February, 2018

• 19 February

  Trump criticises everyone but Russia for election meddling

  

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump spent much of his weekend hammering the FBI, Democrats, Robert Mue-ller’s investigation and his own national security adviser over Russia’s efforts to sway the 2016 election that he won. Excepted from the criticism — Russia. Trump’s 14 Twitter messages about the Russia investigation within 24 hours focussed on defending the validity of his victory and insisting ...

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• 19 February

  Mexico runner-up in polls says ‘won’t be Trump’s doormat’

  Bloomberg The candidate polling second in Mexico’s presidential campaign says he wouldn’t allow US President Donald Trump to treat his country like a “doormat,” in another sign that relations with the country’s northern neighbour will weigh in the election. Speaking at a campaign event in Mexico City, Ricardo Anaya said he wouldn’t pay for the border wall Trump wants and ...

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• 19 February

  After a year of Trump, crisis lull masks risk of conflict

  Bloomberg After a year of US President Donald Trump, the trans-Atlantic security establishment seems unsure whether to be relieved that a major war hasn’t begun on his watch or alarmed at the scale of emerging risks. Speeches and panel discussions at the Munich Security Conference in Germany over the weekend portrayed a world on the cusp of three potential conflagrations: ...

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• 19 February

  Moscow warns US not to ‘play with fire’ in Syria

  

  Bloomberg Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the Trump administration not to “play with fire” as he lashed out at the US over what he described as its “provocative” support for autonomy-seeking Kurds in Syria. “The US should stop playing very dangerous games which could lead to the dismemberment of the Syrian state,” Lavrov said at a Middle East conference ...

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• 19 February

  Merkel names loyalist to key post in signal on succession

  Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided to appoint a party loyalist who has been floated as a potential successor to the post of general secretary of her Christian Democratic Union. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the CDU premier of the western state of Saarland, will succeed Peter Tauber, according to a party official familiar with the decision, who spoke on condition of ...

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• 19 February

  Czech social democrats mull cabinet talks

  

  Bloomberg The opposition Czech Social Democratic Party picked parliamentary Deputy Speaker Jan Hamacek as its new chairman, opening the way for government talks with billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis whose ANO party is struggling to find ruling partners. Hamacek, 39, beat Jiri Zimola for the post, with both saying they were ready to negotiate with ANO about potential cooperation. While ...

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• 19 February

  Signs of thaw in S Africa mine fight as Ramaphosa starts

  

  Bloomberg South African mining companies agreed to postpone a legal challenge to the government’s controversial new rules for the industry after President Cyril Ramaphosa said he’s committed to finding a solution to the dispute. The presidency held talks with the Chamber of Mines lobby group following Ramaphosa’s state-of-the-nation speech, both sides said in statements. The postponement “serves to allow parties ...

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• 19 February

  Pittsburgh shows the way to a rust belt rebound

  

  I vividly remember a time back in 2007 when some people I knew were marveling at an online ad for a house in Pittsburgh selling for $1. Of course, the true cost of houses being auctioned for almost nothing is much higher, since you have to rebuild and maintain them. But it just served to illustrate Pittsburgh’s battered reputation as ...

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• 19 February

  Worried about Amazon, firms run into the arms of Google

  

  The fierce cable television pioneer John Malone recently compared Amazon.com Inc. to the Death Star. Companies whose share prices have been crushed by whispers of Amazon’s interest in their industry surely agree with Malone’s assessment. Executives hunting for allies to protect them from Amazon’s Empire have landed on Google and Microsoft Corp. Apparently the best way for a company to ...

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• 19 February

  Broadcom’s ‘just trust us’ Qualcomm pitch isn’t enough

  Broadcom Ltd. needs to start talking about its plans for Qualcomm Inc.’s licensing business — sooner rather than later. Qualcomm said in a recent meeting with Broadcom hadn’t swayed it from a decision to reject the chipmaker’s latest takeover proposal of $82 a share, or $104 billion. This isn’t entirely surprising, as Qualcomm had previously said the proposal undervalued it, ...

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