RAKEZ marks groundbreaking of Indu’s logistics facility in Al Hamra Industrial Zone

Ras Al Khaimah, Feb24: Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) marked the groundbreaking of a new 5,839 m² warehousing facility by Indu, a multi-industry-focused logistics and warehouse solutions provider, at Al Hamra Industrial Zone.

The ceremony was attended by senior RAKEZ representatives, including Ian Hunt, Chief Experience Officer; Alia Rabbani, Key Accounts Director; and Mohamed Ismayil, Senior Manager – Key Accounts.

The new development will deliver advanced warehousing solutions with a projected capacity of 12,000 m³. Designed to serve fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), hotel supplies, and food supplies, the facility will primarily support the F&B sector across the Northern Emirates by providing specialised storage solutions.

Scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2026, the project forms a key part of Indu’s broader expansion strategy to evolve into a multi-industry-focused logistics provider, capitalising on Ras Al Khaimah’s accelerating economic growth and rising demand across key sectors.

Commenting on the milestone, Kush Kishore Lakhani, Managing Director at Indu, said, “Indu has always followed the ‘Build It and They Will Come’ approach. This strategic investment reflects the notable rise in activity across Ras Al Khaimah and the growing demand for advanced logistics solutions, particularly in the FMCG and F&B sectors. By establishing this facility, we are strengthening our footprint in the Northern Emirates and positioning ourselves to support the region’s continued economic and tourism-driven growth. The proactive support we received from RAKEZ, from application to construction permits, has been instrumental in helping us stay on track and execute this investment with confidence.”

Ramy Jallad, Group CEO of RAKEZ, added, “Indu’s investment reinforces Ras Al Khaimah’s position as a growing logistics and distribution hub serving key sectors across the Northern Emirates. As demand rises across FMCG, hospitality, and food supply chains, scalable warehousing infrastructure becomes increasingly vital. At RAKEZ, we remain committed to providing investors with the industrial land, streamlined processes, and end-to-end support needed to accelerate their growth and deliver long-term value to the wider business ecosystem.”

The facility’s development comes amid sustained expansion in Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism and hospitality sectors, further strengthening the emirate’s supply chain capabilities and enhancing its industrial ecosystem.

Hexagon’s Xwatch Safety Solutions and RodRadar Unveil Industry- First Safety-Grade System for Utility Strike Prevention

LAS VEGAS, NV – Feb 24 – Xwatch Safety Solutions, part of Hexagon, a leader in excavator safety systems, and RodRadar, developer of the field-proven Live Dig Radar (LDR), today announced the industry’s first safety-grade solution for preventing underground utility strikes. The integrated system, set to be demonstrated at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2026 (March 3-7, Las Vegas), automatically stops excavator bucket movement when subsurface utilities are detected during active excavation, making RodRadar’s Zero-Strike vision a reality.

Underground utility strikes remain among the most persistent safety and financial challenges in construction. In the United States, one to two strikes occur every minute, with over 400,000 incidents reported annually, costing the economy approximately $30 billion each year and contributing to thousands of injuries and hundreds of fatalities over the past two decades.

Nearly 50% of strikes occur because utilities were not located or were mis-located, and in 64% of incidents the buried infrastructure was more than two feet outside the marked area.

RodRadar’s AI-driven Live Dig Radar digging system uses the first-ever ground-penetrating radar (GPR) embedded directly in an excavator bucket to detect underground utilities in real- time, during excavation, without reliance on pre-project utility data. Through the RodRadar- Xwatch integration, LDR detected utilities trigger an automatic bucket stop via Xwatch’s safety- grade hydraulic control system to prevent it from hitting the utility.

The integration represents a fundamental step in excavation safety. The approach is analogous to the automotive industry’s evolution from Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that merely warn drivers, to autonomous emergency braking that actively prevents collisions: the integrated system takes direct action, delivering what RodRadar terms Stop-Before-Strike (SBS), while operators retain override capability.

Xwatch Safety Solutions brings long-standing experience in safety-grade excavator control to this partnership. With over 6,500 systems installed worldwide, the company is a global leader in excavator safety technology, providing height and slew control through proportional hydraulic intervention. Acquired by Hexagon AB in April 2024, Xwatch operates within Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division, alongside Leica Geosystems and IDS GeoRadar.

