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JIM GOMEZ / AP With the symbolic handshakes and unity photo-op, President Barack Obama’s high-profile summit with Southeast Asian leaders in California this week aims to step up pressure against China’s increasingly worrisome behavior in disputed waters. Forging a common front and encouraging bolder rhetoric against Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, however, will be a challenge among the ...

BEIJING / AP A Chinese nationalist newspaper says American politicians are resorting to petty actions following a unanimous bill approval by the Senate to rename the plaza in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington after an imprisoned Chinese political dissident. The Communist Party-controlled Global Times called the move on Sunday provocative and said it’s intended to outrage Beijing, although ...

NEW DELHI / Bloomberg India said that it is disappointed with the United States’ decision to sell eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan and that it does not believe such an arms transfer will help combat terrorism. The US government saidthat it had approved the sale of the F-16 fighter aircraft, radar and electronic warfare equipment to Pakistan in ...

Riyadh / AFP Armed forces from around 20 countries were gathering in northern Saudi Arabia on Sunday for “the most important” military manoeuvre ever staged in the region, the official news agency SPA reported. The “Thunder of the North” exercise involving ground, air, and naval forces sends a “clear message” that Riyadh and its allies “stand united in confronting all ...

WASHINGTON / AP Cuba has returned a dummy US Hellfire missile that was mistakenly shipped there from Europe in 2014, American and Cuban officials said. The Hellfire is a laser-guided, air-to-surface missile that weighs about 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, it can be deployed from an attack helicopter like the Apache or an unmanned drone like the ...

DUBAI / WAM Gulf Navigation Holding, GULFNAV, the Dubai-based shipping company, has achieved a 101% profit growth by the end of year 2015 compared to the previous year. The company released its latest financial statement amidst its strong and consistent financial turnaround and continuous intensified efforts to address creditor concerns. According to GULFNAV’s financial report, its net income reached AED ...

DUBAI / WAM According to Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, the population of Dubai is expected to increase to five million by 2030. Lootah was speaking on the final day of the fourth World Government Summit in Dubai, in which his speech addressed the issues of the consequences of an increasing population and depleting natural resources, an increase ...

DUBAI / WAM Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, (DEWA) in support of the vision of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the UAE in its preparations to host the best World Expo that the world has ever been seen in Dubai, DEWA has launched a wide variety of ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADCM) has launched a campaign to combat randomly placed advertising signs cluttering streets, public utilities and lampposts in Al Wathba. These signs, which lack official approval from the authorities, distort the appearance of the city and pose environmental hazards. The campaign comes in the context of the municipal system’s vision and keenness ...

DUBAI / WAM The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is set to launch a project for eliminating faults in heavy vehicles, in line with the national strategy aimed at improving road safety and security and curbing accidents triggered by heavy vehicles. The project will curtail the negative impacts of faults sustained by heavy vehicles, and fend off the erratic driving ...