Scott Morrison Won’t Be Calling Trump Over Poll
Australia will patiently wait for an outcome in the United States election, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison refusing an opposition call to contact Donald Trump. The Australian leader reiterated on Saturday that he will happily work with his US counterpart, regardless of who it is, as Democrat Joe Biden inched closer to the presidency. Morrison said it was “frankly a little bit odd” that Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese suggested he contact Trump to convey Australia’s view that the democratic process must be respected. “It’s a suggestion that he may be trying to import the politics of the United States into Australia,” Morrison told reporters in Hobart of Albanese’s call. “I don’t know why you would want to do that. They have their domestic politics, we will leave that to them.”…
Volkswagen AG’s truck unit Traton SE said on Saturday it had signed a merger agreement with U.S. truck maker Navistar International Corp in a deal that would extend its reach into North America.
The deal will see Traton acquire all common shares in Navistar at $44.50 per share, excluding the 16.7 percent stake that it already holds, the statement said.
At $44.50 per share, Traton would pay about $3.7 billion for the shares in Navistar it doesn’t already own, valuing the U.S. business as a whole at around $4.4 billion.
The merger would combine the MAN, Scania, and Volkswagen trucks brands with Navistar to create a global manufacturer, at a time when the industry is seeking ways to share the costs of developing low emissions technology.
Navistar did not immediately respond when Reuters contacted it for a comment on Saturday.
In a separate statement, Traton said that the deal will be financed through Volkswagen International Luxemburg S.A and a loan agreement has been concluded.
Traton last month sweetened its takeover bid for Navistar from $43 per share to $44.50 per share.
By Aishwarya Nair
Focus News: Volkswagen Truck Unit Traton, US Navistar Sign Merger Deal
Tasmania to Help Repatriate Australians Stranded Overseas Due to Covid-19.
Tasmania is the latest state to join the national effort to repatriate Australians stranded overseas due to COVID-19. A day after reopening to NSW following a seven-month closure, it was announced on Nov. 7聽 the island state would provide quarantine spots for 450 people. Three flights are expected to touch down between now and the end of the year. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the federal government was looking to increase capacity at airports on the mainland. “But what this is demonstrating, is that we know we need to supplement that,” he said in Hobart. “We have no doubt that we have the ability to keep expanding that and do more there, perhaps sooner, to fit in with the broader plan.” The Commonwealth will provide defence force support for Tasmanian…
