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Bloomberg Singapore pledged it would not be left behind as developed economies reopen, marking an intention to shift away from the strict containment approach that’s helped some Asian places eliminate the virus, but which leaves them increasingly isolated. The country wouldn’t be stuck in a Covid-19 malaise, and tourists will be welcomed, people can go for sports events, even ditch ...

Bloomberg President Xi Jinping urged Chinese officials to create a “trustworthy, lovable and respectable” image for the country, in a sign that Beijing may be looking to smooth its hard-edged diplomatic approach. Xi told senior Communist Party leaders that the country must “make friends extensively, unite the majority and continuously expand its circle of friends with those who understand and ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, received at his palace Massimo Badji, Swiss Ambassador to the UAE, and a number of heads of religious sects. They discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the UAE and Switzerland across various fields, and exchanged views on a ...

Sharjah / WAM Bee’ah on Monday announced that it will be pursuing plans for the region’s first waste-to-hydrogen project in the UAE, which includes a green hydrogen generation plant and a hydrogen vehicle fuelling station, in collaboration with UK-based Chinook Sciences. The waste-to-hydrogen project is an evolution of Bee’ah and Chinook Sciences’ $180 million waste gasification to energy project and ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) announced the launch of Etlaq, a new platform for its professional training programme. Etlaq – Arabic for “launch” – is inspired by the bold ambitions and forward momentum that characterise the UAE. Originally launched as the Graduate Training Programme in November 2019, the rigorous 12-month programme seeks to attract high-performing, ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Masdar has announced the arrival of Abu Dhabi high-tech sector drivers, the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) and its two-pillar entities, Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and ASPIRE, to Masdar City in the capital of the UAE. The council, which shapes the R&D strategy in the emirate; TII, the dedicated ‘applied research’ pillar of ATRC; and Aspire, ...

Bloomberg The leaders of Australia and New Zealand have urged China to give outside observers “unfettered access” to Xinjiang, a move that is likely to draw criticism from Beijing. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern “expressed grave concerns about the human rights situation” in China’s far western region and said the United Nations and others should ...

Bloomberg France is ready to start reducing financial support to businesses and workers hit by coronavirus restrictions as its vaccination program offers a route out of the crisis, Labour Minister Elisabeth Borne said. The government has spent more than 40 billion euros ($48.8 billion) in 2020 and 2021 to protect employment, benefiting 2.7 million people on furloughs last month, up ...

Bloomberg UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak wants the US government to sign up to a global tax on technology companies such as Google and Facebook Inc, he said in an interview with the Mail. He urged President Joe Biden’s administration to discuss the new tax in time for Group of Seven meetings next month. The US has indicated ...

Bloomberg A full global deal to overhaul taxation rules and make multinationals pay more in countries where they operate may not be achieved until October, the chief of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Monday. Speaking in Paris, Angel Gurria said a “180-degree change in the position of the US” has accelerated the talks, making an ...