Latest news with #DUBAI
Arab News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Sofia Carson dons Lebanese design on press tour
DUBAI: Sofia Carson is continuing her streak of ensembles by Lebanese designer Elie Saab while promoting her latest project, 'My Oxford Year,' set to hit Netflix on August 1. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Carson showed off a belted black blouse by the designer in New York this week, and she completed the outfit with a nude pencil skirt and black leather gloves. The actress and singer is known for her affinity for Lebanese labels, and previously showed off a look by Saab in March while promoting Netflix film 'The Life List.' Carson arrived at the 'CBS Mornings' show in New York City as part of that press tour wearing a green dress from Elie Saab's Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 collection. She also showed off several looks by the Lebanese designer during Netflix festivities in June. Ahead of Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event — the streaming platform's celebration of global fandom and storytelling — Carson appeared in a white ensemble featuring a tailored blazer, wide-leg trousers and a matching shirt. On a separate occasion, she wore an all-black outfit composed of wide-leg trousers and a sheer top with cape-like sleeves. Both outfits were from Saab's Ready-to-Wear Pre-Fall 2025 collection. A post shared by Sofia Carson (@sofiacarson) Carson's latest film sees her star opposite Corey Mylchreest in 'My Oxford Year,' a romance written by Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne and directed by BAFTA nominee Iain Morris. T 'Iain Morris wrote and created one of the most iconic shows in British television, 'The Inbetweeners',' Carson, who also executive produces the movie — her second production credit following 2022's Purple Hearts — told a Netflix blog. 'Comedy is his language, so his vision of this film beautifully created a timeless, heartbreaking, sweeping romance, grounded in laughter. Within one scene you may fall madly in love, you may cry, but he will always make sure the joy of laughter is present.' The upcoming film is, as the title suggests, set in the university town of Oxford in the UK. 'When Anna (Carson), an ambitious young American woman, sets out for the UK and the University of Oxford to fulfill a childhood dream, she's got her life completely on track. That is, until she meets a charming and clever local Jamie (Mylchreest) who profoundly alters both of their lives,' the film's logline reads.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Joyalukkas secures landmark AED 500mln working capital deal with Emirates NBD to fuel global expansion
DUBAI: Joyalukkas, one of the world's largest jewellery retailers, has announced a landmark AED 500 million working capital facility provision through Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the MENAT region. This milestone agreement supports Joyalukkas' long-term expansion plans across the GCC and key international markets including the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Structured to provide Joyalukkas with seamless and flexible access to capital, the bespoke deal highlights the retailer's pioneering approach to global retail growth and underscores its longstanding relationship with Emirates NBD. The facility offers working capital on a revolving basis, enabling Joyalukkas to draw and repay funds as needed, thereby enhancing cost-efficiency and operational control. Since 1987, Joyalukkas Jewellery has brought together artistry and precise design across 13 countries and over 10 million customers and continues to strengthen its footprint across the globe, the AED 500 million facility ensures timely access to inventory financing and liquidity to support peak trading periods and supplier commitments. The deal is fully integrated with Emirates NBD's advanced digital and trade platforms, offering Joyalukkas real-time visibility and convenience across its financial operations. The agreement also signifies a deepening of the trust and strategic alignment between Joyalukkas and Emirates NBD. It reflects the jeweller's disciplined and forward-looking business model and further empowers its status as a global force in organized jewellery retail. Joy Alukkas, Chairman of Joyalukkas Group, commented: 'This facility marks a significant milestone in our journey to expand Joyalukkas into key international markets including the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Emirates NBD has been a trusted partner who understands the scale, ambition and discipline behind our global retail strategy. Structured with flexibility and foresight, this deal sets a new benchmark in the jewellery industry and reflects our pioneering approach to organized retailing. I sincerely thank the Emirates NBD team for their continued support and belief in our vision.' Ahmed Al Qassim, Group Head of Wholesale Banking at Emirates NBD, added: 'The provision of this working capital facility for Joyalukkas shows Emirates NBD's agility and capability to develop sector-specific transactions that cater to the exact needs of our expansive and diverse ecosystem of clients. Designed to meet Joyalukkas' strategic requirements, the deal emphasizes how Emirates NBD can deliver bespoke, digital-first, and customized credit solutions that empower leading companies and support both theirs, and the UAE's, economic growth. As a value-added product, this AED 500 million facility will help to provide the long-term support Joyalukkas needs to drive ahead with its international expansion plans, empowered by swift access to a framework of carefully structured and flexible capital.' With this facility, Joyalukkas is well-positioned to continue growing and setting global standards in jewellery retailing, backed by a robust and responsive financial framework from Emirates NBD.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
