BUSINESS
Adani seeking to raise $4 billion to fund green hydrogen plans
Adani New Industries Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of flagship company Adani Enterprises Ltd., will take the lead raising the money from domestic and international banks and is in early-stage talks with several lenders, the people said, asking not to be identified because the details are private.
WORLD
Israel taps blacklisted Pegasus maker to track hostages in Gaza
NSO Group and Candiru, both of which are blacklisted by the United States, are being asked to quickly upgrade their spyware capabilities to meet needs laid out by the country’s security forces
BUSINESS
J&J faces 18 talc cancer trials, prompting it again to weigh bankruptcy
Since 2016, Johnson & Johnson has been hit with at least $570 million in damage awards over talc-related cancer claims and paid out at least $2.5 billion in settlements
TRENDS
How to maximize your odds for a hotel upgrade
At hotels with few suites, an upgrade might mean a better view or a room on a higher floor. In others, bumping room categories could range from gaining a few square feet to acquiring additional bedrooms
WORLD
Tech investors don’t believe the digital ad recovery is real yet
Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc. and Alphabet Inc. reported generally upbeat results this week, all showing that ad spending is growing compared with a year ago.
WORLD
Unilever rules out big M&A as new CEO sets out his strategy
The new CEO said he’ll only consider small acquisitions and vowed to increase gross margin and deliver shareholder returns in the top third of its peer group. Previous CEO Alan Jope was criticized for a failed effort to buy GSK Plc’s former consumer health business.
BUSINESS
Options traders see RBI grip on Rupee lasting for rest of 2023
Data show traders are betting on the currency weakening less than 1% by end-December, with open interest on contracts expiring in the coming months clustered mostly around the 83 and 84 per dollar levels. The rupee was little changed at 83.18 Wednesday.
WORLD
Google, Nvidia back AI startup that helps combat chip shortage
CentML, which builds software to help machine learning systems work more efficiently, raised $27 million from investors including Google’s Gradient Ventures and Radical Ventures.
BUSINESS
Adani auditor EY faces accounting regulator inquiry
The regulator has requested files and communications related to its audits on some of the companies controlled by billionaire Gautam Adani going as far back as 2014, the people said.
WORLD
China signals zero tolerance for sharp economic slowdown with rare steps
The government increased its headline deficit on Tuesday to the largest in three decades and unveiled a sovereign debt package that marked a shift from its traditional growth model.
WORLD
China stimulus to make ‘big impact,’ ex-PBOC official says
The stimulus will propel growth in sectors the government favors, such as advanced manufacturing and renewable energy, while ensuring debt levels won’t increase dramatically, he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday evening New York time.
WORLD
Jamie Dimon criticizes central banks for getting forecasts wrong
Speaking on a panel at the Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dimon voiced doubts that central banks and governments around the world could manage the economic fallout from rising inflation and slowing global growth.
WORLD
Decathlon weighs minority stake sale in $1 billion China business
The firm is working with an adviser on a potential stake sale that could give the China unit a valuation of at least $1 billion, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing information that is private.
WORLD
Record-breaking weather in 2023 shows impact of climate change
One of the strangest things in this year’s report was just how hot 2023 has been. Before 2000, for example, global average daily temperature never went higher than 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels.
WORLD
AI backlash may bring social unrest to UK, Infosys boss says
Martin Weis, managing partner and global co-lead for AI at Infosys Consulting, said about 30% of the hours people put in on the job in places like the US and Britain could be done by technology by 2030.
WORLD
Xi Jinping steps up economic aid with new debt issuance, PBOC visit
The plan includes issuing additional sovereign debt worth 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) in the fourth quarter to support disaster relief and construction.
BUSINESS
Davos in the Desert: Saudi investment plans complicated by Israel-Hamas War
While Europe is dealing with the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas is bringing the region’s political fissures back to the forefront of everyone’s mind.
BUSINESS
Qatar Airways’ longstanding CEO Al Baker to step down
“It has been an incredible privilege to lead such an exceptional global team, & the honour of a lifetime to serve my country,” the CEO said in the memo, according to aviation consultant Alex Macheras, who posted the excerpt earlier on X.
BUSINESS
Disney said to near multibillion-dollar India deal with Reliance
The US entertainment giant may sell a controlling stake in the Disney Star business, which it values at around $10 billion, as opposed to piecemeal transactions weighed earlier, the people said, asking not to be named because the discussions are private.
BUSINESS
Chevron to buy Hess for $53 billion in latest oil megadeal
In an all-stock transaction, Chevron will pay $171 per share for Hess, according to a statement from the companies on Monday.
WORLD
Israel- Hamas crisis: West steps up efforts to prevent wider conflict
The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Greece are due in Israel Monday, and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
HEALTH
Merck, Seagen drug cocktail seen as new bladder cancer standard
The Merck-Seagen combination helped patients nearly live twice as long — an average of 31.5 months — as those that got chemotherapy alone, in a large study presented on Sunday at the European Society for Medical Oncology’s annual meeting.
BUSINESS
British rice industry fears India pact will kill off local mills
With India pressing for tariffs on white rice to be slashed, and little feedback from British trade officials, concerns are mounting for an industry that employs more than 3,000 people at 16 mills and processing plants scattered from Kent in southern England to Yorkshire in the north.
BUSINESS
Apple supplier Foxconn to work with China on unspecified probes
Tax authorities are conducting checks on Foxconn subsidiaries in Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces, the state-run Global Times said Sunday, citing unidentified people with knowledge of the matter.
