News

  Dubai / WAM The Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) in Dubai has issued its first-quarter 2022 report on the business environment. The report developed by the DET’s Business Registration and Licensing (BRL) sector shows that 24,662 new business licenses were issued in Q1 2022, a growth of 58% from Q1 2021, when 15,580 licences were issued. The exceptional ...

  SHARJAH / WAM The Sharjah Institute for Heritage (SIH) has launched the activities of the Ramadan cultural programme which will run until April 21. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Abdul Aziz Al Musallam, Chairman of SIH, said, “The revival of the heritage area in the heart of Sharjah and the rest of the emirate’s regions came during the Holy ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM The ‘Library on Wheels’ initiative, operated by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (Adek), will continue its tour of the emirate on a year-long basis. This comes after a series of successful pop-ups at schools and key locations in Abu Dhabi city during March, as part of the ‘Abu Dhabi Reads’ programme. Part ...

  DUBAI / WAM Emirates Islamic bank has announced that it has contributed AED 5 million to the 1 Billion Meals initiative, the largest of its kind in the region to provide food to underprivileged and vulnerable groups suffering from food insecurity in 50 countries. The contribution of the Emirates Islamic bank helps provide basic foodstuffs to individuals and families ...

  Bloomberg UK companies are jacking up starting salaries at a record pace, and some of the country’s biggest grocery chains are already raising pay as labour shortages hand workers unprecedented bargaining power. The latest signs of wage pressures may add to concern at the Bank of England (BOE), which has raised interest rates three times since December to slow ...

  Bloomberg Los Angeles plans to electrify its fleet of more than 10,000 vehicles as part of an effort to become one of the first US cities to rely on carbon-free energy by 2035. The Electric Vehicle Master Plan was unanimously approved by the LA city council. The switch to electric vehicles will start at the city’s largest departments of ...

  Bloomberg Mexico’s annual inflation accelerated more than expected in March to its highest level in over two decades led by fuel prices, putting additional pressure on the central bank to continue boosting interest rates. Consumer prices rise 7.45% from the same month a year earlier, above 7.38% median estimate of economists , the national statistics institute reported. On a ...

  Bloomberg Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is imposing a one-time windfall levy on Canada’s major banks and permanently increasing their income tax rate, fulfilling an election promise that has raised the ire of the industry’s top executives. The measures will force banks and insurance companies to pay an additional C$6.1 billion ($4.8 billion) in tax over five years, according to ...

Dubai / WAM The UAE’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2021 has broken international economic expectations, registering the highest rate in the region of AED1.489 trillion. “In a turbulent and changing world, the UAE has been moving steadily forward. Our economy is growing, our journey is accelerating, our competitiveness is advancing upwards, our future is going to be promising, and ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM International Holding Company PJSC (IHC), the Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate, announced on Friday that it had signed AED7.3 billion ($2 billion) Investment Agreement with Indian multinational conglomerate Adani Group, as primary capital in three Adani portfolio companies – Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL), Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL) and Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) which all are listed on ...