Category: Business

Capital One’s $35 billion acquisition of Discover Financial has cleared its final regulatory hurdle, with U.S. regulators — including the Federal Reserve — granting formal approval for the deal to proceed. The merger is now slated to close on May 18, marking one of the largest consolidations in the U.S. financial services sector in recent […]

The European Commission has initiated a formal investigation into Universal Music Group’s (UMG) proposed $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings, citing potential anti-competitive concerns within the European Union. UMG, the world’s largest music label, announced the acquisition through its Virgin Music Group unit in December 2024, with plans to finalize the deal in the […]

The U.S. dollar has begun the week on a stable note, recovering from recent lows, as markets anticipate a week filled with significant economic data and corporate earnings reports. Dollar Stabilizes Amid Trade Developments After hitting a three-year low last week, the U.S. dollar index (DXY) has found support, trading at 99.792. This rebound follows […]

Toyota Motor Corporation is exploring a potential ¥6 trillion ($42 billion) buyout of its major subsidiary, Toyota Industries, in a move that could significantly reshape Japan’s corporate landscape. The proposal, reportedly spearheaded by Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda and his founding family, aims to simplify the conglomerate’s complex cross-shareholding structure and consolidate control over its sprawling […]

A few days ago, in a move that attracted international attention, the White House threatened to strip Harvard University of US$2 billion (£1.5 billion) in federal funding, potentially revoke its tax-exempt status and even prevent it from enrolling international students if it didn’t capitulate to a new list of demands. The five-page ultimatum reads like […]

Ola Bini was first detained in Quito’s airport six years ago, called a “Russian hacker,” and accused of “alleged participation in the crime of assault on the integrity of computer systems.” It wouldn’t take long for Ecuadorean authorities to find out that he was Swedish and an internationally respected free software developer and computer expert.  […]

Growth forecasts for the US and other advanced economies have been sharply downgraded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the wake of dramatic swings in US president Donald Trump’s economic policy. But could the uncertainty and the turmoil in financial markets eventually be enough to push the world into a recession? The IMF says […]

It has now been nearly two months since UK Prime Minister Starmer spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, yet there has been no tangible progress in the case of Alaa Abd El Fattah, the British-Egyptian writer, activist, and technologist who remains imprisoned in Egypt. In yet another blow to his family and supporters, who […]

Politicians and economists have been pretty vocal in their response to the ongoing saga of Donald Trump’s tariffs. But much less has been heard from the world’s poorest workers about how they will be affected. For when the US president first set out his reciprocal tariffs – later paused for 90 days – some of […]

In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently reached an agreement allowing the IRS to share with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) taxpayer information of certain immigrants. The redacted 15-page memorandum of understanding (MOU) was exposed in a court case, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos v. […]