January, 2023

• 13 January

  Tesla China plant expansion in doubt over Starlink concerns

  

    Bloomberg An expansion of Tesla Inc.’s plant in Shanghai has been delayed, according to people familiar with the matter, over data concerns that risk putting a roadblock in the way of the US electric-car maker’s ambition to keep growing in China. The so-called phase-three expansion originally slated to start mid-year would have seen the plant’s capacity double to around ...

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• 13 January

  Fosun weighs sale of Belgian firm IGI

    Bloomberg Fosun International Ltd. is weighing a sale of International Gemological Institute in a deal that could value the diamond-grading firm at about €200 million ($215 million), according to people with knowledge of the matter. The Chinese conglomerate is working with Deutsche Bank AG on the potential divestment of the Antwerp, Belgium-based institution, said the people, who asked not ...

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• 13 January

  Malaysia mulls halting palm oil exports to EU to oppose new rule

  

    Bloomberg Malaysia, the world’s second-biggest palm oil producer, will consider halting exports to the European Union in retaliation for the bloc’s new deforestation regulation, according to the country’s deputy prime minister. The regulation is an act to block market access for palm oil and Malaysia will discuss with Indonesia — the top producer and exporter — about the option ...

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• 12 January

  UK and EU aim for final deal to end Brexit clash in fresh talks

  

  Bloomberg The European Union and the UK are preparing to enter an intense phase of negotiations starting next week aimed at overcoming the dispute over the post-Brexit trading relationship well ahead of the anniversary of Northern Ireland’s peace agreement in April, according to people familiar with the matter. The aim is to move into a negotiating “tunnel” after UK foreign ...

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• 12 January

  Pentagon says policy on Taiwan Strait unchanged despite 2022 decline

    Bloomberg The US hasn’t changed its policy on sending Navy vessels through the Taiwan Strait, the Pentagon said, describing a decline in the number of transits last year as nothing out of the ordinary. “Many factors affect the planning and execution of these operations including ship and aircraft availability, other military operations and exercises both in the Indo-Pacific and ...

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• 12 January

  Australian PM pushes defense ties in Papua New Guinea

    Bloomberg Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used a historic address in Papua New Guinea to call for a “swift conclusion” to negotiations over a bilateral security agreement, in the latest move by Canberra to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific. In an address to Papua New Guinea’s Parliament on Thursday, Albanese praised the close historic ties between Australia and ...

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• 12 January

  Putin names new commander for war in Ukraine

  

    Bloomberg Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu changed the military leadership in Ukraine, appointing Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, as head of the nation’s combined forces. General Sergei Surovikin, who had held the post since October, will become one of Gerasimov’s deputies, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. Oleg Salyukov, chief of the land forces, ...

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• 12 January

  Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan ally wins confidence vote

    Bloomberg Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan ally won a confidence vote as chief minister in the Punjab Assembly, the latest electoral win for the popular opposition leader demanding early general elections. Chaudhry Parvez Elahi secured 186 votes from lawmakers in the 371-member house, speaker Muhammad Sibtain Khan announced the result in a session that lasted more than an ...

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• 12 January

  India moving some troops from sinking town near China border

  

    Bloomberg India has relocated some troops from areas surrounding a sinking Himalayan town that’s near a disputed border with China, Army Chief Manoj Pande said. Pande didn’t give details on how many soldiers would be moved away for safety but said over 20 military installations around the town of Joshimath in the northern state of Uttarakhand have sustained “medium ...

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• 12 January

  BOJ speculation jolts traders to renew wagers on policy changes

  

  Bloomberg Traders piled into bets on another hawkish pivot from the Bank of Japan (BOJ) following a report that the central bank will review the side effects of its policy as soon as next week. The yen gained more than 1% and Japanese bond futures slid after the Yomiuri newspaper said the BOJ will consider adjusting bond purchases or other ...

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