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  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG gained market share in Europe for the first time since its diesel-cheating scandal erupted in September 2015, a sign that the German manufacturer is regaining consumer trust. The region’s biggest automaker accounted for 24.8 percent of car sales in November compared with 24.6 percent a year earlier, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA, said ...

  Bloomberg Lonza Group AG agreed to buy US capsule maker Capsugel SA from KKR & Co. for $5.5 billion, as the Swiss biotech and specialty chemicals company seeks to focus more on health care. The price includes refinancing of existing Capsugel debt of about $2 billion, Basel-based Lonza and Capsugel, which has headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey, said in ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces on Wednesday received the visiting Leonid Eduardovich Slutskii member of the State Duma of Russia, at Al Shai’ Palace. They reviewed cooperation between the UAE and Russia and the strong trade and economic partnerships ...

  Dubai / WAM The challenges faced by the conflict-ravaged Arab region require a special approach, based on comprehensive solutions such as empowering national capabilities and preparing them to make a better future, said His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, while attending a session of the Arab Strategy ...

  Aleppo / AFP Deadly clashes erupted in Syria’s Aleppo on Wednesday and a deal for the evacuation of rebel areas was on hold, leaving thousands of cold and hungry civilians uncertain of their future. Entire families had gathered in the early hours, in the hope of leaving Aleppo after an agreement announced the night before for rebels to withdraw from ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The 2016 edition of the International Franchise Conference & Exhibition began yesterday, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The event, which is organized by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, gathers companies and brands together with the goal of providing investment opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses in the United Arab ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) held a press conference at its headquarters in Dubai on Wednesday, to disclose details surrounding the fourth edition of its Bil Arabi initiative. Launched in 2013, the initiative seeks to promote Arabic-language communication on traditional and social media platforms, in an effort to reinstate Arabic as an ...

  Rome / AFP Italy’s parliament on Wednesday endorsed a new government tipped to be so short-lived that its inauguration was seen as the start of battle for the next election. Incoming Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni’s new line-up, appointed after Matteo Renzi quit a week ago following a crushing referendum defeat, was approved by 169 votes for to 99 against ...

  SAN FRANCISCO / AP Uber is bringing a small number of self-driving cars to its ride-hailing service in San Francisco — a move likely to excite the city’s tech-savvy population and certain to antagonize California regulators. The Wednesday launch in Uber’s hometown expands a public pilot program the company started in Pittsburgh in September. The testing lets everyday people ...

  Bloomberg Amazon Web Services, the cloud-hosting arm of Amazon.com Inc., opened new data centers in the UK as it seeks to stay abreast of competitors in offering cloud computing services to government and health-care customers. The new data centers, announced in a statement on Wednesday, follow decisions by IBM and Microsoft Corp. in the past two months to expand ...