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Bloomberg India’s push towards universal health-care has Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political opponents worried, a top government adviser said. Modi’s government announced a plan to provide health insurance to 100 million poor families, which would cover about 40 percent of the population. India plans to cover the entire population “sooner than later,” according to Rajiv Kumar, vice chairman of the ...

Bloomberg China’s pension shortfall is emerging as the next big challenge for policy makers as they intensify their years-long campaign to keep rising debt from derailing the economy. Aging in the world’s most populous country means pension contributions by workers no longer cover retiree benefits, forcing the government to fill that gap since at least 2014. Pension expenses rose 11.6 ...

Bloomberg Serbia and Montenegro may join the European Union by 2025, the bloc’s executive will say, urging the western Balkan countries to improve the rule of law, curb corruption and put aside past grudges to enter the world’s largest trading club. The EU is offering a path to membership two decades after the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia. Along ...

Bloomberg Financial services workers will be among the first to be hit by the rise of automation while women will feel the effects earlier than men, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The report—which analysed more than 200,000 jobs across 29 countries—anticipates three stages of automation between now and the mid-2030s, which will eventually impact almost one third of UK workers. ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc. is pulling back on buying corporate bonds with its overseas cash as it prepares to bring the money home to the US, according to people with knowledge of the matter. About $157 billion of Apple’s $285 billion in cash, mostly held overseas, is invested in corporate debt, making it a leading lender. The cutback in buying, echoed ...

Bloomberg Russia’s billionaire oligarchs are beginning to face additional scrutiny on at least some financial transactions following US publication of a list of wealthy Russians identified as allies of President Vladimir Putin. One wealthy Russian on the list who spoke on condition of anonymity said he’s worried a deal with foreign partners expected to close in the next few months ...

Dubai / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has directed the launch of the ‘UAE Cultural Development Fund’, which will be overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development. The Fund’s key objectives include providing necessary funds to support cultural activity within the country ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada), has announced the commencement of the construction works of the Federal Supreme Court building in Abu Dhabi as per the agreed plans. This forms part of the company’s efforts to achieve of the objectives of Abu Dhabi Plan, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the litigation process, and ensuring ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The third annual Breakbulk Middle East conference opens on Tuesday, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), bringing together the foremost experts in the industry, along with shippers, carriers, freight forwarders, transport specialists and related service providers. The two-day conference is organised by the Federal Transport Authority – Land and Maritime, in partnership with ITE ...

Dubai / Reuters Dubai International Airport (DXB) expects double-digit passenger growth to resume as early as 2019, helped by an alliance between the emirate’s two airlines, its chief executive said on Monday after reporting the lowest growth in at least nine years. Passengers using the airport, the hub for Middle East airline giant Emirates and a major source of income ...