LAFFAZ

Free zones have become a core part of how businesses hire in Dubai. The Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority reported that the total workforce across companies in its three zones reached 106,359 in 2025, up 26.2% from the previous year. For many of those employers, HR is handled through a free zone authority, not through the ministry that regulates mainland companies. Founders often treat the choice between a free zone and mainland licence as a legal or tax decision.

Setting up shop or growing a company in Saudi Arabia is a big move. With Vision 2030 reshaping the whole economic landscape, the market here is moving at breakneck speed. But ask any operations manager or business owner in KSA what gives them headaches, and they’ll almost certainly point to hiring. Finding qualified people, getting them onboarded legally, and keeping up with changing labor rules can slow your business down fast if you try to manage it all internally.

Actor Ranbir Kapoor has launched Flux Theory, a body wash brand he founded with Advay Jhunjhunwala and venture-building platform Think9, marking his entry into India’s FMCG sector. The brand debuted on September 28 with five shower gels named Lover, Rebel, Dreamer, Sport, and Sage. Kapoor is listed as founder and Jhunjhunwala as co-founder.

The time it takes to fill a role has little to do with how quickly a vacancy is advertised. Sourcing candidates, sifting applications, testing skills, arranging interviews, checking team fit, and completing legal hiring steps all add days, and sometimes weeks, before a business can bring a new employee on board. In Dubai, that delay costs more than it once did.

Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses manage operations, analyse data, serve customers, and make decisions. Yet turning a great AI idea into a smooth, company-wide roll-out takes much more than picking shiny new software. You need a practical plan, real problems to solve, solid data, a tech setup that can handle the load, and people who actually know how to build it.

Instagram Stories are a popular way to share travel moments as they happen, from airport updates and local food discoveries to scenic views and short clips from a day trip. Stories are temporary, though. Unless they are added to Highlights, they normally disappear after 24 hours, which can make memorable travel content difficult to revisit later. For travelers, Instagram Stories can serve two purposes.

Imagine you are the principal designer on a new build-to-rent block in Leeds. The stair core needs a natural smoke and heat exhaust ventilator with a certified free area, while the facilities team needs a safe personnel route to the flat roof for maintenance. There is only one suitable opening; the structural kerb is already cast, and Building Regulations Part B and BS 9999 both have to be satisfied without compromise.

Strong leadership can determine whether a business maintains steady progress or struggles to adapt as it grows. Effective executives influence strategic decisions, strengthen teams, manage change, and create a clear direction for the organization. Their impact often extends beyond immediate performance, shaping culture, innovation, and long-term resilience.

When Charles “Chuck” Feeney died in October 2023, obituaries leaned almost entirely on one story: a duty-free retail billionaire who secretly gave away his entire fortune and died with almost nothing left. Fewer mentioned that the vehicle he used to multiply that fortune before giving it away, General Atlantic, is today a $118-billion growth-equity firm with an active, decades-long footprint in Indian technology, retail, and healthcare. Feeney’s own money story is well documented.

Within seconds of Apple unveiling its first folding iPhone on September 9, the joke was already written. Social media users didn’t wait for a review or a teardown — they went straight for the punchline that Apple had just discovered a category that Huawei shipped in 2019. One recurring reaction template showed a cartoon figure copying an exam answer, captioned to suggest Apple had simply looked over its neighbour’s shoulder.