Charanga, a kids fashion brand from Spain, has made a foray into the Middle East with its first outlet in Dubai’s shopping hotspot - The Dubai Mall. Catering to the age group of 0-14 year olds, Charanga is a favourite among parents for its comfortable and colourful collections with great design and quality.

Charanga is exclusively distributed in the Middle East by Liwa Trading Enterprises, a leading business conglomerate in the Middle East.

With a wide ranging collection for children of ages 0-14, for all occasions, Charanga has established itself as a leader with over 230 outlets across the globe. With its first venture in the Middle East, the brand aims to bring its fun and quality clothing to make its mark in the region’s growing retail space.

Commenting on the launch of the brand in the UAE, Mr. Manuel De La Maza Ramos, General Manager and a major shareholder of Charanga, said: “The UAE is such a vibrant country and offers a very dynamic retail market for kids wear. The region has set a new benchmark for quality and style globally, and presents every retailer a great challenge in meeting the ever-growing expectations of the customer.”

“Entering this region is a very exciting move for us. We are certain our partners, Liwa Trading, with their local market knowledge and retail expertise, will be a great value-add to our growth and success here,” he added.

Being certified by the ISO 9001:2008, Charanga ensures maximum quality levels in the production, design and distribution systems. While quality is given utmost importance at Charanga, the brand’s values are based on creating a collection of beautiful ensembles for children of all ages and for all occasions.

Mr. Aniss Baobied - General Manager of Liwa Trading Enterprises LLC, said: “Charanga stands for quality and comfort, while making sure that every child is dressed appropriately for every occasion. The brand’s quality has ensured it a leader in its home market, and we believe that Charanga will easily find its success in the UAE as well. Being located at The Dubai Mall gives the brand a great first step to taking its presence here further and ensuring that it is soon a house-hold name in the region. Having Charanga on our portfolio adds great value to us and we look forward to our association with the brand.”

Charanga’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection offers a suitable set of pieces perfect for every occasion. Playing sailor turns real for kids at Charanga with its marine themed collection which uses navy colours and stripped patterns, for both boys and girls. While the formal range enjoys clean crisp fashions, girls can enjoy the colours of summer with pique dresses, flower printed fabrics, bows and laced edgings with neat detailing.

For the boys, Charanga offers linen T-shirts and cardigans with stripped patterns and other details. Beige, mauve or yellow in a ‘tie and dye’ effect offers little boys a reason to have fun this summer.

Italian restaurant APi CAE Gourmet will launch a campaign to get people across Abu Dhabi eating healthier bread. It begins with staff distributing 1,000 loaves of the chef’s freshly baked bread throughout the city.

That will be followed by a month-long run of activities - from school visits to question and answer sessions with the chef and free recipe giveaways.

APi CAE GOURMET’s bread is baked in line with traditional methods using slow-acting sourdough yeast that takes days to proof. It means the whole process takes much longer than methods used in mass production.

However, the bread is more naturally digestible in the stomach and stays fresher for longer due to the absence of synthetic yeast accelerants.

Traditional bread also contains less salt than most mass produced products.

Bread chef at APi CAE, Giovanni Staiano, says it’s important that people understand what really goes into making the bread.

“Bread forms the cornerstone of the diet in many cultures throughout the world and has done for many hundreds of years,” he said.

“In the desire to mass produce bread quickly, shortcuts have accelerated the bread-making process to the detriment of people’s wellbeing and general nutrition.

“At APi CAE our philosophy is about going back to basics on food. In our bread and dough we use sourdough yeast, which has for hundreds of years been the best way of making bread.

“The slow acting yeast needs days of nurturing and feeding in order to proof properly but the resulting bread is far healthier, much tastier and much longer lasting.

Gergana Konova, co-founder of APi CAE, said: “Bread is one of those food items which has become stigmatised recently for being unhealthy, but originally it formed the heart of a healthy meal.

“We want people to bake more at home and make more informed decisions about the type of bread they eat.”

Code, which has just opened in Jumeirah 1 in Dubai, offers a variety of hair and skincare treatments provided by its highly experienced team. Customers can choose from services, including hair styling, facials, manicures, pedicures and waxing.

