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  Dubai / WAM In line with Dubai’s ‘Capital of Islamic Economy’ initiative, and as the first-of-its-kind endeavour on the Asian and regional level to promote the mutual growth of Islamic economies in the UAE and China, the Dubai Centre for Islamic Banking and Finance (DCIBF) at Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) and Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) in ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The recent inauguration of a 600kW solar photovoltaic plant in the Federated States of Micronesia marks the successful completion of Cycle 2 of US$50 million UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund. Through the UAE-PPF’s two cycles of financing provided by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, renewable energy projects have been delivered to 11 Pacific Island nations ...

  Bali / Bloomberg   It’s clear from the dirt floor, the battered green sofa and the common-use comb hanging from a string next to the door that this is no ordinary bank. Customers here, in a poor corner of eastern Indonesia, borrow cash — and pay back trash. “The program originated from the people, it is managed by the ...

  Bloomberg The pound rallied the most in two weeks after a poll of U.K. voters released on Monday showed people who support a campaign to remain in the European Union exceeded those saying they will vote to leave by a wider margin than last month. Sterling rose against most of its 16 major peers after the ORB/Telegraph poll showed ...

  Bloomberg Oil traded near a seven-month high on speculation that U.S. crude stockpiles declined last week while supply losses in Canada and Nigeria whittled away the global excess. West Texas Intermediate was little changed in New York, while Brent erased gains as it neared $50 a barrel for the first time since November. Inventories probably fell by 3.5 million ...

  Vienna / AFP Senior envoys from world and regional powers gathered once again in Vienna on Tuesday in an effort to salvage stumbling efforts to halt Syria’s civil war. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov—diplomacy’s odd couple, at loggerheads over much else in the world—are chairing the meeting, which began shortly after 0700 GMT. ...

  Hopkinsville / AFP Presidential primaries in Oregon and Kentucky on Tuesday were likely to avail Hillary Clinton a chance to bolster her almost insurmountable delegate lead over Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, who has vowed to slog on despite long odds. Sanders is gunning for victory in the Bluegrass State, building on his win last week in neighboring West Virginia ...

  Hong Kong / AFP One of China’s most powerful officials said he would listen to political demands from Hongkongers in a conciliatory start to a visit on Tuesday that has stirred anger in a city resentful of Beijing’s tightening grip. The three-day trip by Zhang Dejiang, who chairs China’s communist-controlled legislature, is the first by such a senior official ...

  Alkesh Sharma / Emirates Business Fuelled by a booming construction sector, the GCC region’s interior and fit-out contracting industry is expected to grow by nearly 20 percent and the market expected to cross the whopping mark of $12.5 billion by the end of 2017. UAE is clearly spearheading this market in the region and is expected to add more ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Mergermarket, the world’s leading news and intelligence service for mergers & acquisitions, has released its Global M&A Heat Chart that indicates potential future M&A activity based on companies that may be targeted for mergers or acquisitions. The Heat Chart suggests that the Middle East’s Telecoms, Media & Technology (TMT) sector could see the strongest levels ...