Abu Dhabi / WAM Reem Abdullah Al Falasi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood (SCMC), said that the majority of the programmes and plans of the Council for children are aimed at creating a suitable environment to raise them on the correct values and principles, preparing them for the future. In a statement marking the UAE’s celebration ...

Mocha / WAM The Iranian-backed Houthi militias’ use of banned anti-personnel landmines in Yemen has triggered thousands of civilian casualties, wanton violence and bloodshed, a three-month field investigation by the Emirates News Agency, (WAM), revealed. The Houthi forces have used landmines since the pro-legitimacy Saudi-led Arab coalition started its military operations to liberate the country from the coup perpetrators, killing, ...

Geneva / WAM The UAE has reiterated its firm belief that a political solution is the only way to stop the bloodshed, restore security and stability, and end the conflict in Syria, during the Human Rights Council session in Geneva. The statement was delivered by Fatma Ahmed Al Muhairi, Third Secretary at the UAE Diplomatic Mission in Geneva, as part ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Noor Bank, a leading Shari’a compliant bank in the UAE, is the first Islamic bank to have successfully obtained associate membership of FCI, a global representative of the factoring and receivables finance industry. This significant membership will enable Noor Bank to leverage the FCI network in more than 90 countries to offer export and import factoring ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Team Zayed, made up of employees representing the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Dr. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots programme, put on the Zayed Solar Lights Show and lit up the Antarctic night using 100 solar lights, sending a message of unity, hope and action on Climate Change. The team, aptly named Team Zayed, ...

Bloomberg US stocks sank as weak retail sales fanned concern that consumer spending is cooling, while the dollar held steady on bets the Federal Reserve won’t be forced to quicken the pace of rate hikes. Ten-year Treasury yields tightened. The drop in retail spending provided a second data point, after Tuesday’s tepid inflation figures, to suggest unsteady growth in the ...

Reuters Most Middle Eastern stock markets were soft on Wednesday with Qatar pulling back after two days of strong gains, but a few individual stocks in Saudi Arabia rose sharply in response to positive news. Islamic insurer Al Khaleej Takaful tumbled 9.1 percent after saying on Tuesday that it would distribute no dividend for 2017, after the central bank asked ...

Bloomberg The biggest Indonesian platform to buy and sell digital currency may soon have more members than the nation’s century-old stock exchange. Indonesia Digital Asset Exchange, formerly known as Bitcoin.co.id, will have 1.5 million members buying and selling digital currencies such as bitcoin, ethereum and ripple by the end of the year, according to Chief Executive Officer Oscar Darmawan. The ...

Dubai / WAM The world’s first automated, artificial-intelligence-powered renewable energy digital utility is set to be established in Dubai. The utility is proposed by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), for the Dubai 10X Initiative, an ambitious venture overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF). The “Digital DEWA” project – the Authority’s digital arm – re-imagines operational procedures for ...

Dubai / WAM The Department of Economic Development (DED), has issued 1,646 new business licences during February 2018 and completed 23,407 business registration and licencing transactions, as Dubai maintained its ability to attract businesses looking to grow competitively and sustainably. Of the total, 11,300 transactions were related to renewals while 2,060 Initial Approvals were given and 3,029 trade names reserved ...