SAN DIEGO / WAM The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), won a prestigious international award for its innovative use of Geographic Information System (GIS), mapping technology. The award took place during the 2017 Esri User Conference, which will run until July 14, organised by the International Environmental Systems Research Institute in San Diego, California. The UPC’s award-winning internal web …

Bloomberg India’s top diplomat called for a de-escalation of tensions with China, saying ties between the countries were too intertwined to let a renewed border spat cause lasting damage. “India and China must not allow differences to become disputes,” Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, who served as India’s Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2013, said in a speech on Tuesday …

Bloomberg Unpopular policies and a slew of scandals triggered a slide in public support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that led to a heavy election defeat. That was in 2007, when he abruptly resigned after losing the upper house of parliament, citing health issues. Ten years on, his situation looks uncomfortably familiar. Abe returned to Tokyo on Tuesday from …

Bloomberg Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may face trial after a high-level inquiry found he was unable to account for the disparity between his wealth and his known sources of income, plunging the country deeper into political crisis just months before elections. The Supreme Court is due to review the findings and will convene a hearing into the allegations on …

Bloomberg South Korea has disputed North Korea’s claim to have an intercontinental ballistic missile that can strike the US mainland, saying Kim Jong Un’s regime may not yet have re-entry capability for such projectiles. The re-entry feature of North Korea’s missile program is not established, said Yi Wan-young, a South Korean lawmaker who was briefed by National Intelligence Service chief …

TIKRIT / Reuters IS has captured most of a village south of Mosul despite losing control of its stronghold in the city, an Iraqi army officer and residents said, deploying guerrilla-style tactics as its self-proclaimed caliphate crumbles. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over IS in Mosul on Monday, marking the biggest defeat for the hardline Sunni group since its …

ABU DHABI / WAM The new initiatives launched by ADNOC as part of its flexible operational model will bring significant benefits to the UAE and boost the country’s domestic economy, adding to its resilience and diversity towards achieving more supremacy and competitiveness at the regional and global levels, HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi …

Dubai / Emirates Business As part of its expansion plan, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim, a joint venture between DC Aviation Group based in Germany and Al-Futtaim, has announced that its second hangar located at Dubai South is on course for completion before the end of the year. The 6,800sqm hangar will more than double the hangar capacity bringing its total land-side …

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi University has offered over AED20 million in scholarships and financial aid during the academic year 2016/ 2017, to 1,200 students. The university had already earmarked AED12 million for scholarships and financial aid at the beginning of the year to coincide with the announcement of #Year_of_Giving initiative, bringing the total volume of financial aid and …

Dubai / WAM The UAE Gender Balance Council (UGBC) recently held its second meeting for 2017, which was led by the council’s Vice President, Mona Al Marri. During the meeting, the council discussed various topics, including the preliminary results of the Gender Balance Index across federal government entities, pension entitlements for the families of deceased female employees, the council’s brand …