February, 2020

• 22 February

  Sanders aims to cement front-runner status with Nevada vote

  

  Bloomberg Bernie Sanders was expected to cement his front-runner status on Saturday as Nevada’s diverse electorate weighs in on the 2020 Democratic presidential field, but the day could deal a harsh blow to several other candidates limping towards Super Tuesday. Sanders holds a double-digit lead in the RealClearPolitics average of polls ahead of the vote, with Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg ...

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• 22 February

  Trudeau: Blockades ‘must now come down’

  

  Bloomberg Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged his government’s efforts to negotiate a solution to rail blockades across the country have failed and signaled he would be open to police intervention. Efforts by his ministers to reach out have not been productive and he has “no choice” but to stop making overtures and call for the barricades to come down, Trudeau ...

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• 22 February

  South Korea: Psychiatric ward patients have virus

  

  Bloomberg Almost all patients at a psychiatric ward of a South Korean hospital tested positive for the coronavirus, with local reports saying a religious sect with followers who were infected had attended a funeral in the same complex. South Korea’s two confirmed deaths from the virus were also from the Cheongdo hospital’s mental health division, Korea’s Centers for Disease Control ...

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• 22 February

  US halts Afghan offensive operations in peace bid

  Bloomberg The US has stopped all offensive operations against Taliban extremists in Afghanistan as part of an effort to reduce violence in the country for seven days and pave the way for a peace agreement this month to end the US’s longest war. “Our operations are defensive at this point,” US General Austin Scott Miller said. “We stopped our offensive ...

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• 22 February

  Apple may let users switch iPhone apps to rivals

  

  Bloomberg Apple Inc is considering giving rival apps more prominence on iPhones and iPads and opening its HomePod speaker to third-party music services after criticism the company provides an unfair advantage to its in-house products. The technology giant is discussing whether to let users choose third-party web browser and mail applications as their default options on Apple’s mobile devices, replacing ...

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• 22 February

  UK’s plug-in hybrid van targets delivery firms to plumbers

  

  Bloomberg The maker of Britain’s iconic black cabs is building a plug-in hybrid van that can travel for 377 miles without recharging or filling up, in a bid to win over long-distance delivery firms and other companies that rely on purely gasoline vehicles. London Electric Vehicle Co is targeting high-mileage fleets at firms such as Royal Mail Plc and utilities ...

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• 22 February

  Airline Wi-Fi that actually works is coming soon

  

  Bloomberg Air travel and glitch-free internet access are often considered mutually exclusive, thanks to the technical difficulties associated with making Wi-Fi work at 40,000 feet. For the airlines, a satisfying online experience is even more elusive. The hardware, software, maintenance and inability to easily switch service providers combine for a very expensive headache. But there may be some good news ...

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• 22 February

  Jaguar Land Rover shelves plan to sell bonds to raise cash

  

  Bloomberg Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc has shelved plans to issue a US dollar bond after investors demanded too high an interest rate to compensate for the risk the coronavirus poses to the luxury carmaker, according to people familiar with the matter. Jaguar hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to meet investors in the US recently ahead of a potential ...

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• 22 February

  Xi pledges flexible monetary policy for economy hit by virus

  

  Bloomberg China’s top leaders said they will exercise more flexibility in monetary and fiscal policy, signaling a greater focus on reviving an economy pummelled by the virus outbreak. Fiscal policy will be more proactive, while construction projects will be accelerated, according to a statement issued after a Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping on February 21. The central bank ...

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• 22 February

  Grab reverses plan to end driver incentives

  

  Bloomberg Ride-hailing firm Grab Holdings Inc reversed its decision to cease a driver incentive programme in Singapore following a backlash from drivers who are worried about their earnings during the coronavirus outbreak. The move comes after Grab unexpectedly told its driver partners it would replace existing incentive programmes with a new government-backed virus aid package. Grab’s so-called “Super Steady Streak” ...

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