ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE on Monday welcomed the signing of a power-sharing agreement in Afghanistan between President Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah while expressing hope that the deal represents a step towards enhancing stability, peace, and security throughout Afghanistan. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation renewed its call for an immediate ceasefire …

Bloomberg Oil rose to the highest in two months as demand in China returned to near pre-virus level and output curbs continued in the US and elsewhere. Futures in New York climbed as much as 9.8%. Chinese oil use is at 13 million barrels a day, just shy of the levels of a year earlier, traders and executives said. The …

DUBAI / WAM Drydocks World on Monday held a steel-cutting ceremony to mark the start of production on a conversion project for Boskalis B.V. According to a press statement, Drydocks World will convert a drill ship YAN into an offshore installation vessel named Bokalift 2. This vessel is designed to carry out offshore operations for windmill installations in Taiwan. The …

Bloomberg Total SA abandoned a plan to acquire assets from Occidental Petroleum Corp in Ghana, walking away after a proposal to buy Algerian projects from the US company also collapsed. The breakdown of both sales is a setback for Occidental, which had earmarked the proceeds to help reduce debt after buying Anadarko Petroleum Corp for $37 billion last year. After …

Bloomberg New York has again denied a key permit for a controversial $1 billion natural gas pipeline being developed by Williams Cos. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation rejected Williams’ latest application for a water permit for its Northeast Supply Enhancement project after denying the pipeline the same permit last year. The conduit was at the crux of a standoff …

Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government may try to tame growing opposition to onshore wind developments by offering cash sweeteners to local councils and consumers. A plan drawn up by officials in Berlin suggest municipalities could earn as much as 20,000 euros ($21,600) a year for each newly-erected wind turbine in their districts from 2021, according to a copy of …

Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc boosted its liquidity with a 600 million-pound ($726 million) loan backed by the UK government and said the coronavirus crisis will reduce passenger numbers by half over the next year. Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier is tapping Britain’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) as it digs in for a slow recovery that’s set to see a price …

Bloomberg Flag carrier Thai Airways International Pcl is a step closer to restructuring via a bankruptcy court after a key government panel backed the plan, which is due for consideration by the Cabinet on Tuesday. A committee that oversees policies for state-run enterprises agreed that the airline should seek such a rehabilitation, government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat told reporters in Bangkok …

Bloomberg Pravin Gordhan, South Africa’s minister for public enterprises, is staking his own credibility and that of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government on the creation of a new airline out of the ashes of the bankrupt national carrier. Hit by the loss of the country’s last investment-grade rating on its sovereign debt and the Covid-19 pandemic, Ramaphosa has said hard choices …

Bloomberg Italy’s shoppers may be digging out their wallets as retail businesses reopen on Monday, but many of the country’s 2.7 million merchants say there’s little to celebrate. “My creditors will be all over me as soon as I raise my portcullis,” said Giulio Anticoli, referring to the heavy medieval grates still used to protect some storefronts in Rome. “There’s …