Bloomberg President Donald Trump on Friday declined to release a House Democratic rebuttal of a Republican memo alleging bias and misconduct by the FBI and Justice Department early in their investigation of Russian election interference. Trump is unable to do so because it contains “numerous properly classified and sensitive passages,” White House counsel Donald McGahn wrote in a letter to ...

Bloomberg Pakistan is pushing for the completion of a fence along its disputed border with Afghanistan—and it wants the US to help pay for it. Less than 10 percent of the fence planned along the 1,456 miles (2,343 kilometers) of mountainous border with Afghanistan has been completed so far due to financial constraints. Even so, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad ...

Bloomberg Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he’s scrapping the acquisition of 16 Canadian Bell helicopters and pledged to end military purchases from countries including the US that impose conditions. “Do not buy anymore from Canada or from the United States because there is always a condition attached,” Duterte told reporters in Davao City. He announced the cancellation of the chopper ...

LONDON / Reuters Europe will face a gas shortage and price spike as soon as the next decade if it doesn’t decide quickly to boost imports from Russia as gas purchases from the United States fail to match demand, Kremlin energy giant Gazprom told Reuters. The Trump administration has said it intends to level the playing field in energy markets ...

BAGHDAD / Reuters Iraq seeks around $100 billion in foreign investment in transport, energy and agriculture as part of a plan to rebuild parts of the country and revive the economy after a three-year war on IS. The government’s National Investment Commission published a list of 157 projects it will seek investment for at an International Conference for Reconstruction of ...

Bloomberg Narendra Modi pledged $40 million for economic development in the Palestinian territories, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to the West Bank. “We discussed regional and global developments that have a role in peace in the world and in the region,” Modi said on Saturday in Ramallah, where he appeared alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. ...

Bloomberg Itoham Foods Inc. the biggest exporter of Japan’s premium Wagyu beef, expects shipments to climb to a record as demand from Taiwan is set to triple and exports to Brazil may begin. The unit of Itoham Yonekyu Holdings Inc. predicts exports may increase to 2.9 billion yen ($26.6 million) in the year starting April 1 from 2.5 billion yen, ...

Bloomberg Vingroup JSC, Vietnam’s biggest property company by market value, is planning a spinoff of its luxury residential arm that could raise as much as $1 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said. The company’s Vinhomes unit, which offers serviced apartments and villas to residents in the country’s biggest cities, could sell shares as soon as the first half ...

Bloomberg The diamond industry has a size problem. Instead of splashing out on a ring or necklace featuring one big, bright diamond, shoppers are increasingly choosing pieces with several, smaller gems, which are often lower quality. And selling jewelry with smaller stones has been a good way for retailers to save money. As a result, the diamond content in jewelry ...

Bloomberg India’s wheat imports are set to surge as lower plantings and poor rain threaten output in the world’s biggest grower after China. Imports may total 3.5 million metric tons in the year from April 1, according analysts. That compares with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s estimate of 2.5 million tons for 2017-18. Output is seen falling to a three-year ...