US consumer prices rise; underlying inflation benign

WASHINGTON: US consumer prices rose moderately in April and underlying inflation remained muted, suggesting the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates unchanged for a while. The persistently benign inflation reported by the Labor Department on Friday could, however, increase White House pressure on the US central bank to cut rates. President Donald Trump has repeatedly […]

China names its trade-deal price as Trump sets month deadline

Beijing: China for the first time made clear what it wants to see from the US in talks to end their trade war, laying bare the deep differences that still exist between the two sides. In a wide-ranging interview with Chinese media after talks in Washington ended Friday, Vice Premier Liu He said that in […]

DON’T PUBLISH: US consultancy beefs up MENA military advisory with raft of new hires

Dubai: The US consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton has overseen a recent flurry of hiring activity at its Middle Eastern military advisory practice, with at least 19 new defence-related jobs advertised since last month. The majority of the roles are based in either Abu Dhabi or Saudi Arabia. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are spearheading a […]

Egypt’s 9M budget deficit for year to June drops to 5.3 pct of GDP – finance minister

CAIRO: Egypt’s budget deficit dipped to 5.3 per cent of GDP in the first nine months of the year ending in June, the finance minister said, against 6.2 per cent in the same period a year prior. Egypt’s primary surplus of 35.5 billion Egyptian pounds (Dh7.60 billion; $2.07 billion) in the first nine months of […]