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DUBAI / WAM Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), the world’s largest district cooling services provider, has announced that it has secured a syndicated loan of AED1.5 billion through a group of local, regional and international banks to finance its new projects. The loan will be used to expand the capacity and district cooling infrastructure in various projects.

Bloomberg BP Plc joined its Big Oil peers by giving investors a positive surprise, exceeding profit estimates and earning better returns than its closest European rival. Shares surged by the most in almost three years. New projects delivered an increase in oil and gas output, while the company also worked its existing fields and refineries more efficiently than ever. That ...

Bloomberg French oil giant Total SA is working with advisers as it weighs an offer for Eneco Groep NV, joining a number of financial and industry bidders for the Dutch utility, including rival Royal Dutch Shell Plc, people familiar with the matter said. The firm, which is owned by dozens of Dutch municipalities and is due to be auctioned this ...

Bloomberg The three largest automakers in US suspended some operations on the coldest day of the year after a fire at a Southeast Michigan natural gas facility drastically reduced their supply of the heating fuel. Energy prices soared as freezing weather spread into the Northeast and closed a nuclear reactor in New Jersey. CMS Energy Corp.’s Consumers Energy utility sends ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com and Walmart Inc.’s plans to dominate India’s online retail landscape have been ambushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political priorities heading into a tightening election. The vote, which must be held by May, has increased the influence of local retailers that lobbied for growth-crimping curbs on the US giants. On cue, India this month rolled out constraints on ...

Bloomberg Australian retail sales suffered the biggest drop in 12 months and imports slumped by the most in almost seven years, raising doubts about the resilience of household spending. Sales fell 0.4 percent in December, compared with estimates for an unchanged reading, statistics bureau data showed on Tuesday. Imports dropped 6 percent in the month, the worst result since February ...

Bloomberg Ocado Group Plc said it is talking to retailers about potential deals, renewing speculation about a possible partnership with Marks & Spencer Group Plc. The UK online grocer signed a number of technology licensing agreements in 2018, including a mammoth partnership with Kroger Co. in which the US supermarket chain agreed to buy a stake. Talk that Ocado might ...

Dubai / Emirates Business dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers, continues to drive innovation in the Middle East aviation industry by launching a new resource management system in Dubai. The new system, which includes a leading-edge software platform and advanced analytic tools, will help the company optimise operations and efficiently manage its 20,000 employees and resources at ...

Bloomberg The mounting political crisis in Venezuela has prompted European airlines to add a stop in the Caribbean so that pilots and flight attendants don’t have to spend the night in the strife-torn country. Spanish airline Iberia has begun using Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic as a staging post for its three weekly services from Madrid to Caracas, while ...

Bloomberg US equity futures advanced on Tuesday, taking their cue from a rally in Europe after strong earnings from oil giant BP. The euro edged lower and the pound weakened. Contracts on the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow Jones indexes all gained ground through the European morning after a lackluster start, though Google-parent Alphabet Inc. slipped in early trading after ...