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Bloomberg Having just persuaded France to hold off on a digital tax that would hurt its biggest technology firms, the US is facing a similar threat from another part of Europe. The Czech Republic is debating plans to impose one of the world’s highest levies on global internet companies — albeit as a stop-gap measure — brushing aside possible US ...

Bloomberg A year ago, Uber Technologies Inc hiked the price of rides in London and placed the surcharges into a fund that would help drivers switch to electric vehicles. Uber said drivers would be able to start tapping into that fund in the form of discounts on electric cars made by Nissan Motor Co. The two companies agreed to offer ...

Bloomberg Volkswagen AG Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess is preparing to muscle Elon Musk out of the electric-car lead. While Tesla Inc is paving the way in sustainable mobility, the world’s biggest automaker is buying software companies and ramping up investments in electric vehicles and battery cells, Diess said at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “It’s an open race,” ...

NAIROBI / WAM Policy makers, mayors, academics, business people, community leaders, artists and urban planners are among thousands of participants to attend the world’s leading conference on urbanisation, the World Urban Forum (WUF), in Abu Dhabi from February 8-13. It will be the first time that the World Urban Forum, which is convened by the UN agency focused on sustainable ...

Bloomberg Crude posted the worst weekly decline in more than a year on concern that the spread of China’s coronavirus will cripple fuel demand. Brent futures sank 2.2% in London. Deaths from the coronavirus rose to at least 26 and China expanded travel restrictions for about 40 million people in an attempt to halt contagion. The US is monitoring more ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE Consulate in Houston has confirmed that all Emiratis in Houston are safe following the explosion that occurred in a factory in the city, advising all UAE citizens in Houston to register for the online “My Presence” service via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website or its smart application and to communicate with the consulate ...

SHARJAH / WAM Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) recorded a seven percent increase in its total net profit, making a total of AED545.5 million in 2019, in comparison to the AED510.4 million recorded in 2018. In a statement on Saturday, the bank said its balance sheet reflects strong performance and sound financial position, with total assets reaching AED46.4 billion at the ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to use high tariffs as “leverage” to accelerate trade talks with the European Union, US and other nations, The Times of London reported. The tariffs could result in taxes of 30% on some French cheeses and 10% tax on German cars, the newspaper said. Britain currently has trade deals with a number of ...

TASHKENT / WAM In the presence of Sardor Umurzakov, the Uzbekistan Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade, an implementation agreement was signed at a ceremony in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, by the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, and JSC Thermal Power Plants of the Republic of Uzbekistan (JSC), and Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala). The agreement establishes a roadmap for the future ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co. is considering another cut to production of its marquee 787 Dreamliner as the aerospace giant contends with sluggish demand. Executives are studying whether to trim monthly output by two planes to 10 a month from a reduced pace that was announced in October. While no final decision has been made, a new production schedule for the twin-aisle ...