AP Union leaders expressed confidence an agreement with Brazilian banks could be reached in the next few days to end a nationwide strike that has closed more than half the bank branches in Latin America’s biggest country. Roberto von der Osten, president of the National Confederation of Bank Workers, said the strike demanding a nearly 15 percent pay raise ...

  Reuters Pakistan will issue a $1 billion sukuk bond within hours, the finance ministry said, returning to the international U.S. dollar sukuk market after a two-year absence. The ministry said roadshows in Dubai, London, Boston and New York scored “unprecedented interest”. Pakistan’s economy grew 4.7 percent in the last fiscal year, its fastest pace since 2008, rebounding from a ...

  Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG, indicted for colluding with Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA to conceal the Italian lender’s losses, mismarked the transaction and dozens of others on its own books, according to an audit commissioned by Germany’s regulator. Executives at Deutsche Bank arranged 103 similar deals with a total value of 10.5 billion euros ($11.8 billion) for ...

  London / AFP Oil prices in New York rose above $50 a barrel on Thursday for the first time since June, helping provide some support for broader markets ahead of key US jobs data. Near 1330 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in November was trading up 37 cents at $50.20 a barrel, while the London benchmark ...

Dubai / Reuters Saudi Arabia’s stock market continued rebounding on Thursday, led by bank and petrochemical shares, but most markets in the region weakened. The Saudi index rose 0.8 percent, although trading volume shrank to a modest level, suggesting many investors were staying out of the market. The banking index, beaten down in past days by news that banks would ...

  Tokyo / AFP Tokyo shares closed higher for a fourth straight session Thursday as a weaker yen boosted exporters while Fujitsu soared on reports it is considering merging its money-losing PC unit with China’s Lenovo. The dollar rallied as investors viewed strong US data on the key services sector as more evidence the world’s top economy is back on ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business The design community in Dubai is ready to stage the largest celebration of design and creativity in the Middle East, collectively underlining Dubai’s rich and multi-faceted design landscape. When Dubai Design Week kicks off on October 24, design professionals, residents and visitors will be able to engage in more than 150 events over six days ...

  Emirates Business Etihad Airways Partners (EAP), a unique partnership of eight airlines, has announced further steps aimed at aligning the benefits for tiered members of the separate frequent flyer programmes operated by each airline. The latest enhancements incorporate customer feedback on benefits they value and are part of an ongoing strategy to enhance the customer proposition and create the ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Almost two thirds (65%) of business managers in the UAE said their company’s corporate wellness progamme had improved the health of their employees, according to a survey carried out by Middle East business intelligence provider MEED. Almost half of respondents (48%) said that corporate wellness programmes had improved employee engagement, 35% said the schemes had ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Methods of payment are changing for customers in the UAE, with many now switching from cash to digital. In the first half of 2016, the number of du customers paying bills online through the telco’s faster Quick Pay service shot up nearly 50%, compared to the same period last year. Quick Pay is the latest ...