“RodRadar has solved the detection problem during excavation,” said Dan Leaney, Director of Sales at Xwatch Safety Solutions. “By integrating their Live Dig Radar technology directly into our safety-grade hydraulic control, we can physically stop the machine before a strike occurs. That’s the difference between warning about a risk and actually preventing it.”

“Xwatch’s proven track record in safety-grade hydraulic control makes them an ideal partner to bring our Zero-Strike vision to reality,” said Yuval Barnea, VP of Sales and Marketing at RodRadar. “The integration further closes the safety gap, transforming LDR detections into automatic strike prevention and delivering the industry’s first-ever SBS solution. We envision this to be recommended and mandated by leading industry stakeholders, project owners, and contractors.”

Construction safety remains a critical industry concern, with 1,075 fatalities recorded in U.S. construction in 2023, the highest figure since 2011; struck-by incidents account for approximately 15.4% of those fatalities. The integrated solution aims to establish Zero-Strike Excavation as the new industry standard, with the potential to become mandated on job sites where underground utilities are present.

Utkarsh Small Finance Bank and Kotak Life Announce Strategic Partnership to Drive Life Insurance Penetration || Press Release

Mumbai, Feb 24: Utkarsh Small Finance Bank Limited (“Utkarsh SFBL”) today announced a strategic partnership with Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Ltd (“Kotak Life”), marking a significant milestone in the Bank’s product expansion strategy. This collaboration significantly strengthens Utkarsh SFBL’s life insurance vertical, integrating Kotak Life’s comprehensive suite of products across the Bank’s 1105 banking outlets spanning 27 states and union territories.

The tie-up plans to benefit 51.4 lakh customers of Utkarsh SFBL that will offer a wide range of tailor-made life insurance products and solutions provided by Kotak Life, including protection, savings, unit-linked and retirement.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Govind Singh, Managing Director & CEO, Utkarsh Small Finance Bank Limited, said:

“This partnership reinforces our commitment to delivering holistic financial solutions to our customers. By collaborating with Kotak Life Insurance, we are creating a robust platform that offers access to a wide array of Life Insurance products from leading insurers. This enables our customers to choose solutions that are best suited to their individual needs, preferences and life stages, while enhancing financial security that best suits their unique needs and financial goals”.

Mahesh Balasubramanian, Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Limited, said,

“At Kotak Life, we firmly believe that life insurance is a necessity for every Indian. We are committed to IRDAI’s vision of ‘Insurance for All’ and our collaboration with Utkarsh Small Finance Bank is a step in that direction. Through this partnership, we aim to extend our reach to untapped segments of the population by leveraging the bank’s customer network and our life insurance expertise to provide financial security to Utkarsh SFBL’s customers.”

This partnership will enable Utkarsh SFBL’s customers to access a wider range of life insurance offerings, which can be delivered through multiple channels such as branches, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, UPI and assisted-digital platforms.

Kotak Life has secured over 5 crore active lives, reflecting its consistent track record of delivering financial security to policyholders, an assurance that will now extend to the customers of Utkarsh SFBL.

Censys appoints Meriam ElOuazzani as META Vice President to expand growth in the region

ElOuazzani will lead Censys’s expansion and position it as the region’s trusted internet intelligence partner, along with Rajaee Al-Dalgamouni and Ahmed Ehlayel

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 24 February 2026: Censys, the authority for internet intelligence and insights, has appointed Meriam ElOuazzani as its first dedicated Vice President for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region. In her new role, Meriam will lead the company’s end-to-end regional growth strategy, including revenue expansion, partnerships and ecosystem building, as well as establishing the organization’s position as the default external attack surface intelligence layer for organizations across the region.

“We are delighted to welcome Meriam ElOuazzani as Vice President for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. This deepens our investment in a region where Censys has established strong momentum and is strategically positioned for accelerated growth,” said Sarah Ashburn, Chief Revenue Officer at Censys. “Meriam’s proven track record of scaling cybersecurity markets across META, combined with her deep regional insight, makes her the right leader to grow our market presence and meet rising demand for trusted internet intelligence.”

