ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi has been named the second-best city in the world to live, work and do business in, overtaking both London and Paris and moving up two places since the last Ipsos City Index. More than 18,000 people, aged between 16 and 64, in 26 countries worldwide were interviewed for the Index, with New York maintaining …

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE equity markets on Sunday continued their bullish trend which started last week, with the positive mood prevailing over all sectors led by the property market which posted robust growth in the run-up towards the announcement of the 2017 H1 financial results by leading companies. With the market capitalisation of trading companies gaining AED4.1 billion, …

WASHINGTON / WAM The UAE is successfully adjusting to the new ‘lower-for-longer’ oil environment, and the government’s economic initiatives have been broadly in line with global and regional trends, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) study has affirmed. The study, published by the IMF on its website, commends the progress made by the UAE over the past years to ‘strengthen its …

Dubai / WAM The Ministry of Finance (MoF), signed a final agreement for the avoidance of double taxation with the Republic of Cameroon at the Ministry’s premises in Dubai on Sunday. The agreement comes in line with the ministry’s strategy to strengthen bilateral trade and economic relations between the two countries, in order to expand its network of international relations …

Bloomberg Voting is under way in the Venezuela opposition alliance’s unofficial plebiscite, as it seeks to challenge the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro’s plan to rewrite the constitution after four months of anti-government protests that have left almost 100 dead. Venezuelans are being asked if they reject Maduro’s plan for a new assembly to change the constitution, if the armed …

Bloomberg Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said transitional arrangements for Britain leaving the European Union are likely to last a couple of years, rather than the couple of months suggested by his cabinet colleague, Trade Secretary Liam Fox. “It depends how long we need to put in place new customs systems, new migration systems; these things can’t be magicked …

Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she planned to serve a full four-year term if re-elected and defended herself against a political attack by her Social Democratic challenger that she’s faltered on public infrastructure investment. “I made clear when I announced my re-election bid that I would run for four years,” Merkel said in an interview with ARD television on …

Bloomberg French President Emmanuel Macron, who welcomed Donald Trump to Paris two days ago to participate in Bastille Day celebrations, said the US president may seek a solution over the next months for the fight against global warming. “We’ve spoken in detail on what may allow him to return into the Paris accord,” Macron said in comments published on Sunday …

Bloomberg Donald Trump made a fresh attack on the media on Sunday as a new opinion polls showed falling approval ratings in the sixth month of the president’s term, and hours after news that his campaign made a payment in late June to the law firm later revealed to be representing Donald Trump Jr. “With all of its phony unnamed …

Dubai / Emirates Business Mashreq, one of the leading financial institutions in the UAE, has reported its financial results for the first half ending June 30, 2017. Net profit for the first half stood at AED 1.1 billion — a 3.0% increase YoY. Impairment allowance was down by 22.3% YoY. Mashreq’s best-in-class non-interest income to operating income ratio remained high …