February, 2020

• 8 February

  US abandons antitrust probe of carmakers over emissions pact

  

  Bloomberg The Justice Department has abandoned its antitrust probe of four automakers that sided with California over President Donald Trump in a fight over the future of fuel economy and emissions requirements. The inquiry had targeted Ford Motor Co, Honda Motor Co, BMW AG and Volkswagen AG over their agreement last year with California regulators to voluntarily meet the state’s ...

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• 8 February

  Virus to impact FB’s headset production

  Bloomberg Facebook Inc said the global outbreak of the deadly coronavirus is likely to impact production of its Oculus virtual reality headsets, which are produced in China. The Oculus Quest, Facebook’s wireless headset released last year, is out of stock in some regions, according to VR news website UploadVR, and a Facebook spokeswoman said that high demand, and the coronavirus, ...

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• 8 February

  Uber falters in legal attack on California gig worker law

  

  Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc and Postmates Inc are unlikely to put a quick stop to a landmark California law they call a monstrous threat to their business models. A judge signalled that she’s inclined to reject a request to temporarily shield the companies from Assembly Bill 5, which is aimed at converting gig-economy workers from independent contractors to employees with ...

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• 8 February

  Japan next for Raab as UK pushes for deals

  Bloomberg Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab faces a tough task when he arrives in Tokyo: persuading Japanese companies — including those that invested in Britain as an entry point to the European Union — to back Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s vision for the UK after Brexit. “Now we’ve left the EU we can take full advantage of the opportunities open to ...

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• 8 February

  Modi’s BJP fights tough battle for control of Delhi elections

  

  Bloomberg Delhi voted in the bitterly contested state election on Saturday, with PM Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a tough fight to reclaim the capital region, marking the first major test at the ballot box of his religion-based citizenship law that’s spurred nationwide protests. About 14.6 million voters cast their votes to elect 70 members to the legislative ...

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• 8 February

  10 killed, many hurt in Thailand shooting

  Bloomberg An attacker using military-style weapons killed at least 10 people in Thailand and appeared to livestream the assault on Facebook. Many others were injured in the incident on Saturday and the assailant remains at large, according to police spokesman Kritsana Pattanacharoen. The shooting took place in a city commonly known as Korat in Nakhon Ratchasima province northeast of Bangkok. ...

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• 8 February

  Trump’s Mideast plan unacceptable: Mahathir

  

  Bloomberg Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad said the proposed Israel-Palestine peace deal that was announced by US President Donald Trump is “utterly unacceptable“ and “grossly unjust.” The plan, dubbed the “Deal of the Century” by Trump, hands the holy city of Jerusalem on a silver platter to Israel in absolute disregard for the feelings of millions of Muslims and Christians worldwide, ...

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• 8 February

  Trump ousts impeachment witnesses Sondland, Vindman

  

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump moved swiftly to exact retribution on those he blames for his impeachment, purging his administration of two witnesses who testified against him in the House inquiry just two days after his acquittal by the Senate. Gordon Sondland announced he had been ousted as US ambassador to the European Union just hours after the White House dismissed ...

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• 8 February

  HK protesters see virus fuelling movement

  

  Bloomberg Prominent activist Ventus Lau stood outside a restaurant, handing out surgical masks and asking recipients to shout pro-democracy slogans — including the popular rallying cry “Liberate Hong Kong! Revolution of our times!” For Lau, who has organised some of the biggest anti-government protests since they began last June, the demonstrations are on hold as fear of a new coronavirus ...

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• 8 February

  Varadkar risks defeat as Irish voters head to polls

  

  Bloomberg Ireland voted on Saturday, with PM Leo Varadkar’s party facing a struggle to retain power after almost a decade in office. Voting started at 7 am and was expected to finish at 10 pm. State broadcaster RTE was expected to release an exit poll immediately after voting ends. Counting is set to begin on Sunday, with a clear picture ...

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