World

Israeli and Ukrainian leaders have come to the defense of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara after she appeared to toss away a piece of bread offered to her at an official Ukrainian welcoming ceremony. Netanyahu and his wife, on a two-day official trip to Ukraine, were greeted at the …

Frequent cases of over tourism and irresponsible visitors have plagued recent news. The world is only getting smaller as access to exploration of previously offbeat countries is on the rise. A growing haven of heritage sights, Uzbekistan invites tourists to experience a visit to their country through their new virtual …

On May 15, 2019, the President of Uzbekistan signed a decree making the entire territory of Navoi region a free economic zone (FEZ). Navoi region, located in the central part of the country, is the largest region of Uzbekistan (110,800 sq. km.). The region’s subsoil is rich in precious metals …

The presence of America and Britain in the Gulf region brings insecurity, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy, Alireza Tangsiri, was reported as saying by the ILNA news agency. Tensions have spiked between Iran and the U.S. and Britain in the Gulf after the Islamic Republic shot down …

Heads of state and government of the 16 countries of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, will discuss the formation of a common parliament and regional development fund at a two-day summit in Tanzania. The 39th SADC Summit is taking place on Saturday and Sunday in Dar es Salaam with …

Pengerang Refining and Petrochemical (PrefChem), a joint venture between Petronas and Saudi Aramco, has begun to restart a crude distillation unit (CDU) at its oil refinery in Malaysia, Petronas said on Saturday. Malaysia’s state oil firm said the refinery had started feeding crude oil into the unit earlier this week, …

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), met with Low Pit Chen, Consul-General of the Republic of Singapore in Dubai. The meeting focused on cooperation between Singapore and Suqia …

A German GDP contraction, weak Chinese industrial output and an inversion of the US yield curve all seem to strengthen fears of a global slowdown and the world community needs to take a serious note of it, the English daily Gulf Today said in its editorial on Thursday. Also highlighting …

Under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, “Aqdar”, the Khalifa Empowerment Programme, will organise the “Future Leaders Empowerment” summer camp at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. …

Western intermediaries are trying to persuade arch foes Iran and the United States to cooperate on bolstering security in Afghanistan as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to extract America from its longest war, according to three source familiar with the efforts. The intermediaries, the sources say, secretly have been relaying …

Turkey’s military pension fund OYAK has reached a provisional agreement to take over British Steel, the Turkish company said on Friday, adding that it planned to close the deal by year-end. Ataer Holding, an affiliate of OYAK, will have the exclusive rights to carry out due diligence on British Steel …

Uzbekistan will partly compensate the expenses of tour operators and charter flight organizers using fund from the state budget if they bring in foreign tourists, a presidential decree issued on Tuesday said. The decree , which aims to boost the country’s tourism sector, stipulates that from January 1, 2020, the …

After Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to the post of the President the number of beautiful and landscaped areas in Uzbekistan are increasing as a result of measures aimed at radically renewing the image of cities and villages, improving social conditions. I personally witnessed these creativities during my trip to this country …

Gibraltar said on Tuesday it was seeking to de-escalate issues arising with Iran since the detention of the Grace 1 tanker. British Royal Marines seized the Iranian oil tanker on July 4 off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory of Gibraltar on suspicion of violating EU sanctions by taking …

Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz and two others will be tried for suspected corruption for allegedly paying $10 million in bribes linked to allocation of mining licenses in Guinea to his BSR Group between 2005 and 2010, Geneva prosecutors said on Monday. “The attorney general’s office accuses the three of having …

Saudi Aramco reported a 12% fall in half-year net profit on Monday, yet remained the world’s most profitable company, while India’s Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) said Aramco is looking to buy into its refining and petrochemicals business. Aramco signed a letter of intent to take a 20% stake in Reliance’s oil-to-chemicals …

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), received a high-level delegation from the European Foundation for Quality Management, EFQM, headed by its CEO Russell Longmuir. The delegation included Dr Geert Opdenbosch, COO of EFQM, and Isra’a Mobideen, EFQM Middle East Office Manager …

The Ras Al Khaimah Chamber and the South African Embassy in the UAE explored available investment opportunities, to promote bilateral trade and increase the number of outlets for their local products, as well as to enhance the emirate’s strategic position as a promising market for exported goods to various international …

Uzbekistan dazzles with its main attractions, the icons of the Silk Road at Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Gawk at the mosques, scale the minarets and maunder from mausoleum to madrassah to get a feel for the history of Islam outside of the Middle East, and the power of the Timurid …

The Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ACCI, received an official trade delegation from the United Kingdom, UK, to discuss ways to boost trade and investment cooperation across various sectors. The visit was also aimed at beefing up the partnership and cooperation between the people in business and the investors …

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is insisting on a $2 trillion valuation of oil firm Aramco, even though some bankers and company insiders say the kingdom should trim its target to around $1.5 trillion, industry and banking sources said. With Aramco talking again to banks about an initial public …

