AFP, RIO DE JANEIRO:  Brazil’s government cheered a nearly $2 billion payday from the auction Friday of its deep-water oil fields in a sale that brought the world’s energy giants into previously-restricted territory. The auction—delayed by a late court injunction backed by the…

AFP, NEW YORK: The Madrid stock market sank on Friday, bucking an upwards trend in Europe and the US as Catalan lawmakers voted to declare independence…

AFP, FRANKFURT AM MAIN:  Net profits tumbled in the third quarter at Volkswagen as the world’s biggest carmaker booked higher-than-expected…

The online submission of Value Added Tax (VAT) return and payment will start in November in a move to provide the taxpayers a hassle-free environment…

The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has been accelerating the country’s industrialisation as well as economic growth with contributing 25 per cent in the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), reports BSS. “The government has been putting emphasis on the SMEs and taking different measures for…

AFP, TOKYO: Subaru said Friday it allowed uncertified staff to do inspections on some vehicles for more than three decades, becoming the latest Japanese firm dented by a quality scandal. The company said it was considering a recall of more than 250,000 vehicles at a cost of some 5.0 billion yen ($44…

Speakers at a seminar yesterday lauded the role of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the socio-economic development of the SAARC countries, reports UNB. JICA Alumni Association of Bangladesh and JICA Alumni Associations Forum of SAARC countries jointly organised the seminar titled ‘The…

Xinhua, ANKARA: Turkey and Pakistan have finalised negotiations on free trade agreement (FTA), and wished to sign the deal as soon as possible, Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci said on Friday. “I believe that trade relations with Pakistan will and must boost,” Tufenkci…

AFP, CARACAS: Venezuela’s state oil company, which controls the world’s largest crude reserves, said Friday it had begun paying $842 million in partial repayment of a debt bond maturing in 2020. A default for PDVSA would have been disastrous at a time when access to credit has already been…

AFP, WASHINGTON:  The specter of a messy Brexit means the outlook for British sovereign debt remains negative, the ratings agencies S&P and Fitch said Friday. Both agencies affirmed their ‘AA’ high-grade rating on British short- and long-term sovereign debt but they pointed to the…

AFP, LONDON: British low-cost carrier easyJet announced Saturday it had agreed to buy part of bankrupt carrier Air Berlin’s operations at the German capital’s Tegel Airport for 40 million euros ($46.4 million). EasyJet will enter into leases for up to 25 A320 aircraft and take over slots,…