Wuhan whistleblower dies
Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist who first alerted colleagues about the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, has died. He contracted the virus while working at Wuhan Central Hospital. Dr Li was forced by police to retract his warning before authorities admitted to the crisis. He was 34. Sources: AFP, BBC, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, and South China Morning Post.
Coronavirus clobbering carmakers
Fiat Chrysler warned the Wuhan coronavirus could force one of its (unspecified) factories in Europe to shut down due to supply chain shortages. Sources: BBC, Financial Times and The Guardian. Honda (per Reuters) and Toyota (per Reuters) were among the automakers and parts suppliers who said they would keep their Wuhan plants idle for several more days.
Uber outlines path to profitability
Uber shares rose 5% in afterhours trading after it posted narrower than expected losses in the fourth quarter of 2019 (which were still $1.1bn) and said it expected to start becoming profitable during the fourth quarter of 2020. Sources: CNBC, Financial Times, The Guardian, Marketwatch and Reuters.
Elliott invests in Softbank
Elliott Management, a hedge fund, has taken a $2.5bn stake in Softbank, the technology and telecoms conglomerate. Sources: CNBC, Financial Times and Reuters.
Deutsche Bank shares up on Capital Group backing
Capital Group, a US asset manager, has taken a 3.1% stake in Deutsche Bank following the German bank’s restructuring. Sources: Bloomberg, CityAM, Dow Jones, Financial Times and Reuters.
Investors anxious for HSBC revamp
HSBC reshuffled its European management ahead of a global strategic realignment expected to be announced on 18 February. Sources: Bloomberg, Sky News and South China Morning Post.
Qualcomm facing EU market abuse questions
The European Commission has started an anti-competition inquiry into Qualcomm’s sales of its 5G modem chips. Sources: Bloomberg, The Register, Reuters, Techcrunch and Telegraph.
Economic forecast
Researchers at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and State Street Associates predicted that here is a 70% chance of a recession within the next 6 months, using a technique previously utilised to analyse human skulls. Sources: Axios, CNBC and UPI.
US kills Yemen Al-Qaeda leader
Donald Trump said a US drone strike in Yemen killed Qasim al-Raymi, leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Sources: AFP, BBC, Deutsche Welle, NBC News and Reuters.
German state leader steps down
Thomas Kemmerich of the liberal FDP party resigned as premiere of the German state of Thuringia after one day, because he was voted into office with the support of the far right AfD party. Sources: BBC, Deutsche Welle and France 24.
Agenda
Saturday 8 February, 9:30am-4:30pm: Chinese culture festival in Limpertsberg. Sunday 9 February, 10:30am-5:30pm: Indian and Nepalese children’s fundraising bazaar in Sandweiler. Sunday 9 February, 2:30pm-6pm: Carnival party for kids, organised by Basketball Racing Club Luxembourg at the Tramschapp. Tuesday 11 February, 7pm: Digital privacy workshop, held for Safer Internet Day, in Bonnevoie. Wednesday 12 February, 5pm: Chinese new year reception at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce.
Here are 7 science & technology stories you may have missed
Possibly the world’s biggest robot: An amusement park in Japan is building “an 18-meter-tall, 25-ton Gundam robot,” per IEEE Spectrum. Renewable energy: Researchers are trying to build “anti-solar panels” that generate electricity at night, per Inverse. Regulation: The California Consumer Privacy Act, the state’s version of the EU’s GDPR, has spawned “nearly 300” Silicon Valley privacy startups, according to NBC News. Computer security: Facebook issued a patch for a bug that potentially let hackers access Whatsapp users’ desktop files, per The Register. Space: Kosmos 2542, a Russian satellite, is apparently shadowing a US spy satellite, for unknown reasons, per MIT Technology Review. Space: Scientists are studying the second known interstellar object observed in our solar system, 2I/Borisov, per Quanta Magazine. GPS: A Berlin artist created a virtual traffic jam on Google Maps by carrying 99 secondhand phones in a little red wagon, per Ars Technica, The Guardian and Vice Motherboard.
Local traditions
The Italian village of Piobbico celebrates ‘ugly people’ per the BBC.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald