European countries have long prided themselves on their strong welfare states, including public-health systems. They are also convinced that the state has a big role to play in fostering the recovery after the pandemic. The painfully slow rollout of Covid-19 vaccines across the European Union is undermining any claims that government knows best, whether at a national or supranational level. ...

A red-hot trend in the car industry is for new entrants such as Fisker Inc to hand over the complicated and capital-intensive work of engineering and building vehicles to a contract manufacturer. Increasingly, cars are judged on their software and electronics so why bother wasting time and money on metal bashing? If Apple Inc is indeed seriously considering launching its ...

In the biggest British retail deal of 2020, billionaire entrepreneurs Mohsin and Zuber Issa and private equity firm TDR Capital were the surprise winners of a majority stake in UK supermarket Asda, valuing it at 6.8 billion pounds ($9.3 billion). That augurs well for more supermarket mergers and acquisitions this year. Several other private equity groups considered taking control of ...

Bloomberg Airlines kicked off 2021 by shrinking their already meager UK schedules, prompted by a new coronavirus lockdown and the prospect of further restrictions on travel abroad. EasyJet Plc, Britain’s biggest discount carrier, pared back its flying program to prioritise essential connections between key UK cities and “a small number of international routes.” British Airways said it’ll keep crucial links ...

Bloomberg Nykaa E-Retail Pvt is planning an initial public offering as soon as this year that could value the Indian online cosmetic retailer at a minimum $3 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The startup founded by Falguni Nayar, a former investment banker, is working with advisers to prepare for the share sale in Mumbai, the people said. ...

Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd has started taking bookings for international flights from July 1 in a perhaps optimistic view that by then, vaccinations will have begun to curb the spread of the coronavirus and travel demand will pick up. Ticket sales for Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, which had been set to start in March, have been pushed back to ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc is buying 11 used Boeing 767-300 planes, the first time the online retail giant has purchased, rather than leased, aircraft for its fast-growing air cargo operation. The company said it was buying seven aircraft from Delta Air Lines Inc and four from WestJet Airlines Ltd. The WestJet aircraft are currently being converted from passenger to cargo use ...

Bloomberg Prada SpA returned to profit in the second half of 2020 amid a recovery in Asia, joining other luxury brands in bouncing back from the worst of a pandemic-induced slump. Earnings before interest and taxes will turn positive in the last six months of last year after a deficit in the first half, the Italian fashion company said. Prada ...

Bloomberg Next Plc is learning to live with lockdowns. Chief Executive Officer Simon Wolfson said the worsening pandemic and the UK’s new Covid-related restrictions won’t ruin the whole year as the clothing chain is better prepared now than during previous closures. “This is traditionally the quietest time of year, so I don’t expect the impact to be as big as ...

Bloomberg US intelligence agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said a major hack of the federal government and some corporations was likely undertaken by Russia — contradicting President Donald Trump’s efforts to suggest China might be responsible — and “will require a sustained and dedicated effort to remediate.” The FBI is still focused on identifying victims, collecting and ...