NEW YORK / DUBAI / WAM The United Nations World Data Forum 2018 is set to kick off on October 22 in Dubai, bringing together nearly 2,000 data leaders from more than 100 countries. The data experts from national statistical offices, the private sector, NGOs, academia and international and regional organisations will gather from October 22-24 to collaborate and tackle ...
Read More »84 percent of Southeast Asia power plants ‘incompatible’
Bloomberg Almost 84 percent of Southeast Asia’s planned and existing fossil fuel power plants are incompatible with future scenarios that avoid catastrophic damage from climate change, according a new study from the University of Oxford. The report, which comes on the heels of a major United Nations-backed study of the impacts of global temperatures rising 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), ...
Read More »Warburg considering $3 billion Navitas sale
Bloomberg Buyout firm Warburg Pincus is considering a $3 billion sale of natural gas producer Navitas Midstream Partners LLC, people with knowledge of the matter said. Navitas has hired investment bank Jefferies Financial Group Inc. to run an auction process, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The company, which is ...
Read More »Russia to offer Exxon new oil, gas projects
Bloomberg Russia has started discussions with Exxon Mobil Corp. over possible new oil and gas projects, potentially creating a dilemma as the US government mulls more sanctions against the country. The consultations could expand existing cooperation between the US giant and state-run Rosneft PJSC, Russian government officials said, asking not to be named as the information isn’t public yet. The ...
Read More »WTO showdown looks harder to avoid as US, China, EU spar
Bloomberg The US, China and the European Union moved a few steps closer to a major clash at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that risks testing the global trade referee’s neutrality and President Donald Trump’s patience for an institution he already hates. In a volley of filings, the EU, China and the US this week escalated disputes over new US ...
Read More »Xi vows ‘unwavering’ support for private sector after China rout
Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed “unwavering†support for the country’s private sector, the latest response from Beijing to concern over the outlook for the economy. “Any words and practices that negate and weaken the private economy are wrong,†Xi said in a letter to private entrepreneurs, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. “Supporting the development of private enterprises is ...
Read More »Singapore, EU sign free trade, investment pacts
Bloomberg Singapore and the European Union (EU) signed free-trade and investment protection agreements in Brussels in a bid to improve bilateral business ties amid rising global trade conflicts. Singapore and the EU will remove tariffs, reduce technical barriers, and provide better opportunities in services and government procurement under the deals, the Singapore government said in a statement. The city-state will ...
Read More »SoftBank lines up $9bn loan for Vision Fund
Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp. has lined up commitments for a loan of about $9 billion for its massive Vision Fund, provided by banks including arrangers of its Japanese wireless business’s initial public offering, people with knowledge of the matter said. The IPO’s top underwriters, which include Nomura Holdings Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., are finalising terms of the loan ...
Read More »Australian jobless rate falls to lowest in 6 years
Bloomberg Australia’s jobless rate fell to the lowest in more than six years in September as fewer people sought work, suggesting the drop is unlikely to alter the Reserve Bank’s policy outlook. While unemployment fell from 5.3 percent to 5 percent — the level estimated by the central bank to signal full employment — the workforce participation rate declined to ...
Read More »Japan’s exports fall in wake of natural disasters
Bloomberg Japan’s exports unexpectedly fell in September — the first drop in almost two years — as natural disasters disrupted economic activity, while higher energy prices continued to feed gains in imports. While one-off events make it difficult to assess the impact of the US-China trade dispute, Japanese export growth has been slowing this year following double-digit expansion in 2017. ...
Read More »