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  Reuters Italian oil major Eni, oil services group Saipem and former Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni have been ordered by an Italian judge to stand trial in an Algerian corruption case. The long-running case revolves around allegations Saipem paid intermediaries around 198 million euros ($218 million) to bag contracts worth 8 billion euros with Algeria’s state-owned Sonatrach. Saipem has previously ...

  Riyadh / Emirates Business JLL, the world’s leading real estate investment and advisory firm, has released its Q2 2016 Riyadh and Jeddah Real Estate Overview reports assessing the latest trends in the office, residential, retail and hotel sectors. With Saudi Vision 2030 pivotal to the diversification and restructuring of the economy in lieu of decreasing oil prices, this report ...

  Bloomberg Japan’s government on Wednesday announced a stimulus package worth more than 28 trillion yen ($266 billion) in its latest attempt to fire up the lukewarm economy, with the central bank expected to unveil its own measures this week. Policymakers are under pressure to boost growth as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ‘Abenomics’ plan to kickstart the world’s number three ...

  Bloomberg The Philippines said on Wednesday it had “vigorously” lobbied Southeast Asian nations to take a united stance critical of Beijing’s claims to most of the South China Sea, but insisted a diluted statement remained a victory. After initially denying doing so, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said he lobbied his counterparts at a meeting of the 10-member Association of ...

  Bloomberg JSW Steel Ltd.’s first-quarter profit surged to the highest on record, beating analysts’ estimates, after increased capacity at India’s second-largest producer of the alloy boosted volumes to an all-time high and costs fell. The shares advanced to the highest yet in Mumbai. Group net income was 11.1 billion rupees ($165 million) in the quarter ended June 30 from ...

  Bloomberg China’s banking regulator is proposing tighter rules for the nation’s $3.5 trillion market for wealth-management products, a person with knowledge of the matter said, as the government moves to rein in shadow-financing risks. The China Banking Regulatory Commission has drafted regulations designed to protect mass-market investors, limit the involvement of smaller banks and ensure that lenders have adequate ...

  London / AFP Britain will enter EU exit talks in a strong position, finance minister Philip Hammond declared Wednesday, after data revealed economic growth unexpectedly accelerated in the run-up to the Brexit referendum. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.6 percent in the second quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a first estimate for April-June, which included ...

  Bloomberg U.S. index futures climbed as Apple Inc. led technology shares higher and investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s update for clues on the timing of interest-rates increases. Apple rose 5.8 percent in early New York trading after posting a smaller-than-expected revenue decline as its cheaper iPhone model gained more traction. Suppliers Qorvo Inc. and Skyworks Solutions Inc. gained in ...

  Brussels / AFP The European Commission on Wednesday backed away from slapping fines on Spain and Portugal for running high deficits, in what would have been a landmark move by the EU to impose tough budget rules. Under bloc regulations, the EU executive could have imposed fines of up to 0.2 percent of national gross domestic product (GDP) against ...

  Frankfurt / AFP European banks are lending more to consumers and businesses but not enough to boost economic growth, analysts said on Wednesday based on new figures from the European Central Bank. Loans from eurozone banks to households and companies grew 1.1 percent in June, the same pace as in April and May, the European Central Bank said on ...