Bloomberg British Airways (BA) put flights to Hong Kong on hold until March after the imposition of strict quarantine rules by the Asian financial hub’s government saw airline crews forced to isolate in a makeshift camp. The London-based carrier’s schedule shows no services to Hong Kong until the end of February. British Airways initially suspended flights there late last ...

  Bloomberg Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam touted plans to revive a controversial security law that ignited a political firestorm two decades ago, after completing an election to install a new legislature filled with Beijing loyalists. The pro-establishment council elected in a muted vote should present “new proposals” by June on how to enact security legislation, Lam told a news ...

  Bloomberg The leader of dissident Tigrayan fighters who’ve been battling Ethiopian federal troops for the past 13 months said he’d ordered a strategic withdrawal in a bid to end the nation’s civil war. The announcement marks a significant development in the conflict and comes after government soldiers recaptured towns in the Afar and Amhara regions seized by the Tigray ...

  Bloomberg Leftist Gabriel Boric was elected president of Chile by a larger-than-expected margin, giving him a mandate to push for higher taxes, greener industries and greater equality after a contest focused on discontent over an investor-friendly economy that has left many behind. The former student protest leader won 56% of the vote, beating conservative rival Jose Antonio Kast’s 44%. ...

  Bloomberg India’s lower house of parliament approved legislation seeking to link electoral rolls with a nationwide digital identity database to stop fraudulent voting despite protests from the opposition and civil society groups, who allege the move violates citizens’ privacy. The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill was introduced and approved within hours in the Lok Sabha via a voice vote amid ...

    Bloomberg Ukraine’s former President Petro Poroshenko is suspected of state treason for purchasing coal from the country’s separatist areas, his ally told local media. A prosecutor signed a notice of suspicion for Poroshenko, who is now traveling abroad, Oleksandr Turchynov told a televised briefing. Poroshenko is expected back in Ukraine after holidays, said Turchynov, who denied any wrongdoing ...

  Bloomberg Just as firms wrestle with a global supply chain crisis and fresh pandemic restrictions, companies in the UK and European Union face another looming headache: More post-Brexit red tape. From January 1, companies importing goods into Britain from the EU will be required to make full customs declarations. Food products will also have be pre-registered on an IT ...

  Bloomberg The unemployment rate fell in nearly every US state last month, including in eight states where it dropped to a record low. Nebraska, with a jobless rate of 1.8%, had the lowest in the country, followed closely by Utah at 2.1%, according to Labour Department data. Arkansas, Georgia, Montana, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wisconsin also posted record lows. ...

  Bloomberg The low availability of nuclear plants in France is causing power prices to soar, crushing the competitiveness of the nation’s companies, according to the Uniden trade group that represents energy-intensive industries. Electricite de France SA this week announced new or extended outages at four of the nation’s 56 nuclear reactors during winter, when demand peaks. Available nuclear capacity ...

  Bloomberg Germany’s federal government plans to sell the second-highest amount of debt on record next year, as aggressive spending to offset the impact of coronavirus pandemic continues. Debt issuance will shrink to about 410 billion euros ($464 billion) in 2022, compared with a record of around 480 billion euros this year, according to the German finance agency’s issuance plan. ...