Abu Dhabi /Â WAM The Emirates News Agency (WAM) has signed two separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Kazakhstan’s International News Agency (Kazinform) and Tunisia Africa News Agency (TAP) to facilitate news exchange. The MoU with the Kazakhstani agency was signed between Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi, Executive Director of WAM and Assel Tulegenova, the Director-General of Kazinform, at the World ...
Read More »RTA all set to launch aerial vehicles in Dubai in July
Dubai /Â WAM Dubai has taken a big step towards innovative and smart mobility solutions for reducing city traffic congestions, with the first trial run of manned AAV, an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle. In collaboration with Chinese EHANG Company, the first test run of an AAV capable of carrying a human, branded as EHANG184 was carried out in Dubai skies, the ...
Read More »UN Security Council meeting sought over NKorea missile test
North Korea / AP The United States, Japan and South Korea have requested urgent diplomatic talks at the United Nations on Monday over North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch, with Seoul condemning what it called “serious military and security threats” and predicting more such tests. A spokesman for the US Mission to the United Nations said that the meeting ...
Read More »Cold spell in Taiwan linked to over 150 deaths in 5 days
TAIPEI / AP Taiwanese officials and media reports are blaming a cold spell for the deaths of more than 150 people, most of them elderly and sick, over the past several days. Temperatures fell as low as 6.7 degrees Celsius (44 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday evening along the coast north of the capital, Taipei. Taiwan’s Liberty Times newspaper and ...
Read More »Tibetan leader hopes Trump to support China dialogue
TOKYO / AP The prime minister of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile said on Monday that he has high expectations for President Donald Trump to support dialogue between the Tibetans and Beijing, as Trump’s predecessors have. Lobsang Sangay told foreign journalists in Tokyo that “it matters” what the United States does and says,” and that Tibetans should “remain hopeful” that ...
Read More »UN chief ‘deeply regrets’ US blocking his Libya envoy pick
DUBAI / AP The secretary-general of the United Nations says he “deeply regrets” the United States’ decision to block a former Palestinian prime minister from leading the world body’s political mission in Libya. Antonio Guterres says that Salam Fayyad was “the right person for the right job at the right moment.” Guterres said: “I think it is a loss ...
Read More »Russian drone footage show wide damage at Syria’s Palmyra
MOSCOW / AP Russia released drone footage on Monday showing new destruction in Syria’s historic town of Palmyra, which was recently recaptured by the IS group, and warned that the militants could be planning the further demolition of antiquities. The Russian Defense Ministry says Syrian government forces are advancing toward the town as another battle for the ancient site ...
Read More »Fate of Trump’s senior aide uncertain
WASHINGTON / AP Embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn’s fate as one of President Donald Trump’s senior aides is uncertain following reports that he discussed US sanctions with a Russian envoy before Trump’s inauguration. A top White House official sidestepped repeated chances on Sunday to publicly defend him. The president, who spent the weekend at his private club in ...
Read More »Rights group says Pakistan forcing Afghan refugees home
PESHAWAR / AP In a scathing indictment of Pakistan’s treatment of Afghan refugees, a human rights group charged on Monday that the country is forcing hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees back to their homeland, which is still beset by war and crushing poverty. It also said that a $400 stipend the United Nations refugee agency gives to refugees ...
Read More »Arabtec drags down Dubai index, Egypt food makers up
Reuters A slump in shares of Dubai’s Arabtec dragged Dubai’s stock market lower on Monday after the builder reported a larger fourth-quarter net loss, while other markets were mixed. Dubai’s index dropped 1.8 percent, its largest single-day decline since October 2015, after Arabtec plummeted by its 10 percent daily limit having reported a net loss of 2.95 billion dirhams ...
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