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MANILA / AP A summit next week between Southeast Asian leaders and President Barack Obama is unlikely to deliver any big economic prizes, but will allow the American side to press the advantages of joining a Pacific trade pact that doesn’t include China. The meetings at Rancho Mirage in California set for Monday and Tuesday will be the first summit ...

Washington / AFP In freezing President Barack Obama’s plan to tackle carbon emissions, the US Supreme Court delivered a blow to a global climate deal — but experts say that US commitments to the deal will survive. Obama’s “Clean Power Plan” would require the power sector to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 32 percent compared to 2005 levels ...

Islamabad / AFP Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain has urged the nation to refrain from celebrating Valentine’s Day, while other officials blasted it as “vulgar and indecent” as they moved to outlaw festivities. The president made the remarks to a crowd of students, saying the day — traditionally celebrated in the West by lovers — had no place in the Muslim-majority ...

Taipei / AP Rescuers have found the bodies of more than 100 people killed after an apartment block in Taiwan collapsed during an earthquake one week ago, authorities said on Saturday. All of the reported residents of the Wei-kuan complex in the southern city of Tainan have been accounted for, according to the local government, as the search for survivors ...

Srinagar / AFP A fierce gun battle killed two soldiers and five suspected militants Saturday in Indian-administered Kashmir near the de facto border with Pakistan, army officials said. The seven died during a heavy exchange of fire in the border village of Marsari, 130 kilometres northwest of the main city of Srinagar, defence spokesman NN Joshi said. The 16-hour gun ...

Caracas / AFP Venezuelans are accustomed to severe shortages of oil, diapers and other staple products. But those hoping to buy what they could find got a new unpleasant surprise this week. They found malls dark and shuttered on the first day of a government electricity rationing regime. “This is madness, this is not the solution!” said Nataly Orta, 48, ...

Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The current slowdown in the UAE real estate market should be seen as a minor correction as opposed to a major crash, according to a Middle East property expert. David Dudley, International Director at JLL MENA, said that while the impact of reduced oil prices on the economy will lead to a short-term slowdown in ...

BLOOMBERG The Bank of Japan’s adoption of negative interest rates two weeks ago hasn’t provided a lasting boost to stock investors or weakened the currency, but it has spurred some optimism for the housing market. With interest rates and bond yields dropping to record lows due to the BOJ’s decision, the Japanese people are starting to notice. Shinsei Bank Ltd. ...

RAS AL KHAIMAH RAK Properties, Ras Al Khaimah’s biggest property developer listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange, has announced that it has appointed award-winning American firms Perkins Eastman and Wilson Associates to provide their world-renowned expertise in architecture and interior design to Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort which is set to open in 2018. New York ...

Bloomberg Landlords owning some of central London’s most valuable real estate, a haven for investors for the past five years as they sought to combat record-low interest rates, have fallen into the grip of the bears. Land Securities Plc, Workspace Group Plc and British Land Plc, declined more than 24 percent in London trading since October 28, when the FTSE ...