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Bloomberg China’s manufacturing sector continued to expand output in December, adding to evidence that the world’s second-largest economy is stabilising as the signing of a phase one trade deal with the US nears. The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index remained at 50.2, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The outlook for export-oriented firms brightened, with a sub-index ...

Bloomberg European gas and power prices extended declines after a last-gasp accord between Russia and Ukraine on natural gas flows averted a winter supply crisis. The two former Soviet allies signed all agreements needed for flows to Gazprom PJSC’s main markets in the west to continue for the next five years. Steady shipments from Europe’s dominant supplier, coupled with record ...

Bloomberg US President Donald Trump said he will sign the first phase of a trade deal with China on January 15. “The ceremony will take place at the White House,” he said on his Twitter account, adding he will be going to Beijing where he said talks will begin on the second phase of the deal. I will be signing ...

Bloomberg French President Emmanuel Macron doubled down on his contested plan to transform the country’s pension system, saying in his New Year’s address that it’s a project for “justice and social progress.” The French leader’s intransigence clashes with defiant labour unions that staged a 27th straight day of strikes to protests his plans, despite calls for a truce at Christmas ...

Sharjah / WAM HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Nama Women Advancement Establishment (Nama), and wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, has taken forward the global call to action for gender equity and women’s economic empowerment with the launch of ‘Elevate’, a pioneering platform to support women in low and medium-income nations in Asia, Africa, South America, ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the region, has completed the third phase of its international core banking system upgrade, as it forges ahead with its ongoing digital transformation efforts to boost innovation and efficiency across its domestic and international operations. Leveraging advanced Finacle technology, the third phase of the project sees the rollout of ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi General Services Company, Musanada, has announced the completion of construction works on the Mohamed bin Zayed School. Construction costs of the all-boys school reached AED170 million, Musanada revealed, adding that the project was undertaken as part of the Abu Dhabi Future Schools Programme (ADFSP). The handover process to the Abu Dhabi Department of ...

DUBAI / Emirates Business Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a global top 10 International Financial Centre and the leading financial hub in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (Measa), signed individual memorandums of understanding (MoU) with two leading institutions to fuel the region’s insurance sector by upskilling talent as well as promoting efficiency and improvement. MoUs were signed with ...

Bloomberg US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo arrives in Ukraine this week to voice support for the embattled nation, a message muddled by Rudy Giuliani’s latest visit there in search of dirt on Joe Biden and by the pending Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Pompeo will “reaffirm US support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” when he visits ...

Bloomberg A senior Chinese diplomat said China will honour its phase-one trade commitments, and suggested that the US live up to theirs on issues such as Taiwan. In an interview with Chinese state television CGTN on December 28 night, Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the US, also said talk of a new cold war was “very irresponsible.” The comments came ...