Bloomberg London’s Heathrow airport may be allowed to raise airline fees on a limited basis after Britain’s aviation regulator dismissed the hub’s pitch for a more substantial hike during the coronavirus pandemic. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it plans to reject Heathrow’s proposal, which the airport reckons would lift fares by 1.20 pounds ($1.44) per passenger, as disproportionate and ...

Bloomberg Rival bidders Blackstone Group Inc and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) joined together to buy Signature Aviation Plc for $4.7 billion, resolving their tussle over the world’s biggest operator of private-jet bases. The company agreed to a sweetened $5.62-per-share bid from the two major funds and billionaire Bill Gates, currently the largest investor in the company, according to a statement. ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc breached the $1 billion-a-day revenue mark in 2020, in another example of how the company’s massive growth and market dominance has made its stock a near-unanimous favorite on Wall Street. The e-commerce giant’s fourth-quarter results brought full-year revenue to $386 billion. According to an analysis of Bloomberg data, Walmart Inc is the only other US company with ...

Bloomberg Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc is betting on expanding in Africa to grow the power-systems division after its main business building and maintaining wide-body jet engines was derailed by the coronavirus. The continent’s abundant natural resources, fast-growing economies and increasing urbanisation make it a promising market for the unit, Rolls-Royce Strategic Marketing Director Ben Story said. “We’ve got our eyes open, ...

Bloomberg That chocolate Santa will cost a bit more this Christmas. Hershey Co plans to raise prices on bags of kisses, miniature chocolate bars and other seasonal treats shaped like snowmen and Santas starting in the 2021 holiday season, Chief Executive Officer Michele Buck said in an interview. Prices for these items had not been increased since the 2014 holiday ...

Bloomberg The US and China’s top diplomats sparred on democracy and human rights in a phone conversation which was the highest level of communications between the two countries since the Biden administration began. Secretary of State Antony Blinken “stressed” to Yang Jiechi, who sits on the Communist Party’s 25-member Politburo, that the US will keep standing up for human rights ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden said his predecessor, Donald Trump, should not receive the intelligence briefings that are typically given to former presidents because of his “erratic behaviour.” “I think not,” Biden said when asked during an interview with CBS News if Trump should still be briefed. “Because of his erratic behaviour unrelated to the insurrection,” he added, referring to Trump’s ...

Bloomberg Germany and the European Union will continue to hold the Belarus government responsible for ongoing violations of human rights in the country, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in her weekly video message. The elections in the country six months ago were not free, fair or transparent and neither Germany nor the EU accept Alexander Lukashenko as the winner, Merkel said, ...

Bloomberg Somalia’s leaders failed to reach consensus after a three-day meeting to address obstacles to holding presidential elections next week, raising the prospect of a political crisis in the Horn of Africa country. The outcome of the meeting in the city of Dhusamareeb is a clear indication it won’t be possible to hold elections as scheduled, Parliament Speaker Mohamed Mursal ...

Bloomberg Tens of thousands of protesting Indian farmers have blocked highways across the country in defiance of the government’s internet and phone blackout, facing off against a heavy security deployment stationed behind rows of razor wire and concrete blocks. They’re demanding a repeal of laws pushed through parliament by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government last year that they claim favour ...