(Mon) Facebook to launch bitcoin digital currency rival
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Facebook wants to get into a new line of business...cryptocurrencies. The world's biggest social network announced Tuesday plans to roll out a digital coin called Libra, which it hopes to have up and running in the first half of next year. Facebook has set up a network with 28 partners, including Mastercard, Visa, PayPal and Uber, to launch Libra and a digital wallet called Calibra that will allow users to spend the digital coin through Facebook Messenger and Whats App. But there are already privacy and safety concerns linked to Facebook's attempt to try to go beyond social networking and move into e-commerce and global payments. Its track record is far from stellar when it comes to protecting consumer data and privacy, drawing outrage from politicians, regulators, consumer groups and privacy advocates...and now it wants to play a role in a part of consumers' lives that needs to be the most secure - financial transactions. How global regulators will respond is not yet clear. But this plan could bolster critics who say Facebook with its more than 2 billion users worldwide is too big and should be broken up. Investors, however, like Facebook's push into digital money to rive bitcoin and sent the stock higher in Tuesday trade.
(Tue) Lufthansa shares tumble after profit warning
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Lufthansa shares plunged as much as 11% on Monday morning. Late the previous evening it warned profits wouldn't meet targets. It now says they could be over a billion dollars short of expectations. The airline blamed overcapacity in its German and Austrian home markets. Competition from low-cost rivals and high fuel prices also among the factors. It said there was little sign of any upturn for the rest of the year. The warning is just the latest bad news for European airlines. This year has seen a string of collapses and profit warnings. Budget carrier Ryanair last month reported its weakest annual profit in four years. Boss Michael O'Leary said earnings could fall further amid a war of attrition over fares. Lufthansa's warning weigh on all airline stocks Monday. Ryanair, Easyjet and British Airways owner IAG all sinking.
(Wed) Women in Switzerland have gone on strike
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These women have taken to the streets of Switzerland, demanding equality in their wealthy nation. There's hundreds of them here, seeking to recreate the passion of the first women's walkout 28 years ago. Despite its high quality of life, Switzerland lags behind other developed economies in female pay and workplace gender equality. "We are the majority of this country's population, there are more women than men, but we are still not listened to enough, not present enough in decision-making jobs and also, we are still too often impacted by decisions taken by men who don't put themselves in the shoes of women in this country." Women still earn roughly 20% less than men. And while that is an improvement by about a third since 1991, government data shows the discrimination gap - differences that cannot be explained by rank or role - has actually worsened since 2000. Many women say they still face questioning over their competence and encounter condescension and paternalism on the job. Strike organizers say they want draw attention to treatment in the work place, but also issues surrounding representation and violence against women.
(Thu) Broadcom's warning slams chip stocks
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The trade war is taking its toll on Broadcom, and that sent fellow chip stocks reeling worldwide Friday. Sizzling investors' circuits: Broadcom forecast that U.S.-China trade tensions and the U.S. ban on doing business with Huawei Technologies would rob it of $2 billion in sales this year. The industry has already been struggling with weak demand stemming from slowing growth in mobile phone sales. The latest geopolitical risks from the trade conflict and the Huawei ban serve as additional shocks. Broadcom dropped nearly 9% at the market open Friday, dragging down peers like Intel, Applied Materials and Xilinx between 2.5% and 4%. Apple, which buys communications chips from Broadcom, lost ground . European chipmakers also fell including ASML and Infineon. The chip sector is widely watched as an indicator of economic health because those slivers of silicon are used in everything from medical equipment to missiles.
(Fri) VW sells truck unit stake, eyes Ford tie-up
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A big share sale and a tie-up with Ford could be the next steps in Volkswagen's reinvention. The company aims to raise up to 2.1 billion dollars by selling off a stake in its trucks unit. At least ten percent of Traton up for grabs. It operates brands including MAN and Scania. VW wants to capitalize on the premium that truck stocks currently have over auto shares. It's all part of the company's ongoing transformation. The money raised will go towards developing electric vehicles and other technologies. On Thursday VW said it was close to a deal with Ford on next-generation cars. The pair are expected to join forces on EVs and driverless autos. They've already agreed to develop a new pickup truck together. A tie-up would likely give Ford access to VW's electric-car tech. The German giant wants to redress its dependence on the Chinese market with more sales in the U.S. Ford says talks are ongoing and it will give an update when the deal is firmed.
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* No flights, a four-day week and living off-grid: what climate scientists do at home to save the planet
What changes have the experts made to their own lives to tackle the climate emergency? The researcher planning a four-day working week ¡®We need to reduce our capacity and urge to consume¡¯ - I¡¯ve been vegetarian since I was about 15, and pretty much vegan for a year. It¡¯s important that everybody goes close to vegetarian, and ideally vegan. Not just that: it¡¯s also important that we stop eating so much. The average European eats 3,500 calories a day, which is too much. The planet has had to provide all those unnecessary calories. It¡¯s not just about climate change: if you look at land use change, biodiversity loss, fertilisers in the ocean creating dead zones, the massive extinction and loss of insects due to pesticides – these problems are all driven by food. I¡¯ve also reduced the volume of new clothing that I buy. The average European buys 24 new items every year. That needs to come down – based on my team¡¯s research, I¡¯m aiming for three. I can still keep my wardrobe alive through secondhand, recycled, upgraded, swapped or rented clothes.
* Donald Trump invites Kim Jong-un to US after entering North Korea
Donald Trump has invited Kim Jong-un to the US after becoming the first sitting American president to enter North Korea. The apparently impromptu meeting came about after Trump tweeted an invitation to Kim on Saturday from the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. After shaking hands with Kim in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas and walking with him over the border, Trump said: ¡°Stepping across that line is a great honour. Great progress has been made, great friendships have been made and this has been, in particular, a great friendship.¡±