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Bloomberg BNP Paribas SA shares dropped the most since June after France’s largest bank posted earnings that fell short of estimates and cast doubt over growth in its home market. The bank tumbled as much as 5 percent in Paris trading after reporting fourth-quarter net income of 1.44 billion euros ($1.55 billion), below the 1.63 billion-euro average estimate of seven ...

  Bloomberg China’s drive to reduce financial system risks is squeezing the nation’s banks. Caught between policy makers’ intensifying efforts to raise short-term borrowing costs, and benchmark interest rates that haven’t moved since 2015, Chinese lenders have few options but to absorb much of the higher costs. The gap between the three-month Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate and the one-year lending ...

  Bloomberg The Google Chromebook, a type of stripped-down laptop, isn’t a practical mobile device for many people — mostly because it basically turns into an expensive paperweight whenever it can’t find a Wi-Fi connection. Yet Chromebooks have defied expectations and made major inroads in an unexpected environment — US schools. In retrospect, that shouldn’t be too surprising. Chromebooks are ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business While we continue to make all Facebook apps a great experience, we heard from people they want an even more lightweight option. In many areas, networks can be slow and not able to support everything found in other Facebook apps. To help make sure everyone can have a great Facebook experience regardless of where they ...

  NEW YORK / AP Many people have heard of Twitter. Not enough of them are signing up to use it. Twitter’s role as a megaphone for the US president, countless celebrities and businesses hasn’t attracted regular people to the service — not in the way Facebook has, or even Instagram and Snapchat. The San Francisco company’s latest earnings report ...

  Potsdam / DPA “Everything’s a bit dusty in here,” Peter Armbruester, who looks after the props at the Babelsberg Film Studio outside Berlin, says apologetically. “But we’re not allowed to clean in here.” In fact, Armbruester’s customers value a used look. “If everything was brilliantly polished they wouldn’t want it any more,” he says. The Babelsberg studio is the ...

  LOS ANGELES / DPA Victor Leonardo stares out through the window of the tour bus winding its way through the palm-lined streets of the popular resort town of Varadero, Cuba. “Cuba has changed rapidly over the last decade,” he says. Leonardo, 50, comes from the eastern province of Granma. He worked as a Spanish teacher for decades, but it ...

  DUBAI / WAM Business deals worth US$3.03 billion were sealed during the 21st edition of the UAE International Dental Conference and Arab Dental Exhibition, (AEEDC) Dubai 2017, recording a 10 percent rise compared to the previous year. The event, held from February 7-9 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, attracted over 48,000 visitors and participants from 130 ...

  DUBAI / WAM As a key destination hosting regional offices of several international organisations, the UAE is committed to assisting regional and international firms to ensure they have a strong financial position, which will help achieve sustainable growth and implement their missions, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the UAE Minister of Finance, ...

  ASTANA / WAM Dr Mohamed Al Jaber, UAE Ambassador to Kazakhstan, discussed the possibility of increasing cooperation in investment and air transport between the UAE and Kazakhstan with Yerlan Khairov, Deputy Minister of Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Kahirov highlighted the importance of results produced by the 6th UAE-Kazakhstan joint cooperation committee which held during the ...