Friday , 19 December 2025

News

EU, India eye trade reboot to confront threats from China

Bloomberg The European Union (EU) and India are set to resume long-stalled talks on a free trade deal in an effort to strengthen their economic cooperation in the face of an increasingly assertive China. EU leaders will hold a virtual summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch a fresh round of negotiations that aim to reboot relations and …

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Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to bolster economic, trade ties

JEDDAH / WAM Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have underscored the importance of expanding and intensifying aspects of bilateral cooperation and coordination and enhancing them in various fields. This came during a meeting between His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, …

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Oil gains on expectations for stronger summer demand

Bloomberg Oil posted a gain this week as expectations for growing economic activity in nations from the US to Europe fueled optimism around stronger summer demand. Futures in New York advanced 2.1% this week in the first back-to-back weekly increase since early March. Fuel sales in the UK rise to the highest since the pandemic again, and in the US, …

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RBI steps up loan relief, liquidity for India’s coronavirus fight

Bloomberg India’s central bank announced new loan-relief measures for small businesses and pledged to inject 500 billion rupees ($6.8 billion) of liquidity to support the economy against a second deadly coronavirus wave. Some businesses will be eligible for loan restructuring to give them more time to repay debt and keep them going through the pandemic, Reserve Bank of India Governor …

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Saudi Aramco’s Q1 profit soars 24% to $21 billion

Bloomberg Saudi Aramco’s profit soared in the first quarter following a recovery in global oil and gas markets, though free cash flow remained too low to fully cover dividend payments. The world’s biggest energy firm kept its quarterly payout at $18.75 billion. The money is a vital source of cash for the kingdom. The bumper results follow those last week …

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Iraq sees steady oil prices, mulls buying Exxon stake

Bloomberg Iraq, Opec’s second-biggest oil producer, said crude prices would probably remain around $65 a barrel in the coming months and announced it’s considering buying Exxon Mobil Corp.’s stake in one of the world’s biggest fields. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies — a 23-nation grouping known as Opec+ — will continue trying to keep crude prices …

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India eases some GST rules to help taxpayers

Bloomberg India’s government eased some rules relating to indirect-tax compliance to ease the burden of citizens during the pandemic period. Reduced penalty and waiver of late fees on delayed goods and services tax payments were among the measures announced by the Finance Ministry on Sunday. Taxpayers were also allowed more time to file GST returns. For persons with turnover above …

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Russia hikes oil output as its Opec+ quota rises

Bloomberg Russia increased its oil production in April thanks to a more generous Opec+ quota. The nation pumped 42.81 million tons of crude and condensate last month, according to preliminary data from the energy ministry’s CDU-TEK unit. That equates to 10.46 million barrels a day, or 1.9% more than in March. The data don’t provide a breakdown between crude and …

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Oil demand in India drops as virus wave convulses nation

Bloomberg India’s Covid-19 crisis has pummeled demand for transport fuels to the lowest in several months, highlighting the risks for energy consumption amid an uneven global recovery from the pandemic. April sales of gasoline — used in cars and motorcycles — fall to 2.14 million tons to the lowest since August, according to preliminary data from officials with direct knowledge …

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Nature contributes $17b to tourism spending: UK

Bloomberg The UK, seeking to put a value on the environment, said nature contributed 12 billion pounds ($17 billion) to tourism and outdoor leisure in the latest year for which data is available. The figure from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the result of a 30% increase in spending enabled by the natural environment from 2011 to 2019 …

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