Aster DM Healthcare has reached an agreement with Al Tawfeeq for Development and Investment (ATDI) to invest in International Modern Hospital (IMH) in Dubai, adding 116 beds and 39 outpatient clinics to its UAE healthcare network.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals. It forms part of Aster’s previously announced commitment to invest more than Dhs1bn in the UAE over the next five years as the company expands its primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary care operations.

International Modern Hospital, a multi-specialty facility in Al Mankhool, has operated in Dubai since 2005. The investment will expand Aster’s hospital network while bringing IMH’s existing operations into the group’s wider healthcare platform.

Deal adds capacity to Aster network

The addition of IMH will increase Aster Hospitals’ existing UAE capacity of 399 beds. The company said the transaction would strengthen its ability to serve patients through a broader combination of hospital services, outpatient care and specialist referrals.

Aster currently operates 10 hospitals, 112 clinics and 310 pharmacies in the UAE. Its network also includes technology-enabled healthcare platforms designed to support digital access and coordination between patients and providers.

Read more-Inside Aster’s expansion plan: Healthcare entity targets more than 100 UAE clinics by 2030

The transaction is expected to connect IMH with Aster’s hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and digital health services. The companies said this could improve access to specialists, expand referral pathways and support continuity of care for patients moving between different levels of treatment.

Dr Azad Moopen, founder chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, said the agreement reflected the company’s continued investment in the UAE.

“The UAE has been a key market for Aster, and our journey has been built on a strong commitment to supporting the country’s healthcare ambitions through investments, innovation, and partnerships,” he said.

“The addition of International Modern Hospital strengthens our presence in Dubai and aligns with our vision of expanding access to world-class healthcare while contributing to the UAE’s growing healthcare ecosystem.”

Focus on integration and patient access

IMH provides multidisciplinary medical services and has developed a presence in Dubai’s healthcare market over the past two decades. Under the agreement, Aster plans to combine the hospital’s existing capabilities with its own clinical, operational and digital infrastructure.

The companies said the integration would give patients access to a wider range of specialists and services. It is also expected to support more coordinated referrals between primary care clinics, hospitals and pharmacies.

Aster said the move would complement its broader UAE network and support its plans to build a more connected healthcare system. However, the companies did not disclose the value or financial terms of the transaction.

Alisha Moopen, MD and group CEO – GCC, Aster DM Healthcare, said the investment marked a new stage in the group’s UAE expansion.

“By integrating IMH’s established capabilities with Aster’s integrated healthcare ecosystem, we aim to enhance patient access, expand healthcare services, and create a more connected healthcare experience,” she said.

“This expansion reinforces our commitment to building a future-ready healthcare network driven by clinical excellence, technology, and patient-centric care.”

IMH legacy to continue

Aster said the investment would support the hospital’s existing operations while giving it access to the group’s broader healthcare resources. The company also pointed to the potential for greater use of digital health tools, expanded clinical expertise and stronger links between care providers.

Sherbaz Bichu, CEO – Aster Hospitals & Clinics, UAE, Oman & Bahrain, said the group would focus on maintaining IMH’s established reputation while strengthening its services.

“International Modern Hospital has built a strong reputation for quality healthcare delivery in Dubai,” he said. “As part of the Aster network, we look forward to combining our collective strengths, enhancing clinical capabilities, and ensuring continuity of care while delivering improved healthcare outcomes for patients.”

Mr. Aidroos said the agreement would allow IMH to enter its next phase while retaining its identity and reputation.

“Since its establishment in 2005 and its inauguration by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, International Modern Hospital has built a strong reputation for quality healthcare in Dubai,” he said.

“As we looked towards the next chapter of IMH, it was important for us to safeguard the hospital’s name, legacy and the quality of services we have built over the years.”

He added that ATDI selected Aster because of its regional presence, leadership and healthcare expertise. The investment, he said, would support IMH’s operations and service quality while preserving its legacy and contributing to the objectives of the Dubai Social Agenda 33.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory clearance. Once approved, it will represent one of the first steps in Aster’s planned Dhs1bn-plus investment programme for the UAE healthcare sector over the next five years.

Meta has introduced Meta One, a new subscription service that bundles premium features across Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Meta AI, as the technology giant expands its paid offerings with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities and professional tools for creators and businesses.

