December, 2022

• 19 December

  This robot is on a mission to eliminate short car trips

  

    Bloomberg When a six-year-old boy first “woke up” the Gitamini robot, his parents were surprised he didn’t flinch — robots these days tend to be ominous. But as November leaves swirled around the sidewalk meet-cute, the squat personal droid gave a friendly “chirp” and popped up on its two large wheels, ready to follow a new friend. Service robots …

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• 19 December

  Twitter to restore more suspended accounts weekly over next 30 days

  

  Bloomberg Twitter has started to restore accounts that were suspended for breaking platform rules and the company plans to reinstate more over the next 30 days. In a series of tweets, Twitter said it had identified several policies where permanent suspension was a “disproportionate” action for breaking rules. The company said reinstated accounts still need to comply with its rules. …

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• 19 December

  VW sees growing challenges on inflation, downturn

  

    Bloomberg Volkswagen AG (VW) Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz said he expects next year to be “even more challenging” than 2022 as inflation and a worsening economic outlook cut into demand. Antlitz, speaking in a Bloomberg TV interview, said VW will need to improve productivity and lower fixed costs as the carmaker can’t fully pass on soaring raw material …

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• 19 December

  Intel delays German chip plant

    Bloomberg Intel Corp will delay construction of its German chip plant and is seeking more in government subsidies, Volksstimme reported. The US-based chipmaker earlier this year announced plans for a mega site worth $18 billion in Magdeburg. Construction was set to begin by mid-2023, and the government planned to provide €6.8 billion in state aid. The cost has now …

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• 17 December

  Boeing closes in on Max order from Tata group’s Air India

  

    Bloomberg Boeing Co is closing in on an order for as many as 200 of its 737 Max jets from Air India Ltd’s new owner Tata Group as the two sides race to wrap up talks before the year-end holidays, according to people familiar with the matter. The final deal is expected to include 40 to 50 Max aircraft …

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• 17 December

  Baggage handlers call off planned strike at London Heathrow

  

    Bloomberg Baggage handlers at London Heathrow airport called off a strike after their union received an improved pay offer from Menzies Aviation. The U-turn means a three-day walkout won’t take place, as the Unite union ballots members on the new offer. Financial details were not disclosed. Unite had said that more than 400 workers at Heathrow Terminals 2, 3 …

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• 17 December

  Germany to receive F-35s in 2026 to rejuvenate Air Force

  

    Bloomberg Germany is set to receive the first batch of its F-35 fighter jets in 2026, though the initial eight units will remain stationed in the US for training purposes, creating a tight schedule to build up more advanced air-defense capabilities before the aging Tornado models are retired in 2030. The procurement schedule foresees a handover in tranches, with …

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• 17 December

  UK retail sales fall in November as inflation crisis deepens

  

    Bloomberg UK retail sales unexpectedly fell in November as Black Friday failed to deliver its usual boost, deepening the cost of the living crisis engulfing the sector. The volume of goods sold in shops and online fell 0.4%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Sales excluding auto fuel fell 0.3%. Economists expected a 0.3% gain on both measures. …

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• 17 December

  Walmart’s S Africa unit staff drop union for wage offer

    Bloomberg Massmart Holdings Ltd expects more workers at its Makro stores to leave the South African Commercial‚ Catering and Allied Workers’ Union in order to accept the Walmart-owned company’s wage offer. About 800, or 17%, of the Makro Saccawu members have resigned from the union and the firms sees more joining them after receiving “a flurry of calls from …

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• 17 December

  Amazon signs deal with Games Workshop

    Bloomberg Games Workshop Group Plc will work with Amazon.com Inc to develop film and television productions, with initial work focusing on the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Warhammer 40,000, or 40k as it’s known by fans, is a sci-fi universe set in humanity’s ‘grimdark’ future. It focuses on themes of conflict, galaxy-spanning empire, and fanatic religiosity. The Games Workshop franchise already …

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