December, 2019

• 3 December

  France vows to retaliate over $2.4 billion US tariff threat

  

  Bloomberg France’s government said the European Union (EU) would retaliate if the US follows through on a threat to hit about $2.4 billion of French products with tariffs over a dispute concerning how large tech companies are taxed. “It’s not worthy of an ally, and it’s not the behaviour we expect from the US towards one of its main allies, ...

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• 3 December

  Volkswagen sued for misleading software

  

  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG is facing one of the largest-ever UK class action lawsuits, with almost 100,000 vehicle owners accusing it of misleading them by installing emissions-cheating software that made it appear their diesel vehicles met environmental standards. Lawyers for the drivers opened their case and must first prove that the allegations belong in court. They need judges to follow findings ...

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• 3 December

  Euro-area manufacturing rises to 3-month high

  Bloomberg Euro-zone factory activity rose to a three-month high last month, though job losses continued as the sector remained stuck in a slump. The Purchasing Managers’ Index for the 19-nation euro region rose slightly to 46.9 in November as confidence improved and a drop in new orders slowed. The reading was up from a preliminary 46.6 but still below the ...

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• 3 December

  Twitter CEO to spend six months in Africa

  

  Bloomberg Twitter Inc Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey returned from a trip touring African startups ready to go back. He said in a Twitter post recently that he’ll spend three to six months somewhere on the continent next year. Dorsey had spent much of November meeting with startups and people in the tech industry in South Africa, Ethiopia, Nigeria and ...

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• 3 December

  Trump blasts Macron for ‘very nasty’ attack on Nato

  

  Bloomberg Donald Trump, once the primary critic of NATO, blasted France’s Emmanuel Macron for his “very insulting” comments about the military alliance that’s celebrating its 70th anniversary in London. The full-throttled attack came on Tuesday, hours before the two leaders were scheduled to meet face-to-face in London. The US president, who in the past has expressed admiration for the French ...

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• 3 December

  Typhoon Kammuri kills 3 in Philippines

  Bloomberg Typhoon Kammuri barrelled into the Philippines’ main island, killing at least three people, displacing half a million more and shutting its main airport. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte canceled work in government offices in Metro Manila, while schools were closed as Kammuri battered the capital region on Tuesday. The foreign exchange and stock markets were open. About half a million ...

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• 3 December

  Iran for first time admits protesters were shot dead

  Bloomberg Iran for the first time acknowledged that its security forces shot and killed protesters last month during one of the most violent crackdowns on dissent since the 1979 Islamic revolution. State television on Tuesday reported that “rioters” had been shot dead in several areas as they joined anti-government protests, including in Tehran, the capital, and Mahshahr in the country’s ...

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• 3 December

  North Korea gives Trump ‘Christmas’ choice in veiled threat

  

  Bloomberg North Korea said it was preparing a choice of “Christmas” gifts for President Donald Trump, in the country’s latest effort to pressure the US to offer more concessions in nuclear talks before the new year. Top North Korean diplomat Ri Thae Song said in a statement Tuesday that the onus was on the US side to determine how the ...

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• 3 December

  New US charges likely in Giuliani-allies case

  

  Bloomberg The US is “likely” to bring additional charges in a case against Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Rudy Giuliani who are accused of skirting campaign contribution limits as part of a plot to oust the American ambassador to Ukraine, a prosecutor said. The comment was made at an hour-long court hearing in Manhattan. Responding to a question ...

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• 3 December

  Support for Sweden Democrats hits record

  Bloomberg Backing for the nationalist Sweden Democrats surged in yet another poll, confirming that the party is now a contender to become the largest political force in the country. Some 22.6% of Swedes would vote for the Sweden Democrats if an election was held today, according to the bi-annual poll by the country’s statistics agency. That’s up from 17.1% in ...

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