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Deutsche Bank kingmaker’s CEO move triggers criticism

FRANKFURT / Reuters Once one of Germany’s chief power brokers in finance, Deutsche Bank Chairman Paul Achleitner’s switch of chief executive has triggered criticism that it was rushed through, casting a cloud over his own future. Achleitner forced out CEO John Cryan after a row that centred on what some describe as Cryan’s ‘indecisiveness’ in cutting jobs and costs, according ...

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Gamble to sell Air India hits turbulence in test for Modi

Bloomberg A plan to sell off India’s flagship airline is facing headwinds before it even gets started. Narendra Modi’s boldest asset sale yet is the proposed divestment of Air India, the nation’s money-losing flag carrier, has run into rough weather after some of the potential bidders opted out upset with the government’s terms. This setback, however, is the least of ...

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Hundreds of flights disrupted as spring storm hits US Midwest

Bloomberg Hundreds of flights were disrupted Saturday as a severe spring storm threatened to dump record snowfall on parts of the Midwestern US, while ice and freezing rain hit Canada’s Ontario province. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, a regional hub for Delta Air Lines, has had to slow or halt aircraft throughout the day, contributing to about 350 cancelled flights, according ...

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Tax cuts halt 3-month retreat in US retail sales

Bloomberg Tax cuts have given a boost to Americans’ take-home pay this year. The question hanging over the US economy is whether they are putting the extra cash towards savings and debt, or using it to go shopping. Retail-sales data due on Monday from the Commerce Department will help provide an answer, and economists are betting that consumers finally opened ...

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Rolls-Royce, airlines grapple with more Dreamliner engine issues

LONDON / Reuters Rolls-Royce requires more money and more inspections to fix problems with Trent 1000 engines on Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes, leading to further disruption for airlines and testing relations between Rolls and its customers. Problems with engine turbine blades wearing out sooner than expected have hampered a restructuring programme prompted by the engineering company’s declining older engine programmes ...

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Saudi, Chinese firms sign contract to build 4th phase of Dubai solar park

SHANGHAI / WAM Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and China’s Shanghai Electric have signed an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract for the 700MW fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), said, “I am pleased to be here today (Saturday) in Shanghai ...

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Telecom giants begin jostling for connected-car riches

Bloomberg The phone companies spent decades extending internet access across the US, first to homes and then to mobile devices, only to be stuck collecting relatively small service fees while Google and Amazon built lucrative online empires. Now that a surge of American cars are getting their own internet connections, Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. don’t want to be ...

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Google releases new Africa app to help users beat slow internet

Bloomberg Google is releasing an app in Africa that will help internet users overcome obstacles such as the lack of high-speed connectivity and the cost of data on the continent. The release of Google Go is the US technology giant’s latest attempt to extend its reach into emerging markets such as sub-Saharan Africa, where Facebook Inc. is also making inroads. ...

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Spotify plans new version of free music service

Bloomberg Spotify Technology SA is developing a new version of its free music service, the first big product change since the streaming company went public last week, according to people familiar with the matter. The company is tweaking the free service to make it easier to use, especially for customers on mobile phones, said the people, who asked not to ...

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