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☆ Toyota has been rocked by a string of scandals — but analysts are unfazed
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A sign is displayed outside a Toyota Motor Corp. dealership on Jan. 30, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized Monday for massive cheating on certification tests for seven vehicle models as the automaker suspended production of three of them. Toyota took the crown with 10.7% market share, while Germany's Volkswagen came in second with a 6% market share. But for Toyota, the top automaker by market share in the world, the latest safety scandal is not the first time it's being investigated for false test data. In April last year, Daihatsu said it had rigged side-collision safety tests carried out for 88,000 small cars, most of those sold as Toyotas.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, Tomohiro Ohsumi, Germany's Volkswagen, that's, Toyota —, Suzuki, Toyoda, Hino Organizations: Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota, Getty, Germany's, Honda, country's Ministry of Land, Transport, Mazda, Suzuki Motor, Yamaha Motor, Corolla Fielder, Corolla, Daihatsu, Citi Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Infrastructure, Tourism

☆ Arrests of Russian generals and officials raises questions about Putin's war machine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Five senior figures in Russia's defense establishment have been arrested on corruption charges. The arrests follow the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defense minister. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementIt began with Timur Ivanov, Russia's then-deputy defense minister, who was arrested after being accused of taking bribes "on a particularly large scale."

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, —, Timur Ivanov, Russia's, Yuri Kuznetsov, Andrey Kozyrev, Boris Yeltsin, Putin, Foreman Organizations: Russia's MOD, Service, Kremlin, Business Locations: Moscow, Cyprus

☆ Russia's creeping advance is costing it 1,200 soldiers a day: Western intel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The assessment attributes the elevated casualty rate to Russia's brutal ongoing offensive, noting that Russia's ability to replenish its units is stretched thin due to its consistent losses. According to Friday's intel from the UK Ministry of Defense, the average number of Russian personnel casualties was over 1,200 a day in May, the highest number reported since the war began. The ministry also said the total number of killed or wounded Russian soldiers since the February 2022 invasion is likely at 500,000. It's likely also the result of Russia rushing relatively inexperienced and untrained soldiers into battle, often in bloody head-on assaults. But Russia's high casualties also prevents it from training more capable units and keeping a majority of its troops in battle long enough to gain experience.

Persons: —, Stepanov, ISW, Oleksandr Syrskyi Organizations: Service, Business, intel, UK Ministry of Defense, Getty, Institute for, Washington DC, Ukrainian Locations: Russia, Kharkiv, AFP, Ukraine's, Washington, Ukraine, Ukrainian

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia says China could hold peace talks; Ukraine thanks Sweden for $1.2 billion in military aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A dormitory of the Novokramatorsk Machine-Building Plant is heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike on May 29, 2024 in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested on Thursday that China could hold peace talks to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, praising Beijing for its "constructive approach." His comments come shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged U.S. President Joe Biden to attend a peace summit in Switzerland in mid-June. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has thanked Sweden for donating a military support package worth 13 billion kronor ($1.2 billion). "Today we are grateful to Sweden: there is a new and very significant military package for our warriors," Zelenskyy said Wednesday during his daily evening address.

Persons: Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, Rossiya, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Zelenskyy Organizations: Russian, Foreign, U.S Locations: Russian, Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, China, Beijing, Switzerland, Sweden

☆ ‘We have to do what we have to do’: Israel’s Netanyahu stands firm on Rafah offensive despite U.S. tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged tensions with historical ally the U.S. over the military offensive in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, but stood firm that the operation is required to protect Israeli security. But we have to do what we have to do," Netanyahu said Wednesday, in an interview with CNBC's Sara Eisen. Over 1,200 people have been killed in Israel since October, according to Israel's prime minister's office. Meanwhile, more than 35,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian health ministry's latest official count. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Washington could not endorse a Rafah military incursion in the absence of a "credible" plan to safeguard civilians.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, CNBC's Sara Eisen, Israel, Antony Blinken, Josep Borrell Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, NBC's, U.S . State Department Locations: U.S, Rafah, Gaza, Israel, United States, Washington, Hamas, Kerem Shalom