NTT DATA and Mistral AI to shape future of sustainable and secure private ai for enterprises
DUBAI, UAE – NTT DATA, a global leader in digital business and technology services, and Mistral AI, a rising innovator in open-weight, high-performance generative AI (GenAI) models, today announced plans to jointly sell and deploy safe and private enterprise-grade AI solutions that are able to foster strategic autonomy for clients. The companies will combine NTT DATA's comprehensive GenAI and IT services portfolio, global delivery capabilities, industry expertise and trusted client relationships with Mistral AI's solutions and advanced generative AI models, which are recognized for their efficiency, performance and enterprise empowerment. Initial focus areas include: Sustainable and Secure AI Co-Development: The companies will develop sustainable and highly secure private AI solutions for organizations in regulated sectors such as financial services, insurance, defense and public sector. The companies will provide end-to-end solutions from infrastructure to business processes powered by AI applications for clients operating on private clouds. AI-Driven Innovation for IT Infrastructure & Customer Experience: The companies will pioneer the integration of Mistral AI technologies into NTT DATA's customer experience platforms, beginning with agentic AI call center solutions in Europe and Asia Pacific. Joint projects could include co-development of LLMs for specific languages, which will further AI innovation tailored to local markets and specialized needs. Go-To-Market Expansion: NTT DATA and Mistral AI will jointly develop and execute regional go-to-market strategies tailored to the unique dynamics of countries including France, Luxembourg, Spain, Singapore and Australia. End-to-end AI services will range from use-case development and customization to implementation, support and managed services. Dedicated sales teams will be assigned to address key client needs and priorities. To drive innovation and implementation excellence, NTT DATA will establish a Mistral AI Center of Excellence staffed with subject matter experts and dedicated resources. In addition, Mistral AI will launch a technical enablement and certification program for NTT DATA personnel. 'Collaborating with Mistral AI to bring trustworthy, impactful AI to market aligns with NTT DATA's mission to accelerate client success and positively impact society through responsible innovation,' said Abhijit Dubey, CEO and Chief AI Officer*, NTT DATA, Inc. 'By joining forces with Mistral AI, we will harness the power of high-performing AI models combined with NTT DATA's comprehensive AI capabilities, including our Smart AI AgentTM Ecosystem. In doing so, we can assure secure, scalable and sustainable deployments for enterprises across the globe.' 'By collaborating with a global leader in digital transformation like NTT DATA, we will bring our next-generation AI solutions into real-world business applications, with a strong focus on organizations that need the highest standards of data privacy in their AI journey,' said Arthur Mensch, CEO, Mistral AI. In one of the first joint projects, Dennemeyer, a leading full-service global provider for intellectual property (IP) management, has chosen Mistral AI and NTT DATA to develop an AI-driven application for advanced patent searches and analyses, bringing the technical layers to securely run AI workloads.'Dennemeyer continues to be a driving force in the digital transformation of the IP industry; a key aspect of this is strong partnerships with organizations like Mistral AI and NTT DATA, who bring a deep technical understanding of AI and its integration into business processes,' said Brochmann Laurent, Global Chief Digital Officer, Dennemeyer. In another early effort, NTT DATA Luxembourg and Mistral AI will co-develop a sovereign platform in Luxembourg for clients in the regulated financial services and insurance industries. 'This collaboration offers a landmark opportunity to accelerate the adoption of AI across the financial and insurance markets in Luxembourg and beyond,' said Olivier Posty, Head of France and Luxembourg, NTT DATA. 