Wednesday , 17 December 2025

News

Mena M&A deal value hits record high of $112b in H1

Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business The value of announced M&A transactions in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) reached an all-time high of $112 billion in the first half of 2019, according to a report from financial data provider Refinitiv. The increase of 231 percent compared to the value recorded during 2018, was driven by Saudi Aramco’s $69.1 billion …

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Oil caps weekly gain as storm buoys market

Bloomberg Oil capped its best week since mid-June as Tropical Storm Barry gained strength, approaching refineries in Louisiana and leaving deserted offshore platforms on its path. Futures in New York gained 4.7 percent for the week after prices held above $60 a barrel for a third day. Forecast to make landfall as a hurricane early Saturday, Barry has already curbed …

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Japan, South Korea spar over trade talks as US stays away

Bloomberg Japan and South Korea bickered over the details of rival briefings about export-control talks on Saturday as the US backed away from a potential role as a mediator in a fight over history and trade between its two Asian allies. Officials at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry held a press conference at which they denied an assertion …

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New curriculum hopes to counter extremism, reduce radicalisation

ABU DHABI / WAM Search for Common Ground (Search) in collaboration with Hedayah, the International Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), has released the first ever complete CVE Training Curriculum. Financed by the European Union’s Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism (STRIVE) Global programme, the initiative is aimed to raise awareness on collaborative CVE approaches among governments and civil …

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200 experts to convene in Abu Dhabi for World Energy Congress

ABU DHABI / WAM More than 200 of the respected energy experts, pioneers and decision makers from around the globe have now been lined up to lead the discussions at the 24th World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi. To be held from September 9 to 12 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), the event will mark the first time …

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Oil jumps on falling US inventories, Iran tension

Bloomberg Oil jumped to the highest in a week as an industry report showing a continued draw-down in US crude inventories tightened a supply outlook that’s being threatened by rising tension in the Middle East. Futures in New York rose as much as 2.7 percent on Wednesday, as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled that policy makers may cut interest …

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UAE affirms support for Mideast peace process, regional stability

GENEVA / WAM In a statement delivered by Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, during the 41st session of the Human Rights Council, the UAE affirmed its support for the peace process in the Middle East, with the aim of achieving peace and stability in the region. It also highlighted its support …

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Abu Dhabi’s trade with Saudi hits AED18.3bn

ABU DHABI / WAM The value of trade in goods between the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia has increased to AED18.3 billion during the first four months of 2019, a growth of 20.6 percent compared with the same period of 2018, according to figures released by the Statistics Centre — Abu Dhabi. The emirate’s trade with Saudi Arabia …

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IBM closes $34 billion deal to acquire Red Hat

Bloomberg IBM closed its $34 billion purchase of Red Hat, sealing the world’s second-largest technology deal ever and setting up the iconic US technology company on a path to try and compete with top software purveyors in the cloud. The 108-year-old International Business Machines Corp, once synonymous with mainframe computing, has been struggling to adopt cloud-related technologies and is playing …

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Aramco awards $18bn in deals to boost output capacity at two fields

Bloomberg Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest crude exporter, awarded $18 billion in contracts to boost output capacity at two offshore oil fields even as the kingdom and its Opec partners restrict production. Saudi Arabia’s state oil company will add a combined 550,000 barrels a day of crude-production capacity at its Marjan and Berri fields, it said on Tuesday in a …

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