An annual report by the U.S. State Department for 2016 shows the Qatari government has a long way to go in securing broader human rights assurances by ending human trafficking within the nation’s borders. The Trafficking in Persons is put out by the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which was created as part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Read More »

Qatar leaders are making it easier for enterprises to add themselves to the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) with initial public offerings (IPOs) by offering a new single-window system to streamline registrations and make going public easier. According to new rules, companies will now go directly to QSE’s listing department for a process that's shorter and possibly more effective. Read More »

A joint partnership in international finance is coming from a slightly unusual place: the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Paris EUROPLACE, which are poised to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on developing collaboration on joint financial activities and promoting symbiotic growth in the two national economies. However, there are scant details on how this agreement will work. Read More »

Just4Me Genetics is expanding the medical choices available to UAE residents by rolling out services involving genetic testing and predictive screening for various types of conditions. Just4Me Genetics moved its head offices to Dubai in 2015. Now it's offering genetic tests for cancer, neurology and hematology, as well as various types of birth and pediatric tests. Read More »

Qatar Airways, owned by the Qatari government, has drawn the ire of the United Nations' International Labor Organization (ILO), which is looking at airline rules and regulations applying to stewardesses and other female employees. According to June reports in Al Jazeera America, airline policies have included automatically terminating women who get pregnant. Read More »

The United Arab Emirates’ bustling capital, Dubai, is preparing to get its first Hard Rock Hotel, and company representatives say the new location could open as soon as late this fall, or early next year. Read More »

A new project on Bluewaters Island, adjacent to the Jumeirah Beach coastline near Dubai, is promising a revolutionary up-in-the-air experience for visitors. Read More »

The Israeli city of Acre on the Mediterranean coast has a rich history, and now visitors can explore that history with an experienced guide. Read More »

Should more firms in the Middle East be using new digital methods of marketing? Naufel Vilcassim, professor of marketing at the London Business School, suggested how companies in the region can move from traditional print and broadcast media marketing to a more sophisticated and modern multichannel strategy. This is just one of many reports in the region recommending that some of the newest forms of marketing can do well for businesses in the Gulf. Read More »

A new study by YouGov, a major information provider, shows exactly how pervasive new technologies are in the United Arab Emirates. A July 4 press release shows some of the results of a recently released survey of 5,000 UAE residents. According to this research, the average UAE resident spends five hours a day using social media. Read More »

With big financial changes on the horizon, financial experts are looking very closely at how new technologies will affect traditional banking systems. With that in mind, local teams in Dubai are working to prepare for the 2016 GITEX Technology Week, the biggest technology convention of its kind in the Middle East and Africa, to be held Oct. 16-20 at the Dubai World Trade Center.   Read More »

IMG Worlds of Adventure, set to open Aug. 15 in Dubai, will be the biggest indoor theme park of its kind, with major components that will include Cartoon Network- and Marvel-themed areas and the Lost Valley Dinosaur Adventure. DigiPhoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI) has won a contract to provide digital photography services such as souvenir pictures and augmented reality 3-D images. Read More »

Gulf Cooperation Council nations are planning a radical shift in tax policy, with the U.A.E. and Qatar as early adopters of a new value-added tax (VAT), and Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain planning to implement the tax within two years. The pending tax policy is shaking up the accounting market as businesses scramble to secure the personnel they will need to complete paperwork. Read More »

As of early this year, Kuwait Airways no longer carries passengers between New York City and London. Read More »

The Western Union Company participated in Ramadan by augmenting an existing program with a “30 Days of Betters” Ramadan initiative in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Indonesia and India. The Ramadan program was derived from Western Union's “Moving Money for Better” program as well as social media platforms for those who wanted to engage in better behavior toward others. Read More »

This summer, publishing and education company Pearson came out with a new guidance document titled "The Problem Solvers" that cites four key principles in helping to reshape education in the Middle East. International relations expert Federico Gaon spoke to the Gulf News Journal about the place of education in the Gulf area and modern changes. Read More »

Once again, as they have for centuries, Muslims celebrated the Eid-al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, on Wednesday. In many ways, this age-old celebration is an injection of traditional values and a historic way of life into a dynamic and quickly changing world. The festival of the Eid includes a day of special prayers, community life and food and sustenance. Read More »

A new IKEA store is going to give shoppers more options in the Al Salaam Mall in Jeddah. The Swedish furniture maker recently inked an agreement with Arabian Centres, the mall’s parent company, to open an anchor store in the mall, which marks a new strategy for integrated retail in Saudi Arabian shopping centers. The 23,000-square-foot IKEA store is scheduled to open next year. Read More »

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates already is a bustling cosmopolitan hub, complete with awe-inspiring attractions, luxury amenities and a good deal of urban engineering and social planning that leads to quality of life for residents and visitors; and now the Smart Dubai Office is literally working toward the goal of a technical utopia with something called the Happiness Agenda. Read More »

Dan Nainan took an unconventional route to stand-up comedy. As a senior engineer at Intel, he traveled all over the world to talk about the company's technology. He said he found public speaking terrifying, but after taking a stand-up comedy class he bacame more confident, so much so that he does comedy for a living. In the course of his travels, Nainan often ends up in places like Dubai. Read More »