Abu Dhabi extends movement ban for another week from June 9

The travel ban had initially been instituted for a period of one week starting from June 2

Google says China, Iran targeted American presidential campaigns

Google has alerted the respective campaigns and law enforcement agencies

Aramco backs New York fintech firm offering Islamic investments

Wahed Invest got the financing from Saudi Aramco Entrepreneurship Ventures unit as part of a $25m funding round

Saudi grocer prepares first Mideast IPO since virus

The company operates 73 stores across the BinDawood and Danube supermarket chains

coronavirus covid-19

GCC Covid-19 update: Saudi registers 3,369 cases, 34 deaths; Oman reports 6 deaths

The death toll in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait has risen to 746 and 269 respectively

Dubai’s DIFC invests in four fintech startups via its $100m fund

The investment, part of its $100m FinTech Fund to help establish and upscale fintech companies, reinforces DIFC’s commitment to drive advancements in the financial services sector

Revealed: Top higher education institutions in Dubai and their ratings

Six of the 17 institutions evaluated recorded a five-star rating

UAE startup Tabby secures $7m funding, partners with Apparel Group

The investment will support the company’s entry into Saudi Arabia and fund further growth in the UAE

Emirates Online Store

Skyward miles can now be used to purchase Emirates-branded merchandise from Dubai

Members can also earn Skywards Miles while shopping, with 1 Mile earned for every $1 spent

Revealed: Top 10 companies in the Middle East in 2020

In this year’s Forbes list of the Middle East’s Top 100 Companies 2020, Saudi Arabia led the pack with 33 entries

Saudis make biggest oil price hike in 20 years after OPEC+ cuts

Brent crude, down 36 per cent this year, has clawed back some of its losses and ended trading on Friday at more than $40 a barrel

​Abu Dhabi Investment Authority acquires stake in Peruvian power company

Abu Dhabi to invest $752m in Reliance Industries’ digital arm

The deal comes days after the emirate’s Mubadala Investment spent $1.2bn on a 1.85 per cent stake in Jio

E-Learning

UAE confirms new academic year to begin on August 30

The minister of education added that administrative and teaching staff will resume working on August 23

Dubai Duty Free partially reopens airport retail area as airlines resume services

The airport retailers plans to reopen operations in Terminal 2 later this week

Elon Musk rallies for ‘break up’ of Bezos’ Amazon

The call came after Amazon decided to ban a book about the effects of coronavirus from the platform

Oman shifts wealth funds into new entity with $17bn assets

All government companies, except Petroleum Development Oman and the nation’s international investments, will fall under the new entity

GCC Covid-19 update: UAE reports 540 cases; Saudi registers 3,045 infections, 36 deaths

The death toll in the UAE and Saudi Arabia has risen to 276 and 712 respectively

Emirates to extend 50% salary cuts until September

The basic salary reduction, which took effect on April 1, will be applied to all employees at grades 4 and above

Emirates NBD and Visa commit to a 5-year partnership agreement

Visa has secured exclusivity over Emirates NBD’s debit card for personal, priority, private and business banking customers, and the debit card programme for Liv.

Video Conferencing Software Zoom

Zoom to add end-to-end encryption feature, unavailable to free users

The company says that it has done so to offer security officials the option to intercept calls if the service is being used for illegal purposes

Dubai RTA bus stop

Dubai’s RTA partners with private sector to build new-gen bus shelters

The first four shelters are already operational, with plans to construct a total 1,550 over the next 3-4 years

OPEC+ extends oil cuts in win for Saudi-Russian alliance

All the member nations signed off on a new deal for a production cut of 9.6 million barrels a day next month

Revealed: All the stimulus measures taken by Dubai’s DIFC to support businesses

From waiving certain fees to offering rental relief, DIFC is implementing several steps to help firms during the current Covid-19 crisis

Dubai Future Foundation M061 ventilator

Dubai Future Foundation unveils mechanical ventilator prototype

An interdisciplinary team of experts developed the M061 ventilator in eight weeks

Video: Dubai Fountain resumes shows with social distancing measures

The attraction was closed in March due to Covid-19 restrictions

Message from regional marketing leaders: Time to be seen

Senior regional marketers from across various industries reveal why and how brands must communicate in the current situation

Covid-19 impact on GCC trade: How are the regional supply chains faring?

As a key international trading partner, how is the region protecting its supply chain during the current crisis?

Mubadala

Ambani’s Jio platforms sells $1.2bn stake to Mubadala

Facebook invested $5.7bn in Jio in April for a roughly 10 per cent stake

Covid-19 impact on the GCC’s energy sector: Switching on or off?

The energy sector continues to be the biggest pillar powering the growth of GCC economies. But as it reels with the impact of the historic oil price drop and the Covid-19 pandemic, is the outlook for the future brighter?

IMF warns investors: You’re not ready for climate change

Global temperatures have risen 1.1 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times and at current levels of greenhouse gas emissions, are set to rise by 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century