Bloomberg Rescuers hunted for survivors and victims under the rubble of hundreds of hotels and houses flattened by a deadly tsunami along Indonesia’s Sunda Strait with authorities warning the death toll may climb from the 373 already confirmed. Most of the victims were local holidaymakers staying in the hotels and bungalows along the popular beaches in Lampung and Banten provinces, ...
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Insolvency trustees gain amid higher Canada rates
Bloomberg People who make a living guiding others through bankruptcy in Canada say they’ve never been busier. Record debt burdens, rising borrowing costs and, in some cases, bigger payday loans are driving many Canadians to seek relief, according to several licensed insolvency trustees who spoke to Bloomberg. They say November was their busiest on record, and December — typically a ...
Read More »US political issues keep investors on tenterhooks
Bloomberg If emerging markets had their way, this Christmas week would be like any other: quiet, with just a handful of economic releases and low trading volumes. But political dramas playing out in the US are keeping investors on tenterhooks. The US government shutdown over President Donald Trump’s demand for border-wall funding is likely to last past Christmas. And even ...
Read More »Uber loses UK lawsuit over drivers’ employment rights in gig economy
Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc lost a UK lawsuit over the employment rights of its drivers, in a landmark judgment that threatens to force companies in the country’s burgeoning gig economy to offer benefits such as paid vacations. London’s Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge by the ride-hailing firm over a lower court ruling that found its drivers are “workers,†meaning ...
Read More »Canadian battery maker says ‘tech costs’ will drop
Bloomberg CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc, a Canada-listed maker of batteries that can last for as long as two decades, said the cost of its technology may halve within four years, potentially boosting its uptake over lithium-ion units. Costs of its vanadium redox flow battery units, which can discharge power for four hours, will decline to $150 per kilowatt hour ...
Read More »Telefonica chief takes no chances as Elliott stalks Europe
Bloomberg The mere mention of Elliott Management Corp is enough to rattle any telecom executive after the New York activist fund took on Telecom Italia SpA — Europe’s most indebted phone company — and removed its CEO. So when Elliott this month denied a media report it was targeting southern Europe’s other debt-laden carrier, Telefonica SA, it seemed the Spanish ...
Read More »Huawei’s growth, alleged theft helped sow mistrust
Bloomberg Huawei Technologies Co. wanted a better way to test its telephone handsets, so it sent an engineer to see “Tappy,†the robot in partner company T-Mobile US Inc’s laboratory in Bellevue, Washington. “Tappy,†computer-driven and tireless, taps on touch screens, simulating weeks of use in a day. The Huawei engineer was curious about Tappy’s fingertips. So he slipped one ...
Read More »India seeks to open IL&FS books again
Bloomberg The Indian government has sought to reopen the books of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services group, alleging evidence of auditing lapses was uncovered while looking into allegations that funds were siphoned from the beleaguered financier. A probe by India’s Serious Fraud Investigation Office indicated the lender’s accounts were fraudulent and mismanaged, Sanjay Shorey, a lawyer for the government told ...
Read More »Ghosn’s main lawyer disputes allegations
Bloomberg Carlos Ghosn’s lawyer challenged allegations by prosecutors that the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman transferred personal financial losses to the Japanese automaker. While rearresting Ghosn, the prosecutors alleged Ghosn used Nissan’s money to pay a person who helped him meet payments to maintain a personal trading position during the 2008 global financial crisis. On Sunday, Motonari Otsuru, the main ...
Read More »Indonesian palm oil producer explores sale
Bloomberg Owners of PT Triputra Agro Persada, including Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte, are exploring a possible sale of the Indonesian palm oil producer, people with knowledge of the matter said. Shareholders including Northstar Group have asked banks to pitch for a role advising the firm on options that also include an initial public offering, said the people, who ...
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