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Bloomberg The US and China’s top diplomats sparred on democracy and human rights in a phone conversation which was the highest level of communications between the two countries since the Biden administration began. Secretary of State Antony Blinken “stressed” to Yang Jiechi, who sits on the Communist Party’s 25-member Politburo, that the US will keep standing up for human rights ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has said that the “National Environment Day” marked for the twenty-fourth year in a row is an important occasion in which the country renews commitment to preserve the environmental resources and natural wealth. In a speech marking the 24th National Environment Day, Sheikh Khalifa said, “We celebrate ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Over 26 global industry leaders, specialists, and experts will attend the International Defence Conference 2021, held under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on February 20. Held as a hybrid event for the first time in its history, the conference will be held both at the Adnoc Business Centre, as ...

Ras Al Khaimah / WAM The National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (Rakbank) announced a consolidated net profit of AED 505.4 million for the full-year of 2020. In a statement on Wednesday, Rakbank said, “The bank’s results reflect the impact of the pandemic on our customers and the economy whereby total assets stood at AED 52.8 billion, and gross loans ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee, has approved the resumption of in-classroom education for all grades in Abu Dhabi schools from February 14, while keeping e-learning as an option until the end of the school year. In a statement the committee said it “has approved a preventive protocol specific to the schooling community, encompassing ...

Bloomberg Nigerian independent producer Heirs Oil & Gas Ltd plans to restore an oil block acquired from Royal Dutch Shell Plc to its former output levels to make it one of the country’s biggest local operators. Heirs finalised its purchase of an operating stake in a permit known as Oil Mining Lease 17 in a deal worth more than $1 ...

Bloomberg Myanmar authorities filed criminal charges against former leader Aung San Suu Kyi for possessing illegally imported walkie-talkies just days after the military ousted her government in a coup. Suu Kyi was charged for breaching an import-export law and faces as many as three years in prison if convicted. The police incident report indicated that unauthorised telecommunications equipment was found ...

Bloomberg The European Union (EU) is facing a cost of tens of billions of euros for the slow and chaotic rollout of coronavirus vaccinations compared to countries such as the UK and US. Lockdowns mean the bloc’s economy is operating at about 95% of its pre-pandemic level, equating to about $14 billion a week of lost output, according to calculations ...

Bloomberg The US economy is showing some scattered signs of picking up from an end-of-year slowdown, muddying President Joe Biden’s efforts to win congressional passage of a $1.9 trillion stimulus package. New claims filed for unemployment benefits have fallen for two straight weeks, while January payrolls are forecast to rebound from a December. Managers in charge of buying supplies for ...

Bloomberg The UK is launching a consultation on its post-Brexit subsidies system, which the government has hailed as a “significant milestone” in the country’s future outside the European Union (EU). The new UK-wide “subsidy control system” will replace the EU’s state aid regime, which was a major stumbling block in Brexit talks last year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government believes ...