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- Qatar Rejects Claims Over Trump Adviser Payment; UAE Sparking Water Brand JUX Expands; LuLu Group Pursues AED 4M Defamation Lawsuit
Qatar Rejects Claims Over Trump Adviser Payment; UAE Sparking Water Brand JUX Expands; LuLu Group Pursues AED 4M Defamation Lawsuit
AI, tech, startup and business stories from the Arab world. For the driven, the dreamers and the doers
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Happy Thursday everyone!
Diplomatic dispute responses, local beverage retail ventures, and cross-border corporate legal actions lead today’s business updates. The Embassy of Qatar in Washington formally denied claims raised in a Florida court filing alleging that political consultant Alex Bruesewitz received $500,000 from Qatari associates. In consumer goods, Emirati founders Ahmad AlSawalhi and creator Mohanad AlHattab expanded JUX, a zero-calorie flavored sparkling water brand, across UAE supermarkets. Meanwhile, retail conglomerate LuLu Group rejected an out-of-court settlement, moving forward with a defamation lawsuit in India seeking roughly AED 4 million in damages over historic gold smuggling allegations against billionaire chairman M.A. Yusuff Ali.
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Qatar Embassy Rebuffs Lawsuit Allegations Over $500,000 Payment to Political Adviser
🔹 What Is It About
The Embassy of Qatar in the United States released a public statement refuting claims in a Florida civil lawsuit that political consultant Alex Bruesewitz received around $500,000 from individuals connected to Qatar. The accusation appeared in a legal complaint submitted by Derek Utley, Bruesewitz’s former partner at consultancy X Strategies, and was cited by The New York Times. Qatari officials described the allegation as baseless, noting that no evidence supported the claim and that the publication failed to request comment before publishing.
Denying Cash Transfers: Qatar confirmed Bruesewitz received no funds from or directed by the state.
Challenging Legal Filings: Embassy attorneys contacted plaintiff counsel in Florida to demand a formal court correction.
Calling Out Media Outreach: Officials noted reporters published the claims without contacting diplomatic representatives.
🔹 Why It Matters
Unverified claims involving political consultants and foreign governments can complicate sensitive diplomatic relations between Gulf states and Washington. With political consultants advising high-profile American figures, financial disclosures face intense public and legal review. Pushing back immediately through formal channels helps sovereign embassies prevent court filings from harming diplomatic engagement.
Safeguarding Diplomatic Standing: Rapid public denials prevent legal disputes between business partners from distorting bilateral relations.
Protecting Sovereign Credibility: Demanding court corrections shields foreign governments from third-party commercial litigation.
🔹 What’s Next
Attorneys representing Derek Utley will decide whether to provide supporting records or modify the complaint in the Florida court. Qatari diplomatic representatives will monitor judicial filings to ensure references to the state are formally addressed.
Reviewing Complaint Filings: Florida judges will determine if the disputed claims remain admissible in the civil suit.
Monitoring Press Inquiries: Communications staff will issue updates as the US legal dispute moves toward initial hearings.
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Emirati Founders Expand Zero-Calorie Sparkling Water Brand JUX Across UAE Retailers
🔹 What Is It About
Emirati entrepreneur Ahmad AlSawalhi and digital creator Mohanad AlHattab launched JUX, a domestic flavored sparkling water brand developed to meet rising demand for clean beverages. The partners started the business after adopting sparkling water into their daily habits while living overseas, noticing limited homegrown options upon returning to the UAE. Formulated with zero sugar, zero sweeteners, and zero calories, the brand launched with Strawberry & Lime and Mango & Passion Fruit options across regional retail shelves.
Creating Clean Drinks: JUX produces flavored sparkling water with no sugar, artificial sweeteners, or calories.
Teaming Up to Build: Founders Ahmad AlSawalhi and Mohanad AlHattab paired commercial planning with digital audience reach.
Distributing Across UAE: The startup launched two fruit flavors in retail grocers and online stores across the Emirates.
🔹 Why It Matters
Growing consumer preference for sugar-free and functional drinks is pushing regional beverage shelves away from traditional sodas. Local founders building homegrown consumer brands show that domestic startups can take shelf space from established multinational beverage giants. Pairing creator audiences with physical retail distribution helps new food brands gain customer awareness without reliance on massive legacy marketing budgets.
