February, 2022

• 1 February

  Hong Kong says Covid zero critics won’t be locked up in prison

  

    Bloomberg Hong Kong denied that criticism of the city’s strict policy to push for zero Covid-19 cases is illegal under a sweeping national security law that has silenced dissent in the former British colony. “Making general remarks and discussion is not illegal,” a government spokesman said in a statement Sunday, adding that the strategy was “the most effective way ...

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• 1 February

  Camera on Kim’s missile takes snaps from space

  

    Bloomberg If North Korea’s test of its longest-range missile in five years wasn’t worrying enough, the state’s official media released images showing the Earth it said were taken in space from a rocket designed to deliver a nuclear warhead. Images of the weekend launch of its Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile were splashed on the country’s biggest newspaper Monday. The ...

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• 1 February

  Hungarian teachers strike in pre-election headache for Orban

    Bloomberg Hungarian teachers staged their first strike in five years to protest low pay, a headache for Prime Minister Viktor Orban before the tightest general election in more than a decade. More than 20,000 teachers walked out for two hours on Monday in what they described as a prelude to a complete and indefinite strike starting from March 16 ...

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• 1 February

  Portugal premier wins election, takes majority in parliament

  

    Bloomberg Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa won Portugal’s general election and will now have an absolute majority in parliament, meaning far-left parties are no longer needed to back his budgets. The center-left Socialists took about 42% of the vote and increased the number of seats held in the 230-seat chamber to at least 117 from 108, based on 99% ...

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• 1 February

  Biden economic agenda on hold as more Americans hit hardships

  

    Bloomberg American families are feeling the financial squeeze of soaring inflation and a persistent pandemic as fractious Democrats return to Washington this week no closer to a deal on a tax and spending bill party leaders hoped would by now provide relief. Despite gangbusters growth at a 6.9% annual rate during the final quarter of 2021, other economic measures ...

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• 1 February

  Danish joblessness rate falls to lowest level in 14 years

  

    Bloomberg Denmark’s unemployment rate plunged to the lowest level in 14 years, adding to concerns of overheating in the Nordic country that’s emerging from the coronavirus pandemic as one of economic winners. The gross rate declined to 2.5% in December from 2.8% a month before, falling for the first time to the level it was before the 2008 financial ...

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• 1 February

  Bentley to invest $3.4 billion into UK operations in EV shift

  

    Bloomberg Bentley Motors Ltd. will build its first fully electric car in the UK, part of a 2.5-billion pound ($3.4 billion) spending push to overhaul manufacturing and ditch its roaring 12-cylinder combustion engines. The investment over the next decade will modernise Bentley’s factory in Crewe, England, the Volkswagen AG brand said. The decision is a boon to the site’s ...

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• 1 February

  Euro area GDP grows modestly in Q4

    Bloomberg The euro-area economy grew modestly in the fourth quarter amid another wave of surging coronavirus infections and curbs on activity. Gross domestic product (GDP) rises 0.3%, slightly less than predicted, after a sharp contraction in output left Germany on the brink of recession. Meanwhile, a ramp-up in investment contributed to stronger-than-expected growth in France and Spain. Italy reported ...

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• 1 February

  UK workers need 8% pay rises to beat living standards crunch

  

    Bloomberg British workers will need pay rises of 8% on average this year to offset the living standards squeeze from higher energy bills, tax rises and broader inflation if the government does nothing to help. Analysis by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change shows that the poorest fifth of UK workers will need a wage increase of more ...

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• 1 February

  Europe, US stocks resume rally as volatile month nears end

  

    Bloomberg European stocks and US index futures rise, and a gauge of global equities pared its biggest monthly drop since March 2020, as investors bet corporate earnings will continue to grow amid aggressive tightening by the Federal Reserve. The Stoxx 600 gauge advanced for a fourth time in five days. Technology shares in Asia and Europe caught up with ...

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