January, 2022

• 17 January

  US warns of Russia false-flag moves to justify Ukraine war

  

    Bloomberg The Biden administration warned Russian actors are preparing potential sabotage operations against their own forces and fabricating provocations in social media to justify an invasion into Ukraine if diplomacy fails. As part of the plan, President Vladimir Putin’s government has prepositioned operatives trained in urban warfare and in using explosives, possibly to carry out acts of sabotage against ...

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• 17 January

  Ukraine: Belarus-linked hackers may be behind multiple cyberattacks

    Bloomberg Hackers linked to the Belarusian security service may be behind last week’s cyberattack against Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian official. The former Soviet nation endured a mass cyberattack at several of its ministries and public services on Friday. Preliminary findings show that a group of hackers known as UNC1151 from Russian ally Belarus may have led the operation, ...

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• 17 January

  Manila says Suu Kyi must be part of Myanmar peace talks

    Bloomberg Aung San Suu Kyi must be involved in Myanmar’s peace process, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said in a statement that condemned the sentencing of the deposed leader to another four years in prison. “Suu Kyi is indispensable in a democratic restoration that will pose no threat of anarchy, dissolution, and civil conflict,” Locsin said Sunday. He echoed ...

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• 17 January

  UK Labour leader Starmer says Johnson broke law and lied

  

    Bloomberg Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Sunday that he believes Prime Minister Boris Johnson “broke the law and lied,” regarding parties at No 10 Downing Street held during national coronavirus lockdowns. “The prime minister has degraded the office of Prime Minister and has lost all authority not only within his own party but with the whole country,” Starmer ...

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• 17 January

  Serbia votes on independence of judiciary in overture to EU

  

    Bloomberg Serbia may take a step closer to joining the European Union on Sunday, when voters in the Balkan nation will decide on whether to change the constitution to create a more independent judiciary in line with the 27-member bloc’s standards. Shielding judges and prosecutors from political influence is a key step in aligning the former Yugoslav republic’s laws ...

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• 17 January

  Ex-minister jumps into French presidential race

  

    Bloomberg Christiane Taubira, who served as justice minister in the last Socialist government, formally announced her intention to run for president in an already crowded race. “I am a candidate,” Taubira said in a speech in Lyon, weeks after first touting a possible plan to run. “I have been meeting with the French, with you, in your daily lives. ...

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• 17 January

  JPMorgan falls most since 2020 on plan for big spending hike

  

    Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co falls the most since 2020 after the company said compensation and other costs jumped in the fourth quarter ahead of an expected surge this year. Expenses in the last three months of 2021 rise 11% from a year earlier, and the firm said to expect them to rise to about $77 billion this year ...

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• 17 January

  HDFC Bank’s Q3 profit up 18% on loan growth

  

    Bloomberg HDFC Bank Ltd.’s profit rises in the third quarter, beating estimates, helped by loan growth and improved asset quality as consumer demand picked up. Net income stood at INR 103.4 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) rupees for the quarter ending December compared with 87.6 billion rupees a year ago. That beat the average estimate of 101.4 billion rupees by ...

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• 17 January

  BOK flags more rate hikes to come over inflation fears

  

    Bloomberg Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol signalled the likelihood of more interest rate increases to come following the hike, as the central bank clearly put inflation concerns ahead of uncertainties over Covid-19. Even though the key policy rate, now at 1.25%, is back at pre-pandemic levels, Lee said it was at an accommodative level, adding that another hike ...

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• 17 January

  Citi to sell Southeast Asian assets in $3.6 billion deal

  

    Bloomberg Citigroup Inc. agreed to sell consumer-banking businesses in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam to United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB) for about S$4.9 billion ($3.6 billion) as Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser continues her push to simplify the New York-based bank. UOB will pay Citigroup a cash consideration for the net assets of the acquired businesses plus a premium ...

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