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  Athens / AFP The Greek parliament has adopted fresh austerity measures sought by its international creditors, including expediting privatisation of utility companies. The reforms were passed by 152 of the 293 parliamentary deputies present, deputy speaker Yorgos Varemenos announced after the debate. The vote opens the way for 2.8 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in loans, which have been blocked ...

  Sofia / AFP Bulgaria on Wednesday switched its candidate to be the next head of the United Nations, shaking up the race to succeed Ban Ki-moon when he steps down on December 31. Sofia is now throwing its weight behind European Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva, dumping UNESCO chief Irina Bokova after she came a lowly sixth in the ...

  Agencies The entire state of South Australia lost electricity after severe winds and storms lashed the region, according to Adelaide-based SA Power Networks. The distributor, which services about 850,000 homes and businesses, said that Australia’s fourth-largest state by area is currently without power and there is “no upstream supply from the transmission network.” The state — about one and ...

  Sembalun / AFP Hundreds of tourists have fled a volcanic eruption at a popular Indonesian hiking destination, an official said on Wednesday, expressing fears some may have stayed behind to document the natural wonder. Around 1,000 tourists, including about 600 foreigners, were believed to be in the area when Mount Barujari sent columns of ash and smoke shooting high ...

  Aleppo / AFP An air strike and artillery fire hit the two largest hospitals in rebel-held parts of Syria’s Aleppo on Wednesday, in what rights groups said was a deliberate strategy of targeting civilian infrastructure. President Bashar Al Assad’s forces and his ally Moscow have carried out a barrage of air strikes on opposition-controlled eastern Aleppo since Syria’s regime ...

  Ajman / Emirates Business A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote tourism growth in the emirate and enhance business opportunities was signed between the Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) and Gulf Chinese Trading Corporation. HE Faisal Al Nuaimi, General Manager of ATDD and Feng Luo, General Manager of Gulf Chinese Trading Corporation, operator of Ajman China Mall signed the ...

  Ajman / Emirates Business Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, will be celebrating a decade of success with the 10th edition of the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre. The upcoming festival, which will run for 10 days from the October 22 to 31, is expected to attract a significant ...

  Dubai / WAM Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued Executive Council Resolution No. (49) of 2016, regarding the regulation of pay-by-the-hour car rental activity in Dubai. The resolution aims to provide alternative low-cost public transportation solutions that meet the needs of people in Dubai. As ...

  Riyadh / Emirates Business Etihad Airways is to deploy a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on one of its twice-daily scheduled flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, with effect from October 30. The upgrade from a single aisle Airbus A321 aircraft will cater to strong demand to and from the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, offering guests more seats ...

  Dubai / WAM The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is gearing up for the launch of the final version of the Smart Fare project to the public in October this year, having gone through the trial version this September. Accordingly, new services will be added to the Public Transport App, and the smart services on the app will be upgraded ...