US, China spar at WTO, blame each other for trade crisis

Geneva: The United States and China clashed anew at the World Trade Organisation on Wednesday, accusing each other of undermining the multilateral trading system, according to texts of speeches at closed-door talks seen by Reuters. US Ambassador Dennis Shea also rejected a comment made by the European Union (EU) on Monday that Washington was at […]

Oil in London dips below $50 as market chaos counters Opec+ cuts

Oil in London fell below $50 (Dh183.6) a barrel for the first time since July 2017, as broader financial market turmoil and worries over US supply countered signals from the Opec+ coalition that it may extend or deepen output cuts. Futures fell as much as 1.1 per cent, after Monday’s 6.2 per cent drop. Russian […]

Dubai’s GDP grew 2.8 per cent to Dh389.4 billion in 2017

The Department of Economic Development (DED) announced the release of the ‘Dubai Economic Report 2018’ on Saturday. The report reviews the major macro- and sectoral level economic developments and growth in the emirate during 2017. It aims to be a reference for public and private sector decision-making as well as for developing policies and strategies […]

Work kicks off on one of world’s biggest smart building projects for Expo 2020

Dubai: Work has commenced on one of the world’s largest installations of smart building technologies for the Expo 2020 in Dubai, it has been announced. In a move that supports Dubai’s smart city initiative, Siemens will digitally connect more than 130 structures at the site through digital solutions that boost energy efficiency, comfort, safety and […]

Marka CEO resigns as turmoil continues for retailer

Dubai: The CEO of retail and dining operator Marka has resigned, according to a company statement on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) website. Marka, which became Dubai’s first publicly traded retailer in 2014, has seen its share price drop by 90 per cent since the beginning of this year. Benoit Lamonerie, the outgoing chief executive, […]

Toyota now wants a robot inside every Japanese home

Tokyo: Toyota Motor Corp. has sold enough cars to put one outside every Japanese home. Now it wants to put robots inside. Toyota sees a not-so-far-off future in which robots become commonplace in homes, helping with chores — and even offering companionship — in an ageing society where a quarter of the population is over […]

Trump faces uphill battle in trying to fire Fed chief

Washington: Just because President Donald Trump appointed the boss of the US central bank doesn’t mean he can easily get rid of him. Should Trump — as he’s recently discussed with aides, according to Bloomberg News — seek to fire Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, he’s likely to set off a thorny legal battle, and […]

Dubai aims to be a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub

Dubai: The first step towards creating a drug manufacturing hub in Dubai has been taken, with a Dh125 million plant at Dubai Science Park in Al Barsha. The facility, Pharmax, will produce generic medicines for a range of chronic illnesses, including diabetes, cholesterol, psychiatric and neurological disorders, cardiovascular and gastric ailments. The first production batches […]

Turkey rewrites crisis playbook with rate cuts back on agenda

Istanbul Word by word, Turkey is starting to dismantle the playbook it used to halt a run on the lira. With a recession looming, the central bank toned down its pledge to keep borrowing costs elevated and changed its assessment of inflationary pressures. While its benchmark was kept steady at 24 per cent for a […]