February, 2016

• 16 February

  Federal National Council passes bill on NMC

  ABU DHABI / WAM The Federal National Council on Tuesday passed a federal bill regulating the responsibilities of the National Media Council. According to Article 2 of the bill, the NMC is a federal government body affiliated with the Cabinet and has a corporate character and a mandate to undertake the responsibilities of overseeing and supervising media in the UAE. ...

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• 16 February

  Dubai-Korea trade scored AED21bn

  

  DUBAI / WAM Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs (DC) and the Consul-General of the Republic of Korea in Dubai, Heo Nam Duk, have exchanged views on issues of common interest and on the possibilities of strengthening cooperation and creating better coordination in Customs processes. This came at meeting held at DC head office, in the presence of Faisal ...

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• 16 February

  Wadi.com secures largest series A funding in tech history

  DUBAI / Emirates Business Wadi.com, the fastest growing e-commerce platform of the Middle East, has raised USD 67m with Al Tayyar Travel Group as the lead investor ten months after its launch. The investment marks the largest series A funding in the tech history of the Middle East and will further accelerate the growth of the company. Wadi.com was started ...

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• 16 February

  Europe seeks tougher scrutiny of Russian natural gas deals

  

  Yangon / Bloomberg The European Union’s regulatory arm proposed more oversight of natural-gas contracts with Russia and other external suppliers as a part of a wider plan to boost energy security. The European Commission is also seeking closer regional cooperation among the EU’s 28 nations to prevent supply disruptions, under its winter gas package presented in Brussels on Tuesday. The ...

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• 16 February

  Thousands flee as rebel clashes rage in Myanmar

  

  Yangon / Bloomberg Over 3,000 people have fled their homes in northern Myanmar following clashes between two ethnic rebel groups, the United Nations said Tuesday, raising fears the government’s fragile peace efforts could be fracturing. Heavy fighting in the northern state of Shan broke out last week between the Restoration Council for Shan State (RCSS) and the Ta’ang National Liberation ...

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• 16 February

  Russia’s Crimea grab impacts neighbours’ defense budgets

  

  Bloomberg Two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin swiped Crimea, the fallout from his Ukrainian land grab continues to reverberate through nearby budgets. It’s most visible in Lithuania, whose split from the Soviet Union was among the bloodiest of the communist collapse. The government there raised defense spending by more than 30 percent in 2015, outdoing NATO’s 27 other members. ...

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• 16 February

  EU’s east wants to seal Greek border if Turkey deal fails

  

  Bloomberg The European Union’s eastern members agreed that should a deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees into Europe fail, the bloc should have a “plan B” that would seal Greece’s northern borders. Leaders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, meeting in Prague three days before an EU summit, offered troops, police and other aid to ...

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• 16 February

  Mohammed, Saif, Abdullah offer condolences to Al Shamsi family

  

  RAS AL KHAIMAH / WAM Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has extended his deep condolences to the family of martyr Abdullah Juma Al Shamsi, who fell in the line of duty while participating in the Arab Coalition “Operation Restoring Hope”, led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen. Sheikh Mohammed ...

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• 16 February

  Board members of IAEE Gulf Chapter hold first meet

  

  Sharjah / EMIRATES BUSINESS The regional exhibitions industry on Tuesday took stock of current market conditions, and discussed ways to identify and address major trends and challenges that impact the sector. The leaders of the region’s meetings and exhibitions industry gathered at Expo Centre Sharjah for the first meeting of the Board Members of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events’ ...

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• 16 February

  Nakheel, RIU Hotel sign US$170m joint venture

  

  PALMA DE MALLORCA / WAM RIU Hotels & Resorts and Dubai master developer Nakheel have formally signed their business partnership agreement. Ali Rashid Lootah, Chairman of one of the Middle East’s biggest developers travelled to Mallorca to sign the joint venture agreement with Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels. Thanks to this partnership, the chain’s first hotel in Dubai will ...

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