Mōrena and welcome to your Tuesday recap of international business and political news.
First up, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump's envoys made "real progress" in Germany during official talks to end the conflict with Russia, the AFP and Reuters reported.
Ukraine’s negotiator Rustem Umerov said talks had been constructive and productive. "We hope we will reach an agreement that will bring us closer to peace by the end of the day."
Zelensky met under tight security for a second day with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, with Germany's Friedrich Merz.
Over the Ditch, Australian Police said the surviving gunman behind the Bondi Beach terrorist attack is "likely" to face criminal charges, the ABC reported.
A crime scene remained in place overnight at the popular beach spot after 15 people and a gunman were killed in a shooting at a gathering to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on the weekend. Police said the gunmen were father and son. The investigation into the attack continues as police try to piece together the shooting.
In Spain, the government has fined property giant Airbnb €64 million for advertising unlicensed apartments. It said that some of the properties were banned from being rented, the BBC reported.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry said the fine can’t be appealed, but Airbnb said it intended to challenge that in court.
Overall, 65,122 adverts on Airbnb breached consumer rules, including promotion of properties that weren’t allowed to be rented, and properties with a licence number that didn’t match official records.
In economic news, India’s total goods exports for November rose 19% to US$38.1 billion, with sharp improvement in trade with the US, CNBC reported. India’s exports to the US rose 22% last month to US$6.98b, up from US$6.31b the previous month.
In August, the US imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, raising total duties to as high as 50%, with textiles, gems, and luxury items being hit the hardest.
In China, new restrictions on car discounts signal the government’s cranking up its scrutiny of excessive competition in the local automotive industry, Bloomberg reported.
Proposed guidelines would prevent manufacturers from pricing cars below the cost of production and would also stop dealers from offering discounts or rebates that would effectively bring down vehicle prices below cost.
The proposed rules also target collusion and require manufacturers and dealers to establish systems to train staff, monitor prices, and control risks.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the Conservative Party announced proposals to end the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles and cut the legal requirement on manufacturers to sell electric vehicles, the Guardian reported.
A future Conservative government would abolish the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, ending the legal requirement for manufacturers to sell a fixed rising percentage of zero-emission vehicles each year.
Leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour’s rush to net zero was having a “disastrous effect” on the UK car industry. “By scrapping the ZEV mandate and the ban on petrol cars, we are putting fairness and common sense back into the system and saving money for taxpayers.”
Finally, back home, New Zealand’s food and fibre exports could reach a record $62b next year. The forecast for the year to June 30, 2026, has been set in MPI’s latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries report.
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said the projection builds on this year’s record $60.4b.
He said the sector was well positioned to capitalise on robust global demand and strong prices, supported by good growing conditions and higher production in most areas.
"It's an outstanding result, especially considering a tough year with challenging global conditions and extreme weather impacting producers. The food and fibre sectors now account for 83% of all New Zealand goods exports.”
