Bloomberg In an increasingly tough UK retail environment where the looming threat of Brexit has ground down consumer confidence, the holiday-shopping season was all about survival of the fittest. Tesco Plc, the country’s biggest retailer, weathered brutal price pressure and a decline in shopper visits better than smaller rivals, posting Christmas sales that beat expectations. But other stores more exposed …

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) on Wednesday launched the #WeAreCommitted campaign, calling on the global community to pledge their support to sustainability. The online campaign has brought together Sheikhs, government ministers, amba-ssadors, business leaders, and young innovators to share their commitments. According to economic analysis, tackling sustainability-related challenges could save the global economy up to $30 …

DUBAI / Emirates Business Startup funding across Mena region witnessed a strong growth in 2018 with record number of transactions, according to a report released by Magnitt — leading data platform tracking the region’s startup ecosystem. The 2018 Mena Venture Investment Report — which provides an in depth analysis of startup funding across the Middle East and North Africa — …

Bloomberg The Trump administration wrapped up the latest round of trade talks in Beijing, noting a commitment by China to buy more US agricultural goods, energy and manufactured items. China and the US concluded three days of talks on Wednesday with a cautious sense of optimism that the world’s two biggest economies might be able to reach a deal that …

Bloomberg China’s crude oil purchases from the Middle East and West Africa dropped to a four-month low in December, following a buying binge the previous month that saw the Asian country’s stockpiles swell. Observed flows to China from the two regions dropped to 5.04 million barrels a day, the lowest since August, after reaching a 2018-high of 6.45 million barrels …

Bloomberg State Grid Corp of China, the dominant electricity distributor in the world’s biggest energy consumer, will invest 38.7 billion yuan ($5.7 billion) to build five pumped hydro storage plants as part of the nation’s efforts to ease idled solar and wind power capacity. The projects, in Hebei, Jilin, Zhejiang, Shandong provinces and the far west Xinjiang autonomous region, will …

Bloomberg Norway’s oil industry is in full recovery mode, but the country’s top petroleum lobbyist is worried about growing opposition ahead. At the same time as it gave a big boost to investment forecasts for next five years, Norwegian Oil and Gas Association sounded one of its starkest warnings yet on political risk facing the nation’s biggest industry. Explorers and …

Bloomberg Mexico’s opposition is accusing the government of addressing the issue of fuel theft irresponsibly as supply fears spread to the nation’s capital. Members of the senate are calling for the newly appointed energy minister Rocio Nahle and Petroleos Mexicanos chief executive Octavio Romero to explain how they will fix fuel distribution amid shortages at gasoline stations in central Mexico, …

Bloomberg Electricite de France SA’s Italian unit has attracted potential bidders including Neptune Energy and Warburg Pincus’s Apex International Energy for its oil and gas business, people familiar with the matter said. Bidders for Edison SpA’s exploration and production assets, primarily located in Egypt and Italy, may offer as much as $2 billion, the people said, asking not to be …

Bloomberg Stocks rose globally after the US and China concluded three days of trade talks and appeared to be closer to agreement on a number of areas. The dollar dipped and Treasuries were steady as investors awaited the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting, which may offer insight into the decision to raise rates and the pace …