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☆ The 500-year-old hamam bringing Istanbul’s past to life
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Alice Barnes-Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Closed to the public for more than a decade, the stunning Zeyrek Çinili Hamam has just reopened its wooden doors to the world. A team of archaeologists and historians at the hamam helped those institutions to identify exactly where their Iznik tiles came from. Ottoman know-how and seamless minimalism come together inside the Çinili Hamam to create the ultimate zone-out space. The glass stars on the domed ceilings (a signature of Ottoman hamam design) allow just enough natural light to shimmer in, but not so much that it dazzles. Yazgan says the Zeyrek Çinili Hamam will closely replicate time-honored Ottoman bathtime traditions.

Persons: Hamam, Mimar Sinan, Suleiman the, Çinili, ”, Koza Yazgan, “, Sinan, London’s, Yazgan, Brüeckner –, Hammam, Murat Germen, Murat, Germen Murat Germen, puffy, ‘, Istanbul’s, It’s Organizations: CNN, hamam, Istanbul Biennial, Marmara Group, Egyptian Museum, UNESCO, Hagia Locations: Istanbul’s Zeyrek, Fatih, Zeyrek, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Mimar, Turkey, Istanbul, Ayasofya, Hagia Sofia, Ottoman, hamams, Aivita, Marmara, Valens, –

Temasek said it does not comment on market speculation, while Mubadala declined to comment. The Singapore state investment firm's talks with Mubadala, which manages $276 billion globally, are at an early stage, said the first of the sources. And Mubadala is "bullish on India (and) wants to double down on investments," the source added. Temasek intends to retain its majority stake in Manipal by continuing to be the largest and majority shareholder with a stake of more than 50%, said the third source. India's private healthcare space, worth about $48 billion, is forecast by PwC to grow 12% to 14% a year.

Persons: サマリー, Mubadala, Temasek, Mukesh, Tata Power's, Khaled Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Sriram, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Aditya Kalra, Clarence Fernandez 私たち Organizations: Temasek, Manipal, fund's, Singapore's Temasek, Mubadala, Tata, Economic Times, Cleveland Clinic Locations: Manipal, Middle, MUMBAI, DUBAI, SINGAPORE, India's Manipal, Abu Dhabi, India, Temasek, Singapore, Bengaluru, Mubadala, Asia, U.S

☆ Dubai to start robotaxi trials next month in major autonomous push
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Aimee Look | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Dubai hopes to become the first Middle Eastern city to introduce driverless taxis, Bahrozyan said. Autonomous taxis currently operate in several cities around the world, mostly in the US and China. Bahroyzyan said he foresees autonomous vehicles eventually making up the majority of the Middle East tourist hub’s taxi fleet. Selling and buying autonomous cars was also regulated. WeRide, a Chinese autonomous car technology company began trialing robotaxis in the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, in 2022.

Persons: Ahmed Bahrozyan, Bahrozyan, ” Bahrozyan, “, Cruise, Bahroyzyan, GM’s Cruise, trialing, WeRide Organizations: UAE CNN —, General Motors, United Arab Emirates, Transport Authority, Cruise, CNN, RTA, ”, WeRide, Saudi Artificial Intelligence Company, Authority Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, UAE CNN — Dubai, robotaxis, Jumeirah, Dubai’s Roads, Dubai, Eastern, China, San Francisco, Dubai …, California, ” Dubai, robobuses, WeRide, Mecca

☆ Centerbridge teams up with Wells Fargo to launch direct-lending fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Wells Fargo logo is seen in New York City, U.S. January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 26 (Reuters) - Private equity firm Centerbridge Partners is launching a direct-lending fund with backing from Wells Fargo (WFC.N), the companies said on Tuesday. The direct-lending market is dominated by private equity firms, which in recent months have been looking to expand their footprints in the sector as mid-sized banks tighten loan standards. The fund named Overland Advisors will target at least $5 billion in investible capital with a focus on meeting credit requirements of North American mid-sized companies, the San Francisco-based bank and Centerbridge said. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation have agreed to provide nearly $2 billion in initial equity commitments.

