Tencent to check all gamers’ IDs by 2019 in unprecedented move

Bloomberg Tencent Holdings Ltd. will expand its age-verification system to encompass its entire games line-up, an unprecedented undertaking in response to growing criticism it encourages addiction among youths. The Chinese social media and entertainment titan intends to check all gamers’ identities against police databases by 2019, extending a procedure it pioneered for the mobile phenomenon Honour of Kings. It will ...

Read More »

Runaway train ‘derailed’ by BHP in Australia

Bloomberg BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company, halted all train operations in Western Australia on Monday after it was forced to derail a runaway train in the Pilbara. The driver was inspecting an issue with the train when the locomotive ran away. While rail operations are suspended, mining operations continue, it said. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said ...

Read More »

European VCs seek to raise more money in fewer funds

Bloomberg A range of European venture capital firms are seeking to raise more money in fewer funds as they ride a global trend towards larger investment vehicles. For five prominent firms in the region, sizes are expected to range from $100 million to $350 million each. Idinvest Partners SA, one of France’s largest VC firms, is targeting a $350 million ...

Read More »

AMD battered with huge share declines

Bloomberg Advanced Micro Devices Inc ad-ded its name to a growing list of semiconductor companies that were battered with huge share declines after reporting disappointing results and forecasts. The stock slumped 20 percent. AMD’s results came on a day when investors were already pressing the sell button on a sector that many now fear is signaling a wider technology industry ...

Read More »

UK services growth slumps as Brexit hurts business optimism

Bloomberg The UK economy kicked off the fourth quarter on a disappointing note as Brexit concerns pushed growth in services to a seven-month low. IHS Markit’s index for the sector fell more than economists expected last month, recording the lowest reading since March when the nation was battered with bad weather. New business growth and optimism over the outlook were ...

Read More »

Abbott gets FDA approval for much-awaited diabetes app

Bloomberg Abbott Laboratories won US approval for its FreeStyle LibreLink diabetes-monitoring app, giving users a way to keep track of their glucose levels from their iPhones. The app works with Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre glucose sensors, which have rapidly become some of the top-selling medical devices in the US. It is likely to be a welcome addition for millions of customers ...

Read More »

Trafigura’s bet on Nyrstar keeps getting uglier

Bloomberg For nearly a decade, Trafigura Group Chairman Claude Dauphin coveted a zinc deal with Europe’s top smelter. The commodities trader finally got across the threshold in 2015, months after its co-founder’s sudden death. Just a few years later, it’s become one of Trafigura’s biggest headaches. Nyrstar NV shares have plu-nged to record lows as falling zinc prices squeeze profit ...

Read More »

Merkel’s party turns inward with ‘leadership contest’

Bloomberg Contenders to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel as party chief will criss-cross the country to campaign ahead of a convention in December, giving an early taste of the choices for the next potential leader of Europe’s pivotal country. The process agreed among the Christian Democratic Union’s leadership signals that Germany is headed for another inward-looking period as the post-Merkel ...

Read More »

Pompeo defends Iran oil sanctions waivers

Bloomberg Secretary of State Michael Pompeo defended the temporary waivers granted to eight countries to continue buying Iranian crude oil for now against Congressional critics and others who say the US is being too lenient on the Islamic Republic. The comments on “Fox News Sunday” come a day before US sanctions on Iran’s energy and shipping are due to snap ...

Read More »
Send this to a friend