Reuters Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Ma’aden) , the Gulf’s largest mining company, has asked banks to submit proposals for a loan which would refinance some $2.88 billion of existing debt, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. It sent a request for proposals to banks last week and the banks have until the end of September to respond, the ...

LONDON / Reuters A blockade on production at Libya’s Sharara oil field, the country’s largest, was lifted after it shut down output for more than two weeks, a Libyan oil source said. A valve on a pipeline leading from the field that was closed during the shutdown has reopened, though it was not clear how quickly production would resume at ...

Bloomberg Europe’s biggest energy companies have a message for the aging UK North Sea oil industry: We may be selling assets, but that doesn’t mean we’re heading for the exit. The North Sea will always be “one of the great basins,” said BP Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley. Royal Dutch Shell Plc will keep investing in a place where it ...

SINGAPORE / Reuters Several bookings for oil product tankers from Asia to the United States and Latin America have been cancelled as traders have not been able to find spot supplies to fill them and as demand has tapered off slightly, traders and shipbrokers said on Wednesday. About one-third of the estimated 25 vessels that were provisionally booked to load ...

Bloomberg This summer, Japanese real estate investment trusts benefited from an unexpected group of net buyers for the first time in nearly seven years: mom and pop investors. Encouraged by the relatively lucrative returns, an increasing number of retail investors are putting their money in some of 58 publicly-traded REITs tracked by the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s gauge. Individuals were net ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc.’s refusal so far to approve the Indian government’s anti-spam iPhone app is infuriating regulators, potentially harming the company’s efforts to sell more products in the country. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has been trying unsuccessfully to get its Do Not Disturb software included in the App Store. The programme lets people share spam call and text ...

Bloomberg McDonald’s Japan is adding to its restaurant count for the first time in five years, underscoring a turnaround that prompted its US parent to reverse a decision to sell a stake in the company. McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan plans to open more restaurants than it will close in the second half, said Chief Executive Officer Sarah Casanova, adding that ...

Bloomberg Russia wants its biggest diamond miner to work more closely with the country’s top gem cutters so the industry can better compete in a market that’s dominated by Indian manufacturers. As part of a plan to boost the competitiveness of Russian diamonds, the government wants Alrosa PJSC to offer more favorable terms to cutters including Kristall Production Corp., Russia’s ...

Bloomberg As Kim Jong Un’s antics in North Korea capture global attention, China is quietly moving to bolster its grip on disputed territory in the South China Sea. Last month, a Philippine lawmaker released photos he said showed Chinese fishing, coast guard and navy vessels surrounding a Philippine-occupied isle in the Spratly island chain, preventing planned repairs to a runway. ...

Bloomberg Congressional investigations of Russian meddling in the US election likely will be extended — perhaps into next year — because of revelations during Congress’ August recess about Trump associates’ contacts and meetings, Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees said. “It seems like there’s not a week that doesn’t go by that another undisclosed meeting doesn’t come up ...