Business

Apple and Samsung settle lengthy iPhone patent battle

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Apple and Samsung have ended a years-long patent battle over copied iPhone design with an undisclosed settlement, according to a US court filing Wednesday. The world’s two biggest smartphone makers reached a truce in their seven-year-old court battle a month after a federal court jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple some $539 million for copying patented iPhone features. That award was seen as a victory for Apple, which had […]

US regulators approve Disney-Fox mega-deal, with conditions

by John Biers © Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – US antitrust regulators on Wednesday conditionally approved Walt Disney’s proposed $71.3 billion purchase of key 21st Century Fox assets, boosting the chances for the tie-up to create a new media-entertainment powerhouse. The US Department of Justice approved the deal subject to Disney selling 22 regional sports networks now owned by Fox. The news moves Disney’s proposed buyout one step closer to completion after the […]

Facebook, Google ‘manipulate’ users to share data despite EU law: study

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Facebook and Google are pushing users to share private information by offering “invasive” and limited default options despite new EU data protection laws aimed at giving users more control and choice, a government study said Wednesday. The Norwegian Consumer Council found that the US tech giants’ privacy updates clash with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which forces companies to clarify what choices people have when sharing private information. “These […]

Facebook eases ban on cryptocurrency ads

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)–Facebook said Tuesday it was easing a ban on ads for cryptocurrencies while keeping a prohibition on initial coin offerings to raise assets. The move comes five months after the leading social network said it was banning all ads related to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin as a way to curb scams. To place ads on Facebook for cryptocurrencies, companies will need to be pre-approved and offer proof they have licenses or are […]

UK lawmakers approve expanding London’s Heathrow airport

by Alice RITCHIE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Members of Parliament (MPs) overwhelmingly approved on Monday long-awaited plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, after decades of acrimonious debate over its potential impact. Lawmakers, by a wide margin of 296 votes, backed expansion proposals agreed earlier this month by Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, overcoming vehement opposition from MPs with constituencies nearby where residents fear increased pollution […]

Jacques Saade, founder of French shipping giant, dead at 81

by Francois BECKER Agence France-Presse MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — French-Lebanese businessman Jacques Saade, who founded CMA CGM, which went on to become the world’s third largest container shipping firm, has died, his company said. He was 81. “Jacques R. Saade dedicated his life to CMA CGM. A true visionary and unique entrepreneur, he made his business a world leader in the maritime container transport,” a company statement said in announcing his death on Sunday. “We have lost […]

Uber claims U-turn in bid to restore London license

  by Edouard GUIHAIRE Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Uber claimed Monday to have mended its ways as the ride-hailing app started its appeal against being stripped of its license to operate in London. Uber agreed that the city’s transport authority was right to block its renewal last September — but said it had since undergone “wholesale change” in response, and the decision should therefore be overturned. Transport for London (TfL) had decided […]

Harley-Davidson moves some work from US due to tariffs

by John Biers © Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP)–Harley-Davidson plans to shift some manufacturing of its iconic motorcycles overseas to avoid retaliatory European tariffs imposed last week, the company said Monday. The announcement comes as the 117-year old company is also buffeted by higher steel costs following tariffs enacted by US President Donald Trump, who had embraced the company as an emblematic US industrial firm in the early days of his administration. Trump on Monday […]

Asian markets fall as trade war fears weigh on sentiment

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets fell Monday as fears of a global trade war continue to dog investors, with Donald Trump threatening fresh tariffs on European cars and reports he is considering curbs on Chinese investment in the US. There was little sign of relief after equities suffered a pummelling last week in response to tit-for-tat warnings by Beijing and Washington, which has fuelled concerns about the potential damage to the world economy. […]

Turkey lira surges against dollar after Erdogan victory

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey’s embattled lira, which had lost some 20 percent in value against the dollar this year, on Monday surged some three percent in value against the greenback following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decisive election victory. The lira was trading at 4.54 to the dollar, a gain in value of 2.9 percent on the day. It was trading at 5.3 to the euro, a gain in value also of 2.9 percent. Erdogan won […]

Tokyo stocks open flat with investors wary of trade war

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo stocks opened flat on Monday with worries over a US-China trade war partly offset by optimism about the US economy. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index edged up just 0.20 points to 22,517.03 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was down 0.11 percent or 1.95 points at 1,742.88. Falls in Japanese shares come after world stock markets mostly climbed Friday despite rising trade tensions, with the Dow snapping an […]

Defusing row, OPEC agrees to put more oil into market

  by Michelle Fitzpatrick/ Joseph Sotinel Agence France Presse VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — OPEC energy ministers said they would be putting more oil onto the market to meet “extra demand”, reaching a last-ditch compromise in a spat that pitted Saudi Arabia against archfoe Iran. The ministers announced on Friday they had agreed to ramp up oil production by around a million barrels a day from July. “I think it will contribute significantly to meet the […]