International News

  Bloomberg The UK government will develop contingency plans to help companies and supply chains avoid disruptions from staff absences due to Covid-19, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing the Cabinet Office. The government has identified a range of staff-support measures, including former teachers for schools and volunteers in the public sector, the newspaper said. It has asked private businesses ...

  Bloomberg Telefonica SA reached an agreement with unions in Spain to cut about 2,700 jobs through voluntary redundancies of older workers. The departures are expected to cost about 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion) that will be booked in fourth quarter earnings, the company said in a regulatory filing. The plan targets workers turning 55 or older in 2022 and ...

  Bloomberg Tesla Inc delivered 308,600 vehicles worldwide in the fourth quarter, smashing the previous record for the electric-car maker and setting a capstone on a year in which the company joined the exclusive $1 trillion market valuation club. The better-than-expected results posted Sunday pushed Tesla’s total sales for the year to more than 936,000, up about 87% over 2020’s ...

  Bloomberg Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak plans to cut tens of thousands of jobs within the UK civil service over the next three years, the Financial Times (FT) reported. The Treasury is expected to set parameters for the reductions in early 2022, the newspaper reported, citing people briefed on the plans. The reductions are meant to save government ...

  Bloomberg Canada has welcomed more than 401,000 permanent residents in 2021, achieving its goal set last year, and marking the highest immigration year on record. The federal government announced the milestone, adding that the record immigration flows were attained despite the ongoing pandemic, which prompted the country to close its borders to foreigners for much of the year. Because ...

  Bloomberg France will force its citizens to work from home for most of next month to contain the spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. Workers that have the option to stay away from the office must do so a minimum of three days and if possible four days a week to help reduce social contacts, Prime Minister Jean ...

  Bloomberg For US school officials struggling with a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, winter break can’t come soon enough. There were 646 Covid-related school closings for this week, up from 356 the week before, according to Burbio, a data service that aggregates calendars nationwide. Schools in states including Michigan, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio shifted to virtual learning or closed ...

  Bloomberg Ireland’s chief medical officer warned people to avoid shops and not to mix with people from other households indoors, as coronavirus cases soar. People should “avoid crowded places including retail environments” and shop online “where possible,” chief medical officer Tony Holohan said. “Do not socialise or meet indoors with people from the other households,” he added. The nation ...

  Bloomberg The European Union is weighing a broad set of new powers, including possible export controls, that would give it the ability to protect the bloc’s supply chain during periods of crisis. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will unveil the proposal as soon as the spring, according to an EU official familiar with the plan. The new ...

  Bloomberg US consumers took a breather in November a month after an early holiday spending surge, but that pause risks becoming more lasting if Americans pull back when faced with both the fastest inflation in decades and the omicron variant. Purchases of goods and services, after adjusting for higher prices, were little changed following a solid 0.7% gain in ...