March, 2019

• 6 March

  Armed soldiers abort plan to enter Venezuela by force

  

  Bloomberg Late last month, as US officials joined Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido near a bridge in Colombia to send desperately needed aid to the masses and challenge the rule of Nicolas Maduro, some 200 exiled soldiers were checking their weapons and planning to clear the way for the convoy. Led by retired General Cliver Alcala, who has been living ...

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• 6 March

  White House calls on Ukraine to dismiss its anti-graft prosecutor

  

  Bloomberg The US urged Ukraine to dismiss its anti-corruption prosecutor and revive efforts to tackle graft, signaling displeasure at the government’s current course from its biggest international backer. The US embassy in Kiev, the capital, said that Nazar Kholodnytskyi should be fired, legislation should be passed to replace the recent removal of punishments for illegal enrichment and 31 judges whose ...

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• 6 March

  Another defeat stalks May’s revised Brexit deal

  

  Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Theresa May could be on course for another Brexit defeat in Parliament as her chief whip warned he wasn’t confident he had the numbers. Julian Smith is the man charged with trying to rustle up enough support for her divorce package from the European Union — and he told her top ministers that the vote next ...

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• 6 March

  Ailing Bouteflika deepens Algeria turmoil

  

  Bloomberg Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s health has reportedly deteriorated, deepening the uncertainty over his push for a fifth term in office that’s triggered unprecedented mass protests in the OPEC member state. The 82-year-old Bouteflika’s neurological reflexes have worsened and he requires constant care at the Geneva university hospital, Swiss daily Tribune de Geneve reported Wednesday. The development adds a new ...

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• 6 March

  US sanctions renewal unjustified: Zimbabwe

  Bloomberg Zimbabwe’s ruling party slammed US President Donald Trump’s decisions to extend sanctions against the country, saying the government has implemented sufficient political reforms to merit a repeal. Trump extended penalties first imposed on Zimbabwe in 2003 for another year, saying the actions and policies of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government pose a threat to US foreign policy. The announcement followed ...

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• 6 March

  Three things Trump can do to keep economy humming

  

  President Donald Trump promised to hit 3 percent growth in 2017 — and the economy just barely made it, according to figures released last week. To keep it going, the administration is going to have to change its approach on the three main issues that will drive future growth: trade, taxes and immigration. The biggest drag on growth came from ...

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• 6 March

  Europeans are leaving UK ‘poorer’

  

  Even before Britain has left Europe, Europeans are leaving Britain. The latest figures confirm the trend: Since the 2016 Brexit referendum, net migration from European Union (EU) countries into the UK has been declining, while that from non-EU members has been climbing. But the most striking of the figures published last week are those showing that more central and eastern ...

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• 6 March

  Change is good, even for insurance companies

  After searching far and wide for a new CEO for the past five months, Aviva Plc is sticking with a familiar face: on Monday, it named a 26-year company veteran as its new boss. More of the same may be just what the British insurer needs, but changing investors’ negative view of that strategy could require time. It’s a luxury ...

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• 6 March

  China’s bond market frenzy may end badly

  Last August, when a paramilitary group almost became the first default among local government financing vehicles, few would have thought that another asset frenzy was afoot in China. Yet off-budget local government debt is having a fun ride. After that scare, yields for AA rated, three-year bonds issued by local government financing vehicles compressed to 3.9 percent from about 5 ...

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• 6 March

  UK inequality is running deeper than you think

  

  From left to right, British politicians have taken one particular issue to heart. “When it comes to opportunity we won’t entrench the advantages of the fortunate few, we will do everything we can to help anybody,” said Theresa May in her maiden speech as prime minister in July 2016. Since becoming Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn has lambasted “grotesque” disparities that ...

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