January, 2019

• 15 January

  Huawei founder breaks silence to deny spying

  

  Bloomberg Ren Zhengfei, the billionaire founder of Huawei Technologies Co, broke a years-long silence to dismiss US accusations the telecoms giant helps Beijing spy on Western governments. Ren denied suggestions that Huawei aids the Chinese government in espionage, saying it has no regular contact with Beijing as his technology empire faces its biggest crisis in its three decades of existence. ...

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• 15 January

  Singapore home sales halve in December

  Bloomberg Private-home sales in Singapore halved in December from the month prior as developers marketed fewer projects and buyers decamped from the city-state on holiday. Developers sold 602 units last month versus 1,201 in November, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said in a statement on Tuesday. That took the 2018 sales tally to about 9,246. The total number of apartments launched ...

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• 15 January

  Renault should decide to oust Ghosn: Saikawa

  

  Bloomberg Nissan Motor Co CEO Hiroto Saikawa said French partner Renault SA should reach the same conclusion as the Japanese automaker and oust Chairman Carlos Ghosn if and when it gains access to all the relevant information. A probe into Ghosn conducted by Nissan, which contributed to the Frenchman’s arrest in Japan almost two months ago, was shared with Renault’s ...

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• 15 January

  Bytedance unveils video-based messaging app

  Bloomberg Bytedance Ltd, the world’s most valuable startup, unveiled a new video-based messaging service designed to take on Tencent Holdings Ltd’s dominant WeChat. Bytedance launched the new service, named “Duoshan,” during a live-streamed event in Beijing. Similar to Snapchat, the app lets users send short-lived videos, GIFs and images to each other. Best known for its news aggregation service Toutiao ...

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• 15 January

  Toyota Motor’s new Supra, first in 21 years, launched

  

  Bloomberg After multiple leaks on blogs and social media, Toyota unveiled in Detroit on Monday the fanboys’ most darling of darlings: the 2020 Supra. It’s the first time Toyota Motor Corp has made and sold a new Supra in the US in 21 years. It’s also the first time the automaker has built a throwback sports car that includes BMW ...

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• 15 January

  Big tax break for businesses at risk as US shutdown drags on

  

  Bloomberg The longest government shutdown in US history could cause tens of thousands of businesses to make a tough choice about whether to claim one of the biggest perks in the Republican tax overhaul. Owners of so-called pass-through entities such as partnerships and limited liability companies have to file their businesses’ returns by March 15 — and still don’t have ...

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• 15 January

  Shutdown stalling Fiat Chrysler’s new pickups: CEO

  

  Bloomberg The government shutdown is delaying Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s efforts to bring crucial new heavy-duty Ram pickups to the market. The Ram 3500 still needs emissions certification from the US Environmental Protection Agency to be approved for sale, and that process is being held up by the shutdown, Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Mike Manley said at the North ...

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• 15 January

  Germany dodges recession with Q4 growth

  

  Bloomberg Germany’s economy narrowly avoided a recession at the end of 2018 after a slump in industry raised concerns over Europe’s growth engine. There was a “slight” increase in gross domestic product in the three months through December, according to the Federal Statistics Office, which will publish official figures next month. But the quarter rounded out a year in which ...

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• 15 January

  Apple says Qualcomm refused to provide chips

  

  Bloomberg Apple Inc Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams said Qualcomm Inc refused to provide cellular modems for the 2018 iPhones after Apple sued the chipmaker in 2017. Williams’s testimony in the Federal Trade Commission antitrust trial against Qualcomm, indicates the chipmaker forced Apple to use Intel Corp modems exclusively in the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR released ...

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• 15 January

  GE could face hefty fines over ‘jobs’ in France

  

  Bloomberg Four years ago, General Electric Co made a commitment to win France’s approval to buy Alstom SA’s energy business: it would create jobs or pay a hefty fine. The Boston-based company pledged it would add 1,000 positions in France by end-2018, failing which it would pay the French government a fine of 50,000 euros ($57,000) for every job not ...

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