Trump visit angers Iraqi lawmakers, spurs ‘pullout call’

Bloomberg Iraqi lawmakers took offense at President Donald Trump’s surprise visit to US troops stationed there, with some of the most powerful groups in the Baghdad parliament urging a review of America’s military presence in the country. Trump made his first visit to troops in a combat zone as commander-in-chief on Wednesday, meeting with US soldiers at the Ain Al-Asad ...

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Salvini rules out reshuffle post ‘Tria report’

Bloomberg Italian Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini dismissed media reports of a possible government reshuffle in which Finance Minister Giovanni Tria would resign in early January following a long tussle over the country’s budget. The idea of a cabinet revamp is “surreal and totally false,” Salvini, who leads the antimigration League, said in a statement sent by his office. “You don’t ...

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French Yellow Vests protests continue

Bloomberg A seventh Saturday of protests by France’s “Yellow Vests” began slowly, continuing a downward trend since weekly demonstrations began in mid-November over the cost of living and a lack of household purchasing power. French television showed images of several hundred protesters gathering in southwest Paris, with small numbers in the touristic centre and on the Champs-Elysees avenue, the scene ...

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US gas imports up despite export boom

Bloomberg The US may be exporting natural gas at a record clip, but that hasn’t stopped it from accepting new imports. A tanker with fuel from Nigeria has berthed at the Cove Point import terminal in Maryland, while a second ship with Russian gas is idling outside Boston Harbor. Pipeline constraints, depleted stockpiles and a 98-year-old law barring foreign ships ...

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Green power is gold dust for utility investors

Bloomberg If you ever needed convincing there’s money to be made investing in renewable energy companies, just look at the best performer this year on Europe’s main utilities index. As a torrid year for global markets draws to a close, Verbund AG almost tripled in value in 2018 and is beating all of its 27 peers to the top spot ...

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Chesapeake Energy shares surge most in two years

Bloomberg Chesapeake Energy Corp shares rose the most in two years after board member Archie Dunham, former chief executive of ConocoPhillips’ predecessor company, bought more than $4 million in additional stock. Dunham purchased 2.1 million shares December 21, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, nearly doubling his position this month to over 1 percent of ...

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Indonesian volcano shrinks as collapse caused tsunami

Bloomberg The Mount Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia has shrunk to a third after a series of eruptions and a flank that collapsed triggered a tsunami a week ago that killed more than 400 people and injured several thousands. The height of the more than 90-year-old volcano has been reduced to about 110 metres from 338 metres after eruptions intensified ...

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India may cut duties on palm oil imports

Bloomberg India will likely cut import duties on palm oil from next year in a boost to top growers in Indonesia and Malaysia, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Crude palm oil duties for Malaysia will be cut to 40 percent from 44 percent from January 1, while a levy on the refined variety will be reduced to ...

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China to expand drug-buying plan to more cities

Bloomberg China is pushing ahead with a campaign to slash generic drug prices that has wiped out $46 billion in value from pharmaceutical companies since it was launched earlier this month. The government will expand a central procurement programme to more regions and more drugs, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan said at a meeting of the National People’s Congress standing committee, ...

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Philippines realty prices decline in Q3

Bloomberg Philippine home prices declined in the third quarter from the prior three months, reversing a short-lived rebound as interest rates increased. Housing values fell 0.6 percent quarter-on-quarter, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Prices rose 0.8 percent gain in the second quarter following a 0.9 percent decline in the first three months of the year. The central bank raised ...

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