January, 2021

• 19 January

  UAE opens two hospitals in Somaliland to boost healthcare

  

  HARGEISA / WAM A delegation from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation has opened two hospitals in the Republic of Somaliland. The first, is the “Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Hospital,” in the city of Berbera, northwestern Somalia, and the second, is a specialised hospital for women, childbirth and neonatal care, in the city of Burao, the second …

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• 19 January

  Oil nears $52 on still-surging coronavirus, stronger dollar

  

  Bloomberg Oil futures held steady, despite a stronger dollar and physical prices in Asia continuing to trade at weaker levels than a month ago. Premiums for Russia’s ESPO have fallen by more than $1 since last month, according to traders who asked not to be identified. It follows a flurry of new Covid cases in China, potentially menacing demand, and …

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• 19 January

  Arctic blast to prop up energy prices

  

  Bloomberg The first cold blast this winter that propelled European power and gas prices to their highest levels in years may be about to dissipate, but its impact will be felt for months to come. From a snow storm in Madrid to record spikes in the UK power market as wind dropped — the weather has been the main driver …

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• 19 January

  India’s Adani to raise $2.5b from Total green deal

  

  Bloomberg Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is raising $2.5 billion from a deal that includes the sale of a minority stake in his renewables business to French energy giant Total SE, a transaction that may help the tycoon cut group debt. Paris-based Total will acquire 20% of Adani Green Energy Ltd and a board seat as well as a 50% stake …

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• 19 January

  India’s fuel demand makes shaky start

  Bloomberg Indian energy demand got off to a shaky start in the new year with sales of transport and cooking fuels over the first two weeks of 2021 declining from a month earlier. The sale of diesel — the country’s most-used fuel and a proxy for economic health — dropped during January 1-15 by 6.6% from the same period in …

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• 18 January

  Couche-Tard, Carrefour close merger talks, consider alliance

  

  Bloomberg Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc and France’s Carrefour SA abandoned talks on a proposed $20 billion merger following stiff opposition from the French finance minister, and will look instead at forming a looser alliance. The companies will now consider how to work together on fuel purchases, branding and distribution where their networks overlap, the companies said in a joint statement. …

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• 18 January

  All inbound travellers to take virus tests in S’pore

  

  Bloomberg Singapore will require all inbound travellers to take a Covid test upon arrival in the city-state from January 25 amid a resurgence of cases globally, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Citizens and permanent residents of Singapore who return from either the United Kingdom or South Africa will also be subject to an additional seven-day self-isolation at …

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• 18 January

  Grounded flights send US jet fuel prices sliding again

  Bloomberg The new wave of lockdowns around the world is sending US jet fuel prices slumping and exports slowing to a trickle all over again. It’s not as bad as the crash last April, but the headwinds the aviation market still faces before vaccines bring life to normal are increasingly showing. Benchmark jet fuel prices in New York and Houston …

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• 18 January

  Uniqlo owner’s stock hits record as shoppers go casual in pandemic

  

  Bloomberg Fast Retailing Co’s lineup of functional and casual attire continued to lure value-conscious shoppers whose preferences are changing in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, helping to push the Uniqlo operator’s first-quarter earnings close to an all-time high. Operating profit rose 23% to 113.1 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in the three months ended on November 30, according to a …

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• 18 January

  Buyers hunt down ‘right bacteria’ in fermented food craze

  

  Bloomberg With fermented foods reaching near-cult status for the health-obsessed, consumers have started hunting for the perfect bacteria. As a result, brand awareness — and the marketing that comes with it — has now made its way into the world of food cultures, according to Mauricio Graber, the chief executive of Denmark’s Chr Hansen Holding A/S, the world’s biggest maker …

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