Airbus A380 global check for wing cracks

Biggest customer for Airbus A380, Emirates has inspected four of its superjumbo planes

New directive doesn’t affect operations

The European Aviation Safety Agency ordered Wednesday that all  68 worldwide Airbus A380 superjumbo planes be checked for wing cracks, even as the aircraft manufacturer insisted there was nothing to worry about. The new directive extends an earlier check of 20 A380 jets, whose wings are made in North Wales, ordered by the EASA last month.

Airbus reiterated the “safe operation of the Airbus A380 planes is not affected”. Read more

UAE to dispatch emergency humanitarian assistance to Syria

The UAE has decided to rush emergency humanitarian assistance to the displaced persons from Syrians who took refuge in neighbouring countries as a result of the ongoing tragic events in their homeland.

The humanitarian gesture underscores the UAE’s keenness to offer all forms of humanitarian and charitable support for brotherly and friendly peoples at times of crises and disasters. Read more

Emirates announces 3rd daily flight to Milan, Italy

 Emirates airline is driving forward its operations in Europe by announcing a third daily flight to Milan from 1st June, taking to 49 the number of weekly flights offered to Italy.

EK 101 will leave Dubai at 0340hrs and arrive in Milan Malpensa at 0825hrs, ready for business in the city considered the engine room of Italy’s economy and home to the nation’s stock exchange. Read more

Dubai needs Madonna’s super show for America’s Super Bowl

“Bad girl” Madonna, 53, danced her way back toward worldwide visibility Sunday as the halftime attraction for the Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the American National Football League, the highest level of professional football in the United States.

Madonna performed with a giant supporting cast — gladiators, acrobats, cheerleaders, drummers, a gospel choir — and a downright benign stance.

Madonna recently recorded a new album, “MDNA,” which is coming out next month and it is her first since “Hard Candy” in 2008. A football-themed video clip for her new single, “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” came out Friday, and the song started blasting across radio stations and billboards worldwide.

For the worldwide audience of her halftime show for the Super Bowl, Madonna went all out on spectacle – anything less would be dwarfed. She arrived on the field to sing “Vogue” as a gold-robed queen with a platoon of gladiators, dancing on a giant throne and doing precise, right-angle moves amid acrobats from Cirque du Soleil. “Music” brought her to the top of a bleacher-like set surrounded by more acrobatics; soon, she was assisted in cartwheels that had her head-over-heels.

As a chorus line of cheerleaders filled the stage, Madonna grabbed golden pompoms for “Give Me All Your Luvin’” which is the song from the new album. Guest raps by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. didn’t make the song’s retro-rock any fresher.

During the Super Bowl show, Madonna wasn’t the indefatigable trouper of the past years. She measured her moves, letting her supporting cast offer distractions. As she climbed into the bleachers during “Music,” she even missed a step, though she recovered fast.

At the Super Bowl, Madonna was the party girl turned regent: a queen on her throne, a homecoming queen strutting in the bleachers, a church singer fronting a choir. At the end, the words World Peace glowed from the field in giant letters. Madonna was proffering virtue. If such super show is staged in Dubai, it will become the top attraction for millions of Middle Eastern visitors.

Art auction house sales total US$5.7 billion in 2011

Art business and a fine arts auction house Christie’s on Sunday announced 2011 sales of $5.7 billion, up by  14  compared with 2010 (figures include buyer’s premium). This includes private sales of $808.6 million, an increase of 50%  on 2010.

“Christie’s ability to curate and offer sales of art to a growing audience has led to continued demand across geographies, collecting categories and at all levels. This is a very encouraging set of results”, said Steven P. Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Christie’s, in a press release. Read more

Emirates airline adds fifth US gateway

 Emirates airline, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, launched its new service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Dubai today. It is the fifth gateway for Emirates in the United States, and the fourth new route to join the airline’s international network in 2012.

Emirates airline will serve Dallas/Fort Worth daily with a Boeing 777 aircraft offering the highest standards of passenger comfort, including private suites in First Class, lie-flat beds in Business Class and generously-sized Economy Class seats. EK221 leaves Dubai daily at 0245hrs, arriving at Dallas/Fort Worth at 0905hrs. The return sector, EK222, leaves Dallas/Fort Worth at 1150hrs, arriving at Dubai International Airport at 1220hrs the following day. Read more

Dubai schools operator to open private schools in UK

Dubai-based, GEMS Education is reportedly planning to set up more private schools in the United Kingdom. The company claims that it can offer the same, if not better, quality education as top public academic facilities in the country but for much lower price.

The well known in Dubai operator intends to open six day schools for boys and girls aged three to 18 in different towns and cities across the country over the next two years.

The company plans to charge parents similar fees as in Dubai, in the range from £8,000 (AED46,500) to £12,000 (AED70,000) a year, reports an UK-based newspaper. These prices are said to be lower than the price of some of the country’s leading public schools.

Education in the UK is extremely overpriced, while the quality of it is slowly deteriorating in comparison to education in the United States,  according to a number of statistics and research studies published lately. Read more

Amazon Q4 Sales up 35% to $17.43 Billion

  Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011.

Operating cash flow increased 12% to $3.90 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $3.50 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2010. Free cash flow decreased 17% to $2.09 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $2.52 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2010. Read more

With $400 billion ‘in play’, hedge funds face challenges

The hedge funds industry faces challenges in 2012, but also a year of significant opportunity, according to a Barclays Capital report, The Money Trail, released today.

The report contains analysis based on a survey of 165 investors conducted at the firm’s recent Prime Services Hedge Fund Symposium hosted in New York, as well as one-on-one investor interviews and other industry analysis. The surveyed investors manage approximately $4 trillion in assets under management (AUM), of which approximately $500 billion is allocated to hedge funds. This represents one quarter of the hedge fund industry’s total AUM. Read more

World Economic Forum: Jobs are Top Priority

• The international community should focus on promoting growth and creating jobs, particularly for youth
• Capitalism and the free market should be more responsive to social needs

The 42nd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting closed today, with business leaders urging resolute action to promote growth and employment, particularly among young people. Read more

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