February, 2020

• 23 February

  VW to pitch to jury ‘it’s paid plenty over diesel cheating’

  

  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG faces a new reckoning over its diesel-emissions scandal — its first US jury trial. The world’s largest automaker says it’s paid plenty to right wrongs, but hundreds of car owners who declined to join a $10 billion settlement contend it hasn’t repented enough. A trial set to begin on Monday in San Francisco federal court will subject ...

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• 23 February

  Italy regions close universities as coronavirus reaches Milan

  

  Bloomberg Authorities in northern Italy temporarily closed some universities after a surge in coronavirus cases left the country with the most infections in Europe, including two cases in the financial hub of Milan. The number of reported cases rose to 60 on February 22, including 47 in the Lombardy region, which borders Switzerland and includes Milan, Italy’s second-biggest city. All ...

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• 23 February

  Buffett now touts wind energy after criticism

  

  Bloomberg Warren Buffett, long under pressure from activists to detail how climate change affects his businesses, used part of his annual letter to shareholders to highlight how wind power generated by a Berkshire Hathaway Inc utility shows the company is reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. Buffett’s letter, with topics ranging from share repurchases to the makeup of corporate boards, ...

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• 23 February

  UK Brexit negotiators look to avoid Irish Sea checks

  

  Bloomberg British Brexit negotiators are trying to find a way to avoid checks on goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, according to the Sunday Times newspaper. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit team, run by chief negotiator David Frost, wants to get around aspects of the Northern Ireland protocol in the withdrawal agreement agreed with the European ...

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• 23 February

  US existing home sales remain solid

  Bloomberg Sales of previously owned US homes remained robust in January as low borrowing costs and higher wages continue to make purchasing attainable. Contract closings eased 1.3% from the prior month to a 5.46 million annual rate, according to National Association of Realtors data that slightly exceeded the median estimate in Bloomberg’s survey. The median sales price climbed 6.8% from ...

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• 23 February

  Tesla rival sets out to banish 160-year-old lead tech from cars

  

  Bloomberg Your sleek new Tesla Model S or electronic BMW has a distinctly 19th century feature that you may not be aware of, among its batteries. A company in Estonia wants to change that. Skeleton Technologies Group OU is working on supercapacitors, light-weight and long-life components that can distribute intensive bursts of power. These may help eliminate lead-acid batteries, a ...

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• 23 February

  No evidence Russia helping Trump, says US security aide

  

  Bloomberg Donald Trump’s top security aide said he’s seen no evidence that Russia is interfering in the 2020 US election in an effort to support the president’s re-election bid. On the other hand, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien told ABC News that it would be “no surprise” if Moscow was trying to help Senator Bernie Sanders win the election, as ...

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• 23 February

  Woman found infected after leaving virus-hit ship

  

  Bloomberg A woman in her 60s has tested positive for the coronavirus after disembarking from the cruise ship docked in Yokohama following a two-week quarantine, according to a statement from the Tochigi prefecture. The patient, who tested negative for the virus on February 14 on board the Diamond Princess, returned to her home in the Tochigi prefecture, near Tokyo, on ...

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• 23 February

  Trump, Modi focus on big crowds, sidestepping differences

  

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump anticipates a hero’s welcome in India on Monday, but the glitzy events filling his two-day visit with PM Narendra Modi will paper over growing trade frictions. The visit is intended to strengthen the personal relationship between Trump and Modi, a fellow nationalist whose country is regarded by the US as an important regional counterweight against China. ...

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• 23 February

  German voters give first verdict on chaos

  

  Bloomberg Germany has been mired in political turmoil, and a regional vote on Sunday to give an early indication of the fallout. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s succession plan collapsed on February 10 when her chosen heir, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, unexpectedly announced she would resign as head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Voters in the city-state of Hamburg were going to the ...

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