Bloomberg An opposition candidate in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the clear favourite to win Sunday’s presidential election if the long-awaited vote is free and fair, according to an opinion poll. Martin Fayulu, a former Exxon Mobil Corp. manager who heads an opposition alliance, had the support of 47 percent of those surveyed, according to results published by New ...

Bloomberg Iraqi lawmakers took offense at President Donald Trump’s surprise visit to US troops stationed there, with some of the most powerful groups in the Baghdad parliament urging a review of America’s military presence in the country. Trump made his first visit to troops in a combat zone as commander-in-chief on Wednesday, meeting with US soldiers at the Ain Al-Asad ...

Bloomberg Italian Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini dismissed media reports of a possible government reshuffle in which Finance Minister Giovanni Tria would resign in early January following a long tussle over the country’s budget. The idea of a cabinet revamp is “surreal and totally false,” Salvini, who leads the antimigration League, said in a statement sent by his office. “You don’t ...

Bloomberg A seventh Saturday of protests by France’s “Yellow Vests” began slowly, continuing a downward trend since weekly demonstrations began in mid-November over the cost of living and a lack of household purchasing power. French television showed images of several hundred protesters gathering in southwest Paris, with small numbers in the touristic centre and on the Champs-Elysees avenue, the scene ...

Bloomberg The US may be exporting natural gas at a record clip, but that hasn’t stopped it from accepting new imports. A tanker with fuel from Nigeria has berthed at the Cove Point import terminal in Maryland, while a second ship with Russian gas is idling outside Boston Harbor. Pipeline constraints, depleted stockpiles and a 98-year-old law barring foreign ships ...

Bloomberg If you ever needed convincing there’s money to be made investing in renewable energy companies, just look at the best performer this year on Europe’s main utilities index. As a torrid year for global markets draws to a close, Verbund AG almost tripled in value in 2018 and is beating all of its 27 peers to the top spot ...

Bloomberg Chesapeake Energy Corp shares rose the most in two years after board member Archie Dunham, former chief executive of ConocoPhillips’ predecessor company, bought more than $4 million in additional stock. Dunham purchased 2.1 million shares December 21, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, nearly doubling his position this month to over 1 percent of ...

Bloomberg The Mount Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia has shrunk to a third after a series of eruptions and a flank that collapsed triggered a tsunami a week ago that killed more than 400 people and injured several thousands. The height of the more than 90-year-old volcano has been reduced to about 110 metres from 338 metres after eruptions intensified ...

Bloomberg India will likely cut import duties on palm oil from next year in a boost to top growers in Indonesia and Malaysia, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Crude palm oil duties for Malaysia will be cut to 40 percent from 44 percent from January 1, while a levy on the refined variety will be reduced to ...

Bloomberg China is pushing ahead with a campaign to slash generic drug prices that has wiped out $46 billion in value from pharmaceutical companies since it was launched earlier this month. The government will expand a central procurement programme to more regions and more drugs, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said at a meeting of the National People’s Congress standing committee, ...