Persons: Stephanie Keith, Wells, Centerbridge, JPMorgan Chase, forayed, Jaiveer Singh, Shweta Agarwal Organizations: REUTERS, Centerbridge Partners, Overland, North, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Columbia Investment Management Corporation, JPMorgan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wells Fargo, San Francisco, Abu Dhabi, Bengaluru

☆ Supermarket franchisee Spinneys Dubai plans IPO in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman looks at products as she buys food supplies at a supermarket, as Muslims prepare for the fasting month of Ramadan in Dubai July 8, 2013. Albwardy Investment, the franchise's 100% owner, hired Rothschild & Co to advise on the planned IPO, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the plans are not public. The potential IPO of Spinneys Dubai, planned on the Dubai Financial Market, would add to the small but growing regional food retail sector. Spinneys Dubai operates more than 65 stores across the UAE, its website says. Albwardy, which says it has annual turnover above $1 billion, also owns the franchise rights to upmarket British supermarket chain Waitrose.

Persons: El, Rothschild, Moelis, Yousef Saba, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Spinneys, United Arab, Albwardy Investment, Co, Dubai Financial, Americana, North, KFC, Lulu, Reuters, UAE, Spinneys Dubai, Waitrose, Nestle UAE, Thomson Locations: Dubai, Spinneys Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Albwardy, East, North Africa, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Middle East, Africa

☆ Saudi Arabia and the UAE are battling to become the Middle East's economic superpower
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Saudi Arabia's crown prince is shaking up his economy in a move escalating its UAE rivalry. In March, Saudi Arabia unveiled Riyadh Air , a new airline serving as an alternative to the UAE's Emirates and Etihad Airways. If you want to do business with Saudi Arabia or Saudi state-owned entities, you've got to base your regional HQ in Saudi Arabia." "Saudi Arabia sees the separation project in Yemen as a way to let the Houthis control the north and therefore have a more-threatening border at the south of Saudi Arabia." Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERSHow far the rivalry between the two nations goes largely depends on Saudi Arabia's actions.

Persons: Saudi Arabia's, Mohammed bin Salman, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, MBZ, Obama, You've, Kristian Ulrichsen, Rice, Sheikh Mohamed, Prince Mohammed, Sheikh Mohamed —, —, Leon Neal, Shaybah, Ulrichsen, Sheikh Zayed, Sultan Al Nahyan, Abu, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Neom, Abishur Prakash, Jorg Greuel, Abdullah Alaoudh, Prakash, you've, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed, Ludovic Marin, Mohammed's, Jamal Khashoggi, Biden, Baker Institute's Ulrichsen, Alaoudh, wouldn't Organizations: United Arab Emirates, UAE, Service, Baker Institute, Saudi, UAE —, Qatar, Dubai, United, Freedom Initiative, UAE's Emirates, Etihad Airways, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle United FC, English Premier League, Manchester City, Saudi Crown, Getty, Ritz Carlton, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS, Saudi Aramco, United Nations Locations: Saudi, Wall, Silicon, Saudi Arabia, East, Washington, London, UAE, Persian, Al Ain, British, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, Riyadh, Manchester City . Saudi Arabia, New Delhi, Istanbul, Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia's, Bandar, Ukraine

☆ WTO needs progress on 'non-market' practices, dispute settlement -USTR's Tai
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

She said that in recent years, the WTO has failed to address non-market practices by some countries, seeking to "dominate key industrial sectors, promote national champions and discriminate foreign competitors, massively subsidize key sectors and manipulate cost structures." "And we certainly need to reform our dispute settlement system." "The United States wants a WTO where dispute settlement is fair and effective and supports a healthy balance of sovereignty, democracy, and economic integration," Tai said. Where we have better rules and tools to tackle non-market policies and practices and to confront the climate crisis and other pressing issues." Tai has long pushed back against China's "non-market" economic and trade practices from China, raising fresh objections to its state-led approach during a late May meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Detroit.

