Khaleej Times - February 04, 2025

In this issue

February 04, 2025

Diageo eyes local alcohol production with Gulf plan

Diageo could open a local alcohol production facility as part of its five-year expansion strategy across the Mena region, a senior official said on Monday.

1 min

$10m luxury home sales in Dubai set record in 2024

Dubai's luxury residential market steadied in 2024 but achieved a new record for $10 million plus home sales.

2 mins

6,000 visa violators held in Jan

More than 6,000 visa violators were arrested in inspection campaigns carried out last month after the amnesty scheme ended on December 31.

1 min

Time to remit as Trump tariffs hit Asian currencies

With Asian currencies tumbling and some hitting record lows, it is the perfect time for UAE residents to send money back home, according to some experts.

2 mins

Baby weighing only 500gm battles all odds, survives

Born at just 22.5 weeks and weighing a mere 500g, baby Salama entered the world against unimaginable odds. She was supposed to have a twin brother, but he didn't survive. She didn't have much chance, too, but with the dedication of a medical team and the unshakeable love of her family, Salama defied every expectation.

2 mins

UAE tailors race against time to complete Ramadan, Eid orders

Tailors in the UAE are racing against time to complete both pending and incoming orders for three major Islamic festivals

2 mins

Experts highlight AI's expanding role in women's healthcare

The critical need to empower women with the knowledge and tools for effective self-care during and after their reproductive journeys was emphasised at the 24th edition of Medlab Middle East.

2 mins

Doctors warn Umrah pilgrims of infection risks, urge vaccination

As thousands of residents prepare for Umrah, medical experts in the UAE are emphasising the importance of vaccinations to safeguard against potential health risks..

2 mins

Faithful gear up for Ramadan in UAE

With Ramadan 2025 T fast approaching, Muslims across the UAE are gear-ing up for a month of devotion and self-reflection.

3 mins

29 food outlets ordered shut in Fujairah for safety violations

As many as 29 food outlets were ordered shut in Fujairah in 2024 for violating public health and safety standards, the municipality said.

1 min

Barrierless parking introduced at Mall of the Emirates

The 'barrierless parking' system at Mall of the Emirates (MOE) in Dubai began on Monday.

2 mins

Physical activities in focus at Abu Dhabi schools

Schools incorporate yoga, standing tasks, minimal fixed desks to allow students to stretch during lessons

2 mins

Dubai's flying taxi display a hit among visitors, sparks curiosity

On the second level of Museum of the Future, visitors were greeted by an impressive full-scale model of the flying taxis that are all set to take off in Dubai early next year.

1 min

Emirati farmer shows the way to sustainability, food security

Mohammed Mahfoudh, an Emirati farmer and entrepreneur, has made remarkable strides towards self-sufficiency, especially during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

2 mins

Enjoy green tourism with visits to farms growing cocoa, strawberry and wheat

Several farms across the UAE welcome visitors, with some offering free entry and others charging a nominal’ fee

2 mins

New precast concrete factory opens in Dubai

A new precast concrete factory that has an annual production capacity of more than 700,000 cubic metres has opened in Dubai.

1 min

Opec+ sticks to oil output plan after Trump's price demand

An Opec+ panel on Monday reaffirmed the oil cartel's plan to gradually hike output starting from April, after US President Donald Trump called for lower prices.

1 min

UAE media job cuts: Is the future of the news industry secure?

Globally, legacy media outlets are letting go of seasoned reporters and editors to make way for younger, cheaper staff for digital projects

2 mins

Pakistan Jan consumer inflation eases to 9-year low

Pakistan's consumer inflation rate fell to its lowest in more than nine years, dropping to 2.4 per cent year-on-year in January, the statistics bureau said on Monday. Inflation has cooled significantly, easing from 28.3 per cent in January 2023.

1 min

Samsung chief Jay Y. Lee found not guilty in merger case

Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee was found not guilty of accounting fraud and stock manipulation by a Seoul appeals court on Monday, in a ruling that could remove long-running legal risks that he has faced from criminal cases.

2 mins

OpenAI announces new 'deep research' tool for ChatGPT

US tech giant OpenAI on Monday unveiled a ChatGPT tool called \"deep research\" that can produce detailed reports, as China's DeepSeek chatbot heats up competition in the artificial intelligence field.

2 mins

WHO proposes $400m budget cut after US exit, defends its work

World Health Organisation member states will discuss cutting part of its budget by $400 million in light of President Donald Trump's move to withdraw the U.S., its biggest government funder, from the WHO, a document released on Monday showed.

