Bloomberg Saudi Aramco plans to buy a stake in the refining and chemicals business of India’s Reliance Industries Ltd., moving to diversify from Saudi Arabia. The purchase by Aramco, the largest oil exporter and the most profitable company in the world, precedes a planned public offering that could be held as early as next year. Aramco will buy a 20% ...
Read More »Putin’s missile is far better than Trump’s missile, says Kremlin
Bloomberg Russia said it’s far ahead of the US in developing new nuclear-powered missiles despite a failed test that prompted President Donald Trump to boast of American superiority in the field. President Vladimir Putin “has repeatedly said that Russian developments in this area surpass the level achieved by other countries, and are quite unique,†Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters ...
Read More »Xi faces tough choice over ending HK unrest
Bloomberg China’s signalling it’s prepared to send in security forces to suppress the uprising in Hong Kong. The question now is what President Xi Jinping will do. State-run media have posted videos of the People’s Armed Police assembling across the border in Shenzhen, while Chinese officials describe the protests as a “color revolution†and “terrorism†— a term used to ...
Read More »Lawmakers’ challenge to ‘Brexit plan’ gets court date
Bloomberg A Scottish court challenge to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s proposal to suspend parliament will be heard on September 6 under an accelerated timetable, a judge said on Tuesday. A group of more than 70 British lawmakers want the court in Edinburgh to say it wouldn’t be legal to ask the Queen to suspend parliament. Johnson has refused to rule ...
Read More »Duterte ‘selling out’ Philippines to China
Bloomberg Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo said citizens were worried Rodrigo Duterte was “selling out†to Beijing and called on the president to take a stronger stand to protect the country’s sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea. Robredo, who is keeping her options open regarding the presidential race in 2022, said in an interview the president had not taken ...
Read More »Thai govt majority under threat as party pulls out
Bloomberg Thailand’s ruling coalition has moved closer to losing its razor-thin majority after one party pulled its support less than a month after the Cabinet was sworn in. The Thai Civilized Party, with one seat in parliament, is leaving the coalition because it’s unsatisfied with government policies, its leader Mongkolkit Suksintharanon said at a briefing in Bangkok. The party will ...
Read More »Bannon floats idea of Michelle Obama run against Trump
Bloomberg Democrats eager to oust President Donald Trump in 2020 could pin their hopes on an eleventh-hour bid by former first lady Michelle Obama rather than the roughly two dozen candidates now in the mix, former White House strategist Steve Bannon suggested. “I don’t see anybody that’s on this stage right now that can take President Trump one-on-one,†Bannon, a ...
Read More »Nissan, BMW in talks to pull South Africa into electric car era
Bloomberg Nissan Motor Co, BMW AG and Volkswagen AG are among carmakers in talks to bring the electric-car revolution to South Africa, as the nation’s auto-factory floors risk being left behind in the global switch to greener vehicles. The industry is preparing a unified stance on electrification to present to the government by the end of the year, Mike Mabasa, ...
Read More »Indian call centre startup Uniphore raises $51mn
Bloomberg An Indian startup that aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver faster and more personalised customer support for corporate clients is raising $51 million in funding from investors including March Capital Partners and Chiratae Ventures. Uniphore Software Systems Pvt, based in Chennai and Palo Alto, California, plans to use the emerging technology to change the labor-intensive business of ...
Read More »Huawei HarmonyOS ‘may replace’ Android
Bloomberg Huawei Technologies took the wraps off its “HarmonyOS†operating system, offering the first glimpses of in-house software that may someday replace Google’s Android and reduce its reliance on American technology. To begin with, the open-source software will skip smartphones and instead find its way into everything from cars and watches to personal computers by 2020, Richard Yu, chief executive ...
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