consumer palace

Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates gets makeover for 20th anniversary

Ski Dubai features a 1,300-foot indoor slope covered by artificial snow, with a resident pack of penguins that keeps kids flocking to the shopping center

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

The ski slope starts close to the ceiling at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai

By

Jonathan H. Ferziger

April 18, 2025

Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, home to the Middle East’s first indoor ski slope alongside its Prada, Dior and Armani boutiques, is heading for a makeover to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Majid Al Futtaim Holding, owner of the 545-store consumer palace, will plow some $1.4 billion into the mall’s facelift, adding another 100 shops as well as a 600-seat theater, The National reports.

Opened in November 2005 alongside the city’s central traffic artery Sheikh Zayed Road, the glitzy shopping center competes with Emaar’s Dubai Mall, which sits not far away at the bottom of the 163-floor Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper.

With a pack of penguins drawing children to Ski Dubai and its 1,300-foot artificial snow-covered slope, Mall of the Emirates counted 40 million visitors in 2025.

Nearly 100 restaurants and cafes, an Apple Store and the country’s biggest movie theater draw city dwellers and foreign tourists to its super air-conditioned galleries to escape the UAE’s stifling heat.

In March, Majid Al Futtaim reported 2024 profit rose 18%, with occupancy at its 29 malls across the region at 97%.

“This continuing transformation, coupled with the region’s strong economic momentum, has positioned Mall of the Emirates as one of the world’s highest-performing malls for leading brands,” Khalifa bin Braik, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management, told the newspaper.

The Dubai-based company said this week it plans to launch a $4.7 billion mixed commercial and residential project in Riyadh, with design work underway and construction set to begin in early 2026.

The Daily Circuit

The Daily Circuit: $1.4 B mall makeover in Dubai + Mubadala schools

Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem with his work “Directions (Merging),” a new digital artwork commissioned by Julius Baer, which is on display at Madinat Jumeirah Conference and Events Centre for Art Dubai 2025. (Cedric Ribeiro/Getty Images)

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - APRIL 15: Directions (Merging), a new digital artwork by Mohammed Kazem, commissioned by Julius Baer and debuting at Art Dubai is seen on Day 1 of Art Dubai 2025 at Madinat Jumeirah Conference and Events Centre on April 15, 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Cedric Ribeiro/Getty Images for Art Dubai)

By

Jonathan H. Ferziger

Omnia Al Desoukie

April 17, 2025

👋 Hello from the Middle East!

In the Daily Circuit today, we’re looking at Mubadala’s $600 million stake in Nord Anglia schools, ADIA’s investment in India’s IDFC First Bank, PIF-backed Lucid’s plans for its electric SUV and an interview with Microsoft’s Chris Papaphotis as he rolls out the firm’s ‘edge’ AI personal computers in the UAE. But first, shopping malls reign in Dubai.

Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, home to the Middle East’s first indoor ski slope alongside its Prada, Dior and Armani boutiques, is heading for a makeover to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Majid Al Futtaim Holding, owner of the 545-store consumer palace, will plow some $1.4 billion into the mall’s facelift, adding another 100 shops as well as a 600-seat theater, The National reports.

Built alongside Sheikh Zayed Road, the city’s central traffic artery, the glitzy shopping center competes with Emaar’s Dubai Mall, which sits at the bottom of the 163-floor Burj Khalifa, the world’s biggest tower.
With a pack of penguins drawing children to Ski Dubai and its compact artificial snow-covered slope, Mall of the Emirates counted 40 million visitors in 2025, with nearly 100 restaurants and cafes, an Apple Store, and the country’s biggest movie theater.

In March, Majid Al Futtaim reported that its 2024 profit rose 18%, with occupancy at its 29 malls across the region at 97%. The Dubai-based company said this week it plans to launch a $4.7 billion mixed commercial and residential project in Riyadh, with design work underway and construction set to begin in early 2026.

Welcome to the Daily Circuit. Kindly let us know your thoughts and feedback by replying to this newsletter or emailing us at [email protected].

