Dubai / WAM The initiatives launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to reduce cost of doing business and facilitate inward investment in the emirate, draw on past experiences and seek to deliver the future with confidence, said Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of the Department of ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Digital Economy Solutions (DES), a joint venture between emaratech and the Department of Economic Development of Dubai (DED), will launch DubaiStore, the first local online marketplace to focus on SMEs and home-based businesses (e-traders). DubaiStore, quintessentially an online marketplace for all licenced businesses in the emirate of Dubai, is unique in concept and design, and focuses ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), has been awarded four conformity certificates from the British Standards Institution (BSI), as well as adopting its transition to two new standards in cooperation with the institute. The accomplishment enhances the authority’s mission of becoming an internationally recognised organisation in agriculture and food safety, bringing the total number of ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Senior government officials, industry leaders, policymakers, scientists, academics and investors in sustainable business are set to participate in the Green Business Summit 2018 as primary keynote speakers. Organised by The Economist Events, part of global English-language weekly newspaper, the first-of-its-kind summit will be held on April 17 in Abu Dhabi, marking the MENA region as a ...

NEW DELHI / WAM The UAE has participated in the 16th International Energy Forum (IEF), ministerial meeting, which was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Representing the UAE at the three-day meeting was Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry, who spoke at a distinguished panel on energy. Al Mazrouei is also President of ...

Dubai / WAM Emirates NBD has become the first to successfully go-live at scale with ‘Cheque Chain’, integrating blockchain technology into issued cheques to strengthen their authenticity and minimise potential fraud. Following a successful pilot last year, overseen by Emirates NBD Future Lab, the bank is now rolling out its security-enhancing technology for the benefit of customers across the UAE. ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), announced the launch of a national design competition to select the best design for a gift the UAE will present to the United Nations in New York, dubbed the “Gift of Zayed”. The nationwide competition is an opportunity for all Emirati nationals and residents in the UAE ...

MEXICO CITY / Reuters Norway’s Statoil will evaluate new offshore projects in Mexico, including potential tie-ups with state oil company Pemex, the firm’s top executive said, adding that a first deepwater well in an existing Gulf project will likely be drilled next year. Statoil is focussed mostly on future deepwater opportunities in Mexico but does not rule out others, CEO ...

LONDON / Reuters Global energy trader Mercuria Group has agreed to take an interest in the oil refining system of China’s ChemChina, sources familiar with the matter said. As part of the deal, state-run ChemChina would increase its stake in Mercuria, one of the world’s largest oil trading firms. ChemChina already holds a 12 percent stake in the Swiss-based company ...

Bloomberg Tens of thousands of people joined a demonstration outside Japan’s parliament, in a sign of growing public anger over cronyism scandals engulfing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Organisers say about 50,000 people attended this weekend’s rally in Tokyo — the biggest in nearly three years. Protesters, many young, held up signs calling Abe a “liar” and seeking his resignation. The ...