Latest news with #Etisalat
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Gulf Arab telecos compete for Syria fibre optic project
By Timour Azhari DAMASCUS: Syria's government is in talks with regional telecoms companies Zain, Etisalat , STC and Ooredoo for a roughly $300 million project to develop the country's fibre optic communications network, a senior Syrian official and a second official said. The talks with the Gulf Arab companies are part of growing global investor interest in Syria 's economy following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement last month that Washington would lift Syria sanctions. The Syrian project, dubbed SilkLink, aims to rapidly overhaul outdated communications infrastructure and set the country up as a potential "north-south and west-east digital corridor," the telecommunications ministry said. Saudi Arabia's STC declined to comment. Qatar's Ooreedo, the UAE's Etisalat and Kuwait's Zain did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The deadline to submit proposals for the project is June 10. The two officials declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the talks. After 14 years of civil war and decades of Western sanctions, Syria's infrastructure shortfalls include some of the world's worst internet connectivity. It means many users are forced to use costly mobile data instead of a wireless connection to get basic tasks done online. Syria's new rulers aim to make rapid progress in improving public services almost six months after they ousted former strongman Bashar al-Assad. Their efforts have included signing last week a $7 billion power memorandum of understanding with a consortium of companies led by Qatar's UCC Holding to develop 5,000 megawatts of electricity. Syria also signed an $800 million MOU in May with DP World to develop Tartous port, two weeks after signing a 30-year deal with French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM that includes building a new berth at Latakia port.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Gulf Arab telecos compete for Syria fibre optic project, sources say
DAMASCUS, June 4 (Reuters) - Syria's government is in talks with regional telecoms companies Zain, Etisalat, STC and Ooredoo for a roughly $300 million project to develop the country's fibre optic communications network, a senior Syrian official and a second official said. The talks with the Gulf Arab companies are part of growing global investor interest in Syria's economy following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement last month that Washington would lift Syria sanctions. The Syrian project, dubbed SilkLink, aims to rapidly overhaul outdated communications infrastructure and set the country up as a potential "north-south and west-east digital corridor," the telecommunications ministry said. Saudi Arabia's STC declined to comment. Qatar's Ooreedo, the UAE's Etisalat and Kuwait's Zain did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The deadline to submit proposals for the project is June 10. The two officials declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the talks. After 14 years of civil war and decades of Western sanctions, Syria's infrastructure shortfalls include some of the world's worst internet connectivity. It means many users are forced to use costly mobile data instead of a wireless connection to get basic tasks done online. Syria's new rulers aim to make rapid progress in improving public services almost six months after they ousted former strongman Bashar al-Assad. Their efforts have included signing last week a $7 billion power memorandum of understanding with a consortium of companies led by Qatar's UCC Holding to develop 5,000 megawatts of electricity. Syria also signed an $800 million MOU in May with DP World to develop Tartous port, two weeks after signing a 30-year deal with French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM that includes building a new berth at Latakia port.
New York Times
27-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Senior aide of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince was mystery £30m broker in investigated Manchester City sponsorship deal
The mysterious 'Person X' who facilitated sponsorship payments to Manchester City in one of the deals being investigated by the Premier League was, at the time, a key aide of Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), now the ruler of Abu Dhabi. According to an unpublished 2020 judgement made by UEFA's Club Financial Control Board (CFCB), Manchester City's lawyers name the individual involved in supplying the supposed sponsorship money from state-owned Emirati telecommunications company Etisalat as 'Jaber Mohamed'. Advertisement The judgement, which has been seen and authenticated by The Athletic, as well as previously by the makers of a YouTube documentary about Manchester City's legal battle with the Premier League and The Times, states he was 'a person in the business of providing financial and brokering services to commercial entities in the UAE'. It can now be revealed that, at the time, Jaber Mohamed worked as the General Director of the Crown Prince's Court (CPC), an Abu Dhabi government body that runs the public affairs of the then Crown Prince, MBZ. Another even more senior figure at the CPC was also on Manchester City's board then too, a position he held for over a decade, raising uncomfortable questions not just about the source of the funding for the sponsorship payments, but also as to whether the payments were known about within the highest seats of power in the UAE. A post shared by Jaber Mohamed Alsuwaidi (@j_alsuwaidi) In their 2020 judgement the CFCB concluded that Manchester City were guilty of breaking UEFA's financial rules, finding that payments from Etisalat, facilitated by Jaber Mohamed, were actually 'disguised equity funding'. Equity funding refers to funding that is directly injected into a club by its owners, whose cap is dictated by UEFA financial fair-play rules (FFP). Clubs are required to accurately declare their income annually to comply with FFP regulations. