Dubai will change speed limits on sections of five roads from November 1, raising limits on three streets and lowering them on two, following a review of traffic conditions and road safety.

The Roads and Transport Authority, working with Dubai Police, announced the changes on Wednesday.

They will apply in both directions along the affected sections.

Changes to speed limits

On Al Asayel Street, the limit will increase from 60 to 80 km/h between Oud Maitha Street and Al Meydan Street.

On Al Mustaqbal Street, it will rise from 60 to 70 km/h between Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Meydan Street.

The limit on Latifa bint Hamdan Street will increase from 60 to 70 km/h between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road.

Meanwhile, Al Rebat Street’s limit will fall from 100 to 90 km/h between Marrakech Street and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.

On Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street, the limit will decrease from 80 to 70 km/h between 2nd December Street and Khalid bin Al Waleed Street.

RTA will replace speed-limit signs along the affected sections, while speed cameras will be reprogrammed to reflect the changes.

The adjustments follow an engineering and technical study conducted with an international consultant as part of the 2026 updates to the Dubai Speed Management Manual.

The review considered road characteristics and traffic conditions to improve traffic flow and safety. The changes form part of Dubai’s Traffic Safety Strategy.

Police impound 1,630 vehicles in separate crackdown

In other news, Dubai Police said they issued 7,735 traffic fines and impounded 1,630 vehicles for excessive noise and unauthorised modifications during the first nine months of 2026.

The General Department of Traffic recorded 2,045 excessive-noise violations and impounded 333 vehicles. It also recorded 5,690 violations involving unauthorised engine or chassis modifications, resulting in 1,297 impoundments.

Brigadier Juma Salem bin Suwaidan, director of the department, said loud cars and motorcycles, particularly those with modified engines or exhaust systems, disturbed residents and could distract road users.

He said police were intensifying inspections and traffic monitoring, particularly to address disruptive behaviour in residential neighbourhoods.

Fines you should know about

According to Dubai Police, driving a vehicle that causes excessive noise carries a Dhs2,000 fine and 12 black points. Unauthorised engine or chassis modifications carry a Dhs1,000 fine, 12 black points and 30 days’ vehicle impoundment.

Additional measures, including vehicle release fees in specified cases, may apply under Dubai Decree No. 30 of 2023 concerning vehicle impoundment, depending on the offence.

More vehicle-noise detectors planned

Dubai Police are preparing to expand the deployment of devices that detect and measure vehicle noise, helping officers identify offending vehicles and locations where violations occur.

Bin Suwaidan urged motorists, particularly younger drivers, to avoid illegal modifications and driving behaviour that disturbs residents.

He said increased enforcement and public awareness had contributed to a recent decline in excessive vehicle noise.

Police would continue monitoring and awareness campaigns to sustain that progress.

Motorists can find road-safety guidance through the Aman Roads Platform.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has announced a new music festival in Abu Dhabi, with Arijit Singh, Karan Aujla and Sonu Nigam among the performers scheduled for its inaugural edition.

UNIFYD will take place at Etihad Live on Yas Island on March 20, 2027. The one-day festival will feature more than 15 artists across multiple stages, according to the organisers.

Produced by D’YAVOL Live and District, the event is being held in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral, in association with Emirates NBD.

Khan will serve as curator, shaping the festival’s artistic direction and creative vision. The announcement identifies him as the curator rather than a confirmed performer.

“I’ve spent a lifetime telling stories on screen and watching them bring people together. Music has that same extraordinary power,” Khan said.

“UNIFYD, produced by D’YAVOL Live along with District, will unite India’s most incredible artists on a shared stage for the first time.”

Indian music takes centre stage at UNIFYD

The inaugural line-up brings together Singh’s Hindi film repertoire, Aujla’s Punjabi music and a special set by Nigam, with the festival aimed at audiences in India, the Middle East and the wider South Asian diaspora.

Organisers said the event was conceived as an international festival, with plans to expand into additional cities and markets. No further locations or launch dates were announced in the supplied statement.

“Indian music is already global. UNIFYD gives that cultural force a festival platform that matches its scale, ambition and influence,” said Bunty Singh, co-founder of D’YAVOL Live.

Rahul Ganjoo, CEO of District, said the partnership was intended to bring together audiences across musical genres and generations.

“Indian culture travels further than any single genre or generation, and UNIFYD is built to bring all of it together on one stage,” he said.

D’YAVOL Live is the live entertainment platform within the D’YAVOL Luxury Collective. District provides discovery and booking services for dining, events, activities and attractions.

Ticket sales

According to the organisers’ announcement, general ticket sales were scheduled to begin through the District app at 10.30am UAE time on October 20.

An earlier access window for Emirates NBD cardholders was scheduled from 9.30am on October 19 until 9.30am on October 20.

