Gulf fund raises $75m for Mideast, North African startups

The appetite for tech firms has been increasing among Gulf investors as governments in the region step up efforts to steer their economies away from oil

UAE’s health ministry provides in-house Covid-19 vaccinations to elderly people

The health ministry called on the elderly to contact the toll-free number 800-11111 or call the ministry’s health centres to schedule an appointment

UK court orders asset freeze of NMC founder BR Shetty, other company executives

The order was secured by NMC’s biggest creditor, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

Tabreed

Abu Dhabi-headquartered Tabreed’s net income rises 16.5% in 2020 to Dhs550m

Tabreed currently delivers over 1.404 million refrigeration tonnes to key developments across the UAE and Saudi Arabia

EDGE Group Ukraine

UAE’s EDGE Group signs $1bn defence agreement with Ukrainian state-owned companies

The agreements with UkrOboronProm and Ukrspecexport were signed during a visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the UAE

Saudi to only award government contracts to firms that have an HQ in the kingdom

The new decision, which does not apply to private sector firms, will take effect from January 1, 2024

Drive-through Covid-19 Vaccine Abu Dhabi

Drive-through Covid-19 vaccination centre opens in Abu Dhabi

The centre can accommodate up to 700 people per day and can vaccinate around 60 people per hour

Huawei picks winners for its 2020 Huawei Developer Competition in UAE

Dubai Taxi Corporation app emerges first in the Golden Award Category

Israeli firms to miss IDEX 2021 in Abu Dhabi due to Covid-19 travel restrictions

Israeli firms were due to take part in the defence expo for the first time

ABu Dhabi Schools Covid-19 Tests

Free mandatory Covid-19 PCR tests for students returning to school in Abu Dhabi

All teachers and staff members returning to campus must obtain a negative Covid-19 PCR result, and subsequently secure a negative result every two weeks

UAE’s first holographic surgery carried out at Burjeel Medical City

Surgeons from 13 different countries assisted by HoloLens 2 from Microsoft

Covid-19 update: UAE reports 3,123 cases; nation-wide count rises past 350,000

The death toll has risen to 1,027

Dubai’s Emirates pauses Melbourne route, extends suspension of flights to South Africa

Flights to South Africa have been suspended until March 10

UAE’s ADNOC Distribution records Dhs2.4bn in net profit for 2020

During the year 2020, ADNOC Distribution opened 64 new stations

Dubai’s Emaar Properties posts 58% slump in net profit for 2020

Emaar now has a total sales backlog of Dhs36.677bn, of which Dhs24.738bn is in the UAE

Mandatory hotel quarantine in Kuwait for all incoming passengers to begin next week

The costs for the hotel quarantine will have to be borne by the passengers

Dubai International Airport reports 70% dip in passenger traffic in 2020

A total of 2.19 million passengers travelled through the airport in December 2020

Aldar properties abu dhabi

Aldar Properties reports revenue of Dhs8.39bn for 2020, up 17%

Its 2020 gross profit also rose 8 per cent to Dhs2.98bn

Saudi drone attack Abha

Saudi forces intercept three drone attacks targeting civilians

Two drones were launched towards Khamis Mushait on Sunday, and a third was destroyed on Monday morning

Ras Al kHaimah E learning

Ras Al Khaimah becomes UAE’s fourth emirate to shift to 100% distance learning

Ajman, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain have already directed all students in schools and nurseries to shift to e-learning

Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja UAE Ambassador israel

Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja sworn in as UAE’s first ambassador to Israel

Al Khaja was sworn in on Sunday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Saudi STC Pay introduces contactless cards

Visa card for use at point of sale, e-commerce and ATM withdrawals

Covid-19 update: UAE reports 3,167 cases, 5,059 recoveries and 13 deaths

The death toll in the UAE has risen to 1,014

Sheikh Mohammed tweets first picture of Mars taken by Hope Probe

The image of the red planet was captured 25,000 kilometres above its surface

FlexxPay raises $3m in pre-series A round to enhance technology platform

FlexxPay is currently available in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and will be launched in Bahrain next month

‘No longer possible for us to offer content for free’ – Gulf News CEO

The Dubai-based daily has announced plans to launch a paywall for its online content

Umm Al Quwain Distance learning

All schools and nurseries in Umm Al Quwain to shift to 100% e-learning

The UAE’s Ministry of Education said that the directive will remain in place until further notice

SAUDI-HEALTH-VIRUS

Saudi extends Covid-19 restrictions; gyms, cinemas to remain closed for another 20 days

The restrictions were initially put in place on February 4 for a period of 10 days

Oman Air abandons plan to expand fleet as pandemic poses risks

The carrier will target a fleet of 36 planes, down from the current 50

Aldar Asteco

UAE’s Aldar Estates acquires Asteco Property Management

Aldar Estates now manages more than 32,000 units under property management and nearly 28,000 units under owners’ association management