From hotels and offices to healthcare facilities and industry environments, organisations today are looking for ways to offer premium experiences that fit naturally into their daily operations. Coffee remains one of the most valued touchpoints throughout the day, creating opportunities for connection, productivity and convenience.

The We Proudly Serve Starbucks Coffee Programme, exclusively offered through Nestlé Professional, enables organisations across MENA to offer Starbucks beverages in their own environments. Designed specifically for out-of-home settings, the programme combines globally recognised beverages with flexible solutions and professional support.

Different environments, flexible solutions

Every environment has unique needs. A hotel lounge operates differently from a healthcare facility or a workplace café. To address this, the programme offers both Served and Self-Serve formats with different business models, allowing organisations to select the model that best fits their space, service style and consumer expectations.

A curated Starbucks experience

The programme offers a menu of Starbucks beverages, including Cappuccino, Latte, Flat White, White Chocolate Mocha and Starbucks Frappuccino blended beverages.

Crafted using 100 per cent Arabica coffee beans and supported by seasonal campaigns and beverage innovation, the programme helps organisations deliver a familiar and trusted coffee experience throughout the year.

Expanding coffee occasions

The recent introduction of Starbucks brewed coffee solutions has expanded the programme further, creating new opportunities to serve premium coffee across breakfast occasions, meetings, conferences, events and other high-volume environments.By extending premium coffee experiences beyond traditional café settings, brewed coffee enables businesses to create more moments for people to enjoy quality coffee throughout the day.

Supporting the programme is a comprehensive package of equipment, training, servicing and quality checks provided by Nestlé Professional. This helps businesses maintain a consistent coffee experience while simplifying day-to-day operations.

By combining globally recognised Starbucks beverages with flexible service formats and professional support, the We Proudly Serve Starbucks Coffee Programme enables organisations to deliver premium coffee experiences that adapt seamlessly to different environments and evolving needs.

Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance said it welcomed competition from Elon Musk’s Starlink and that its own satellite services were also awaiting clearance, its first response to accusations that Ambani was blocking Starlink’s India launch.

Musk, the world’s richest man, has repeatedly accused the Indian government and Ambani of stalling Starlink’s years-long efforts to launch in a market of more than a billion internet subscribers. India has denied any bias in its approval process.

The Friday statement, which did not name Musk, comes days before Reliance Industries’ digital unit Jio Platforms seeks a $108bn valuation in India’s largest IPO to date.

Read more: UAE clears Starlink for satellite internet services with 10-year license

Jio houses Reliance’s telecom arm, which has over 530 million customers and is a potential competitor to Starlink in India’s internet market.

“At Reliance, we have never feared competition,” the conglomerate said on Friday, addressing “remarks about Reliance and the Indian market” in a statement it said was intended to “place the facts on record”.

India’s long wait for satellite internet

Musk’s posts on X have ranged from asking whether Ambani was the “real boss” of India to addressing him as “Prime Minister Ambani” and asking whether he would allow Starlink to compete.

The attacks mark a sharp turn for Musk, who has a warm public rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and come as New Delhi courts foreign investment and negotiates a trade deal with Washington.

India has licensed Starlink, Jio’s satellite internet arm and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb to operate services, but none has the security clearance needed to launch.

Satellite broadband could help to connect hundreds of millions of Indians who remain offline, mostly in rural and remote areas.

Musk has said he would price Starlink affordably in India to take on Jio’s low-cost internet plans. Cheap data is how Jio built its presence in ​India, and Musk has used the same strategy in markets like Kenya to ⁠disrupt local telecom players.

Zayed International Airport (AUH) has announced the launch of Condor’s new daily, year-round service between Berlin and Abu Dhabi, establishing a direct scheduled connection between the two capitals on the German airline’s network.

The service, launched on Friday, will be operated using an Airbus A320neo, expanding travel options between Germany and the UAE capital while strengthening connectivity for business and leisure travellers.

Condor’s codeshare partnership with Etihad Airways will enable passengers travelling from Berlin to connect to destinations across Etihad’s network. Travellers departing from Abu Dhabi will also gain access to Condor’s network through Berlin, opening up additional onward travel opportunities, a WAM report said.

Read more- Daily passenger traffic exceeds 2025 levels at Zayed International

The new route is expected to support Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector by improving access for German visitors to the emirate’s cultural, leisure and hospitality offerings. It will also facilitate business travel and reinforce commercial ties between Abu Dhabi and Berlin.

Carsten Nørland, Chief Commercial Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said the daily, year-round service would strengthen direct connectivity between the two capitals.

