Bloomberg Britain dodged a recession ahead of the now-postponed October 31 Brexit deadline, but investment is in a slump and the economy has lost almost all momentum. The economy grew 0.3% between July and September, avoiding a second straight quarter of contraction, the Office for National Statistics said. Still, the figures were weaker than expected and showed the economy had ...
Read More »Greece, China sign 16 deals in sectors including energy
Bloomberg Greece and China in Athens signed 16 agreements in sectors including energy, agriculture, tourism and ports. Chinese President Xi Jinping is on an official visit to Greece for follow-up meetings with Greek officials, after Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited China last week. At that time, the leaders said they wanted to expand relations between two of the world’s oldest civilisations. ...
Read More »ArcelorMittal to mothball S Africa plant to curb loss
Bloomberg ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd will mothball its Saldanha Works plant to curb losses, as raw-material costs and regulated prices mean the operation can no longer effectively compete in steel export markets. Saldanha, on South Africa’s west coast, will be placed on care and maintenance in the first quarter of 2020 and its domestic customers will be served from another ...
Read More »Hong Kong violence escalates with bullets, tear gas, man on fire
Bloomberg Hong Kong saw one of its most violent days since protests began in June, with clashes involving police and protesters leaving downtown paralysed, transportation networks hobbled and two men clinging to life. The chaos started on Monday when demonstrators, still angry after the first protest-related death last week, moved to disrupt the morning commute. A scuffle ensued outside a ...
Read More »Johnson on track for win, with majority on knife edge: Odds
Bloomberg If you listen to bookmakers, the central question in the UK general election is not whether Boris Johnson will win, but by how much. Johnson is the overwhelming favourite to remain as prime minister after the December 12 poll, according to bookmaker Paddy Power. At 3/1 on to lead the next government, punters would need to bet three pounds ...
Read More »Space war threats from China, Russia getting new US assessment
Bloomberg The US intelligence community is updating its assessment of space warfare capabilities of Russia and China as military commanders express concerns about advances in the adversaries’ ability to jam, ram or destroy satellites in orbit. Air Force General John Hyten requested the National Intelligence Estimate before he left his prior command at the US Strategic Command, and it “is ...
Read More »Bolivian president quits after army tells him to go
Bloomberg Evo Morales, South America’s longest-serving president and a towering figure for the region’s left-wing movements, resigned after election irregularities triggered weeks of violent clashes and intervention from the armed forces. Morales said he was leaving office to avoid violence, adding that he wouldn’t flee the country since he hadn’t stolen anything. He pointed to the economic progress of the ...
Read More »Trump impeachment inquiry to reshape 2020 presidential election
Bloomberg The start of public impeachment hearings in the House this week will push the race for the White House into a new phase, testing whether Democratic efforts to investigate President Donald Trump risk hurting the party in the 2020 election. Democratic front-runner Joe Biden will also be a central figure in the proceedings, which will challenge his political resilience. ...
Read More »Boris Johnson wants the hardest of EU trade deals
British voters are being hit over the head with the key message of Boris Johnson’s campaign for the December 12 election: In speeches and on posters and on campaign flyers is the promise that his government would “get Brexit done†quickly and move on to other things. The Conservative Party is in a hurry. Johnson’s team is promising that Brexit ...
Read More »Lagarde’s ‘agenda’ is a risk for the ECB
The Christine Lagarde-era at the European Central Bank (ECB) is barely a week old, but these first few days raise concern that her political agenda risks undermining trust in the institution. More specifically, Lagarde is expected to use the might of her new position to push through ideas that European elites prefer, such as closer fiscal coordination, but that broader ...
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