International company news in brief: Starlink gets DRC licence

Apple, Anthropic in AI ‘vibe coding’ deal

Bengaluru — Apple is partnering with Amazon-backed start-up Anthropic on a new “vibe-coding” software platform that will use artificial intelligence to write, edit and test code on behalf of programmers, Bloomberg News reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

“Vibe coding” refers to a programming method where AI agents generate code, a concept gaining popularity in the AI landscape.

The new AI coding system is an updated version of Apple's programming software, Xcode, and will integrate Anthropic's Claude Sonnet AI model, the report said. Reuters

Musk’s Starlink gets DRC licence

Kinshasa — Democratic Republic of Congo said on Friday it had become the latest African country to grant a licence to tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink and that the company would begin operations soon.

A unit of SpaceX, the satellite internet provider is rapidly expanding its services on the continent and is live in more than a dozen countries. It was granted licences by Somalia and Lesotho in April.

War-torn Congo has low connectivity, with just about 30% of the population using the internet as of 2023, according to the International Telecommunication Union. Reuters

Apax set to buy Finastra TCM for $2bn

London — Private equity firm Apax Partners has emerged as the front-runner to buy Finastra’s treasury and capital markets (TCM) business for about $2bn including debt, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

London-based Apax has been competing in an auction that the financial technology company’s majority owner, fellow buyout firm Vista Equity Partners, has held for the unit in recent months, the sources said.

Final bids were submitted in recent days and Apax is now considered the favourite to buy the unit, said the sources, who noted an agreement could be reached in the coming days, once negotiations and the financing are settled. Reuters

Former Pemex head returns to post

Mexico City — The former head of Mexican state oil firm Pemex’s exploration and production arm has returned to his post after the surprise departure of the previous chief this week, three sources told Reuters on Friday.

Petroleum engineer Angel Cid Munguia had served as the head of Pemex Exploration and Production through the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, but was replaced by Nestor Martinez when President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October.

Three sources with knowledge of the matter said Martinez stepped down on Wednesday. Two of them said Cid Munguia had immediately returned to his former post. Reuters

Opec+ agrees to boost oil production

London/Dubai — Opec+ has agreed to accelerate oil production hikes for a second consecutive month, raising output in June by 411,000 barrels a day, the group said on Saturday, despite falling prices and expectations of weaker demand.

After an online meeting lasting just over an hour, the producer group announced the supply increase, saying the fundamentals of the oil market were healthy and inventories were low.

Oil prices fell to a four-year low in April, below $60 a barrel, after Opec+ announced a bigger-than-expected production boost for May, and as US President Donald Trump’s tariffs raised concerns of global economic weakness. Reuters

US EPA to cut its budget by $300m

Washington — The US Environmental Protection Agency announced plans on Friday to slash its budget by $300m in fiscal year 2026, reduce staffing to 1980s levels, and dissolve its research & development office as part of a sweeping overhaul of the agency.

The reorganisation will consolidate several key offices, reflecting plans to cut regulatory red tape and promote more energy development, as laid out in President Donald Trump’s executive orders, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a video message.

“With these organisational improvements, we can assure the American people that we are dedicated to EPA’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment,” Zeldin said, adding the agency will be better positioned to match Trump’s goals to “unleash American energy, revitalise domestic manufacturing, cut costs for families and pursue permitting reform.”

Reuters