Saturday 8 September 2018

Dubai reaped $18bn in benefits from Metro system - The National

Dubai reaped $18bn in benefits from Metro system - The National:

The Dubai Metro system, which opened almost a decade ago, added an estimated Dh66 billion ($18bn) to Dubai’s economy by 2016 and accumulated future returns are set to exceed four times what it cost to build the metro by 2030, according to a government-commissioned study.

The metro, which opened in September 2009 and comprises the red and green lines, has cost Dh41bn to build and operate, according to a report by Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the UK.

This means every dirham spent on the Dubai Metro yielded a return of 1.6 dirhams to the emirate’s economy in 2016 in the form of fare revenues, new jobs and other benefits. That return will rise to 2.5 dirhams and 4.3 dirhams in 2020 and 2030, the report said.

Dubai stabilises, Abu Dhabi could see more short-term pressure | GulfNews.com

Dubai stabilises, Abu Dhabi could see more short-term pressure | GulfNews.com:

Last week, the Dubai Financial Market General Index (DFMGI) dropped by 13.56 or 0.48 per cent to end at 2,826.60. There were 15 advancing issues and 19 declining, while volume rose to an eight-week high.

A consolidation phase continued as there was an inside week, where the high-to-low range of 2,852.27 to 2,810.15, was contained within the range of the prior week. This pattern indicates consolidation on a weekly basis, while in the daily chart the index has been moving within a range between 2,853.76 to 2,795.96.

At the same time, last week’s low was higher than the low of the previous three weeks, a minor sign of strength. If the DFMGI can rally above the two-week high of 2,853.76, just a tad above last week’s high, then the next short-term bullish signal will be generated as a three-week high will be exceeded.

Oryx Communication to become first Qatari manufacturer of smart phones - The Peninsula Qatar

Oryx Communication to become first Qatari manufacturer of smart phones - The Peninsula Qatar:

The first Qatari factory to manufacture smartphone and other consumer electronic products is close to launch, Qatari businessman Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani said Friday. 

The factory will manufacture laptops and tablets as well using the latest robotics technologies. The businessman was speaking on the sidelines of the Qatar-Germany Business and Investment Forum, which was inaugurated by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and German Chancellor Angela Merkal in the German capital Berlin. 

The businessman praised the government's strong support of the project, and added that technology the factory will use to manufacture the products were developed in Qatar. He said that the intention to venture into the Information Technology sector was that it will be one of the main sectors that lead the transformation of the State of Qatar's economy into a knowledge-based one, which is the aim of Qatar National Vision 2030.

The week in energy: Dirty oil, clean oil | Financial Times

The week in energy: Dirty oil, clean oil | Financial Times:

All forms of oil production contribute to global warming, but some contribute more than others. Producing, transporting and refining crude oil typically accounts for 15-40 per cent of the total greenhouse gases released by transport fuels, and different reserves can be associated with very different levels of emissions. Heavy crude from Canada’s oil sands is sometimes described as “the dirtiest oil on earth”, in part because of the large volumes of carbon dioxide emitted when it is extracted and processed.

Until now, however, comparisons of different sources of crude have been incomplete, failing to cover much of the world’s oil production and missing important sources of emissions. A new paper from a team led by Mohammad Masnadi of Stanford University, published in the journal Science, fixes those problems, analysing data on almost 9,000 oilfields in 90 countries, accounting for about 98 per cent of global production. By their calculations, Canadian oil is not the highest emitting in the world but only the fourth highest, behind Algeria, Venezuela and Cameroon. The two key factors for emissions are how much energy has to be used to produce the crude, and how much unwanted gas is burnt off in flares. Although extracting the heavy oil of Canada and Venezuela does need a lot of effort — including steam injection to melt the thick, sticky crude — production in countries with high rates of flaring such as Algeria and Iran has emissions that are similar and sometimes even higher.

Qatar strategically built its way out of blockade - The Peninsula Qatar

Qatar strategically built its way out of blockade - The Peninsula Qatar:

Qatar’s strategic repositioning in terms of trade and investments have helped the country move ahead despite the unprecedented blockade imposed on it by some neighbouring countries, H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce, and H E Ali Sheriff Al Emadi, Minister of Finance said in a two separate panel discussions held during the Qatar-Germany Business and Investment Forum here yesterday.

Sheikh Ahmed said the country realised there is huge untapped potential in the neighbouring countries and identified fresh destinations. Qatar realised it has access to 400 million population around and identified the under tapped markets in five destinations including Turkey, Pakistan, India, and Iran.

The Minister said Qatari economy grew at significant rate during the blockade period. “Despite the lower oil price in 2016-2017, we met our 2017 target. Our total export increased many times during the blockade period.