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  Baghdad / AFP Iraqi forces advanced on Thursday after declaring a new phase in their offensive on eastern Mosul, stepping up efforts to reclaim the IS group’s last major stronghold in the country. Elite forces have reconquered several parts of eastern Mosul since beginning the massive operation to recapture the northern city from the extremists on October 17, but ...

  Bloomberg China plans to spend 3.5 trillion yuan ($503 billion) to expand its railway system by 2020 as it turns to investments in infrastructure to bolster growth and improve connectivity across the country. The high-speed rail network will span more than 30,000 kilometers (18,650 miles) under the proposal, according to details released at a State Council Information Office briefing ...

  Bloomberg China’s diesel demand is likely to pick up pace ahead of the Lunar New Year as traders stock up barrels ahead of the festivities and as construction activity picks up in some areas, four trade sources said on Thursday. Implied diesel demand in October in China, the world’s second-largest oil user, rose to 3.4 million barrels per day, ...

  Bloomberg For years, Toyota Motor Corp. focused on pushing its hybrid models in Europe, avoiding a diesel-for- diesel competition with market leaders including Volkswagen AG. The Japanese carmaker’s strategy is finally paying off. In the first full year since Volkswagen’s emissions scandal threw the German giant into disarray, Toyota is on track for roughly a 40 percent jump in ...

  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG bought North American parking-payment operator PayByPhone in the latest move by Europe’s biggest carmaker to expand from manufacturing into mobility services. The purchase of Vancouver-based PayByPhone, which processed more than $250 million in transactions this year, will turn the German company’s Volkswagen Financial Services unit into the leader in mobile payments for parking, the automaker said ...

  Dubai / WAM The UAE is playing a vital role in deepening the values of tolerance, peace and harmony among the members of the community, said Nurlan Yermekbayev, Minister for Religious and Civil Society Affairs, Kazakhstan. The minister praised the UAE’s commitment to the principles of dialogue, peace, co-operation, and mutual respect and understanding, and highlighted the country’s efforts to ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The Hamdan Innovation Incubator (Hi2) in Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai mandated to develop the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Trademark & Patent Services [UTPS] to support innovation among Hi2 members and provide them with a competitive intellectual ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business ADNOC Distribution, in collaboration with Al Masaood, launched an Autoserv Centre at its Rabdan service station in Abu Dhabi’s Mushrif area. Managed by Al Masaood, vehicle owners in Mushrif visiting the Autoserv Centre can benefit from the expertise of highly skilled technicians who ensure the delivery of best-in-class, reliable services. Vehicle repair services offered ...

  DUBAI / Emirates Business The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), lauded the solid partnership between the government and private sectors, describing it as a unique role model of public-private collaboration that works collectively with a single-minded purpose to achieve the common goal of promoting a destination. ...

  ABU DHABI / Emirates Business Ambitious plans set out by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the deployment of renewable energy are strongly aligned with the hopes and ambitions of the country’s young people, according to global research commissioned by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company. The Masdar Gen Z Global Sustainability Survey, which spoke to around 5,000 youth aged ...