ALKESH SHARMA / EMIRATES BUSINESS Home to over 8.5 million people, the United Arab Emirates, has always led from the forefront when it comes to responding to the region’s call for water security. Geographically placed at a location that is struggling with depleting water table and scarcity of fresh water, UAE has adopted a formidable stance by starting many pioneering …

Emirates Business Dar Al Ber Society has spent AED 133,668,828 on 62,294 diverse water aid and irrigation projects around the world since 2004, as was always urged by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE. The leading projects, in line with the generosity and exemplary vision of the UAE’s prudent leadership, have helped provide …

Emirates Business The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment joins the global celebration of World Water Day, which is being held under the slogan, ‘Water and Jobs.’ This worldwide celebration aims to showcase the ability of the water sector to provide job opportunities, thereby helping out in the move to eradicate global poverty while also enhancing work environment conditions and …

RITIKA SHARMA / EMIRATES BUSINESS Majorly, during the global financial meltdown of 2008, people lost their jobs, had to shut down their businesses and remain unemployed for months. It was a hard time especially for the fresh graduates because due to the job cuts it was nearly impossible for them to enter the market as employees. Plus, the media reports …

Ritika SHARMA / EMIRATES BUSINESS Today, people rely more and more on the Internet than they would have ever imagined. One is constantly reaching out to search engines and apps for day-to-day activities. In such a ubiquitous environment, one always wondered whether mundane services like plumbing, facilities management, landscaping can also be available online in a secure and convenient manner. …

Beijing / AP China’s top planner tried to reassure foreign companies they are welcome in its slowing, state-dominated economy in a speech on Sunday aimed at dispelling growing anxiety Beijing is squeezing them out of promising industries. Speaking to an audience that included executives of top global companies at a government-organized conference, Xu Shaoshi pledged to “promote two-way opening up …

Astana / Bloomberg Kazakhs are going to the polls in early parliamentary elections called after President Nursultan Nazarbayev warned of a “real crisis” facing the Central Asian nation because of the slump in oil prices. Six parties are competing for 98 elected seats in the 107-member parliament, which also has nine appointed delegates. Voting on Sunday begins at 7 a.m. …

New Delhi / Bloomberg Jewellers in India, the world’s second-biggest gold consumer, ended a strike to protest against a new tax announced in the budget after the government assured them the charges won’t lead to harassment by authorities. The strike, which started on March 2, ended after the government agreed not to “trouble the industry” over the excise levy, Ketan …

Manila / AFP When mystery hackers launched a stunning raid on Bangladesh’s foreign reserves, a plot worthy of a John le Carre spy novel was sparked in the Philippines, exposing the Southeast Asian nation as a dirty money haven. The $81 million stolen from the Bangladesh central bank’s American accounts last month was immediately sent via electronic transfer to the …

Beijing / Bloomberg Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei downplayed a decision by Moody’s Investors Service Inc. to cut his country’s credit-rating outlook, saying leaders “didn’t care that much” because the move had little market impact. The March 2 downgrade didn’t lead to irrational market behavior or aggressive short-selling, Lou said at the China Development Forum, a gathering of world business …