January, 2020

• 21 January

  Trump limps into trial with GOP Senate in his corner

  

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial formally opened in the Senate on Tuesday, promising to shape his legacy, deepen the country’s political divisions and influence control of power in the nation’s capital for years to come. While the president faces little risk of removal from office by the Republican-led Senate, the trial may bring to life new details of Trump’s ...

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• 21 January

  China court sentences ex-Interpol boss Meng to 13.5 years in prison

  

  Bloomberg A Chinese court sentenced former Interpol president Meng Hongwei to 13.5 years in prison, more than a year after he went missing during a visit to his home country. Meng previously pleaded guilty to charges that he accepted bribes of 14.5 million yuan ($2.1 million) between 2005 and 2017. China had earlier removed him from his government post as ...

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• 21 January

  US, Taliban negotiators inch closer to peace deal

  Bloomberg The US and Taliban leaders are moving towards a peace deal that would see the eventual withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and an end to the 18-year long conflict, according to the militant group’s spokesman and a person in Washington familiar with the talks. It’s the second time in recent months the two sides have appeared close to ...

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• 21 January

  Thai court acquits opposition party over monarchy charge

  

  Bloomberg Thailand’s second-biggest opposition party escaped dissolution on Tuesday after being acquitted of seeking to oust the monarchy. The Constitutional Court in Bangkok ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to back up the accusation against the Future Forward party. The monarchy sits at the summit of power in Thailand and top royals are treated as semi-divine. Televised images showed the court ...

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• 21 January

  Tunisia attempts again to form government

  

  Bloomberg Tunisia’s president named a former finance minister to pull together a new government, in a fresh bid to build consensus in the North African nation battling deep political rifts and an ailing economy. Elyes Fakhfakh’s appointment is the latest bid by President Kais Saied to kick-start a stalled political reform after his earlier choice, Habib Jemli, was unable to ...

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• 21 January

  Guaido meets Pompeo in push to oust Maduro

  

  Bloomberg Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Bogota and was expectd to the World Economic Forum in Davos, as he rallies international backing for his campaign to oust president Nicolas Maduro. In Colombia, Guaido also received the renewed support of President Ivan Duque during a meeting at the presidential palace. They visited ...

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• 21 January

  Global economy likely to strengthen in 2020: IMF

  

  Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted the world economy will strengthen in 2020, albeit at a slightly slower pace than previously anticipated amid threats related to trade and tensions in the Middle East. Global growth will accelerate to 3.3% from 2.9% in 2019, marking the first pickup in three years, the fund said. Both figures are down compared with ...

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• 21 January

  BOJ leaves rates unchanged, raises growth forecasts

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Japan (BOJ) took a brighter view of the economy and left its main policy settings unchanged on Tuesday, offering a further indication that it is unlikely to add to its stimulus. As had been widely expected, the BOJ raised its growth projections for the first time in a year, thanks to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s $120 ...

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• 21 January

  Pound gains as jobs data hits BOE ‘rate cut’

  Bloomberg The pound advanced after the UK’s employment rate hit a record high, weakening the case for an imminent interest-rate cut. Sterling rose against all its Group-of-10 peers as the UK labour market figures ended a run of weak economic data. Money markets trimmed bets that the Bank of England (BOE) will lower borrowing costs on January 30 to around ...

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• 21 January

  ‘Palladium may surge to test $3,000, then slide’

  

  Bloomberg Palladium’s extraordinary rally has the potential for prices to go on and test $3,000 an ounce, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc’s Jeffrey Currie, who twinned that outlook with a clear warning that such peaks wouldn’t last for long as the record levels would cut into demand. “The upside potential is significant as the market is now in a ...

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