By Sarah N. Lynch and Luc Cohen WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Friday filed criminal charges against four Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and eight individuals over allegations they illegally trafficked the chemicals used to make fentanyl – a highly addictive painkiller that has fueled the opioid crisis in the United States. The…
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnamese lawmakers on Saturday approved a government plan to extend a reduction in value added tax (VAT) on goods and services until the end of this year to boost domestic consumption and production, as its export-driven economy faces headwinds from slowing global demand. The VAT cut to 8% from 10%, which has…
(Reuters) – Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) and TotalEnergies have signed an $11 billion contract to start building a new petrochemicals complex in Saudi Arabia, the two companies said in a joint statement on Saturday. “Aramco and TotalEnergies today awarded Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts for the $11 billion “Amiral” complex, a future world-scale…
By Satoshi Sugiyama and Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese online financial conglomerate SBI Holdings Inc said on Saturday it has raised its stake in SBI Shinsei Bank to 53.74% by just 3.7 points through a tender offer as a step toward taking the midsize lender private. The completion of the tender offer on Friday helps…
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an emergency televised address on Saturday that an “armed mutiny” by the Wagner Group mercenary force was treason, and that anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished. He said he would do everything to protect Russia, and that “decisive action”…
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia has imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on three men involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over Ukraine in 2014, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday. MH17 was shot down by a Russian BUK missile system as it flew over eastern Ukraine from Amsterdam to Kuala…
By Andrew Osborn and Kevin Liffey MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) – Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday his Wagner fighters had crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine and were prepared to go “all the way” against Moscow’s military, hours after the Kremlin accused him of armed mutiny. As a long-running standoff between Prigozhin and…
By Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with U.S. and Indian technology executives in Washington on Friday, the final day of a state visit where he agreed new defense and technology cooperation and addressed challenges posed by China. U.S. President Joe Biden rolled out the red…
By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK (Reuters) – Global stock indexes fell and the U.S. dollar rose on Friday as investors digested comments from Federal Reserve officials that signalled further interest rate hikes ahead. Major U.S. stock indexes posted losses for the week, with the Nasdaq snapping an eight-week winning streak. The S&P 500 ended a…
By Arathy Somasekhar HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices settled lower on Friday, posting a weekly decline as traders worried interest rate hikes could sap demand despite signs of tighter supplies including lower U.S. crude stocks. In a second straight day of losses, Brent crude closed down 29 cents, or 0.4%, to $73.85 a barrel. U.S. West…
