Bloomberg The former members of a dissolved Thai opposition political party said they will carry on trying to block the military government’s effort to retain power in the general election. Using the umbrella term “Moving Forward for Democracy,†the ex-leaders of Thai Raksa Chart said they will campaign publicly for the full restoration of democracy in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. ...
Read More »Russia trolls change tack to disrupt US vote
Bloomberg Russian internet trolls appear to be shifting strategy in their efforts to disrupt the 2020 US elections, promoting politically divisive messages through phony social media accounts instead of creating propaganda themselves, cybersecurity experts say. The Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency may be among those trying to circumvent protections put in place by companies including Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. to ...
Read More »Venezuela’s ex-VP charged in US for evading sanctions
Bloomberg Venezuela’s Minister of Industry and National Production was charged with violating a US law targeting foreign drug traffickers with sanctions by using private jets supplied by American companies. Prosecutors claim Tareck Zaidan el Aissami Maddah and his business partner, Samark Lopez Bello, broke the law by taking the flights, including one on February 23 from Russia to Venezuela. El ...
Read More »Nigerians elect powerful governors amid fears of violence
Bloomberg Nigerians began voting on Saturday for state governors and assemblies in an election that the military said may be threatened by violence. The balloting in 29 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in Africa’s biggest oil producer is the second round of general elections that saw President Muhammadu Buhari win a new and final four-year term ...
Read More »Possible China-US gas supply deal predates trade war talks
Bloomberg A new gas supply deal between the US and China that’s expected to be part of a broader trade agreement has been in the works since before the trade war began and was put on ice after tensions flared, according to people with knowledge of the matter. A deal between Cheniere Energy Inc. and China’s Sinopec, expected to be ...
Read More »Crescent Point takes $2 billion writedown
Bloomberg Crescent Point Energy Corp., the Canadian oil driller that fended off an activist investor last year, wrote down the value of its assets by C$2.73 billion ($2 billion) and is putting more holdings on the block as its new chief executive officer targets core operations. The after-tax writedown reflects the fair value of its assets, many of which were ...
Read More »China warns US that trade deal enforcement must be ‘two-way’
Bloomberg The enforcement mechanism for a prospective deal to end the trade war between China and the US must be “two way, fair and equal,†according to Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen. Speaking on Saturday at a press conference in Beijing, Wang said he “feels hopeful†about the prospects for the negotiations, which are nearing completion amid pressure from US ...
Read More »Australian shipment delays cut China’s coal imports by 42%
Bloomberg China’s coal imports in February tumbled 42 percent from the prior month as the world’s top buyer stalled custom clearances of shipments from Australia, sparking speculation it was retaliating politically against one of its biggest suppliers. Shipments dropped to about 630,036 tons a day from 1.08 million in January, which was the highest since 2014, according to Bloomberg calculations ...
Read More »Arcelor wins access to India market as Essar bid gets nod
Bloomberg A bankruptcy court approved ArcelorMittal’s offer to buy Essar Steel India Ltd., taking the world’s largest steelmaker closer to opening shop in the South Asian nation after months of court battles. The National Company Law Tribunal approved the resolution plan submitted by ArcelorMittal and partner Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp., according to ArcelorMittal ’s lawyer Ruby Ahuja. The ...
Read More »Sri Lanka’s $2.4bn bond sale to cover debt issues
Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s success in tapping the overseas bond market for $2.4 billion will help the island nation cover its debt obligations for this year and lift foreign reserves, Central Bank Deputy Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. Sri Lanka’s currency is also likely to continue to appreciate in 2019 after falling to record lows in 2018 amid a political crisis, due ...
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