The salon is the exclusive provider of Éminence skincare products for men in the UAE - an organic range of skincare products used by Hollywood celebrities and sports’ stars, including Ryan Gosling, Lance Armstrong,
Ludacris and Mark Ruffalo.

“Code is not just a salon; it is a lifestyle experience. We noticed a gap in the market for an ultra exclusive hair and skincare studio that not only provided a top range of treatments, but also made its clientele feel at home,” said founder Ieyad Charaf.

“This is how the concept of Code came about - we wanted to revolutionise the essence of male grooming in the UAE.”

Aiming to establish itself as the haute couture of hair design, Code combines modern styling with an inviting environment - in fact, the salon’s interior and furniture was designed by none other than Charaf, who is also a UAE-based award-winning art designer.

Upon entering the lofty and luxurious salon, the minimalist-inspired space features an eclectic variety of unique pieces, including a vintage bicycle that has been transformed into a towel holder, while a modern foosball unit makes for a coffee table with a twist in the reception area.

As part of its ongoing efforts to develop human capital in line with the Kingdom’s labour market demands, Tamkeen launched the Warehouse Management Training and Employment Programme in partnership with Bahrain International Retail Development Centre (BIRD) to train 150 Bahrainis in the warehousing management field.

Upon successful completion of the training the participants will obtain an internationally recognised qualification from the United Kingdom.

This programme represents the latest addition to Tamkeen’s employment and training schemes targeted to stimulate the growth of the booming supply chain and logistics sector in Bahrain. Tamkeen helps local firms populate their labour requirements with a skilled Bahraini workforce by providing the necessary training to an internationally recognised level.

In accordance with the demand for a qualified local workforce in this key sector, Tamkeen will be roll out the training over a period of six months and will include a mixture of academic and on the job training at selected companies leading towards a professional Diploma qualification in Warehouse Management from the United Kingdom (BTEC level 2 certificate in warehousing and storage principles).

Tamkeen’s Senior Manager for Human Capital Development, Mrs. Amal Al-Kooheji commented: “Tamkeen is committed to delivering its promise of making Bahrainis the employees of choice, through addressing skills gaps in the employment market. The demand in the logistics and warehouse sector for internationally recognized qualifications are ever-growing, and for the industry to be sustainable we require local competencies in preparation for the new job opportunities that are envisaged. We are confident that today’s announcement will contribute to filling those jobs with a local workforce and as opposed to replying on transient expatriate labour.”

High school graduates, diploma holders, and university graduates are encouraged to apply and benefit from the programme.

On the occasion of launching the Visa Platinum Card, Inevestbank held an event in Tala Bay Beach, Aqaba. Investbank’s guests received their invitations during their long weekend stay at Tala Bay; while enjoying a luxurious atmosphere full of entertainment and pampering.
 
As part of the launch, The Royal Jordanian Falcons displayed an outstanding air show that captivated the audience, in addition to a raffle draw giving them the chance to win a high-end Jet Ski.

Commenting on this occasion Mr. Muntaser Dawwas, Investbank’s CEO, said: “Our aim is to continuously provide our clients with exceptional and innovative services to go beyond their needs and expectations. Understanding our distinguished client’s lifestyle and needs allows us to deliver unique means of communications, and the event at Tala Bay Aqaba for the Visa Platinum Card is further testimony of our insight to elevate our clients’ expectations.”

The launch of this type of card is part of Investbank’s plan to offer a selection of services and products to meet the needs of its distinguished clients.

The holders of the Visa Platinum Card can now enjoy special privileges and other superior advantages such as; medical and legal consultation, travel, shopping and entertainment in addition to comprehensive travel insurance and special discounts in ‎various hotels and international restaurants.

The Visa Platinum Card is globally ‎recognized and accepted at all ATMs and point of sales in Jordan and abroad, in addition to the Priority Pass Card advantage, which allow the cardholders to complimentary access business lounges at over 600 international airports.

Dubai Cares, the UAE-based philanthropic organization founded in 2007 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched a 4-year Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) program in Ghana which will improve the education, health and nutrition of over 320,000 primary school aged children and the livelihoods of over 80,000 rural households.
 
With the launch of this program, Dubai Cares is now reaching over 7 million children in 28 developing countries with its comprehensive primary education programs.