Persons: Katherine Tai, Biden's, Jonathan Ernst, Tai, Ngozi, Iweala, Wang Wentao, David Lawder, Grant McCool Organizations: Trade, REUTERS, Rights, . Trade, World Trade Organization, WTO, Center for Strategic, China's, Chinese Commerce, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, WTO, Washington, China, Abu Dhabi, United States, Detroit

[1/2] Logos of Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS are seen before a news conference in Zurich Switzerland, August 30, 2023. Credit Suisse, which was Switzerland's second-biggest bank, suffered years of scandals and losses before it had to be rescued in March in a state-engineered takeover by UBS. Credit Suisse declined to comment. Spokespeople for central banks in South Korea, India, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia also did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Last month, a Moscow court banned UBS and Credit Suisse from disposing of shares in their Russian subsidiaries, Reuters reported, citing court documents.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Laws, Engen Tham, Selena Li, Jihoon Lee, Alexander Marrow, Sumeet Chatterjee, Stephen Coates, Alexander Smith Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Suisse, Western, Thomson Locations: Zurich Switzerland, Rights SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, South Korea, India, Swiss, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Shanghai, Hong Kong, London

Summary Egypt seeking cheaper wheat amid dollar crunchRussia blocked deal that undercut price floor- tradersCAIRO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Egypt is in talks with an Abu Dhabi-based bank for a loan facility that would finance wheat purchases from Kazakhstan, three traders told Reuters. The move could give Egypt a cheap alternative to grain from Russia, which has supplied an increasing share of Egypt's wheat since last year but recently blocked a deal for a purchase below an unofficial price floor for wheat purchases, traders say. Russia's agriculture ministry recently prevented the private sale of 480,000 tons of Russian wheat to Egypt, apparently because it was sold below the price floor, traders told Reuters. Kazakhstan is already an approved wheat import origin for Egypt, but purchases from the Central Asian country are rare. The Egyptian government recently signed a $500 million loan agreement with the Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX) to buy imported wheat from UAE-based agribusiness Al Dahra.

Persons: Abu, GASC, Sarah El Safty, Michael Hogan, Aidan Lewis, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, General Authority for Supply Commodities, Central, Abu, Abu Dhabi Exports Office, Thomson Locations: Egypt, Russia, CAIRO, Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, France, Bulgaria, UAE

LONDON, Sept 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Barely a day goes by without an eye-catching story involving Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. A third of the fund consists of significant stakes in domestic companies like the $51 billion Saudi Telecom Company (7010.SE) and $53 billion Saudi National Bank (1180.SE). Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe PIF’s investment strategy is also racier than its more conservative peers. But the episode reinforces the impression that the PIF is a mix of venture capital, hedge fund and startup money. The most spectacular was probably handing $45 billion to SoftBank Group (9984.T) boss Masayoshi Son for his $100 billion first Vision Fund.

Persons: Kylian Mbappé, It’s, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Yasir Al, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, Rumayyan, Salman bin Abdulaziz, Masayoshi Son, SWFs, Taiwan’s Foxconn, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Standard Chartered, Spanish telco Telefonica, Fund, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Global, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Saudi, Saudi Telecom Company, Saudi National Bank, Saudi Aramco, giga, Qatar Investment Authority, Singapore’s Temasek, Al, MbS, SoftBank Group, Vision, Credit Suisse, UBS, Saudi giga, Aramco, Investment, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Saudi

☆ Saudi crown prince says normalization with Israel gets 'closer' every day
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Abu Dhabi, UAE CNN —Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said that his country was moving “closer” each day toward reaching a normalization deal with Israel, the first time he has publicly acknowledged the process. We’re gonna see how it goes.”The Biden administration has for several months been in talks with Saudi Arabia on the matter, according to US officials. Saudi Arabia has been strengthening its ties with China as Washington’s rivalry with the Asian nation heats up. “We are the biggest buyer of American armored manufacturing,” he said, adding that Saudi Arabia is “critical” to US arms exports. Saudi Arabia is in the process of changing laws to make them “more realistic” for Saudis, he said.

Persons: UAE CNN — Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ”, Biden, don’t, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Fox News ’ Brett Baier, ” BRICS, BRICS, Jamal Khashoggi, Khashoggi Organizations: UAE CNN — Saudi Arabia’s Crown, Fox News, Saudi, MBS, ”, West Bank, Wednesday, CNN, Fox, White, America, CIA Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, ”, Iran, Tehran, China, Beijing, Gulf, America, Arabia, West, Russia, Istanbul

☆ Mozambique can sue Privinvest in London 'tuna bond' case, UK court rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Mozambique is suing Privinvest, its owner Iskandar Safa, Credit Suisse and others over three loans raised in 2013 and 2014, ostensibly to develop its fishing industry. In the Supreme Court case, Privinvest argued the dispute must be heard in secret arbitration proceedings. But senior judges unanimously allowed the case to be heard in a lengthy public trial in the High Court, due to begin on Oct. 3. The judgment validates Mozambique's decision to bring proceedings in the High Court, said Mozambique's London law firm Peters & Peters. The High Court ruled this month that Nyusi has state immunity.

