There are times, including in armed conflict, when adversaries see it in their own interests to opt for a truce and sell it to the outside world as a steppingstone to a comprehensive peace. But both sides know it will be only a prelude to renewed tensions down the road. This could well be the best way to think of ...
Read More »Indian court turns back the clock on Tata coup
How do you unscramble an egg called Tata Sons? The second law of thermodynamics says orderly things gradually turn more chaotic, and there’s no going back, no separating yolks from whites. But the appeals judge of India’s corporate law arbiter thinks he can reverse time. Or so it would appear from his order declaring that Cyrus Mistry, deposed three years ...
Read More »For FedEx, it could always get worse
It can always get worse for FedEx Corp. Back in June, I wrote that the parcel-delivery company had managed to fall out of a basement window when it issued fiscal 2020 guidance that fell well short of already depressed expectations. Two guidance cuts later, it seems we’ve sunk below the foundation and are in the dirt with the worms. The ...
Read More »China’s chip quest is all heart, not enough brain
China has made developing its own chip industry a matter of patriotic pride. It helps that “China chip†and “China heart†sound the same in the local language. The strain of this 1.7 trillion yuan ($243 billion) endeavour may be too much for the debt-clogged arteries of its municipal governments, though. Over the past decade, Beijing hasn’t hesitated to deploy ...
Read More »Slump in Germany’s air travel points to spread of flight shame
Bloomberg Mounting concern about carbon emissions may be altering travel habits in Europe’s largest economy as figures from German airports show a steady decline in passengers taking domestic flights. The number of people flying between German cities fell 12% in November from a year earlier, according to the ADV industry group, marking a fourth straight monthly drop and mirroring a ...
Read More »Airbus seeking more engines from GE unit
Bloomberg Airbus SE is in discussions with General Electric Co. and Safran SA’s airplane CFM International unit to increase supplies of its engines as Boeing Co. halts production of the beleaguered 737 Max narrow-body, reports said. The engine maker is seeking to ramp up production of the 1A variant of the CFM LEAP engine, which is used on the A320neo ...
Read More »Citi, American Air cancel trips, seize points for rewards abuse
Bloomberg American Airlines is canceling reward trips and seizing miles, joining partner Citigroup in cracking down on customers who take advantage of the carrier’s loyalty program by opening multiple accounts. Some customers have started complaining in recent weeks on Twitter and a popular Reddit site for people who make a hobby of signing up for credit cards, either properly or ...
Read More »Amsterdam’s ghost airport grounded by growth-climate clash
Bloomberg From its colonial trading days to reclaiming land from the sea, the Netherlands has a tradition of pushing the limits, but a public backlash over a planned airport suggests that many Dutch have had enough. With the opening of a second Amsterdam hub delayed by 20 months and counting, political fronts are hardening ahead of a crucial environmental-impact report ...
Read More »Boeing sued for 737 Max-related losses
Bloomberg An Irish company that buys and leases airplanes sued Boeing Co. in the US to void contracts for almost two dozen 737 Max aircraft and to demand at least $185 million in damages, citing design flaws that led to two deadly crashes. Timaero Ireland Ltd., based in Dublin, sued Boeing in federal court in Chicago, alleging fraud and breach ...
Read More »US, China arranging signing of trade pact, says Trump
Bloomberg The US and China are arranging the formal signing of the first phase of a broader trade deal between the world’s two biggest economies, President Donald Trump said after discussions between him and his counterpart, Xi Jinping. “Had a very good talk with President Xi of China concerning our giant Trade Deal. China has already started large scale purchases ...
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