February, 2019

• 24 February

  Anthem, Cigna joust for billions in court clash over failed deal

  

  Bloomberg There’s no dispute that a $48.9 billion merger announced in 2015 between health insurers Anthem Inc. and Cigna Corp. imploded two years later over antitrust concerns. Now, the question is whether one owes the other billions for the deal’s failure. A Delaware judge will start the process of deciding that pricey dispute on Monday in a trial of dueling ...

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• 24 February

  Guaido hints at radical steps to topple Maduro as aid burns

  

  Bloomberg After days of preparation, the trucks rolled out. They bore beans, rice, sugar, salt and the possibility that Venezuela’s army would desert autocratic President Nicolas Maduro and the moribund nation might begin its revival. Instead, there came violent action but little motion. Maduro avoided a bloodbath despite a massive border face-off between protesters and soldiers. His army didn’t desert ...

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• 24 February

  Afghan civilian deaths at record high in 2018

  

  Bloomberg Afghanistan civilian casualties rose 5 percent in 2018 to the highest level in a decade, reflecting an increase of suicide attacks by Taliban and IS militants, according to a United Nations report on the conflict that has dragged on for 18 years. The report showed 3,804 deaths and 7,189 injured, with 63 percent of the casualties blamed on anti-government ...

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• 24 February

  France vows to continue fight against Mali’s extremists: PM

  Bloomberg France remains committed to fighting militants in West Africa, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, two days after French troops killed a prominent extremist leader. Philippe spoke during a visit to Mali, where France has deployed about 3,000 soldiers to hunt militants following a 2012 insurgency that almost led to the collapse of the state. Despite the deployment of more ...

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• 24 February

  Epic train ride turns Kim from pariah to statesman

  

  Bloomberg Kim Jong-un’s arrival in Vietnam this week for a second meeting with US President Donald Trump may be most remarkable for how normal it’s becoming. Since opening talks with South Korea last year, the once-reclusive North Korean leader has turned into one of the most sought-after guests in Asia. At each stop — from Beijing to Singapore and now ...

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• 24 February

  Manafort ‘brazenly’ broke law for years

  

  Bloomberg Special Counsel Robert Mueller told the judge who’ll sentence President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman that Paul Manafort “brazenly violated the law” for a decade and presents a “grave risk” of committing new crimes. Manafort, 69, is set to be sentenced on March 13 in Washington, where he pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts and faces as much as ...

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• 24 February

  With eye on votes, Modi doles out cash to farmers

  Bloomberg Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an income support program for small farmers in a bid to woo a key voter base ahead of the general election due by May. The government started distributing the first installment of 2,000 rupees ($28) to farmers who hold as much as 2 hectares (4.9 acres) of land. Under the program, it proposes ...

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• 24 February

  Will the US Dreamers ever catch a break?

  

  The “Dreamers” lost again. As you will recall, the Dreamers are illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as young children. Most have grown up as Americans; sending them back to a country where they barely lived seems a particularly heartless punishment —and self-defeating for the United States if they’re responsible and productive adults. Happily, this is one ...

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• 24 February

  What is ailing Europe’s economy?

  

  In the space of just two years, the euro zone has gone from the world economy’s hero to zero. In 2017, the bloc expanded at the fastest rate in a decade, as it benefited from a combination of booming global trade and ultra-easy monetary policy. Now, the currency union has become the prime concern for those who worry about a ...

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• 24 February

  HSBC bankers, prepare for lower bonuses

  HSBC Holdings Plc is making a promise: Cost control is coming without layoffs. The pledge — laid out by Chief Executive Officer John Flint — may seem like wishful thinking, given the lengthening list of challenges to the bank’s revenue growth. For investors, it means HSBC will have to gin up growth faster than last year’s 5 percent gain, slow ...

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