Sudan News Gazette

ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) are celebrating the exceptional growth of their Abu Dhabi Stopover programme. The relaunch of the initiative has exceeded expectations, significantly boosting Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector.

The Abu Dhabi Stopover programme, exclusive to Etihad Airways, has seen remarkable growth since its inception. The programme welcomed 24,000 international visitors in the first half of 2024, compared to 7,000 in the latter half of 2023 – an extraordinary increase of 242 percent.

This strong performance, coupled with growing demand and increased bookings for the second half of the year, puts the initiative on track to achieve its ambitious target of 75,000 international stopover visitors in 2024.

Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said, ‘The growth of our Abu Dhabi Stopover programme has far exceeded our projections. We’ve seen international visitors more than triple in just six months. This success not on
ly showcases Abu Dhabi’s appeal as a destination but also demonstrates the programme’s effectiveness in encouraging travellers to experience the emirate’s wonders.’

Travellers are embracing the opportunity to discover Abu Dhabi, with an average stay of two nights. The programme has particularly resonated with travellers from key markets including England, USA, Australia, EU countries, and India.

Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director-General for Tourism, DCT Abu Dhabi, said, ‘The Abu Dhabi Stopover programme exemplifies the power of strategic partnerships in driving tourism growth. This innovative initiative is clearly resonating with international travellers, offering them a compelling reason to explore our emirate. The programme’s success reinforces Abu Dhabi’s position as a must-visit destination and encourages travellers to plan longer stays in the future.’

The programme’s popularity has been further bolstered by enhancements to the booking process. A new, user-friendly landing page on etihad.com has driven
a 43 percent increase in web traffic from potential visitors seeking information about Abu Dhabi.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI: The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) announced today the execution of 15 large direct deals involving shares of ADNOC Gas Plc and Modon Holding PSC with a total value of AED2.66 billion.

Data from the ADX showed that the first transaction was executed on about 505.8 million shares of Modon Holding, valued at AED2.44 billion through six large transactions, with an execution price of AED4.83 per share.

The second transaction was executed on about 71.5 million shares of ADNOC Gas, valued at AED218.2 million through nine large transactions, with an execution price of AED3.05 per share.

Large direct transactions are deals executed outside the order book and do not affect the closing price of the company’s shares or the price index. They also do not affect the highest and lowest prices executed during the session and over the past 52 weeks.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI: The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced today the launch of the National Civil Aviation Cybersecurity Guidelines, a key framework aimed at protecting the safety, confidentiality, and availability of aviation systems for its civil aviation partners.

In a statement, the GCAA highlighted that the aviation industry is now more interconnected than ever due to digital transformation. With this growing interconnectivity comes the need for stronger cybersecurity measures.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the GCAA, explained that the guidelines, published following the launch National Civil Aviation Cybersecurity Policy, were developed as per global requirements, recommendations, and best practices.

He added that these guidelines serve as a reference for partners to help them prepare national requirements ensuring the protection of civil aviation systems from potential cyber threats.

He clarified that the guidelines are dynamic and regularly updated to ensure the protection of
systems from emerging cybersecurity risks faced by this vital sector.

Al Suwaidi stressed that these guidelines will ensure the resilience and sustainability of the UAE’s civil aviation sector.

Source: Emirates News Agency

FUJAIRAH: Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, has highlighted the urgent need to increase investments in energy infrastructure to meet the rising global demand, driven by accelerating global changes and the anticipated growth in future oil consumption.

The minister added that the transition to a more sustainable energy future and making the oil and gas sector more environmentally friendly, while reducing emissions from its operations, is a top priority for the United Arab Emirates.

‘The UAE recognises that reaching this goal requires investing in new technologies like carbon capture and storage.”

The minister explained, during his speech at the 12th Energy Markets Forum, hosted by the Emirate of Fujairah, that ADNOC is a leader in reducing the carbon footprint of its operations.

‘This effort supports the UAE’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050,” he said, adding that in today’s energy landscape, affordability is equally important as security.

He noted that OPEC
+ is actively working to ensure a stable supply and demand equilibrium, thereby fostering investment.

‘The UAE takes pride in establishing a model that can be replicated in other countries, starting with the development of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to triple the capacity of renewable energy sources by 2030.’

He stressed the importance of the role played by the Emirate of Fujairah in ensuring the smooth flow of energy, as it has developed one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI: Dubai International Chamber, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has announced the completion of preparations for its upcoming trade mission to Serbia and Trkiye, scheduled from 6th to 11th October. The mission is part of the ‘New Horizons’ initiative, which supports the expansion of Dubai-based businesses into priority global markets.

The Chamber hosted a briefing session today at its headquarters for members of the trade mission’s delegation, which includes representatives from companies across various sectors such as electronics, food and beverages, pipeline products, information technology, brand protection, technology, airport services, retail, textiles, and energy and mobility solutions.

During the session, participants were introduced to the mission’s programme, which will feature bilateral business meetings between Dubai-based companies and their counterparts in Serbia and Trkiye. These meetings aim to provide a platform for exploring opportunities for co
operation, expansion, and new trade and investment agreements. The delegation received detailed briefings on the mission and comprehensive market intelligence for both countries.

The ‘New Horizons’ initiative is part of Dubai International Chamber’s broader efforts to promote the global expansion of Dubai-based companies, enabling them to capitalise on opportunities in new international markets. The initiative aims to help companies explore business opportunities in 30 priority markets and is aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).

In the first half of this year, the Chamber organised two trade missions to Southeast Asia and West Africa, facilitating over 830 B2B meetings between participating companies from Dubai and these markets to explore investment opportunities and joint economic partnerships.

Source: Emirates News Agency

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) prohibited a takaful insurer operating in the UAE, from issuing or concluding new motor and health insurance contracts (including renewals), pursuant to article 33 of Federal Decree Law No (48) of 2023 Regarding the Regulation of Insurance Activities (the Insurance Law).

The insurer remains liable for all rights and obligations arising from insurance contracts concluded before the decision of the prohibition.

This action comes as a result of the insurance company failure to meet the minimum capital requirement. The CBUAE has given the insurer a period of six months to remediate the solvency position and comply with its directions in this regard.

The CBUAE, through its supervisory and regulatory mandates, works to ensure that all insurers, their owners and staff abide by the UAE laws, regulations and standards adopted by the CBUAE to safeguard policyholders as well as the integrity of the insurance sector and the UAE financial system.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, has partnered with EQTY Lab, an AI solutions provider headquartered in Switzerland, to accelerate the responsible adoption of AI technologies throughout its portfolio.

This partnership aligns with ADQ’s portfolio management approach, which focuses on consistently identifying and harnessing opportunities for sustainable value creation, transformation and growth to build future-proof sector leaders and national champions.

AI is revolutionising various sectors by enhancing efficiency, reducing costs and enabling new capabilities. Potential applications across ADQ’s diversified portfolio, which encompasses key sectors of the economy such as healthcare, energy, manufacturing, transportation and agriculture, include improving operational efficiency and productivity, driving climate action and spurring innovation and advancements.

Through its collaboration with EQTY Lab, teams will deploy a new AI Integrity suite that ensures ADQ’s AI models are reliable, s
ecure, transparent, and aligned to the highest standards of AI governance, to promote trust and accountability in AI implementations. This effort is part of ADQ’s commitment to encouraging the adoption of best practices and drive transformation across its portfolio.

Hamad Al Hammadi, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of ADQ, said, ‘Artificial intelligence is not only a technological revolution, but also a new way of perceiving and interacting with the world. It holds the ability to revolutionise industries, augment human capabilities and drive unprecedented innovation and efficiency.

Our partnership with EQTY Lab underscores our dedication to expediting the trial and responsible adoption of AI and automation across ADQ’s portfolio, encouraging our portfolio companies to embrace the future while aligning with broader national goals for a more prosperous, sustainable and interconnected tomorrow.’

The partnership between ADQ and EQTY Lab began in 2023 with the launch of ClimateGPT powered by Erasmus and tr
ained by Apptek. It is the first open-source AI model specifically built to address climate change and sustainability.

It allows researchers, policymakers and business leaders to make informed decisions and drive resilient climate action by providing access to a multi-language model that incorporates over 300 billion pieces of climate-specific information, drawn from 10 billion web pages and millions of open-access academic articles.

The initial node of ClimateGPT is hosted at Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Solar PV, the world’s largest single-site solar plant, ensuring that the platform is wholly powered by renewable energy. ADQ and its portfolio companies, ADNEC Group, Etihad Rail, TAQA and Masdar, will be the first to deploy the technology in the UAE.

ClimateGPT, integrating various scientific disciplines, enhances understanding of how climate change impacts the environment, society and the economy, empowers ADQ and its portfolio to discover innovative solutions that promote global climate action goals and foste
r environmental stewardship.

Masdar, part of ADQ’s portfolio through TAQA, now deploys ClimateGPT to support the research and execution of ESG initiatives.

Similarly, teams worked with the team of ADNEC Group, configured the model and successfully built a custom library of global research which will help the research efforts of the group’s ESG team.

By 2030, AI is anticipated to make substantial contributions to the GDP of the Middle East across multiple sectors. The largest economic impact is expected from construction and manufacturing sector, projected at US$99 billion. Following closely are energy, utilities, and resources with an anticipated contribution of US$78 billion, and the public sector, encompassing health and education, expected to add US$59 billion.

The UAE is set to experience the most significant impact relative to its GDP, with an estimated 14 percent boost by 2030.

Source: Emirates News Agency