Regional News

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s second-quarter budget revenue increased 67 percent from the year-earlier period as higher oil prices helped boost income, the country’s Finance Ministry said in a statement. Revenue climbed to 273.6 billion riyals ($73 billion), boosted by an 82 percent increase in oil revenue, the ministry said on Wednesday. Non-oil revenue rose 42 percent to 89.4 billion riyals, while ...

Bloomberg Snap Inc. shares fell the most in about two months after the company reported its first-ever drop in daily active users. But revenue gains in the second quarter proved that the company is making headway in the mobile-advertising market dominated by Facebook Inc. and Google. The declining user numbers at Snapchat, attributed to an unpopular app redesign, worried analysts ...

Bloomberg After decades of difficulties in Nigeria over crude theft, pollution and oil-related corruption, Royal Dutch Shell Plc still feels optimistic a fossil fuel can improve life in the country. The Anglo-Dutch oil major is seeking to develop Nigeria’s domestic energy market around natural gas. It’s plentiful, harder to steal, better for the environment and can underpin a robust industrial ...

Bloomberg Sempra Energy Chief Executive Officer Jeff Martin said he’s holding “constructive” talks with activist investors pressing for the company to shed assets and shake up its board. But Elliott Management Corp. and investor partner Bluescape Resources have been frustrated by the pace of the discussions and had hoped for a settlement before Sempra’s second-quarter earnings report, according to people ...

RIYADH / WAM The Government of Jeddah has combined its ancient heritage and its modern advancements through its public and private museums, the Corniche, the historic Jeddah wall, its entertainment and sporting locations, and especially its diving facilities. The Khuzam Palace Museum, part of the King Abdul Aziz Palace, is one of the city’s most important museums because of its ...

Bloomberg China’s GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. sank to the lowest level in more than nine years as a deal for the company to sell a controlling stake in its polysilicon unit worth $1.9 billion to Shanghai Electric Group Co. fell apart. Shares of GCL-Poly in Hong Kong fell 7.6 percent to close at HK$0.61, the lowest since March 2009, paring ...

Bloomberg The Trump administration will consider partial exemptions from oil sanctions against Iran for some countries as a first wave of non-oil penalties against the Islamic Republic snap back into effect on Tuesday, US officials said. President Donald Trump is still willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at any time, without preconditions, as the US ramps up economic ...

Bloomberg The Trump administration’s plan to relax fuel-economy and vehicle pollution standards could be a boon to US oil producers who’ve quietly lobbied for the measure. The proposal would translate into an additional 500,000 barrels of US oil demand per day by the early 2030s, about 2 to 3 percent of projected consumption, according to government calculations. “It’s a increase ...

Bloomberg Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has invested 1 billion riyals ($267 million) into music streaming company Deezer, his first deal since being detained last year in a government crackdown on corruption. The prince’s Kingdom Holding Co. investment vehicle and his media company Rotana Group have bought new shares in Deezer, according to a statement from Alwaleed’s office. Deezer ...

Bloomberg New York regulators declined to renew an air permit for a controversial 680-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in New York state, effectively shutting it down just before it was poised to go into service. The Department of Environmental Conservation denied the renewal application. The agency said the owner Competitive Power Ventures Inc. did not have a Title V Clean ...