October, 2018

• 3 October

  US threatens Russia it could ‘take out’ missiles in dispute

  

  Bloomberg The US warned that it could resort to strikes against a new class of Russian missile unless Moscow complies with its international commitments to arms reduction. NATO defense ministers on Wednesday were expected to discuss their concerns that Russia is building a medium-range ballistic missile in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, US Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison said. ...

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• 3 October

  Malaysia to charge ex-first lady with money laundering

  Bloomberg Malaysian prosecutors will charge the wife of former Prime Minister Najib Razak with money laundering on Thursday, three weeks after he faced new allegations linked to troubled state fund 1MDB. Rosmah Mansor was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon after a round of questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Deputy Chief Commissioner Azam Baki said by text message. He ...

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• 3 October

  May tells UK Conservatives end of austerity is in sight

  Bloomberg Prime Minister Theresa May promised austerity-weary Britons an end to years of public spending cuts, in a speech designed to paint a positive vision for the country outside the EU. “A decade after the financial crash, people need to know that the austerity it led to is over and that their hard work has paid off,” May told the ...

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• 3 October

  Pompeo to visit N Korea with eye on second Trump-Kim summit

  

  Bloomberg US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Pyongyang on Sunday to meet with Kim Jong Un and prepare for a second summit between the North Korean leader and President Donald Trump. The State Department’s announcement of Pompeo’s trip confirmed what he promised last week—a visit soon to “make the final preparations” for another summit. Pompeo, who would ...

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• 3 October

  Opposition gets first crack at ‘Swedish impasse’

  

  Bloomberg Sweden’s speaker of parliament gave Alliance opposition leader Ulf Kristersson the first attempt at forming a government to break the deadlock after last month’s inconclusive election. Kristersson will be given two weeks to gather support to become prime minister, Andreas Norlen, the speaker, said at a press conference in Stockholm. The situation needs to be “softened” and giving one ...

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• 3 October

  France’s Macron loses another minister as interior chief quits

  Bloomberg French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb quit late Tuesday, the second major minister to leave President Emmanuel Macron’s government in three months. Collomb, 71, had already announced he’d step down to return to local politics in his hometown of Lyon, though he’d originally indicated he’d stay in his post until next year. Collomb follows Nicolas Hulot, a popular television presenter ...

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• 3 October

  SoftBank offers free power to ISA states after 25-year deals

  

  Bloomberg SoftBank Corp. has pledged to provide free solar power from its projects in International Solar Alliance (ISA) countries after the developments recoup their initial investments. Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son told a conference on Wednesday in New Delhi that power from the projects will be free after the end of the initial 25-year power purchase agreements. The expected life of ...

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• 3 October

  Oil steadies near highest level in four years

  

  Bloomberg Oil steadied near the highest level in almost four years as fears of a supply crunch outweighed expectations for an increase in American crude inventories. Futures were trading around $75.50 a barrel in New York, up around 0.4 percent. Supply losses from Iran to Venezuela continued to rattle markets, boosting volatility and driving prices higher. The ongoing outlook for ...

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• 3 October

  Saudi’s Sipchem ink $2.2bn merger deal

  

  Bloomberg Saudi International Petrochemical Co. signed a non-binding agreement to acquire Sahara Petrochemical Co. in an all-share deal valued at just over $2 billion. Saudi International Petrochemical Co., or Sipchem, will issue each Sahara shareholder with 0.8356 new Sipchem shares, the companies said in statements on Wednesday. The deal is valued at about $2.2 billion, according to Tuesday’s closing price. ...

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• 3 October

  Indonesia weighing tax cut for bond investors to prop currency

  

  Bloomberg Indonesia is weighing proposals to cut the levy on gains from its sovereign bonds and extend tax breaks to exporters who will park their dollar earnings in local banks for a longer period as part of measures to shore up a weakening currency. Lower bond taxes could attract more inflows and help “deepen domestic financial markets,” Robert Pakpahan, director ...

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