New investments land in Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan is tapping into its cultural and natural wealth to grow its tourism sector. CNN explores how it is marketing itself to international visitors and investors.
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Entrepreneur
3 hours ago
- Entrepreneur
Editor's Note: Home Working is Great – Until the Company Gets Too Big
53% of employees say they would consider quitting if asked to increase their in-office presence, emphasizing the ongoing demand for flexible work arrangements. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. The new survey on employment sentiment in the UAE, by Michael Page, a global recruitment consultancy, makes fascinating reading. "Despite economic uncertainty, 77%of professionals in the UAE are actively exploring new job opportunities, a sharp rise from 65% in 2024," the survey said. Basically a polite way of saying the majority of your colleagues (and probably you as well) are job hunting. "Companies that can offer clear answers to the pressing questions of today's professionals are better positioned to stand out in a complex talent market," the survey said. It added that recent years have brought dramatic shifts in workplace dynamics in the country, fueled by evolving priorities, new expectations, and rapid AI advancements. But here is the really key bit: while only 34% currently work hybrid, 53% of employees say they would consider quitting if asked to increase their in-office presence, emphasizing the ongoing demand for flexible work arrangements, it said. Unless I read that wrong, what this is saying is that the majority of people would give up their job, and step into the unknown, rather than having to consider actually coming into work. I know there are multiple views on this. But the main point I believe is that companies need to be clear from the outset what their policy is, otherwise, it leads to a muddled work environment where nobody is quite sure who is where and what they are doing. This is especially true is companies with over 200 staff, where communication break downs between those in and out of the office are more common. I have heard many stories of fairly large organizations – some with over 500 staff – where at least 10% are often believed to be "missing." The bigger the organization, the easier it is to disappear from everything but the payroll. "The message from UAE professionals is loud and clear. They want clear answers, purpose, trust, flexibility, and future-focused leadership, said Jon Ede, Regional Director UAE at Michael Page. He couldn't be more right. But in my view, home working policies can be very effective – until companies reach a certain scale, probably the 200 staff mark.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Backpack loan program for neurodiverse people launched on North Shore
A tourism association on Metro Vancouver's North Shore has started up a program to lend out backpacks containing items to help people, including kids, with neurological conditions access tourist attractions. At an event Tuesday, the North Shore Tourism Association said the neurodivergent sensory backpacks will include items like noise-cancelling headphones, earplugs and sensory toys — as well as maps highlighting tourist attractions which are neurodivergent-friendly. People who are neurodiverse — the broad term used to describe people who have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), are on the autism spectrum or have a disability that affects their ability to focus and keep things in working memory — generally face issues in public areas, according to one mother. Author and blogger Stephanie Rose, whose 12-year-old child Asher is neurodiverse, said that neurological conditions can pose sensory challenges in public areas. She said at the Tuesday event that Asher helped take the backpacks for a test run, and that her son was immediately engaged and attracted to the different spaces they visited — which range from indoor locations like the Museum and Archives of North Vancouver to the region's famed hiking trails. "For me, what was most important was the list of locations that are sensory-friendly — the places where you feel like you can go and not have to dive through the challenges that exist for parents," Rose told CBC News. "It makes you feel like the carpet has been rolled out and that you can be yourself." Jennifer Belak, the executive director of the tourism association, said that the backpack can also feature raincoats or umbrellas to help visitors during the region's long rainy months. "There's lots of attractions and stuff that recognize it, including the Blue Grouse Gondola," she said of the backpack. "And they'll even go as far as giving you your own gondola now, so you can have that quiet space as you go up to the top of the mountain." City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan said the program sent a powerful message that neurodiverse people were welcome in the region. "Whether it's a child with autism visiting a museum for the first time, or an adult seeking a calm experience in our outdoor spaces, this backpack program provides real practical support," she said. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimated in 2019 that one in 50 kids aged 1-17 has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with males being diagnosed approximately four times more frequently than females. Anyone who wants to borrow a backpack — which they can do for up to 15 days — can do so at the Museum of North Vancouver.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
3 Reasons to Buy Prologis Stock Like There's No Tomorrow
It has outstanding opportunities as e-commerce increases, and it's investing in data centers, which is a separate and massive opportunity. It's the leader in its category, serving a huge set of clients, a large percentage of which service daily needs. Prologis' dividend has an attractive yield. 10 stocks we like better than Prologis › Passive income investors love real estate investment trusts (REITs) because they pay out 90% of their earnings as dividends. Each one is different, though. Some are riskier than others, and some have very high yields, while others lag. Prologis (NYSE: PLD) is an excellent choice for a REIT for almost any investor. It's a logistics provider for all kinds of retailers, and specifically for e-commerce. It's already established itself as the leader in the industry, servicing the top names in both the U.S. and internationally. If you're considering a new REIT or a great dividend stock to add to your portfolio, here are three reasons Prologis should be on your list. Retail sales are a common measure of how the economy is doing, and more often than not, retail sales are increasing. Even during these tough times, when inflation has been stubborn and interest rates are still high, retail sales continue to increase. People may be sticking to essentials, and rates might be slowing down. But they're still shopping. On top of that, e-commerce continues to increase as a percentage of retail sales, and it requires a greater distribution system than physical stores do. For every $1 billion in retail sales, physical retailers need 334,000 square feet of space, while e-commerce retailers need more than a million. As retailers develop their e-commerce businesses more fully, they're becoming even more dependent on Prologis and its systems. As e-commerce retailers race to increase their speed, they also need more centers closer to more shoppers. Prologis estimates that e-commerce accounted for 24% of sales in 2024, and that's expected to hit 29% in 2028. Every percentage point is hundreds of billions of dollars, and some piece of that goes to logistics partners like Prologis. As the largest commerce logistics provider in the world, it's benefiting more and more from the shift. It also has a huge opportunity in data centers. With the advent of artificial intelligence, many top companies like Nvidia and Amazon are investing in data centers that are needed for the massive power loads that drive AI. Prologis has identified $8 billion in data center opportunities over the next five years, and management says that the value created from data centers is about double its standard. Prologis has a robust business servicing 6,500 customers globally. 86% of its net operating income comes from the U.S., but it serves global retailers who have worldwide needs, especially in e-commerce. In fact, the company says that 3% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) flows through its distribution centers every year. Although it has incredible growth drivers in e-commerce, 40% of its customers service basic, daily needs and benefit from population growth, protecting its business in tough times. Its major clients are a who's-who of top retailers. About 35% of its rentals go to tenants in consumer products like Amazon, Walmart, and Coca-Cola, and other clients include names like UPS and TJX Companies. Right now, while many companies, including retailers, struggle with a slowdown in spending and an arrested economy, Prologis is benefiting from increased rent and inflation, since its core clients will pay the going rate for its indispensable infrastructure services. There is the possibility that increased tariffs will affect retailers, and that's something to watch. But that issue isn't likely to extend to significant cutbacks in logistics spend for most of Prologis' client base, even in the short term. Prologis pays a growing dividend that yields 3.6% at the current price, and it's increased 180% over the past 10 years. With its robust growth drivers and leading position, it's likely to keep paying and raising the dividend reliably. The company is well-positioned to gain from current logistics trends, and its excellent track record of increasing the dividend should put it on the buy list for any investor looking for an excellent dividend pick. Before you buy stock in Prologis, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Prologis wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $660,341!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $874,192!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 999% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Jennifer Saibil has positions in Walmart. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Nvidia, Prologis, TJX Companies, United Parcel Service, and Walmart. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $90 calls on Prologis. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Reasons to Buy Prologis Stock Like There's No Tomorrow was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