Persons: Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, Eduardo Munoz, Privinvest, Iskandar Safa, Peters, Peters & Peters, Safa, corruptly, Filipe Nyusi, Nyusi, Helen Taylor, Kirstin Ridley, Manuel Mucari, William James, Tomasz Janowski, Alexander Smith Organizations: General Assembly, REUTERS, Credit Suisse, Peters &, Privinvest, UBS, Mozambican, Corruption, Thomson Locations: Mozambique, New York City, U.S, Britain, Court, London, Lebanon, Abu Dhabi, United States, Mozambican, Maputo

☆ Major Gulf markets little changed ahead of Fed decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Christopher Pike Acquire Licensing RightsSept 20 (Reuters) - Major stock markets in the Gulf were little changed in early trade on Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate decision. Investors are awaiting a raft of central bank interest rate decisions this week to assess the outlook for economic growth and fuel demand. The U.S. central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold, but the focus will be on its projected policy path. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council's monetary policy is usually guided by the Fed's decision as most regional currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar. The Qatari benchmark (.QSI) rose 0.1%, helped by a 0.7% rise in the Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank (QNBK.QA).

Persons: Joe Biden, Christopher Pike, Ateeq, Sohini Goswami Organizations: Dubai Financial, U.S, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Gulf Cooperation, U.S ., Development, Saudi Aramco, Qatar National Bank, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, U.S . Federal, U.S, Saudi, Dar Al Arkan, Yemen, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Ateeq Shariff, Bengaluru

☆ Wolff says F1 risks disarray if Massa succeeds in title bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 19 (Reuters) - Formula One risks disarray in the unlikely event of Felipe Massa winning a threatened legal claim for the 2008 world championship, according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. The Brazilian lost that title by a point to Britain's Lewis Hamilton, then at McLaren and now at Mercedes and a seven-time world champion. "I don't think he has a case, to be honest," Wolff told reporters at the latest edition of the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. "For me this is like watching a telenovela or soap opera playing out in front of me," added the Austrian. Wolff had said earlier that Massa's case was sure to set a precedent and Mercedes were watching "with curiosity".

Persons: Felipe Massa, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Britain's Lewis Hamilton, Wolff, Massa, Wolff's, I'm, Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Michael Masi, Alan Baldwin, Ken Ferris Organizations: Ferrari, Massa, McLaren, Mercedes, Singapore, Prix, Austrian, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Abu Dhabi, London

☆ Massive LLMs like Google's forthcoming Gemini could be a rare breed as generative AI enters a downsizing period
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google is preparing to release a massive LLM called Gemini. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. It's a release that may become an exceedingly rare occurrence since the AI sector is gearing up for a significant downsizing period. To date, the generative AI boom has been driven by algorithms known as large language models (LLMs). GPT-4, the latest AI model from the ChatGPT creator , is thought to be trained on more than a trillion bits of data known as tokens.

Persons: OpenAI's, They're, Sam Altman, it's, Altman, Ebtesam Almazrouei, Almazrouei's Abu Organizations: Google, Service, WIRED, Technology, Cross Center Unit Locations: Wall, Silicon, Almazrouei's Abu Dhabi

☆ Getir emerged as a tentative winner in Europe's pandemic-fueled rapid-delivery sector. But it still faces sizable threats.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In March 2022, Nazım Salur invited thousands of Getir employees to a Zoom meeting to celebrate its newfound "decacorn" status. However, as soaring inflation and rising interest rates began to hobble the tech sector, investors became far less forgiving of businesses that had oriented themselves more toward growth than sustainability. In December 2021, The Guardian reported that Getir had offered customers a deal where they could get £15 off if they spent £16. About 21 rapid-delivery startups were operating across Europe in 2021, with Getir joined by the German outfits Gorillas and Flink, as well as the British startup Zapp. Getir tentatively emerged as the winner in the rapid-delivery sector when it bought its main competitor, Gorillas , in a heavily discounted deal for $1.2 billion in December.

