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  AP The EU’s decision on whether to extend economic sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine should be transparent and discussed openly, Hungary’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after meeting Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Hungary will not accept an “automatic” decision regarding the sanctions currently in place until the end of July. ...

  London/ AFP With one month to go before Britain’s vital in-out EU referendum, London’s City finance district is busily planning ahead for a potential “Brexit”. Big City firms, many of which are housed in skyscrapers that dominate the London skyline, are seeking to protect themselves from market volatility should Britons vote “Leave”, experts say. Major players like HSBC and ...

  Bloomberg Chinese officials plan to ask their American counterparts in annual talks next month about the chance of a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase in June, according to people familiar with the matter. The Chinese delegation will try to deduce whether a June or a July rate rise is more likely, as their nation’s policy makers prepare for the potential ...

  Bloomberg Brazil recorded an unexpected current account surplus last month, the first since April 2009, as a prolonged economic recession curbed imports and companies sent less profits abroad. The surplus in the current account, the broadest measure of trade in goods and services, reached $412 million in April after a revised deficit of $857 million in the previous month, ...

  Bloomberg Oil extended its advance to near $50 a barrel as weekly U.S. industry data showed crude stockpiles declined, easing a glut. Futures rose as much as 1.7 percent in New York on Wednesday, marking a third day of gains. U.S. oil inventories, which are near the highest in 80 years, dropped by 5.14 million barrels last week, the ...

  Bloomberg The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation is more than tripling its investment in Argentina this year after President Mauricio Macri’s government began carrying out economic reforms and resolved a 15-year legal battle with holdout creditors. The IFC will lend about $1.8 billion to Argentina’s private sector this calendar year compared with $500 million in 2015, Liz Bronder, director ...

Bloomberg Climate activists seeking to pull investors into their camp are pushing Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. to limit money spent on exploration in favor of higher dividends and more share buybacks. Shareholders will vote on proposals that would urge the two biggest U.S. oil producers to cut what they spend opening up new oil fields and instead hand ...

CAIRO / WAM The UAE chaired the16th meeting of the Customs Committee on Procedures and Information, which was launched at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League. The meeting was chaired by Shatha Abdul Rahman bin Faris, Chairman of Customs Policies Department of the Federal Customs Authority.  

  ABU DHABI / WAM Mohammed Thani Murshid Al Rumaithi, Chairman of the Federation of the UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, met with Mohammed Omar Abdullah Belfaqeeh, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore, and discussed ways of enhancing joint cooperation with Singaporean companies. At the meeting at the ...

  Bloomberg DP World Ltd., the Dubai-owned company that operates ports from China to South America, raised $1.2 billion from the sale of Islamic bonds and said a tender offer to buy back securities received 48 percent more bids than the target. The company sold a seven-year sukuk that will be priced to yield 237.5 basis points, or 2.375 percentage ...