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  Aleppo / AFP A “humanitarian pause” began on Thursday in the Syrian army’s Russian-backed assault on rebel-held areas of Aleppo but clashes continued and there were no signs residents were heeding calls to leave. The unilateral ceasefire took effect at 8:00 am 0500 GMT) and was to last at least 11 hours, with the aim of allowing civilians and fighters ...

  AFP Japan is eyeing an overhaul of how it measures growth in its economy, and that is stirring fresh questions about the reliability of the world’s go-to indicator – gross domestic product — in the digital age. Researchers at Japan’s central bank crunched some numbers recently and concluded that the booming-economy-turned-perennial-laggard actually grew 2.4 percent in fiscal 2014 rather ...

  Bloomberg Reliance Industries Ltd.’s second-quarter profit rose 18 percent from a year earlier, buoyed by higher earnings from its petrochemicals business. Net income for the operator of the world’s biggest oil-refining complex rose to 77.04 billion rupees ($1.2 billion) in the three months ended Sept. 30, the Mumbai-based company said Thursday in a stock exchange filing. That compares with ...

  Bloomberg Intel Corp.’s fight to overturn a record 1.06 billion-euro ($1.17 billion) European Union antitrust fine received a boost from an adviser to the bloc’s top court in a case that could have ramifications for a growing list of disputes involving U.S. tech giants from Google to Apple Inc. Intel’s appeal should be totally re-examined by a lower court, ...

  Bloomberg Verizon Communications Inc. suffered its worst quarter of subscriber growth in more than six years amid intensified price competition from smaller rivals, adding pressure on the company’s media and advertising ventures to take up the slack for a rapidly maturing wireless business. The nation’s largest wireless carrier signed up 442,000 total subscribers in the third quarter, falling far ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business From December 1, guests flying between Abu Dhabi and Tokyo Narita will enjoy the luxury and comfort of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner when Etihad Airways upgrades its service on the route. The state-of-the-art aircraft, configured in three classes, features the airline’s ground-breaking First Suites, Business Studios and Economy Smart Seats. It will replace the ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Smart traffic and virtual reality housing are among the citizen services at GITEX Technology Week that show the UAE government at the forefront of global innovation and enhancing daily lives. Smart Dubai is showcasing more than 300 Smart City innovations, across 11 experiences and six Smart City dimensions, in line with the Happiness Agenda. “Smart ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai mandated to develop the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai First, one of the leading consumer finance companies in the UAE, to facilitate SME access to funding. The agreement will see Dubai First ...

  Sharjah / Emirates Business Women are the drivers of the nation’s economy – that was the message given by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, at the opening of the second edition of the ‘Investing in the Future’ (IFFMENA) conference, which took place yesterday at the Al Jawaher Reception ...

  Qayyarah / AFP Iraqi forces prepared to retake the country’s largest Christian town from the IS group on Wednesday, a key milestone in their progress towards the extremists’ main hub of Mosul. News of the move to recapture Qaraqosh sparked jubilation among Christians who had fled the town, with many dancing and singing in the city of Arbil. Launched on ...