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  KUALA LUMPUR / AP Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. said on Wednesday that it will build a second factory in Malaysia as part of expansion to meet rising local demand. The new 2 billion ringgit ($488 million) plant will be built by Toyota and its local partner, UMW Corp. Toyota said that the plant, to be built in the ...

  Singapore / AFP More than 60 percent of all computer software installed in the Asia-Pacific in 2015 was unlicensed, the worst of any region, despite growing economies and anti-piracy efforts, an industry watchdog said on Wednesday. The Software Alliance — which includes giants like Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Oracle and Adobe — said in a report that the unlicensed software ...

  KUALA LUMPUR / AFP Malaysia’s Sime Darby, the world’s biggest listed palm-oil producer, on Wednesday announced a 60 percent quarterly profit rise but warned of a tough outlook amid slow global demand and lower weather-reduced output. In a statement, Chief Executive Mohamad Bakke Salleh attributed the improved year-on-year earnings to sales of certain assets. The company had said in ...

  ALKESH SHARMA / Emirates Business Weakening consumer sentiments and dwindling markets have started taking a toll on various trades in the Middle East region. The mobile phone industry is also experiencing much of the heat, with a recent survey report citing that shipments of phones have declined by over 10 percent during the first quarter of 2016, compared with ...

  RITIKA SHARMA / Emirates Business If you thought that it is just data and money that is at stake during cyber-attacks, think again. In UAE, cyber-crimes expose not only the vulnerability of the company’s security system, but also shake the customers’ confidence and trust. A UAE-centric survey recently reported that companies might lose substantial number of their customers after ...

  Sunaina Rana / Emirates Business As the mercury soars up, and the sun is all out in its glory, everyone is mapping out ways to beat the heat. According to Abu Dhabi Travel Pattern, 2009, the average time that a person spends travelling in his vehicle is approximately 50 minutes per day. Considering the same, Arabian Automobile Company has ...

  ABU DHABI / Emirates Business Etihad Airways, Etihad Airport Services, airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Alitalia have successfully raised a further US$500 million in a second platform financing transaction, following the success of last year’s award-winning bond which raised US$700 million. A roadshow was announced on Monday May 16 to a positive response from the international financial community, followed ...

  RITIKA SHARMA / Emirates Business Going beyond its regular ‘sun-sand-shopping’ image, UAE is making considerable strides towards eco-tourism and making it a vital part of the buoyant UAE hospitability sector along with the financial diversification. According to World Travel and Tourism Council forecasts, the UAE’s tourism sector is expected to experience annual real growth of about 6.5 percent till 2021, ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Emirates NBD, one of the leading banking Groups in the region, has revealed findings on the habits and attitudes with regards to finance and banking, among people with disabilities in the UAE. The research, undertaken in partnership with IPSOS and Sustainable Square, sought to identify and understand the challenges that people with disabilities experience with ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business According to a report on consumer card spends for the first quarter of 2016 by Network International, the leading payment solutions provider in the MENA region, domestic card spends in the country have increased by 12% in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period last year. The report, based on credit and ...