International News

Bloomberg French Europe Minister Amelie de Montchalin fired a series of warnings at Boris Johnson over the next stage of Brexit talks, saying the UK’s threat to leave the European Union without a trade deal was “for the birds.” Speaking in London a day after Johnson published his proposals for a free trade deal with the EU, de Montchalin rejected ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook suggested the iPhone maker wouldn’t make any quick moves out of China in light of interruptions due to the coronavirus and called the situation a “temporary condition.” “We’re talking about adjusting some knobs, not some sort of wholesale, fundamental change,” he said in an interview aired on Fox Business. Apple’s China-focused supply ...

Bloomberg Brazil’s government is likely to cut its 2.4% growth forecast for the economy in 2020 to take into account the impact of the coronavirus in slowing global activity, a person familiar with the matter said. A lower-than-expected gross domestic product expansion would lead to reduced inflationary pressure, which may open some space for the central bank to cut the ...

Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc drivers and takeout delivery workers have a new champion in European Union’s (EU) antitrust chief, who wants to help them fight for better pay and conditions. In an interview with Bloomberg, Margrethe Vestager says she’s looking at ways to help “people who work in a weak negotiating position” amid concerns about the plight of workers in ...

Bloomberg Google cancelled a major internal gathering over concerns about the spread of coronavirus, the latest in a wave of events and conferences being called off around the world. The internet giant’s sales and marketing event was set to take place in Las Vegas in March, a Google spokesman said. “In light of the evolving coronavirus situation we made the ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced a HK$120 billion ($15.4 billion) relief package with tax cuts and a cash handout, in an effort to shore up economic confidence in a city battered by political unrest and the coronavirus. The main feature of Chan’s annual budget announced on Wednesday is a payment of HK$10,000 to each permanent resident of ...

Bloomberg An episode of John Oliver’s show that criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been blocked in India by Hotstar, the local platform run by Walt Disney Co. The comedian was previewing President Donald Trump’s visit to India on his Emmy-winning ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,’ which typically airs at 6 am each Tuesday in the Asian nation. When ...

Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp invested $400 million in Pony.ai to strengthen its ties with the Chinese provider of driverless-car systems. The investment extends the companies’ partnership formed last year and pushes Pony.ai’s valuation to more than $3 billion, the startup said in a statement. The pact enables a “deeper integration” of Pony.ai’s technology with Toyota’s vehicles. “It will enable us ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump and his top advisers want global markets and the American public to believe that the coronavirus poses little risk to the US But the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention is saying just the opposite — warning that the virus’s spread in America is inevitable and could bring significant disruption to the world’s largest ...

Bloomberg The European Union’s (EU) chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, handed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson an ultimatum, warning there will be no trade deal unless the UK agrees to the bloc’s demands on fair competition and fishing. “The trade deal will be associated with a fisheries agreement and a level playing field, otherwise there won’t be any agreement at ...