CIRCUIT Q&A

Microsoft bet on ‘edge’ computing brings AI closer to Mideast users

*Microsoft’s Chris Papaphotis at the Copilot+ launch event this week in Dubai*

Microsoft, which invested $1.5 billion last year in Abu Dhabi’s G42 artificial intelligence firm, is rolling out new AI products tailored to customers across the Middle East and Africa, The Circuit’s Omnia Al Desoukie reports.

Overseeing the campaign is Microsoft’s Chris Papaphotis, who was in the UAE this week to launch the company’s Copilot+ series of Surface PCs, which integrate so-called “edge” AI technology that runs on users’ computers rather than on distant cloud-based servers.

“AI gets born in the cloud, but it will be used in the edge,” Papaphotis said in an interview with The Circuit.

To read the full interview, click here.

📰 Developing Stories

GREEN CORRIDOR

Oman’s decision to invest in green hydrogen is turning the Gulf sultanate into a base for shipping the environmentally sustainable fuel to Europe. A group of 11 companies from Oman, the Netherlands, and Germany signed an agreement on Wednesday to develop the world’s first liquid hydrogen import corridor, Reuters reports. Oman has said it will invest some $10 billion to reach its goal of producing at least 1 million tons of renewable hydrogen a year by 2030. The European agreement was signed this week during a visit to the Netherlands by Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tareq.

STUDY HALL

The growing inflow of investors, lawyers, and other expat professionals to the Gulf has brought a tidal wave of kids in their wake, creating demand for new private schools. In turn, both Mubadala and Dubai Holding are investing in U.K.-based Nord Anglia Education, which runs four schools in the UAE and 80 worldwide. Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund, said today it will invest $600 million for a minority stake in Nord Anglia, joining Dubai Holding in an international consortium that bought the company last month for $14.5 billion. Other investors include Swedish private equity giant EQT, New York-based Neuberger Berman, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and Spain’s Corporación Financiera Alba.

💲 Sovereign Circuit

Public Investment Fund: Lucid, the PIF-backed California maker of electric vehicles, said it expects to launch its midsize electric SUV in 2026 with a price tag of about $50,000.

TAQA: Abu Dhabi National Energy Company acquired U.K.-based energy and utility investment platform Transmission Investment, a company with $4 billion of assets under management.

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority: India’s IDFC First Bank said it will raise as much as $877 million from ADIA and private equity firm Warburg Pincus for a 15% stake in the Mumbai-based lender.

ADQ: The Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund formed a joint venture called Gridora with International Holding Co. and Modon Holding, which will aim to accelerate the delivery of large-scale, high-impact infrastructure projects across the UAE and globally.

Mubadala: Atvos, a Brazilian ethanol and sugar producer backed by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, is among companies considering bids to acquire three sugar mills from Brazil’s Raizen SA, Bloomberg reports.

↪↩ Closing Circuit

💻 New Construction: Saudi-based construction tech startup TruBuild raised $1 million in seed funding, led by Saudi Aramco’s Wa’ed Ventures and Dar Ventures, to expand its AI-driven platform that reduces project delays and cost overruns.

🌐 Human Investment: Riyadh-headquartered investment management company Alareeb Holding acquired an 80% stake in Vision Talent, a human resources company.

🔒 AI Shield: Pillar Security, an Israeli cybersecurity startup focused on protecting AI software, raised $9 million in a seed funding round led by Shield Capital.

🏛️ School’s In: Oman REIT acquired a Sharjah school building from UAE headquartered Amity Group for $32.67 million in a sale-leaseback deal funded through existing credit to boost returns and diversify its portfolio.

🗣 Circuit Chatter

☕ Counting Beans: Saudi Arabia’s Barn’s coffee chain is seeking advisory banks as it prepares for a potential IPO on Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul stock exchange to help fund its expansion across the Middle East, Bloomberg reports.

🚢 Ship Shape: State-owned seaport operator Mwani Qatar reported a 5% increase in cruise passengers for the 2024–25 season, with Doha Port welcoming nearly 400,000 visitors from 87 cruise calls.

🛢️ Oil Dump: Turkey’s largest oil refiner Tupras, has resumed purchasing Russian Urals crude after halting imports earlier this year due to heightened U.S. sanctions, Reuters reports.