The subscription service combines higher AI usage limits with enhanced self-expression features and business tools while maintaining the core free experience across Meta’s apps. The company said Meta One launches with more than 50 features and follows the rollout of individual subscriptions such as Instagram Plus, Facebook Plus and WhatsApp Plus, which together have attracted more than 15 million subscriptions and trials.

For individual users, Meta One offers Core and Premium plans that provide greater access to AI-powered image generation, video creation using Meta’s Muse models, image editing, Instagram Restyle features and voice effects. The company said Meta AI will remain free for everyday use, while the paid plans target users seeking more intensive AI capabilities.

Meta said early testing showed more than half of subscribers used both AI and creative expression features, with Instagram Restyle and voice effects among the most popular reasons for subscribing.

The company is also targeting creators and businesses with dedicated subscription tiers that introduce professional profile enhancements, AI-powered customer engagement tools and expanded analytics.

Business subscribers will gain access to features including enhanced profiles, automated follow invitations, a prominent follow button on Reels and greater use of Meta Business Agent for 24/7 customer responses on WhatsApp. Higher-tier plans add story scheduling, exportable analytics, deeper audience insights, collaborative account management and expanded business messaging capabilities.

Meta said it plans to extend Meta One benefits to additional products over time, including Edits and its AI-powered smart glasses.

Pricing in the UAE starts from Dhs5.99 per month for WhatsApp Plus, while Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus are priced at Dhs7.99 per month. The Meta One Core bundle costs Dhs22.99 per month, Premium is priced at Dhs76.99 per month, while business and creator plans start from Dhs46.99 per month, rising to Dhs1,199 per month for the highest-tier Max plan.

The company said pricing, features and availability may vary by region, app and account.

Rotana is advancing its regional growth strategy with 40 hotels and 8,334 keys under development, including 10 projects in Saudi Arabia, as the Middle East hospitality group expands into new markets and hospitality segments.

The company, which operates 78 properties across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Türkiye, outlined its development pipeline at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, highlighting Saudi Arabia as its largest growth market, accounting for one quarter of projects currently under development.

The Saudi pipeline comprises 10 properties with 1,404 keys across Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Hail, Abha and Al Baha, reflecting the group’s strategy of balancing established gateway cities with emerging destinations supported by rising domestic tourism demand.

Philip Barnes, chief executive officer of Rotana, said: “This year has been about moving Rotana forward in a focused way. We have opened new properties in our core markets, taken our brands into new cities and entered new segments, including branded residences and mountain hospitality.

“What matters is not simply how many hotels we add, but that every addition strengthens the portfolio, works for our owners and stays true to the experience our guests expect from Rotana. We know this region deeply, and we are taking that experience into new markets with the same care and discipline.”

In the UAE, Rotana opened Bloom Arjaan by Rotana on Saadiyat Island in August, adding 217 serviced apartments, while Rotana Ras Al Khaimah – The Mangroves, a 258-key hotel overlooking the emirate’s mangroves and Arabian Gulf, is scheduled to open later this year.

In Saudi Arabia, the company earlier launched Edge Riyadh – Al Rabie, a 71-room property in the capital, and signed an agreement for The Residences by Rotana at Thakher, Makkah. The 240-apartment branded residence development, located 1.5 kilometres from the Grand Mosque, is designed to serve pilgrims, business travellers and long-stay guests.

Beyond the Middle East, Rotana also entered Georgia with the signing of its first ski resort in Gudauri. The dual-property development will feature around 400 keys with ski-in, ski-out access, marking the company’s expansion into mountain hospitality.

Rotana said its asset-light growth strategy continues to focus on management agreements while selectively pursuing conversions and franchise opportunities. The company is also investing in guest experience through Rotana DISCOVERY, AI-powered guest services and a strategic data and artificial intelligence partnership with Microsoft.

Eddy Tannous, chief operating officer of Rotana, said: “This year’s progress shows the breadth of opportunity in front of Rotana. Each addition to our portfolio is deliberate and built around a strong local partnership. As the hospitality industry continues to demonstrate its resilience, we remain confident in the opportunities ahead and will keep growing with purpose, market by market.”

