The management of the Taqdeer Award, the world’s first points-based award program launched by the Dubai government for promoting employee welfare, will start assessing construction companies that have applied to participate in the award. A 32-member team of certified assessors have been assigned to execute this task, which began at the beginning of August. Read More »

A joint project between two defense firms is helping the United Arab Emirates acquire specific kinds of artillery for their military forces. In May, BAE Systems and Abu Dhabi's Emirates Defense Technology (EDT) announced plans to develop an artillery system involving the M777 155 mm lightweight howitzer. The howitzer would be integrated with an armored modular fighting vehicle. Read More »

Experts in the Middle East are projecting the construction of over 50,000 new schools in the region by 2020. But in an August press release, officials from the International and Private Schools Education Forum (IPSEF) say demand will outstrip planned building by around 7,000, with 41,000 schools already slated for construction. Read More »

In a global market, the types of exports are constantly changing, and some in the Gulf region are predicting larger volumes of halal food and consumer goods may be exported from India, with halal production being promoted as a way to set a quality standard. Haji Shakeel Qureshi, chairman of the India exporting firm Marya Day Group, is working on more public awareness of halal around the world. Read More »

Under the pressure of historically low oil prices, Gulf countries are turning to the bond market and borrowing to keep deficits under control. A Morningstar report, and other financial releases, shows the extent of borrowing by countries such as Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar as officials in those countries weigh the long-term impact of cheaper oil. Read More »

As practicing Muslims ended the Ramadan holiday at Eid al-Fitr, communities around the world enjoyed feast days and celebrations and started the process of getting things back to normal after the fast season. At the same time, the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) saw amazing growth in visitor traffic and hospitality demand during Eid al-Fitr. Read More »

Finding a job can be hard all over the world - now, a leading advertising company in the UAE has created an online platform that can make life a lot easier for job applicants in that nation. With dubizzle’s new applicant dashboard, those who are applying for jobs can monitor their efforts and stay more knowledgeable about how their resumes and cover letters have been received. Read More »

Qatar has come under fire with criticism from human rights groups about its labor laws in general and the policies of the national Qatar Airways airline in particular. Documents released from the U.N. International Labor Organization (ILO) are telling the story in a bit of a more detailed way. A document released earlier this year analyzes the behaviors of the Qatar government. Read More »

In association with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sustainability Network, Dulsco, a leading provider of human resource solutions and waste management services in the UAE, recently organized the Open Source Circular Economy Days forum. Dubai took the opportunity to host the forum, becoming the only city in the Middle East to be part of OSCE Days among 70 other global cities. Read More »

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice, along with its official Shoura Councils, seems to be moving in the direction of creating a codified personal status law for the first time in that country's history. As of late July the new law was reportedly being prepared with the participation of various human rights groups and the national Family Security Program. The new law will cover issues such as proof of marriage, divorce, custody rights, alimony and inheritance, as well as other legal issues. Read More »

In the Middle East, where banks and financial companies are going through rapid modernization processes, some regional conferences and industry meetings are reinforcing these concepts by helping banks and other commercial businesses brainstorm about where to take their models in the coming years, as technologies like Blockchain continue to evolve, and digital payment technologies keep coming up like daisies. Read More »

A full-service marketing company called Langoor has arrived in the city of Dubai, looking to invest $1 million AED in a local office bent on delivering more return on investment for business clients. Langoor has installed Rebecca Jacobsson as head of client services at the Dubai office, as well as bringing other resources to bear on a central cosmopolitan city that's become a leader in the Middle Eastern region. Read More »

Faster broadband speeds are coming to Lebanon as consumers get ready for the country’s first 4G LTE-Advanced network. The new network offers download speeds up to approximately 260 Mb per second, combining multiple spectrums in order to improve efficiency. Read More »

Big commercial improvements in the city of Dubai have been generating a lot of headlines, but now industry leaders are suggesting that investors should be paying attention to residential real estate as well. Read More »

To many, the city of Dubai is a mysterious place: a global commercial hub, a center of cosmopolitan life in the region and a city having an impressive skyline that speaks loudly about money. Charlie Raymond is a British citizen who decided to travel the world, visiting many places and ending up in Dubai at a tumultuous time for world economics - in the middle of a major economic crash. Read More »

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 »