Bloomberg Facebook Inc is beginning to merge the chat function of its Instagram and Messenger services, the Verge reported. The changes are coming with an update of the company’s apps on Apple Inc’s devices as well as Android devices, said the Verge, citing reports from users. Once updated, the Instagram app embeds Messenger functionality, and adds more emojis and features ...

Bloomberg Hyundai Motor Co will manufacture electric vehicles in Singapore starting in 2022, the Straits Times reported. The Seoul-based automaker will produce 30,000 electric cars a year at the Singapore plant, with as many as 6,000 set to be sold in the city-state, the newspaper said, citing Teo Hock Seng, executive chairman of Hyundai distributor Komoco Motors. The first vehicle ...

Bloomberg Western Europe’s electric-vehicle sales pulled ahead of China’s last month after countries including Germany and France boosted government subsidies to stimulate demand that had been decimated by the pandemic. The roughly 500,000 plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles registered in Europe during the first seven months of the year exceeded China’s sales by about 14,000 units, according to a report ...

Bloomberg At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, contact tracing was considered the best hope for getting people back to offices and schools safely without a vaccine. The tech industry was optimistic that apps would provide a faster, more effective alternative to the usual painstaking human process of calling and interviewing the networks of infected people to figure out possible ...

Dubai / WAM The United Arab Emirates dispatched more aid to Lebanon to help emergency relief efforts in Beirut. The move follows the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai’s International Humanitarian City airlifted aid material worth $1.4 million on an Emirates SkyCargo plane. ...

Bloomberg Oil climbed to near a five-month high after an industry report pointed to a third straight weekly drop in American crude stockpiles. Futures in New York rose past $42 a barrel after losing 0.8% Tuesday. The American Petroleum Institute reported inventories fell by 4.01 million barrels last week. The improving picture in the US overshadowed lingering concerns about the ...

Dubai / WAM Emaar Properties has revealed H1 revenues of AED9 billion and over AED2 billion in net profit, according to a statement by the real estate Dubai-based giant on Wednesday. Mohamed Alabbar, Founder of Emaar, said: “Our performance in the first half of 2020 has demonstrated our fundamental ability to retain strength and act with agility and speed in ...

Dubai / WAM Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) reported a net profit of AED587.6 million and AED 2.5 billion in net revenue for H1 2020. In a statement, the bank said net revenue for H1-2020 decreased to AED2,556.6 million from AED2,887.1 million in H1 2019. Jawaan Awaidah Al Khaili, Chairman of ADIB, said: “This period demonstrated the resilience of bank’s ...

Sharjah / WAM The Eastern Region of the emirate of Sharjah, which includes Kalba, Khor Fakkan and Dibba Al Hisn, is witnessing the implementation of various development projects related to roads, infrastructure, tourism, heritage, environmentally-friendly hotels and resorts that will shape the future of the region. HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Leading experts and economists participating in an e-symposium here on Wednesday highlighted the various growth challenges and risks of depression facing the global economy. Addressing the concluding symposium – The Future of Global Economy: Growth Challenges and Risks of Depression – as part of the TRENDS Global Economic E-Forum, they tackled the future of the global ...