1 min

UAE firms lead GCC peers in AI-powered growth

Nearly half of the organisations in the GCC are leveraging artificial intelligence to create measurable value, embedding it into core business functions, a study reveals.

2 mins

Most markets in GCC fall on trade war escalation fears

Major stock markets in the Gulf fell in early trade on Monday in line with markets across the world after US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China triggered fears of a broader trade war and a hit to global growth.

1 min

Bitcoin drops to 3-week low as Trump tariffs rattle markets

Cryptocurrency prices slid on Monday, with bitcoin at a three-week low, as the risk of a trade war spooked investors and caused a selloff across financial markets.

1 min

India to avoid protectionist signals on trade: Top official

India does not want to give any signal that it is protectionist, the top bureaucrat in the finance ministry said, after slashing import duties on high-end motorcycles, amid US President Donald Trump's moves on tariffs.

1 min

Will Gulf region get caught in a global trade war crossfire?

The GCC may face disruptions in trade flows, impacting not only oil exports but also the importation of critical goods for local industries

3 mins

Palestinians appeal for help with short-term shelter in Gaza

Gaza needs 6.5B in temporary housin aid, says PA officia

2 mins

Car bomb kills 20 in northern Syria

A car bomb killed at least 20 people in the northern Syrian city of Manbij on Monday, the Syrian presidency said, marking the second attack there in three days.

1 min

Sharaa to visit Turkey today

Syria's interim president Ahmed Al Sharaa will visit Turkey on Tuesday on his second international visit since the toppling of Bashar Al Assad in December, the Turkish presidency said.

1 min

Gazans in Egypt reject displacement, grapple with decision when to go home

Weeks into the ceasefire in Gaza, thousands of Palestinians who left for neighbouring Egypt are grappling with the question of when they might go home, though they reject the prospect of a mass displacement proposed by US President Donald Trump.

2 mins

Digital discord: Online disinformation sowing discontent in Syria, say analysts

Former allies and self-declared enemies of Syria's ousted president Bashar Al Assad are flooding the country's digital space with disinformation aimed at destabilising the fragile new order by sparking sectarian strife, analysts say.

3 mins

Musk says USAID to be shut down in government cost-cutting drive

Billionaire Elon Musk, who is heading US President Donald Trump's drive to shrink the federal government, gave an update on the effort early on Monday, saying work is under way to shut down the US foreign aid agency USAID.

2 mins

For millions of children in food crises, a heightened risk of lifelong damage

A surge in the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip since the truce between Israel and Hamas took effect on January 19 is likely to ease the acute food emergency afflicting people in the war-ravaged territory, especially its children

7 mins

Greek PM calls for calm after Santorini tremors

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appealed for calm Monday after a wave of seismic tremors hit the tourist island of Santorini, prompting mass departures.

1 min

Shark kills teenage girl in Australia

A shark bit and killed a 17-year-old girl swimming off an eastern Australian island on Monday, officials said, in the country's third reported fatal attack in just over five weeks.

1 min

Belgium moves to right as new PM De Wever sworn in

Conservative Bart De Wever was sworn in Monday as Belgium's new prime minister, after striking a hard-fought coalition deal that moves the country to the right.

1 min

Pakistan Taleban kill police polio escort as vaccination drive starts

The Pakistani Taleban claimed the killing of a police officer as he travelled on Monday to guard polio vaccinators on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.

1 min

Tunisia sets sights on becoming world's top seawater therapy spot

The country boasts 60 thalassotherapy centres and 390 spas, 84 per cent of which are located in hotels

3 mins

Ghosts of past spies haunt London underground tunnels

Behind a blue door in a narrow London passage lies a little-known network of tunnels deep underground, once home to British spies and a secret long-distance telephone exchange.

2 mins

Sweden court convicts Quran burner

A Stockholm court on Monday convicted a man of inciting ethnic hatred during four holy Quran burnings in 2023 that sparked outrage in Muslim countries, a verdict that came just days after the murder of his co-defendant Salwan Momika.

1 min

'Life's ruined': UK town broken by grooming gangs wants answers

Over the course of several decades, men of mostly South Asian origin in various English towns are suspected of abusing thousands of mostly white girls from working class families, often from troubled homes

3 mins

Sweden rules out sabotage in Latvia cable damage, releases ship

Swedish prosecutors on Monday ruled out sabotage in the case of a damaged Baltic Sea fibre-optic cable and said they were releasing a Bulgarian ship seized over the incident, saying it had caused the damage by accident.

