Bloomberg Former Vice President Joe Biden clarified his position on a suggestion he wouldn’t comply with a potential subpoena to testify at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate. “I have always complied with a lawful order and in my eight years as VP, my office — unlike Donald Trump and Mike Pence — cooperated with legitimate congressional oversight ...

Bloomberg Typhoon Phanfone killed at least 41 people when it slammed into the central Philippines on Christmas Eve, with dozens still injured or missing, according to the agency which oversees disaster response. The 21st cyclone to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year also damaged an estimated 1 billion pesos ($19.7 million) worth of crops and infrastructure, including more than ...

Bloomberg The race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn is exacerbating divisions in the UK’s main opposition Labour Party, as former members of Parliament who lost seats this month demanded an “unflinching” review into why the leader’s message had proved such a turnoff among voters. “We need to be honest about why our outgoing leadership’s reflexive anti-Western world view was so unpopular, ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s economy is set to contract in the fourth quarter as the city reels from six months of violent social unrest, the financial chief said on Sunday. “Based on the situation of these few months, it is inevitable that negative growth will continue,” Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in a blog post. “This means the government will be ...

Bloomberg Vietnam will punish four companies for fraudulent labels on products from China that the firms claim were made locally, as authorities expand their crackdown into Chinese manufacturers trying to bypass US tariffs. The unidentified companies, which assemble bicycles, electric bikes and wooden shelves, admitted to the violations, according to a government statement. Vietnam’s customs department is also investigating possible ...

Bloomberg Singaporean diplomats are taking the lead in defending a two-month-old fake news law, challenging international media outlets it says are publishing misleading claims on the contentious legislation. Since the law was enacted in October, authorities in the Southeast Asian city-state have invoked it four times against critics and once against Facebook Inc, which was required to attach a government-issued ...

Bloomberg China is expanding its generic drug-procurement programme to include an additional 33 drugs, pitting domestic and international drugmakers in a price war that could see Chinese players dominate. Less than three months after China went nationwide with a pilot bulk-buying programme for 25 medicines, the government on Sunday announced a second batch of 33 drugs treating everything from diabetes ...

Bloomberg Tesla Inc secured a tax break in China hours before the delivery of its first locally built cars, marking a major milestone for Elon Musk’s company as it pushes to expand in the world’s largest electric-vehicle market. The China-built Model 3 was included on a list of vehicles qualifying for an exemption from a 10% purchase tax in the ...

Bloomberg India may roil the global sugar market again as prospects for next year’s cane crop have brightened due to brimming reservoirs. Bountiful monsoon rains this year have led to above average water levels in reservoirs, which will in turn boost the amount of sugar cane that’s planted, according to industry and Indian government officials. Sugar output in the country ...

Democrats are facing a challenge they haven’t confronted since the 1988 presidential election. They are trying to persuade enough Americans to kick a Republican out of the White House even though the economy is doing well. They failed that year – and as their latest presidential debate showed, so far they haven’t figured out how to meet the challenge this ...