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In today’s newsletter:

Stay informed with the latest updates from Arabian Business, where our dedicated editorial team brings you a diverse range of stories. Here's what you missed on Saturday and Sunday:

Abu Dhabi Airports has partnered with the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (UAEICP) to implement the biometric Smart Travel project at Zayed International Airport. The project, developed in collaboration with AI specialist Next 50, will be rolled out in three phases to integrate biometric authentication systems across the airport’s security and operations points. The system uses existing databases to authenticate travellers automatically, eliminating the need for prior registration for departing passengers.

Meanwhile, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai has announced a contract worth AED1.1 billion for the purchase of 636 new buses. The deal aims to support several key objectives for the emirate. These include enhancing the well-being of Dubai’s residents and visitors, strengthening the city’s position as a hub for international events, and contributing to the targets set in the Dubai Urban Plan 2040. RTA Dubai disclosed the information through their official social media account on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

Moreover, Skyscanner has released report on top family travel destinations for summer, including recommendations for affordable car rentals with potential savings of up to 14 percent. The company’s research, conducted with OnePoll, indicates that 48 percent of UAE residents have booked their summer holidays. However, only 53 percent of these travellers have secured car hire, compared to 97 percent who have booked flights.

Aside from this, businesses worldwide faced a major IT outage on Friday from Microsoft, causing disruptions across various sectors. The outage coincided with a disruption at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which occurred early Friday. Due to this, UAE experts have shared their comments reacting to the massive Microsoft outage, calling the critical event “a wake-up call for businesses globally to reassess their IT infrastructure and the processes they have in place for software updates and security measures."

In other news, UAE weather forecasters have said there will be rain, clouds, mist, humidity and extreme heat in the country in the coming days. Although temperatures in parts of the UAE are expected to be well above 45 degrees, some areas will also see rainfall and convective clouds. The National Centre of Meteorology said rainfall is expected in parts of the UAE on Sunday and Monday.

THE LONGER READ:

Dubai villa and townhouse prices have increased 28 per cent in past year and rents are up more than 23 per cent. Is it time to buy?

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