Indian billionaires get some serious backing in their telecom wars

Mumbai: Months after billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s upstart Indian wireless carrier swept into the No. 1 spot, a trounced rival is mounting a comeback, and investors are loving it. Bharti Airtel Ltd. is the best performer on India’s stocks benchmark this year, jumping 26 per cent and reaching a record on May 19, amid optimism the […]

Ras Al Khaimah wants to rebuild hotel demand around ‘staycationers’

Dubai: Ras Al Khaimah is not going to cast a wide net for tourists – at least immediately – when flights resume. Instead, it will look much closer for guests to turn up at its hotels. As movement restrictions ease, the emirate is “well positioned to capture the local market, which currently accounts for 40 […]

Good news for Dubai shoppers. Prices of fruits and vegetables remain stable

Dubai: The prices of most fruits and vegetables in Dubai have remained stable over the past few weeks. With most families and individuals limiting the majority of their expenditure to grocery shopping, this price stability will help keep household budgets in check. The minimum price of face masks has also seen a reduction. As soon as […]

British carmaker Bentley to reduce workforce by a quarter

London: Bentley Motors plans to slash as many as 1,000 jobs in the UK, about a quarter of its workforce, to cope with the fallout of the coronavirus crisis after years of weak profitability. The luxury carmaker plans to reduce headcount through voluntary measures but “cannot rule out future compulsory redundancies,” the Crewe-based manufacturer said […]

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala spends $1.2b for stake in Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio in India

Abu Dhabi: Mubadala Investment Company is pumping $1.2 billion into India’s Reliance Industries owned Jio Platforms, the country’s leading digital services platform. The investment will translate into a 1.85 per cent stake in Jio on a fully diluted basis. With the latest investment, Jio has raised $11.6 billion (Dh43 billion) from leading global technology and investment […]

US weekly jobless claims drop below 2m for first time since mid-March

Washington: With business reopenings picked up nationwide, Americans filed nearly 2 million applications for unemployment benefits last week, reflecting a slowing – though far from a halt – in job losses. Initial jobless claims for regular state programmes totaled 1.88 million in the week ended May 30, down from 2.13 million the prior week. It was […]

An Amazon deal would throw a lifeline to India’s Bharti Aitel

New Delhi: Amazon.com Inc. is in preliminary talks to buy a stake in No. 2 Indian carrier Bharti Airtel Ltd. for at least $2 billion, joining Facebook Inc. and other US giants in betting on one of the world’s fastest-growing internet arenas. The US online retailer is in early-stage discussions to buy about a 5 per cent stake in […]