January, 2020

• 14 January

  UAE Minister of Culture meets Japan’s first lady

  

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, has received Akie Abe, wife of the Prime Minister of Japan, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, who paid a visit to learn about the UAE’s efforts to promote its culture and values. Al Kaabi briefed Abe on the UAE’s ...

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• 14 January

  Libya civil war ceasefire talks in Russia fall apart

  

  Bloomberg Talks to end Libya’s civil war broke down after the commander leading the assault on the capital, Tripoli, rejected a proposed truce agreement, throwing open the door to a possible renewal of fighting and deeper foreign intervention. It wasn’t clear what military leader Khalifa Haftar objected to, but his rival, Libya’s United Nations-recognised prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj, had demanded ...

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• 14 January

  Trump planning first India visit in February

  

  Bloomberg US President Donald Trump is planning his maiden India visit in February, an official said, in a trip that may coincide with an impeachment trial that is likely to get underway in Washington next week. The two countries are in touch to work out mutually convenient dates for the visit, according to a senior Indian government official, who asked ...

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• 14 January

  Iran makes arrests linked to jet disaster

  Bloomberg Iran said it’s arrested a number of people linked to the January 8 downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet, and the country’s president called on the judiciary to form a special court and fully investigate the disaster. Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that while US policies towards the Islamic Republic were the root cause of the mistake, that didn’t ...

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• 14 January

  Erupting Philippine volcano forces thousands more to flee

  

  Bloomberg A lock-down is being implemented by police in three towns in the Philippines near an erupting volcano, 40 miles (65 kilometres) south of capital Manila, to prevent residents from returning home as heavy ash fall and tremors continue in the area. More than 38,000 persons are currently staying in evacuation centres due to the Taal volcano’s eruption, the disaster ...

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• 14 January

  Trump impeachment defense remains work in progress

  

  Bloomberg Donald Trump’s impeachment trial is expected to begin next week, but the president has yet to settle on either his defense strategy or the team that will represent him in the Senate. Trump has sent conflicting signals about key aspects of the Senate trial, including how long it should last and whether witnesses should testify. He is still considering ...

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• 14 January

  Khodorkovsky was denied right to fair Russian trial: Court

  

  Bloomberg Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Russian businessman who spent nearly a decade in prison in Russia on what he said were politically motivated charges by the Kremlin, won a second victory at Europe’s top human rights court. The Russian trial judge’s refusal to “allow the defense to examine prosecution and defense witnesses and to submit important expert or exculpatory evidence” violated ...

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• 14 January

  Xi strikes optimistic tone after riding out trade war with US

  

  Bloomberg With China on the verge of signing a deal with Donald Trump to defuse a nearly two-year trade war, Xi Jinping is exuding confidence. After he warned last year about threats to Communist Party rule and “changes unseen in 100 years,” Xi began 2020 touting “extraordinary Chinese splendour and Chinese strength.” “In the face of severe and complex domestic ...

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• 14 January

  India opens antitrust probe into Amazon, Walmart’s Flipkart

  

  Bloomberg India’s Competition Commission has opened an antitrust probe into Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc’s Flipkart Online Services Pvt, over exclusive arrangements between the retailers and mobile phone brands and preferential treatment given to some sellers. A complaint by a New Delhi-based traders’ body cited “instances of several vertical agreements between Flipkart with their preferred sellers on the platform” and ...

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• 14 January

  South Korea to rein in surging property prices

  Bloomberg South Korean leader Moon Jae-in ramped up his commitment to rein in rising property prices on Tuesday, pledging an “endless” stream of stronger measures if soaring housing prices in some neighbourhoods don’t cool. “Excess liquidity and low rates around the globe are behind the rise in property prices, drawing speculative money into real estate and causing large price jumps ...

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