News

  Bloomberg Just as a four-year slump in Chinese demand for Swiss watches shows signs of ending, sales in the US, the next-largest market, have wilted. Swiss watchmakers have been caught off-guard as demand keeps sinking this year in the US, which is key for Rolex, LVMH’s TAG Heuer and Richemont’s Baume & Mercier. That’s raising concern that consumers there ...

  Bloomberg UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp messaging system should open its encryption to security services and urged online companies to be more aggressive in shutting down sites exploited by terrorists. After newspapers disclosed that Khalid Masood, who killed four people in London last week, had used WhatsApp shortly before he began his attack, Rudd identified ...

  Bloomberg Industry bodies representing the UK food supply chain have called on the government to seek a tariff-free trade agreement with the European Union during coming Brexit negotiations. In a joint statement on Sunday, the British Retail Consortium, the National Farmers Union and the Food and Drink Federation urged Prime Minister Theresa May to also ensure transitional trade agreements ...

  DUBAI / WAM Business owners of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the UAE remain optimistic about their growth prospects this year, according to a survey conducted by Meed, a business intelligence service provider in the Middle East. ‘’Of the 138 SMEs that participated in the survey, 74 said they expected to grow their business in 2017 by 10 to ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi General Services Company ‘Musanada’ announced that it has finalized redrafting service provider contracts as part of its efforts to meet sustainability criteria for government resources and assets, that aligned with the objectives of Abu Dhabi Plan related to achieving highest government resource and asset sustainability standards by implementing best international standards related to ...

  DUBAI / WAM The UAE International Investors Council held its third general assembly and a meeting of its board of directors to discuss a range of issues and future plans. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and the chairman of the board of directors of the Council, who chaired the two meetings, highlighted the vital role of ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS), set to begin on March 27 in the UAE capital, provides the UAE with a political platform to build global alliances to achieve strategic goals in the industrial sector, according to Chairman of the Department of Economic Development–Abu Dhabi (ADDED) Ali Majid Al Mansouri. “With its global partnerships ...

  GRAZ, AUSTRIA / WAM HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sport Council, received the Special Olympics World Games flag – during the closing ceremony of the World Winter Games, in the Austrian city of Graz. The UAE will ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM As a platform for engaging, informative and thought-provoking activities, honouring the inspirational values of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the Mother of the Nation Festival will serve as a focal point for thousands of ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) confirmed that unstable weather will continue for the next 24 hours, where the amount of clouds will increase over scattered areas associated with different intensities of rainfall, being occasionally heavy and thundery at times. Fresh south-easterly to north-easterly winds will become strong at times, especially over the sea ...