January, 2018

• 9 January

  May’s weakness resurfaces as cabinet reboot falls into chaos

  

  Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s attempt to give her government a 2018 reboot was marred by a chaotic cabinet reshuffle as senior ministers refused to follow her orders. It’s a development that bodes ill for her ability to successfully navigate the next, even trickier stage of Brexit talks. May’s office flagged the events as “a refresh” of her top ...

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• 9 January

  Jordan arrests 17 in foiled IS attack plot

  AMMAN / Reuters Jordan said it had foiled an IS plot that included plans for a series of attacks last November on security installations, shopping malls and moderate religious figures, state media reported. State news agency Petra said the country’s intelligence department had arrested 17 members of a cell and confiscated weapons and explosives that the militant group had planned ...

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• 9 January

  1 killed in Tunisia protests over price rise, tax hike

  TUNIS / Reuters One person was killed during clashes between security forces and protesters in a Tunisian town, the government said, as demonstrations over rising prices and tax increases spread in the North African country. A man was killed during a protest against government austerity measures in Tebourba, 40 km (25 miles) west of Tunis, the interior ministry said in ...

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• 9 January

  North Korea to send delegation to Olympics

  

  Bloomberg North Korea said it would send a high-level delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month while expressing a desire to resolve issues on the divided peninsula through dialogue and negotiations. Kim Jong Un’s regime plans to send officials, athletes, a cheering squad, art performers, observers, martial artists and reporters to the Games, South Korea Vice Unification ...

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• 9 January

  Iranian oil tanker still burns as winds, high waves lash rescuers

  BEIJING / Reuters Lashing winds, high waves and toxic gases are hindering dozens of rescue boats struggling to locate missing sailors from a stricken oil tanker in the East China Sea and to extinguish a fire that has burned for the past three days on the ship. The poor conditions, with strong winds, rain and waves as high as 3 ...

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• 9 January

  Fake news risks plaguing Brazil elections

  

  Bloomberg Brazil’s combination of political polarization and passion for social media offers fertile ground for fake news in the run-up to this year’s elections, leading fact checkers have warned. Claire Wardle, a Harvard fellow and the director of an organization that coordinated fact-checking efforts during the French and UK elections, said political division combined with widespread use of WhatsApp, a ...

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• 9 January

  Pence set to visit Egypt, Jordan, Israel this month

  

  WASHINGTON / Reuters US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Egypt, Jordan and Israel from January 20 to 23, the White House said, embarking on a tour originally planned for last month after President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Pence will hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Israeli Prime Minister ...

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• 9 January

  Investors should heed the warning from Treasuries

  

  US equities responded to the Trump presidency with euphoria. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 25 percent in 2017, becoming one of the best-performing global asset classes. It was a different story with US Treasuries: The yield on 10-year notes fell slightly from 2.44 percent at the end of 2016 to close 2017 at 2.41 percent. And the spread in ...

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• 9 January

  Beijing’s big yuan ambitions

  

  As 2018 gets underway, China seems to be on top again. The yuan has strengthened 6.8 percent against the dollar over the past 12 months and foreign-exchange reserves are growing. Not so fast. Remember November 2015, when the International Monetary Fund — with some fanfare — agreed to add the yuan to its prestigious special drawing rights currency basket. Talk ...

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• 9 January

  Five things to watch on the global energy front

  

  Five events from the previous year hold clues to what lies ahead for energy, technology and finance. Electric buses just keep on going: The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen has amassed a total of 16,359 electric buses, making its fleet bigger than the six largest North American combustion-bus fleets. Cities keep a close eye on their vehicle fleets: The Lion ...

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