💵 Arab Bond: Egypt wants to attract $6.5 billion in new Kuwaiti investments by the end of 2026, as President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi visits Kuwait to boost economic ties following a similar $7.5 billion deal with Qatar, Asharq Business reports.

🫘 Plush Bites: Nurtac Afridi, CEO of Dubai-based Bateel International, told Bloomberg that the luxury food group plans to triple revenue in four years by boosting its store count to over 500, increasing cultivation of organic date palms and building a new factory.

🌍 Power Circuit

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani meets today in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks that are expected to touch on trade and energy, in addition to political matters in Ukraine, Syria and Gaza.

Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the U.S., joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino and other leaders in Washington, D.C., to welcome soccer’s FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Trophy Tour.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, received Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the UAE, at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan, a UAE Minister of State, receivedMahamat Idriss Déby Itno, the President of Chad, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

➿ On the Circuit

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright visited Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology on Wednesday, where he was received by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy and KAUST Board Chairman, and University President Edward Byrne.

Wesam Lootah has been named Director General of GovDigital, a division within Abu Dhabi’s Department of Government Enablement that spearheads the emirate’s digital transformation. Prior to this role, he served as the CEO of Smart Dubai Government, the technology arm of Digital Dubai.

Khamis Abdullah Al Mazrouei has been appointed Executive Director of the Sharjah National Oil Corporation by a decree issued by Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, met with a European parliamentary delegation led by David McAllister, Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, WAM reports.

🎶 Culture Circuit

⌛ Grand Opening: There is no institution on earth whose opening has been as wildly anticipated or mind-bogglingly delayed as the Grand Egyptian Museum, The New York Times writes in its first travel review of the attraction –the publication of which must be a sign it’s really, finally open after more than a decade of dilly-dallying? Well, sort of. When The Times showed up in mid-February, 11 of the 12 main galleries were open, but the Tutankhamen galleries remained sealed off, due to be opened with an official ceremony on July 3. But before you start Googling flights to Cairo, “You might take that date with a grain or two of salt,” the writer quips.

📷 Photo of the Day

📅 Circuit Calendar

April 15-17, Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Global Health Week. A worldwide forum dedicated to shaping the future of health. ADNEC.

April 16-17, Dubai. FastBull Finance Summit Dubai. Focused on global finance, emphasizing areas such as forex and blockchain financial technology. Coca-Cola Arena.

April 17-19, Dubai. World Art Dubai. The annual retail art fair features more than 10,000 works for sale. Dubai World Trade Centre.

April 18-20, Dubai. Art Dubai. The three-day city festival spotlights more than 100 contemporary, modern and digital galleries from the UAE and over 40 other countries. Madinat Jumeirah.

April 18-20, Jeddah. STC Saudi Arabian GP. The Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by STC returns, promising an electrifying high-speed spectacle on the Red Sea. Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

April 18-20, Abu Dhabi. Middle East Film and Comic Con 2025. The region’s largest pop culture festival returns for its 13th year. ADNEC.

April 21-23, Abu Dhabi. Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit 2025. The Middle East’s largest annual event dedicated to shaping the future of electric mobility. ADNEC.

April 23-34, Dubai. Dubai AI Festival. Bringing together the brightest minds to explore and expand the commercial and economic possibilities of AI technology.” Madinat Jumeirah.

April 27-29, Abu Dhabi. Culture Summit. The annual event features panels, case studies, creative conversations, artist talks and workshops. Manarat Al Sadiyat.

April 29-30, Abu Dhabi. Digital Transformation Summit UAE 2025. In its 37th edition, the summit is expected to be attended by over 300 C-suite executives, directors, and technology leaders. Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resorts.

April 30- May 1, Dubai. Token2049 Dubai. A global conference dedicated to the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. Madinat Jumeirah.

May 5-6, Abu Dhabi. Governance of Emerging Technologies Summit. Shaping Responsible Governance of AI & Emerging Technologies in a Future Digital Economy. St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort.

May 6-7, Dubai. MENA Capital Market Summit. The event will bring together 1,500 businesses, decision-makers and global financial leaders to discuss the capital market. Madinat Jumeirah.