Commenting on Dubai Cares’ achievement, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares, said: “In 2007, Dubai Cares was launched with the belief, held by HH Sheikh Mohammed, that education is the most effective tool to break the cycle of poverty and a desire to give children, regardless of their nationality, creed or religion, the opportunity to become positive contributors to society. Today, because of the guidance of His Highness, who inspired us to design innovative solutions to development challenges, and our holistic programmatic approach, Dubai Cares is reaching over 7 million children in 28 developing countries with primary education programs that are making a difference in the lives of children and their communities.”

He added, “I would like to take this opportunity to, on behalf of everyone at Dubai Cares, thank the UAE community for playing an important role in making all this possible. And, as we celebrate together this accomplishment, we should be reminded that our mission is far from over - 69 million children around the world still do not go to school.”

The program, which is receiving approximately Dhs10m ($2.7M) in funding from Dubai Cares, will be implemented by the philanthropic organization with Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and will support the Ghana School Feeding Program (GSFP), a poverty reduction initiative launched in 2005 by the Ghanaian government.

The Dubai Cares program was launched through an official event in Ghana attended by a Dubai Cares delegation led by Al Gurg, representatives from the local government and several international organizations including Ghana School Feeding Program, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, World Food Program, World Bank and SNV.

Speaking at the launch event, Al Gurg said, “This program is based on the principle that healthy children learn better. Homegrown school feeding programs, which are part of Dubai Cares’ holistic and integrated school health and nutrition programs, have shown to improve children’s regular school attendance as well as their cognitive learning through healthier and nutritious food intake. On a global level, these interventions are helping developing countries achieve their Millennium Development Goals related to primary education.”

The Homegrown School Feeding program represents a sustainable and integrated alternative to providing school meals to children while supporting economic activity in rural areas.

Al Gurg added: “This program will not only benefit school children, but marginal rural communities as well since the commodities required for producing the nutritious meals for school children will be procured from local farmers. This creates a self-sustaining cycle in which students receive the nutrition they need and household incomes increase.”

Dr. Lesley Drake, Executive Director, Partnership for Child Development (PCD), said: “This generous support from Dubai Cares to Ghana will make a real difference to the health, nutrition and education of school aged children and the communities in which they live. The GSFP provides an excellent example of good practice and this funding will undoubtedly strengthen the platform for sustainable Home Grown School Feeding Programs across the continent.”

“We are delighted to have worked with Dubai Cares over the past two years to determine where our mutual investments can have the greatest impact,” said Arlene Mitchell, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Development initiative at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “This program is an outgrowth of our collaboration, one which we believe will have a real impact on the lives of children, as well as smallholder farmers.”

The Dubai Cares program will also focus on ensuring the program’s sustainability by improving the in-country management capacity and promote more cost effective delivery systems that can result in increased program efficiency over the long term. This combination of effective delivery and increased capacity will enable the program to be scaled up in the future.

Jeddah: Amana Capital, a leading regional financial provider specialized in brokerage services, announced the launch of Souq El Mal to better service traders in Saudi Arabia and beyond. Souq El Mal is an online portal (www.souqelmal.com) that aims to be the go-to destination for Middle East traders and investors interested in the global financial markets.  Ahmad El Khatib, Chief Executive Officer of Amana Capital – sponsor of the 2nd annual Saudi Money Expo and Conference held in Jeddah this week, said Souq El Mal offers news, commentaries, and analysis on the currencies, commodities, and equities markets. The site showcases a wealth of educational material that provides extensive guidance to the trader whether in the beginning, intermediary, or advanced stage. Contributors include a team of in-house editors with significant experience in the international markets.

Souq El Mal also hosts a Forum that will assemble a community of traders who will share insights and opinions in a friendly and constructive fashion. More so, Souq El Mal aims to have an extensive digital social media footprint that will include Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube whereby the information will be delivered via text, audio, and video in the Arabic language. 

El Khatib highlighted the benefit of the portal by emphasizing the multiple opportunities for achieving profits in the current market, and the need to accurately read variables and determine their trends on the short and long term.

“At Amana Capital, education and user-experience is at the core of our mission. As such, we came up with the idea of Souq El Mal to allow people to learn more about the international markets in a suitable, professional and user friendly manner and ultimately make better investment decisions.”