“Through our partnership with Condor and Etihad Airways, Zayed International Airport (AUH) is connecting Abu Dhabi with Berlin and beyond, supporting greater opportunities for tourism, business and trade while reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading global destination,” he added.

Tourism sector set to benefit

Haitham Ali Khamis, acting Director of Tourism Products Development at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said the service would expand the emirate’s reach in the German market.

“The launch of Condor’s direct service from Berlin is an important step in expanding Abu Dhabi’s reach within the German market. Germany has consistently been a valuable source of visitors, and improved accessibility will help introduce even more travellers to the unique experiences on offer across the emirate,” he said.

Dr. Pierre Dominique Prümm, chief commercial officer at Condor Airlines, highlighted the wider travel opportunities created by the partnership with Etihad.

“Together with our codeshare partner Etihad Airways, we are offering our guests not only an attractive direct service to Abu Dhabi, but also seamless connections to numerous destinations across Asia, Australia and Africa,” he said, adding that the partnership would expand travel options for leisure and business passengers.

Lena Havia, VP of Alliances & Joint Ventures at Etihad Airways, said the partnership would provide Berlin passengers with daily access to Abu Dhabi and onward connections across Etihad’s network.

The new service adds to Etihad’s expanding presence in Germany, where the airline already operates 35 flights a week, including its Frankfurt–Abu Dhabi link. Further weekly services are planned as the partnership develops.

From ambitious startups to major regional brands, these businesses reflect three decades of reinvention across the Gulf. They have transformed industries, embraced new technologies and responded to the changing needs of consumers and economies.

Dubai’s Etihad Rail station is bringing the UAE’s national railway closer to the emirate’s public transport network, with an air-conditioned pedestrian bridge connecting passengers to Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro Station in about five minutes.

The 375-metre walkway features moving walkways along its sides, allowing passengers to transfer between Etihad Rail and the Dubai Metro Red Line without relying on road transport. The connection offers commuters an additional option for reaching destinations across Dubai after arriving by train.

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A post shared by مروان الشحي Marwan Alshehhi (@marwan_alshehhi)

In a video posted on Instagram, Emirati content creator Marwan Alshehhi demonstrated the pedestrian route, completing the walk in less than five minutes without using the moving walkways. He highlighted the air conditioning and ease of access, praising the convenience of the connection.

Bridge strengthens public transport links

The pedestrian link is part of efforts to connect Etihad Rail with Dubai’s existing transport infrastructure as passenger rail services expand across the UAE. The connection allows travellers to continue their journeys by Metro, potentially reducing the need for separate car or taxi trips.

Al Yalayis Station, Etihad Rail’s Dubai passenger station, links to Jumeirah Golf Estates Metro Station through the walkway. From there, passengers can access the Red Line and travel to destinations across the emirate.

Read more-Etihad Rail’s first Dubai-Abu Dhabi passenger train departs from Al Yalayis

The station also offers access to car parks, taxis, buses and private transport operators, providing options for passengers travelling to and from the railway network.

The facilities are intended to serve a broad range of travellers, including People of Determination, senior citizens, families, students, employees, visitors and tourists.

Passenger services begin between Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Etihad Rail began passenger services between Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, September 30, with the first train departing Al Yalayis Station at 6.14am.

The inaugural departure marked the start of passenger operations on the UAE’s national railway network, introducing a new rail option for travel between the two emirates.

A second train left Dubai at 7.14am, while services arriving from Abu Dhabi reached the station at 7.47am and 8.47am.

The route begins at Abu Dhabi Station and stops at Mohamed bin Zayed City Station before continuing to Al Yalayis Station in Dubai. The first journey also marked the opening of passenger operations at the Dubai station, where travellers gathered ahead of the inaugural departure.

The arrival at Mohamed bin Zayed City Station represented another milestone in the launch as the railway began carrying passengers along the route.

Services expand to Fujairah as fares start at Dh39

Passenger services connecting Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah are scheduled to begin on September 30, extending the network beyond the initial Dubai-Abu Dhabi connection.

Tickets are available through the Etihad Rail mobile application and website, as well as ticket vending machines at stations. Fares start at Dh39 for Comfort Class and Dh109 for Premium Class.

Passengers can also use Dubai’s Nol system to combine Etihad Rail journeys with public transport services. A single QR code can be used across train, Metro, Tram and bus services, helping simplify transfers between different modes of transport.

The Metro connection adds another link between the national railway and Dubai’s urban transport system, giving passengers more options for completing journeys after arriving by train.