Sweden Sets Europe’s Security as Top Task for Its EU Presidency
Sweden has outlined Europe’s security as the primary task for its six-month presidency of the European Union from the start of next year.
Bloomberg Business
Barclays Plans £500 Million Investment in Green Startups by 2027
Barclays Plc plans to invest £500 million ($619 million) in climate-focused startups by 2027, as the lender targets $1 trillion of green financing by the end of the decade.
UK Inflation Eases More Than Expected From 41-Year High
UK inflation dipped from a 41-year high in November, raising the possibility that the worst of the cost-of-living squeeze is over.
Fine Wine Ponzi Scheme Accused Facing US Extradition Over Fraud
A senior executive who’s accused of lying about the size and vintage of his firm’s fine wine collection and who duped investors out of at least $99 million is facing extradition to the US over the alleged Ponzi scheme.
Oil Prices May Rally Next Year as Russian Exports Sink, IEA Says
Oil prices could rally next year as sanctions squeeze Russian supplies and demand beats earlier expectations, the International Energy Agency said.
South African Inflation at Five-Month Low Boosts Case for Smaller Rate Hike
South Africa’s inflation slowed to a five-month low in November, bolstering the case for a less aggressive interest-rate hike early next year.
China Gives Up Counting All Covid Cases After Mass Tests End
China will stop releasing comprehensive data on new Covid cases after the dropping of mandatory testing meant the numbers no longer reflected reality.
US to Add More Than 30 Chinese Companies to Trade Blacklist
The Biden administration plans to put Yangtze Memory Technologies and more than 30 other Chinese companies on a trade blacklist that would prevent them from buying certain American components, deepening tensions between the world’s two economic superpowers.
Philippines Says Chinese Vessels in Reef, Shoal ‘Great Concern’
The Philippines’ Department of National Defense said Wednesday it “views with great concern the reported swarming” of Chinese vessels in the Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.
Hong Kong Seeks to Prove It Can Still Be ‘Asia’s World City’
The beer is flowing again at Hong Kong’s Happy Valley Racecourse. Music pumps from clubs in the neon-streaked Lan Kwai Fong district. Even the Sevens — the annual rugby extravaganza that’s captured this city’s hyperkinetic lifestyle for decades — is back, finally.
