Beijing / Bloomberg Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will acquire a 5 percent stake in Asian e-commerce giant JD.com Inc. in a deal that will reshape the U.S. retail chain’s operations in China. As part of the agreement, JD.com will take ownership of Wal-Mart’s Yihaodian online marketplace, the companies said in a statement. The Chinese branch of Sam’s Club also will ...

  Kuala Lumpur / Bloomberg AirAsia Bhd. is considering hiring BNP Paribas SA, Credit Suisse Group AG and RHB Capital Bhd. to help sell its aircraft leasing unit as part of plans to raise funds and strengthen its finances, the group’s Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes said. Asia’s biggest discount carrier also plans to garner between $75 million and $100 ...

  London / AFP Britain’s referendum on European Union membership could go either way, polls indicated on Tuesday, after a day of tearful tributes to slain lawmaker Jo Cox whose brutal murder has overshadowed the campaign. The killing last week sparked accusations of hate-mongering in an already heated battle for votes before the momentous ballot on Thursday that could determine ...

  London / AFP With all the talk about European workers in the campaign ahead of Britain’s EU membership referendum on Thursday, many Poles living in the UK are concerned about what the future holds. The Polish community is estimated at 790,000 people, making up the largest number of about three million EU citizens living in Britain who have become ...

  Brussels / AFP A man with a fake suicide belt was arrested after a bomb scare at a shopping centre triggered a major anti-terror operation in central Brussels on Tuesday, federal prosecutors said. Belgium remains on a high state of alert after IS-claimed bomb attacks in March left 32 dead at the airport and on the metro. Tuesday’s incident ...

  Washington / AFP Venezuela asked the Organization of American States (OAS) to cancel a Thursday meeting on the country’s economic and political crisis in which its possible suspension could be discussed. In a letter to OAS General Secretary Luis Almagro, Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez asked the 34-country organization to scrap a session of its permanent council in Washington requested ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) won the Training Initiative of the Year Award from the Emirates Green Building Council, for the Carbon Ambassadors Programme. DEWA sponsors the programme to involve youth in environmental and sustainability issues. Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA, received the award ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Inspectors at the General Administration of Customs, Abu Dhabi, issued 4,271 customs reports during the first quarter of 2015. Customs inspectors successfully foiled 4,391 attempts to smuggle illegal substances into the UAE through various customs ports in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The substances seized included drugs, prescription drugs, tobacco and other contraband. Mezyad Customs Centre ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The Ministry of Economy (MoE) continues to visit retail store chains across the different emirates as part of its inspection program for the holy month of Ramadan. It conducted its latest inspection on Tuesday at a branch of the Sharjah Cooperative Society in the Emirate of Sharjah’s Helwan area. Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi, Director ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS), a regional leader in banking and finance education and training, organised the 2016 Human Resources Managers Forum as part of its sustained commitment to engaging with HR managers of banks in the region and gaining their feedback for enhancing the content and quality of its training ...