April, 2019

• 9 April

  Russia defends Artic military buildup, US warns

  Bloomberg Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended his country’s military buildup in the Arctic amid US warnings of rising tensions in the remote and energy-rich region. “We don’t threaten anyone. We ensure sufficient defense capabilities given the political and military situation around our borders,” Lavrov said during a panel at the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg. “We will always ...

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• 9 April

  New Kazakh president calls snap ballot

  

  Bloomberg Kazakhstan’s new president called snap presidential elections less than a month after he replaced leader-for-life Nursultan Nazarbayev in a carefully-choreographed transfer of power. “I’ve taken the decision to call early presidential elections” on June 9 after consultations with Nazarbayev, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a televised address to the nation. While the handover of power took place in a calm ...

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• 9 April

  Algeria names its interim president

  

  Bloomberg Algeria’s parliament on Tuesday named the head of its upper house as interim president, potentially placing the country’s tumultuous transition in the hands of a man widely seen as cut from the same cloth as the outgoing Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Abdelkader Bensalah’s nomination paves the way for the start of a transitional period after Bouteflika was forced to step down ...

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• 9 April

  May meets Merkel as Tories try to oust her

  

  Bloomberg Theresa May headed to Berlin as part of her efforts to win a short delay to Britain’s departure from the European Union, while at home some in her Conservative Party try to throw her overboard. EU diplomats are said to be settling on the idea of offering an extension to Britain despite the lack of progress at home. It ...

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• 9 April

  Hong Kong Occupy leader found guilty

  

  Bloomberg A Hong Kong court found democracy activist Benny Tai guilty for his role in organising the Occupy protests, the latest step in the China-backed government’s effort to punish leaders of demonstrations that rocked the former British colony almost five years ago. Tai, an associate law professor at the University of Hong Kong, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit ...

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• 9 April

  Libyan conflict could send oil prices soaring

  

  Just as its oil sector looked set to stage a recovery, Libya is heading back towards bloody chaos that puts output and exports at risk. A disruption to supplies from the North African country would hit European refiners and raise oil prices around the world. Libya – one of six Opec oil producers at risk of unintended output declines – ...

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• 9 April

  Ghosn affair bad news for hedge funds

  

  Activist investors are circling Japan Inc., creating momentum for change in the country’s boardrooms. While you’d hope that the Carlos Ghosn saga would help in that effort, it may in fact slow things down. The latest episode in Ghosn’s downfall came, as shareholders in Nissan Motor Co. voted to remove him as a director. The once legendary auto executive was ...

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• 9 April

  A weak euro does what a fractured ECB can’t

  The euro’s steady deterioration is the European Central Bank’s (ECB) saving grace. It buys policy makers more time to assess how dovish it needs to be — but they need to be careful not to fritter away this asset. The euro-area economy is decelerating rapidly, and it is the export-led nations that are suffering most. Keeping the currency from approaching ...

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• 9 April

  Nigeria needs growth to defuse poverty time bomb

  One of humanity’s most hopeful developments in recent decades has been the dramatic drop in extreme poverty. In 2000, some 1.4 billion people lived at or below the global poverty line of $1.90 a day. Today, the number is about 600 million. This remarkable change is mainly due to growth in China and India: Much of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria, ...

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• 9 April

  Remainers, be careful what Brexit you wish for

  

  The remainer side of the great Brexit divide might be tempted to feel a little smug right now. Things are finally looking up. It’s what lies around the corner that should scare them. There is almost no prospect of Britain leaving the European Union (EU) without a deal after last week’s dramatic parliamentary vote. Instead, Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May ...

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