Dubai / WAM The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), the Dubai government authority dedicated to enhancing Dubai’s position as a global gateway for commodity trade, has announced the second edition of the Africa Dubai Precious Metals Forum (‘ADPMF’ or the ‘Forum’). The forum, which will focus on the theme ‘Connecting Africa to the World,’ will be held at the Kempinski …

  Al Ain / Emirates Business The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and the Al Ain Zoo and Aquarium Public Institution agreed to join forces when it comes to spreading environmental awareness. The agreement came in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Monday between Eng. Aisha Al Abdooli, Director of Environmental Awareness and Education Department …

  Kiev / AFP Ukraine marks the 25th anniversary of its freedom from Kremlin rule Wednesday with moves to sweep away its totalitarian past and embrace a European future while grappling with its tense relations with Russia. A nation that once served as a geopolitical bridge between Moscow and the West is now the source of a deep and dangerous …

  Seoul / AFP North Korea has been laying fresh landmines on its side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with South Korea, the UN Command said on Tuesday, following a spate of high-profile defections. Military personnel were seen planting mines on the North’s side of a river crossing known as the Bridge of No Return—close to the border truce village of …

  Bankok / AFP The trial of two Chinese Uighurs accused of killing 20 people when they allegedly bombed a Bangkok shrine was postponed on Tuesday because the men still do not have a translator. The delay is the latest snag in a cryptic case that has so far shed little light on the horrific attack in Thailand’s capital last year …

  Tokyo / AFP Foreign ministers from Japan, China and South Korea kicked off a two-day meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday with their countries at odds over territorial disputes, a US missile defence system and perennial regional problem North Korea. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, China’s Wang Yi and South Korea’s Yun Byung-Se met for dinner at a Tokyo hotel …

  Denpasar / AFP Indonesian police said on Tuesday that a Briton flew into a rage and repeatedly hit a Bali police officer over the head with a beer bottle after accusing him of being a “fake cop”. Traffic policeman Wayan Sudarsa was found dead last week with wounds to his head and neck on a popular beach in the south …

  Phnom Penh / AFP Cambodia’s UN-backed court on Tuesday heard harrowing new details about the Khmer Rouge’s forced marriages, one of the brutal regime’s less reported atrocities. The Khmer Rouge oversaw the deaths of up to two million Cambodians from 1975-1979—nearly one-quarter of the population—in their quest for a Marxist agrarian utopia. But the testimony is the first time the …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Consumers across the Middle East would do well to wait until October to make their technology purchases this year given the extraordinary savings they will make at GITEX Shopper 2016. The region’s largest and most anticipated consumer electronics show continues to attract both the world’s top tech brands and the region’s largest power retailers. Taking …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Aramex, a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions, has recently announced its partnership with NewBridge Pharmaceuticals. As part of this collaboration, Aramex is now providing a range of logistics services for NewBridge in the Middle East, Africa, Canada and the UK. Based in Dubai, UAE, NewBridge pharmaceuticals is a regional specialty company …