TNS Bahrain residents must prepare for a spike in inflation as value-added tax (VAT) gets rolled out, experts have said. GCC states are expected to adopt VAT of up to five per cent from 2018 applying to most goods and services with basic food items, healthcare and education being exempted. The exact date of implementation is not yet known ...

  TNS As much as BD165,000 can be saved a year as part of a new water and energy consumption campaign. It will initially focus on five-star hotels and aim to reduce consumption by three per cent in the next year. The campaign was launched by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) in partnership with Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority ...

  Reuters OPEC member Algeria says it will launch a new “economic growth model” for the next four years focussed on reforming the tax system to bring in more revenue and reduce dependence on energy exports. The plan is part of long-awaited moves to diversify the North African economy away from oil and gas, which account for 95 percent of ...

  Bloomberg India’s monopoly nuclear power producer is again seeking bids for a new project, this time reissuing tenders that aim to ease concern over a liability law that has so far deterred potential developers. State-run Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd. has sought bids from domestic equipment manufacturers to build a 1,400 megawatt power plant at Gorakhpur in the ...

  KHOBAR / Reuters Japanese oil refiner TonenGeneral Sekiyu has bought its first oil from Iran since becoming independent from U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil Corp , three industry sources familiar with the matter said. The company bought the Iranian spot cargo through a trading house due to attractive pricing and the shipment arrived Japan earlier this month, the sources ...

  Bloomberg After pouring billions into the battle for ride-hailing supremacy in China, Uber Technologies Inc. and Didi Chuxing finally have a legal green-light in the world’s biggest market. China plans to formally allow the services from November — even though both companies have operated in the country for years. The decision brings clarity to an industry locked in disputes ...

  Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet met a key opposition demand on proposed legislation that would clear the way for a national sales tax, putting India closer to passing its most ambitious economic reform since the 1990s. The cabinet decided to eliminate an additional 1 percent charge on inter-state sales that was included in a constitutional amendment bill to ...

  Bloomberg Pakistan is seeking to build two new oil refineries in a bid to eliminate refined fuel imports within seven years and meet surging demand at home. The refineries, with a planned combined capacity of 24 million tons a year, are going to be built in the provinces of southwestern Balochistan and central Punjab, according to Petroleum Minister Shahid ...

  Bloomberg The euro-area is shaking off the divorce. Economic confidence in the 19-nation region unexpectedly rose this month, indicating the immediate impact of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union may be muted. The same may not be true in the U.K. itself, where the European Commission’s sentiment index plunged to a three-year low and two separate reports showed ...

  Madrid / AFP Spain’s heavily indebted telecoms giant Telefonica Thursday reported a plunge in profits on adverse exchange rates but maintained its objectives for the year. It posted net profits of 693 million euros ($770 million) in the second quarter, down 54.5 percent, below the figure of 743 million predicted analysts polled by Factset. The group was hit by ...