April, 2018

• 16 April

  Singapore home sales show signs of recovery, rise to 4-month high

  Bloomberg Singapore home sales jumped to the highest in four months in March amid signs the property market is recovering. Developers sold 716 units, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said. That’s more than a revised 384 units in February and the highest since November. Still, sales are running at a slower pace than early last year. The city-state’s housing market is ...

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• 16 April

  Metropolis mulls $230mn IPO

  

  Bloomberg Metropolis Healthcare Ltd., an operator of medical diagnostic centres backed by Carlyle Group LP, is considering an initial public offering to raise about 15 billion rupees ($230 million) as it seeks acquisitions. The sale will likely include a partial stake held by the founders as well as new shares, Managing Director Ameera Shah, 38, said in an interview. A ...

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• 16 April

  With smartphone battle lost, Japan now trails on connected cars

  

  Bloomberg In the race to build cars with digitally connected services — such as ordering coffee on the dashboard display — Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. risk being held back by their home market. In contrast to vehicle buyers in the US and Europe, Japanese consumers are reluctant to pay for such features. That’s resulted in only 10 ...

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• 16 April

  Shire’s $2.4 billion cancer-unit sale sweetens Takeda appeal

  

  Bloomberg Shire Plc agreed to sell its cancer unit to France’s Servier SAS for $2.4 billion, tightening the US-based drugmaker’s focus on rare diseases and potentially making it more attractive to Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. as it considers a bid. The Shire unit sells treatments for leukemia and pancreatic cancer, the Lexington, Massachusetts-based company said in a statement on Monday. The ...

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• 16 April

  UK lawmakers warn against tech giants dominating AI industry

  

  Bloomberg An influential body of UK lawmakers said regulators should stop major tech companies from dominating the field of artificial intelligence, and also warned on the potential of widespread unemployment due to the technology. British antitrust regulators should be mindful that large datasets on which artificial intelligence depends on are not monopolized by a handful of large technology companies, such ...

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• 16 April

  UK’s May seeks Commonwealth trade boost

  

  London / Reuters British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday extolled the benefits of free trade among Commonwealth countries, seeking new sources of commerce as Britain looks to finalise divorce terms with its current biggest trading partner, the European Union. May is looking to win the support of the Commonwealth, a network of mostly former British colonies, for future trade ...

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• 16 April

  Oracle’s co-CEO Catz expects acceleration in cloud business

  TEL AVIV / Reuters Oracle Corp co-CEO Safra Catz said on Monday she expected an acceleration in the company’s cloud business after the software maker last month reported sales from this business that fell short of Wall Street forecasts. Catz told reporters in Tel Aviv that the company’s cloud business was impacted by a new model made available to customers ...

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• 16 April

  WPP embarks on a new journey without Sorrell at the helm

  

  London / Reuters WPP, the world’s biggest advertising company, entered uncharted territory on Monday without its founder Martin Sorrell whose departure has left it rudderless at a time of swirling industry change. Shares in the group fell 4 percent after Sorrell, the driving force behind 33 years of dealmaking and relentless expansion, stepped down after the board investigated an allegation ...

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• 16 April

  Syria strikes lock US, Russia into new era of animosity

  

  Bloomberg A few weeks ago, Donald Trump invited Vladimir Putin to meet — maybe even at the White House. After US-led missile strikes in Syria, the two nations’ officials can’t get into the same room without insulting each other. Speaking at an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, hours after the US, France and the UK launched missiles ...

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• 16 April

  May agrees to hold Parliament debate on UK attack on Syria

  

  Bloomberg Theresa May has conceded that lawmakers should have a retrospective debate — and possibly a vote — on her decision to take part in the bombing of Syria with the US and France. After the British prime minister and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson both said that there was no need for such a vote, May’s office said that she ...

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