MANAMA / Reuters Bahrain will go ahead with imposing a value-added tax to stren-gthen state finances, Minister of Finance Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa said on Wednesday, after domestic political opposition slowed the plan. “We’ll be working with parliament on VAT and aim to have everything set up by the end of 2018,” Sheikh Ahmed told an investment conference in …

Bloomberg The US Energy Department is throwing its support behind a request by utilities to extend the life of some nuclear power reactors — keeping them in operation for as long as 80 years. An official with the department, who asked not to be named to discuss its decision-making process, said the agency was conducting research and working with utilities …

Bloomberg Oil dropped as US stockpiles were forecast to have expanded for a fourth week, raising questions about OPEC’s success in draining a global oversupply. Crude in New York lost as much as 1.4 percent. Inventories in America rose by 3 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey. Oil has struggled to regain January’s highs as equities remain …

Bloomberg Vancouver, one of the hottest housing markets in North America, is getting a little tougher for wealthy Chinese buyers. British Columbia Finance Minister Carole James announced measures targeting foreign buyers and speculators in the first budget since her government was elected on a pledge to make housing more affordable for residents of Canada’s Pacific Coast province. Starting from February …

Bloomberg The banking crisis engulfing the tiny nation of Latvia has turned into a potential diplomatic incident, as Riga points the finger at Moscow. “There is a high probability that an externally organised widespread information operation is being carried out that, by its structure and execution, is identical to those observed in pre-election periods in the US, France and Germany,” …

Bloomberg Lloyds Banking Group Plc is seeking to catch up with peers and will invest more than 3 billion pounds ($4.2 billion) in technology as part of a new three-year strategic plan. It will also buy back up to 1 billion pounds of its own shares. Chief Executive Officer Antonio Horta-Osorio called the investment in technology a “massive undertaking,” at …

Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc’s new Chief Executive Officer John Flint says he’s exploring all options for the lender’s asset management unit, including a merger, to create a larger player that can compete better as the industry consolidates. “We continue to do a lot of work around asset management, to explore all the options, but it’s too early to give any …

Bloomberg The story of how India’s biggest bank fraud went undetected for seven years includes an $81 million cyber-heist in neighbouring Bangladesh, penny-pinching lenders and a series of missed opportunities. In 2016, after revelations that hackers had infiltrated the Bang-ladeshi central bank’s computer systems to siphon off money, its cou- nterpart in India sensed a danger to its own banking …

Bloomberg Handing over a new aircraft is usually a celebratory affair: the customer inspects the new toy, the planemaker breathes a sigh of relief, and everyone poses with a big smile. For Airbus SE’s second-in-command Fabrice Bregier, the delivery of the first A350-1000 model came with a bitter-sweet tinge: his last day at the European manufacturing giant after being overlooked …

Bloomberg Walmart Inc.’s battle with Amazon.com Inc. is hitting its bottom line like never before—and testing the patience of investors. The retail giant’s push to expand online operations and cut prices contributed to a record-low operating margin last quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The profit measure narrowed to 3.3 percent, sparking concerns that Walmart’s long-enviable financial cushion is …