News

Abu Dhabi / WAM  The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) launched a mechanism for refunding value added tax (VAT) incurred on building and operating mosques on the FTA’s e-Services portal, in light of cabinet decision No. (82) of 2022 in that regard, which came into force on October 29, covering all mosques in the UAE, provided that the refund applications are ...

Manila / WAM As the global community will gather in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, for the COP27 climate conference, on November 6, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced that it will launch several flagship initiatives at the key decision-making forum of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change and ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM  The 2022 Opec World Oil Outlook (WOO) will be launched at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) 2022 in Abu Dhabi on Monday, October 31. Opec’s Secretary General, Haitham Al Ghais, along with Opec experts, will present the major findings of the WOO 2022, as well as introduce a video with key messages ...

China increased financial assistance to the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, its newest diplomatic partners in the Pacific, even as it cut overall support for the region in 2020, research by the Lowy Institute found. Total development finance from the world’s second-largest economy fell to $187.9 million in 2020 from $205.4 million the previous year, according to the Pacific Aid Map ...

Turkey is holding talks with Russia after Moscow pulled out of the July agreement to allow Ukrainian crop shipments, a pact seen as critical to alleviate the global hunger crisis. Russia said Saturday that it was suspending the agreement, blaming strikes on its naval fleet, and on Sunday suggested without evidence that the drone attacks were launched from the Odesa ...

Brazilians head to the polls Sunday for a presidential runoff between incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in what’s become the country’s most significant election since the return of democracy almost four decades ago. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. and will close at 5 p.m. local time, with the governorships for states including Sao ...

At least 153 people were killed and dozens injured following a crowd crush during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, marking one of the deadliest incidents in South Korea in years. The crowd surge occurred Saturday night in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon, after a large number of people entered a narrow alley behind the Hamilton Hotel, fire and police authorities ...

Geneva/ WAM Cross-border investment in climate change mitigation and adaptation is projected to decline in 2022 against the backdrop of a global investment downturn, according to a new report published by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Citing a bleak outlook for global foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2022, the report released in the lead-up to the UN ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Cleveland Clinic has launched a robust programme of collaborative support to enable hospitals and healthcare organisations around the world to connect with the global health system’s clinical and operational experts to enhance patient care and distinguish themselves within their markets. The goal of the Cleveland Clinic Connected programme is to build a global network of independent, ...

Sharjah / WAM Sharjah Taxi, a subsidiary of Sharjah Asset Management Company, investment arm of the government of Sharjah, is seeking to increase the number of its hybrid vehicle fleet cars that operate dually on both fuel and electricity. This decision is in line with the Emirate’s vision to rationalise the use of energy, in accordance with its development goals ...