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Tanks for Ukraine are in sight, Vietnam's president quits, and bond traders get their swagger back

by Linda Noakes

World News

People walk outside Beijing Railway Station as they travel for Spring Festival ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year festivities, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

China's population fell last year for the first time in six decades, a historic turn that is expected to mark the start of a long period of decline in its citizen numbers with profound implications for its economy and the world. Here's how China is seeking to boost its falling birth rate.
Ukraine came a step closer to winning the fleet of modern battle tanks it hopes could turn the course of the war against Russia, after the West's big holdout Germany said this would be the first item on its new defense minister's agenda. Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered his Indian counterpart talks over all outstanding issues, including disputed Kashmir, which he believes could be facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. The two arch-rival nuclear powers have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947.
Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned after the ruling Communist Party blamed him for "violations and wrongdoing" by officials under his control while prime minister, the government said.
Perfumes and designer label clothes were found in an apartment which investigators believe was the last hideout of Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, judicial sources said, a day after the arrest of the 60-year-old fugitive.

Davos

China's reopening from pandemic restrictions could drive global growth beyond expectations and help avoid a broader recession even as some of the world's largest economies struggle to overcome a downturn, top finance officials at the World Economic Forum said.

The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act will drive investment into cleaner energy and represents the most important climate deal since the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol said.

Actor Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba called for business and political leaders to provide more support to the world's poorest countries in the form of investment rather than aid.

SkyBridge Capital is betting on a sustained turnaround in cryptocurrency markets in 2023, the firm's founder Anthony Scaramucci said, while admitting this view was "overly bullish".

In other Davos news - climate activists block an airport for private jets, Manchester United sets up shop with a luxury lounge, and why business titans trudging through Alpine snow can't stop talking about a chatbot from San Francisco.

U.S. News

Houses in Seacliff that were damaged by flooding are seen in Aptos, California, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Daniel Dreifuss

The parade of atmospheric rivers that pounded California for three weeks finally faded, enabling the state to begin lengthy repairs to roads and levees as the White House announced President Joe Biden planned to survey the damage.
This week's revelations that Biden stored classified documents in his Delaware home from his time as vice president have caused a political headache for him and the Democratic party, just as he approaches a difficult re-election bid. No visitor logs exist for Biden's home as it is a private residence, the White House Counsel and Secret Service said.
Biden marked the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by adopting a fighting stance against proposals floated by Republicans who control the House, dismissing some as "fiscally demented."
An unsuccessful Republican state House candidate in New Mexico was arrested and accused of orchestrating recent shootings at four local elected officials' homes, the Albuquerque Police Department said.
Six people including a six-month-old baby cradled in the arms of her 17-year-old mother were shot dead at a home in California's main agricultural valley in what authorities called a targeted attack and "horrific massacre."

Business & Markets

A man walks by the New York Stock Exchange, January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Bond traders are stars again on Wall Street. Fixed income, currencies and commodities traders bolstered bank profits last year despite dreary deal markets. And traders who have navigated renewed market volatility are set to extend their winning streak, senior bankers told Reuters.
The West's top energy firms are expected to rake in a combined record profit of $200 billion from a turbulent 2022 marked by huge volatility in oil and gas prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine with buoyant earnings likely to roll through 2023.
Goldman Sachs reported a 69% drop in fourth-quarter profit due to heavy losses in its consumer business and a slump in dealmaking that hit its investment banking unit.
Elon Musk and Tesla are set to go to trial in San Francisco today in a case where the company's shareholders claim they were defrauded by Musk's 2018 statement that funding was "secured" to take the electric car maker private.
LVMH shares rose to a fresh record high, giving the luxury goods group a market capitalization of $434 billion for the first time and cementing its lead as Europe's most valuable company.
Bitcoin is on the charge in 2023, dragging the crypto market off the floor and electrifying bonk, a new meme coin. Read our weekly analysis of the wild world of cryptocurrencies.

And Finally

The Laser Lightning Rod is seen in action at the top of Mount Santis in Switzerland

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