China's consumer prices stall, factory deflation persists

BEIJING: In the second-largest economy in the world, China’s consumer prices dropped and factory gate prices decreased significantly faster than anticipated in September. Both indicators continued to show consistent deflationary pressures. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics( NBS ) that was released on Friday( Oct 13 ),Continue Reading

Analysis: Malaysia’s spat with Goldman Sachs over 1MDB settlement deal could get ugly soon

Today, the bank’s potentially embarrassing dealings in the matter, such as how it reached the settlement agreement with Mr. Muhyiddin, may be reopened as a result of the force to have the dispute arbitrated in London courts. & nbsp,

Details of the contentious settlement, which required a US$ 2.5 billion upfront payment and the remaining$ 1.4 billion in stumbling milestones, are now beginning to leak out.

Mr. Johari Abdul Ghani, the head of the 1MDB Asset Recovery Taskforce established by the Anwar state, stated in a speech that the US$ 1.4 billion settlement offer did not call for outright cash towns as formerly believed days after the bank announced that it had started legal action against Malaysia.

A complex agreement with a Goldman Sachs promise on the treatment of 1MDB-related assets, including opulent properties, exorbitantly expensive paintings, jewelry, and watches, was used for the stumbling milestone payments.

SURFACE & nbsp, PART OF THE SETTLEMENT DETAILS

According to Mr. Johari, the US bank would be required to give Malaysia$ 250 million as an interim payment if the Malaysian government did not recover assets worth$ 500 million two years after signing the August 2020 agreement.

According to Mr. Johari, the Malaysian authorities informed Goldman Sachs in August 2022 that it had not recovered US$ 500 million and was therefore entitled to the time payment.

However, Goldman Sachs disagreed with Malaysia’s place and soon after relied on a clause in the settlement agreement that allowed parties to join in an” Amicable Good Faith Discussion” clause to settle the dispute. & nbsp,

The US bank asked for a three-month extension to honor the$ 250 million payment in early September. Goldman Sachs requested three additional additions after it expired, and the final another is scheduled to go on November 8.

The bank stated in a speech in its lawsuit against Malaysia that it had requested arbitration against the Malaysian government for failing to properly funds assets in accordance with the guarantee offered by Goldman Sachs in our arrangement agreement and to restore other assets.

Officials from the Malaysian authorities informed CNA last week that Kuala Lumpur had been thinking about filing an adjudication to resolve the dispute if Goldman Sachs missed the deadline.

In his declaration, Mr. Johari called Goldman Sachs’ actions” early and without due consideration of the important prerequisites.”

He continued,” Goldman Sachs’ action of starting arbitration proceedings even appears to be an attempt to interfere and divert attention away from their duty to adhere to the Interim Payment of US$ 250 million requirement under the settlement agreement.”

When contacted by CNA, Mr. Johari declined to comment.

The Anwar leadership, however, was forced to drive for a higher settlement, according to another state official involved in the resource recovery.

” We lost a significant amount of money, and Goldman Sachs received US$ 600 million in expenses.” He said,” It’s a sad Malay story.”

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Analysis: Gloves come off as Malaysia, Goldman Sachs step up wrangle over controversial 1MDB settlement deal

Today, the bank’s potentially embarrassing relations in the matter, including how it reached the settlement offer with Mr. Muhyiddin, may be reopened as a result of the drive to have the debate arbitrated in London courts. & nbsp,

Details of the contentious settlement, which required a$ 2.5 billion upfront payment and the remaining$ 1.4 billion in staggered milestones, are now beginning to surface.

Mr. Johari Abdul Ghani, the head of the 1MDB Asset Recovery Taskforce established by the Anwar state, stated in a speech that the US$ 1.4 billion settlement offer did not call for outright cash towns as formerly believed days after the bank announced that it had started legal action against Malaysia.

A complex agreement with a Goldman Sachs promise on the treatment of 1MDB-related assets, including opulent properties, exorbitantly expensive paintings, jewelry, and watches, was used for the stumbling milestone payments.

SURFACE & nbsp, A PART OF THE SETTLEMENT DETAILS

According to Mr. Johari, the US banks may be required to give US$ 250 million as time pay to Malaysia if the Indonesian government did not recover assets totaling US$ 500 million two years after signing the Aug 2020 contract.

According to Mr. Johari, the Malaysian authorities informed Goldman Sachs in August 2022 that it had not recovered USD$ 500 million and was therefore entitled to the time payment.

