are entitled to full housing allowance and rent stipend in line with their job grade

Developer Arada begins handovers at Sharjah’s Nasma Residences

The first five phases of the community are fully sold out

UAE’s Fruitful Day raises over Dhs3m to fund expansion

The company will use the funds for horizontal and vertical expansion

Boeing’s comeback from Covid crisis hinges on tarnished 737 Max

The Max accounts for 80 per cent of Boeing’s backlog of 5,121 orders and is the company’s only offering in the crucial single-aisle market

Umm Al Quwain

Umm Al Quwain tourism department launches offers for frontline heroes

These offers will be available to frontline workers for a period of six months starting November 17, 2020

KUWAIT-HEALTH-VIRUS

Kuwait going ahead with decision to ban work permits for expats aged over 60 from Jan 1

The decision applies to expat workers who do not have a university degree

Saudi Arabia raises minimum wage for citizens by 33%

The higher minimum wage must be paid for a worker to be counted as part of a company’s quota of citizen employees

Abu Dhabi Israel

Abu Dhabi Global Market signs fintech agreement with Israel Securities Authority

The agreement provides a framework for information sharing, and will facilitate the movement of startups and transfer of knowledge and talent

Ecommerce

Retail traffic and sales in UAE set to soar during Black Friday: Criteo study

Survey says 37% of UAE shoppers are more comfortable shopping in-store now

Home security

Carding and data leakage rise sharply in the Middle East in the wake of Covid-19

Carding cases see 500% jump in H1 2020, Help AG report says

Dubai-based tech incubator AstroLabs expands into tech recruiting

AstroLabs Talent to offer 4,000-strong Academy alumni recruiting support

Dubai’s Emirates ramps up A380 flights; adds services to UK and Russia

Emirates is expanding its services to the UK following the establishment of UK-UAE air corridor

Dubai’s Emirates reveals special fares ahead of National Day holidays

The offer is valid for bookings, starting November 18 till November 29, 2020, for travel until May 31, 2021

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed 2

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed invites Israeli President for UAE visit

President Reuven Rivlin has also extended an invitation to Sheikh Mohamed to visit Israel

Vincent Reffet

French stuntman dies in Dubai in training accident

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, took to Instagram to condole the stuntman’s death

World’s biggest oil firm Saudi Aramco sells $8bn in bonds

Aramco sold $8bn in tranches maturing in three, five, 10, 30 and 50 years

Oman

UAE-Oman bilateral trade reached Dhs48bn in 2019

Oman is the UAE’s second largest trading partner in the Gulf

Ajman and Intel join forces to launch new UAE IT lab

Mustakbaly offers UAE nationals free courses in programming, AI, robotics and more

LG wearable air purifier now available in the UAE

LG PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier employs HEPA filters and sensor-controlled fans

Ericsson forecasts $31 trillion 5G consumer market by 2030

CSPs could earn $3.7 trillion in 5G-enabled consumer revenues by 2030

SAP builds cloud platform for Covid-19 supply chains

SAP vaccine collaboration hub can help govts, partners deploy mass vaccination programs

Real Estate

Revealed: The most transparent real estate markets in the MENA region

Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been ranked as having the most transparent property markets in the region according to JLL’s latest index

UAE extends waiver for residency law violators till end of the year

The exemption covers all financial fines related to the Emirates Identity cards, work permits, as well as the waiver of all administrative restrictions, upon leaving the country

Saudi Arabia to pivot attention, plow funds at home

The fund intends to play a leading role in refocusing the economy toward underdeveloped industries

Etihad A380

Etihad grounds entire A380 fleet; will commence Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv daily flights from March 2021

The airline will launch a daily flight connecting Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv from March 28, 2021

Bahrain’s Investcorp acquires cereal and coffee company Viz Branz

Viz Branz has approximately 1,300 employees with manufacturing facilities and operations in China and Myanmar

Central Bank of the UAE

UAE Central Bank extends Targeted Economic Support Scheme until June 2021

The TESS loan deferral programme has already benefited over 310,000 retail customers, nearly 10,000 SMEs and more than 1,500 private sector companies

Cityscape’s Real Estate Summit opens in Dubai

This year’s edition of Cityscape was co-created with regional real estate industry stakeholders

Aramco turns to bonds to help fund $75bn dividend

The yield on Aramco’s $3bn of bonds due in 2029 has dropped to 2.09 per cent from 3.04 per cent at the start of the year