Tokyo / Bloomberg Air Canada firmed up an order for at least 45 Bombardier Inc. C Series jets, giving the much-delayed aircraft programme a boost as the plane nears its commercial debut. The sale of CS300 narrow-body jetliners is valued at $3.8 billion based on list prices, Bombardier said in a statement. Air Canada also has options for 30 ...

  New York / AFP Airbnb is in talks to secure a new round of investment that would value the company at around $30 billion, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. If it succeeds in securing the new funds, the short-term home rental company will have tripled its valuation in two years, the Times said citing anonymous sources. The daily ...

  New York / AFP Sports equipment giant Nike’s shares have skidded in disappointment over its sales performance in the face of strong emerging competitors in North America. Nike, sponsor of leading world sports names including Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo, revealed a rise in quarterly sales — but it was not as large as investors had anticipated. “A lot ...

  Washington / Bloomberg United Continental Holdings Inc. reached a breakthrough in its negotiations with labour unions after a group backed a tentative deal to bring 25,000 flight attendants under a single labour contract for the first time since the merger that created the airline almost six years ago. “We have a tentative agreement,” the joint master executive council of ...

  Havana / DPA The brand-new red cars are immediately conspicuous in Havana’s run-down streets. For decades, outsized 1950s-built US sedans have been among the dominant cars in Cuba and tourists love them. But at the sight of the sleek new Audis, many Cubans stop and wave to the German drivers in their half dozen vehicles. Audi’s new SUV, the ...

  Michael Pryor / TNS From Zappo’s holacracy to all the startups touting their “flat org chart,” the backlash against management is getting out of hand. Many people see management as the opposite of “doers.” They think management sits around all day in their fancy corner offices, collecting accolades for work they didn’t even do. Yes, bad managers exist, but ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai has recorded continued progress and retained its position as the most transparent real estate market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to JLL and LaSalle Investment Management’s 2016 Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI). The Emirate placed (48th) out of 109 markets covered globally to remain in the ‘Semi-Transparent’ category, ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) on Wednesday announced it has moved up to the 14th spot overall in the 2016 US News and World Report Best Arab Region Universities Rankings, up from the 23rd position last year. The research-based institution has also edged up to fifth spot in the ‘Energy’ field, eighth in Chemistry, ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dhofar Global, a leading supplier of hygiene care products in the Middle East, received the BIZZ 2016 Award presented annually by the World Confederation of Business (WORLDCOB), a leading organization that encourages worldwide business development. The award, which was given in recognition of the company’s business excellence, was received by Dhofar’s Group COO, Michael Anthony ...

    Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai-based business conglomerate Najibi Group, which recently opened the doors to its new investment and development company Sanad Capital Pty Ltd in Australia, has announced its very first venture on the nation’s Sunshine Coast – an AUD 400 million ‘active lifestyle’ destination. Talal Y. Najibi, Executive Chairman of Najibi, says this project heavily complements ...