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Conflict reaches day 800, Russia says it curbed Ukrainian attacks overnight
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Russia-Ukraine war reached day 800 on Friday, crossing another milestone in the ongoing conflict as the battle continues with no resolution appearing imminent. A spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry late on Thursday reiterated that Russia would not take part in the peace summit that is set to be held in June in Switzerland. The Swiss government said Thursday that Russia has not been invited. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry on Friday said it had thwarted attacks from Ukraine overnight, with its air defence systems destroying six drones, according to a post by the ministry on Telegram. Five drones were intercepted over the Belgorod region at the border of Russia and Ukraine, while one was destroyed over Russian-occupied Crimea on the Black Sea, according to a Google-translation of the post.

Persons: Maria Zakharova Organizations: CNBC Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Swiss, Belgorod, Crimea

☆ China's policy to boost demand by $700 billion will have a 'bigger and bigger' impact, official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China's latest policy to boost demand will soon have a greater effect on growth, a top official at the economic planning agency told reporters Thursday. "We believe this work will achieve bigger and bigger results," he said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. He noted that equipment upgrades account for 9% to 10% of total GDP. 'Strong' central government fiscal supportIn terms of fiscal funding for those upgrades, Zhao said the central government would provide "strong support." Part of the equipment upgrade and consumer trade-in policy also focuses on improving standards for the kinds of products that can be used.

Persons: That's, Zhao Chenxin, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Zhao, Bruce Pang, Fu Jinling, Fu, Francoise Huang, We're, JLL's Pang, Shan Zhongde Organizations: Visual China, Getty, BEIJING, National Development, Reform Commission, CNBC, Analysts, People's Bank of, Allianz Trade, Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Commerce, State Administration, Market, China's Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Global Locations: Qingzhou, Weifang City, Shandong Province, China, oversupply, Beijing, JLL, People's Bank of China

☆ Meet the woman who engineered Russia's wartime economy and helped secure another term for Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russian central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina has played a key role in stabilizing Russia's sanctions-hit economy. It's also aimed at the woman behind him: Elvira Nabiullina, the country's central bank governor, who plays a chief role in keeping Russia's wartime economy ticking. At the time, she was the first woman to lead a Group of Eight, or G8, central bank. In 2015, Euromoney, a finance trade publication, named Nabiullina Central Bank Governor of the Year. In December, she issued a warning that Russia's economy was at risk of overheating.

Persons: Elvira Nabiullina, —, Putin, It's, Nabiullina, Daniel McDowell, McDowell, wined, Christine Lagarde, Nabiullina —, Richard Portes, Portes —, Portes, Anders Åslund, Åslund, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, Yaroslav Kuzminov, Kuzminov, Nabiullina's, Alan Harvey, Herman Gref —, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Maxim Shemetov, Michel Camdessus, she's, isn't, Sergei Aleksashenko, Alexei Makarkin, Vladimir Pesnya, Nabiulina, let's Organizations: Ukraine, Service, Russian, KGB, Syracuse University, Kremlin, International Monetary Fund, US, London Business School, Moscow Times, Bloomberg, Higher School of Economics, —, Moscow State University, SNS, USSR, Industrial Union Board, Gref, Central Bank Governor, Nabiullina Central Bank Governor, Banker, Central Banker, IMF, Monetary Fund, Financial Times, Government, Political Technologies, Wall Street Journal, RBC, Politico Europe Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Brussels, Nabiullina, Swedish, Moscow, Ufa, Central Russia, Tatars, Crimea, Euromoney, Europe, steadying

☆ A new commander is taking over Russia's Black Sea Fleet after the last one let its warships get torn apart by exploding drones
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewRussia has officially replaced the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, awarding Vice Adm. Sergei Pinchuk the daunting role of overseeing naval operations in a region that has long troubled Moscow. Pinchuk is a career navy officer who previously served as the deputy to Adm. Viktor Sokolov, the former Black Sea Fleet commander. Russia's Black Sea Fleet warships take part in the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk on July 30, 2023. Beyond its USV force, Kyiv has also used missiles to inflict damage on the Black Sea Fleet. You realize the enormous responsibility that rests on you," Shoigu said during the teleconference, according to the Russian defense ministry's statement.