May 6-8, Dubai. Airport Show. Showcasing the latest technological advancements in the airport industry. Dubai World Trade Center.

May 16-17, Tirana, Albania. FII Priority Europe 2025. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund sponsors a regional business summit focused on Europe and is affiliated with the annual Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh. National Theater of Opera and Ballet.

May 20-22, Doha, Qatar. Qatar Economic Forum. Annual conference gathers brings together Qatari government and business leaders with corporate executives, investors and policymakers from around the world. Media City Qatar.

CIRCUIT Q&A

Microsoft bet on ‘edge’ computing brings AI closer to Mideast users

In an interview with The Circuit, Microsoft's Chris Papaphotis discusses how the company is tailoring its AI products to Arabic-speaking customers

Mustafa Khan

Microsoft's Chris Papaphotis at the Copilot+ launch event this week in Dubai

By

Omnia Al Desoukie

April 17, 2025

Microsoft, which invested $1.5 billion last year in Abu Dhabi’s G42 artificial intelligence firm, is rolling out new AI products tailored to customers across the Middle East and Africa.

Overseeing the campaign is Chris Papaphotis, who was in the UAE this week to launch the company’s Copilot+ series of Surface PCs, which integrate so-called “edge” AI technology that runs on users’ computers rather than on distant cloud-based servers.

“AI gets born in the cloud, but it will be used in the edge,” Papaphotis said in an interview with The Circuit.

The new PCs have been adapted to the region’s business and government market with bolstered Arabic-language capacities, said Papaphotis, 53, who started with Microsoft almost 30 years ago in his native Greece. Now he covers 109 countries as Senior Director for Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa of Device Partner Sales.

Microsoft, the world’s second-largest company after Apple, plans to invest approximately $80 billion globally this year in AI-enabled data centers, which include facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and South Africa.

The firm is also a co-investor with BlackRock and Abu Dhabi’s MGX in the Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership, which launched last September with the goal of raising $100 billion in private equity capital.

The interview with Papaphotis has been edited for length and clarity.

Where are Microsoft’s investments concentrated now in the Middle East and Africa region?

Both in the cloud and on the edge. It’s an area that we are interested in. As you know, we have strategic relationships with G42, for example, significant investments from Microsoft as well, as well as investing in data centers across the region — Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and so forth. It is something that Microsoft invests heavily in. We know that the Middle East and Africa are opportunities for us. It’s great to see the governments being so interested because they understand that this is a kind of technology that, by investing now, you can leapfrog and shape the future. For example, creating Arabic LLMs (large language models), is really a keystone for that.

Why is edge AI becoming so important to the company?

Today, AI is a technology that was born in the cloud. It means that there was a lot of data and what we call the large language models that have been compiled through very huge data centers. We all know about the big investments in this area. Currently, a lot of people experience AI through this lens, meaning that you go, let’s say, to ChatGPT or Co-Pilot, and you ask a question, then it goes up in the cloud, and it crunches it. However, people understand that as we move along, AI will become much more of a personal assistant. And in order to really unlock the value that it can bring to you, it needs to have access to personal details. For reasons of privacy and security, it makes a lot of sense to actually have it on the edge. So maybe it’s a long-winded answer saying that AI gets born in the cloud, but will be used in the edge. And a lot of computing needs to exist in the edge to be able to do this for you and become very personalized and to suit your needs.

Q: What are the biggest opportunities and challenges you see for combining cloud and edge?

The truth of the matter is that there is really a generational shift in technology. AI is here to stay. It’s not like something that is just a fad. It will truly ingrain every single thing we do in our lives, from self-driving cars to AI agents, that we will be able to command and have tens or hundreds of them for personal or work tasks to enhance human productivity. I think we’ll look back in history and say this is great. Of course, it does take a responsible way to use it. It still has some limitations – for example, hallucinations and producing results that are not accurate. It’s important for us to understand how to use it properly to our benefit and understand the limitations so that we can sidestep them and have them under control. That’s why in Microsoft, we call them Co-Pilot. We feel that humans should always be pilots, and then there should be co-pilots next to us, giving us assistance, but we should always maintain control.

How has the experience of working for Microsoft changed over your three decades with the company?

