At a moment when the U.S. is trying to reset its tense relationship with China, states across the country are leaning into anti-Chinese sentiment and crafting or enacting sweeping rules aimed at severing economic ties with Beijing, the New York Times reported. The measures, in places like Florida, Utah and South Carolina, are part of a growing political push to make the United States less economically dependent on China and to limit Chinese investment over concerns that it poses a national security risk.
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Babylon Health Files for Bankruptcy

London-based digital-first healthcare platform Babylon Health has filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in the United States for two subsidiaries — Babylon Healthcare and Babylon Inc. — as it shuts down core U.S. operations, according to documents filed on Aug. 9 in a Delaware bankruptcy court, Becker's Hospital Review reported. The filing comes shortly after a planned combination Babylon's core operating subsidiaries with MindMaze, digital neurotherapy company, collapsed.
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Malaysia may pursue lawsuits against Goldman Sachs over the U.S. investment bank's role in the multi-billion dollar corruption scandal at state fund 1MDB, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in an interview with CNBC, Reuters reported. Goldman settled with Malaysia in 2020 by agreeing to pay $2.5 billion in cash and guaranteeing the return of $1.4 billion in assets to the country in exchange for dropping all criminal charges against the bank. But Anwar, who came to power in late 2022, said earlier this year that Malaysia was re-evaluating the deal as the settlement sum was small.
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When global inflation surged in 2021, many of Latin America’s central bankers were the first to raise interest rates, moving months before the Federal Reserve began tightening. Recalling how hyperinflation topped 3,000% in some countries in the 1980s, central-bank economists from Brasília to Lima to Mexico City knew all too well the damage that soaring prices could cause. Now, Latin America is again at the forefront of the cycle, cutting rates as inflation comes back down, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday said it will set preliminary anti-dumping duties on tin-plated steel from Canada, Germany and China, in a move to shield domestic steelmakers that will prompt warnings of higher prices for cans made from the steel and the foods, paint and other products they contain, Reuters reported. The department said it will propose preliminary anti-dumping duties of 122.5% on tin mill steel imported from China, 7.02% on imports from Germany and 5.29% on imports from Canada. A formal Federal Register notice is expected later on Thursday.
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Investment in Canada's financial technology sector was reduced to less than half in the first six months of 2023 from last year, according to a report from accounting firm KPMG on Thursday, Reuters reported. Startup valuations across the technology spectrum have been hit as high-interest rates and worries over a looming economic slowdown sour investor appetite, leading to a shift towards safer investments with greater focus on profitability and away from cash-burning firms.
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The Mexican government is likely to continue supporting heavily indebted state oil firm Pemex with about $15 billion per year, Fitch ratings agency said in an a report on Wednesday, adding these will at least cover international bond debt amortizations, Reuters reported. However, should the government substantively increase its support for Pemex, this would have a negative credit effect on the sovereign, Fitch added.
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Canada's annual inflation rate surged more than expected to 3.3% in July as core measures eyed by the central bank remained stubbornly high, data showed on Tuesday, increasing the likelihood of another interest rate increase, Reuters reported. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast inflation would rise to 3.0% from the 27-month low of 2.8% recorded in June. The consumer price index was up 0.6% on a month-over-month basis, Statistics Canada said, also higher than a forecast of a 0.3% gain.
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A Burnaby-based company that designs and builds electric bikes and scooters has added Veemo’s covered electric tricycle to its catalogue, the Vancouver Sun reported. According to Envo Drive Systems CEO Ali Kazemkhani, his company is taking over the 122 orders for the electric trike that Veemo had in place before the business folded in January. Kazemkhani said all Veemo customers had been refunded their $250 deposits and would soon be asked whether they want to continue their order under the Envo banner.
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Global regulators spent more than a decade trying to ensure that a large bank could fail without any government support. Despite this year’s bank failures, they are still working on it, the Wall Street Journal reported. Global regulators are reviewing the March failures, including Credit Suisse’s collapse and Swiss officials’ decision to push UBS to acquire its rival in a deal with billions of public money, people familiar with the probe said.
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