Commerce

(Reuters) - Apple Inc said late on Friday it will close all its retail stores, except those in Greater China, for the next two weeks to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission.

"We will be closing all of our retail stores outside of Greater China until March 27," Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote in a letter posted on the company's website.

“In all of our offices, we are moving to flexible work arrangements worldwide outside of Greater China,” he added. “That means team members should work remotely if their job allows.”

When a U.S. company wants to export firearms, the sale requires authorization from the federal government, and for decades the State Department has been responsible for issuing approvals for most types of weapons, once it has assessed any impact on national security or foreign policy.

Amazon, the big retail-industry disruptor, is about to deliver a big upset in the $900 billion U.S. logistics sector, investment bank Morgan Stanley has found in a nine-year study.

The US commerce secretary would be able to block imports of any technology deemed to pose a potential national security threat under sweeping new plans proposed by the Trump administration.

In an attempt to combat the perceived threat of Chinese equipment being used for spying, the US commerce department on Tuesday put forward rules requiring the personal approval of commerce secretary Wilbur Ross for sensitive transactions.