Dubai’s Dot Info

The Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development will top up loans to Lebanon to finance the construction of 22 government schools in Beirut, the official Kuna news agency reported. The KFAED had originally loaned $50m for schools. There are 18 official schools in Beirut, including six government schools.

Lebanon's Orange TV plans to start daily news broadcasts by late May 2007, the Daily Star reported. The broadcasts would be run nightly at 8pm local time from OTV's Mansourieh studios. The station plans run a full schedule of programming by late June, including children's and cultural shows. The board has called a shareholders' meeting to approve a $12m capital increase.

Disclaimer: The information comprised in this section is not, nor is it held out to be, a solicitation of any person to take any form

Saudi Arabian Mining Company has entered into a $7bn joint venture with aluminium major Alcan, Arab News reported. The integrated project will include bauxite mining, alumina refining, a power plant and aluminum smelting. A first phase includes developing a 90m-tonne bauxite reserve, and building a 1,400 MW power plant; an alumina refinery with a capacity of 1.6m tonnes per year; and a 720,000 tpy aluminium smelter.

The Dubai Tea Trading Centre is setting up a tea storage, blending and packing facility, as part of its expansion plans. The 230,000 sqft facility, due to open early 2008, will boost the volume of tea traded through Dubai, according to DTTC officials.

National Bank of Abu Dhabi is investing about $83m to set up a new private banking unit in Switzerland, Bloomberg reported. The unit will target the business of the region's growing number of millionaires. It will begin operations by the middle of 2007, CEO Michael Tomalin told the news agency.

Emirates could resume flights to Colombo today (Tuesday), Emirates Today reported. The Dubai-based airline has suspended flights for the past two days after Tamil Tiger insurgents bombed fuel depots in the city. Other international airlines are reviewing their flights to Sri Lanka's capital, with Cathay Pacific suspending flights indefinitely and Singapore Airlines only landing in daylight hours.

Temperature: 84°F / 29°C | Humidity: 45% | Pressure: 29.80in / 1009hPa | Conditions: Clear | Wind Direction: East | Wind Speed: 5mph / 7km/h | Updated: 7:00 AM GST

The master plan for the third of Dubai's Palm island projects, Palm Deira, has been reworked to save money and construction time, Emirates Today reported. The length of the island has been reduced by 3.5km to 12.5km; the width is unchanged at 7.5km. But total land area will be 60m sqft bigger, with more beachfront designed to attract greater investment interest. Developer Nakheel says reclamation work will be finished by 2013.

DUBAI — The Dubai Government yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a strategic partnership with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Japanese governmental financial institution focusing on an exchange of expertise and information for financial cooperation, which could be beneficial to Japanese companies.

Dubai's new road toll will be capped at Dhs24 a day, Gulf News reported. Motorists will be charged Dhs4 a time to use roads on which the toll is levied. The first phase of the system comes into operation on 1 July 2007. Transport officials hope the toll will reduce traffic congestion on the emirate's main arterial roads.

Participants in the UAE's thalassaemia Tour of Hope project have called for a unified treatment programme for the genetic blood disorder, Gulf News reported. Some hospitals in the country are under funded, with patients receiving treatment procedures which are sometimes 20 years old, according to a board member of the Emirates Thalassaemia Society.

DUBAI — Dubai will have its own Disneyland-style theme park where visitors can relive fantasies and adventures once reserved for Hollywood silver screen.

Apple has issued an update for MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops bought between February 2006 and April 2007, after discovering a fault in some batteries. The update will improve battery performance. Apple has also extended battery warranty on Core Dubai processors to up to two years from the purchase date.

Al Arrab Contracting has won a $15.8m contract to construct Tameer Holding's Al Jawzaa project in the heart of Dubai International City. Al Jawzaa includes 180 freehold residential units, shops and leisure facilities.

DP World has hired Deutsche Bank and Shuaa Capital to consider a partial float or refinancing to raise around £1bn, The Times reports. The Dubai government would retain majority control. Plans for a London float were postponed last year due to volatile market conditions.

Dubai Islamic Bank has received approval by Syrian authorities to establish an Islamic bank in the country. DIB says it is seeking to finalise the licensing procedure for the new bank. The bank is on a regional expansion drive, with business in Pakistan, Turkey and Sudan.