Ward: Business

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"There is reason to be optimistic, but also to be extremely cautious" over US-Ukraine peace talks

The U.S. has agreed to provide unspecified security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace deal to end Russia's nearly four-year war, U.S. officials said December 15 following the latest discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin. But although there is reason to be optimist about talk…

220

Benin jails 30 people with links to thwarted coup attempt, legal sources say

Benin on Tuesday jailed around 30 people, most of whom were soldiers, linked to an attempt to oust President Patrice Talon, legal sources said. The attempted coup was defeated by loyalist army forces with the help of the Nigerian air force and French special forces.

429

India’s December Manufacturing Activity Cools as US Talks Drag

India’s economic activity eased in December, a flash survey by HSBC Holdings Plc showed, as President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs continue to weigh on labor-intensive industries.

219

Chile's president-elect close to other far-right leaders "culturally and ideologically"

Chile has just elected its first far-right leader, Jose Antonio Kast, since the fall of the dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1990. The arch conservative politician was elected on an anti-crime and anti-immigration platform, which won over 60% of voters. But "Kast has also been leading the fight against …

320

After a year of Trump, EU leaders begrudgingly learn to live with the reality of an unreliable ally

European Union leaders are gathering this week at the end of political year dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump

228

Mapping U.S. strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific

An ongoing record of U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since Sept. 2.

319

Mexico’s tariffs on China show the rise of Trump’s trade template

Such measures wouldn’t be necessary if Beijing ran anything like a normal, balanced economy

240

Radical right grows in South America as Chile elects its most right-wing leader since Pinochet

José Antonio Kast was elected Chilean president on December 14, the first far-right leader in the country since the fall of Augusto Pinochet in 1990. An ultraconservative, the 59-year-old won 58% of the popular vote, with the moderate communist Jeannette Jara, supported by a broad leftist coalition,…

244

Jimmy Lai case shows how China is rewriting Hong Kong’s history

The judges convicted Lai of colluding with foreigners to boost the pro-democracy movement. Donald Trump’s name is mentioned 195 times in their verdict.

331

Trump urges China’s Xi to free jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai

Trump appeals to Chinese leader Xi Jinping after Jimmy Lai convicted under Hong Kong’s national security law.

210

Tsarist warriors revival: Putin sends Cossacks to Ukraine’s front lines

Once prized fighters under the Tsars, Russia’s Cossack population was ostracised by authorities during the Soviet era. Under President Vladimir Putin, they have reintegrated into Russian society, acting as a supplementary police force and restoring their military status on the front lines in Ukraine…

222

Japan lifts its megaquake advisory but urges caution a week after magnitude 7.5 temblor

Japan is lifting a megaquake advisory for the country’s northeastern coast, a week after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off northern Japan that officials said had caused an increased risk of another major quake

213

Conservative Kast's victory in Chile suggests a hard-right, pro-Trump surge across Latin America

Chile has become the latest country in Latin America to veer toward the right, electing a deeply conservative veteran politician who has long attracted comparisons to Donald Trump

217

Malaysia PM Says Will Make Special Cabinet Announcement Tuesday

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he would announce new members of his cabinet at 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

122

Peace plans ready to be presented to Russia in days, says Zelenskyy

US says talks with Ukraine in Berlin have resolved 90% of difficult issues – but no sign Putin willing to compromiseEurope live – latest updatesVolodymyr Zelenskyy says proposals negotiated with US officials on a peace deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine could be finalised within days, after which A…

229

Why a Bollywood spy film sparked a political storm in India and Pakistan

Thriller starring Ranveer Singh has raised eyebrows over its portrayal of tensions between the two countries.

121

"Quite a buffet": U.S. ready to seize more tankers with Venezuelan oil

The U.S. is preparing to seize more sanctioned oil-filled tankers off Venezuela as the Trump administration opens a new phase of its pressure campaign on Nicolas Maduro's regime, officials tell Axios.That new phase also could soon include "land strikes on Venezuela," President Trump said Friday.Why …

208

Bondi terrorist attack lobs a grenade into an already febrile world

American gun lobbyists quickly hijacked the Sydney massacre for their own political purposes, as did anti-immigration activists – in a harbinger of what’s to come.

111

USA: Military carries out strike on three vessels in Pacific

Strikes on three alleged narco-trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed eight people on Monday, according to the US military, as part of an ongoing campaign that has ended more than 90 lives.

128

M23 rebels agree to US request for withdrawal from city in DR Congo

M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, on Tuesday agreed to withdraw from the city of Uvira in eastern DRC following a request from US mediators. The group said its withdrawal was a gesture to give the ongoing peace process between Rwanda and DRC a chance to succeed.