Bloomberg L.P.
The longest shutdown in US history is ending, but it could take anywhere from several days to over a week for federal agencies to fully resume operations. The US economy has suffered significant losses, and some services may take months to fully recover.
The clothing brand Skims has raised $5 billion in a new funding round, preparing to expand its store network and launch new product lines. The company expects net sales to exceed $1 billion in 2025.
Toyota Motor Corp. is investing up to $10 billion in its U.S. operations over five years. The company launched a new $13.9 billion lithium-ion battery plant in North Carolina, creating 5,100 jobs.
Before the House of Representatives resumed work, the US Air Force admitted that the secret Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program had not changed. Earlier, the Pentagon claimed delays due to the US government shutdown.
Putin will visit India on December 5, despite Russia's war against Ukraine. This comes amid a strengthening strategic partnership between Moscow and New Delhi.
Putin signed a decree allowing American Citigroup to sell its Russian bank to investment company Renaissance Capital. This decision is part of Western banks' withdrawal from the Russian market after the start of the war in Ukraine.
A significant portion of the increase in oil volume on tankers since late August comes from sanctioned countries. This indicates disruptions in oil trade and threatens the revenues of sanctioned oil-producing states.
China is stepping up efforts to import Russian gas, laying the groundwork for its own "shadow fleet" of vessels to transport liquefied fuel, bypassing US sanctions. This will allow it to diversify supplies and strengthen ties with Russia, which needs buyers for its LNG.
The US plans to build a large military base in the Israeli Otef-Azza region, adjacent to the Gaza Strip. The base will be able to accommodate 10,000 troops to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Germany has called on the nationalized company SEFE to terminate its long-term contract for the supply of LNG from Russia. The contract for 2.9 million tons per year is valid until 2040, and its cancellation is estimated at 10 billion euros.
Three incidents of maritime piracy were recorded off the coast of Somalia in October, reminiscent of the chaos of past decades. The resurgence is linked to the threat from the Houthis in Yemen and tensions between the countries of the Horn of Africa.
Google plans to invest 5. 5 billion euros in the development of computing resources and operations in Germany over the next four years. The investment covers two data centers in the Frankfurt region, which is part of the company's ongoing commitment to Europe.
Ukrainian defense companies have reached industrial-scale drone production, manufacturing millions of units annually. Due to a lack of funding and the need to increase capacity, manufacturers are seeking partnerships in Europe.
The European Commission plans to designate WhatsApp's open channels as a "very large online platform" under the Digital Services Act, which will require adherence to high content moderation standards. This decision applies to channels that are open news feeds and have over 45 million users in Europe, without affecting personal messages.
German federal police have arrested 49-year-old Martin S. on suspicion of plotting to assassinate more than a dozen politicians and public figures, including Olaf Scholz and Angela Merkel. The suspect distributed a list of targets via the dark web and collected donations for assassination bounties.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has raised the budget deficit target due to election spending. Additional funding will be raised through bank taxes and foreign currency bond issuance.
Donald Trump defended allowing foreign students to study in the US, calling it "good" practice. He rejected calls to reduce their numbers, arguing it was financially beneficial for the higher education system.
The European Commission is exploring the possibility of obliging EU member states to gradually remove Huawei and ZTE from their telecommunications networks. This could turn a 2020 recommendation into a legal requirement due to deteriorating trade and political ties with China.
Geneva-based Mercuria Energy Group and US-based TechMet Ltd. are discussing a joint tantalum mining project in the DRC. The initiative depends on a peace agreement to be facilitated by the Trump administration.
Botswana's President Boko confirmed the government's intention to acquire a controlling stake in the diamond company De Beers. The government has already initiated concrete steps to buy out shares from the British company Anglo American Plc.
The US and Switzerland are close to reducing tariffs on exports to 15% instead of 39%. An agreement could be reached within the next two weeks.
At least six people have died after US forces struck two vessels linked to drug cartels in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The operations have caused diplomatic tension in Latin America and controversy in the US Congress.
Germany and Spain have announced joint funding of $100 million for a new climate change adaptation program aimed at helping developing countries. The funds will be channeled through the Climate Investment Funds, a multilateral mechanism of the World Bank.
Support for Ukraine in Poland has decreased from 95% in 2022 to 48%, accompanied by an increase in cases of discrimination against Ukrainians, against the backdrop of skeptical statements from official Warsaw representatives.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that Donald Trump promised financial assistance in case of pressure on the Hungarian economy. Hungary also received an exemption from sanctions on Russian oil and gas, committing to purchase American liquefied natural gas.
The German government plans to approve the purchase of defense equipment worth over 3 billion euros. The funds will go towards missiles for the IRIS-T SLM air defense system, 20 light Airbus combat helicopters, and 100,000 night vision devices.
The US shutdown has deprived oil traders of access to critical data on market positioning. This could destabilize commodity trading as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has stopped publishing Commitments of Traders reports.
Microsoft Corp. shares fell 8.6% in eight days, equivalent to a loss of nearly $350 billion in market capitalization. Investors are becoming more cautious about companies associated with artificial intelligence.
In Tanzania, authorities have charged dozens of protesters with treason after disputed elections. Among the 98 detainees brought to court in Dar es Salaam is blogger Jennifer "Niffer" Bilikwija.
International tourism in Cuba continues to decline, putting the communist island on track for its worst performance since the pandemic. In the first nine months of the year, 1.4 million foreign tourists visited the island, which is 20% less than in the same period of 2024.