TOKYO (AP) — Japan has decided to divert some of its gas reserves to Europe amid growing concern over possible disruptions of supplies due to the Ukraine crisis, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said Wednesday. The decision was made at the request of the United States and European Union and is intended to…
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s parliament and president on Wednesday approved a defense military treaty with the United States. The Defense Cooperation Agreement passed 79-60 in the 150-seat legislature in a vote split between lawmakers from the four-party ruling coalition and the opposition. The treaty allows the U.S. military to use two Slovak air force…
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The world’s biggest shipping company said Wednesday that 2021 was its most profitable year yet, with Denmark’s A.P. Moeller-Maersk bringing in $18.7 billion as surging demand from a rebounding global economy led to supply chain logjams. Profits before taxes soared last year from $3.3 billion in 2020, while 2021 revenue came…
(Reuters) -Global farm commodities trader Bunge Ltd reported a 17.1% rise in fourth-quarter adjusted profit on Wednesday, bolstered by strength in its core agribusiness as well as refined and specialty oils segments. Bunge’s results offer the latest look into how multinational grain companies have weathered shifts in demand and supply chain disruptions caused by the…
By Andrea Shalal and Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday flagged concerns about consolidation in the $250 billion annual U.S. alcohol market and outlined reforms it said could boost competition and save consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. New merger and acquisition scrutiny, different tax rates and lifting…
HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China Evergrande Group needs to clear its debt by fully restoring construction and sales activities and not by selling off assets on the cheap, its chairman told an internal meeting, vowing to complete 50% of pre-sold homes this year. Hui Ka Yan told staff in a Sunday meeting that the firm aimed…
GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization insisted Wednesday that “COVID isn’t finished with us,” appealing for more support to fight the pandemic after his agency reported that case counts and deaths fell worldwide over the past week. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, launching a new $23 billion campaign to fund WHO’s efforts to…
By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp said on Wednesday there was no link between Alibaba registering a U.S. share facility and any specific plans to sell down its stake in the Chinese e-commerce giant. SoftBank’s shares jumped almost 6% in Tokyo, while Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares were up almost 7%. “The…
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday as investors tried to gauge U.S. inflation, tensions between Russia and Ukraine and the impact of the pandemic. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% to 27,680.91. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.1% to 7,275.70. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.1% to 2,771.88. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged down 0.1%…
By Bart H. Meijer AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -ABN Amro shares fell 4% on Wednesday morning, even though the Dutch bank reported higher-than-expected net profit for the fourth quarter and announced a 500 million euro ($570 million) share buyback. Net profit jumped to 552 million euros in the final three months of 2021 from 54 million euros…