Healthcare major M42 plans to develop a multidisciplinary healthcare facility in Bahrain Bay through a joint venture with local partner HealthVision, expanding its specialist care network in the kingdom.

Mubadala Health Bahrain will offer 20 specialities, including six surgical inpatient specialities at launch, according to an announcement on Tuesday.

M42 signed an agreement with Bahrain’s Future Generations Reserve Fund to secure the location at its tower in Bahrain Bay. The announcement was made during the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit.

The facility’s planned services include cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, paediatrics and neurology, alongside longevity, precision medicine, genomics, artificial intelligence and wellness services.

It is expected to employ approximately 200 people, with a focus on recruiting and developing Bahraini talent.

M42 group CEO Dimitris Moulavasilisr said Bahrain remained part of the company’s regional expansion strategy.

The announcement did not disclose an investment value or opening date.

M42 also launched Ossi, a multi-agent AI clinical platform designed to reduce administrative work and give clinicians more time with patients. Built on Microsoft Azure infrastructure, it has been activated across seven M42 healthcare facilities in the UAE and Bahrain.

Its four initial agents draft clinical notes, retrieve and summarise medical records, support clinical queries and patient education, and suggest medical codes, with documentation and coding subject to review.

The multilingual platform integrates with existing electronic medical record systems. M42 says Ossi supports regional data governance requirements and incorporates safeguards for patient information security and privacy within clinical care workflows.

Mubadala Bio and Eli Lilly agreement

In other news, Mubadala Bio and Eli Lilly have agreed to develop local packaging and logistics operations for Lilly’s GLP-1 medicines in Abu Dhabi, expanding the emirate’s pharmaceutical supply-chain capabilities.

The collaboration, announced at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, will be supported by a 125,000-square-metre site in KEZAD comprising packaging and warehousing facilities.

Activities will be introduced in phases, subject to technical, quality and regulatory requirements, according to an announcement published on Tuesday.

The agreement’s specified scope covers packaging and logistics. The announcement did not identify individual medicines to be packaged, disclose financial terms or provide a start date.

Nabil Daoud, president and general manager of Lilly’s Intercontinental Hub, said the agreement would strengthen the company’s long-term presence in the UAE.

Mubadala Bio said the partnership would support its efforts to expand pharmaceutical capabilities and connect Abu Dhabi with international medicine supply chains.

The announcement builds on the UAE’s leadership in advancing access to innovative medicines and strengthening personalised healthcare.

The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) approved Foundayo (orforglipron) for chronic weight management in April, making the UAE the second country in the world to register the medicine.

In Abu Dhabi, the treatment was introduced for eligible patients under the Personalised Weight Management Program, launched by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH) and Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) in June last year.

The UAE was an early launch market for Mounjaro (tirzepatide) in August 2022 following US FDA approval.

Abu Dhabi offers opportunities for global family offices to invest in businesses and build long-term partnerships across industry, infrastructure and other sectors, supported by economic stability and growth, Ali Mohamed Al Marzooqi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Abu Dhabi Chamber), said.

Al Marzooqi identified supply chains, clean energy, digital transformation, tourism and real estate among the promising areas for long-term capital.

He cited ADNOC’s plans to award Dhs200bn in new projects between 2026 and 2028, a pipeline of 24 public-private partnership projects worth Dhs55bn, and Abu Dhabi’s Dhs13bn Digital Strategy.

The opportunities extend beyond the headline investment values to contracts for suppliers and manufacturers, partnerships between local and international businesses, and the transfer of expertise and technology, he said.

“Investment families think in generations, not financial quarters. Abu Dhabi offers what that outlook demands: stability, real growth and partners with whom they can build,” Al Marzooqi said.

From investment interest to business opportunities
Al Marzooqi made the remarks during a roundtable titled “Abu Dhabi: From Capital to Investment Opportunities” at the fourth Global Owners and Family Office Congress.

The congress, organised by Campden Wealth with the Abu Dhabi Family Business Council as a main partner, runs from October 19 to 22 in Abu Dhabi. The council is an affiliate of the chamber.

The roundtable brought together representatives of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, ADGM and KEZAD Group to discuss the emirate’s investment environment.

Al Marzooqi said establishing a company was the beginning of an investment journey, with business success dependent on access to customers, partners, contracts and markets.

“The chamber’s role begins where investment interest turns into a practical need to connect with the private sector and build business,” he said.

More than 1,000 chamber members have participated in its business matchmaking programmes since 2025, according to the chamber.

Its Procurement Connect initiative helps businesses identify procurement opportunities with government entities and major corporations, while Global Tenders provides access to tenders across more than 170 countries.

The chamber also offers 14 services through the TAMM government platform, alongside legal advice, contract reviews, commercial mediation and advocacy on behalf of businesses.

