Who should be at the front of the line if an effective Covid-19 vaccine emerges from testing? The answer depends on what we learn from the kind of field trials Russia is skipping. Some vaccines might not be that good at preventing infection, but would prevent severe cases. Those should be given to those most likely to die from the ...
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Chinese banks can’t dismiss US sanctions
King dollar still reigns supreme. And that means there are two ways for banks to go: the US way, or the highway. Hong Kong and Chinese officials scoffed when the Trump administration imposed sanctions last weekend on 11 individuals deemed to have played a role in undermining the city’s autonomy. Luo Huining, director of the central government’s Liaison Office, noted ...
Read More »The School reopenings depend on numbers!
The intense debates over school openings are missing something crucial: numbers. Without them, it’s essentially impossible to know what to do, or to evaluate what is being proposed. Here’s an analogy. Suppose that the Food and Drug Administration is contemplating a new food safety regulation, or that the Department of Transportation is considering new restrictions on railroads. The White House ...
Read More »Economic pain lurks behind retail-sales recovery in US
Bloomberg On the surface the rebound in US retail sales is a V-shaped recovery, but the overall figure obscures lingering economic pain across many of America’s businesses. After a third straight monthly increase, albeit a weaker gain than expected, the total value of US retail sales has rebounded above pre-pandemic levels. But the composition of spending looks substantially different than ...
Read More »Lufthansa cabin crew vote in favour of pacts
Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s cabin crew voted in favour of a 500 million-euro ($592 million) savings pact, its union said in a statement, a day after talks with ground staff collapsed. Members of the UFO union agreed to two collective agreements, and also voted in favour of clarifying rules around state wage support and severance payments, according to the statement. ...
Read More »JetBlue Air CEO calls for new US aid with ‘day of reckoning’ near
Bloomberg JetBlue Airways Corp’s top executive is joining an industry push for additional federal help as passenger totals plateau at about a quarter of year-earlier levels. Airlines are “in a very, very critical situation right now,†said Chief Executive Officer Robin Hayes as he called on the Trump administration and Congress to resolve a stalemate over a new economic stimulus ...
Read More »Jumia sees startup rivals competing for Africa online sales
Bloomberg Jumia Technologies AG is facing fresh competition from startups in the African e-commerce and logistics market after the Covid-19 pandemic increased demand for online deliveries. The US-listed firm is seen as one of the pioneers of internet trading in sub-Saharan Africa, which trails the rest of the world due to challenges including weak internet connections and unreliable addresses. But ...
Read More »London City Airport to pause expansion plans
Bloomberg London City Airport Ltd will pause the building of the next stage of a 480 million pound ($628 million) expansion due to a slower-than-expected recovery of the UK aviation industry from the Covid-19 pandemic. The airport operator will postpone plans to extend its passenger terminal and new east pier from the end of this year, the company said in ...
Read More »Aviation Week cuts jet-delivery forecast
Bloomberg Deliveries of commercial aircraft over the next ten years will be 30% lower than previously forecast, Aviation Week Network said in a video conference. The prediction spans regional jets to widebody planes, and the latter will be hardest-hit, Aviation Week analyst Dan Williams said on the call. Covid-19 pandemic has battered demand for air travel, with most industry participants ...
Read More »Russia offers ally in Belarus support as protests grow
Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin offered support to Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko, who appealed to his neighbour for help after his claim of an election victory to extend his 26-year rule led to widespread protests and strikes that have been met with police brutality. Russia is ready to provide assistance to “resolve the problems†that arose after Belarus’s vote a week ...
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