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  Dubai / WAM In his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, Vice President, Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the Government of Dubai’s Budget Law No. (17) for the year 2016 for the emirate’s 2017 general budget, with AED47.3 billion expenditure, according to the new budget classification. Issued earlier this year, the Financial Regulations for the ...

  Dubai / WAM Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, on Wednesday announced that it has been named The Banker’s ‘Bank of the Year – UAE 2016’. The awards, considered among the most prestigious by the global banking community, recognise Emirates NBD’s strong financials and pioneering approach to the digitalisation of banking. In awarding the top UAE title to ...

  Berlin / AFP German police launched a manhunt on Wednesday for a Tunisian suspected of driving the truck that ploughed through a Berlin Christmas market in a deadly assault claimed by the IS extremist group. Media reports said asylum office papers believed to belong to the man were found in the cab of the 40-tonne lorry used in the ...

  San Francisco / AFP Volkswagen has reached a $1 billion agreement with US authorities on a compensation deal for the last 80,000 vehicles affected by its emissions-cheating scandal in the United States, officials said. However, a Justice Department official said a criminal investigation is ongoing, and charges may still be filed against the company — which could bring new ...

  Bloomberg UK house-price inflation will slow in 2017 as affordability stretches potential buyers, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Values will rise just 3 percent and the number of transactions will see a moderate decline, RICS said in a statement on Wednesday. That compares with a year-on-year price increase of 6.9 percent in October, according to the ...

  Bloomberg Offshore hedge fund managers and priced-out young Australians have long argued the pace of house price growth in the nation’s biggest cities is unsustainable. They may finally be right. After two years of double-digit growth, the Sydney house price index gained just 3.2 percent in the year to September, the weakest increase since 2012, according to the latest ...

  Bloomberg China called for better coordination to cut emissions after a sixth day of heavy smog engulfed much of the northern part of the country and spurred the year’s highest alert. With the toxic haze shrouding the capital Beijing, coastal Tianjin, and surrounding Hebei province, the environmental protection ministry called for cities to coordinate anti-emission measures such as halting ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM The Board of Directors of the Central Bank of the UAE has approved a number of applications of banks and other financial institutions working in the UAE to expand their activities and open new branches. The decision was taken during the board’s 11th meeting at the Central Bank office in Abu Dhabi, under the chairmanship of ...

  ABU DHABI / Emirates Business In yet another strong proof of its outstanding performance in the service sector, Imdaad, a leading provider of integrated facilities management solutions in the GCC, has been awarded the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award (SKEA)-Gold Category on Tuesday. Imdaad took home last year an award in the Silver Category, reflecting its consistency and continuous drive ...

  Sharjah / Emirates Business The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) took part, for the 5th consecutive year, in the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum Abu Dhabi 2016, taking place at the Four Seasons hotel on Al Marya Island on December 13-14. The Authority headed a delegation from the emirate including the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority – ...