July, 2019

• 27 July

  America flexes its military muscle in the Persian Gulf

  

  Aboard the USS Boxer in the Persian Gulf — Capt. Ronald Dowdell was on the starboard side of the bridge, looking towards Iran, as his vessel passed through the Strait of Hormuz on July 18. He’d been monitored by Iranian helicopters and speedboats, but now a drone was closing fast. Dowdell ordered his crew to disable the drone because it ...

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• 27 July

  Floods a boon for China hydropower

  

  Look at the coal yards surrounding China’s power plants and you’ll notice something strange happening. Typically at this time of year, stockpiles of the fuel that provides about two-thirds of the country’s power should be shrinking. Peak season for thermal power generation is July and August when cities switch on their air conditioning, along with the coldest months of winter. ...

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• 27 July

  Snapchat is not giving up the ghost just yet

  It’s hard to believe after Snap Inc.’s shambolic stumbles over the last two years, but the company truly looks to be on the right road. Snap said that its Snapchat app increased the number of daily users in the second quarter at a rate not reached since before the company’s 2017 initial public offering. Importantly, Snap offered evidence that its ...

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• 27 July

  Trump’s food stamp plan: Not cruel, but unnecessary

  The Department of Agriculture’s four-paragraph announcement in the Federal Register of a “revision of categorical eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program” didn’t fool anyone: The government is proposing to kick 3.1 million people off food stamps. And while the proposal is being attacked for its cruelty, the better argument is that it’s unnecessary. One of America’s oldest social-welfare programs ...

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• 27 July

  The EU should give Boris Johnson a new Brexit deal

  

  Britain’s new prime minister, Boris Johnson, won the job promising to do something Europe’s leaders have long refused to allow: renegotiate the Brexit withdrawal agreement. The EU should think again — not to help Johnson, but for strictly selfish reasons. The constant sticking point in the Brexit saga has been the so-called backstop — the plan to avoid new border ...

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• 27 July

  Retail property sector in Singapore battles an online shopping exodus

  

  Singapore’s malls are showing some resilience to the global hollowing out of physical retail by online shopping. The demographics of the smartphone generation are still against them, though. Suburban middle-class shopping centers put up a strong show in CapitaLand Mall Trust’s quarterly earnings. Their relative outperformance was an overarching theme in the results of Singapore’s biggest mall landlord, which offer ...

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• 27 July

  Tech superpowers need better talking points

  

  The US technology superpowers need better talking points — and fast. The US Department of Justice said that it would start reviewing how “market-leading online platforms” became big and whether they are squashing competition, limiting innovation or hurting consumers in other ways that may violate US antitrust laws. The government didn’t name names, but rest assured you can throw Google ...

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• 27 July

  Samsung revives its Galaxy Fold for September launch

  

  Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co will begin selling its Galaxy Fold in September, resurrecting a device it pulled months ago after early reviewers reported defects in the gadget’s much-touted flexible screen. The world’s biggest smartphone maker is conducting final testing after making a series of modifications to the device, and said in an online post it will sell the phone in ...

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• 27 July

  Roku working on new device to improve video streaming

  

  Bloomberg Roku Inc is working on a new device to address a common problem with streaming TV set-top-boxes: video quality. The company is developing a Wi-Fi extender called Roku Relay and is testing it internally, according to people familiar with the matter. The device increases the range of a Wi-Fi router, spreading internet signals further through homes so online video ...

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• 27 July

  Toyota invests $600m in China’s Didi

  

  Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp will inject $600 million into Didi Chuxing and help the Chinese company set up a car fleet management venture, bankrolling the loss-making ride-hailing giant’s expansion. The Japanese auto-maker will work with Didi to provide services including rental and car maintenance. Toyota will use its connected-car technology and intelligent analysis to help bolster Didi’s business, the partners ...

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