Thyssenkrupp’s chief executive Martina Merz is stepping aside early, the German industrial giant said Monday, in a surprise announcement that sent the company’s shares into a nosedive. The CEO, who led a major restructuring of the steel-to-submarines group, requested talks on stepping down and the supervisory board agreed, Thyssenkrupp said in a statement. Miguel Angel Lopez Borrego, CEO of German engineering group Norma, has been put forward to replace her, starting in June. No reason […]
Tag: industry
Boeing celebrates 747 at final commercial delivery of ‘jumbo jet’
by Jason REDMOND with Juliette MICHEL in New York Agence France-Presse EVERETT, United States (AFP) — Boeing marked its final commercial delivery of the 747, “the Queen of the Skies” on Tuesday at a ceremony commemorating an aircraft that democratized flying and serves US presidents. Thousands of current and former employees, celebrities and aviation industry brass converged on Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, in the Northwestern part of the United States, a factory built for […]
EU lawmakers impose single charger for all smartphones
Strasbourg, France (AFP) by Marie JULIEN The EU parliament on Tuesday passed a new law requiring USB-C to be the single charger standard for all new smartphones, tablets and cameras from late 2024. The measure, which EU lawmakers adopted with a vote 602 in favour, 13 against, will — in Europe at least — push Apple to drop its outdated Lightning port on its iPhones for the USB-C one already used by many of its […]
China factory output, retail sales weak as Covid shadow persists
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s factory output and retail sales remained weak in May, official data showed Wednesday, with tepid demand and lingering Covid restrictions putting a damper on growth in the world’s second-largest economy. The government is persisting with a zero-Covid strategy to stamp out clusters as they emerge, but this has placed companies and consumers at the mercy of snap, economically damaging lockdowns. Retail sales sank 6.7 percent on-year in May, the National […]
EU capitals, MEPs agree rules for single phone charger
The EU member states and parliament on Tuesday agreed the text of a law imposing a standard charger for smartphones and tablets sold in the bloc, in a blow to Apple. For most portable devices the requirement for charging via a USB Type-C port will come into effect from late 2024, the European Parliament’s press service said. The EU believes a standard cable for all devices will cut back on electronic waste, but iPhone juggernaut […]
Bowie estate sells songwriting rights to Warner
by Maggy DONALDSON Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – David Bowie’s estate has sold the publishing rights to his “entire body of work” to Warner Chappell Music, the company said Monday, the latest massive deal in a roaring song rights purchasing boom. Warner Chappell did not reveal financial terms of the agreement, but according to trade publications the price tag is estimated at upwards of $250 million. Recent years have seen a series […]
Malnutrition in poorer nations costs firms up to $850 billon: study
by Kelly MACNAMARA PARIS, France (AFP) — Hunger, poor nutrition and obesity not only present a health burden in developing countries but carry a hidden economic penalty that costs businesses up to $850 billion a year, according to a new report published Wednesday. Researchers said malnutrition reduces the resilience of populations to risks such as infectious disease outbreaks and extreme climate events, as well as causing a reduction in productivity and earnings. With the coronavirus […]
Pig farmers pessimistic as China tries to talk down swine fever
by Helen ROXBURGH BEIJING, China (AFP) — Sun Dawu sighs sadly when asked about the death of thousands of his pigs, killed by the African swine fever outbreak that has been decimating hog herds across China. “The pig farm was completely destroyed,” he says quietly, fanning himself from the heat and flies on his large Hebei province farm outside Beijing. “It’s a painful process, it’s painful to watch them die. We buried all the dead […]
China taps pork reserve as swine fever hits industry
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China will auction 10,000 tonnes of reserve pork this week, the commerce ministry said, in a bid to control the fallout from an outbreak of African swine fever that has sent prices soaring and hit supplies of the meat ahead of a key holiday. Beijing has been struggling to control the disease, which has ripped through its massive pig-farming industry, leading to the culling of more than a million of the […]
China auctions pork reserve as swine fever hits industry
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China will auction 10,000 tonnes of reserve pork this week, the commerce ministry said, in a bid to control the fallout from an outbreak of African swine fever that has sent prices soaring and hit supplies of the meat ahead of a key holiday. Beijing has been struggling to control the disease, which has ripped through its massive pig-farming industry, leading to the culling of more than a million of the animals. […]
Mineral misery: Vietnam salt farmers battered by imports, climate
by Jenny VAUGHAN / Tran Thi Minh Ha HON KOI, Vietnam (AFP) — The salt farmers of Hon Khoi rise before dawn as they have for generations, fanning out across shallow seawater pools in southern Vietnam to harvest the precious mineral, hoping for a better season than the last. The work is punishing and the incomes unstable, subject to seesawing demand swayed by foreign imports, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. Many people in the sleepy […]
China economy shows weakness as investment growth hits new low
BEIJING, China (AFP) — The Chinese economy revealed fresh signs of softness Friday with data showing the pace of investment slowing to record lows while retail spending and industrial production stabilised. Beijing faces a delicate balancing act, aiming to shift its growth driver away from investment and exports towards personal consumption, while at the same time battling a mountain of debt. The trade spat with major export destination the United States has complicated the task […]





