December, 2019

• 29 December

  Mass evacuations urged as wildfires threaten Victoria

  

  Bloomberg Tens of thousands of holiday-makers and residents are being urged to evacuate a popular tourist spot in southeast Australia as a heatwave sweeping through the region threatens to escalate wildfires. In a televised appeal on Sunday, Victoria state’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp called on about 30,000 people vacationing around Lakes Entrance in the East Gippsland region to leave ...

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• 29 December

  Biden clarifies position on impeachment trial

  

  Bloomberg Former Vice President Joe Biden clarified his position on a suggestion he wouldn’t comply with a potential subpoena to testify at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate. “I have always complied with a lawful order and in my eight years as VP, my office — unlike Donald Trump and Mike Pence — cooperated with legitimate congressional oversight ...

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• 29 December

  Christmas storm kills 41 in Philippines, destroys homes

  Bloomberg Typhoon Phanfone killed at least 41 people when it slammed into the central Philippines on Christmas Eve, with dozens still injured or missing, according to the agency which oversees disaster response. The 21st cyclone to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year also damaged an estimated 1 billion pesos ($19.7 million) worth of crops and infrastructure, including more than ...

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• 29 December

  Labour’s leadership battle to deliver verdict on Corbynism

  

  Bloomberg The race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn is exacerbating divisions in the UK’s main opposition Labour Party, as former members of Parliament who lost seats this month demanded an “unflinching” review into why the leader’s message had proved such a turnoff among voters. “We need to be honest about why our outgoing leadership’s reflexive anti-Western world view was so unpopular, ...

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• 29 December

  Hong Kong economy set to shrink in Q4 amid unrest

  

  Bloomberg Hong Kong’s economy is set to contract in the fourth quarter as the city reels from six months of violent social unrest, the financial chief said on Sunday. “Based on the situation of these few months, it is inevitable that negative growth will continue,” Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in a blog post. “This means the government will be ...

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• 29 December

  Vietnam to punish firms for trade fraud in China-product probe

  

  Bloomberg Vietnam will punish four companies for fraudulent labels on products from China that the firms claim were made locally, as authorities expand their crackdown into Chinese manufacturers trying to bypass US tariffs. The unidentified companies, which assemble bicycles, electric bikes and wooden shelves, admitted to the violations, according to a government statement. Vietnam’s customs department is also investigating possible ...

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• 29 December

  S’pore goes on offensive to defend ‘fake news’ law

  

  Bloomberg Singaporean diplomats are taking the lead in defending a two-month-old fake news law, challenging international media outlets it says are publishing misleading claims on the contentious legislation. Since the law was enacted in October, authorities in the Southeast Asian city-state have invoked it four times against critics and once against Facebook Inc, which was required to attach a government-issued ...

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• 29 December

  China expands drug-buying programme to cut costs for patients

  

  Bloomberg China is expanding its generic drug-procurement programme to include an additional 33 drugs, pitting domestic and international drugmakers in a price war that could see Chinese players dominate. Less than three months after China went nationwide with a pilot bulk-buying programme for 25 medicines, the government on Sunday announced a second batch of 33 drugs treating everything from diabetes ...

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• 29 December

  Musk’s Tesla secures tax break from China

  Bloomberg Tesla Inc secured a tax break in China hours before the delivery of its first locally built cars, marking a major milestone for Elon Musk’s company as it pushes to expand in the world’s largest electric-vehicle market. The China-built Model 3 was included on a list of vehicles qualifying for an exemption from a 10% purchase tax in the ...

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• 29 December

  Sugar traders hold tight: India’s to roil markets again

  

  Bloomberg India may roil the global sugar market again as prospects for next year’s cane crop have brightened due to brimming reservoirs. Bountiful monsoon rains this year have led to above average water levels in reservoirs, which will in turn boost the amount of sugar cane that’s planted, according to industry and Indian government officials. Sugar output in the country ...

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