US-Korea alliance strained as Trump suspends ‘war games’

Bloomberg The US and South Korea have spent almost seven decades honing their preparedness for war. Now fears are growing among the alliance’s proponents that extended peace talks are eroding that advantage. Defense chiefs from the two nations will gather for an annual meeting in Washington on Wednesday facing a radically changed landscape after President Donald Trump’s decision to restart ...

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Joseph Kabila’s chosen successor lags in Congo presidential elections

Bloomberg Voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo prefer two opposition candidates over the ruling party’s entrant in presidential elections set to take place in December, according to an opinion poll. More than a third of the electorate back Union for Democracy and Social Progress leader Felix Tshisekedi in the vote, while 17 percent favor Union for the Congolese Nation ...

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Rebel leader returns to South Sudan

Bloomberg South Sudan’s main rebel leader committed to the latest deal to end a half decade of bloody civil war as he returned to the capital for the first time since fleeing violence more than two years ago. Former Vice President Riek Machar temporarily returned to Juba on Wednesday to take part in celebrations for a so-called “final, final” peace ...

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Trump turns focus to rally GOP post Kavanaugh saga

Bloomberg So much for the “Kavanaugh Bump.” Republicans now fear some of their voters are losing enthusiasm a week away from midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Outrage amid the Republican electorate over Democrats’ treatment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination has dissipated, Trump aides and Republican pollsters say. After last week’s mail-bomb scare and synagogue shooting, ...

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Merkel’s party fights over legacy with chancellor sidelined

Bloomberg Angela Merkel’s favoured successor to head her governing party is running into stiff competition in a race that will shape the German chancellor’s legacy. Her old nemesis Friedrich Merz is now a contender for the Christian Democratic Union’s chairmanship, raising the possibility that for the first time ever the leader of the Europe’s dominant economy will come from the ...

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US stocks rally to end painful month; dollar at 16-month high

Bloomberg US stocks rallied on the final day of one of the worst months of the bull market, as earnings from Facebook jolted tech shares higher. The dollar added to a 16-month high. The S&P 500 Index headed for the first back-to-back gains of October, paring its steepest monthly drop since 2011 to 7 percent. Strong earnings that had largely ...

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Traders see little hope in world’s worst stock market in October

Bloomberg For South Korean stock investors, a rebound did little to revive optimism. Sentiment among fund managers remains decisively negative as the benchmark Kospi Index heads for the world’s biggest monthly slide after entering bear territory last week. The nation’s equity market has lost more than $300 billion in value in about a month, with the benchmark dipping below the ...

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Oil poised for biggest monthly slide since 2016 on growth fears

Bloomberg Oil’s set for its biggest monthly drop since 2016 as the specter of a slowdown in the global economy haunts the market while US inventories grow and producers relay mixed signals. Futures in New York are poised for an 8.8 percent drop in October, following two months of gains. A global equity rout and an escalating US-China trade war ...

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India seeks $2bn from stake sale in largest coal miner

Bloomberg India will sell as much as 9 percent in monopoly miner Coal India Ltd. in a public offer starting on Wednesday, according to a regulatory filing by the country’s coal ministry. The federal government, which owns 78.55 percent in the world’s largest coal producer, will sell a 3 percent stake, or 186.22 million shares, with an option to sell ...

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Weaker China adds to risks of a synchronised global slowdown

Bloomberg China’s manufacturing sector worsened in October as the trade war hit home, adding to risks the global economy may be edging towards a synchronised slowdown. China’s official factory gauge missed estimates with a reading of 50.2 and its exports sub-index slumped to the lowest reading since early 2016. In other data released on Wednesday, Industrial output for September in ...

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