January, 2022

• 6 January

  Joe Biden hails 5G delay from Verizon, AT&T in aviation row

  

    Bloomberg President Joe Biden hailed an accord with AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc to delay by two weeks a new 5G service so airlines and safety officials can take steps to prevent interference with aircraft electronics. The companies issued separate statements agreeing to the delay two days before their planned Jan. 5 launch. The action came after a ...

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• 6 January

  Hong Kong bans flights from US, UK, six other nations

  

    Bloomberg Hong Kong is banning flights from eight countries including the US and UK for two weeks from January 8, in a drastic tightening of rules as it rushes to plug holes that have seen the highly infectious Omicron Covid-19 variant break through the city’s defenses. The bans last until Jan. 20 and also apply to flights from Australia, ...

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• 6 January

  Retail sector sticks to in-person NYC event as Covid cases rise

  

    Bloomberg The National Retail Federation plans to host more than 20,000 people in person at its annual convention in New York City next week despite a surge in Covid cases. The event comes at a critical time for the industry, which is grappling with labor shortages and supply constraints. Organizers say all attendees must be fully vaccinated and will ...

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• 6 January

  UK firms grapple with ‘impossible’ numbers of Covid absences

  

    Bloomberg Much of the UK economy is starting the new year on sick leave. With Covid infections soaring to about 200,000 a day as the Omicron variant spreads, hospitals, restaurants, transport operators and retailers are facing acute levels of staff absenteeism. England’s National Health Service is coming under particular pressure. Matthew Taylor, chief executive officer of the NHS Confederation, ...

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• 6 January

  Walmart, Kroger raise at-home Covid test price as deal with Biden expires

    Bloomberg Walmart Inc and Kroger Co are boosting the price of a popular at-home Covid-19 test after a deal with the White House to sell the kits at cost expired. The price of BinaxNOW tests at Walmart is rising to $19.88 this week from $14, the company said in an email Tuesday. Kroger said it reinstated “retail pricing” after ...

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• 6 January

  Kim Jong-un fires missile as he ignores Biden’s call for talks

  

    Bloomberg North Korea appears to have launched its first ballistic missile in about two months, after leader Kim Jong-un indicated he was more interested in bolstering his arsenal than returning to stalled nuclear talks with the US. North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile from land into waters off its east coast Wednesday, South Korea’s military ...

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• 6 January

  Kazakhstan’s Tokayev sets state of emergency as fuel protests spread

  

    Bloomberg Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government’s resignation on Wednesday after increases in fuel prices led to clashes between protesters and police in central Asia’s largest energy producer. The unrest intensified even after Tokayev declared a state of emergency in and around the country’s largest city, Almaty, and the oil-rich Mangystau region. The declaration allows him to impose ...

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• 6 January

  Japan, Australia to sign defense pact that might irk China

  

    Bloomberg Australia and Japan will sign a “historic” treaty that will further strengthen defense and security cooperation during a virtual leaders’ summit on Thursday, in a move that could further inflame tensions with China. The agreement is the first of its type for Japan, other than with the US and the UN, and marks a step closer in a ...

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• 6 January

  China’s Xi visits Winter Olympics venues as challenges mount

  

    Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Beijing Winter Olympics venues a month before the games begin amid a worsening Covid-19 outbreak and diplomatic tensions with Western nations over human rights. He toured the National Speed Skating Oval, athletes’ village, and operations and media centers, according to state-run China Daily. Xi told event organizers that the Olympics would be considered ...

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• 6 January

  US sanctions Bosnian Serb leader Dodik

    Bloomberg The US Treasury sanctioned Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and his associated media outlet for engaging in destabilizing and corrupt activities that threaten to tear Bosnia-Herzegovina apart. “Dodik has undermined BiH institutions by calling for the seizure of state competencies and setting in motion the creation of parallel institutions in BiH’s Republika Srpska entity,” the Treasury said in ...

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