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later overturned that judgement, ruling that the claims related to Etisalat were time-barred. Manchester City have always denied any wrongdoing and insist the transactions were genuine sponsorship payments. Much of CAS' judgement was redacted due to requests from the parties — including the name of a mysterious 'Person X' who facilitated payments from Etisalat. For example, in CAS' public summary of the CFCB report, they state that UEFA found that '[X] paid GBP [xxx] towards Etisalat's sponsorship obligations… no sensible explanation has ever been provided by MCFC as to why [City owners] ADUG needed to engage the assistance of [X] to make the payment.' Advertisement However, UEFA's unredacted report reveals Person X as 'Jaber Mohamed', finding that he was a central figure in the controversial transaction. Investigators at UEFA were provided with bank statements containing Jaber Mohamed's name, with the panel stating in their conclusions that one email 'clearly evidences an arrangement under which cash of £15million is to be paid by 'the shareholder' but paid through the bank account of the sponsors… In the event, a payment of £15million was made from the account of Jaber Mohamed to the account of the Club on 10 January 2013, not via Etisalat.' The panel details: 'two payments of £15million made by Jaber Mohamed on 13 June 2012 and 10 January 2013.' In concluding their write-up of the Etisalat segment of the judgement, the five-person panel states: 'The Adjudicatory Chamber is comfortably satisfied… [that] the management of the club was well aware that the payments totalling £30million made by Jaber Mohamed were made as equity funding, not as payments for the sponsor on account of genuine sponsorship liabilities.' UEFA declined to comment on any element of this story when approached by The Athletic. Jaber Mohamed has uploaded several pictures of himself at Manchester City on his public Instagram page, including posing with former players David Silva, Jesus Navas, and Sergio Aguero during their time at the club. Other pictures show him with chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and the Premier League trophy. His role within the power structures of the UAE has never previously been publicly identified. According to a now removed page on the CPC website, Jaber Mohamed was one of the two most senior aides to MBZ as the General Director of the CPC. He variously spells his surname as Mohammed on the CPC website but as Mohamed on his personal Instagram account — these disparities are not uncommon when translating Arabic into English due to the greater tendency to use double letters in English. The Athletic has authenticated that this is the same man. Advertisement Whilst UEFA found that Jaber Mohamed was 'a person in the business of providing financial and brokering services to commercial entities in the UAE', The Athletic has not been able to find evidence of him holding any business or governmental roles beyond the CPC which might explain why he would be asked to provide financial or brokering services to companies linked to Manchester City. Mohamed and the CPC did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A post shared by Jaber Mohamed Alsuwaidi (@j_alsuwaidi) The CPC's website describes Jaber Mohamed's job as acting as the chief operational officer, whose role was to 'oversee the day to day operations […and] also interact with all other divisions, sections, and units that all fall under the auspices of the CPC'. According to the UAE Cabinet's website, Jaber Mohamed held the role from August 16 2005 to August 16 2022. More broadly, the CPC states its own role as 'managing the public affairs of the Crown Prince, including his involvement in corporate and philanthropic projects'. It also describes itself as 'an independent entity that enjoys full legal status as a government body'. According to sources with knowledge of the Premier League's current case against Manchester City, speaking anonymously as they are not authorised to discuss proceedings publicly, Jaber Mohamed's involvement in the transaction led to the role of the CPC, a government body, in facilitating the alleged sponsorship rule breaches becoming a significant line of inquiry for the Premier League as they investigated whether the payments were from the sponsors, Etisalat, or from elsewhere. But the CPC's involvement also raises wider questions over the extent to which MBZ, given the alleged involvement of members of his court in providing payment, was aware of City's sponsorship arrangements. Given Manchester City's strong denial of any state involvement in the ownership and control of the club, and the Europe-wide debate surrounding state ownership and control of football clubs, this link to a UAE government body raises uncomfortable questions about the nation's role at the club, which should be of significant interest to the Premier League, whose role it is to oversee such matters. The Premier League offered no comment when contacted by The Athletic with these concerns. State ownership and control is currently permitted in the UK game provided that would not raise issues under the Owners' and Directors' Test. However the planned new football regulator is considering implementing rules outlawing state ownership or control of football clubs in the UK. Manchester City have always insisted that it would be legally inaccurate to describe the club as state-owned. City are majority owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, the private equity company which is owned by Sheikh Mansour, the vice president and deputy prime minister of the UAE. His brother is MBZ. A post shared by Jaber Mohamed Alsuwaidi (@j_alsuwaidi) Adding to the questions to be answered, it can also be revealed that another key figure at City, former board member Mohamed Al Mazrouei, is listed as working at the CPC as the organisation's undersecretary. This role, according to the CPC, saw him 'determine the strategic direction and the internal policies of the CPC and supervise its implementation', where he 'reported directly to the chairman (MBZ).' He and Jaber Mohamed, at the time of the payments, were the two most senior employees of the CPC. Advertisement According to the UAE Cabinet's website, Al Mazrouei served as undersecretary of the CPC from 2009 to 2022, and is now the Minister of State for Defense. He sat on the City board from January 30 2010 until January 1 2022, just over a year before the Premier League announced they had charged City with at least 115 breaches of financial rules. In the Premier League's case against Manchester City, which concluded in December, the club are accused of falsely increasing their revenue by inflating sponsorship deals with associated parties, including the deal with Etisalat, and also with hiding some costs by failing to declare some salaries and image-rights payments. They strongly deny any wrongdoing. A verdict is due in the coming weeks. Either side can appeal the decision, but if found guilty, the range of punishment which City could face is severe, including a points deduction which could relegate the club from the Premier League. Manchester City did not respond to multiple requests for comment. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Sharjah 24
26-03-2025
- Health
- Sharjah 24
FOCP runs successful zakat campaign throughout Ramadan
This year's campaign is launched under the motto 'Together, we thrive,' highlighting the importance of collective efforts in the fight against cancer, which often isolates patients from their loved ones and communities. By uniting efforts, the campaign seeks to make a meaningful difference, empowering patients with the strength, resilience, and determination to overcome their illness. Stories of hope in the month of giving One of the recipients is a 37-year-old mother of five who is undergoing treatment at Tawam Hospital for rectal cancer. Given her household's AED 8,500 monthly income, the AED 71,212 cost of her radiotherapy sessions is a major hardship. She conveyed her appreciation, saying that the campaign fosters a sense of community care by supporting patients and their entire families. In a similar vein, a 48-year-old father at Zulekha Hospital in Sharjah is having financial difficulties due to medical bills that have topped AED 93,122 while receiving treatment for multiple myeloma. He revealed that the campaign has given him comfort in knowing he is not fighting this battle alone, despite living on AED 4,375 per month. At Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi, a three-year-old who is not aware of his battle with neuroblastoma needs AED 255,024 worth of dinutuximab treatment. His parents, who together make AED 6,870 a year, thanked the campaign, saying it has given them courage and hope through this difficult time. Together in the battle against cancer FOCP Director Aisha Al Mulla underlined that the campaign's influence goes beyond financial assistance, acting as a hopeful message from kind contributors to cancer patients going through difficult times. She said: "The giving spirit is at its peak during Ramadan, uniting people, organisations, and corporations to give sufferers hope again." This campaign embodies our goal of transforming kindness into practical assistance and truly helping those in need. The Zakat Campaign builds on the work done last year, when 98 cancer patients received AED 5.7 million in aid from FOCP for a range of treatments, including drugs, surgeries, bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. FOCP has implemented several channels to make donations easier. The official website ( offers e-vouchers for donations, and there are also special Zakat pages ( and ( Donations can also be sent internationally using IBAN AE440410000011364854002 or by bank transfer to the Sharjah Islamic Bank account (0011-364854-002). Through the use of Etisalat, FOCP also provides a mobile donation option. Supporters can message "Zakat" to 6447 for AED 20, 4426 for AED 50, 4467 for AED 200, and 2308 for AED 500. Participation from both inside and outside the UAE is made possible by these easily accessible donation options. Comprehensive support beyond financial aid To promote a sense of community and alleviate the isolation brought on by illness, FOCP provides support beyond fundraising through programmes like community festivals, Eid attire for young cancer patients, and Ramadan food packages. FOCP has hosted several iftar gatherings for patients, survivors, and their families since the beginning of Ramadan. Fifty youngsters and their families gathered for an iftar at the TIME Grand Plaza Hotel on March 7. With assistance from Lubna Olayan, Patchi, Taif Al Emarat, and Claro Speciality Coffee, 200 patients attended the annual community iftar held at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre on 10 March. One hundred people attended another iftar event at the Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa. To strengthen the sense of community solidarity, FOCP worked with the UAE Food Bank and Esaad Centre to distribute 400 Ramadan food boxes on March 16. We also planned a special Eid shopping day at Oasis Mall Sharjah for thirty young cancer patients. They chose festive attire from Max Fashion and then played at Fun City. To support children with cancer, FOCP also organised hospital visits on March 24. Young patients at Mediclinic City Hospital received gifts in partnership with Sharjah Children. Through these programmes, FOCP upholds the principles of kindness and generosity, ensuring that no cancer sufferer has to confront their ordeal alone.
