Abu Dhabi / WAM The UAE will begin implementing the standards of joint disclosures and the exchange of information for tax purposes set out by the G20 and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in accordance with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), from 2018. This follows the UAE Cabinet’s decision for the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to ...

  Ajman / Emirates Business Ajman (ARRA), the state-run institution mandated with regulating the real estate activities and developments in Ajman, on Saturday held a press briefing to announce the upcoming ‘Ajman Real Estate Conference 1’ scheduled for December 14, that will showcase the real estate project pipeline in the Emirate and its envisioned future. To be held under the ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the largest Islamic bank in the UAE, announced on Saturday the launch of its credit card in partnership with Dubai-based flydubai. The credit card will enable customers to enrol in OPEN, a newly launched rewards programme from flydubai. By joining the programme, customers will earn OPEN reward points every time they ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has been announced as a Host Partner for PayExpo MENA, and will welcome global experts coming to Dubai to discuss the revolutionary changes in smart transport ticketing. Transport Ticketing MENA forms part of PayExpo MENA, which will bring together over 1000 senior decision makers to discuss innovations across the ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi, on Saturday has launched the “Our Generations” initiative and the “Sustainable Schools” initiative as its execution arm. The launch was announced at a press conference in Festival Arena, Dubai in the presence of ...

  Istanbul / AFP Iraq’s parliament on Saturday voted to accord full legal status to government-sanctioned Shiite militias as a “back-up and reserve” force for the military and police and empower them to “deter” security and terror threats facing the country, like the IS group. The legislation, supported by 208 of the chamber’s 327 members, was promptly rejected by Sunni ...

  Istanbul / AP President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned the European Union that Turkey could extend by at least another three months a state of emergency that has been in place since the failed July coup. In a a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan launched another stinging attack on the EU after the European Parliament voted on Thursday to back ...

  Hasakeh / AP A string of explosions on Saturday rocked a munitions storage site in northeastern Syria used by the US-led coalition battling the IS group, a monitor and a local official said. “At least five explosions occurred on Saturday morning at the arms and munitions depots in a base close to Tal Tamer” northwest of the city of Hasakeh, ...

  Seoul / AFP Up to 1.3 million protesters braved sleet and freezing temperatures in Seoul on Saturday to demand President Park Geun-Hye resign over a corruption scandal or face impeachment. People beat drums and chanted “Park get out now” as they walked towards the presidential Blue House that had been cordoned off by thousands of police deployed in the South ...

  Manila /AFP Up to 100 extremists from a group behind a deadly bombing in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s home city were on Saturday under siege in a remote mountain town, officials said. Residents of Butig, which has a population of 17,000, have fled after the IS-linked militants holed themselves up in an abandoned government building, Philippine military spokesman Brigadier-General ...