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RIYADH / WAM The 39th session of the GCC Summit was held on Sunday in Riyadh under the chairmanship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with the participation of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who headed the …

Bloomberg Bloated by debt, bled by corruption and battered by structurally declining sales, South African power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd is facing what’s known in the industry as a “death spiral.” And the Johannesburg-based company poses the biggest credit risk to Africa’s most industrialised nation, according to S&P Global Ratings. More than a decade of unreliable supply and surging …

Bloomberg China’s dramatic increase in liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports ov-er past two years may have hogged the headlines, but India may well emulate its neighbour in switching to the cleanest, fastest-growing fossil fuel. As China’s shift to natural gas from dirtier burning fuels such as coal and fuel oil helps improve air quality, Indian cities are rising in pollution …

Bloomberg The pipeline shortage that has been strangling the Canadian oil industry is weighing on spending plans for next year, with one major producer slashing its capital budget for 2019 by C$1 billion ($750 million). Canadian Natural Resources Ltd, citing a lack of shipping options, said that it’s targeting a base capital plan of C$3.7 billion for next year, about …

Bloomberg Oil in New York jumped after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and allied crude exporters surprised traders with a larger-than-expected output reduction. Futures advanced more than 2 percent in New York and London. The Opec and aligned nations will collectively curb production by 1.2 million barrels a day, 20 percent more than previously discussed. “It’s been a …

HELSINKI / WAM The Ministry of Economy (MOE) organised a joint UAE-Finland Business For-um on the sidelines of the country’s economic and trade delegation participation in Slush 2018 — world’s leading startup event — in Finnish capital of Helsinki. Noura Mohammed Juma, UAE Ambassador to Finland, and a number of officials from the Ministry of Economy, representatives of the federal …

Bloomberg China’s trade surplus with the US hit a record in November, even as overall export growth slowed amid waning global demand and uncertainty about a constructive resolution to the trade war. The trade surplus with the US was almost $35.6 billion, driven by a 9.8 percent rise in exports compared with the same period last year and a 25 …

Bloomberg Xcel Energy Inc Chief Executive Officer Ben Fowke said keeping nuclear power plants open is key for the utility to meet its goal to slash greenhouse gases. The company, which pledged to cut carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050, operates two reactors in Minnesota that will become increasingly vital as wind and solar …

Bloomberg A meeting of Saudi Arabia, Russia and other members of the Opec+ group recommended an oil production cut, but didn’t agree on how big any reduction should be. The group secured Russia’s participation in six months of output curbs starting in January, Oman’s Oil Minister Mohammed Al Rumhy told reporters in Vienna as he left the meeting on Wednesday. …

Bloomberg US President Donald Trump said China is sending “very strong signals” following weekend trade discussions in Argentina, as uncertainty remains over what commitments were made between the two nations. “Not to sound naive or anything, but I believe President Xi meant every word of what he said at our long and hopefully historic meeting,” Trump said on Twitter on …