Persons: —, Sergei Pinchuk, Sergei Shoigu, Pinchuk, Viktor Sokolov, Sokolov, Shoigu, STRINGER, Aleksandr Moiseyev —, Konstantin Kabantsov Organizations: Service, Black, Fleet, Business, Russian, Black Sea, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Armed Forces, National Defense Control Center, AP, Ukrainian, Getty, Kyiv, Northern, Russian Federation, Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Novorossiysk, Sevastopol, Crimean, Russian

☆ China doubles down on manufacturing, leaving real estate behind
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

China News Service | China News Service | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China revealed this week it aims to spend more than a billion dollars to bolster manufacturing and domestic tech in a bid to remain globally competitive, while divulging little new support for the struggling real estate market. Industrial support clearly ranked first on Beijing's priority list for the year ahead, according to three major plans released this week as part of China's annual parliamentary meetings. Chinese authorities in 2020 intensified a crackdown on real estate developers' high reliance on debt for growth. Within that second priority, the finance ministry said it would allocate 31.3 billion yuan for improving vocational education. The government work report presented by Premier Li Qiang gave real estate a similar level of prominence.

Persons: Frederic Neumann, Li Qiang Organizations: Seres, China News Service, Getty, Ministry of Finance, HSBC, UBS, National Development, Reform Commission Locations: Chongqing, China, BEIJING, Asia, Beijing, U.S

☆ Dengue Outbreaks on Rise in Brazil as Vaccine Rollout Lags
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

On Tuesday, Sao Paulo's state department of health declared a state of emergency, estimating 300 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants. "We have six million doses this year and 50 million doses over five years," he said. Dengue is now present in 85% of Brazil's municipalities, Kfouri added, spreading into regions where it was never seen before. In some cases, the disease can cause a more severe hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding that can lead to death. The Health Ministry's latest weekly bulletin cited some 1.3 million "possible cases" of dengue nationwide and 299 confirmed deaths related to the disease this year.

Persons: Renato Kfouri, Kfouri, Sebastian Rocandio, Steven Grattan, Bill Berkrot Organizations: SAO PAULO, Reuters, Sao Paulo, Leandra Locations: Brazil, Sao Paulo's, Brazil's municipalities

☆ Leaked audio obtained by Russian spies reveals Germany considered giving Ukraine missiles to destroy key Crimean bridge: WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The officials were discussing plans to send Ukraine missiles that could destroy the Crimean bridge. AdvertisementLeaked audio obtained by Russian spies and later broadcast by the Russian state-controlled news network RT on Friday shows that top German officials were discussing plans to possibly send Ukraine long-range missiles that can take out the key Crimean bridge. Senior German officials confirmed the authenticity of the audio to The Wall Street Journal. The leaked audio does not confirm that Germany was definitively going to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine. "We demand explanations from Germany," Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, told TASS, the Russian state news agency.

Persons: —, Ingo Gerhartz, it's, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Gerhartz, Maria Zakharova Organizations: Ukraine, Service, Senior, Wall Street, The, Associated Press, Taurus, Russia —, Russian Foreign, TASS Locations: Germany, Russian, Ukraine, Kerch, European

☆ Death toll rises from Russian drone strike on Ukrainian port city, as China's envoy tours Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Drone view shows rescue crews working at the site of a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian drone strike that killed several residents, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa on March 2, 2024, in this still image from handout video. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Western allies to boost Ukraine's air defenses in the wake of the deadly attack. Four more people may be trapped in the rubble in Odesa, the local branch of Ukraine's main emergency service said in a Facebook update Sunday. Elsewhere in Ukraine, regional authorities reported that a 58-year-old man died under rubble after Russian forces shelled his village in the southern Kherson province. Another civilian man, aged 38, was also killed in a Russian artillery strike on the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, local Gov.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Read, Tymofiy, Mark, Zelenskyy, Oleh Kiper, Ivan Fedorov Organizations: Twitter, Gov Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, Iranian, Kherson province