Persons: Nazım Salur, Nazım, Getir, Blok, London's, Alexi Rosenfeld, they've, Adam Neumann, Michael Moritz Organizations: Tiger Global, Mubadala, Financial Times, Getir, TechCrunch, Guardian, DST Global, Gorillas, Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, Google, PayPal Locations: Spanish, Berlin, Turkey, Turkish, Germany, Netherlands, Istanbul, Turkey's, Europe, British, Abu Dhabi

☆ Ambani’s retail backers dispel only a little doubt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Asia’s richest man is raising fresh funds to trim debt and expand the shopping unit of his flagship Reliance Industries (RELI.NS). Ambit Capital, a broking firm, for example ascribes Reliance Retail a $57 billion valuation in a sum of the parts analysis, almost half Bernstein’s estimated $111 billion. Any financial haze around Reliance Retail will naturally clear whenever it publishes a detailed listing prospectus. U.S. private equity giant KKR will invest 20.7 billion rupees ($250 million) into Reliance Retail Ventures, the company’s parent Reliance Industries said on Sept. 11. Reliance Retail is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries.

Persons: Mukesh Ambani, Thakore, Singapore’s GIC, Bernstein, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Reliance Industries, KKR, Abraham, Qatar Investment, U.S, Reliance Retail, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Reliance, HK, India’s Reliance Industries, Reliance Retail Ventures, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia

☆ Dubai police seize over $1 billion of captagon drug smuggled inside furniture
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

A surveillance video shared by the interior ministry on Thursday shows the suspects attempting to bring the captagon tablets through Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port. UAE authorities have seized hundreds of thousands of captagon pills since 2019. Captagon was originally the brand name for a medicinal product containing the synthetic stimulant fenethylline. Experts say the vast majority of global captagon production occurs in Syria, with the Gulf region being its primary destination. Last year, the US introduced the 2022 US Captagon Act, which linked the trade to the Syrian regime and called it a “transnational security threat.”

Persons: Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Captagon, ” Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN, United, United Arab Emirates, country’s Ministry of Interior, Dubai Police, ”, Twitter, Customs, European Monitoring Centre, Drugs, Addiction, US Locations: Abu Dhabi, United Arab, UAE, Jebel Ali Port, Abu, Syria

☆ Mercedes watching Massa case with interest, says Wolff
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Ferrari driver Massa lost that title by a point to Lewis Hamilton, now at Mercedes and a seven-time world champion. The Brazilian, 42, says an alleged "conspiracy" denied him the title because the sport's leaders knew the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix was manipulated but took no action until a year later. Wolff suggested that outcome could also be challenged if Massa were to succeed with his case. "The FIA commented on the 2021 race with a clear statement so that's why we are looking at it with interest," he said. The governing FIA said in March 2022 after an enquiry that "the results of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the FIA Formula One World Championship are valid, final and cannot now be changed."

Persons: Felipe Massa, Edgar Su, Felipe Massa's, Toto Wolff, Massa, Lewis Hamilton, Nelson Piquet, Fernando Alonso, Wolff, Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Michael Masi . Wolff, Alan Baldwin, Ken Ferris Organizations: Singapore, Circuit, Rights, Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, FIA, Abu, Prix, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights SINGAPORE, Abu Dhabi, London

The behind-the-scenes details on the IPO pricing decision are based on interviews with three people familiar with the discussions. Together with other previously unreported deliberations, they shed new light on why SoftBank took a conservative approach in valuing Arm in the IPO. SoftBank, which had owned 75% of Arm, agreed to buy the remaining 25% from its $100 billion Vision Fund at a $64 billion valuation last month. Representatives for Arm, SoftBank, PIF, Mubadala and Raine either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests for comment. VISION FUND BOUNCEBACKThe Vision Fund returned to profitability in the latest quarter thanks to investors' excitement around artificial intelligence boosting the value of some of the startups in which it invested.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Masayoshi Son, Raine Group, Son, SoftBank, Fund's, Abu Dhabi's Mubadala, Raine, Didi Global, Echo Wang, Anirban Sen, Greg Roumeliotis, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, SoftBank, Wednesday, Arm Holdings, Nasdaq, Vision Fund, Investors, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Vision, Reuters, Nvidia Corp, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, New York, Mubadala, China, United States

☆ Afghanistan recall fast bowler Naveen for World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has returned to the Afghanistan one-day squad for the upcoming World Cup in India more than two years after playing his last ODI. Omarzai missed the ongoing Asia Cup with a side strain but has recovered to reclaim his place in the 15-member squad announced on Wednesday. Rashid Khan will spearhead a spin attack that also includes Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad. All-rounder Gulbadin Naib, who led the team when they finished bottom at the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, is one of three reserve players. Afghanistan will kick off their World Cup campaign on Oct. 7 against Bangladesh in Dharamsala.

