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Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc. is asking a California judge to grant a stamp of approval on what it says is the first decision by an arbitrator denying a driver’s bid to be treated as an employee instead of an independent contractor. It could be the first of many such rulings after a federal appeals court’s decision last year that most ...

  Bloomberg Rio Tinto Group agreed to sell its thermal coal assets in Australia’s Hunter Valley for as much as $2.45 billion as the world’s second-biggest mining company accelerates its move away from the fuel. Rio will sell its Coal & Allied Industries Ltd. subsidiary to Yancoal Australia Ltd., controlled by China’s Yanzhou Coal Mining Co., it said in a ...

  Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co.’s profit more than doubled in the last three months of 2016 on robust semiconductor sales and a recovery in its mobile business, giving it enough stamina to buy back 9.3 trillion won ($8 billion) of its own shares. Net income rose to 6.92 trillion won in the December quarter, largely buoyed by rising prices for ...

  SYDNEY/ AP US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as promised, is prompting other member countries to seek ways to salvage the trade pact. Leaders of some of the 11 other nations involved in the initiative said they hope to push ahead with the agreement in some form, with or without the US. Australian ...

  Bloomberg Royal Philips NV’s health-equipment business in the US has come under scrutiny after the Dutch company disclosed a conflict with authorities over its heart defibrillators more than three years after the Food and Drug Administration warned about their reliability following a recall. Philips is in talks with the Department of Justice, representing the FDA, on a civil matter ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The UAE ranked first in the global assessment of travel destinations with the best developed Halal ecosystems, according to the 2016-2017 Global Islamic Economy Report developed and produced by Thomson Reuters. The country is followed by Malaysia and Turkey in the global ranking system that evaluated the countries based on four criteria: inbound Muslim travel, ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Abu Dhabi is set to play a leading role in coordinating efforts to meet the pressures of feeding 520 million people by 2030, one of the biggest challenges facing the Middle East today. MENA Food Production 2030 will take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from March 20-21 during the Global Forum ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Mohamed Helal Al Muhairi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Chamber, inaugurated the first edition of Smart Stores Expo 2017 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The inaugural event opened its door to several leading retail professionals across the region to showcase the future of retail empowered by technological innovations and advancements. Following the inauguration ...

  ASTANA / AP Syria’s government envoy and a rebel leader traded barbs as talks between the Mideast country’s warring sides got underway in Kazakhstan on Monday in the first face-to-face meeting between the Damascus government and rebel factions fighting to overthrow it. The gathering in Astana, the Kazakh capital, is also the start of a new effort to end ...

  Bloomberg Taxes are anything but certain for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Faced with a slump in demand after his shock clampdown on cash, he’s expected to lower taxes in the February 1 budget to spur consumption. The risk is that a cut will rob Modi of a short-term revenue spurt, which his administration had been touting as proof ...