Khaleej Times
26-03-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Visa, job scams: UAE experts warn of fraudsters using deepfakes to mimic trusted contacts
From fake visa renewal calls to job scams that promise 'guaranteed' residency, scammers now tailor their schemes to specific demographics and timing, experts warn. Experts say this alarming trend is attributed to the increasing sophistication of scams and digital fraud, including AI-driven deepfakes that can mimic the voices of trusted contacts. "A decade ago, scams were typically low-tech," said Manisha Miranda, Regulatory Compliance Expert at RAK Bank. "They often involved counterfeit goods, fake lottery wins, or in-person impersonation, like posing as utility workers." She continued, "Today, however, fraudsters exploit cutting-edge technology. AI-driven deepfakes can mimic the voices of trusted contacts. Phishing emails originate from cloned government portals designed to steal sensitive data. Furthermore, fraudulent investment platforms now showcase polished websites and fake testimonials to appear credible." During festive periods, fraudsters launch schemes like fake charity drives or deals that are too good to be true. "They also impersonate governmental bodies and telecom providers, such as Etisalat, to coerce victims into paying fraudulent fines or bills," Manisha added. On Wednesday, Dubai Police warned the public against responding to calls from individuals claiming to represent official authorities, following the arrest of a criminal gang specialising in impersonating employees of the Consumer Rights Protection Department. The expert highlighted how scam victims can be damaged both financially and emotionally. "Financially, the consequences can be immediate and devastating. These scams can deplete savings overnight and derail long-term financial goals, often leaving victims trapped in cycles of debt," she said. She highlighted the unique vulnerabilities faced by expats, who form a significant portion of the population: "Expatriates are particularly at risk due to their unfamiliarity with local regulations, making them susceptible to demands for upfront fees or false promises of employment. The damage extends beyond immediate losses; ruined credit profiles and the difficulty of recovering funds can exacerbate long-term financial instability." A new study commissioned by Visa reveals that nearly half (49 per cent) of consumers in the UAE have fallen for a scam, with 15 per cent being victims on multiple occasions. While 59 per cent of surveyed consumers in the UAE have some degree of confidence in their own ability to spot fraud, 92 per cent worry their family or friends might fall for a scam. Ninety per cent believe that Gen X digital payment users are most likely to get scammed online. Emotionally, the toll is equally severe. "Victims often endure intense feelings of humiliation and guilt, which can deter them from reporting scams or seeking help. This self-imposed isolation compounds stress and anxiety, creating a cycle that's hard to break." In today's digital life, protecting oneself from scams requires a proactive and multifaceted approach, according to Dr Sarah Thompson, a cybersecurity specialist. "The first step in safeguarding against fraud is to verify all communications before acting," she advises. "Fraudsters often craft messages that appear legitimate, so it's crucial to check sender details and look for inconsistencies. Utilise official websites or contact organisations directly to confirm any requests for personal or financial information." Dr Thompson emphasised that staying informed about the latest scams is vital. "Knowledge is your best defence; understanding common tactics used by scammers can help you recognize red flags before falling victim." She also stressed the importance of strengthening digital defenses. "Ensure your devices are equipped with the latest security updates and use strong, unique passwords across all accounts," she recommended. "Enabling multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection, making it significantly harder for unauthorized users to gain access." Furthermore, she advocates for cautious behavior when faced with unsolicited offers or urgent requests. "Scammers thrive on urgency and creating emotional responses. Always take a moment to critically assess any situation that pressures you to act quickly." Building a strong sense of community support and awareness campaigns is essential in the fight against scams. "Sharing information about scams with friends and family can create a stronger defence network," said Mark Johnson, a consumer protection officer. "When people are aware of potential threats, they can look out for one another." He also highlighted the need for consumers to monitor their financial accounts closely. "Regularly checking bank and credit card statements for unauthorised transactions is vital. If something seems off, report it immediately."
