Award-winning American actor, film director, writer and producer Kevin Spacey will teach aspiring young actors via the new ‘Home Grown’ programme, a joint initiative of the Sharjah-based Middle East Theatre Academy (META) and the Kevin Spacey Foundation (KSF). Launched under the patronage of Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah’s Supreme Council for Family Affairs and wife of ...

Sharjah is fast developing as centre for halal food, a global market worth US$2 trillion (AED 7.3t) worldwide. Global food producers converged on Sharjah earlier this month to meet with buyers from the Middle East and North African and the Indian sub-continent at the third annual OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) Halal Congress. A wide variety of halal food producers ...

Lord Peter Mandelson, former British Labour Party politician and the European Commissioner for Trade from 2004 and 2008, will deliver a keynote address on the final day of the 2015 World Forum for Foreign Direct Investment, on immigration policy , FDI and the global fight for talent. The forum, organised by Conway Events, will be held from 8 – 10 February in ...

Renowned Iraqi singer Kadim Al Sahir is to headline the second edition of the Sharjah World Music Festival taking place from 16 to 25 January 2015. Organised by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) in collaboration with Furat Qaddouri Music Center the festival will feature an elite line-up of vocalists and music performers from 13 countries. One of the most successful ...

Sharjah Economic Development Department has launched a new one-stop-shop for investors setting up businesses in the emirate. The new government Investor Services Centre, aims to significantly reduce the amount of time taken to establish a business in Sharjah, while increasing the level of service offered to commercial investors. The new service centre is one of a number of initiatives undertaken by Sharjah ...

Global business aviation services company Gama Aviation this week confirmed plans to further expand its private aviation hub in Sharjah. The company began handling all business aviation services at Sharjah International Airport in early 2012 via a partnership with Sharjah Airport Authority and recently opened its own private aviation terminal, providing a full service private aviation hub for its customers ...

Sharjah residential property rents increased 23 per cent during the first nine months of 2014, according to Cluttons. The real estate consultancy credited ongoing reverse migration from neighbouring Dubai and the rapid expansion of Air Arabia as key factors driving the increase, combined with a limited supply of residential property. Apartment rental prices in the emirate surged 35 per cent ...

Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, COO of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) was interviewed by World Finance recently about the emirate’s investment proposition (watch the video). Shurooq was recently named FDI Agency of the Year in the MENA region by The European Magazine’s Global Banking and Finance Awards and will host the 2015 World Forum for Foreign Direct Investment, from 8-10 February.

Sharjah expects 17 major international cruise liners to visit the emirate over the next two years, according to Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). Thanks to its strategic Indian Ocean location, Sharjah’s Khorfakkan Port has been welcoming luxury cruise-liners since the early 1980s and is becoming increasingly popular on the itineraries of international operators. More than 71 calls from luxury ...

According to a new report by international real estate consultancy Cluttons, while Sharjah’s office rental market saw no growth during the July, August, September period, rents are expected to rise during the last quarter of the year due to growing demand for A grade office space. Some prime commercial locations saw a lowering of rental costs during the third quarter. ...