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Bloomberg The UK posted a 31.7 billion-pound budget deficit ($45 billion) in April as the new fiscal year got under way. The shortfall reported by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday was in line with the median forecast of economists but well below the 47.3 billion pounds registered in April last year, when the first coronavirus lockdown pummeled the ...

Bloomberg Sales of previously owned US homes dropped unexpectedly in April for a third straight month as an inventory crunch pushed up prices by the most on record and restrained purchases. Contract closings decreased 2.7% from the prior month to an annualised 5.85 million, the slowest pace since June, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. The median ...

Bloomberg France will likely decide on Wednesday whether additional restrictions are needed at its border with the UK to fend off a coronavirus variant first identified in India. The UK is trying to make a case to France that extra curbs aren’t necessary, citing the large share of its vaccinated population, a person familiar with the discussions said. About 70% ...

Bloomberg Poland has “undoubtedly” emerged from its first economic slump in three decades, while European Union (EU) stimulus and a government plan to boost spending will stabilise the economy and ensure strong growth in the coming years, Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Gowin said. Polish output shrinks for a fourth straight quarter in the first three months of this year. But ...

Bloomberg China’s equity benchmark rallied by the most since July as investors piled into stocks amid attempts by policymakers to contain commodity prices. The yuan also advanced to its strongest since 2018. The CSI 300 Index closed 3.2% higher at its strongest since early March, driven by gains in consumer staples equities. The surge came as overseas investors net purchased ...

Bloomberg US equity futures rose Tuesday along with European stocks after Federal Reserve officials played down the risk of persistent inflation. A gauge of dollar strength against a basket of peers headed for the lowest level since January. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was on track for a fresh record high, with technology stocks boosted by results from Aveva Group ...

AMMAN / WAM The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) has launched the first phase of vaccination programme for Syrian refugees in the Jordanian camps to help the country confronts the coronavirus pandemic. The programme aims to vaccinate 12,000 refugees in the Emirati-Jordanian camp of Mrajeeb Al Fhood and camps of Zaatari, Al Azraq and Al Hadiqa with the Sinopharm vaccine. The ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) announced on Monday that it will advance a world-scale “blue” ammonia production facility in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, in the UAE. Adnoc is an early pioneer in the emerging hydrogen market, driving the UAE’s leadership in creating local and international hydrogen value chains, while contributing to economic growth and diversification in ...

RIYADH / WAM Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Dr Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf welcomed on Monday the announcement of HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, that the UAE has offered to host the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) in Abu ...

Dubai / WAM DMCC — the world’s flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise — has announced the launch of the DMCC Crypto Centre, a comprehensive ecosystem for businesses operating in the cryptographic and blockchain sectors. The official inauguration was attended by a number of high-profile government and industry representatives including Dr Thani bin ...