Dubai ends 30 per cent tax on alcohol sales January 1, 2023 Dubai has ended its 30 per cent tax on alcohol sales in the sheikhdom and made its required liquor licences free to obtain, ending a long-standing source of revenue for its ruling family to apparently further boost its tourism to the emirate. The sudden New Year’s Day announcement, made by Dubai’s two state-linked alcohol retailers, [...]
Middle East investment in Manchester United or Liverpool: Sports law predictions for 2023 December 29, 2022 As has become traditional at this time of year, City A.M. has called on the wisdom of Mishcon de Reya’s Simon Leaf and Tom Murray to dust off the crystal ball, don their best Mystic Meg outfits and offer their sports law predictions for next year. So here is our take on 2023 – and [...]
Sally Rooney bans Hebrew translation of novel to protest Palestine conflict October 12, 2021 Acclaimed author Sally Rooney has reportedly rejected a bid to translate her latest novel into Hebrew over her views on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Rooney, 30, was catapulted to fame by her debut novel Conversations with Friends, and Normal People, which was long-listed for the Booker Prize and became a TV adaptation – both novels were [...]
A year on from the explosion, Beirut still a shell of its former self and questions remain unanswered August 4, 2021 One year ago today, the world looked on in horror as Beirut exploded. The monumental blast at what turned out to be a nitrate storage hangar decimated the area surrounding the Lebanese capital’s port and beyond, with the damage estimated to be around $4.6bn. The story is one of grave corruption and mismanagement. Over 2,700 [...]
Boohoo to bolster Debenhams stores and e-commerce sites in the Middle East July 14, 2021 Boohoo, which bought Debenhams for £55m, has partnered with the Alshaya group to bolster the ex-high street staple’s presence in the Middle East. Kuwait-based Alshaya, which currently run Debenhams stores in shopping malls, will have exclusive rights to operate the Debenhams stores and local e-commerce sites in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman and [...]
Illegal drugs worth £11m seized by Royal Marines in Arabian Sea February 17, 2021 The Royal Navy have seized more than 2.6 tonnes of illegal drugs in an operation lasting 10 hours. In total 2.4 tonnes of heroin, crystal methamphetamine and hashish were seized, adding to the 275 kilograms of heroin confiscated two days previously. All up, the haul had a street value of £11m. Sailors on board the [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Premier League toasts beIN deal; banker set to buy Lille; breakaways boosted; Australian Open delay; and Griezmann bins Huawei December 17, 2020 Christmas cheer has arrived early at the Premier League after it agreed a new $500m deal with beIN Sports. The contract, which gives beIN exclusive broadcast rights in 24 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, is effectively a three-year extension to their deal for 2019-22. It comes as a boost to the Premier [...]
Citigroup appoints first female head of Middle East and North Africa operations December 8, 2020 Citigroup has appointed Elissar Farah Antonios as the first woman to head the bank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) operations. MENA is Citi’s fastest growing region in its emerging markets portfolio and contributes 30 per cent of the bank’s net income in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Antonios joined Citigroup in 2005 as [...]
Trump’s peace plan has shifted the Palestinian direction of travel February 5, 2020 History is usually a cruel mistress to its losers, particularly in the case of peoples attempting to create new nations who failed in their aspirations. Not much is heard today of the Republic of Biafra, for example, an attempt led largely by the Igbo people to create an independent state carved out of Nigeria’s eastern [...]
Iran protesters take to streets for third day after shooting down of plane January 13, 2020 Protesters have taken to the streets of Iran for a third day running, as outage over the authorities’ admission it accidentally shot down a Ukranian airliner, despite repeated denials that Iranian forces were responsible. Demonstrations in the country began on Saturday following the Iranian military’s admission that it had mistakenly shot down the plane, killing [...]