A media company based in Dubai plans to print up to 12 international newspapers in the UAE as part of a US$4 million (Dh14.69m) business plan that includes the possibility of franchise agreements in other regional markets. Atlas Media Communications started printing British titles the Daily Mail, Daily Star and Daily Express on May 18, the first time these titles had been available in the UAE on the day of publication.
The Mail on Sunday and USA Today will also be printed locally in the coming weeks. "Up until now, all the international newspapers coming into the UAE were flown in by air," said Amit Radia, the chief executive of Atlas Media Communications. The company plans to start printing more European titles, plus newspapers from the US, Far East, Australia and South Africa as part of a deal with the content distribution company NewspaperDirect.
Under the terms of the licence, Atlas Media has the rights to print NewspaperDirect titles across the GCC and in east Africa. Under local laws the company is not allowed to change any content, except as required by law, or sell advertising in the newspapers it republishes in the UAE. He said each of the newspapers required a licence from the UAE Government. "We had to get the approval from the National Media Council. It took two months. There are a lot of regulations you have to follow.
"We are in the process of obtaining National Media Council approval for five more titles. Hopefully we'll get that within the next few weeks." Mr Radia said the newspapers would be sold in about 300 UAE outlets, including Spinney's, Carrefour and Dubai Duty Free, distributed by Jashanmal and Tawseel. Print runs will be low. Between 650 and 700 copies of the Daily Mail will be printed, and 250 copies each of the Express and the Star.
"We will offer bulk drops later on," said Mr Radia, referring to multiple copies sent to the likes of banks, airlines and hotels. He said it was "too early" to talk about the margin on each copy but admitted this was not a high-profit business model. "It's not going to make me a millionaire but it's a steady business," Mr Radia said, adding that his $4m investment included €2.2m (Dh9.9m) for a high-speed printing system, which can be used for other purposes.
"People said 'you're nuts - newspapers are dying'. And I said 'no they're not'. These newspapers are more entertainment titles," he said. "And the UAE is unique in that there is a huge range of nationalities here, and a huge holiday traffic. So a wider range of short-run newspapers makes sense. "This model allows you more personalisation [of newspapers], it reduces lead times, and helps you cope with market demand, instead of being stuck with half a million copies a day ."
But media commentators were not convinced. Professor George Brock, the head of journalism at City University London, said it would be hard to make back the initial investment. "You have to assume that, if they are truly investing $4m, they're going to expand the circulation or the number of titles over time, because you'd never make any money if you were only shifting a couple of thousand copies. In fact you'd make a whacking loss," said Prof Brock.
"I'm very strongly in favour of increasing the choice and number of newspapers but people have been trying variants of this idea for the past 10 to 15 years and yet, so far, nobody has made significant progress in turning it into a properly functioning business." Ali Jaber, the dean of the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Communications at the American University of Dubai, and a consultant to the TV and publishing group Dubai Media Incorporated, said he did not think the business model was sustainable.
"Printing 250 copies of a newspaper is, I think, silly," Mr Jaber said. "You can sell them all but what kind of pricing and advertising attraction do you have? All the newspapers in the Arab world lose money … and sales are diminishing at a terrifying rate." @Email:bflanagan@thenational.ae
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Race card:
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ganbaru, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Superliminal%20
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
