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  BEIRUT / AP A large explosion hit a Syrian government-held coastal town on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens, according to Syria’s state TV. The attack was a major blow to the nearly week-old and already shaky cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey. First videos that emerged from the scene in the town of Jableh show charred ...

  SEOUL / AP Prosecuting lawmakers accused South Korean President Park Geun-hye of “broadly and gravely” violating the constitution as the Constitutional Court began hearing oral arguments on Thursday in her impeachment trial. While the lawmakers, functioning as prosecutors in the trial, argued Park should be removed from the presidency, her lawyers said the accusations lacked evidence. Park is accused of ...

  Bloomberg China’s third-biggest search engine expects to hold a US initial public offering at a valuation of as much as $5 billion as it raises cash to close the gap with leader Baidu Inc. in the mobile market. Sogou, whose name means “search dog,” plans to sell about 10 percent of its shares in an IPO that will probably ...

    Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp. plans to spend years designing cars in which humans retain a large measure of control, since the goal of turning all driving decisions over to computers seems too dangerous for now. The problem, Toyota said, is that society has come to accept 39,000 traffic fatalities a year in the US, mostly due to human ...

  Bloomberg Global Logistic Properties Ltd. has begun formally reaching out to potential bidders for the $7.8 billion industrial property owner, people with knowledge of the matter said. The Singapore-based company sent out an information letter to targeted bidders at the end of last month and has asked for first-round offers by early February, according to the people. GLP attracted ...

  Bloomberg Millions of toxic smartphones end up in landfills around the world each year. Kerry Chen — founder and chief executive officer of Shanghai Yueyi Network Co — thinks he can change that, starting with China — one of the worst offenders. With Chinese consumers hardly the biggest proponents of recycling, whether it’s cars or banquet leftovers, Chen reckons ...

  Bloomberg Singapore is due to deliver a blueprint outlining strategies to boost the economy as the export-dependent nation seeks new growth engines. The Committee on the Future Economy will publish its recommendations in a few weeks time, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his New Year Message, days before the government reported that growth slumped to a seven-year ...

  Bloomberg Canada consumer optimism ended 2016 with a small weekly increase, finishing above where it started the year on rising expectations for the country’s growth prospects. The sluggish economy, hampered by disappointing exports was a focal point for policymakers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first full year in power. Trudeau expanded transfer payments and cut middle-income taxes, while Bank ...

  Bloomberg American manufacturing expanded in December at the fastest pace in two years, reflecting firmer output and the biggest pickup in orders growth since August 2009. The Institute for Supply Management said that its index increased to 54.7, the fourth straight advance, from 53.2 a month earlier. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey called for 53.8. Readings above ...

  Bloomberg Apple Inc. is planning to invest $1 billion in SoftBank Group Corp.’s giant new technology fund, adding its name to a growing list of interested parties and giving the iPhone maker a new avenue to tap up-and-coming technologies. Qualcomm Inc. also said it will participate in the fund, but the terms and the amount of its investment are ...