Uber’s self-driving unit valued at $7.25b in new investment

SAN FRANCISCO. Uber’s autonomous vehicle unit has raised $1 billion from a consortium of investors including SoftBank Group Corp, giving the company a much-needed funding boost for its pricey self-driving ambitions on the eve of its public stock offering. Uber Technologies Inc said on Thursday that the investment values its Advanced Technologies Group, which works […]

Lebanese banks should play role in reducing deficit -finance minister

BEIRUT Lebanon’s finance minister said on Thursday that Lebanese banks should play a role in reducing the state’s budget deficit to complement measures planned by the government to rein in public spending. Ali Hassan Khalil, in a televised interview, signalled government plans to cut the public-sector wage bill, saying a ceiling must be put on […]

US housing starts approach two-year low; permits weak

WASHINGTON US homebuilding dropped to a near two-year low in March, pulled down by persistent weakness in the single-family housing segment, suggesting the housing market continued to struggle despite declining mortgage rates. Some of the weakness in homebuilding reported by the Commerce Department on Friday likely reflected disruptions caused by massive flooding in the Midwest, […]

Nintendo shares jump 17% after Tencent wins key China Switch sales approval

TOKYO. Nintendo Co Ltd shares jumped 17 per cent in morning Tokyo trade on Friday, a day after China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd won a key approval to begin selling Nintendo’s Switch console in the world’s largest video games market. That is the biggest percentage gain since July 2016, when enthusiasm for Nintendo-backed smartphone game Pokemon […]

Ghosn to be indicted on fresh charge: media

TOKYO. Tokyo prosecutors will indict former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn on a new charge on Monday when his detention period over suspected financial misconduct expires, local media reported Friday. The 65-year-old is being questioned in a Tokyo detention centre over allegations he siphoned off millions of dollars from his former company Nissan to a dealership […]