Bloomberg As many as 7% of French firms could be in financial trouble when the government rolls back the blanket support it has provided during the pandemic, according to research by Bank of France economists. The estimate is based on an analysis of over 200,000 balance sheets received as part of the central bank’s annual ratings exercise. It identified firms ...

Bloomberg California is bracing for another afternoon of blistering weather and potential blackouts as officials urge people to conserve power and forecasters warn of a brutal summer ahead. Grid officials said they don’t expect rolling outages, either. Still, they’re urging consumers to curb power use, especially in the early evening when solar production fades and temperatures are expected to be ...

Bloomberg PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) is investing $12 billion across its global business in an overhaul targeting better audits, digitisation of services and greener operations. The professional-services provider will hire 100,000 employees and develop the skills of existing staff over the next five years as it seeks to respond to the post-pandemic operating environment, it said in an emailed statement. “We will ...

Bloomberg General Motors Co is raising the stakes in the electric-vehicle race, boosting its investment in future technology for a second time in eight months with plans to spend $35 billion on more than 30 plug-in vehicles by 2025 and a total of four battery plants. The automaker said the stepped-up investment reflects stronger-than-expected financial results for the year. Higher ...

Bloomberg Health and fitness apps, which help mobile-phone users track everything from calorie intake to menstruation dates, can access and share personal data in a way that’s concerning, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. The analysis of more than 20,000 apps found that inadequate privacy disclosures for many of them prevented users from making informed choices ...

Bloomberg Biel Crystal Manufactory Ltd, a supplier of cover glass to Apple Inc., is planning a Hong Kong initial public offering that could raise as much as $2 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The maker of touch screens is working with China International Capital Corp., HSBC Holdings Plc and JPMorgan Chase & Co. on the offering, ...

Bloomberg Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving car unit, said it raised $2.5 billion in a recent funding round to help advance its technology and replace a management team rocked by departures. Earlier this spring, Waymo had been talking to outside investors about raising as much as $4 billion, Bloomberg has reported. The Google sibling has lost six key executives in rapid ...

Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Mubadala Health, the integrated healthcare network of Mubadala Investment Company, on Wednesday announced the acquisition of a 60% stake in United Eastern Medical Services (UEMedical) from Jadwa Investment and United Eastern Group (UEG). UEMedical owns and operates multiple hospitals and clinics specializing in women’s health, family medicine, pediatrics, fertility, eye care, dentistry and dermatology in ...

NEW YORK / WAM At the UN General Assembly’s High-level dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought, the UAE has underlined that protecting the environment must be a priority for the international community. “We only have one home, one shelter – Earth,” said Dr Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, through a video message. “Therefore, we all ...

Dubai / WAM The Pakistan Business Council in Dubai organised the second trade session with Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, to discuss new business opportunities, boosting bilateral trade volume between the UAE and Pakistan and capitalising on Expo 2020 opportunity. The minister was accompanied by Afzaal Mahmood, Ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE, ...