 With over two decades of extensive experience in cybersecurity and enterprise technology, Meriam ElOuzzani has consistently built and scaled markets across the region, assembling the teams, channel ecosystems, and marketing blueprints. Her career trajectory reflects her strong regional leadership through her roles as Senior Regional Director at SentinelOne, where she established the regional go-to-market operation and multiple leadership roles at VMware across MENA, strengthening the channel, security, and distribution networks to accelerate growth. She has also led the Regional Product Sales for Mobility across the Middle East at Cisco Systems. At Censys, Meriam will focus on expanding strategic partnerships across government and enterprises, including channels, MSSP, and hyperscaler alliances, to scale efficiently across diverse markets.

“The META region is at an inflection point in cybersecurity maturity. Across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, governments and commercial organizations are moving beyond perimeter defense and demanding real-time threat detection and operational visibility into their digital footprint,” said Meriam ElOuazzani, VP META, Censys. “Over the past two decades in this region, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the right intelligence transforms the security operations entirely. Censys’s internet intelligence platform equips security teams with authoritative, real-time insight into exposure and adversary activity, replacing assumptions with actionable confidence. My mission is to establish Censys as a trusted partner across META, enabling the shift from reactive defense to proactive intelligence.”

Censys helps security teams identify exposures, monitor changes, and detect threats before they are exploited by continuously mapping internet-facing assets, services, and critical infrastructure. Its platform enables governments and enterprises to make confident decisions by delivering accurate, comprehensive insights into their digital footprint.

Recognized for pioneering internet-scale attack surface mapping and advancing ICS/OT threat intelligence, Censys has earned industry acclaim and built strong partnerships across the cybersecurity ecosystem globally. In the Middle East, Censys has already partnered with Rilian Technologies to bring its internet intelligence and ICS/OT capabilities to sovereign nations and critical infrastructure. With this new appointment, the company is further reinforcing its commitment to supporting national cybersecurity priorities and driving long-term regional growth.

As part of the regional expansion plans, Censys has also appointed Rajaee Al-Dalgamouni as Regional Sales Lead (META) and Ahmed Ehlayel as Solutions Engineer at Censys to strengthen the regional team under Meriam’s leadership.

Blue zones the inspiration for green living in Dubai

New development taking its cue from the world’s longest-lived communities

Dubai, UAE, Feb 24: Scientific research launched just over 20 years ago to find the places where people live longest, identified five ‘blue zones’ where nature played a fundamental role, and healthy behaviour was built into daily life.

American writer, explorer and National Geographic Fellow, Dan Buettner, first coined the term ‘blue zones’ after an expedition in 2000 to investigate historic longevity associated with the remote Japanese islands of Okinawa.

With a team of scientists, he then set out to discover other communities where people not only lived longer, but also enjoyed a high quality of life in their old age. 

Ultimately, Sardinia, Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Icaria in Greece, and Loma Linda, California joined the list of five ‘blue zones’, and Buettner used the term to found an organisation to create healthy communities across the United States. 

The concept is a major influence behind a first of its kind development in Dubai which Talal M.Al Gaddah, CEO and Founder of the Keturah luxury brand, believes will shape luxury community design across the Gulf region and beyond.

Keturah Reserve, the AED5.7 billion bio-living community at Mohammed Bin Rashid City’s District 7, the first project of its kind in the Gulf, is under development at a moment when Dubai is making nature and human wellbeing central to how it builds its future.

Launched at the recent World Governments Summit, Dubai Municipality’s Blue and Green Spaces Roadmap includes a portfolio of projects valued at more than AED4 billion, showing Dubai as a leading global sustainable city that harnesses nature to enhance human wellbeing.

Over the next five years, this will plant 1.5 million trees, create 120 new parks across nearly 3 million square metres, and weave more than 200 sports and recreational spaces into green networks across the city.

“It’s a masterful plan, which showcases the ingenuity and innovation which has made Dubai one of the world’s best cities in which to live and work,” said Talal. “This inspires us to create communities offering a new quality of life, where nature and its impact on people’s health is an intrinsic element of design.”

