ABU DHABI / WAM The United Arab Emirates has received a formal request from Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, to join the High-level Advisory Group for ‘Every Woman – Every Child’ affiliated with the UN, which was announced by the UN Secretary-General last month in Davos. This came in a letter received by HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, …

Moscow / AFP Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Barack Obama held frank talks on Syria amid US concern over Turkish shelling of Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria days before a ceasefire deal is due to take hold. Putin took the call from Obama and both sides “gave a positive evaluation” of the results of talks in Munich …

RITIKA SHARMA / EMIRATES BUSINESS Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA) seems to be turning into a business hotspot for Indian companies. The freezone has reported a 23 percent increase in the number of Indian firms operating within its premises during 2015. Official statistics reveal that India led the list of DAFZA investors last year, accounting for 38 percent of total …