Downing Street has asserted its right to set tax rates after an EU leader warned Britain against “aggressiveness” in slashing business levies during Brexit talks. A Number 10 spokeswoman said it is up to each member state how they set their taxes, following the comments made by Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven. Source Independent
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has launched a new hydroelectric station that had been vehemently opposed for years by the late leader of neighboring Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. Source: Radio Free Europe
At least three tankers loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russian LNG facility Yamal have arrived in the United States recently, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Source: Oil Price
Iraq restarted exports on Friday of Kirkuk oil, halted a year ago due to a standoff between the central government and Kurdistan’s semi-autonomous region, after a new government in Baghdad agreed a tentative deal with Erbil. Source: Reuters
