March, 2018

• 14 March

  NMC’s ‘Pen Print’ initiative to promote reading

  ABU DHABI / WAM The National Media Council (NMC), has launched the ‘Pen Print’ initiative to encourage members of the community to make a habit of visiting book stores located in malls and commercial centres. The initiative – part of the NMC’s efforts to support the Month of Reading in March 2018 – also supports Emirati writers, promotes their publications ...

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• 14 March

  IGCF to highlight women’s innovative capacities in digital world

  

  SHARJAH / WAM The International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2018), has invited a host of Arab and international luminaries to shed light on the leading role women play in inspiring digital communities with their innovative use of technology for global progress. The 7th edition of the forum, organised by the International Government Communication Centre, IGCC, is being hosted under the ...

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• 14 March

  S Korea fuel oil imports soar as coal, nuclear plants shut

  

  Seoul / Reuters South Korea’s move to shut coal-fired generators to control air pollution at the same time as nuclear reactors are going into scheduled maintenance is resulting in surging fuel oil imports, as utilities burn the dirty feedstock to meet power demand. South Korea’s trade ministry said in February it would suspend five coal-fired power plants, with a combined ...

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• 14 March

  Shell risks losing gas race as rival targets shared resource

  

  Bloomberg After a decade planning the world’s largest floating gas export plant, Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s supplies could get tapped by a competitor first. Shell and Japan’s Inpex Corp. are both targeting gas from a connected reservoir in Australia’s remote Browse Basin, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) off its northwest coast, according to consultant Wood Mackenzie Ltd. Meeting its planned ...

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• 14 March

  Saudi Arabia to keep its April crude oil exports under 7mn bpd

  

  Reuters Saudi Arabia plans to keep its crude oil production in April below 10 million barrels per day (bpd), and maintain exports under 7 million bpd, the energy ministry said on Wednesday, as the top OPEC producer wants to end a global supply glut and boost prices. Saudi Arabia has been pumping below its OPEC target since January and reducing ...

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• 14 March

  Libya’s Zawiya port loadings resume after strike ends

  TRIPOLI / Reuters Libya’s Zawiya oil terminal returned to normal operations after workers who were blocking ships from docking agreed to end a one-day strike, two sources said. Zawiya exports crude from Libya’s giant El Sharara oilfield, which produces 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), more than a quarter of the North African country’s output. Production at El Sharara had not ...

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• 14 March

  WhatsApp stirs up India with push into digital payments

  

  Bloomberg Just 16 months after demonetisation forever changed the way Indians pay for things, WhatsApp is set to disrupt the market yet again. With more than 200 million Indians already using its messaging, WhatsApp is piloting a payment service that lets them transfer money to each other. The well-timed move has riled rivals, who say the Facebook Inc unit hasn’t ...

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• 14 March

  China wealth fund sells Blackstone stake

  

  Bloomberg China Investment Corp. has sold its stake in Blackstone Group LP, ending an investment stretching back to before the US firm’s 2007 IPO. The sale, disclosed in Blackstone’s annual report released earlier this month, marks the end of CIC’s more than decade-long ownership of the firm’s shares, a partnership that was noted as an early example of China’s growing ...

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• 14 March

  ‘Not even Trump can slow Vietnam’s economy’

  

  Bloomberg Vietnam’s economy will grow faster this year than in 2017 and will see only a “minor” impact from President Trump’s trade tariffs, according to a senior government official. The Southeast Asian nation’s government hopes to discuss “some sort of trade agreement” with the US—its biggest export market—to ease any barriers, said Truong Van Phuoc, head of the National Financial ...

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• 14 March

  Nissan names new China head to fortify growth

  

  Bloomberg Nissan Motor Co. is doubling down on its push in China, naming one of its top executives to head operations in a market the carmaker expects to be its biggest growth driver over the next five years. Chief Performance Officer Jose Munoz, promoted to his current role more than a year ago, will take on added responsibility as head ...

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