India has increased the cost estimate of a giant refinery and petrochemical project to be jointly built with Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co by more than 36%, after protests by farmers forced the relocation of the plant, four sources said. The 1.2 million barrels-per-day (bpd) coastal refinery …

Brazil would welcome a BRICS-like bloc with the Gulf states to work towards achieving common goals, according to an influential Brazilian Congressman. Brazil is the current chair of the BRICS, an informal association of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. “We are open to new …

Emirates Global Aluminium, EGA, today announced the first exports of bauxite ore from Guinea Alumina Corporation, GAC, its mining project in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, marking the completion of EGA’s strategic expansion upstream in the aluminium value chain to create an integrated global aluminium giant. The GAC …

The UAE’s State Audit Institution, SAI, as the head of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions, INTOSAI, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, with the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNDOC, which manages the work of the Secretariat of the Conference of the States Parties, COSP, a …

Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of Federal National Council, FNC, received Eduardo Bolsonaro, Chairman of Foreign Relations and National Defence Committee of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, and discussed with him ways of enhancing friendship and cooperation between the two countries. The two sides took stock of the latest …

This last week a numerous delegation of top-level officials and business folk from Uzbekistan paid a first-ever such visit to the US, initially to Washington DC for policy consultations then to New York for days-long conferences. The author of this article visited the investment forum titled “Uzbekistan’s Capital Market Opportunities” …

So far 33 countries have confirmed their participation in the first and largest international exhibition for small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, which Ras Al Khaimah will host next November, organisers said. Mohamed Musabbeh Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the RAK Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which is organising the event, said …

Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down in Lagos this morning after its inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi. Flight EY673 took off from Abu Dhabi at 2.35 am and arrived on schedule at 7.10 am local time. The return flight EY674 departed Lagos at 8.30 am this morning, and is …

Japan imported 26.899 million barrels of crude oil in June 2019 from the United Arab Emirates, according to data released by Japanese Agency of Energy and Natural Resource, AENR. This accounts for 34.7 percent of Japan’s total crude imports, said AENR, an affiliate of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade …

A significant proportion of the global economy depends on the free flow of maritime traffic, according to a UAE daily. The ships that navigate the waters of Arabian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz carry one-third of the world’s petrochemical and energy needs, an essential artery that keeps oil pumping …

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, shared his best wishes following the inauguration of the Sultan of Pahang, Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, as the 16th king of Malaysia on Tuesday (July 30). In a …

During the visit on 1 August in Minsk, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hailed Belarus’ successful development and the head of state’s personal contribution to it. “Peacefully and sustainably developing Belarus is an example to follow for many countries. We are sincerely happy for the country’s successful reforms and vibrant development. …

The Emirates Diplomatic Academy, EDA, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Emirati-Kenyan Joint Committee held in Nairobi on 29th and 30th July 2019. The MoU aims to encourage cooperation between the two sides in …

The UAE Ambassador to Colombia Salem Rashed Salem AlOwais has presented his credentials as the country’s Non-Resident Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Nicaragua, to President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua. President Ortega expressed his keenness to strengthen joint ties between the two friendly countries and deepen economic, trade, and investment relations. …

The U.S. ambassador to Germany launched a scathing attack on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government on Thursday for its reluctance to join a naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Europe’s biggest economy must assume more global responsibility. Relations between the United States and Germany have soured since U.S. President …

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, on Wednesday announced that it has closed its landmark strategic equity partnerships with the Italian oil and gas company Eni and the Austrian oil and gas company, OMV, covering both the existing ADNOC Refining business and a new trading joint venture. The agreement, …

A decision to be taken later this week by the government of Djibouti to apply to the country’s high court to rule all previous international adjudications null and void is a complete disregard for and contravention of the global legal system and existing contracts, a DP World statement said on …

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday there had been no formal request for the military alliance to launch a mission in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has proposed stepping up efforts to safeguard the vital oil route at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Tehran. …

Germany will not participate in a U.S.-led naval mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, close to Iran, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday. Stressing that Germany wants to avoid a further escalation of tensions in the region, Maas told reporters on a trip to Warsaw that there was …

The United States is set to announce this week it will renew sanctions waivers for five Iran nuclear programs that allow Russia, China and European countries to continue civilian nuclear cooperation with Iran, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. President Donald Trump, in an Oval Office meeting last week, sided …

The presidential press service reports that Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay an official visit to Belarus with the invitation of Alexander Lukashenko on July 31 – August 1. To discuss the current state of bilateral cooperation and prospects for development of relations in political, trade, economic, investment, cultural, humanitarian and other …

The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SCCI, has received two high-ranking diplomatic delegations from South Africa and Uzbekistan, engaging in discussions on the emirate’s investment advantages. The delegations were also introduced to means for developing and reinforcing economic and trade relations, and to learn closely about investment cooperation opportunities …

A UAE delegation, headed by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, MoCCAE, has concluded its visit to the Japanese capital Tokyo. The visit aimed to promote collaboration on various environmental fronts and allow the delegation to explore best practices and technologies in Japan’s agricultural …