However, Goldman Sachs disputed Malaysia’s place and, soon after, relied on a clause in the settlement agreement that allowed parties to join in an” Amicable Good Faith Discussion” clause to settle the dispute. & nbsp,

The US bank requested a three-month extension to honor the$ 250 million payment in early September. Goldman Sachs requested three additional extensions after it expired, and the final one is scheduled to go on November 8.

The bank stated in a speech that it had filed an lawsuit against Malaysia,” We filed for mediation against the Malaysian government for violating its obligations to properly funds assets in accordance with the guarantee provided by Goldman Sachs in our settlement agreement and to return another assets.”

Officials from the Malaysian authorities informed CNA last week that Kuala Lumpur had been thinking about filing an arbitration to resolve the dispute if Goldman Sachs missed the deadline.

In his declaration, Mr. Johari called Goldman Sachs’ actions” early and without due consideration of the important prerequisites.”

According to him, Goldman Sachs’ decision to start arbitration proceedings also seems to be an effort to downplay and distract attention from their commitment to uphold the lawsuit agreement’s Interim Payment of US$ 250 million condition.

Mr. Johari declined to comment when contacted by CNA.

The Anwar leadership, however, had little choice but to drive for a higher settlement, according to another federal official involved in the resource recovery.

” Goldman Sachs received expenses of US$ 600 million, and we lost a significant sum of money.” It is a tragic Indonesian tale, he claimed.

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Commentary: Why Taiwan's defence priorities might need a rethink

The conflict in Ukraine has taught us that asymmetrical actions are crucial in an effort to win over an even larger, more powerful adversary. Little drones, transportable missile systems, and electronic war have all proven useful against the powerful Russian troops.

Another compelling case is maritime helicopter warfare. The Soviet army in the Black Sea was surrounded by autonomous ships and innovative strategies. Taiwan insists on attempting to compete with a competitor who is far ahead of the competition despite the fact that symmetry at lake offers crucial rewards.

Taiwan unveiled its first homemade submarine on September 28. It was once thought to be” mission impossible ,” but it won’t go into service for another two years. Taiwan intends to construct eight of these ships, but also when they are all completed, China’s estimated 60 submarines will outnumber them.

Top defense researcher Michael Lostumbo at Washington-based think tank RAND Corporation thinks Taiwan needs to concentrate its security efforts more specifically. He contends that Taiwan must create a better purchasing record than the one it sent to the US in order to live an assault. & nbsp,

The 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taipei ordered in 2019 were a mistake, but the late requested Reaper robots imply that the country may be revising its military strategy. However, some people find it difficult to observe.

Taiwan’s military resources will be used for items that will either be destroyed or spent very fast today and for many years to come, according to Lostumbo in a report.

This is made worse by the fact that technology issues may delay the distribution of 66 US-made F-16 soldiers until 2026.

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Malaysia expected to roll out targeted subsidies to better help lower-income group in 2024 budget

2024 Resources

Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, is expected to announce information on subsidy rationalization on Friday( Oct 13 ) as he tabulates Budget 2024 in parliament. He will do this to better assist those in the lower-income group, such as Ms. Rini and Mr. Yunas, without ignoring middle-earning earners.

The latest rebate program, which ran up to US$ 17 billion last month, is plagued by leaking and wastage and is not responsible, according to Mr. Anwar, who is also the finance minister, in a new interview with CNA.

According to reports, quarter of energy subsidies go to the wealthy.

The nation may continue to rely solely on antiquated policies of handouts and subsidies that are no longer feasible, he said.

Rafizi Ramli, the minister of financial matters, has been given the task of creating a massive database with real-time data from numerous companies profiling about 10 million households. & nbsp,

The PADU program, which is anticipated to be completed in January, will serve as a foundation for the implementation of targeted subsidies while taking into account variables like combined earnings, household size, region, and the distance to work and school.

” Fast WINS” ARE WHAT PEOPLE WANT.

But, it is still unclear whether Mr. Anwar’s management has the resources and political clout to see it through.

People’s desire for rapid victories is the issue. It might take some occasion for these changes. The cost of living may really rise over the brief term if targeted subsidies and GST( goods and services tax ) are implemented on the financial consolidation side, according to Tricia Yeoh, CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.

The problem is that the Malay neighborhood may actually be fast won over by the criticism( of ) PN and PAS as criticism, she continued.

The government is committed to meeting its goal of bringing the fiscal deficit down to 3.5 % of the gross domestic product by the end of 2025, even though it has no immediate plans to reintroduce the goods and services tax.

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North Korea's Kim shares letters with Russia's Putin, wishes victory over 'imperialists'

SEOUL: According to Pyongyang’s condition media KCNA, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, October 12, pledging to strengthen their relationships and wishing him victory over what he called imperialist force. The letters, which commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, were sentContinue Reading