Bloomberg Apple has blamed “external physical damage” for causing a handful of iPhones to explode or catch fire in China and insisted that its handsets posed no safety problem. Fresh on the heels of Samsung’s worldwide Galaxy Note 7 safety fiasco, a Shanghai consumer watchdog said it had received eight recent reports of iPhones that spontaneously combusted while being ...

  Emirates business As holiday season and shopping goes into full swing, prepare for being stumped for choice with LG’s latest gift options that are sure to wow and spread the fun at any occasion. LG V20 – YOUR FESTIVE SELFIE PARTNER A recently launched addition to LG’s popular V Series is LG’s V20, the most premium in LG’s smartphone ...

  Essen / AFP Chancellor Angela Merkel onTuesday lashed populists trying to exploit fears over Germany’s refugee influx but set out a tough line on integration, including a ban on the veil, as she launched into election campaign mode. Outlining her strategy to counter a wave of populism that has consumed key allies abroad, Merkel vowed there would not be ...

  Los Angeles / AFP Authorities ratcheted up security on the Los Angeles metro following a tip from overseas about an impending bomb attack on Tuesday against a station in the sprawling rail network. The threat was relayed by an anonymous man who called a public safety line run by an unidentified foreign government, which then passed on the information to ...

  Brussels / AFP Top US and NATO officials stressed the importance of preserving transatlantic security ties on Tuesday amid doubts raised by Donald Trump’s election as president. Trump stoked concerns that Washington’s near 70-year European defence guarantee might no longer hold when he said on the campaign trail he would think twice about helping NATO allies who did not pay ...

  Moscow / AFP Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed off on a broad-ranging plan aimed at bolstering the country’s defences against cyberattacks from abroad and cracking down on perceived foreign influence. The Kremlin’s new “information security doctrine” comes as attention has focused on the rise in state-sponsored hacking after the US blamed Moscow for cyberattacks aimed at influencing ...

  London / AFP Up to 40 lawmakers from British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative party could back a motion in parliament demanding she publish her plan for Brexit before starting negotiations, it emerged on Tuesday. The rebellion might be enough to push the opposition motion through the 650-seat House of Commons on Wednesday, in a symbolic blow against May’s ...

  Manila / AFP Philippine police murdered a town mayor while he was helpless in a jail cell, justice department investigators said on Tuesday, contradicting claims by the accused and President Rodrigo Duterte that he was killed in a gun battle. The accusations by the National Bureau of Investigation deepened concerns that police were carrying out summary executions as part of ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi’s agribusiness leader Al Dahra Holding and Abu Dhabi Ports on Tuesday launched the Gulf region’s largest and only rice factory of its kind at Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad). The AED 140-million facility will produce up to 120,000 metric tonnes of rice per annum with 40 silos, each boasting a 750-tonne capacity. Owned by ...

  CAIRO / WAM A number of issues especially the follow-up on the implementation of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) will be discussed at the 42nd meeting of the senior officials of Implementation and Follow-up Committee of the Arab Ministries of Economy and Trade, which began on Tuesday in Cairo. Nizar Faisal Al-Meshaal, Director of Department of Economic ...