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Bloomberg UK inflation picked up for the first time in six months in January, tempering expectations for a Bank of England (BOE) interest-rate cut later this year. Consumer prices rose a stronger-than-forecast 1.8% in January from a year earlier, the fastest since July, the Office for National Statistics said . Core inflation picked up to 1.6%. The pound erased a ...

Bloomberg Microsoft Corp tested for the first time in a live election security software that executives say will help restore the trust of voters shaken by claims of fraud, hacking and disinformation in the 2016 election. The company piloted its solution to verify results, a system called ElectionGuard, with voters in Fulton, Wisconsin, who chose candidates for state Supreme Court. ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump cast doubts over the likelihood of an anticipated trade deal with India, just days before a scheduled visit to the South Asian power. ”Well, we can have a trade deal with India, but I’m really saving the big deal for later on,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to California. ...

Bloomberg Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed free trade in global forums over the years, but his record back home appears to be one of rising protectionism. The government has increased import tariffs over the last two years to curb cheap goods from abroad and support small- and medium-sized local manufacturers. In November, Modi pulled India out of the ...

Bloomberg The hotel development unit of Thailand’s richest man said room bookings have started to recover from the disruption caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak. The spread of the disease impacted some 60% of the hotel and retail properties in Asset World Corp’s portfolio by deterring tourism and sparking event cancellations, according to its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wallapa Traisorat. ...

Bloomberg Tesla Inc’s financing arrangements in China may be the subject of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) inquiry that the electric-car maker disclosed last week, according to analysts at Evercore ISI. The financing Tesla lined up from local banks last year may have allowed the carmaker to delay recognition of capital expenditures, Chris McNally, who rates Tesla shares the ...

Bloomberg Pay increases across India’s organised sector will probably grow at the slowest pace since 2009 this year, according to a survey from Aon Plc. Companies will increase average pay by 9.1% in 2020, down from 9.3% in 2019 and 9.5% the previous year, Aon said in a report. The small increase reflects a deep slowdown in Asia’s third-largest economy, ...

Bloomberg Indonesia plans to impose excise duty on plastic bags, sugary drinks and vehicle emissions with the new levies expected to net the government about $1.7 billion in additional revenue annually. The new measures, apart from bolstering tax collections, are aimed at tackling climate change as well as a growing prevalence of chronic diseases, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told ...

Bloomberg A growing number of China’s private companies have cut wages, delayed paychecks or stopped paying staff completely, saying that the economic toll of the coronavirus has left them unable to cover their labour costs. To slow the spread of the virus that’s claimed more than 2,000 lives, Chinese authorities and big employers have encouraged people to stay home. Shopping ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Etisalat Group announced Tuesday its consolidated financial statements for the 12 months ending December 31 2019, reporting consolidated net profit of AED8.7 billion. According to a company press statement, the aggregate subscriber base reached 149 million, representing a year-on-year (YOY) increase of 6%. Twelve months’ consolidated revenues reached to AED52.2 billion, while consolidated net profit after ...