Khaleej Times

History and profile

A partnership between the UAE government, the Galadari Brothers and the Dawn Media Group in Pakistan began publishing the daily on 16 April 1978, making it the first English daily in the UAE. The founding team consisted of Mahmoud Haroon, Muzammil Ahmed, M.J. Zahedi, Malcolm Payne (the first editor-in-chief) and Iqbal Noorie (in charge of circulation). They were soon joined by Patrick Heyland who was in charge of advertising and promotion.

The editorial staff of the paper includes multiple nationalities, mostly from the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), but also Emiratis, Arabs from the wider region (notably Egyptians, Syrians, Jordanians and Lebanese), Britons and Filipinos. Gulf News and, formerly, 7days, which closed in December 2016.

In September 2020, Khaleej Times introduced a free news subscription service on Telegram, sending daily news updates to its subscribers. On 1 June 2023, Khaleej Times, in an editorial published on its front page, announced that it will stop its print edition on weekends starting from 3 June 2023.

Khaleej Times named Charles Yardley CEO in September 2024 as part of an effort to improve innovation and create revenue growth. Yardley had previously served as CEO of London's Evening Standard.

Ted Kemp joined Khaleej Times as chief content officer in May 2025. Kemp had experience in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America for CNBC Digital, where he was international managing editor.

KTplus

KTplus (stylized as KT+), which launched in late 2024, is the digital content and social media production unit of Khaleej Times. The unit produces short-form videos, interviews, digital series, and social storytelling for platforms such as Instagram and YouTube.

Khaleej Times media director Ahmad Nokari conceptualized and developed KTplus as part of Khaleej Times’ strategy to modernize its digital presence. Nokari originated an idea for a dedicated in-house social media unit and studio and led the creation of its identity, content formats, and production systems.

The KTplus launch came as part of a wider effort by Khaleej Times to migrate toward being a digital-first news organization. Khaleej Times maintains separate social media accounts for the news part of organization, with more than 1.1 million followers on Instagram.

KT Luxe

In March 2025, Khaleej Times launched KT Luxe as a weekend business and lifestyle magazine overseen by features editor Anamika Chatterjee. While the national daily is focused on local news, Luxe takes a more global approach to storytelling. Some of its contributors include Emmy-winning journalist Patti Domm, global personal finance guru Suze Orman, and The Telegraph contributing writer Melanie Swan, among others.

References

References

1. (19 October 2012). "Shining through". Khaleej Times Magazine.
2. Kapur, Vicky. "KT@40: Celebrating four decades of togetherness".
3. Reinisch, Lisa. "Environmental Journalism in the UAE". Arab Media & Society.
4. (2006). "United Arab Emirates Yearbook 2006". Trident Press Ltd.
5. "Khaleej Times".
6. Pejman. (Winter 2009). "English newspapers in the United Arab Emirates: Navigating the crowded market". Arab Media and Society.
7. Anantha S. Babbili. (1994). "Mass Media in the Middle East:A Comprehensive Handbook". Greenwood Press.
8. (2007). "The Report: Dubai 2007". Oxford Business Group.
9. Payne, Malcolm. (16 April 1983). "A newspaper is like many other businesses but is very different in a number of ways".
10. Hope, Bradley. (7 September 2008). "The 30-year-old Khaleej Times is on a recruiting drive". The National.
11. (2016-11-23). "UAE newspaper 7Days closes down".
12. "How to sign up for Khaleej Times alerts on Telegram".
13. Awan, Tanvir. (2023-06-01). "Khaleej Times stops printing on weekends - Dubai News Week".
14. (6 September 2024). "Charles Yardley appointed Chief Executive Officer at Khaleej Times".
15. Nagarajan, Shantelle. (7 May 2025). "Khaleej Times appoints Ted Kemp as Chief Content Officer".
16. Oommen, Anup. (9 October 2024). "Khaleej Times' KT Plus launches with series of new original shows".
17. "KTplus Instagram".
18. "KTplus YouTube".
19. Dewangan, Prabhat. (8 August 2025). "Ahmad Nokari's Powerful Journey from Struggles to Reel Stardom".
20. "Khaleej Times Instagram page".
21. Jabri-Pickett, Michael. (31 January 2025). "KT LUXE: Khaleej Times to launch new premium title during Ramadan".
22. "Anamika Chatterjee author page".
23. Roush, Chris. (9 October 2025). "Domm to write investing columns for Dubai publication".
24. "Suze Orman author page".