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  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The UAE is making history with the launch of new ministries as part of its recent cabinet reshuffle, which include ministries for tolerance, happiness and youth, said Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Tolerance Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi. The new ministries reflect the leadership’s vision to promote tolerance and cultural diversity ...

  Aleppo / AFP Deadly clashes erupted in Syria’s Aleppo on Wednesday and a deal for the evacuation of rebel areas was on hold, leaving thousands of cold and hungry civilians uncertain of their future. Entire families had gathered in the early hours, in the hope of leaving Aleppo after an agreement announced the night before for rebels to withdraw from ...

  Ankara / AFP Turkey’s president said on Wednesday he would speak with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in an effort to rescue a ceasefire deal which would allow civilians and rebel fighters to be evacuated from Syria’s Aleppo. “I will speak with Mr Putin again later in the evening,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a televised speech in Ankara. “The ...

  Paris / AFP French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday joined calls for international observers to oversee the evacuation of civilians trapped under fire in the wrecked Syrian city of Aleppo. At a meeting with his defence cabinet, Hollande said those trapped by the fighting should “be evacuated in a dignified and safe manner, under the supervision of international observers and ...

  Riyadh / AFP Saudi Arabia is determined to prevent external “interference” in neighbouring war-torn Yemen, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said in an annual address on Wednesday. He did not explicitly refer to the kingdom’s regional rival Iran but Saudi officials have accused Tehran and the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah of aiding rebels in Yemen. Since March 2015, ...

  Juba / AFP President Salva Kiir called on Wednesday for a “national dialogue” to end the three-year-long civil war in South Sudan. In a speech to parliament, Kiir, whose wrangling for power with his former deputy Riek Machar plunged the world’s newest nation into a brutal, destructive and ongoing civil war in December 2013, said the dialogue would “consolidate peace” ...

  Qaraqosh / AFP Factories churning out tens of thousands of munitions and an entire street turned into a conveyor belt for car bombs: advances by Iraqi forces around Mosul have laid bare the scale of the IS group’s arms industry. In the more than two years since it seized control over swathes of the country, IS established a sprawling and ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The 2016 edition of the International Franchise Conference & Exhibition began yesterday, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The event, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, gathers companies and brands together with the goal of providing investment opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses in the United Arab ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Marking a significant milestone, Dubai South celebrated its 10th Anniversary in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group. The ceremonies, held at the Palazzo Versace, also saw Dubai South award the contribution of its key stakeholders and partners. ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) held a press conference at its headquarters in Dubai on Wednesday, to disclose details surrounding the fourth edition of its Bil Arabi initiative. Launched in 2013, the initiative seeks to promote Arabic-language communication on traditional and social media platforms, in an effort to reinstate Arabic as an ...