July, 2017

• 1 July

  Obama takes swipe at Trump on Paris climate accord

  Bloomberg Former US President Barack Obama pointed to the importance of the Paris climate accord while criticizing Donald Trump for pulling the world’s biggest economy out of the pact. Trump said last month he would withdraw from the pact and seek to negotiate a better deal, in a move that attracted widespread criticism from counterparts in Europe and elsewhere. The ...

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• 1 July

  Battered Abe looks to fend off party defector in Tokyo election

  

  Bloomberg A Tokyo election this weekend gives Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a chance to stop the bleeding from a series of recent scandals that hurt his popularity. Polls indicate that his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) risks losing its position as the largest party in the capital’s assembly on Sunday to a group led by Governor Yuriko Koike, who resigned ...

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• 1 July

  The global politics of selfishness?

  

  In the capital of Iraqi Kuridstan, the mood is ‘Kurdistan First’ with the announcement of a referendum on independence in September. In Moscow, where I visited a few weeks ago, it’s ‘Russia First,’ with a vengeance. And so it goes, around most of the world. The politics of national self-interest is on steroids these days. For global leaders, it’s the ...

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• 1 July

  Japan nationalism wins Toshiba battle, loses the war

  

  Now that Toshiba Corp. has chosen the preferred buyer for its chip unit, Japan Inc. needs to watch exactly what the new owner will do with the business. No doubt partnering with influential local names strengthened the hand of Bain Capital Private Equity LP in beating out rivals such as Western Digital Corp., Broadcom Corp. and Foxconn Technology Group. Any ...

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• 1 July

  Closing bases would strengthen US military

  

  The House is working on the military budget for 2018, and the Pentagon is not pleased. Not only does the plan fall short of the “historic” boost in spending promised by President Donald Trump, but the proposal doesn’t even include one of the military’s own suggestions for saving money. There’s a reason for that: The Pentagon’s proposal — a new ...

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• 1 July

  Europe versus Google

  Europe’s latest move against Google — a record $2.7 billion (2.4 billion euro) fine for anti-competitive behaviour — is understandable but ill-advised. For the sake of a questionable theory, it risks causing an escalating quarrel. The European Commission accused Google of putting sites that compare prices for goods and services at an unfair disadvantage on its search pages. Years of ...

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• 1 July

  China opens door for India in Trump’s Washington

  

  Very little was expected in India from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, and for good reason: Modi had gone out of his way to cultivate a personal relationship with Barack Obama, including famously pouring out a cup of tea for him and the cameras when Obama visited India. Modi is nothing if not a strong personality, and ...

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• 1 July

  Alibaba must prepare for prime time after Lazada deal

  

  Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. upping its stake in Lazada Group SA looks like a great deal for sellers of the latest 32 percent interest. Parties including Rocket Internet SE and Investment AB Kinnevik are among the winners, managing to wring a 59 percent increase in price since Alibaba took its first 51 percent shareholding in the Southeast Asian e-commerce player ...

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• 1 July

  Put down the iPhone and appreciate its genius

  

  Ten years after the introduction of Apple Inc.’s iPhone, and the broader category of smartphones, it’s worth stepping back to see what we have learned. As with most major technological innovations, it’s brought a number of collateral surprises about the rest of our world. First, we’ve learned that, even in this age of bits and bytes, materials innovation still matters. ...

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• 1 July

  Fitbit’s smartwatch plan seen facing more snags

  

  Bloomberg Fitbit Inc., months away from the debut of its smartwatch, has lost several people working on the project and fallen behind on its app store — putting in peril the company’s most important product in years. Hard hit by the sinking popularity of its fitness trackers, Fitbit has bet its future on the smartwatch. But such devices are typically ...

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