BLOOMBERG New Zealand’s ruling Labour Party said it will exempt fruit and vegetables from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) if it wins a third term at elections in October. Unveiling the party’s tax policy on Sunday in Wellington, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins also pledged to increase benefits for low-income families that he said would deliver an average of NZ$47 ...

BLOOMBERG The death toll from fast-moving wildfires in Maui rose to 89 on Saturday, making them the deadliest in the US in more than 100 years. The number of fatalities, which previously stood at 80, is expected to climb further as authorities continue search and rescue efforts, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said at a press briefing. Just 3% of the ...

BLOOMBERG Malaysia’s ruling coalition held on to three of six states contested in provincial elections, providing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with breathing space nine months into his mandate. The polls resulted in an even split between parties in Anwar’s unity government and his rival, the pro-Malay Perikatan Nasional, with each bloc winning the three states they controlled before the vote, ...

BLOOMBERG Five months after being pulled into the rescue of Credit Suisse, UBS Group AG’s decision to break free of a government backstop is set to accelerate the historic takeover of its smaller rival. Switzerland’s biggest bank said it will voluntarily end a safety net negotiated as part of its purchase of Credit Suisse, including a 9 billion-franc ($10.3 billion) ...

DUBAI/ GULF TIME: O! Millionaire, the foremost provider of an environmentally conscious draw, marked a significant milestone in its 64th episode, where the Grand Prize reached a staggering AED81.5 million. The last draw, with hosts Maradona Rebello and special guest Mark Ilano, a prominent Filipino blogger and influencer, added an extra dose of excitement and fun to the event. During ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT – Abu Dhabi) has reduced government fees applied to hotels in the emirate, supporting the continued growth of the hospitality and tourism sector, and enhancing Abu Dhabi as a leading global leisure and tourism destination. The government fee amendments include reducing a tourism fee issued to ...

AARHUS / Denmark / WAM The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) presented three papers on its latest archaeological findings in the emirate during the 2023 Seminar for Arabian Studies, held this year in Aarhus, Denmark. The annual international forum is dedicated to revealing the latest academic research on the Arabian Peninsula, covering a wide ...

BLOOMBERG Huawei Technologies Co grew sales for a third straight quarter, after new businesses like cloud services and a resurgent smartphone unit helped mitigate the fallout from US sanctions. Revenue rose 4.8% to 178.8 billion yuan ($24.7 billion) in the three months ended June, according to calculations by Bloomberg News based on the company’s first-half numbers. Net income almost tripled, ...

BLOOMBERG California regulators voted in favour of robotaxi operators expanding their paid driverless services in the city of San Francisco, a major milestone toward commercialising the technology. The state’s Public Utilities Commission voted 3 to 1 to allow General Motors Co’s Cruise LLC and Alphabet Inc’s Waymo to increase the areas of the city where they can operate a car ...

GULF TIME From July 28 to September 23, activities themed “2023 SCO Summer” are being held in Qingdao, China. During this period, dozens of performing arts groups and media organisations from more than a dozen countries will gather in Qingdao to have nearly 50 special activities such as media think tank forums, cultural and art performances, special commodity promotions, and ...