Growing business membership
Chamber membership has risen to approximately 174,000 companies, from 131,000 in 2021, Al Marzooqi said.

Total membership grew 10.4 per cent in 2025, while new member registrations increased 27 per cent.

Non-oil activities accounted for 54 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s GDP in the third quarter of 2025, according to official preliminary estimates.

At the national level, the UAE attracted $48.3bn in foreign direct investment in 2025, ranking ninth globally, according to the Ministry of Investment.

Al Marzooqi said Abu Dhabi’s combination of stability, economic growth and an established business community gave family investors the confidence to plan over longer periods.

He highlighted the role of local family businesses across trade, industry, energy, real estate, healthcare, education and hospitality as potential partners for international investors entering the emirate.

Partnerships across generations
The Abu Dhabi Family Business Council provides a platform for stronger governance, succession planning, next-generation leadership development and dialogue among business-owning families, Al Marzooqi said.

The chamber’s international network includes 87 agreements across 47 countries. It also reported 32 incoming business delegations and 10 outbound missions during 2025 and 2026.

Al Marzooqi urged global investors and family offices to view Abu Dhabi as a place to create economic value through investment and partnerships, alongside managing capital.

He said the chamber was ready to serve as their first point of connection to the emirate’s private sector.

Abu Dhabi showcases strengths overseas
In other news, Abu Dhabi’s economic agencies met British and international investors during a three-day London visit from October 13 to 15, culminating in the third Abu Dhabi Investment Forum.

The delegation included ADDED, ADIO, Abu Dhabi Chamber, ADGM and Abu Dhabi Customs. Mubadala, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC and KEZAD Group participated in the forum, which explored opportunities across finance, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and logistics.

ADDED chairman Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi said the priority was translating investment interest into commercial partnerships and sustained growth.

The chamber’s Global Executive Connect programme linked Abu Dhabi companies with executives from 44 British and international organisations, arranging 56 targeted meetings. The Abu Dhabi Family Business Council also held parallel meetings.

Separately, Abu Dhabi Customs received the Border Innovation Award at the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade’s 2026 awards for TradeChain, its blockchain-based information-exchange platform.

Saudi Arabia’s economy remains resilient despite the Middle East conflict, supported by financial buffers, a well-capitalised banking system and economic reforms, Saudi Central Bank governor Ayman Al-Sayari said, while warning that the war’s effects were spreading beyond energy markets.

In Saudi Arabia’s recent statement to the International Monetary and Financial Committee during the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, Al-Sayari said disruptions were affecting trade, transportation, inflation and financial conditions amid elevated debt and limited room for policymakers to respond.

Separately, Saudi Aramco president and chief executive Amin Nasser said the kingdom’s systems were coping with the crisis, although prolonged disruption was putting increasing pressure on global energy supplies.

“While the kingdom is capable and confident, and its systems are coping, no country should face this alone,” Nasser told the Energy Intelligence Forum in London on October 5.

Al-Sayari said Saudi banks remained well-capitalised and liquid, supported by forward-looking macroprudential policies. Vision 2030 reforms had strengthened economic fundamentals through the expansion of non-oil activity, greater private-sector participation and improved institutional capacity, he said.

The kingdom would continue diversifying its economy, deepening financial markets, developing human capital and raising productivity, he added.

Nasser pointed to Aramco’s overseas storage, spare production capacity, domestic gas storage, tanker fleet and local supply chain as elements of its ability to withstand disruption.

The company was studying additional crude export routes and exploring more overseas storage to help manage short-term interruptions, he said.

But Nasser warned that the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz had caused the most serious energy supply shock of his career. Rebuilding inventories while meeting demand could take up to two years after the waterway fully reopened and confidence returned, he said.

The IMF has also highlighted the limits of the measures cushioning the region’s economies.

Jihad Azour, director of the fund’s Middle East and Central Asia department, told reporters on October 15 that alternative shipping routes, inventory drawdowns, and demand adjustments had helped contain the energy shock, Reuters reported.

Those buffers were finite, however, and renewed disruption could trigger much larger price adjustments. The outlook depended on how quickly energy production and trade normalised and whether countries could preserve macroeconomic stability, he said.

IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said earlier in October that investments in energy and logistics infrastructure, alongside government measures to ease shipping bottlenecks and support businesses and banks, had helped limit the wider economic fallout.

Nevertheless, the fund expected the GCC economy to contract in 2026, with a 2027 recovery conditional on shipping gradually returning to normal.

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Aljadaan also stressed the need to manage available buffers efficiently during prolonged shocks while retaining the capacity to respond to future challenges, according to a finance ministry account of the Bangkok meetings.

He identified diversification, energy and food security, and resilient supply chains as priorities for strengthening economies against further disruption.