Reuters A $16.5 billion mass transit project planned for Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca has been delayed so that its financing can be restructured, the head of the implementing body said. The kingdom has been slowing infrastructure projects and paring back state spending as it grapples with the economic fall-out of two years of depressed oil prices, which ...

  Brussels / AFP Eurozone ministers reached a vital deal with Greece on Wednesday to unlock bailout cash and start tackling the country’s debt mountain as demanded by the IMF, but analysts warned details are sketchy, spelling trouble further down the road. The agreement unlocks €10.3 billion ($12 billion) in bailout cash that Greece urgently needs to repay big loans to ...

  London / AFP Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell on Wednesday said it was cutting at least another 2,200 jobs owing to low oil prices and following its takeover of smaller rival BG Group. “Shell staff have today been informed about the progress being made on integrating BG into the company, and on further measures that are necessary to ensure ...

  Bloomberg Electricity prices in Britain may rise this winter as the El Nino weather system ebbs away, driving up energy demand while quelling breezes that wind farms depend on to generate renewable power. The La Nina weather patterns that generally follows El Nino may cool temperatures and curtail wind speeds from the U.K. to Germany, according to U.K. government ...

  Bloomberg A Brexit wouldn’t just weaken the pound — it would jeopardize its status as a reserve currency used in world trade, according to S&P Global Ratings. Sterling lags only the dollar and euro in central banks’ holdings, a legacy of Britain’s large economy, its trusted legal system and use of the global lingua franca. But a vote to ...

  AP The EU’s decision on whether to extend economic sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine should be transparent and discussed openly, Hungary’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after meeting Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Hungary will not accept an “automatic” decision regarding the sanctions currently in place until the end of July. ...

  London/ AFP With one month to go before Britain’s vital in-out EU referendum, London’s City finance district is busily planning ahead for a potential “Brexit”. Big City firms, many of which are housed in skyscrapers that dominate the London skyline, are seeking to protect themselves from market volatility should Britons vote “Leave”, experts say. Major players like HSBC and ...

  Bloomberg Chinese officials plan to ask their American counterparts in annual talks next month about the chance of a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase in June, according to people familiar with the matter. The Chinese delegation will try to deduce whether a June or a July rate rise is more likely, as their nation’s policy makers prepare for the potential ...

  Bloomberg Brazil recorded an unexpected current account surplus last month, the first since April 2009, as a prolonged economic recession curbed imports and companies sent less profits abroad. The surplus in the current account, the broadest measure of trade in goods and services, reached $412 million in April after a revised deficit of $857 million in the previous month, ...

  Bloomberg Oil extended its advance to near $50 a barrel as weekly U.S. industry data showed crude stockpiles declined, easing a glut. Futures rose as much as 1.7 percent in New York on Wednesday, marking a third day of gains. U.S. oil inventories, which are near the highest in 80 years, dropped by 5.14 million barrels last week, the ...