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Bloomberg Indonesia and Australia announced the conclusion to talks on a free-trade deal as the Pacific neighbours attempt to boost economic ties. In his first overseas trip since becoming Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison met with President Joko Widodo in Bogor, outside the capital Jakarta, where they committed to finalising the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The two also signed ...

Bloomberg South Korea’s export growth accelerated in August at the fastest pace in three months, easing concerns that the trade fight between China and the US will sap momentum in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Exports rose 8.7 percent from a year earlier, the trade ministry said in a statement on Saturday. That compared with a 10.2 percent gain forecast by economists ...

DUBAI / WAM HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and the General Supervisor of its projects and plans, said launch of KhalifaSat is an important step towards achieving UAE’s space strategy. Highlighting the efforts of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre team, he said ...

VIENNA / WAM The Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) signed pu-blic sector loan agreements totalling $37.5 million with Gui- nea Bissau, Burundi and Uga-nda to support socio-economic development and living standards in the African continent. OFID’s $20 million loan to Burundi will help fund the ‘Rumonge-Nyanza Lac Road Rehabilitation Project’. Improvements to 52km stretch of road will promote development ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE Banks Federation (UBF) has released its annual report for the year 2017, shedding light on major developments, and trends in the UAE banking sector as well as local and regional economies. The report highlights UBF’s key initiatives and events, which continue to contribute significantly to the banking sector in the UAE. The report underscores ...

DUBAI / WAM Dubai International Airport (DXB) has recorded its second busiest month ever surpassing the eight million passenger mark in July, according to monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. The airport clocked monthly traffic exceeding 8 million passengers on thr-ee other occasions last year —in January 8.03 million, July 8.06 million, and August 8.23 million. Passenger numbers ...

Bloomberg Talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) will resume in Washington with a focus on dairy as the US pressures Canada to strike a deal by Friday, a US official familiar with the negotiations said. Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland is expected to visit the Washington office of US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. This week’s Nafta ...

HODEIDAH / WAM The Saudi-led Arab Coalition Forces have targeted a meeting of Houthi commanders in Beit Al Faqih, Hodeidah, killing scores of the coup perpetrators. The strike, which followed the typical rules of combat engagement, came after the Coalition had received confirmed intelligence reports on a terror attack being plotted by the Iran-aligned militias. Field reports confirm that the ...

DUBAI / Emirates Business Overall online spending continues to grow in the UAE, and is forecast to reach AED36 billion by the end of 2018, according to a joint report issued by PayPal and Ipsos on Wednesday. The fourth annual cross-border commerce report, which tracks online domestic and cross-border shopping habits of approximately 34,000 consumers in 31 countries, also revealed ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) affirmed compliance with occupational health and safety and quality requirements, noting that it is trying to improve performance of its strategic partners in order to realise on ground vision of Abu Dhabi government towa-rds achieving sustainable development by implementing hi- ghest quality standards in projects execution while protecting environment, ensuring ...