Etihad adds more Africa routes, Abu Dhabi pushes into affordable housing, more support measures from Dubai South, G42-backed AI firm launches new model

Etihad adds another growth lane, this time in Africa

Etihad Airways is expanding its Africa network with new Abu Dhabi routes to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ghana, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, Wam reports.

ICYMI- The push comes after the airline struck a strategic partnership with Ethiopian Airlines in March to deepen connectivity across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Etihad has also targeted a similar buildout for its eastbound services. The airline also recently added five routes to mainland China and 28 weekly flights.

Abu Dhabi is scaling up affordable rentals

Abu Dhabi is expanding its affordable housing segment, with 9k rental units in the pipeline through a new partnership between the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) and Aldar Properties, according to Abu Dhabi Media Office. The collaboration aims to deliver two mixed-use developments in Mohamed Bin Zayed City and Baniyas by 2029, featuring residential units alongside retail and lifestyle amenities.

Who’s doing what? The government-backed developer will lead the development, leasing, and management for the projects — which have a combined value of AED 2.8 bn — while the DMT will provide long-term land access.

Dubai South rolls out incentives to keep business activities steady

Dubai South rolled out a new suite of incentives aimed at keeping operations running smoothly for companies in its freezone, state news agency Wam reports. The package includes support for new company setup, easier license renewals, and waivers on late renewal fines.

ICYMI- Earlier this month, Dubai South introduced rent relief and payment flexibility measures to bolster businesses at its Business Park — a move that fits within a wider drive of support measures from UAE entities against the backdrop of regional conflict.

G42-backed AI firm rolls out new model

G42-backed, Italy-based Domyn launched a new 260B-parameter reasoning model in partnership with Microsoft, according to a statement. The LLM — called Domyn Large — targets users in regulated industries and features reasoning controls, tool use, and support for more than 50 languages, with the option for proprietary data training.

ICYMI- G42 and Domyn (FKA iGenius) are already collaborating on building Europe’s largest AI compute deployment in Italy. Initially announced as a USD 1 bn, five-year investment, Domyn founder and CEO Uljan Sharka is now outlining a significantly expanded USD 10 bn three-year spending plan for the project, according to Arabian Business.