A furnished farmhouse in the Barka area of Muscat, listed for $1.7 million, offers quite a bit of living space, inside and out.The walkway leading to the front door is lined with trees, ferns and other plants, offering shade along the way. The farmhouse includes built-in wardrobes throughout the home, built-in kitchen appliances and covered parking for residents. Read More »

Guided by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Dubai International Arbitration Center (DIAC) along with three affiliated Korean organizations recently led a dispute resolution seminar in Dubai focusing on the construction industry. The seminar emphasized the role of in-house legal counsel and similar associated practitioners in resolving disputes. Read More »

BGR the Burger Joint has opened an international franchise in Kuwait's new Promenade Mall. BGR features a better-burger concept with a menu focused on cooked-to-order burgers over an open flame, as well as food made from the freshest and highest quality ingredients. The chain is owned by Chanticleer Holdings; the franchise is owned by Master Franchise Operator Al Bassamiah. Read More »

Over three-fifths of recent MENA survey participants agreed that the holy month of Ramadan, with its emphasis on reflection, kindness and peace, serves to enhance morale in the workplace, according to Bayt.com’s latest questionnaire. More than half the 3,660 respondents indicated that they socialize more at work during Ramadan.. Read More »

Boston Market CEO George Michel signed a deal with Kuwait’s Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. Ltd. to bring the successful eatery to the Middle East with 25 to 30 branches planned initially for Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan. The company has just passed its 30-year mark in business, dishing up fresh, hormone-free rotisserie chicken among its many selections. Read More »

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is operating on a modified work schedule for Ramadan. The temporary schedule is 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday through Thursday through the end of Ramadan and applies to the chamber’s head office in Deira; the Jebel Ali Branch in the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority and the representative offices in the Dubai Airport Free Zone and Al Aweer. Read More »

Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association Vice Chairman Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan recently became the association's chairman. Al-Benyan, who leads the global management team at Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) as its CEO and vice chairman. Al-Benyan has held many roles since joining SABIC in 1987, including executive vice president of corporate human resources. Read More »

To optimize its proficiency level in asset management workforce training, the Bahrain Institute for Banking and Finance (BIBF) participated in the May 30-31 Middle East Asset Management Forum at the Gulf Hotel in Manama. The event, supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain, focused on the importance of training and development for the Bahraini financial workforce. Read More »

Hilal Properties Oman has listed a three-bedroom villa in the Al Khoud area of Muscat for $779,018. The villa features three bedrooms, four bathrooms and approximately 8,266 square feet of living space. The kitchen is fully outfitted and has large built-in cabinets along one wall. The living room has a large window that lets in an abundance of light. Read More »

A Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) committee took part in the recent Bahrain-India Forum held in New Delhi and discussed the possibility of hosting an Indian Week Exhibition in Bahrain. The BCCI Promotion, Exhibitions and Conferences committee went to the forum to increase the Bahraini presence in the promotion of and investment in the business environment and events. Read More »

Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) said a $900 million loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and other international banks will finance the construction of the new Shuqaiq power plant. The loan is guaranteed by KEXIM, but is funded by banks that include Deutsche Bank, Santander Bank and the Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ for the life of the loan, 13.25 years. Read More »

Two recent Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry workshops held at the chamber’s main offices helped to identify and capitalize on the trend away from conventional commerce to that of a cloud-based economy. Sessions led by chamber specialists encouraged participants to prepare for the already apparent shift toward e-commerce in the emirate as well as across many GCC nations. Read More »

Covalon Technologies Ltd. is expanding into several Middle Eastern countries with Qatar positioned to benefit from the firm’s newly established presence. Covalon develops and markets wound care applications for infection management. The firm recently expanded its distribution in the Middle East, with Iran and the United Arab Emirates also on the list of potential clients. Read More »

UAE-based Network International, a leading payment solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa region, has partnered with Oberthur Technologies (OT) to offer banks in the region OT’s dynamic cryptogram payment card option to secure online transactions. The OT MOTION CODE solution provides an extra layer of security for card-not-present (CNP) transactions. Read More »

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Asian traders committee (BATC) paid a visit recently to Sri Lanka’s newly appointed ambassador to the Kingdom, A. Saj U. Mendis, at the Sri Lankan embassy in Manama. The contingent, led by vice-treasurer Mohamed Sajid, initiated discussions about elevating the level of trade between Sri Lanka and Bahrain to increase the alliance between the two nations with investment and economic partnerships. Read More »

A top ranking delegation, headed by Mohammed Ali Al-Mannai, President of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), represented Qatar at the 27th Meeting of GCC Committee for Under-Secretaries of Post and Telecommunications held in May. Numerous topics connected to the development of postal and telecommunications industries within the GCC states were discussed at the meeting, as well as ways for the member states to increase cooperation amongst themselves. Read More »

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) recently joined forces with a regional organization called Riyada to assist independent business owners with refining important skills needed to grow their enterprises such as sales, marketing strategies and customer relations. Five dozen participants attended a three-day workshop offered at Riyada’s Ghala-based headquarters. Read More »

Zenlayer, a global network and service provider of SDN technology, is expanding its co-location and hosting capabilities with Equinix into Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Melbourne, Australia. Zenlayer's data center portfolio includes more than 50 data centers across six continents. Zenlayer is also leveraging Equinix's global interconnection and data center platform — Platform Equinix — for global scale to reach additional markets around the world. Read More »

The first Thai Product Exhibition was announced during a press conference at Oman International Exhibition Centre. It was explained during the April 18 conference that the exhibition will be prepared by the Oman International Exhibition Centre in collaboration with Vega Intergrade & Exhibitions, Thai Embassy and Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion. Read More »

The Italian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Luca Ferrari, met with the Chairperson of the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) Dr. Abdulrahman Al Zamil at Zamil’s office to discuss different ways the two countries can work together to strengthen their economic and trade partnerships. Acting Secretary General of CSC Eng. Omar Bahlaiwa also attended the meeting. Read More »