Economy

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 08:47 UTC

  Amazon drops plans to build HQ in New York because of fierce opposition from politicians

  

  Amazon has said it will not build a new headquarters in New York, citing fierce opposition from state and local politicians. The dramatic turnabout comes just months after the firm named New York City one of two sites selected for major expansion over the next decades. City and state leaders had agreed to provide about US$3bn in incentives to secure that investment.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 07:21 UTC

  “Venezuela should honor its debts obligations”, Russia reminds Maduro

  

  Venezuela should honour its debt obligations to Russia despite the political situation in Caracas, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Thursday. ”Russia hopes that Venezuela, even in case of a change of power in the country, will fulfil its obligations under the debt to Russia, Siluanov told reporters on the sidelines of the Russian Investment Forum in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 07:15 UTC

  End for a symbol of Europe technology: Airbus will cease production of the A380

  

  The world’s largest airliner has run out of runway after Airbus decided to close A380 production after 12 years in service due to weak sales. The decision to halt production of the A380 superjumbo is the final act in one of Europe’s greatest industrial adventures and reflects a dearth of orders by airline bosses unwilling to back Airbus’s vision of huge jets to combat airport congestion.

• Friday, February 15th 2019 - 07:10 UTC

  Falkland Islands' Brexit costs considered in the House of Lords

  

  The impact of Brexit on the Falkland Islands has been raised in the UK’s House of Lords, with Lib Dem Lord Nigel Jones tabling questions to the Foreign Office. Lord Jones asked the government what assessment they had made of the Falklands’ EU exports, and the impact of World Trade Organization tariffs on Islands fisheries.

• Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 10:25 UTC

  Parliament to vote on Valentine's Day a raft of Brexit amendments

  

  British Prime Minister Theresa May is hoping parliament will show her some love on Valentine's Day by backing a motion reiterating its support for her Brexit strategy and rejecting amendments that would force her hand. Lawmakers in the UK will vote on May's latest motion on Thursday and could be asked to vote on five other amendments brought forward by MPs.

• Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 10:22 UTC

  US/China trade talks take off in Beijing with much expectations

  

  United States and Chinese negotiators kicked off two days of official trade talks in Beijing on Thursday as the world's top two economies try to patch up their festering economic dispute. Pressure to seal an accord ahead of a March deadline lessened before the talks as US President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday in Washington he was open to extending a trade truce, depending on progress in Beijing.

• Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 09:19 UTC

  Brexit no-deal would be catastrophic, says Ford and warns it would do “whatever necessary” to protect the business

  

  Ford has said a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for the firm's manufacturing operations in the UK and that it would do “whatever is necessary” to protect its business. The comments come after a report the carmaker was stepping up preparations to move production out of the UK.

• Thursday, February 14th 2019 - 09:13 UTC

  UK January inflation at at two-year low and below target

  

  British annual inflation hit a two-year low point in January, undershooting the Bank of England’s 2.0 per cent target on falling oil and other energy costs, official data showed on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, February 13th 2019 - 09:41 UTC

  Stable low inflation and expansion forecasted by Brazilian financial market

  

  Brazil's financial market has cut its forecast of the country's inflation rate from 3.94 to 3.87 percent for 2019 and kept the rate at 4% for 2020, the Central Bank of Brazil reported. According to the Focus survey conducted by the bank among Brazil's main financial institutions, the forecasts are within the official target of 4.25 percent, with a tolerance margin between 2.75 percent and 5.75 percent.

• Wednesday, February 13th 2019 - 09:26 UTC

  Trump open to extending the deadline for a trade deal with China

  

  United States president Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would consider extending the deadline for a trade deal with China beyond March first.