He Xiaopeng, CEO of Xpeng, stands next to the company’s P7 electric sedan speaking to the media at the 2020 Beijing Auto Show. Evelyn Cheng | CNBC In July 2020, local branches of four of the “Big Five” banks granted Nio 10.4 billion yuan in loans for the startup’s China activities in Hefei near Shanghai.…

SINGAPORE – As domestic automakers in China attempt to position themselves against Tesla in the growing Chinese electric vehicle space, Nio is well positioned to capture a sizable slice of the market, an analyst told CNBC. The Chinese electric car start-up released its first sedan, the et7, on Saturday with self-driving technology features that are…

The Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. company logo will be displayed on Monday, August 18, 2014 at the headquarters of Chugai Pharma Manufacturing Co. in Tokyo, Japan. Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg via Getty Images SINGAPORE – Shares in Japanese drug maker Chugai Pharmaceutical rose sharply in trading Tuesday after the UK government found the drug tocilizumab was…

People walk at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Hannah McKay | Reuters Two key House Democrats on Monday called on the Federal Aviation Administration to take action against recalcitrant travelers and ensure that those involved in last week’s riots do not fly at the US Capitol. Your comments come ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s…

Assembly line for the engines for the Ford KA 1.0 3-cylinder in the Ford Engines plant in Camaçari, Brazil. Paulo Fridman | Corbis News | Getty Images Ford Motor ends vehicle production in Brazil as part of a restructuring of its South American operations. The measures, including the closure of three plants, are expected to…

The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus takes part in a press conference on the situation of the coronavirus (COVID-2019) in Geneva. Denis Balibouse | Reuters New, more contagious mutated variants of the coronavirus are “very problematic” and could cause more cases and hospital stays if the spread of the…

A station staff wearing a face mask makes an announcement through a microphone near the gate. Japan declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures on Thursday. This marks the country’s second soft lockdown following the declaration of the first emergency in April 2020. Jinhee Lee | LightRocket | Getty Images LONDON…

A patient is being transferred to the Royal London Hospital in London during England’s third national lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Sun January 10, 2021. Aaron Chown / PA Images via Getty Images LONDON – England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned Monday that the “next few weeks” will be the worst…

French President Emmanuel Macron. LOIC VENANCE | AFP | Getty Images LONDON – France is currently lagging far behind other European countries with its introduction of Covid-19 vaccines, potentially affecting President Emmanuel Macron’s chances of re-election. By Friday, 80,000 French citizens had been vaccinated against the corona virus. In comparison, neighboring Germany has carried out…

It is usually older travelers who head south in the winter months. But in the age of the pandemic, more and more younger travelers are riding out the cold weather in places warmer and trendier than at home. A new kind of “snow bird” “Snowbirds” is the term used to describe seasonal travelers who move…