ROME / WAM The United Arab Emirates has been awarded a permanent membership with observer status on the Council of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). The decision was made by ICCROM’s Council 93rd session in Rome, in recognition of UAE’s support and contributions to organisation, including hosting the only regional …

Bloomberg Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman finally gave the go-ahead for the initial public offering (IPO) of Aramco, deciding there’s enough support from local investors for what’s likely to be a record share sale. The crown prince made the decision at a meeting he chaired and an official announcement is likely as soon as Sunday. The partial privatisation will …

Bloomberg Southeast Asian countries should band together and speak with one voice in global trade disputes with the US and European Union (EU) to avoid being bullied, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Speaking to a business forum in Bangkok, Mahathir said the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) should leverage its market of 650 million people to …