Wednesday , 17 December 2025

News

China urges big banks to boost manufacturing loans

Bloomberg China’s banking regulator is asking big banks to maintain annual growth of at least 5% in outstanding loans to the manufacturing sector, the Shanghai Securities News reported on Saturday. By the end of 2020, the ratio of mid-to-long term loans to the sector should rise by 1 percentage point compared to the start of the year, the newspaper reported, …

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UN chief salutes global prayer for humanity

NEW YORK / WAM UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has saluted the efforts of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity for the 14 May Global Prayer for Humanity, “as inspired by the interfaith leadership of His Holiness Pope Francis, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, and many others.” In a statement following a virtual meeting with the …

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India plans to start 200 more trains from June 1

Bloomberg Indian Railways will start 200 additional trains from June 1 to ferry passengers as the nation gradually eases coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Tickets will be sold online and through physical booking windows, Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman of the Railway Board, said in a televised address to reporters. Passengers will be screened at the stations and only those without symptoms will …

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Putin orders support for Russia’s oil industry amid Opec, allies cuts

Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his government until June 15 to come up with a plan to support the country’s oil industry while output is slashed under an agreement among the world’s main producers. Putin ordered ministers to work out “special rates” that pipeline operator Transneft PJSC and Russian Railways JSC will charge for transporting crude and petroleum products …

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China sets 1.4trn plan to overtake US in tech

Bloomberg Beijing is accelerating its bid for global leadership in key technologies, planning to pump more than a trillion dollars into the economy through the rollout of everything from wireless networks to artificial intelligence. In the masterplan backed by President Xi Jinping himself, China will invest an estimated $1.4 trillion over six years to 2025, calling on urban governments and …

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AstraZeneca gets deals for potential Covid-19 vaccine

LONDON / WAM Biopharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, said on Thursday it had received the first agreements to supply at least 400 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with the University of Oxford, reported Reuters. The British drugmaker said it has a total capacity sourced for one billion doses through 2020 and into 2021, and continues to increase capacity …

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Oil gains for a 6th session as US stockpiles decline

Bloomberg Oil was headed for its longest run of daily gains since February 2019 after a drop in US crude stockpiles added to signs that the market is starting to balance. West Texas Intermediate futures rose for a sixth day in New York to near $34 a barrel. American inventories fell for a second week, and there was a record …

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Oil hits above $32 with market demand recovery extending

Bloomberg Oil rose for a fifth day as investors weighed signs the market is rebalancing against what’s still a precarious economic outlook. Futures in New York for July delivery gained to above $32 a barrel. A report that a virus vaccine study didn’t produce enough critical data to assess its success added some caution to markets, which have been buoyed …

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UAE welcomes Afghanistan power-sharing agreement

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE on Monday welcomed the signing of a power-sharing agreement in Afghanistan between President Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah while expressing hope that the deal represents a step towards enhancing stability, peace, and security throughout Afghanistan. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire …

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Oil hits 2-month high as China demand nears pre-virus levels

Bloomberg Oil rose to the highest in two months as demand in China returned to near pre-virus level and output curbs continued in the US and elsewhere. Futures in New York climbed as much as 9.8%. Chinese oil use is at 13 million barrels a day, just shy of the levels of a year earlier, traders and executives said. The …

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