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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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

­­­­­­­­­­­Bloomberg Wal-Mart Stores Inc., racing to fend off Amazon.com Inc. and a fresh attack from European grocery discounters, gave a lukewarm earnings forecast for the third quarter, a sign that heavy spending aimed at maintaining its edge is taking a toll. The shares slid recently after the retail giant said that profit will be 90 cents to 98 cents a ...

Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc.’s co-founder Travis Kalanick fired back at investor Benchmark, saying its lawsuit seeking to oust him from the ride-hailing company’s board is based on “a fabrication” and accused the firm of threats and intimidation. Upping the ante on his fight with the venture capital firm, which holds a 13 percent stake in Uber, Kalanick said that Benchmark ...

­­­­­­­­­­­Bloomberg The UK is preparing to give further details of its approach to Brexit next week when it lays out positions in at least three different areas that it wants to negotiate with the European Union. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government will publish two papers on Monday with more expected in the following days, as Britain and the EU gear ...

Bloomberg McDonald’s Corp. workers at two restaurants in England have voted in favour of a strike, in what would be the first industrial action by staff of the American fast-food chain in the UK. Employees at one site in Crayford, near London, and a second in Cambridgeshire were balloted following a dispute over the use of zero-hour contracts and the ...

Bloomberg Infosys Ltd. approved a 130 billion rupees ($2 billion) share repurchase to improve returns for stakeholders of the Indian software exporter a day after Chief Executive Officer Vishal Sikka quit amid heightened tensions between the board and founders led by ex-Chairman N R Narayana Murthy. Asia’s No.2 software services developer voted to buy back as many as 113 million ...