'Together, we're creating a full-stack platform that is ready to host critical financial applications.' * Additional role effective Sept. 1, 2025 About Mistral AI Mistral AI is a pioneer company in generative artificial intelligence, empowering the world with the tools to build and benefit from the most transformative technology of our time. The company democratizes AI through high-performance, optimized, and cutting-edge open-source models, products and solutions as well as end-to-end infrastructure with Mistral Compute. Headquartered in France and independent, Mistral AI defends a decentralized and transparent approach to technology, with a strong global presence in the United States, United Kingdom, and Singapore. About NTT DATA NTT DATA is a $30+ billion trusted global innovator of business and technology services. We serve 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and are committed to helping clients innovate, optimize and transform for long-term success. As a Global Top Employer, we have experts in more than 50 countries and a robust partner ecosystem of established and start-up companies. Our services include business and technology consulting, data and artificial intelligence, industry solutions, as well as the development, implementation and management of applications, infrastructure and connectivity. We are also one of the leading providers of digital and AI infrastructure in the world. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3.6 billion each year in R&D to help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. Visit us at
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Kuwait minister 'optimistic' about oil market fundamentals
DUBAI - Kuwait's oil minister said he was optimistic about the oil market's fundamentals and that OPEC+ efforts aim for market balance, the state news agency (KUNA) reported on Tuesday. Tariq Suleiman Al-Roumi's comments came after Monday's OPEC+ meeting where Al-Roumi and other ministers from the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee met online for brief talks to stress the need for full compliance with oil production agreements. "(I am) optimistic about the fundamentals of the oil market and that OPEC+ efforts target energy security and market balance," KUNA quoted him as saying, without giving further details. OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil, has been curtailing production for several years to support the market. But it reversed course this year to regain market share, and as U.S. President Donald Trump demanded OPEC pump more to help keep a lid on gasoline prices. Eight members began to raise output in April and have accelerated production increases since then. Their most recent decision calls for an oil output increase of 548,000 barrels per day in August. Al-Roumi said Kuwait supports efforts to maintain a stable international oil market and that OPEC+ decisions are based on market developments. Kuwait possesses some of the world's largest oil reserves and, unlike its Gulf neighbours, remains heavily dependent on oil as it makes slow progress on diversifying its sources of revenues. It ran up a budget deficit of $5.23 billion for the fiscal year 2023/24, on the back of declining oil revenues based on an oil price of $86.36 a barrel. Kuwait's draft budget for the fiscal year 2025/26, which started on April 1, sees the deficit widening to $20.43 billion as oil revenues are expected to fall 5.7% from 2024/25, based on an oil price of $68 a barrel, the country's finance ministry said in February. ($1 = 0.3055 Kuwaiti dinars)
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Kuwait minister 'optimistic' about oil market fundamentals
DUBAI, July 29 (Reuters) - Kuwait's oil minister said he was optimistic about the oil market's fundamentals and that OPEC+ efforts aim for market balance, the state news agency (KUNA) reported on Tuesday. Tariq Suleiman Al-Roumi's comments came after Monday's OPEC+ meeting where Al-Roumi and other ministers from the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee met online for brief talks to stress the need for full compliance with oil production agreements. "(I am) optimistic about the fundamentals of the oil market and that OPEC+ efforts target energy security and market balance," KUNA quoted him as saying, without giving further details. OPEC+, which pumps about half of the world's oil, has been curtailing production for several years to support the market. But it reversed course this year to regain market share, and as U.S. President Donald Trump demanded OPEC pump more to help keep a lid on gasoline prices. Eight members began to raise output in April and have accelerated production increases since then. Their most recent decision calls for an oil output increase of 548,000 barrels per day in August. Al-Roumi said Kuwait supports efforts to maintain a stable international oil market and that OPEC+ decisions are based on market developments. Kuwait possesses some of the world's largest oil reserves and, unlike its Gulf neighbours, remains heavily dependent on oil as it makes slow progress on diversifying its sources of revenues. It ran up a budget deficit of $5.23 billion for the fiscal year 2023/24, on the back of declining oil revenues based on an oil price of $86.36 a barrel. Kuwait's draft budget for the fiscal year 2025/26, which started on April 1, sees the deficit widening to $20.43 billion as oil revenues are expected to fall 5.7% from 2024/25, based on an oil price of $68 a barrel, the country's finance ministry said in February. ($1 = 0.3055 Kuwaiti dinars)
