Bloomberg television. Welcome back. I was on assignment for the week. Week but i didly not have a lonely week because so many people stepped in. Bill cohen was here. Was going to say you just made a fat joke. I was going to say i did miss you and i had an exciting week. I missed you too. But because i had help i wasnt lonely. It is great to be back. Today. A lot to cover lets start with the Global Business stories of the morning. Firmup led by the british bc partners has agreed to officially by petsmart. The deal is valued at a whopping 8. 3 billion. Out apollo beat global management. Petsmart has been hurt by competition from amazon and other retailers. Still boomingis in the u. S. Economy. Industrial production rose by the most since may of 2010. Reduction of consumer goods did even better, rising by the most in over 16 years. And a dubious record for the ruble. The russian currency was trading more than 60 to the dollar. This month it has fallen 18 against the u. S. Dollar. The cent
And margin calls are triggered over secession plans in the country. And japans Prime Minister hailed this weekends vote as an indication for economics. And paris taxi drivers stage a citywide protest against uber. Youre watching worldwide exchange, bringing you Business News from around the globe. Lets get straight to our top story this morning. The ongoing hostage situation unfolding in sydney. These pictures recorded earlier show armed officers outside a cafe in the Business District. A lone gunman is holding an undisclosed number of people but local media says about a dozen hostages are held captive. Within the last few hours, the number of people seen running out of the building. Earlier the hostages were also seen holding a flag against the shop window. Tony abbott said the governments allegations are known but well see if this is politically driven. This is a very disturbing incident. And i can understand the concerns and anxieties of the australian people at a time like this. Ou
Now. I know were talking about a situation still unfolding and we hope these people get out safe and well. Minutes later, two women bolted from the building and ran straight to police. It began around 9 00 a. M. In a busy tourist spot. It is right by the financial and shopping district. Inside cat fay is this chilling image, hostages have their hands up and a flag flag is shown with arabic writing on it. It is believed to say there is no god but allah and mohammed is the messenger of allah. Officials are not ready to call this a terrorist strike yet. We still dont know what the motivation might be. Police negotiators have had contact and they continue to have contact. And we will work through this as we do with our negotiators. It might take a bit of time, but we want to resolve this peacefully. And a mile away, another scare, the iconic Sydney Opera House was evacuated. There were reports of a suspicious package found nearby. Cnbcs Matthew Taylor is in sydney following developments fo
Five hostages have managed to escape and as you inferred, it would appear they did, indeed, get away because that gunman is so agitated as reported by one of the local reporters who could see him visibly upset. We are about a block from where this is aun all unfolding. We understand the lights within this cafe have been turned you a. We dont know if that is a Police Operation or the gunman, but lets recap on whats happened today. Sydney under siege, anb unidentified gunman holding at least a dozen hostages inside this cafe in sydney, australia. The gunman, who reportedly calls him the brother, has contacted three local news outlets, making demands, one, an isis flag in exchange for one hostage. Two, a call to the Prime Minister. He claims he planted two bombs in the cafe, two others in the city t. Cafe is in the center of the citys bustling Business District. Hundreds of Police Officers are shouth down the outed area. Our only goal tonight and for as longs as it taxi is to get those pe
John McAslan + Partners (JMP) will take their expertise stateside, in the wake of taking on a major transport revitalisation project in the heart of New York City.