Bloomberg Malaysia’s former leader Najib Razak has pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption and criminal breach of trust in connection with a multibillion-dollar scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB. Appearing in the High Court on Wednesday, Najib was granted bail of 1 million ringgit ($247,000) and ordered to surrender his passports. He faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, ...
Read More »German SPD cites progress towards backing Merkel’s migration deal
Bloomberg Germany’s Social Democrats said they’re moving towards a possible deal with Chancellor Angela Merkel to back a policy shift on migration that avoided a breakup of her own party bloc. Differences remained after Merkel and her Bavarian sister party presented the updated refugee policy to the Social Democrats, her junior coalition partner, during a meeting in Berlin. The three ...
Read More »Ivory Coast to appoint new govt after cabinet resigns
Bloomberg Ivory Coast Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly will appoint a new cabinet after the government resigned as the main political alliance is increasingly divided over the nomination of its candidate in 2020 presidential elections. Coulibaly was immediately reappointed to his post and has been asked to form a government with members of the ruling Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy ...
Read More »Venezuela says China investing $250 million to boost oil output
Bloomberg Venezuela’s distressed oil sector may get some much needed financing from China, Finance Minister Simon Zerpa said after meetings with officials from China Development Bank and China National Petroleum Corporation. China Development Bank will invest more than $250 million to boost Venezuela oil production in the Orinoco Belt, Zerpa, who is currently in Beijing for bilateral talks, said in ...
Read More »Canadian oil set for gains with transport woes seen abating
Bloomberg Canadian oil prices are poised to continue their slow, steady march upward next year as shipping bottlenecks ease and US refiners look north to fill the gap created by decreasing output from Venezuela, according to Deloitte. Western Canada Select at the Hardisty hub will average C$53.35 this year and climb to C$54.55 a barrel next year, according to a ...
Read More »Sweden to reach renewables target 12 years early on wind surge
Bloomberg Swedish utilities and power generators have already installed so many wind turbines that the Nordic nation is on course to reach its 2030 renewable energy target late this year. By December, Sweden will have 3,681 wind turbines installed, lobby Group Swedish Wind Energy Association estimates. Together with second-half investment decisions, that will be more than enough capacity to meet ...
Read More »Madagascar turns to solar to cut energy costs
Bloomberg Madagascar’s state power utility may become profitable by 2020 as the nation builds more solar plants to cut electricity-production costs, Energy Minister Lanto Rasoloelison said. The government is overhauling the state-owned power company, known as Jirama, with World Bank help as it seeks to provide universal electricity access by 2030 in a country where less than one in seven ...
Read More »Micron’s China ban latest blow to chipmaking giants
Bloomberg The decision by a Chinese court to temporarily ban some sales by Micron Technology Inc. adds to a series of setbacks for the world’s chipmaking giants in their most important market. Micron, which has been caught up in dueling intellectual property lawsuits with United Microelectronics Corp., received a preliminary injunction from the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Fujian province ...
Read More »India’s Modi keeps pledge to boost crop prices to woo farmers
Bloomberg India raised purchase prices for crops such as cotton, soybeans and paddy rice to ensure farmers get at least 50 percent more than their production costs, a move toward fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge to double farm incomes by 2022. The minimum support price for monsoon-sown paddy rice for 2018-19 season was increased to 1,750 rupees ($26) per ...
Read More »Huawei pushes back as pressure on Chinese firms grows amid trade spat
Bloomberg Huawei Technologies Co. said a proposed ban on selling its gear to some US mobile providers isn’t lawful, pushing back against assertions it poses a risk as the Trump administration increases pressure on China over trade and national security. The Shenzhen-based networking giant’s presence in the US “has been artificially restricted by unfounded allegations and suspicions based solely on ...
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