Kandahar / AFP Fighting raged on Thursday in Helmand after Afghanistan rushed military reinforcements to beat back Taliban insurgents advancing on the besieged capital of the southern poppy-growing province, as officials downplayed fears the city could fall. Afghan forces fought back insurgents after they stormed Nawa district, just south of Lashkar Gah city, late on Wednesday, raising alarm that ...

  Maybe the college student debt burden isn’t so crushing after all. That’s the surprising gist of a new study by economists at the president’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). It’s surprising because burgeoning student debt has become a new economic worry and a political “cause celebre.” It adds to the hurt of millennials, who already face a tough job ...

  Facebook collects less than the 5 percent of the $500 billion spent on advertising each year. For Facebook to achieve the deepest, darkest dreams of Mark Zuckerberg, the company must become the first one that dominates both the kind of precision ads that built Google and the emotional ads that made TV the world’s dominant marketing force. Facebook has ...

  It has been a good few months for Wall Street debt traders. Credit-trading profits surged in the three months ended June 30. And based on recent market activity, fixed-income revenues are still coming in strong. Consider that US investment-grade and high-yield bond trading volumes have risen to record levels since the beginning of July compared with previous periods. The ...

  Israel has deployed a new strategy to hamper aid works in Gaza. It has been levelling myriad accusations against international NGOs and aid workers to make Gazans’ life more miserable. Israel accused that one of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) staff helped Hamas fighters in Gaza. Israel charged engineer Waheed Borsh with diverting aid to Hamas, particularly by using ...

  Sharjah / WAM Air Arabia (PJSC) on Thursday announced strong financial results for the first half of 2016 ending June 30, 2016, reporting a net profit of AED245 million for the first half of 2016 ending June 30, 2016, an increase of 3.5 percent compared to the AED237 million reported for the same period last year. The Middle East and ...

  Dubai / WAM Waha Capital has reported a net profit of AED305.9 million for the first half of 2016. Earnings were driven by solid performance across the business and, in particular, by key investments in Waha Capital’s Principal Investments division and a robust performance from the company’s capital markets portfolio. The company’s asset management division experienced a rise in income, ...

  SHRAJAH / WAM A delegation from the Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) has returned from a week-long visit to The Netherlands and Spain. The visit was part of a research and knowledge-share mission regarding best practices for the conservation of indigenous wildlife and the protection of animals in captivity (zoos). It was also part of the EPAA’s ongoing ...

Dubai / WAM A delegation from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) recently visited the Dutch capital Amsterdam, and the German city Stuttgart to get familiarised with the experience of the two cities in smart mobility and autonomous driving. The move is part of the smart mobility strategy aimed at converting 25 percent of total mobility journeys in Dubai into self-driving ...

  Dubai / WAM The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) discussed on Thursday ways of stroke prevention during its smart clinic. Dr. Suhail Al Rukn, stroke and neurology Consultant and head of stroke unit at Rashid Hospital, said: “ Stroke awareness in the UAE is particularly important. Fifty per cent of the stroke patients in the UAE are below the age of ...