I mean, it’s crazy. Honestly, I feel that it’s like working for a startup, although I have been working for so many years. And the reason is that in a startup, you have the sense of possibilities of something new that the whole world can actually see. If you think about it, we started with a vision of having one PC on every desk, and now it’s one AI per person across the world or even multiple ones depending on the different roles that you have. I think we’re just in the very beginning. Things have evolved tremendously, and to be quite honest, it’s part of the excitement that we don’t know where it’s going to lead us, but for sure there are going to be infinite possibilities.

The Daily Circuit

The Daily Circuit: Saudi United Carton heads for IPO + ADIA in Sweden

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at Qasr al Bahr in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. (WAM)

By

Jonathan H. Ferziger

Omnia Al Desoukie

April 16, 2025

👋 Hello from the Middle East!

In the Daily Circuit today, we’re looking at IPO plans for Saudi Arabia’s United Carton Industries, World Bank support for Oman’s environmental agenda, the growing number of women in Dubai’s real estate industry and preparations in Jeddah for this weekend’s F1 Grand Prix. But first, U.S. higher education in Qatar.

Qatar is strengthening its embrace of American universities as Georgetown University commits to running its foreign service school in Doha’s Education City for another 10 years.

Francisco Marmolejo, President of Education at the Qatar Foundation, told Bloomberg that its contract with the Washington-based school could be expanded down the line with other programs.

Five other universities in the U.S. have operated in Qatar over the past two decades, while American schools such as New York University maintain programs in the UAE, bringing in money for the institutions and educating thousands of foreign students.

“This partnership is not only contributing here to the development of Qatar, but also in the home campus to a better understanding of what this region is for the rest of the world,” Marmolejo told the news agency.

In Qatar, the foundation pays for the cost of operating the school while Georgetown receives a management fee, Marmolejo said.

The relationship between Gulf states and American universities has generally remained untouched by the Trump administration’s battle with Harvard, Columbia and other institutions of higher learning, which face threats of losing billions of dollars in federal funding over accusations of antisemitism amid pro-Palestinian campus protests.

Still, Texas A&M said last year it would end its relationship with Qatar, which has been accused of trying to buy influence by lavishing money on U.S. schools and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution.

Welcome to the Daily Circuit. Kindly let us know your thoughts and feedback by replying to this newsletter or emailing us at [email protected].

📰 Developing Stories

START YOUR ENGINES

With Saudi Arabia’s Formula 1 Grand Prix ready to roar through Jeddah’s Corniche Circuit this weekend, sentiment is growing that the kingdom should consider owning its own F1 team. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, President of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, raised the possibility that one of the Public Investment Fund’s companies may buy a team, Reuters reports. “We have a lot of interest – I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an announcement for a Saudi team,” Prince Khalid said during a video call with reporters this week. The PIF’s CYVN Holdings bought a stake in British sports car maker Mclaren in 2021 before selling it off a year later.

FEMALE POWER

Women have become a growing force in Dubai’s real estate boom. Female investors accounted for $32 billion of Dubai real estate transactions last year and women represent 34% of the city’s real estate investors, Arabian Business reports. Initiatives like Dubai Land Department’s Real Estate Empowerment Program and Brokers Program have already drawn more than 1,000 women into the sector and boosted female representation in brokerage. The DLD also has plans to promote a flexible investment environment through tailored financing, training, and awareness programmes to support women-led ventures.

💲 Sovereign Circuit

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority: ADIA has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Swedish industrial AI software firm IFS via a subsidiary as part of a transaction that values IFS at more than $16.5 billion.

M42: Abu Dhabi’s M42, co-owned by G42 and Mubadala, has taken a stake in U.K.-based longevity science startup Juvenescence for an undisclosed sum, which values the company at over $550 million.

ADQ: Shipping company Aramex, which was acquired last month by the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund, signed a Master Services Agreement with Shipsy, an AI-powered global logistics platform.

G42: UAE-based AI startup AIREV, backed by G42’s Core 42 technology unit, secured investment from Ireland’s Venturewave Capital to build up its AI-based “On-Demand” operating system and expand into new markets.

Mubadala: India’s Tata Power is considering floating its green energy arm, backed by Mubadala and BlackRock, on the stock exchange.

↪↩ Closing Circuit

📦 Cardboard Capital: Saudi Arabia’s United Carton Industries, the biggest maker of corrugated cardboard in the Middle East, said on Tuesday it plans to sell a 30% stake through an IPO.

🏗️ Riyadh Plans: Dubai’s Majid Al Futtaim plans to launch a $4.7 billion commercial and residential project in Riyadh, with design work underway and construction set to begin in early 2026, Al Arabiya reports.

🏡 Property Intelligence: Dubizzle, the UAE’s top platform for real estate classifieds, said it acquired Property Monitor, which provides market intelligence and analytics on the industry.

🏭 Chemical Footprint: China’s Befar Group has broken ground on a $500 million chemical factory in Egypt’s Sokhna Industrial Zone.

🖥️ Cloud Nine: CloudShare, an Israeli software company that provides virtual training for tech firms, was acquired by Bow River Capital, a Denver-based private equity firm, for as much as $80 million, Calcalist reports.

🗣 Circuit Chatter

💲Sustainable Finance: The World Bank’s International Finance Corp. signed three agreements to strengthen Oman’s sustainable finance market, including a $120 million investment in the National Finance Company to support clean transport, renewable energy, and SME projects.

💸 Investment Okay: BlueCrest, the private investment firm of billionaire British hedge fund manager Michael Platt, received full regulatory approval to operate in Dubai, Bloomberg reports.

💰 Arab Business: Egypt has granted special golden licenses to all new Saudi projects to simplify investment procedures and raise Saudi investments to a target of $50 billion.

🤔 So Wrong: U.S. President Donald Trump’s February appearance at Saudi Arabia’s FII Priority conference in Miami is the setting for a Financial Times story titled “How Wall Street Got Trump Wrong.”

📈 Startup Funds: Startups across the MENA region raised $1.5 billion in the first quarter of the year, with the UAE accounting for 82% of March’s total, according to Wamda and Digital Digest.

🌍 Power Circuit

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed held a meeting in Abu Dhabi with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in which they conducted a broad review of national goals. Among those present were Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, UAE Minister of Finance and First Deputy Ruler of Dubai; and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister.

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, approved the launch of the emirate’s new Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine cluster as the annual Abu Dhabi Global Health Week conference got underway. The program was spearheaded by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and the emirate’s Department of Health to strengthen health services and position Abu Dhabi as a hub for medical innovation, pharmaceuticals, and biotech.

Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, UAE Minister of the Interior, met with Igor Krasnov, Prosecutor-General of Russia, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

➿ On the Circuit

Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, delivered an opening address at the World Cargo Symposium, held in Dubai on Tuesday in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airlines.

Aija Mayrock, the bestselling writer and poet, touts medical innovation in an Instagram post promoting Abu Dhabi Global Health Week.

Hussain Altajir was named CEO of Lazard’s new financial advisory office in Abu Dhabi. He was previously Head of Dubai Coverage, Global Banking, at HSBC.

Ahmed El Shamy, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim- Properties, told Asharq Business that the company plans to develop a new commercial and administrative project in 6th of October City, West of Cairo, investing $293 million.

Dr. Habil Khorakiwala, Founder and Chairman of India’s Wockhardt pharmaceutical company, said the group wants to develop strategic partnerships with healthcare providers and governments in the Gulf to expand its international presence in manufacturing and research.

Aditya Saraswat, Senior Vice President and Head of Research at Rystad Energy said that the widening global disparity in financing costs is a key barrier to developing solar photovoltaic projects in North Africa.

🎶 Culture Circuit

🧑‍🎨 Art Dubai: A digital installation inspired by pioneering Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem’s experience of being lost at sea is among the highlights of this year’s Art Dubai festival, which starts on Friday and runs for three days. Through the work “Directions (Merging),” commissioned by Swiss wealth management company Julius Baer, Kazem shares his fascination with GPS coordinates and the interconnectedness of the modern world by projecting the latitudes and longitudes of shorelines across the globe onto the walls of a purpose-built room.

📷 Photo of the Day