Bloomberg Byju’s is raising about $300 million in a funding round led by New York-based Tiger Global Management, securing new capital at a valuation of $8 billion for the online education startup’s global expansion. Tiger has invested about $150 million in Byju-parent Think and Learn Pvt, according to people familiar with the deal. Existing investors will likely contribute about the ...
Read More »France pulls retirement age from pension reform plan
Bloomberg The French government signalled it’s prepared to scrap an effort to raise the age at which workers can retire with full benefits to 64 in a bid to get the country’s moderate unions on board with president Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plan. “I am prepared to withdraw from the bill the short-term measure which I had proposed, consisting of ...
Read More »GM set to revive Hummer brand
Bloomberg General Motors Co is moving forward with plans to revive its polarising Hummer brand, this time as an electric truck instead of an emblem of gasoline consumption, according to people familiar with the matter. The Detroit automaker plans to debut a pickup around 2022 with boxy styling cues reminiscent of the Hummers of yore, one of the people said. ...
Read More »Libyan fighters begin tenuous ceasefire before talks in Berlin
Bloomberg Libya’s warring factions have embarked on a tenuous ceasefire in a nine-month war that has drawn in Russia and Turkey, following a call by the presidents of both countries to halt the fighting. Forces loyal to eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar, who launched the war in April against the internationally recognised government, and the Tripoli-based government reduced violence as ...
Read More »UK can’t rely on US for defense: Wallace
Bloomberg The UK must prepare to fight wars without the help of the US, British defense secretary Robert Ben Wallace said in an interview with the Sunday Times. Wallace said he worries “if the United States withdraws from its leadership around the world,†and such a possibility keeps him “awake at night,†according to the newspaper. He suggested the government ...
Read More »Biden urges stronger ties with Taiwan
Bloomberg US officials reiterated their partnership with Taiwan and Democratic candidate Joe Biden advocated stronger relations with the island after President Tsai Ing-wen swept to victory in an election that pressured voters to pick sides in the battle for influence between America and China. “You are stronger because of your free and open society,†Biden, the former US vice president, ...
Read More »Iran girds for more protests over downing of Ukraine jet
Bloomberg Iranian security forces stepped up patrols in Tehran, seeking to quell further anti-government protests after the regime admitted downing a Ukrainian passenger jet, triggering anger on the streets and global outrage. Videos on social media, which couldn’t immediately be verified by Bloomberg, showed motorcycle-mounted security forces in green camouflage and anti-riot body armour stationed on the city’s Valiasr square ...
Read More »HK protesters rehearse ‘anti-communist march’
Bloomberg Thousands of people gathered in a square in Hong Kong’s city centre on Sunday for a peaceful rally under the watchful gaze of riot police who kept their distance from the event while patrolling the area. The authorised meeting was held by Hong Kong Civil Assembly Team, which described it as a “pre-march assembly†for a rally scheduled for ...
Read More »Thousands join rally against Thailand’s government
Bloomberg Thousands of people joined a rally in Thailand to protest against the military-backed government and call for more political freedom, less than a year after a disputed general election. The demonstrators gathered on Sunday in a Bangkok park for an early-morning protest jog against the administration led by prime minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha. Former army chief Prayuth seized power in ...
Read More »What is former Fed chair Bernanke thinking now?
One of the controversies that swirls around the Federal Reserve — America’s central bank — is whether it could rescue the economy from collapse in the event of another financial crisis. Among economists, there are many skeptics, but Ben Bernanke, who was Fed chairman during the 2007-09 Great Recession, isn’t one of them. In a long and detailed paper, Bernanke ...
Read More »