☆ China calls on foreign businesses to share their problems as investment slumps
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

While the Commerce Ministry meeting did not reveal much new progress on the 24 measures to support foreign business that were announced last summer, attendees said they were able to share specific challenges about doing business in China. The ministry said representatives from more than 60 foreign businesses and 9 associations attended Wednesday's roundtable. Foreign direct investment into China has fallen to its lowest level in three years, according to official data, amid geopolitical tensions and slowing growth in the country. Hart said that it's hard for companies not yet in China to complete due diligence and approve new investments. Biden, who faces re-election this fall, has emphasized the need to compete with China while finding areas of cooperation.

Persons: Aly Song, MofCom, Jens Eskelund, Eskelund, Michael Hart, Hart, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Reuters, Reuters BEIJING — China's Ministry of Commerce, Commerce Ministry, EU Chamber of Commerce, Cyberspace Administration of, China's Ministry of Commerce, American Chamber of Commerce, U.S, U.S . Transportation Department Locations: China, U.S, Yiwu, Zhejiang province, Reuters BEIJING, Beijing, Cyberspace Administration of China, San Francisco

☆ Secret military files reveal when Russia would consider using nuclear weapons, including the destruction of 20% of its ballistic missile submarines: FT
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe Kremlin has considered a broad range of scenarios for when the country should go nuclear, leaked Russian military files obtained by The Financial Times showed. The 29 leaked files pertain to tactical nuclear weapons and are dated from 2008 to 2014, meaning they're at least 10 years old. Meanwhile, China has publicly maintained that it adheres to a "no first use" nuclear policy and would only use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack. The FT reported that a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin challenged the "authenticity" of the documents when asked about the nuclear files. Chinese and Western diplomatic officials previously told The Financial Times that Xi personally warned Putin against a nuclear war.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Russia's, China's Xi, Xi Organizations: Service, The Financial, Business, Financial Times, FT Locations: Russia, Moscow, China, Beijing, Ukraine

☆ 2024 is already straining the seams of China and Russia's 'no limits' partnership
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementRussia's finance ministry has been discussing yuan loans with its China counterparts — but a delayed decision suggests the two countries' "no limits" partnership may be under strain. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told RIA state news agency in an interview published on Monday that Russia is discussing the issue with Chinese authorities. Russia's finance ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. However, two years after Russia started its ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia and China appear to be continuing to conduct business as usual. Three of China's Big Four state banks have halted payments from sanctioned Russian financial institutions, Russia's Izvestia news outlet reported on February 21.

Persons: Anton Siluanov, Siluanov, Vladimir Putin, Dong Jinyue, SCMP Organizations: China, Russian, Business, Beijing, Street, China Morning Post, BBVA Research, Russia Locations: Russia, China, Moscow, Ukraine, Madrid, Russian

☆ British divers retrieved an 80-pound brass bell from the only American destroyer sunk in World War I more than 100 years after the ship was torpedoed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewMore than a century after a German U-boat torpedoed the USS Jacob Jones off the coast of Britain during World War I, a team of divers retrieved the American destroyer's massive brass bell. On December 6, 1917 — eight months after the US joined the fight — the Jacob Jones was attacked by a submarine off the southwest coast of Britain. But the effort to retrieve the Jacob Jones' bell was pursued because of plundering concerns, retired Rear Adm. Sam Cox said in a statement about the mission. AdvertisementMost wreck sites from both World War I and World War II have been stripped of their valuable items; anything brass or bronze is gone, Cox told The Post. The Jacob Jones was the first and only US destroyer lost in the war, according to the US Naval Institute.

