NewsReutersU.S. raises pressure on Maduro via sanctions, aid airlift
WASHINGTON/MUNICH (Reuters) - The United States ratcheted up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday by sanctioning some of his top security officials and the head of the state oil company, and unveiling plans to airlift over 200 tons of aid to the Colombian border. The U.S. Treasury
TechReutersAmazon places big bet on aspiring Tesla rival Rivian
The deal represents a major endorsement of Rivian's electric vehicle technology by the world's largest online retailer. Amazon is hoping Rivian will assist it in its development of delivery vehicles that will bolster its logistics network, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked
NewsReutersVenezuela's Guaido asks Citibank to freeze gold swap with Maduro: lawmaker
Advisers to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido are asking Citibank not to claim gold put up as collateral for a loan to the government of President Nicolas Maduro if his administration does not make payments on time, a lawmaker said on Friday. Citi would be entitled to keep the gold if cash-strapped
EntertainmentReutersPolice arrest 'potential suspects' in alleged attack on 'Empire' actor
Authorities had previously said only that the pair, whose names have not been released, were persons of interest after they were recognized from surveillance camera footage taken in the area where Smollett said two men shouted slurs at him and put a rope around his neck on Jan. 29. Police arrested the
TechReutersExclusive: China ride-hailing giant Didi plans Chile, Peru launches to take on Uber
Didi has moved senior executives from China to lead its expansion in markets like Chile and Peru, and began in recent weeks advertising for driver operations, crisis management, marketing and business development personnel in those countries, an analysis of LinkedIn postings show. Didi's widening
NewsAFP NewsMaduro blasts US for 'stealing' billions and offering 'crumbs'
Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro hit out at the United States on Friday for "stealing" billions of dollars and offering "crumbs" in return as humanitarian aid. Tons of US aid is piling up in Colombia close to the border with Venezuela as opposition leader Juan Guaido has vowed
NewsAFP NewsBrazil arrests eight Vale employees over mining dam disaster
Brazilian authorities arrested eight employees of mining giant Vale on Friday over a dam collapse at one of its mines three weeks ago that killed at least 166 people and left 147 missing, presumed dead. Most of those buried under its thick mud were mine workers, though some nearby residents were also
NewsAFP NewsDozens feared dead in Zimbabwe gold mine flood: govt
At least 60 illegal gold miners were feared dead in Zimbabwe on Friday after water flooded two disused shafts in a mining town southwest of Harare, a government minister said. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, had declared a "state of disaster", he added. A government mining engineer, Michael
NewsAFP NewsMexico unveils $5.5-bn rescue plan for ailing Pemex
The Mexican government said Friday it would bail out ailing state oil company Pemex with $5.5 billion in additional funds this year -- though that falls short of what analysts say the firm needs. The money -- a mix of cash, tax benefits, pension fund support and expected savings -- will help Pemex pay
TechReutersAlphabet unit seeks share of property taxes for Toronto smart city
Alphabet Inc's Sidewalk Labs unit is proposing it get a share of property taxes, development fees, and the rising value of Toronto city land as part of a deal to build a smart city, according to the company's slide presentation made public on Friday. Sidewalk Labs, which provides urban technology
NewsReutersRussia detains prominent U.S. investor on suspicion of fraud
Michael Calvey, the U.S. founder of one of Russia's biggest private equity firms, denied allegations of fraud in a Moscow court on Friday but a judge ordered him to be detained for 72 hours, a move that could raise concerns among foreign investors. Calvey, senior partner at Baring Vostok, was first
TechReutersVisa, Mastercard mull increasing fees for processing transactions: WSJ
Some of the changes relate to so-called interchange fees, the report said. Interchange fees are what merchants pay to banks when consumers use a credit or a debit card to make a purchase from their store. Fees that Mastercard and Visa charge financial institutions, such as banks, for processing card
TechReutersUber posts $50 billion in annual bookings as profit remains elusive ahead of IPO
Uber highlighted the annual bookings figure, which was up 45 percent over 2017, in its release on Friday of a smattering of selected figures for its fourth-quarter and full-year results, a practice it has had for the last several quarters as it anticipated going public. Uber said gross bookings for
NewsReutersU.S. investigators probing years of WikiLeaks activities: sources
U.S. investigators pursuing a long-running criminal investigation into WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange have dug into the website's activities going back years, people who have been in contact with witnesses in the case say. American investigators are gathering information and pursuing witnesses
FinanceReutersBrazil arrests eight Vale employees in alleged cover-up in dam disaster
SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian police arrested eight employees of mining firm Vale SA on Friday, accused by state prosecutors of covering up weaknesses at a dam that collapsed and likely killed more than 300 people. Police also executed 14 search warrants as part of the probe of the
FinanceReutersU.S. drafts WTO reform to halt handouts for big and rich states
The United States proposed a reform of the World Trade Organization on Friday that would slash the number of countries that are eligible for "special and differential treatment", a plan likely to be resisted by China, India and other countries. The United States has long complained that WTO
NewsAFP NewsIS teen's wish to return stirs UK debate over jihadi brides
A pregnant London schoolgirl's wish to return home after joining the Islamic State group in Syria splintered Britain on Friday as reports emerged of more UK women fleeing the war zone. Shamima Begum's fate has prompted soul searching in Britain since she and two friends created international
NewsReutersEurope vote will decide if Italy stays in EU: League lawmaker
Italy should leave the European Union unless there is a decisive shift towards populist parties in European Parliament elections in May, according to a prominent member of the far-right League party, part of the country's two-party ruling coalition. Italian government bond yields jumped on Claudio
NewsAFP NewsYemen FM says seated next to Netanyahu in 'error'
Yemen's top diplomat said a "protocol error" landed him next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a conference in the Polish capital Warsaw and that his country's stance on the Palestinian issue remained unchanged. "Protocol errors are the responsibility of the organisers
NewsAFP NewsUS struggles to convince anti-IS allies to secure Syria after it leaves
Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan struggled Friday to convince sceptical allies in the coalition fighting the Islamic State to help secure Syria once American soldiers pull out. As US-led Arab and Kurdish forces were fighting in the last IS territorial holdout in Syria, 13 defence ministers of the anti-IS
FinanceReutersNvidia forecasts demand rebound, Wall Street not so sure
The chip designer on Thursday forecast full-year revenue to be "flat or down slightly" from 2018, but Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said he expects China, gaming and self-driving vehicles to drive demand for its chips. Rival chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc had also forecast full-year
FinanceReutersGerman halt in arms sales to Saudi Arabia causing serious problems: Airbus
MUNICH (Reuters) - Germany's halt in exports to Saudi Arabia is preventing Britain from completing the sale of 48 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes to Riyadh, and has delayed potential sales of other weapons such as the A400M military transport, a top Airbus official said Friday.
NewsAFP NewsPence visits Auschwitz after saying Iran plotting 'new Holocaust'
US Vice President Mike Pence on Friday paid homage to victims of the Holocaust at the former Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, a day after he accused Iranian authorities of plotting a "new Holocaust". More than a million European Jews perished at the site located in then German-occupied
TechReutersHow Amazon scrapped its plans for a New York headquarters
More than a year of work to bring Amazon.com Inc's headquarters and tens of thousands of jobs to New York City ended on Thursday with a couple of phone calls. Jay Carney, the company's top policy executive, told New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that the world's biggest online retailer would
TechReutersTelecoms industry calls for Europe-wide network testing regime
The initiative by the GSMA, which represents 800 operators worldwide, comes as the United States steps up pressure on its allies to ban China's Huawei Technologies on national security grounds. "Such significant consequences, intended or not, are entirely avoidable," the GSMA said in a