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  Beirut / AFP Islamists and rebels captured strategic military positions on the edges of Syria’s second city Aleppo on Saturday, turning the tables on Russian-backed regime forces besieging the city. To the northeast, a Western-backed alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters scored a major victory against the IS group in the town of Manbij after a fierce two-month battle. ...

  Istanbul / AP Turkey’s ruling party ordered a purge from its ranks of supporters of US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused of plotting last month’s failed coup. The “urgent clean-up in the party organisation” was aimed at expelling those linked with the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation, as Ankara calls the movement blamed for the July 15 attempted putsch, state-run Anadolu ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Investments in themeparks, infrastructure and retail in UAE will further boost the billion dollar printing industry, according to International Expo Consults (IEC), part of Falak Holding. The sector is expected to grow exponentially across the MENA region, thanks to the investment by governments in various sectors especially infrastructure. As per the Smithers Pira report, the ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates, host of the DP World Tour Championship, has taken home two major awards at Indian-based real estate awards ceremony — the World’s Best Realty Brand Awards 2016 Asia, as India is revealed as Dubai’s largest real estate investor group outside of the Arab world. Jumeirah Golf Estates’ high-end collection of villas ...

  Dubai / WAM A delegation from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) visited the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting in the US as part of a series of mutual visits aimed to enhance cooperation and become acquainted with the best international practices. The delegates included Faisal Ali Rashid, Director of Demand Side ...

  Dubai / WAM The UAE is leading the GCC initiatives in smart building solutions with more than two-thirds of the 1,236 Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)-certified projects, according to a study by technology firm Honeywell International. ”It is also the frontrunner in the region in implementing unified building codes for new buildings. Since 2014, the Abu Dhabi International ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The UAE Ministry of Economy (MoE) recently met several Free Zones at its headquarter in Abu Dhabi to strengthen strategic partnerships and mutual cooperation. The participants exchanged views on foreign events and participations to ensure unified efforts towards maximizing the country’s international exposure. The meeting was organized by the Ministry’s Trade Promotion and Investment Department and ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business From a survey of UAE hoteliers, organisers of The Hotel Show Dubai discovered that a strong digital marketing strategy is at the top of the agenda. Undertaken by dmg events to identify which topic would be of the most interest to UAE hospitality industry professionals in an external training course, the results of the survey ...

  NEW DELHI / AFP Indian business leaders on Thursday hailed the passage of a landmark tax reform bill that paves the way for a new national sales tax and the creation of a common market across the country for the first time. Lawmakers voted late on Wednesday in favour of introducing the long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST), which ...

  AFP A string of overseas investments has shone a new spotlight on Chinese conglomerate Fosun, after the mysterious disappearance — and re-emergence — of its tycoon chairman rattled investors. In the space of three days last week, the Shanghai-based company bought a stake in an Indian drugmaker for $1.26 billion, acquired a Brazilian investment firm and announced plans to ...