LNG demand from China, India and Pakistan is likely to rebound from multi-year lows once the Middle East supply crunch ends and new supplies emerge, industry executives say, reversing a pick-up in coal and oil to replace gas during the US-Iran conflict.

Shell, the world’s biggest LNG trader, estimates the world has lost about 36 million tonnes of LNG from the Middle East so far this year, President for Integrated Gas Cederic Cremers said.

Asia’s spot prices have surged to nearly $30 per million British thermal units from a pre-war range around $10 per MMBtu, as the region competes for alternative supplies.

Sky-high prices are “definitely impacting” demand in India, GAIL chairman Deepak Gupta said at the Gastech conference in Bangkok, where “a lot of sectors… are price sensitive”.

“There are many industries which switch over to different fuels in case gas is not viable for them,” said Gupta, who heads India’s top natural gas distributor by market share.

Both GAIL and PetroChina, China’s top LNG importer, have deployed their trading teams to source alternative cargoes to replace Qatari and Emirati supplies.

The CEO of India’s top gas importer Petronet LNG said consumers are seeking price stability.

“Affordability is a major challenge,” said Akshay Kumar Singh. “There is no doubt there is demand, only it is price-sensitive demand.”

In neighbouring Pakistan, the CEO of importer Pakistan LNG also expects more demand if the price is right. “That could happen with additional volumes coming online,” said Masood Nabi.

While solar buildouts have helped Pakistan cope with power cuts in recent years, there is still gas demand from other sectors as well as households, he added.

Demand destruction not permanent

GAIL’s Gupta said India had had to limit gas consumption initially, but resumed supplies to almost 90 per cent to 95 per cent as it ramped up its capability to buy LNG from elsewhere.

ExxonMobil, GAIL and PetroChina executives expect consumption to rebound once prices fall.

“We are hoping that all this is very short-term, and in the coming days, in mid-term and long-term, things will become normal,” Gupta said, adding that there may be about 150 million to 200 million tons of LNG coming online in the next four to five years.

PetroChina International CEO Luo Yizhou expects demand from gas-fired power plants to rebound once LNG prices return to a “normal” range of $7 to $9 per MMBtu, citing strong growth in electricity consumption.

Exxon expects substantial LNG demand growth in China over the long term, with extensive import infrastructure built along the country’s east coast, its vice president for global LNG marketing Andrew Barry told Reuters on the conference sidelines.

The company remains confident in the diversification of its LNG portfolio, which includes interests in the US, Mozambique, Qatar, Papua New Guinea and Australia. It continues to look at new opportunities with a focus on cost of supply.

“We still have an extremely bullish demand forecast out through to 2050,” Barry said.

The United States has publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has deployed operational weapons in Earth orbit, marking a significant shift in military space policy as Washington seeks to strengthen deterrence against increasingly sophisticated space capabilities developed by China and Russia.

Speaking at the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the US Space Force now possesses “on-orbit space control weapons” capable of defending American and allied forces against hostile actions. The disclosure represents the Pentagon’s clearest public confirmation to date that it has operational weapons deployed in space, Financial Times stated.

“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenge of evolving threats wherever they exist. This is why the Space Force now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action,” Meink said during his keynote address, according to ABC News. He declined to reveal the type, number or technical characteristics of the systems, saying the wording of the announcement had been carefully considered and that further details would undermine their deterrent value.

Following the announcement, a US Space Force spokesperson said the capabilities could be employed for both offensive and defensive purposes and form part of the military’s broader “space control” mission, which includes disrupting, degrading or, if necessary, destroying adversary space capabilities. Officials stressed that US operations remain consistent with international law, including the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit but does not ban conventional space weapons.

The Pentagon did not specify whether the newly acknowledged systems are kinetic weapons capable of physically intercepting satellites or non-kinetic technologies such as electronic warfare payloads designed to jam or disrupt enemy spacecraft. Defence analysts suggested the latter is more likely, noting that non-destructive capabilities reduce the risk of creating hazardous orbital debris.

The announcement comes amid intensifying competition in space, where the US has repeatedly accused China and Russia of developing anti-satellite weapons, conducting close-proximity satellite manoeuvres and testing systems capable of threatening critical military and commercial satellites. Washington has argued that greater transparency about its own capabilities strengthens deterrence and reduces the risk of miscalculation by potential adversaries.