Rabat / AFP Morocco accused United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon of speaking out of turn during a visit to restart talks between Rabat and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front on disputed Western Sahara. The Moroccan government noted “with great surprise the verbal outpourings… and unjustified gestures of deference” by Ban during his visit, according to a statement released by the official ...

Jerusalem / AFP Two Palestinians opened fire on a bus and near Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, seriously wounding one person, as an upsurge in attacks marred a visit by US Vice President Joe Biden. Six separate attacks have taken place shortly before or after Biden’s arrival on Tuesday, including a stabbing spree on the Tel Aviv waterfront by a ...

Mogadishu / AFP Special forces operatives in two helicopters staged an overnight raid on Somalia’s Shebab insurgents, government officials and the Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen said on Wednesday. The raid, reportedly by foreign troops, targeted the Shebab-controlled town of Awdhegele, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. “There was an operation by Special Forces late last night around Awdhegele ...

Hong Kong / AFP Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific said net profit almost doubled last year as tumbling oil prices slashed fuel costs and boosted passenger numbers, although global demand dented the cargo unit. With fuel accounting for a huge chunk of most airlines’ outlay, the slump in crude since mid-2014 has provided a much-needed boost to their bottom ...

Philadelphia / Bloomberg Urban Outfitters Inc. shares rose the most in more than three years after fourth-quarter profit topped analysts’ estimates, helped by a shift toward higher-margin merchandise. Excluding some items, earnings were 61 cents a share, the Philadelphia-based retail chain said in a statement on Monday. Analysts had projected 56 cents on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. ...

Bloomberg Two United Airlines shareholders will nominate Gordon Bethune, renowned for resurrecting merger partner Continental, to head an insurgent director slate as the carrier’s top executive returns from a heart transplant. Hedge funds Altimeter Capital Management LP and PAR Capital Management Inc. are backing six new board members led by Bethune, the former chief executive officer of Continental Airlines, which ...

Bloomberg RWE AG’s UK unit will reduce its workforce by 21 percent after reporting a full-year loss and a customer exodus amid billing system failures. Germany’s biggest power producer posted its second net loss in three years. Npower’s operating loss was 137 million euros ($151 million) compared with a profit of 227 million euros a year earlier, the Essen, Germany-based ...

NEW DELHI / AFP Ikea has announced that it would invest nearly $300 million in a north Indian state as it forges ahead with plans to start selling its low-cost furniture in the giant market next year. The Swedish flat-pack behemoth said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the state of Haryana, which neighbours the capital New Delhi, with ...

MADRID / AP Spanish fashion retailer Inditex, which owns the Zara store chain, said on Wednesday that net profit for its 2015 financial year was up 15 percent thanks to booming sales worldwide in the last few months. Inditex said that profit for February 2015 through January 2016 was a whopping 2.9 billion euros (nearly $3.2 billion) compared with only 2.5 ...

ABU DHABI / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Tuesday toured the ongoing Abu Dhabi Aviation and Aerospace Week (ADAAW), being held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (ADNEC). Sheikh Mohamed’s tour covered a number of national and international pavilions at ...