Persons: Naveen, Haq, Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naib, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Najibullah Zadran, Ikram, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ul, Amlan Chakraborty, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Ireland, Bangladesh, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, India, Abu Dhabi, Asia, England, Wales, Dharamsala, New Delhi

Reliance Retail is India's largest retailer and is led by Asia's richest person Mukesh Ambani. Of that, QIA last month announced a $1 billion investment and KKR & Co (KKR.N) this week $250 million. Reliance sold a 10.09% stake in its retail unit in 2020, valuing it at 4.68 trillion rupees ($56.4 billion). When ADIA invested in Reliance Retail in 2020, it said it was part of its strategy of targeting market leading businesses in Asia linked to the region's consumption-driven growth. Reliance Retail reported a consolidated net profit of 91.81 billion rupees ($1.11 billion) for the financial year that ended in March 2023, on revenue of 2.6 trillion rupees.

Persons: Singapore's GIC, Mukesh Ambani, QIA, ADIA, PIF, Marks, Spencer, Ambani, Sriram, Aditya Kalra, Yantoultra Ngui, Alexander Smith Organizations: Reliance, Asia's, Reuters, KKR, Co, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Reliance Industries, Reliance Retail, Unilever, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, DELHI, DUBAI, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, GIC, Asia

☆ Arms maker says interest in its weapons 'largely' driven by Ukrainians using them to fight Russians
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Polish arms maker says customers are flocking to weapons systems used in Ukraine. The state-owned PGZ said it has fielded two new orders for portable rocket launchers. Ukrainian forces have used such portable rocket launchers, or MANPADS, to challenge Russia's air supremacy. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile providing Ukraine with arms serves Warsaw's national security interests, it is also proving a boon to its defense sector. Other arms makers have also used Ukraine as a selling point — Ukrainian firms, especially.

Persons: PGZ, Patryk Brzeziński, SIPRI, Oleg Skillar, cdavis@insider.com Organizations: Russia, Service, Defense, Russian, Defence and Security, International, United, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, National Defense Magazine Locations: Polish, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, London, Ukrainian, United States, Russian, Poland, Stockholm, Europe, Balkans, Estonia, Baltic, Abu Dhabi

☆ UAE lifts visa restrictions for Nigerians
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —The United Arab Emirates has lifted a year-long visa ban imposed on Nigerian travelers, authorities in the West African country said Monday. The restriction placed by the UAE last October was lifted following negotiations between Nigeria’s new President Bola Tinubu and UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” the statement added. Flights between both countries were stopped last year after Dubai’s Emirates airline suspended its operations in Nigeria citing trapped revenues. The UAE’s Dubai emirate has been a popular destination for Nigerian travelers for many years but visas to the West Africans and nationals of 19 other African states were halted last year for undisclosed reasons.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ajuri Ngelale Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, United Arab, UAE, Etihad Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Dubai’s Emirates, West Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, West, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Dubai

☆ Abu Dhabi's Mubadala commits $1 billion to Blue Owl Capital's credit platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala Investment Company has committed $1 billion to U.S.-based Blue Owl Capital's credit platform under a strategic partnership announced by the two companies on Monday. The investment will initially focus on providing financing for technology companies, Mubadala and Blue Owl said in a statement. Blue Owl is an alternative investment manager with $150 billion in assets under management. Private credit funds are increasingly competing with banks, including for financing large company buyouts. I would advise that for the next maybe one year, the credit space would be an interesting space to deploy some investment," al-Mahmoud said at the time.

Persons: Fabrizio Bocciardi, QIA, Mansoor Ebrahim Al, Mahmoud, al, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Susan Fenton Organizations: Mubadala Investment Company, Asia Pacific, Qatar Investment Authority, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Abu Dhabi, North America, Europe, Asia

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