2 mins

Mass shootings horrify the Balkans but illegal guns still thrive

Vesna Pejovic vowed to reduce gun violence in Montenegro after her daughter and two grandsons were killed in a mass shooting in the town of Cetinje in 2022.

2 mins

'Breaks a little part of you every day': Texas man on Death Row

Steven Nelson has spent more than a dozen years on Death Row in Texas and is to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday for the murder of a pastor that he insists he did not commit.

3 mins

FBI staff get deadline to reveal their role in January 6 probes

Eight top FBI officials fired on Friday; more firings feared

2 mins

Rubiales' kiss wrong 'in any social or work setting', says Hermoso

Spain star Jenni Hermoso on Monday told the trial of disgraced ex-football chief Luis Rubiales that the forced kiss he gave her in 2023 \"shouldn't happen in any social or work set-ting\".

1 min

Rashford attracted by Aston Villa's European ambitions

Marcus Rashford says Aston Villa's \"constant ambition\" attracted him to the club after he arrived from Manchester United on a loan deal until the end of the season.

1 min

Gunners prove we have a title race on our hands

Scoring five goals against a Manchester City side who have for years been the best in the world was an incredible achievement for Arsenal at the weekend.

2 mins

Guardiola frustrated after 'fragile' City's 5-1 defeat to Arsenal

Pep Guardiola slammed \"fragile\" Manchester City for surrendering in the closing stages of their humiliating 5-1 defeat against title-chasing Arsenal on Sunday.

2 mins

UAE Muay Thai Championship to kick off on February 14

The UAE Muay Thai Championship will get under way on February 14 at Space 42 Arena, Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi, bringing together an unprecedented 824 fighters from 61 clubs across the UAE and beyond.

2 mins

Akram impressed with the quality of cricket in ILT20

With the battlelines drawn for the ILT20 Season 3 finale, Pakistan bowling legend Wasim Akram put his weight behind the Desert Vipers to outshine.

3 mins

World's biggest stars set to enthral tennis lovers in Dubai

The world’s top 10 women’s players will take centre stage at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this month, as the WTA event celebrates its 25th anniversary.

3 mins

Sold out! Craze for India-Pakistan CT match leaves UAE fans high and dry

Months of anticipation culminated in a buying frenzy when tickets for the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 India matches in Dubai went on sale at 4pm.

3 mins

Anees Bazmee preps for No Entry 2

Director Anees Bazmee has officially kicked off the pre-production process for the sequel to the 2005 comedy No Entry.

1 min

Anupam Kher and Salman Khan are 'good old friends'

Veteran actor Anupam Kher treated his fans to a rare picture of himself with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.

1 min

'Mainstream Indian films have a long way to go'

Filmmaker Anurag Basu opened up about the lack of global outreach for Bollywood films, saying mainstream Indian cinema still has a long way to go when compared with international movie industries.

1 min

French film director Christophe 'guilty' of assault on minor

A French court Monday ordered a filmmaker to wear an electronic bracelet for two years after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting an actor when she was a child, sparing him jail time in one of the key trials of France's #Metoo movement.

1 min

Why is Zoe Saldana so sad?

In her first public statement addressing the controversy surrounding her Emilia Perez' co-star Karla Sofia Gascon, actress Zoe Saldana expressed her sadness and disappointment over the recent revelation of Gascon's past bigoted tweets.

1 min

Meteor Garden star Barbie Hsu dies

Taiwanese star Barbie Hsu, who was hugely popular across Asia for her leading role in the 2001 television drama Meteor Garden, has died from a respiratory illness, local media reported on Monday. She was 48.

1 min

What's new on the roads?

A look at the exciting motoring moments in the country

3 mins

'I feel trapped in the in-between': What you need to know about burnout

It is the inevitable result of chronic stress without relief

4 mins

'Confetti': Here's what we know about Apple's potential event planning service

Apple is reportedly preparing to introduce a new iCloud-based service, dubbed 'Confetti,' designed to simplify event invitations and organisation on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

1 min

Samsung to expand its Galaxy lineup in 2025?

Tech giant hints at major additions in 25 series, foldables, and budget phones

2 mins

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Khaleej Times Newspaper Description:

Khaleej Times is the first English newspaper to be launched in the UAE in 1978.

The broadsheet comprises of the general news section, the business pages and a lively sports section. Khaleej Times is the highest circulated of the English language newspapers throughout the Gulf.

It reaches out to all parts of the UAE. Additionally, it covers Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia through a dedicated distribution network.