Bloomberg Nissan Motor Co, BMW AG and Volkswagen AG are among carmakers in talks to bring the electric-car revolution to South Africa, as the nation’s auto-factory floors risk being left behind in the global switch to greener vehicles. The industry is preparing a unified stance on electrification to present to the government by the end of the year, Mike Mabasa, …

Bloomberg An Indian startup that aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver faster and more personalised customer support for corporate clients is raising $51 million in funding from investors including March Capital Partners and Chiratae Ventures. Uniphore Software Systems Pvt, based in Chennai and Palo Alto, California, plans to use the emerging technology to change the labor-intensive business of …

Bloomberg Huawei Technologies took the wraps off its “HarmonyOS” operating system, offering the first glimpses of in-house software that may someday replace Google’s Android and reduce its reliance on American technology. To begin with, the open-source software will skip smartphones and instead find its way into everything from cars and watches to personal computers by 2020, Richard Yu, chief executive …

Bloomberg A unit of state investment company Temasek Holdings Pte has invested in Secretlab, a Singapore-based maker of chairs for players of electronic games, to help drive growth. Heliconia Capital Management Pte’s purchase of a minority stake values the five-year-old company at between $144 million and $216 million, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. “Secretlab is now …

Bloomberg Disruptions at Hong Kong’s international airport drove big gains in shares of airports just over the mainland border. Shenzhen Airport Co soared by the 10 percent daily limit, while Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Co rose 4.5 percent to a record high. They also rallied, when protests first brought Hong Kong’s airport to a standstill and flights were cancelled. Cathay …

Bloomberg A federal judge reinforced an order for American Airlines Group Inc mechanics and other airport ramp workers to end an alleged work slowdown the carrier said has had a “devastating effect” on flights during the busy summer travel season. US District Judge John McBryde in Fort Worth, Texas, made permanent an earlier order directing the TWU-IAM Association to stop …

Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd was cut to a “strong sell” by the investment banking arm of China’s biggest lender, which said the fallout from the anti-Beijing protests in Hong Kong is set to hurt to the airline’s brand. State-run Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd slapped a HK$6 price target on the stock, about a third less than …

Bloomberg Air Canada boosted its takeover offer for Transat AT by 38 percent, or C$200 million ($151 million), securing support from the tour operator’s largest shareholder in the process. Air Canada said it will raise the bid to C$18 a share from C$13, bringing the value of the all-cash offer to C$720 million. The sweetened offer has the support of …

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc is in late-stage talks to acquire as much as 10 percent of India’s Future Retail Ltd, people familiar with the negotiations said, as the US company moves to bolster its brick-and-mortar presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing retail markets. India’s No. 2 retailer by turnover, Future is seeking a valuation of about 20 billion rupees ($281 …

Bloomberg Mario Draghi’s plans for a parting stimulus shot before he retires as European Central Bank president are laced with even more suspense than usual. While the ECB is widely expected to cut interest rates next month, the prospect of a renewed round of asset purchases is shrouded in uncertainty. Investors must judge how much quantitative easing the euro-zone economy …