Bloomberg The UK is piling pressure on the European Union to shift the focus of Brexit negotiations away from the terms of divorce and onto their future relationship. Britain will publish a flurry of documents in the coming days laying out the government’s position on topics ranging from data protection to judicial cooperation. Five papers are due to be published ...
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The new Mercedes Maybach concept, a 20-foot-long convertible
Bloomberg At a private estate on Pebble Beach Golf Course in Carmel, Calif., Mercedes-Benz unveiled its latest concept car: the Mercedes-Maybach Vision 6 Cabriolet last week. Like the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept that the company unveiled prior to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance last year, the Maybach 6 Cabriolet is an electric car that’s nearly 20 feet long, has a ...
Read More »China ups the ante against ‘overseas investment’
Bloomberg China formally laid down new rules on overseas investments, making explicit its de facto campaign against “irrational†acquisitions of assets in industries ranging from real estate to hotels and entertainment. The authorities set out three categories—banned, restricted and encouraged—while backing companies to support the nation’s ambitious “Belt and Road†initiative backed by President Xi Jinping, the State Council said. ...
Read More »Infy’s ex-boss Sikka, just one of the casualties of ‘hire American’
Bloomberg The resignation of Vishal Sikka as chief executive officer of India’s bellwether technology company masks the rot in India’s once feted export sector. While Sikka cited heightened acrimony with a cohort of founders at Infosys Ltd., the malaise is much deeper, and threatens to become a faultline for Asia’s No. 3 economy. Software services exports are experiencing their longest ...
Read More »In a good year for Asia currencies, Philippine peso is unloved
Bloomberg Asian emerging market currencies have been having their best year since before the 2013 taper tantrum, bolstered by pace-setting growth rates and attractive yields. But the Philippine peso has been left out of the party—ironically after it held up better than peers including Indonesia’s rupiah back in 2013. Unless things change, it’ll be a fifth straight year of declines ...
Read More »Iraq launches offensive to take back Tal Afar from IS
BAGHDAD / ERBIL / Reuters Iraqi security forces launched an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar on Sunday, their next objective in the US-backed campaign to defeat IS militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said. “You either surrender, or die,†Abadi said in a televised speech announcing the offensive, addressing the militants. A longtime stronghold of hardline Sunni ...
Read More »First container feeder vessel arrives at Fujairah Terminals
FUJAIRAH / WAM The newly established Fujairah Terminals, under the management of Abu Dhabi Ports, welcomed its first container feeder vessel, the Dubai Alliance. This is the first ship to arrive at the terminal, which is wholly owned by Abu Dhabi Ports, the master developer, operator and manager of commercial and community ports within the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Fujairah ...
Read More »GCC projects market poised to show improvement in second half of 2017
DUBAI / Emirates Business The GCC projects market had a muted performance in the first half of 2017, but is expected to perform better in the second six months of the year as the region’s economies continue to adjust to lower oil prices. According to the latest data from MEED Projects, the region’s leading projects tracking and analysis service, $56bn ...
Read More »Masdar signs contract to build GCC’s first large-scale wind farm
MUSCAT / WAM Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company (Masdar) signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with a global consortium comprising GE and Spain’s TSK to build the Dhofar Wind Power Project, the first large-scale wind farm in Oman and the GCC. The Dhofar Wind Power Project is a result of the joint development agreement that was established in ...
Read More »Healthcare projects worth $55bn in pipeline in MENA
Dubai / Emirates Business As much as $55.2bn worth of healthcare projects are in the pipeline in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2017, with major new developments expected to be annou- nced at the forthcoming Build- ing Healthcare Innovation & Design Show. According to the latest industry estimates, a total of 37 mega hospital projects are ...
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