He added: “Investors in today’s market need a credible and prompt information source to provide them with all their trading needs. This is exactly what they will get with Souq El Mal.”

Nissan has announced that its innovative Juke-R crossover will be made available to buy in a very limited run on build-to-order basis.

The 3.8-litre, 160mph Juke-R made its global debut in Dubai in January this year, attracting enormous attention and, as a result, Nissan has now received firm orders for three cars to be built. Two have come from a high-profile and well-respected member of Dubai society.

Nissan will build more Juke-Rs upon request and will be taking orders in the coming four weeks, before production starts in earnest.

While the original Juke-R was based on the MY10 GT-R running gear, the run of new cars will benefit from featuring the drivetrain and chassis of the MY12 GT-R and, with the build of the first cars underway, the first three cars will be delivered to their new owners in late summer.

Gareth Dunsmore, Marketing Product Manager for the Juke, said, “The Juke-R was originally intended as a one-off concept to marry two of Nissan’s most innovative models. But the reaction we had to the car in Dubai was amazing - people were making offers for the original on the street! With such a strong reaction, and with three genuine offers on the table, we decided we had to make the car a reality. We can’t let down enthusiasts who are this keen to add to their collection of cars. The Juke-R has become something of a phenomenon and I’m enormously proud of the impact it has had. There will be more news to come on Juke later in the year.”

Anyone wishing to register an interest in purchasing Nissan’s most innovative Crossover yet should contact Juke-R@Nissan.co.uk.

Desert Nemesis follows Nissan’s inaugural GT Academy winner, Lucas Ordonez, as he takes on the world’s best supercars in a thrilling street race, reminiscent of the ‘Need for Speed’ movies.

In Desert Nemesis, award-winning film director, Rob Kaplan, captured the noise and excitement generated by the muscular Juke-R and a street race against its loudest, most acclaimed adversaries.

Weaving together the cinematic scenes of a high-production movie and raw footage of the gamer-turned-professional racer taking on the world’s most exciting, road-legal cars through the roads of Dubai’s exclusive International Marina Club, Kaplan gives us the opportunity to see the Juke-R find its place among the world’s elite.

Spaniard, Ordonez, became a professional racing driver thanks to Nissan’s hugely-innovative GT Academy partnership with Sony in 2008. He made his debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours with Nissan in 2011 and will return to La Sarthe on June 16/17 with class-winning Nissan-powered team, Greaves Motorsport.

In the run-up to the film launch on May 3, several teaser trailers have been released through Nissan’s Facebook and YouTube channels, offering the audience ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage of one of the automotive industry’s bravest, boldest productions.

Mashreq, one of the leading financial institutions in the UAE has launched an exciting program to tingle customers’ taste buds. With the launch of ‘Mashreq Flavours’ which is set to be the Best Dining Program in the UAE, Mashreq’s announcement is yet another testament of the bank’s journey towards achieving the leadership position in the cards issuing and acquiring space. The bank is constantly providing customer-centric banking solutions for both its customers and merchant partners alike.

With a partner network of 400 restaurants in the UAE and more to be added soon, Mashreq customers can enjoy exciting discounts up to 25% when using their Mashreq Credit or Debit Cards at ‘Mashreq Flavours’ partners. The discounts are valid all year long, until December 31st 2012 for use as many times with no vouchers or coupons needed.

Nimish Dwivedi, Head of Payments at Mashreq commented, “We are continuing to offer our customers exceptional experiences beyond just banking and endeavor to build sustainable and exciting propositions to our valued customers. Through our ‘Mashreq Flavours’ partner network we have ensured that the full range of cuisines and restaurants across various price points are covered so that all our customers enjoy this program with their family and loved ones throughout the year. With our commitment to 40 lucky customers every month, Mashreq Card members also have a unique opportunity to dine free through the ‘Mashreq Flavours’ Program.”

‘Mashreq Flavours’ caters to all cuisines, be it Arabic, Asian, Oriental, European or International. With a partner network covering 5-star hotels and fine dining restaurants to popular chains, cafes, & lounges and casual dining restaurants, the program is designed to suit a diverse range of dining options of customers.

