Bloomberg Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani doubled down on his promise to offer 5G services on his wireless network as early as this year, as his conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd reported a record profit aided by its consumer businesses. The group’s wireless operator, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd — India’s largest — has started advance tests to prepare the fifth-generation, high-speed network, ...

Bloomberg UltraTech Cement Ltd doubled profit in the three months ended on December 31 on sustained demand for housing, the company said in a statement. Net income jumped to 15.8 billion rupees ($217 million) from 7 billion rupees a year earlier, beating analyst estimates, the unit of billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla’s Aditya Birla Group said in an exchange filing. “While ...

Bloomberg Indonesia sees downside risks for economic growth in the first quarter as the government imposed more restrictions to curb a worsening coronavirus outbreak, said the finance minister. The first quarter is “very tough,” Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “We hope in February and March we can still catch up despite the January ...

Bloomberg The US State Department urged China to engage in dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives and cease putting military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the island. The US statement came as Taiwan said a fleet of 13 Chinese military planes, including eight H-6K bombers, entered its air defense identification zone, in an apparent stepping up of Beijing’s almost constant ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first European leader to speak with US President Joseph Biden since his inauguration in a phone call that focused on ways to strengthen bilateral ties, collective defense and fight climate change. Biden pledged to work closely with Johnson as the UK hosts both the G-7 and the United Nations Climate Change conference ...

Bloomberg Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is resisting pressure to resign in the run-up to a critical vote in the Senate that could topple his fragile administration, newspapers said. While the premier isn’t currently planning to quit, he may change his mind if he fails to recruit enough senators ahead of a vote on Wednesday or Thursday to approve the ...

Bloomberg Supporters of opposition leader Alexey Navalny held Russia’s biggest anti-Kremlin protests since at least 2018, braving clashes with riot police and freezing temperatures to demand his release from jail. Tens of thousands turned out in dozens of cities across the world’s largest country, defying the authorities’ warnings that they may face charges of “mass disorder” for the unauthorised protests. ...

Bloomberg The Congress of South African Trade Unions, a key ally of the country’s ruling African National Congress, has attacked the party for everything from delays in securing Covid-19 vaccines to failing to provide income support for workers affected by the pandemic. In a submission to a meeting of the ANC’s top decision-making body, the National Executive Committee, the 1.8 ...

Bloomberg Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said “help is on the way,” as the country reels from a rise in coronavirus infections and deaths that have claimed the lives of two members of his cabinet. In a televised address, Mnangagwa said government was engaging countries that have developed vaccines and once secured, they would be given first to health-care workers. “Help ...

Bloomberg Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she remains committed to a legal referendum on independence after her party set out a plan of action should the UK government continue to refuse to grant one. The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader said that if the party wins May’s regional election in Scotland, the UK’s position will be untenable because voters ...