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(Photo: ZAWAYA)

India to clear 45 investments from China, likely to include Great Wall

India is set to clear 45 investment proposals from China, which are likely to include those from Great Wall Motor and SAIC Motor Corp, government and industry sources told Reuters, as military tensions between the two countries ease at the disputed border.

The proposals have been held up since last year after India tightened controls on Chinese investment in the country in retaliation against alleged Chinese troop incursions in the western Himalayan region. China blamed Indian troops for the standoff.

About 150 investment proposals from China worth more than $2 billion were stuck in the pipeline. Companies from Japan and the U.S. routing investment through Hong Kong were also caught in the cross-fire as an inter-ministerial panel led by the interior ministry increased scrutiny of such proposals.

Two government sources who have seen the list said most of the 45 proposals set for early approvals are in the manufacturing sector, which is considered non-sensitive in terms of national security.

The sources did not elaborate but two other government officials and two industry sources who are privy to the process said proposals from Great Wall and SAIC are likely to be on the list.

The sources did not elaborate but two other government officials and two industry sources who are privy to the process said proposals from Great Wall and SAIC are likely to be on the list, as reported by Reuters.

U.S. Embassy In Baghdad Hit In Rocket Attack

Rocket attacks by "Iran-backed militias" into an area housing the U.S. Embassy in Iraq killed at least one local civilian and damaged the embassy compound, according to U.S. diplomatic sources, NPR reported.

Eight small rockets launched by Iranian forces specifically targeted the International Zone in Baghdad, also called the "Green Zone," according to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. He strongly condemned the attack in a statement released Sunday.

Iraqi security forces stand guard in front the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Jan. 1. Over the weekend, eight small rockets launched by Iranian forces specifically targeted the International Zone in Baghdad, also called the "Green Zone," according to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo (Photo: Getty Images)

No embassy personnel were injured, but the rocket did damage some residential property surrounding the Green Zone, according to Pompeo.

It also caused minor damage to the U.S. Embassy itself. The facility's missile defense system was activated to deflect the attack, the embassy said.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said in a statement confirming the incident that attacks on diplomatic facilities "are a violation of international law." It is also an assault on the "sovereignty of the Iraqi government," the embassy said.

Italian ambassador, police officer and driver killed in attack in Congo

The Italian ambassador to Congo, an Italian carabineri police officer and their Congolese driver were killed Monday in an attack on a U.N. convoy in an area that is home to myriad rebel groups, the Foreign Ministry and local people said. The ambush occurred as the convoy was travelling from Goma, Congo's eastern regional capital, to visit a World Food Program school feeding project in Rutshuru, the U.N. agency said in a statement.

WFP said it was seeking information from local authorities, as the ambush occurred on a road that had previously been cleared for travel without security escorts.

(Photo: Castanet)

The attack occurred in the territory of Nyiragongo, in North Kivu, the same area, known as the "three antennas," where two Britons were kidnapped by unidentified armed men in 2018, said Mambo Kaway, president of a local civil society group, CBS News reported.

Trump says he's facing 'political persecution' after Supreme Court rejects his attempt to keep tax returns hidden

Former President Donald Trump in a statement on Monday blasted the Supreme Court over a decision that opened the door for the Manhattan district attorney to obtain his tax returns and other financial records.

"The Supreme Court never should have let this 'fishing expedition' happen, but they did," Trump said. "This is something which has never happened to a President before, it is all Democrat-inspired in a totally Democrat location, New York City and State."

Trump's statement portrayed the Supreme Court's decision as "political persecution."

Trump broke a decades-old precedent among US presidents by refusing to release his tax returns, though some details of his finances have surfaced in various media reports. One such investigation from The New York Times, for example, found that Trump paid a total of $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017.

The former president in his Monday statement also reiterated his false claim that he won the 2020 election. Trump's habitual, baseless allegations that the election was stolen from him were at the center of a violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, which led to his second impeachment.

Gold price prediction – prices rise drive by a weakening dollar

Gold prices rebounded on Monday following the news that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen issued a warning Monday about the dangers that bitcoin poses both to investors and the public. The dollar moved lower helping to buoy the yellow metal and yields moved higher. Since gold prices are quoted in US dollars, a weaker dollar will lead to higher gold prices.

Gold prices moved higher and testing resistance near the 10-day moving average at 1,809. Support is seen near the recent breakdown level which his an upward sloping trend line that comes in near 1,796. A break below this level again would potentially generate a test of the November lows at 1,764. Short-term momentum has turned positive as the fast stochastic generated a crossover buy signal, according to FX Empire.

(Photo: Indian TV News)

Prices were oversold, but the fast stochastic has rebounded up to 26, from below the oversold trigger level of 20. Medium-term momentum has turned negative as the MACD (moving average convergence divergence) index generated a crossover sell signal. This occurs as the MACD line (the 12-day moving average minus the 26-day moving average) crosses below the MACD signal line the 9-day moving average of the MACD line).

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