Bloomberg Pakistan is conducting shuttle diplomacy to promote talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia to end a tense standoff that has roiled energy markets and pushed the rival Gulf powers to the brink of war. During a visit to Iran on Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was acting “not as a mediator but as a facilitator” for talks ...

Bloomberg Acting PM Pedro Sanchez has pledged to make a proposal to Spain’s main political parties within 48 hours after next month’s general elections that would allow for the formation of a government and end a long-standing political stalemate in the country. Sanchez will offer the rest of the parties an agreement on basic policies with the aim of having ...

Bloomberg One of the deadliest extremist attacks in the seven-year insurgency in Mali has stoked fresh anger over the government’s failure to halt raids, months after protests forced the prime minister to resign. The Sahel region, the arid band on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert, is experiencing unprecedented levels of violence as militants seek to extend their influence ...

Bloomberg As others automakers plan battery-powered SUVs and trucks, Toyota Motor Corp’s vision for the future of driving remains a hydrogen-sipping sedan. The Japanese behemoth will begin sales late next year of the second-generation Mirai, its fuel cell-powered four-door, and ramp up annual production by 10-fold from the current model. Toyota’s bet that it can position a hydrogen sedan for ...

Bloomberg Vietnam’s economic expansion this year may exceed the higher end of an official estimate, President Nguyen Phu Trong said. Growth may be more than 6.8%, and gross domestic product may surpass $266 billion, Trong said in a government statement on Sunday. That compares with the official 6.6% to 6.8% range forecast. Vietnam’s 2019 inflation rate is expected to be ...

Bloomberg Australia is advancing separate talks with the US, Japan and South Korea over the development of local rare earths mining projects in an effort to bolster production outside China, which dominates the output of the materials. Rare earths, a group of 17 elements needed in components for missile systems to consumer electronics, had been flagged as a potential weapon ...

Bloomberg Japan tackled rescue and cleanup operations after a powerful typhoon ripped across the country, causing major flooding and landslides and leaving at least 21 people dead and hundreds of thousands without power. More than 160 people were injured and at least 16 were missing as many areas were hit by record amounts of rainfall and violent winds, according to ...

Bloomberg Two more meetings are planned to try to wrap up the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact before an Asean summit next month, Thai Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit told reporters after a RCEP ministerial meeting in Bangkok. Senior officials from 16 nations will meet next week in Bangkok to discuss the remaining key elements, while RCEP ministers will ...

Bloomberg Singapore has received responses from several companies offering to collaborate on its plan to operate autonomous buses, the Sunday Times reported, without citing sources. The Land Transport Authority and the Economic Development Board wouldn’t disclose which companies responded but they are likely to include Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, ComfortDelGro Corp, SMRT Corp, French automation startup EasyMile, Nanyang Technological University ...

Bloomberg Indian companies struggling to tackle false information and speculation doing the rounds on WhatsApp and other social media sites are finally seeking help from the authorities. Yes Bank Ltd this month registered a police complaint against what it said was “fake news” about its financial health “to create panic and fear in the mind of its depositors.” Piramal Enterprises ...