Persons: —, Jacob Jones, Dom Robinson, 9qzRwhGnG4, Sam Cox, Cox Organizations: Service, US, US Naval Institute, Business, Heritage Command, Navy, British Defense Ministry's, Marine Operations, Washington Post, US Naval Institute . Archaeologists, Washington Navy Yard Locations: Britain, Washington , DC, New York, Scilly, Queenstown, Ireland, England

☆ Inconclusive Gaza Truce Talks Dent Hopes of Palestinians in Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

By Nidal al-MughrabiCAIRO (Reuters) - Palestinians jammed into their last refuge in Gaza voiced growing fear on Wednesday that Israel will soon launch a planned assault on the southern city of Rafah after truce talks in Cairo ended inconclusively. Said Jaber, a Gaza businessman who is sheltering in Rafah with his family, told Reuters via a chat app. We've had enough of this war, and we will need decades to rebuild Gaza and regain our lives. Rafah residents said on Tuesday that dozens of displaced people had begun to leave Rafah after Israeli shelling and air strikes in recent days. At least 28,576 Palestinians have been killed and 68,291 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct.7, the health ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday.

Persons: Nidal, Israel, Said Jaber, We've, Annalena Baerbock, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan Younis, Nasser, Dr Haitham Ahmed, William Burns, Nidal al, Dan Williams, Emily Rose, Timothy Heritage, Ros Russell Organizations: Reuters, Israeli, Nasser Hospital Locations: CAIRO, Gaza, Rafah, Cairo, inconclusively, United States, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, hideouts, Berlin, Rafa, Hamas, Khan, Jeruslame

☆ Japan Airlines Crash: Air Traffic Controllers Call for 'Significant' Staff Increase
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO (Reuters) - A labour union representing air traffic controllers in Japan has called for a "significant increase" in staff to improve the safety of operations at airports in the wake of a deadly crash at Tokyo's Haneda airport last month. "We strongly urge the realisation of a significant increase in the number of air traffic controllers," Masato Yamazaki said in the statement, adding that speculation about the cause of the crash risked putting mental strains on controllers. He said repeated staffing requests to the government, which directly employs air traffic controllers in Japan, have been only partially approved in recent years despite increased workload on controllers. Other countries including the United States and France are grappling with air traffic control staff shortages that airlines have argued pose risks to aviation safety. In 2019, each air traffic control operator in Japan handled nearly 7000 flights, up from around 4,600 in 2004, according to the ministry's records.

Persons: Masato Yamazaki, Yamazaki, Nobuhiro Kubo, John Geddie, Jamie Freed Organizations: Japan Airlines, JAL, Coast Guard, Airbus, Authorities Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Haneda, United States, France

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy Is Considering Replacing Zaluzhnyi, Others
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in an interview broadcast on Sunday, said he was considering a "reset" to replace several senior officials. Speculation has gripped Ukraine for weeks over suggestions that the president was about to dismiss the highly popular commander, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. But Zelenskiy said any changes went beyond replacing a single person to harness efforts to oust Russian troops. To win the war, Zelenskiy said, "We must all push in the same direction, we cannot be discouraged, we must have the right and positive energy, negativity must be left at home. On two occasions in the past week, Ukrainian media issued a torrent of reports that Zaluzhnyi's dismissal was imminent.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Valeriy, Zelenskiy, Zelenskyi, Zaluzhnyi, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Kyrylo Budanov, Gianluca Semeraro, Ron Popeski, Diane Craft, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Reuters, RAI, Russian, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Italian, Ukrainian, Ukraine's, Kyiv

Valvoline had last year decided to separate its retail services and global products divisions following a strategic review. Saudi Arabia's state-controlled Aramco on Tuesday announced it is pausing plans to raise its crude production capacity from 12 million barrels per day to 13 million barrels per day. At 7 a.m. London time, Brent crude prices for March delivery were up 0.24% from previous close price at $82.60 per barrel. The Tuesday announcement comes amid mounting concerns over the outlook for oil demand worldwide, given a progressing global transition toward decarbonization that casts a shadow over long-term investment projects in fossil fuels. Global oil demand is projected to have risen by 2.3 million barrels per day in 2023 to 101.7 million barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency's annual report published in December.

