February, 2017

• 12 February

  Amazon discloses Iranian business ties, warns of penalties

  

    Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc. disclosed Iranian business ties that may have violated U.S. sanctions, warning that it may be penalized after a regulatory review of the activities. The company said in a regulatory filing that from 2012 to 2016 it “processed and delivered orders of consumer products for certain individuals and entities located outside Iran covered by the Iran Threat ...

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• 12 February

  Micromax forays into MENA region

  

    Emirates Business Micromax Informatics Ltd, India’s leading handset manufacturer and the 10th largest smartphone player in the world, on Sunday announced its foray into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the entry into the UAE smartphone market. Micromax has entered a strategic agreement with Tchannl, one of the leading players in telecom, IT and consumer electronics ...

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• 12 February

  Hamburg airport halts flights after bad air scare

  

    BERLIN / AP German firefighters on Sunday evacuated hundreds of passengers at Hamburg Airport after about 50 people were injured by an unknown hazardous material that likely spread through the airport’s air conditioning system. All flights were halted for several hours due to the evacuation, but air traffic started running again around 2 p.m., airport spokeswoman Karen Stein said. ...

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• 12 February

  ‘Oneworld airline’ mulls low-cost, emerging-market members

  

    Bloomberg The Oneworld alliance, which includes British Airways and American Airlines, is reviewing the case for seeking members from the ranks of discount carriers while exploring measures to fill gaps in emerging markets. Rob Gurney, who took over as Oneworld’s chief executive officer in October, said he’s considering the group’s approach to low-cost operators that account for an ever-increasing ...

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• 12 February

  Turkey’s central bank seen staying difficult course

  

    ANKARA / Reuters Turkey’s central bank will stick with unorthodox measures to keep borrowing costs at five-year highs at least until inflation peaks this year, according to people familiar with its thinking, despite sharp criticism from investors. The bank has long puzzled markets with a complex system of setting policy through multiple interest rates but it ratcheted up the ...

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• 12 February

  Swedish CEO sees no reason to upend UK expansion plans

  

    Bloomberg The man running Svenska Handelsbanken AB, one of Sweden’s biggest banks, sees no reason to let Brexit upend his expansion plans in the UK. Anders Bouvin, chief executive officer of the Swedish bank known for its commitment to branches in a digital age, says his strategy is proving especially effective in attracting small UK businesses looking for funding. ...

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• 12 February

  ‘Credit Suisse may forgo Swiss IPO to sell own stock’

  

    Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG, which has earmarked its Swiss unit for a partial listing, could instead raise capital after its share price rebounded from a record low, according to UBS Group AG. Credit Suisse’s shares have risen more than 50 percent since their low of 9.755 francs last July, “making a capital increase a viable alternative to a ...

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• 12 February

  ECB rate pledge could be solace for Germans

  

    Bloomberg If Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, is willing to send a signal that the European Central Bank’s stimulus drive won’t last much longer, his colleague Yves Mersch has a suggestion. The time is ripe for the ECB to review its insistence that it could cut interest rates further, according to Mersch, who sits with President ...

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• 12 February

  ‘Picasso of the 21st Century’

  

    Cologne / DPA Every time one meets Gerhard Richter, something doesn’t seem to add up. Is this “Europe’s greatest painter,” as the New York Times has called him? Or the “Picasso of the 21st Century,” as the Guardian says? The most expensive artist, the most influential painter? A superstar? He just doesn’t appear to match such superlatives. Nondescript is ...

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• 12 February

  Vital salt marshes are disappearing

  

    WELLS, Maine / AP The Ridgway’s rail is a rare bird that relies on the salt marshes south of Los Angeles to survive. And that’s why its future is in doubt — the salt marsh is disappearing under rising seas. Scientists working with the federal government said the rail’s plight at Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge is indicative of what’s ...

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