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  Birmingham / AFP Prime Minister Theresa May threw down the Brexit gauntlet to Brussels on Wednesday in a speech calling for “maximum freedom” in Europe’s single market despite a backlash against her hard line on immigration. May’s address to the Conservative party conference came as the pound plunged on currency markets and amid growing criticism of proposals to make ...

  Washington / AFP US online giant Amazon on Wednesday launched a new “Prime Reading” program for US members of its subscription program, allowing unlimited reading of a rotating selection of e-books. “Prime members can now enjoy unlimited reading from a rotating selection of books, magazines, comics and more — at no additional cost,” the online retail giant said in ...

The Hague / AFP The UN’s highest court on Wednesday narrowly threw out landmark cases brought by the tiny Marshall Islands against India, Pakistan and Britain for allegedly failing to halt the nuclear arms race. In majority decisions, the 16-judge bench at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled there was no evidence that Majuro had had a prior dispute ...

  Ankara / AFP Iraq and Turkey on Wednesday were summoning their respective ambassadors in an increasingly acrimonious dispute between the two neighbours ahead of a planned operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from extremists. Ankara called in the Iraqi ambassador while Baghdad said it had decided to summon the Turkish envoy following bitter verbal exchanges, the two ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The Smart Dubai Office, the Smart Dubai Government Establishment and the Department of Economic Development (DED), in collaboration with IBM, have launched the city’s first cognitive computing service to facilitate business licensing and registration in Dubai. The service, which was unveiled in a press conference at the Business Village Tuesday morning, delivers on the directive ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Abu Dhabi Ports announced on Tuesday the launch of its digital Vessel Management System which offers customers and stakeholders complete automation of all vessel management processes and services through its Port Community System, Maqta Gateway. Through the new, demand-driven Vessel Management System, all vessels arriving at any of Abu Dhabi’s commercial ports will be able ...

  Bloomberg In a testament to the rising consumer potential of the world’s No. 6 emerging market, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has tapped for guidance the king of Chinese e-commerce: Jack Ma. Jokowi, as Indonesia’s leader is known, further intensified the buzz surrounding his country’s $2 billion e-commerce market with a stop at Jakarta’s sprawling Mangga Dua bazaar last month, ...

  Tokyo/ AFP Business confidence among Japan’s largest manufacturers is at its lowest since Tokyo introduced measures to kick-start the struggling economy more than three years ago, a central bank survey showed in a report. The Bank of Japan’s closely watched Tankan report comes after data showing weak growth in the second quarter and as soft inflation and spending figures ...

  Aleppo / AFP Syrian regime forces advanced against rebels during intense street battles in the heart of Aleppo on Tuesday, after the United States abandoned talks with Russia aimed at reviving a ceasefire deal. The UN rights chief appealed for action to halt the “ghastly avalanche of violence” unfolding in Syria’s second city, which is reeling from some of ...

  Washington / AFP Donald Trump’s presidential hopes suffered a punishing new setback as authorities clamped down on his charitable foundation, while Hillary Clinton seized the offensive to brand him an unscrupulous businessman. With just five weeks to go before the November 8 election, Trump is seeking to climb out of one of the darkest periods of his White House campaign ...