International News

Bloomberg WhatsApp rival Hike of India is introducing a version of Android that lets users message, make payments and access information without an active data connection, seeking to offer services to people who aren’t yet able to access the internet. The modified mobile software, called Total, will be available on four devices starting March, Hike said. People will be able ...

Bloomberg Vertical farming startup Plenty Inc. plans to build 300 indoor farms in or near major Chinese cities to meet rising demand from the country’s middle-class who are willing to pay more for safer food. The company also plans to set up what it calls experience centres in Beijing and Shanghai so that local residents can taste raw vegetables, Chief ...

Bloomberg Hindustan Unilever Ltd.’s revenue climbed 4.1 percent in the third quarter as India’s largest consumer-goods company widened the gap with competition including from yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. Revenue at the Indian unit of Unilever rose to 87.4 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) in the three months through December, the Mumbai-based company said. That exceeded the 84.3 billion-rupee ...

Bloomberg Billionaire Wang Jianlin’s Dalian Wanda Group Co. is close to reaching an agreement to sell two Australian luxury property projects—one in Sydney and one on the nation’s Gold Coast, according to people familiar with the matter. The buyer is of Chinese origin, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because discussions are private. A deal ...

Bloomberg European car sales reached a 10-year high in 2017 as widening economic growth boosted consumer confidence, with SUVs from French manufacturers Peugeot and Renault, Italian competitor Alfa Romeo and Japanese rival Toyota propelling demand. Registrations in 2017 increased 3.3 percent to 15.6 million vehicles, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA, said in a statement. The figure was ...

Bloomberg European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker offered a new twist in his campaign to keep Britain part of the EU. A day after urging British Prime Minister Theresa May to reverse Brexit before it happens in March 2019, the head of the European Union’s executive arm said the UK can always re-apply for membership after departing. Juncker cited the EU’s ...

Bloomberg Melrose Industries Plc made a hostile 7.4-billion-pound ($10.2 billion) bid for GKN Plc, which spurned the approach, setting up a battle to win shareholder support for the deal or the aviation supplier’s own plan to break itself up. The offer values GKN at 430.1 pence a share in cash and stock, Birmingham, England-based Melrose said in a statement. After ...

Bloomberg As more international travellers decide to skip America, ten business associations including the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Restaurant Association have created a travel industry group aimed at reversing the growing unpopularity of the US as a vacation destination. Historically, America only had to sit back and let foreign tourists and their money roll in. Over the ...

Bloomberg Tencent-backed Chinese startup Kuaishou is seeking to raise funds at about a $17 billion valuation, people familiar with the matter said, as it expands its video-streaming service to Southeast Asia. The company is targeting around $1 billion of financing, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private deal. The startup’s desired valuation would be almost six ...

Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp.’s Vision Fund will invest 460 million euros ($560 million) in Auto1 Group GmbH, valuing the German used-car sales portal at about 2.9 billion euros. Auto1 will use the funds to introduce its service that helps private car owners sell their vehicles in new countries, expand a fintech venture that provides car dealerships with loans, and give ...