The dinning program is also offering customers a unique and exciting opportunity, whereby every month 40 lucky Mashreq customers will win the chance to dine for free. Customers will have to use their Mashreq Credit or Debit Cards to dine at participating restaurants to be eligible for the draw and winners will get their winning transaction at the participating restaurants credited back to their Mashreq Card over and above the discount they would have received.

This latest program comes after the bank’s recent announcement of the UAE’s largest 0% Easy Payment Plan with over 90 brands and 800 outlets across the UAE offering interest free installments to Mashreq Credit Card members on their high value purchases.

- AOC unveils its world class “iF Product Design Award” for “Borderless” LED/IPS 57 Series of monitors in the Middle East and Africa region -

Dubai, UAE, 29th April, 2012: AOC, part of Taiwan based TPV Technology Limited, and the largest display manufacturer in the world, today unveiled its award-winning design of the AOC 57 Series “LED/IPS” range based on its new generation of uncompromising display technology.

AOC recently won the prestigious international “iF Product Design Award” for “Borderless” range of AOC 57 Series of LED/IPS monitors. The 57 Series of monitors features an ultra-narrow bezel around the screen (just 2mm wide on the 27-inch version) that is barely visible, creating a seemingly borderless display. Superior IPS screen technology is available on selected models.

Ideal Dual Monitor Display
The AOC 57 Series “LED/IPS” body is ultra slim at only 10.6mm. The ultra-narrow bezel measures just 5.8mm on the 23” model, and a mere 2mm on the 27” model, for a borderless appearance that is ideally suited for use in a dual monitor or multiple monitor setup, with almost seamless expansion of the computer desktop. Connecting multiple PC monitors is rewarding and fun. Less switching between multiple applications improves productivity and comfort, with extra display space for working and entertainment.

Realistic Colors and Wider Viewing Angles
The 27” model features an IPS (in plane switching) display panel that yields more consistent, realistic colors from all viewing positions than more common TN panels. Outstanding color reproduction technology meets the demanding standards of graphics professionals and allows everyone to enjoy extended viewing angles with no variation in picture quality.

Suchit Kumar, Vice President, Sales MENA & CIS Central Asia, AOC, says, “The market for extended displays is growing rapidly, and our new USB monitor provides a perfect solution for multi-screen computing with its low power consumption, cord independence and highly competitive price. AOC e1649Fwu offers a great opportunity to all our channel partners to rapidly tap into this growing market segment.”
 
AOC 57 Series “LED/IPS” are available in two sizes: 23-inch (E2357FH) and 27-inch (I2757FH, with IPS panel) and the key features are:
• High definition – Full HD 1920×1080 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio), high dynamic contrast ratio of 20,000,000:1 and fast response time of 2ms (E2357FH) or 5ms (I2757FH).
• Elegant “floating” display – On the 23” model, the narrow glossy black bezel blends with a reflective glare panel for a seamless, brilliant and vivid display. The 27” model combines an anti-glare IPS screen with an even narrower bezel so that images seem to float without a distracting frame.
• Environmentally-conscious display technology – Designed to meet high environmental standards, AOC 57 Series “LED/IPS” are made of environmentally preferable materials such as arsenic-free glass and mercury-free panels. (E2357FH TCO 5.2)
• HDMI for multiple multimedia devices – Dual HDMI ports support the latest DVD and Blu-ray players or gaming consoles like PS3 and Xbox 360. Consumers can also connect the monitor to their desktop or notebook PC via VGA cable if required. Direct insert I/O makes it more convenient to connect the monitor, with all ports facing back instead of down.
• Multifunctional stand – A detachable stand allows conventional monitor or “photo frame” placement.
• Ultra high DCR (20M:1) – See darker areas of content with greater depth.
• Eco Mode – Enables the user to select five different optimized display settings (Text, Internet, Game, Movie and Sport).
• 16.7 Million Colors – Displays 500,000 colors more than typical TN 6-bit panels.
• Windows compatible – Windows XP through to Windows 7 are supported, Plug and Play without complicated settings.

Pricing Warranty and availability: The price for the AOC E2357FH LED monitor is US$ 179 and AOC I2757FH IPS monitor is US$ 259. Both the monitors come with 3 years local warranty and are available across the Middle East and Africa region.