Mastercard has announced that the Bahrain-based NEC Payments is now a global partner of Mastercard Fintech Express, which connects tech-savvy startups with traditional players such as banks. The program supports digital payment innovators by making it simple to collaborate with the tech company and its partners to launch new products, add payment solutions and innovate through
Travelers from the Kingdom prefer staycation to foreign tours to avoid hassles
Updated 26 May 2021
May 25, 2021 23:51
JEDDAH: The official announcement allowing vaccinated individuals to travel abroad as of May 17 came as a huge sigh of relief to many Saudis who were forced to stay grounded due to the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
However, the ever-changing COVID-19 measures in different countries could still cause problems, even for vaccinated Saudi travelers.
One concern is the potential extra costs involved as some countries may require visitors to quarantine upon arrival.
Some young Saudis say they would prefer to stay at home this summer. Twenty-five-year-old Ali Hussain feared spending his entire vacation in quarantine: “Your vacation is a limited number of days to begin with, and such sudden measures are a hindrance.”
DUBAI: The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has awarded a $744 million contract for the full field development of the Belbazem Offshore Block as it expands its production capacity to 5 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2030.
Located 120 kilometers northwest of Abu Dhabi city, the Belbazem Block consists of three marginal offshore fields; Belbazem, Umm Al Salsal, and Umm Al Dholou.
ADNOC unit Al Yasat Petroleum Operations Company and joint venture with China National Petroleum Corporation awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract to the National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC).
ADNOC and CNPC hold 60 percent and 40 percent stakes in Al Yasat respectively.
The offshore block consists of three fields –Belbazem, Umm Al Salsal and Umm Al Dholou.
Adnoc has the majority 60 per cent stake in Al Yasat, with the remainder held by China’s CNPC. NPCC was selected after a rigorous tender process that ensures it will deploy best-in-class technology and expertise to execute this strategic project, with a substantial part of the award value flowing back into the UAE’s economy, said Yaser Almazrouei, Adnoc upstream executive director said in a statement on Tuesday.
Around 65 per cent of the award value will flow back to the UAE, according to Adnoc s in-country value programme.
LOS ANGELES: After his film debut remaking of “Dawn of the Dead” in 2004, director Zack Snyder is returning to the world of zombies with Netflix’s “Army of the Dead” and he’s putting a new spin on the genre by combining it with a heist movie.
After a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries takes the ultimate gamble by venturing into the quarantine zone for the greatest heist ever in this flick starring former wrestler Dave Bautista and Indian actress Huma Qureshi.
“I had one of the best times making this movie than I’ve ever had making a film,” Snyder told Arab News. “It was just such an immersive experience and such a great intimate experience with me operating the camera and having the actors just right there with me.”