December, 2018

• 18 December

  UK startup raises $200mn from investors

  

  Bloomberg A UK startup that designs semiconductors used for artificial intelligence applications has raised $200 million from investors including BMW AG and Microsoft Corp. Graphcore Ltd is one of a number of companies trying to design a new class of chips that will be better at crunching the vast amount of data needed to make computers smarter. They argue that ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  T-Mobile wins key nod for Sprint deal

  

  Bloomberg T-Mobile US Inc won US national security approval for its takeover of Sprint Corp, one of the regulatory conditions needed before the two wireless carriers can combine. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius, has approved the proposed transaction, the companies said in a joint statement December 17. The approval moves the No. 3 and No. ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  Brexit talks to go into 2019 as British PM fights for deal

  

  Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Theresa May has given herself another four weeks to save the Brexit deal she says is still the only way to avoid a chaotic split from the European Union. Last week, May called off a parliamentary vote scheduled for December 11 on the withdrawal agreement after concluding it would be defeated amid overwhelming opposition from politicians ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  Kremlin may send delegates to Davos

  

  Bloomberg The Kremlin cheered what it said was a relaxation of a ban on sanctioned Russian businessmen by organisers of the World Economic Forum, signalling the move would ease the path for a delegation to attend the January event. “We welcome the fact that the Davos economic forum and its management heard our position that it’s unacceptable to have a ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  Zuma’s legal mire deepens over charges

  

  Bloomberg Jacob Zuma, the former South African president facing 16 corruption charges and a demand to pay back as much as $2.2 million in legal fees, may see his woes deepen from beyond the country’s borders. South Africa’s top court ruled that Zuma had no right to co-sign a Southern African Development Community (SADC) decision in 2014 to sideline a ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  Trump offers Flynn luck ahead of probe

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump offered public well wishes to Michael Flynn, hours before his former national security adviser is set to be sentenced for lying to investigators about his contacts during the 2016 campaign with the Russian ambassador. “Good luck in court to General Michael Flynn,” Trump said on Twitter. “Will be interesting to see what he has to say, ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  Allies join Orban to build Hungary’s Balkan influence

  

  Bloomberg Long at the mercy of geopolitical forces, Hungary under Viktor Orban is looking to carve out its own sphere of influence. His power at home is secure after three consecutive landslide election wins and a growing group of like-minded anti-immigrant leaders are at his side in the European Union. So far unfazed by street protests in Budapest, Orban has ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  Republicans failed to govern, but Democrats have a chance

  

  This week was a vivid demonstration of the inability of conservatives to deliver results after the great populist revolts in 2016 in Britain and America. And it showed that there is a golden opportunity for liberals in both countries to tackle the public concerns that motivated the mistaken decisions to vote for Brexit and President Donald Trump. To put it ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  Macron’s ‘vision’ is lying in tatters

  

  It took Emmanuel Macron just one speech to ditch his entire strategy for shaking up the euro zone. Upon his election, the French president pledged to respect the monetary union’s budget rules to regain credibility with Germany. Fiscal consolidation and structural reforms weren’t just a way to strengthen the French economy, they were also the key to unlocking significant reforms ...

  Read More »
• 18 December

  $1bn loss is a nightmare for Asos before Christmas

  Asos Plc’s Monday-morning disaster is only the start of British retail’s Christmas nightmare. The online clothing seller issued a severe profit warning on Monday. The shares initially fell 35 percent, amounting to an 800 million-pound ($1 billion) loss. A range of other chains were also dragged down. To some extent, it’s a surprise that the first seasonal shocker has come ...

  Read More »