GM PLANS TO LEAVE SEVERAL COUNTRIES
DETROIT» General Motors says it’s pulling out of Australia, New Zealand and Thailand as part of a strategy to exit markets that don’t produce adequate returns on investments.
The company said in a statement Sunday that it will wind down sales, engineering and design operations for its historic Holden brand in Australia and New Zealand in 2021.
It also plans to sell its Rayong factory in Thailand to China’s Great Wall Motors and withdraw the Chevrolet brand from Thailand by the end of this year.
GM has 828 employees in Australia and New Zealand and another 1,500 in Thailand, the company said.
CEO Mary Barra says the company wants to focus on markets where it can drive strong returns. She says GM will support its employees and customers in the transition.
Mississippi residents brace for flooding.
» With the
J ACKSON , MISS . waters in the Pearl River continuing to rise in and around Mississippi’s capital city and more rain on the way this week, the governor warned residents that it would be days before flood waters start to recede.
Gov. Tate Reeves warned that the state faces a “precarious situation that can turn at any moment.”
Officials urged residents to pay attention to evacuation orders, check on road closures before traveling and stay out of floodwaters, warning that even seemingly placid waters could mask fast-moving currents and pollution.
Storm Dennis hits Britain. ON» Storm Dennis
L ON D hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month’s worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of South Wales, which bore the brunt of the country’s second severe storm inside a week.
Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses.
Major incidents have been declared in a number of areas in England and Wales as authorities mobilized resources to deal with the impact of the overflowing rivers that have cut off communities.
Iran’s president: Trump doesn’t want war ahead of vote. » Iranian
T E HR A N President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that he doesn’t believe the U.S. will pursue war with his country, because it could harm President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election bid.
Rouhani said that Trump knows that war with Iran will “ruin” his chances of winning the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
He said that Persian Gulf nations such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar stood a lot to lose if conflict between Iran and the U.S. turns to war.
Assad’s forces make advances.
DAMASCUS, SYR» Syrian troops have
IA made significant advances against the last rebel held enclaves in the country’s northwest, state media said Sunday, consolidating the government’s hold over the Aleppo province.
The Syrian government advance also appeared to put the provincial capital of Aleppo out of the firing range of opposition groups for the first time in years, another sign of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s growing control.