Bloomberg Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government’s resignation on Wednesday after increases in fuel prices led to clashes between protesters and police in central Asia’s largest energy producer. The unrest intensified even after Tokayev declared a state of emergency in and around the country’s largest city, Almaty, and the oil-rich Mangystau region. The declaration allows him to impose ...

  Bloomberg Australia and Japan will sign a “historic” treaty that will further strengthen defense and security cooperation during a virtual leaders’ summit on Thursday, in a move that could further inflame tensions with China. The agreement is the first of its type for Japan, other than with the US and the UN, and marks a step closer in a ...

  Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Beijing Winter Olympics venues a month before the games begin amid a worsening Covid-19 outbreak and diplomatic tensions with Western nations over human rights. He toured the National Speed Skating Oval, athletes’ village, and operations and media centers, according to state-run China Daily. Xi told event organizers that the Olympics would be considered ...

  Bloomberg The US Treasury sanctioned Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and his associated media outlet for engaging in destabilizing and corrupt activities that threaten to tear Bosnia-Herzegovina apart. “Dodik has undermined BiH institutions by calling for the seizure of state competencies and setting in motion the creation of parallel institutions in BiH’s Republika Srpska entity,” the Treasury said in ...

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden promised to “fight for fairer prices” for farmers and consumers as he announced plans to combat the market power of the giant conglomerates that dominate meat and poultry processing. “Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism, it’s exploitation,” Biden said. “That’s what we’re seeing in meat and poultry.” Biden joined Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Attorney General ...

  Bloomberg German joblessness continued to fall in December before the country tightened restrictions to ward off a wave of infections sparked by the omicron variant. Unemployment in Europe’s largest economy falls by 23,000, beating economists’ forecast for a drop of 15,000. The jobless rate slid to 5.2%. “The labour market developed well towards the end of the year,” said ...

  Bloomberg The French government said it will ease access to crisis funds and could delay loan repayments for businesses struggling with a drop in activity as the surge in omicron cases hits tourism and leisure activities. “We are standing by firms and workers in difficulty,” Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said after meeting with representatives of business groups. “This ...

  Bloomberg The surge in euro-area inflation that surprised policy makers in recent months is close to its peak, according to European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member Francois Villeroy de Galhau. A report on French consumer prices in December shows the first signs of stabilisation and the ECB expects upward pressures to fade through 2022, the French central bank ...

  Bloomberg Argentina extended an export ban on seven beef cuts until the end of 2023, doubling down on its unconventional approach to taming meat prices for local consumers. The government also prohibited exporters from shipping full cattle carcasses and half carcasses, among other categories, for the next two years. Argentine beef is part of the national identity, producing mostly ...

  Bloomberg The shift to remote work for high-paying jobs will accelerate this year, according to a new report, defying city officials who are desperate to bring workers back and reinvigorate their economies. More than a quarter of all professional positions in North America, largely concentrated in the US, will be fully remote by the end of this year, up ...