Total foreign currency assets held by the Central Bank of the UAE surged 2.8 percent during April 2018 to AED326.4 billion, from AED317.44 billion during the same month in 2017, as current account balances rose and deposits with foreign banks strengthened, according to figures released by CBUAE The foreign assets exclude CBUAE Reserve Tranche Position and Special Drawing Rights holdings with the International Monetary Fund.

Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, opened today Lifescapes Beyond Bigness, the National Pavilion UAE at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. The exhibition highlights the interplay between the urban environment and everyday social life in the UAE through images, technical drawings, case studies, maps and three-dimensional scale models.

Mubadala Petroleum and the Russian Direct Investment Fund, RDIF, announced today the creation of a joint venture with PJSC Gazprom Neft to develop several oil fields in the Tomsk and Omsk regions. The announcement was made at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2018, held from May 24th to 26th, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Mubadala Petroleum, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, Mubadala, and RDIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Russia, will acquire a 49 percent equity stake in LLC Gazpromneft-Vostok, the operator of the fields.

The Holy month of Ramadan is a special month of deep significance for the Muslim community, as does the act of fasting, which is all about sacrifice.  However, abstaining from food and water for prolonged periods and a change in schedule in eating and sleeping patterns, all of which can cause health problems ranging from dehydration and weight gain, to fatigue and indigestion. Unless, they are treated with a healthy awareness so that you can benefit from the wellness of fasting.

The Emirates Development Bank, EDB, has approved the launch the "Direct Funding for Start-Up Companies Programme," which is valued at AED50 million, as well as the "Credit Guarantees for Funding Small and Medium Companies Programme," valued at AED100 million. It approved the programmes during the recent meeting of its board of directors in Dubai, which was headed by Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EDB.