July, 2020

• 2 July

  Ground station to track satellite built by Aurak

  

  RAS AL KHAIMAH / WAM A ground station that will track and communicate with a satellite built by American University of Ras Al Khaimah (Aurak) students has opened on the University’s campus. The ground station is capable of communicating with satellites in orbit by sending commands and receiving telemetry, images and science data back from them. The satellite project is ...

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• 1 July

  Does Trump know Putin is in payback business?

  

  A basic truth about Russian President Vladimir Putin, which President Donald Trump evidently doesn’t understand: Putin is in the payback business. He believes the United States destroyed his former country, the Soviet Union. He likes the United States to feel pain, in Afghanistan and everywhere else. Trump has his own, much rosier take on Putin. And I can’t help wondering ...

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• 1 July

  American lockdown exceptionalism

  

  As the number of Covid-19 cases starts to rise again in many states, the question is whether residents of those states will tolerate another lockdown. I used to think so, but it is increasingly clear that Americans have become comfortable with a remarkably high number of casualties. There is a mechanism of social conformity at work here. Most people will ...

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• 1 July

  For Uber Eats, new deal is better than nothing

  Uber Technologies Inc needs to act fast to buttress its food-delivery business. It now has a second chance and shouldn’t blow it. The New York Times reported that Uber Eats-parent Uber Technologies Inc made an offer to acquire Postmates Inc, citing people familiar with the matter. A deal for Postmates would value the company at around $2.6 billion and could ...

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• 1 July

  ‘Covid-19’ is Merkel’s swan song as leader

  Covid-19 is a crucible of leadership. Some people are failing this test — the presidents of Brazil, Russia and the US spring to mind. Others are passing it with flying colours, notably the leaders of New Zealand, Denmark and Taiwan. All three happen to be women and have largely controlled the spread of Sars-CoV-2 in their countries while preserving social ...

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• 1 July

  Norwegian scrubs $10.6bn deal in threat to Boeing Max

  

  Bloomberg Norwegian Air Shuttle notified Boeing that the carrier is terminating purchases for all 97 of its remaining jets on order, underscoring the financial strains caused by a 15-month grounding of the 737 Max after two fatal accidents. In more bad news for Boeing’s best-selling jet, Singapore-based BOC Aviation Ltd said in a filing it was cancelling orders for 30 ...

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• 1 July

  Walmart, Humana expand virus testing

  Bloomberg Health insurer Humana Inc is expanding access to Covid-19 testing at hundreds of new drive-through sites at Walmart Inc stores, as well as offering at-home tests to members. The initiatives come amid reports of hours-long waits for tests in new hot spots like Houston as coronavirus cases surge in many southern and western states. While testing in the US ...

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• 1 July

  Steinhoff fees jump in scandal fallout

  Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV’s annual advisory fees climbed 35% last year, pushed by costs related to a deal the retailer reached with creditors to skip debt repayments. Steinhoff’s shares collapsed in late 2017 when the owner of Conforama in France and Pep stores in Europe and Africa became engulfed in an accounting scandal. Locked in a battle for survival, ...

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• 1 July

  Trump aids foes with disarray on Russia bounty news: Bolton

  

  Bloomberg The Trump administration’s response to the allegation Russia offered bounties for killing American troops makes the US vulnerable to adversaries regardless of whether it’s true, former US National Security Advisor John Bolton says. “What it tells the Russians is that we are in disarray and ripe for this kind of provocation, not just in Afghanistan but in many, many ...

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• 1 July

  Putin set for big win in election that may extend rule to 2036

  

  Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin is on course to secure a resounding endorsement of his bid to extend his two-decade-long rule potentially up to 2036, as the Kremlin faces criticism for its heavy-handed efforts to marshal support. Putin, a former KGB colonel who came to power in 2000, is already the longest-serving Russian leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. The ...

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