Persons: Valvoline, Brent Organizations: Saudi Ministry of Energy, Aramco, International Energy Locations: Saudi Arabia's, Aramco, London

One focus of the talks was fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that is ravaging America, and in particular ingredients for the drug that are made in China. The U.S. wants China to do more to curb the export of chemicals that it says are processed into fentanyl, largely in Mexico, before the final product is smuggled into the United States. But China refused to discuss cooperation unless the U.S. lifted sanctions on the Public Security Ministry's Institute of Forensic Science. The U.S. quietly agreed to lift the sanctions to get cooperation on fentanyl. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called it “an appropriate step to take” given what China was willing to do on the trafficking of fentanyl precursors.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Wang Xiaohong, ”, Jen Daskal, Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Wang Yi, Matthew Miller Organizations: BEIJING, Chinese Public Security, U.S ., U.S, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, ., Biden, Senate, Public Security Ministry's Institute of Forensic Science, The Commerce Department, State Department Locations: U.S, America, China, San Francisco, Taiwan, Mexico, United States, Beijing, China’s Xinjiang, The U.S

☆ French Farmers Block Highways Around Paris as Protest Reach Capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, France (Reuters) - Farmers blocked one of France's main motorways liking Paris with the northern city of Lille, the Benelux and Britain on Friday, causing kilometres of traffic jams, the first major traffic disruption caused by the protest movement in the French capital. The roadblock on the A1 north of Paris lead to traffic jams of around 4 km (2.5 miles) in the morning, according to the transport ministry's online service Bison Fute. French media reported farmers had also set up first roadblocks on traffic axes in the Essonne department south of Paris in the early morning hours, while most protests were expected to start in the early afternoon. The government said it would announce first immediate measures aimed at taming the farmer outrage later on Friday with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal expected to speak in the afternoon. So far, the government has not specified when and where Attal is due to speak or what measures could be announced.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Yves Herman, Tassilo Hummel, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Farmers Locations: PARIS, France, Paris, Lille, Benelux, Britain, Essonne

☆ Chinese people are debating a superstition that says 2024 is the 'Year of the Widow.' Beijing is starting to pay attention.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. They asked Beijing to issue a public notice advising people against allowing superstition to affect their life decisions. The belief involves the lack of a "beginning of spring" day, also known as lichun, at the start of a lunar year. "There surely must be a reason behind thousands of years of folk tradition," another person wrote in defense of the superstition. Advertisement"First you need to find someone to marry," wrote law blogger Chen Yiyu.

Persons: —, Mao Zedong's, haven't, Chen Yiyu Organizations: Service, Business, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, Weibo Locations: China, Beijing, Weibo

☆ China, in Comic Strip, Warns of 'Overseas' Threats to Its Rare Earths
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Liz LeeBEIJING (Reuters) - China's chief intelligence agency posted on social media a comic strip featuring foreign-looking characters secretly extracting rare earths, in a story portraying the country's strategic metals under threat from covetous "overseas organisations". No foreign government or agencies were named in the comic strip, and the ministry did not specify any measures to counter foreign "interest" in China's rare earths. It also banned the export of technology to make rare earth magnets, in addition a ban on technology to extract and separate rare earths. The restrictions have fanned fears that the supply of rare earths might ignite tensions with the West, particularly the United States, which accuses China of using economic coercion to influence other countries. The newspaper said the United States, Japan and the European Union, among others, have for a long time "coveted China's rare earth mineral resources".

Persons: Liz Lee BEIJING, Li Baiyang, Liz Lee, Miral Fahmy Organizations: State Security, United, Mining, Times, European Union, Global Times, Nanjing University Locations: China, United States, Beijing, U.S, Japan

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