The daily business briefing: October 6, 2016
Landmark Paris climate accord to take effect after clearing hurdle, Twitter shares fall as Google passes on bidding, and more
- 1. Paris climate deal to take effect in November after clearing hurdle
- 2. Twitter shares plunge after report that Google won't bid
- 3. Theranos to close blood-testing labs, lay off 340 workers
- 4. Replacement Galaxy Note 7 emits smoke, forcing plane evacuation
- 5. Ford chief talks to Trump about 'infuriating' criticism of Mexico expansion
1. Paris climate deal to take effect in November after clearing hurdle
The landmark Paris climate accord cleared its final hurdle on Wednesday when the European Union and 10 nations submitted their official ratification of the landmark deal, which was struck last year. The treaty takes effect 30 days after countries responsible for 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions sign on, and the latest ratifications put it over the threshold. The deal requires participants to reduce emissions to keep global temperature rise below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. It now will take effect Nov. 4. President Obama called the news a "turning point for our planet," and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the support is a "testament for the urgency of action."
2. Twitter shares plunge after report that Google won't bid
Twitter shares dropped by 9 percent in after-hours trading on Wednesday following a report that Google, owned by Alphabet, would not make a bid for the micro-blogging social-networking site. The report in Recode did not identify its sources. Recode also said Disney had decided not to bid, and that Apple probably would not go for Twitter, either. Salesforce.com reportedly remains in the running. Twitter has struggled to generate profit even though it has more than 300 million monthly active users. It has said it wants to complete negotiations on a sale in time for its third-quarter earnings report on Oct. 27.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Theranos to close blood-testing labs, lay off 340 workers
Embattled medical-testing company Theranos said Wednesday that it would close its blood-testing labs, abandoning its strategy of providing low-price blood tests to consumers. That effort was already on the rocks due to federal sanctions imposed over problems in the once-hot biotech startup's labs. With the change, Theranos will lay off 340 workers, 43 percent of its workforce. The company's founder, Elizabeth Holmes, said in a statement that Theranos' goal now "is to commercialize miniaturized, automated laboratories capable of small-volume sample testing, with an emphasis on vulnerable patient populations, including oncology, pediatrics, and intensive care."
The Wall Street Journal The Associated Press
4. Replacement Galaxy Note 7 emits smoke, forcing plane evacuation
Southwest Airlines evacuated a plane that was awaiting takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky, on Wednesday after a passenger said his replacement version of a fire-prone Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone began emitting smoke. The incident prompted investigations by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration. Samsung said it needed to recover the device to investigate. The South Korean company, the world's largest cellphone maker, launched a global recall of 2.5 million of the phones due to the potential that faulty batteries could cause the devices to catch fire.
5. Ford chief talks to Trump about 'infuriating' criticism of Mexico expansion
Ford Motor Co.'s executive chairman, Bill Ford Jr., said Wednesday that he had a one-on-one meeting with Donald Trump to discuss the Republican presidential nominee's "infuriating" criticism of the U.S. automaker for increasing production in Mexico. Ford is moving assembly lines for its Focus and C-Max models from Michigan to Mexico in 2018, but plans to preserve the Michigan jobs by producing two new vehicles there. Trump recently said Ford was "leaving Michigan" in a broad attack on companies moving jobs abroad. Ford said he had a "very good meeting with Trump," calling the candidate a "very good listener."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published