Dubai / Emirates Business Global developer Emaar Properties joined the UAE in celebrating India’s 68th Republic Day celebrations with a spectacular illumination of the iconic Burj Khalifa with the colours of the Indian national flag. The visual expression of the tri-colours underlined the solidarity of the UAE and its people with India, with which the nation shares strong cultural …

  DUBAI / Reuters Stock markets in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait continued uptrends on Wednesday, attracting regional investors’ money away from the United Arab Emirates, which pulled back. The Saudi index rose 0.5 percent, climbing for a fifth straight day. It has been buoyed by hopes for better conditions in the non-oil sector this year as government austerity measures slow. …

  Bloomberg Canadian stocks climbed to a record, joining a global rally in stocks amid expectations of stronger global growth as US President Donald Trump tries to shift the US economy into higher gear. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose as much as 0.4 percent to 15,674.30, topping the previous closing record of 15,657.63 set on Sept. 3, 2014. The intraday …

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump plans to unveil actions on national security starting on Wednesday that are expected to include steps towards building a wall on the Mexican border and limiting refugee inflows to the US, moving to fulfill key promises he made during his election campaign. “Big day planned on national security. Among many other things, we will build …

  BANJUL / AP Gambia’s new President Adama Barrow will arrive in the country on Thursday, a week after he was sworn into office in neighboring Senegal, an official with the new government confirmed on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press about the matter. Gambians eagerly await Barrow, who …

  ISTANBUL / AP Turkey’s prime minister says an agreement between Russia, Turkey and Iran on how to monitor a cease-fire between warring parties in Syria marks a “serious diplomatic success.” Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday that the agreement could pave the way for a political solution in the war-torn nation. The deal was announced by the three countries the previous …

  BRUSSELS / AP The European Commission is urging European leaders to endorse sweeping measures to help stop tens of thousands of desperate people from leaving Libya in search of better lives in Europe. The commission said in documents published on Tuesday that the leaders should “deploy the full range of EU missions and projects” to help Libyans manage their borders …

  Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she will publish her plan for negotiations to leave the European Union after lawmakers demanded greater scrutiny in Parliament. May said a so-called white paper will be published to allow proper debate of the strategy she outlined in a speech last week. “I have been clear, as have senior ministers, that we’ll …

  HONG KONG / AP Hong Kong’s customs chief on Wednesday denied suggestions that Beijing was involved in the investigation into nine armored personnel carriers belonging to Singapore that were seized in the Chinese-controlled territory. Commissioner Roy Tang said his department was acting only under Hong Kong law when it impounded the nine SAF Terrex infantry carriers and other equipment. He …

  PARIS / AP The real winner of France’s left-wing presidential primary may be a man who demonstrably shunned it: Emmanuel Macron. The 39-year-old former investment banker and ex-economy minister with pro-free market, pro-European views has chosen not to take part in the Socialist primary. Instead, in recent days he has been drawing attention away from the campaign by traveling to …