Masonry Layout

  WASHINGTON / AP Pointing towards possible confrontation, Donald Trump’s selection for secretary of state likened Beijing’s island-building in the South China Sea to a takeover of another country’s territory and spoke of forcing Beijing to fully apply sanctions on North Korea. China will likely be alarmed by former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson’s Senate confirmation hearing remarks on Wednesday. ...

  Bloomberg India’s economy is set for a choppy recovery from the world’s most sweeping currency policy change in decades. Inflation continued to slow in December as the cash ban squelched demand while a volatile factory output gauge rose in November, according to Bloomberg surveys before data due at 5:30 pm in New Delhi on Thursday. Companies are bracing for ...

  AP China’s auto market had a bumper year in 2016 as sales grew by 15 percent, with drivers rushing to buy cars before a tax break expired at the end of the year. The data released on Thursday showed that automakers sold 24.4 million cars, minivans and sport-utility vehicles in China. Booming sales, driven by strong demand for SUVs, ...

  Bloomberg The world’s biggest mining companies producing iron ore from Australia aren’t paying their fair share in taxes, according to a lawmaker who wants a 20-fold raise in a state levy that’s been unchanged since the 1960s and the era of imperial pounds, shillings and pence. The proposal has “overwhelming” support and Rio Tinto Group and BHP Billiton Ltd.’s ...

  Bloomberg Blackstone Group LP is considering an offer for Global Logistic Properties Ltd. (GLP), potentially pitting it against Warburg Pincus and a separate Chinese group in the bidding for the $8.6 billion warehouse operator, people with knowledge of the matter said. Warburg Pincus is forming a consortium to bid for the Singapore-based company and has been speaking with banks ...

  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG’s nearly decade-old plot to cheat US emissions tests — all while marketing its diesel cars as environmentally friendly — was quickly unraveling by 2015. A campaign to mislead regulators was failing so badly that top executives signed off on a script for employees to use when questioned. It didn’t work. The next day, August 19, 2015, ...

  Bloomberg UK tech companies raised more capital than any other European country in 2016, while SoftBank Group Corp.’s acquisition of ARM helped Britain achieve a record year for tech deals, according to a survey conducted by the UK capital’s promotional company, London & Partners. The report, which was based on data compiled by research firm PitchBook Data, showed that ...

  Dubai / WAM “The UAE has paved its way into the future and has built a generation of innovative and excellent achievers and leaders who deserve to be celebrated,” said Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as he attended the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award ...

  Gujarat / WAM Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, UAE Minister of State, discussed ways to enhance economic ties, expand areas of cooperation and raise bilateral trade and investments with Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, during a meeting held on the sidelines of the visit of a high-level delegation from the UAE to India headed by Dr. Bin Fahad. The ...

  Sharjah / Emirates Business As part of its strategy to enhance cooperation with government departments in advancing business and entrepreneurship, the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has signed a ground-breaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai mandated to develop the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. Under ...