Shifting Retail Tastes: Rising health awareness drives shopper demand toward simple, zero-calorie canned drinks.
Empowering Local Creators: Content creators partnering with operators shortens the path from product development to retail sales.
🔹 What’s Next
The JUX management team plans to add new seasonal flavors to its production line over the coming months. Commercial leads will pitch regional supermarket chains and food delivery platforms to grow distribution outside the UAE.
LuLu Group Rejects Settlement and Pursues AED 4 Million Defamation Action in India
🔹 What Is It About
UAE retail giant LuLu Group confirmed it will proceed with defamation proceedings in India against Shajan Skariah, founder of Malayalam news portal Marunadan Malayalee, seeking roughly AED 4 million ($1.1 million) in damages. The legal action stems from 2020 reports that attempted to connect LuLu Group Chairman M.A. Yusuff Ali to a high-profile gold smuggling inquiry. Despite Skariah issuing a public apology to Yusuff Ali, LuLu Group leadership declined an out-of-court resolution, insisting on a final court ruling.
Seeking AED 4M Damages: LuLu Group filed claims seeking approximately AED 4 million for commercial and personal reputational harm.
Rejecting Settlement Offers: Corporate leadership refused an out-of-court deal despite a published apology from the editor.
Contesting False Smuggling Links: The lawsuit targets reporting from November 2020 that linked Yusuff Ali to gold smuggling investigations.
🔹 Why It Matters
Pursuing litigation through completion sends a firm signal that multinational retail leaders will protect corporate reputations against unverified reporting. For large business groups operating across multiple countries, public trust is critical for retaining financial ties, retail customers, and banking relationships. Taking a hard legal stance discourages online platforms from using sensational headlines to drive traffic at the expense of established business leaders.
🔹 What’s Next
Judicial benches in India will set hearing dates to assess damages claims against the digital news portal. Legal representatives for LuLu Group will present financial statements showing the commercial impact of the disputed articles.
👨💻From Smashi Business’ Desk
Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) CEO Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi has publicly addressed the sovereign wealth fund’s participation in the $110 billion Skydance-Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal for the first time.
Egyptian-American creator Kareem, the man behind viral interview series @subwaytakes, has been named one of just 25 winners of the 2026 Instagram Rings Awards.
A $12 chicken sandwich has sparked a debate over wealth and inequality in Lebanon.
An Islamic brokerage founder says Anthropic wouldn’t make the cut on his app.
An Emirati AI company has outperformed Microsoft, ElevenLabs, Google and OpenAI in Arabic speech recognition accuracy.
🔍In other news…
Karen Wazen Collection Just Expanded to Egypt With Two New Stores
Saudi's PIF, Silver Lake have held recent talks to buy gaming software provider Unity, sources say
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GCC rejects US claim Hormuz could become ‘worthless’
Aramco's Q3 profit rises by a third despite attacks
Saudi Arabia Pushes Ahead With IPO Rule Changes Despite Banker Warnings
Dubai's Emaar plans offer to buy out construction arm in $3.4 billion deal
US President Donald Trump says Washington will stop giving Israel $4 billion annually after this year
UN shipping chief criticises huge payouts for crews risking Hormuz
🦄 World of Startups
NoorNation: Egypt-based cleantech startup NoorNation raised $1.05 million in seed funding from Linah Farms, Catalyst Fund and KBW Ventures to expand its solar-powered irrigation and desalination solutions.
Silkhaus: UAE-based short-term rental startup Silkhaus is winding down its holiday-home business in the country, with owner agreements set to end on November 11, 2026.
MNT-Halan: Egyptian fintech MNT-Halan received a $71.2 million capital injection from its parent company, MNT Investments BV, increasing the parent’s stake to 80.47% shortly after the fintech’s $139.5 million IPO.
Alpha Dhabi: UAE-based Alpha Dhabi Holding committed $1 billion to Alpha Wave III, a global investment fund managed by Alpha Wave Global that focuses on high-growth companies, with AI at its core.
Mubadala Capital: UAE-based Mubadala Capital secured a minority equity investment from US asset manager Apollo Global Management, which manages $1.05 trillion in assets, with the investment value undisclosed.
