Author: Media Library

UK’s Starmer under fire from MPs over China trip amid claims he was ‘tricked’ by Beijing

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced backlash over his trip to China amid claims that the UK government has been “tricked” by Beijing. Conservative former security minister Tom Tugendhat raised the issue of Chinese sanctions on British parliamentarians after Starmer announced that “all restrictions” had been lifted on current members. Tugendhat, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, Senior Deputy Speaker Nusrat Ghani and Conservative former minister Neil O’Brien were among those banned from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau in 2021. Advertisement Their property in China was also frozen…

China tightens grip on Brazil minerals as Chalco, Rio Tinto buy control of CBA for US$886m

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China’s state-owned aluminium giant Chalco and Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto have agreed to buy a controlling stake in Brazil’s Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA) in a deal valued at US$886 million, marking one of the most significant foreign acquisitions in Brazil’s metals sector in recent years and reinforcing China’s growing footprint in the country’s strategic mineral assets. The transaction covers Brazilian conglomerate Grupo Votorantim’s 68.6 per cent stake in CBA and will be executed through a joint venture incorporated in Brazil, in which Chalco will hold 67 per cent and…

Mandelson’s conduct with Epstein ‘far below standard expected’, says minister as Brown calls for inquiry into ‘shocking’ leak – UK politics live

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From 2h ago Mandelson’s conduct with Epstein ‘unequivocally wrong’ and ‘far below standard expected of any minister’, Jones says Jones says Jeffrey Epstein was “a despicable criminal who committed disgusting crimes and destroyed the lives of countless women and girls”. He goes on: On Friday, the Department of Justice in the United States released around 3 million pages from the case files relating to Jeffrey Epstein. It is increasingly clear that his awful crimes involved and were facilitated by many, often powerful people, both by actively participating in the crimes…

Trump to slash India tariffs after Modi ‘agrees’ to stop buying Russian oil

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Donald Trump said the US would lower its tariffs on India to 18 per cent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi “agreed” to halt purchases of Russian oil, ending months of trade friction between the countries.  The president said he spoke with Modi on Monday and had discussed “many things”, including trade, ending the war in Ukraine and the possibility of India buying more oil from the US and even Venezuela. “Out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a…

Trump says US to cut India tariffs after Modi agrees halt to Russian oil imports

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Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world Donald Trump said the US would lower its tariffs on India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil. The US president said he spoke with Modi on Monday and had discussed “many things”, including trade and ending the war in Ukraine. “Out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a Trade Deal…

Xi’s ominous purge of his top general

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. It shows just how opaque Chinese politics is that even close watchers differ widely over both the cause and the implications of Xi Jinping’s recent purge of his top general, Zhang Youxia. Some see the toppling of Zhang, vice-chair of China’s Central Military Commission, as a signal of unexpected vulnerability for Xi. A more common view is that it is another step in the autocratic president’s expertly orchestrated drive to…

China is the main beneficiary of Trump’s Arctic antics

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Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world The writer is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of ‘China’s Law of the Sea: The New Rules of Maritime Order’ US aggression against adversaries and allies alike is changing the strategic geography of the globe. Russia may be first to benefit from Donald Trump’s erratic campaign against Nato to “get Greenland”. But only China stands to reap long-term strategic rewards across…

US to launch $12bn critical minerals stockpile to counter China’s dominance

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US trade myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The US government will launch a $12bn critical minerals stockpile as part of its efforts to counter Chinese dominance over key metals and support domestic manufacturers during shortages and emergencies. The US Export-Import Bank (Exim) will provide $10bn in debt financing for the effort, named Project Vault, to build up domestic stores of “essential raw materials” across the US that can be tapped by manufacturers such as carmakers. An additional…

Brazil gold, Peru’s China scandal, post-Venezuela worries: 7 Latin America relations reads

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We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin America relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US won’t rule out pressuring Venezuela to curb China, Russia ties Photo: pool via EPA In the wake of the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3, the White House stopped short of denying reports that America had urged Venezuela to cut ties with US adversaries such as China, Russia and Iran. Read…

Trump administration to unveil $12 billion push to curb China’s grip on critical minerals

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Seeking to blunt China’s dominance over critical minerals that underpin hi-tech manufacturing, the administration of US President Donald Trump is rolling out a slate of measures this week aimed at reducing US reliance on Beijing. A White House official has confirmed to the South China Morning Post that Trump will be launching a US$12 billion public-private initiative to build a large commercial stockpile of critical minerals titled “Project Vault”. The project is being billed as a strategic reserve designed to shield US manufacturers from supply disruptions and price volatility in…