DUBAI

January sales at top U.S. retail chains should rebound into positive territory from last year's decline as shoppers redeemed holiday gift cards and retailers avoided drastic clearance sales.

New York's famed Bloomingdale's department store opened its doors in the Middle East's biggest mall on Sunday in its first foray outside its home market.

Dubai contractor Arabtec said on Sunday it has won a 710 million dirhams ($193.3 million) contract to build an 80-storey tower in Dubai from Abu Dhabi-based developer Tasameem Real Estate.

Israel has assassinated a senior Hamas military commander in Dubai, an official in the Palestinian Islamist group said Friday.

The Afghan government on Thursday invited the Taliban to a peace council as its Western allies worked out plans to try to end the war in Afghanistan.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the failed Dec. 25 bombing of a U.S.-bound plane in an audio tape aired on Sunday, and vowed to continue attacks on the United States.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the December 25 failed bombing of a U.S.-bound plane in an audio tape aired on Sunday, and vowed to continue attacks on the United States.

Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip not only restricts imports to the enclave but has also crushed traditional exports like fruit, flowers, furniture and ceramics.

Morgan Stanley has launched a new global initiative to raise capital for hedge fund clients in return for a fee, a company spokesman said.

Its history is peppered with cloak-and-dagger stories which fostered a reputation for winning technology by hook or by crook. But today Huawei Technologies' disciplined growth strategy is a beacon to many emerging markets firms.

The Yemen-based wing of al Qaeda said on Monday its fighters had survived an air strike last week that Yemeni officials said killed six leaders of the militant group.

The risk that deteriorating government finances could push economies into full-fledged debt crises tops a list of threats facing the world in 2010, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.

The risk that deteriorating government finances could push economies into full-fledged debt crises tops a list of threats facing the world in 2010, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.

Banks in the UAE, heavily exposed to the region's ailing real estate market, can use a local foreclosure law to reclaim assets, but a sharp increase in reposessions is unlikely for now, lenders and analysts said.

Qatar Real Estate Investments (Alaqaria) agreed to a takeover by Barwa Real Estate, the companies said on Sunday, in a deal creating Qatar's ninth-largest company with a market value of $3 billion.

Dubai-based Arabtec Holding may need a $1.7 billion investment by Abu Dhabi's Aabar Investments to cope with future losses, analysts said on Sunday, as its shares fell 6.9 percent.

Dubai-based Arabtec confirmed on Saturday that Abu Dhabi's Aabar Investments is looking to finalize a deal on January 13 to acquire a 70 percent stake in the company for $1.7 billion.

Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments (AABAR.AD) wants to acquire 70 percent of Arabtec (ARTC.DU) through convertible bonds, Aabar said, in a $1.7 billion deal which would provide both cash and potential new contracts for the Dubai builder.

Dubai World, the state- owned holding company seeking to restructure its debt, moved to quell speculation it could present its restructuring plans to creditors on Thursday, as reported by an Arabic-language newspaper.

Japan's new finance minister called for a weaker yen on Thursday and said he would work with the Bank of Japan to achieve an appropriate level, prompting a sharp slide in the currency against the dollar.

Consumer confidence is strongest in emerging Asia, Brazil and Australia, but weakened slightly in the United States in the fourth quarter as Americans worried about job security, a survey showed on Wednesday.