Golan Heights, Syria, Mexico, AT&T, Pep Guardiola, Trade Tensions, Starbucks

Marc Ross Daily
May 11, 2018
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

Marc Ross Daily  = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits

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TOP FIVE

✔️ Iran fires rockets into Golan Heights from Syria

✔️ Business hates Mexico’s presidential front-runner

✔️ Italian populist parties on verge of deal to govern

✔️ AT&T paid Trump lawyer for ‘insights’ into his boss

✔️ Guardiola eyes 100 points for record-breaking City
 

GEOECONOMICS

NYT: Iran fires rockets into Golan Heights from Syria, Israelis say

Israel strikes Iranian targets in Syria as regional tensions rise: WSJ reports, Israel’s military carried out strikes against Iranian targets in Syria after it said Iranian forces based there fired rockets at its soldiers in the Golan Heights, raising the risk of a wider regional war.

FT: Israeli aircraft pound Iranian military sites inside Syria

Mahathir seals victory in stunning Malaysia poll win: FT reports, veteran former PM’s comeback ends ruling coalition’s 60-year grip on power.

Italian populist parties on verge of deal to govern: FT reports, Five Star and League in talks after Berlusconi says he will not stand in the way.

Bloomberg: Business hates Mexico’s presidential front-runner. And he doesn’t care https://bloom.bg/2rrlERw

"Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the nation’s anti-Trump, has a 20-point lead in the polls."

China's specter looms over Modi's Nepal visit: Nikkei reports, Indian PM faces diplomatic hurdles but could win votes back home.

China draws up shopping list of US goods to avoid trade war: WSJ reports, China likely will offer to import more U.S. goods during negotiations in Washington next week as the two sides see one of the best ways to avert an all-out trade war is for Beijing to buy American.

US-China trade tensions increase after import delays: FT reports, Chinese inspectors are delaying imports of US agricultural products, luxury automobiles and even pet food, exacerbating tensions just days before bilateral trade talks are scheduled to resume. Industry executives said Chinese officials had not cited bilateral trade friction for any of the delays, which have been caused by more stringent environmental checks and quarantine procedures. Products affected by the new inspections include Lincoln automobiles — exported from the US by carmaker Ford — pork, apples, logs and pet food.

Telegraph: US exports to China hit record $128 billion

"Forty-nine US states have expanded their goods exports to China over the past decade, with 17 states experiencing triple-digit growth."

How China’s ‘Big Fund’ is helping the country catch up in the global semiconductor race: SCMP reports, low-profile fund is leading national effort to catch up in global semiconductor industry by raising funds and backing semiconductor start-ups and research and development.

AMERICAN POLITICS

FT: AT&T paid Trump lawyer for ‘insights’ into his boss

"I’m crushing it": How Michael Cohen, touting his access to President Trump, convinced companies to pay millions: WP reports, he pitched potential clients on his close association with the president, noting he still was President Trump’s lawyer, according to associates. He showed photos of himself with Trump and mentioned how frequently they spoke, even asking people to share news articles describing him as Trump's “fixer.”

NYT - Editorial: Trump’s shadowy money trail: Questions about his finances, and about whether his campaign helped Russia hack the 2016 election, need to be asked in the same breath.

Cohen got millions for insider access outside White House: NYT reports, through a secretive shell company, Michael Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer, was paid by major corporations and a law firm for help navigating Washington in the Trump era.

California is set to become the first state to require solar panels on all newly built single-family houses," effective in 2020.

Bloomberg: ‘Wild West’ Ohio beckons self-driving cars even after Uber death

Scientists: Hawaii volcano could soon spew 10-ton boulders from its summit: WP reports, when the lava level at the top of Kilauea drops to groundwater level, it could trigger powerful explosions that could send debris for miles and unleash torrents of molten rock and toxic gases.

ENTERPRISE

Bloomberg picks Amsterdam for its post-Brexit base.

ZTE says it halted major operations following US sales ban: WSJ reports, Chinese telecom firm ZTE said it halted major business operations, marking the deepest wound inflicted yet in the escalating trade rift between China and the US.

Chinese tech giant may be first victim of new US cold war: NYT reports, the electronics firm ZTE has found success in the American market like few other Chinese technology brands have. Now it is fighting for its life after the Trump administration banned the company from using parts made in America.

China’s ZTE halts operations as US ban bites: FT reports, telecoms group hopes for political solution to crippling sanctions barring US suppliers

AP: Chinese court sentences Anbang founder to 18 years for fraud

Wu Xiaohui, the former chairman of Anbang Insurance Group, had gained a reputation for ambitiously expanding into hotels, real estate and insurance from Canada to South Korea - including New York City’s Waldorf Hotel.

Starbucks: Could it get even more aggressive in China?Barron's reports, Starbucks, which has said it’s aiming for 5,000 shops in China by 2021, could bump that number even higher. "Coffee consumption in China is still a fraction of that of the U.S., but we estimate coffee consumption has grown double-digits over the last 10 years,” UBS analysis, with Starbucks a main beneficiary: The company was responsible for nearly 50% of specialist coffee shop transactions there in 2017, according to UBS data, up from below 35% in 2012.

Uber reveals plans for flying taxi-service by 2023: FT reports, ride-hailing company partners with Nasa to design urban air-traffic control system.

Toyota pours $22bn into R&D as Apple and Google close in: Nikkei reports, CEO calls it a 'fight for survival' as technology reshapes the auto industry.

TRENDS

‘We don’t take cash’: is this the future of money? Tougher for criminals, easier for hackers: what life is really like in a cashless society. https://on.ft.com/2I87s77

CULTURE

NYT: Mormon Church ends century-old partnership with Boy Scouts of America

LAT: 'Law & Order: SVU' inches closer to the record books with Season 20 renewal

SPORT

AFP: Guardiola eyes 100 points for record-breaking City

AFP: Celtics beat Sixers to bookspot in East finals