Dubai’s Emirates to introduce daily A380 service to Istanbul next month

The carrier is the world’s largest operator of A380s, with 118 currently in its fleet

UAE’s midday work ban ends on September 15

The ban prohibits outdoor labour work between 12.30pm and 3pm

Air Arabia

Air Arabia to launch new service from Sharjah to Uganda

The direct flights will be operated thrice weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Unit 2 of Barakah nuclear energy plant connects to UAE’s transmission grid

Unit 2 will add a further 1,400MW of clean electricity to the grid when at full capacity

Dubai’s Emirates launches virtual reality app in Oculus store

Customers can navigate through economy, business and first class cabins, explore their seats, as well as the onboard lounge and shower spa on the Emirates A380 using navigational hotspots

UAE Central Bank

UAE Central Bank issues new guidance on transaction monitoring and sanctions screening

The guidance came into effect on Monday, September 13, with licensed financial institutions being given a month to demonstrate compliance

Saudi Arabia Airport

Saudi updates rules for airline passengers arriving from non red-list countries

Those who are not vaccinated or have received only one dose will need to undergo institutional quarantine for five days

UAE terror list

UAE places 38 individuals, including four Emiratis, on terror list

The country also added 15 organisations to the list

SupplyMe Igor Nikolenko

The SME Story: Igor Nikolenko, co-founder and CEO of SupplyMe

SupplyMe is a B2B marketplace that connects local food suppliers with foodservice businesses

Bahrain records its hottest August in 119 years

The mean temperature of the month stood at 36.8 degree celsius, 1.7 degrees above the long-term normal for August

Saudi Arabia

Dentsu expands Merkle MENA with its launch into Saudi Arabia

Merkle aims to tap into the fertile digital transformation landscape in the kingdom, while also being in a position to better serve its existing clients across the Middle East

Emirates NBD Group, Expo 2020 Dubai and Mastercard launch new card programmes

The limited-edition cards are designed to enhance the Expo 2020 Dubai experience for both residents and visitors

Covid-19 update: UAE reports 632 cases, 705 recoveries

The total number of recorded cases has risen to 729,518

Standard Chartered closes transition trade facility

Standard Chartered executes first green trade finance facility in UAE

The bank has executed the facility to support Amplus Energy Solutions

Lulu SirajPower solar energy

Lulu to open 1MWp solar carport at its hypermarket in Dubai’s Silicon Oasis

The solar carport covers an area of 7,209 sqm and will produce 1.7 GWh of clean energy annually, offsetting more than 1,205 metric tons of carbon emission

Kuwait’s expat population down by 56,000 in the first half of 2021 – report

The total number of expats in Kuwait stood at 3.154 million at the end of June

ADNOC Drilling sets offer price per share for IPO

ADNOC Drilling is expected to list on the ADX on or around October 3, 2021

Etihad Airways

Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad upgrades its Verified to Fly service

The service allows passengers to upload and check that they have all their relevant Covid-19 documentation in place prior to their flight

Dubai Financial Market

Dubai Financial Market plans to introduce new equity futures contracts

New contracts will include stocks of Dubai Investments, DFM Company and Shuaa Capital

Dubai Chamber

Dubai Chamber exports, re-exports grew 21.8% to Dhs147bn in January-August 2021

Chamber members’ exports and re-exports to the GCC countries during the first eight months of the year increased 16.4 per cent year-on-year to Dhs79.6bn

Projects of the 50: UAE aims to create 75,000 private sector jobs for Emiratis

Several incentives have been unveiled to encourage UAE nationals to join the private sector including salary top-ups and unemployment benefits

UAE reports 620 Covid-19 cases, 785 recoveries

The total number of recorded cases has scaled to 728,886

Dubai’s Aramex in discussions to acquire Turkey’s MNG Kargo

Discussions are still in the early stages

UAE’s Air Arabia to resume flights to Saudi Arabia

All passengers traveling to the kingdom are required to download the Tawakkalna mobile app

Kuwait Airways resumes direct flights to New York

Flights will be operated once a week between the two destinations

Expo Rider buses

Free Expo 2020 bus shuttle services from nine locations in Dubai

The RTA had allocated 57 buses for Expo visitors from nine locations in Dubai, operating 455 to 476 trips per day

Dubai healthy snack brand raises Dhs1.5m to further growth

The investment will support Koala Picks’ growth within the UAE

Saudi Arabia visas

Saudi extends visa validity for stranded expats until November 30

The country will also extend the validity of visit as well as exit and re-entry visas at no extra fee

UAE visas

UAE allows entry of vaccinated residents who have been outside of the country for over six months

Incoming residents must apply via the ICA website and complete the vaccination application in order to get necessary approvals

No vaccines, tests needed for millions visiting Dubai’s Expo

The exhibition is using robots and wearable technology to assist with visitor-facing interactions including ticketing and queuing