ABU DHABI, 3 September 2007 — Etihad Airways has set its sights on eight cities in India for new air services from its base in Abu Dhabi. Airline’s Chief Executive James Hogan said after his meeting with Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel that the airline’s eight city “wishlist” for new services from Abu Dhabi are, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderarbad, Calicut, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Jaipur and Kolkata. Etihad is currently constrained by an inter-government bilateral air treaty to operate just 28 flights a week from the UAE to India. “Liberalization of aviation markets is bringing multiple benefits for both consumers and regional economies alike and I hope that Etihad Airways will be granted access to the emerging cities of India,” Hogan said.
Middle East HR Summit Slated
DUBAI, 3 September 2007 — IIR Middle East has announced the launch of The Middle East HR Summit 2007. The five-day summit, which will start on Nov. 4, will take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center and will highlight key human resources issues to assist the growth of organizations across the region. The event will be led by Professor Dave Ulrich who was recently ranked as the most influential person in HR by HR Magazine in a poll of influential HR thinkers. The Middle East HR Summit will also feature a host of multinational organizations that will share their experiences, challenges and solutions in human resource management. “Delegates will hear the latest HR developments across industries and gain valuable insights into the most common mistakes made by leaders,” Michelle Boyd, HR Summit director at IIR Middle East, said.
ARN Launches Pulse 95.3 Station
DUBAI, 3 September 2007 — Arabian Radio Network (ARN), the region’s largest group of popular stations, Saturday announced the launch of Pulse 95.3, a new station for the South Asian community, starting at midnight on Sept. 2. Dubbed as “a station for the discerning,” Pulse 95.3’s diverse offerings capitalize on the growing influence of Bollywood.
BIsB Unveils Rights Offering
MANAMA, 3 September 2007 — The subscriptions to the rights offering of Bahrain Islamic Bank (BIsB) is scheduled to start on Sept. 16 and will run until Sept. 30. The record date for the rights entitlement will be Sept. 12. The bank will issue 283,360,000 new ordinary shares at BD0.300 (80 cent) each on a rights privileged subscription. The bank will raise BD85 million ($225 million) through the rights offering which marks a major new strategic direction for the bank in its plan to expand to the wider GCC market. “We believe that the time is right to become a larger, more focused and dedicated bank. The future outlook for Islamic banking is strong in the region,” said BIsB acting CEO Mohammed Ebrahim Mohammed. (Walid Mazi)
OGC Undertakes Expansion Project
MUSCAT, 3 September 2007 — Oman Gas Company SAOC (OGC), the Sultanate’s premier gas transportation company, is undertaking a major expansion of its Gas Supply Station at the Port of Sohar to cater to the enhanced demand for natural gas by new industries being established at the industrial port. Galfar Engineeering & Contracting, a well-known Omani contractor, has been awarded the contract to implement the expansion project at a cost of 8.9 million rials ($25 million). When commissioned later this year, the Gas Supply Station’s capacity will be significantly enhanced to deliver a total of 23 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, the state-run Oman Observer reported yesterday. (Arif Ali)
GIIC Relocates Offices to BFH
MANAMA, 3 September 2007 — Gulf International Investment Company (GIIC) is to move its offices into Bahrain Financial Harbor (BFH). The firm, a consortium of GCC real estate investors based in Bahrain — will occupy office space on the 10th floor of BFH’s iconic Harbor Towers, Bahrain Financial Harbor Holding Company (BFHHC) confirmed. (Walid Mazi)