Keturah Reserve, itself a veritable explosion of green, is built around the idea that three environmental inputs – air, water, and light – are the foundations of human health. Air purification systems remove not just dust particles but chemical compounds and pathogens that conventional buildings leave untouched. Water infrastructure is treated with similar precision.

The community’s lighting adjusts throughout the day to mirror natural daylight, supporting the body’s sleep and wake cycles in ways that standard artificial lighting cannot. Landscaping is just as deliberate, with centuries-old olive trees, thousands of mature trees sourced from Thailand, and green corridors and Japanese-inspired dry gardens built into public spaces.

For families there are safe play areas, educational programming spaces, a creche and educational daycare centre. Summer camps, Montessori classes, and a Bio Living Farm, all designed to encourage outdoor activity and learning for children of all ages.

“The commercial case is well established, with wellness-centric properties in Dubai commanding price premiums of up to 15%, while branded residences with strong lifestyle credentials are securing premiums of 15% to 25%,” says Talal.

“Developments that successfully integrate green infrastructure, walkable streets, and community-focused amenities are expected to outperform the wider market. It’s a trend that shows no sign of slowing as health and longevity move from personal aspiration to primary purchasing criterion for luxury buyers.”

Censysappoints Meriam ElOuazzani as META Vice President to expand growth in the region

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Feb 24: Censys, the authority for internet intelligence and insights, has appointed Meriam ElOuazzani as its first dedicated Vice President for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region. In her new role, Meriam will lead the company’s end-to-end regional growth strategy, including revenue expansion, partnerships, and ecosystem building, as well as establishing the organization’s position as thedefault external attack surface intelligence layer for organizations across the region.

“We are delighted to welcome Meriam ElOuazzani as Vice President for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. This deepens our investment in a region where Censys has established strong momentum and is strategically positioned for accelerated growth,” said Sarah Ashburn, Chief Revenue Officer at Censys. “Meriam’s proven track record of scaling cybersecurity markets across META, combined with her deep regional insight, makes her the right leader to grow our market presence and meet rising demand for trusted internet intelligence.”

With over two decades of extensive experience in cybersecurity and enterprise technology, Meriam ElOuzzani has consistentlybuiltand scaled markets across the region, assembling the teams, channel ecosystems, and marketing blueprints.Her career trajectory reflects her strong regional leadership through her roles as Senior Regional Director at SentinelOne, where she established the regional go-to-market operation andmultiple leadership roles at VMware across MENA,strengthening the channel, security, and distribution networks to accelerate growth.She has also led the Regional Product Sales for Mobility across the Middle East at Cisco Systems. At Censys, Meriam will focus on expanding strategic partnerships across government and enterprises, including channels, MSSP, and hyperscaler alliances, to scale efficiently across diverse markets.

“The META region is at an inflection point in cybersecurity maturity. Across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, governments and commercial organizations are moving beyond perimeter defense and demanding real-time threat detection and operational visibility into their digital footprint,” said Meriam ElOuazzani, VP META, Censys. “Over the past two decades in this region, I’ve witnessed firsthand how the right intelligence transforms the security operations entirely. Censys’sinternet intelligence platform equips security teams with authoritative, real-time insight into exposure and adversary activity, replacing assumptions with actionable confidence. My mission is to establish Censys as a trusted partner across META, enabling the shift from reactive defense to proactive intelligence.”

Censyshelps security teams identify exposures, monitor changes, and detect threats before they are exploited by continuously mapping internet-facing assets, services, and critical infrastructure. Its platform enables governments and enterprises to make confident decisions by delivering accurate, comprehensive insights into their digital footprint.

Recognized for pioneering internet-scale attack surface mapping and advancing ICS/OT threat intelligence, Censys has earned industry acclaim and built strong partnerships across the cybersecurity ecosystem globally. In the Middle East, Censys has already partnered with Rilian Technologies to bring its internet intelligence and ICS/OT capabilities to sovereign nations and critical infrastructure. With this new appointment, the company is further reinforcing its commitment to supporting national cybersecurity priorities and driving long-term regional growth.

As part of the regional expansion plans, Censys has also appointedRajaee Al-Dalgamounias Regional Sales Lead (META) and Ahmed Ehlayel as Solutions Engineer at Censysto strengthen the regional team under Meriam’s leadership.