January, 2018

• 27 January

  Clever apps that help in breaking many of your worst habits

  

  Bloomberg After Erin Hiscock’s mother and brother passed away, she resolved to tackle her own weight problem. “I was maybe 310 pounds at my heaviest and severely addicted to sugar,” she says. “Instead of a normal meal, I’d just eat carbs, sugar, nothing nutritious.” Hiscock, a 35-year insurance agent in Virginia, didn’t turn to diet books, Weight Watchers, or even ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  China seeks ‘trade deals’ as US tramples them

  

  Bloomberg Just as the US throws up new barriers to cross-border commerce, its largest trading partner China is redoubling its efforts to seal free-trade agreements. From deals with blocs including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to bilaterals with tiny countries like the Maldives, China’s FTAs already cover 21 countries. That compares with the 20 countries covered by US agreements. ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  SoftBank to back Indian insurer

  Bloomberg SoftBank Group Corp. is in talks to back leading online insurance aggregator PolicyBazaar at a valuation of at least $800 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The two sides are examining how the Japanese company can take a stake without pushing foreign investment in PolicyBazaar above 49 percent, the limit under India’s regulatory policies, said one of ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  Oppo aims for Japanese smartphone market

  

  Bloomberg One of China’s top smartphone makers is targeting Japan for its next conquest. Oppo, which vanquished Apple Inc. and Xiaomi Corp. in just a few years to become No. 2 in its home market, will introduce its flagship R11s model next month, Deng Yuchen, chief of Japan operations, said. Oppo is aiming to reach a market position that matches ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  Indian firm with 3,985% rally bets on IOT

  Bloomberg After a 3,985 percent rally since its 2008 listing, V-Guard Industries Ltd. that has evolved into one of India’s leading consumer-durable companies has found its next big growth plan: Internet of Things (IOT). The company, which started 40 years ago with a mere 100,000 rupees, now has products ranging from food mixers to fans and is betting that rising ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  Taliban bomb in Kabul kills 95 in worst attack since May 2017

  

  Bloomberg A Taliban suicide bomber detonated explosives in downtown Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 95 people and wounding 158 others in the worst attack since a truck bombing near the Afghan capital’s diplomatic zone last year. The bomber used an explosive-laden ambulance and reached the gate of the former Interior Ministry building, Nasrat Rahimi, a deputy spokesman for the ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  US to seek to boost case against Iran during UN Washington visit

  UNITED NATIONS / Reuters The United States will seek to boost its case for United Nations action against Iran when Security Council envoys visit Washington on Monday to view pieces of weapons that US Ambassador Nikki Haley says Tehran gave to Yemen’s Houthi group. Haley and her 14 council colleagues will also lunch with President Donald Trump, the US Mission ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  May rejects Hammond’s modest Brexit

  

  Bloomberg ­Prime Minister Theresa May’s office slapped down Philip Hammond for saying he hoped Brexit would bring only modest changes, after his comments enraged the euroskeptic lawmakers May needs to stay in her job. The chancellor of the exchequer said he wanted an ambitious Brexit deal that replicates Britain’s current easy trade terms with the EU and moves the economy ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  Germany’s Merkel steps up tempo of talks to renew alliance with SPD

  Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel and her prospective coalition partners stepped up the pace of talks to end Germany’s political impasse, setting a nine-day timeline for a final deal on a government platform. Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc and the Social Democratic Party agreed on Friday to try to wrap up negotiations by February 4. If that goal is met, the SPD ...

  Read More »
• 27 January

  Syrian opp to boycott Russia peace talks

  

  VIENNA / Reuters The Syrian opposition will not attend a peace conference Russia is hosting next week, a spokesman said on Saturday, dismissing the meeting as an attempt by the Syrian government’s close ally to “sideline” the current United Nations peace process. He was speaking at the end of two days of UN-brokered talks between the Syrian government and opposition, ...

  Read More »