VENTURE CAPITAL POST

In response to the US House passing a TikTok ban bill and amid fears of Chinese retaliation, China has initiated measures to exclude US-manufactured microprocessors, particularly from Intel and AMD.

China also accused U.S. companies operating in the country of espionage, raising mistrust amid economic challenges and export growth.

Starbucks sees the potential of its fast-growing China business to one day overtake the U.S. market. The company plans to open more stores in the next five years, half of which will be in the U.S. and in China as the brand remains attractive for the retailers.

Now that the nuclear sanctions are lifted, Iran is now free to make deals with foreign companies. It is already in talks with Boeing for possible aircraft purchase and services particularly 737 single-aisle jets and 777 long-range planes.

China and U.S. has been competing for a place in the economy and politics of Cuba. China has been doing business with Cuba for several years and the U.S. is just making a start. The edge that Washington sees is the proximity as being Cuba's neighbor.

Asian shares fell back from a seven-week high on Tuesday as oil prices fell more than 2 percent. The sudden drop happened after the Asia-Pacific indices rose to its highest level since the beginning of the year, after seeing the rise in oil prices before reversing back.

On Wednesday, McDonald's announced its plan to fully transition to cage-free eggs in the U.S. and Canada over the next 10 years. The all-time favorite fast-food restaurant will join the booming number of restaurants and food companies making the same commitment to meet consumer demand, reported by Chicago Tribune.

U.S.-based property investment fund Aetos Capital Real Estate is preparing to sell Simplex Investment Advisors, a Japanese real estate asset management firm, seeking as much as 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion), people with knowledge of the deal said.

United Arab Emirates-based RAK Ceramics RKCE.AD, one of the world's biggest makers of floor and wall tiles, said on Sunday that it would sell its stake in a joint venture with U.S. firm Laticrete for an undisclosed sum.

AT&T Inc said it expected to record charges of about $10 billion for the fourth quarter but the non-cash losses would not affect operating results. The biggest U.S. telephone company said it would take a charge of $7.9 billion related to actuarial gains and losses on pension and post-employment benefit plans.

Google Inc is in talks to buy mobile-payments company Softcard, technology news website TechCrunch reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N) plans a major move to win U.S. business this year, by offering American retailers new ways to sell to China's vast and growing middle class.

German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim is considering the sale of its U.S. generics unit Roxane Labs for as much as 2 billion euros ($2.36 billion), Bloomberg said, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Citigroup has received 10 bids for its consumer banking business in Egypt, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday, with banks from the United Arab Emirates prominent among potential purchasers.

The takeover of U.S. candymaker Russell Stover will fuel growth for Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli after strong demand for premium products boosted sales in 2014, the company said on Tuesday.