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  Berlin / AFP Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that German authorities believe a deadly rampage by a lorry driver at a Berlin Christmas market was a “terrorist” attack likely committed by an asylum seeker. Police were questioning a suspect, described by media as a 23-year-old man from Pakistan or Afghanistan who had arrived via the so-called Balkan route ...

  Bloomberg For unionized auto workers, even amid a booming US market, the only safe jobs of late have been building pickups and sport utility vehicles. Within the next month, General Motors Co. plans to permanently cut about 3,300 employees at three car plants, as the largest US automaker slashes production of models including the Chevrolet Cruze compact. The Detroit-based ...

  Bloomberg A federal judge said Volkswagen AG continues to make progress in settlement talks with car owners and regulators to fix or get about 80,000 Audi, VW and Porsche vehicles with emissions-cheating 3.0-liter diesel engines off US roads. US District Judge Charles Breyer, saying he was optimistic a resolution would be reached, ordered a “final continuance” and told lawyers ...

  Bloomberg In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political base of Varanasi, Hinduism’s holiest city, weaver Zainul Abedin stares at the uneven mud floor of his home. Behind him, more than a dozen handlooms lie idle. Abedin is part of the collateral damage of Modi’s Nov. 8 decision to ban high-value currency notes, effectively canceling 86 percent of cash in circulation. ...

  Bloomberg A lawsuit filed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is shining a light on the fake reviews and purchases on its websites. China’s biggest e-commerce operator sued Shatui.com, which allegedly links merchants with people willing to falsify purchases and write positive comments that can drive sellers up Alibaba’s rankings. The suit in Hangzhou West Lake District People’s Court is ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM The value of shares bought by foreign investors registered at the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in November 2016, amounted to AED2.97 billion, constituting 48.3 per cent of the total trading value. Meanwhile, foreign investors sell value during the same period reached AED2.9 billion, constituting 48.5 per cent of total turnover. As a result, net foreign ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Due to the dramatic drop in oil prices in 2014, the decline in the emirate’s growth expectations is inevitable, but such decline is expected to be mitigated by the contribution of non-petroleum commodities sectors which will reduce the impact of the decline in oil prices, according to the 2nd Abu Dhabi Competitiveness Report 2016, issued by ...

  Dubai / WAM The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) hosted an outreach event for its regulated community and other stakeholders to discuss known and emerging cyber risks and trends, and the steps that should be taken to prevent, detect and respond to them. It was acknowledged that globally, cyber-attacks are increasing in scale and sophistication from highly organised groups of ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has organised a two-day workshop on Energy Storage in cooperation with the Spanish National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER). The workshop supports DEWA’s role as a platform for sharing knowledge and expertise and its efforts to keep its staff and partners up-to-date with the latest technologies and developments. Over 150 ...

  Aleppo / AFP Several thousand people left the rebel enclave of Aleppo on Monday, raising hope for many others still stranded as Russia eased its objections to sending UN observers to oversee the evacuations. Brokered by rivals Turkey and Russia, the complex deal will eventually see President Bashar al-Assad’s forces exert full control over Syria’s battered second city. Early ...