September, 2021

• 9 September

  How Gen Z spends its time in China

  

  Last week, China’s top media regulators rolled out a directive prohibiting “sissy idols and other deformed aesthetics.” Their targets were the highly stylised, gender-bending young men who’ve defined Chinese pop culture for more than a decade. In the eyes of President Xi Jinping, these celebrities pose a threat to the masculine revitalisation of the Chinese nation. Like cram schools, celebrity ...

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• 9 September

  Covid travel is a disaster. It doesn’t need to be

  The surreal nature of international travel in the Covid era was beamed live around the world last weekend. In the opening minutes of a soccer match in Sao Paolo between Brazil and Argentina, play ground to a halt when public-health officials walked onto the field to remove several Argentine athletes over an apparent breach of a 14-day quarantine (mandatory for ...

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• 9 September

  Spain is opening act for EU’s big green autumn

  Nothing says the European summer is over and business is restarting like a blowout sovereign bond sale. The inaugural green bond launch for the Kingdom of Spain certainly fits that bill. The 5 billion-euro ($6 billion) 21-year deal received orders well over 10 times what was on offer. Investors just cannot greenify their portfolios quickly enough. But this is just ...

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• 9 September

  Boeing board to face investors’ suit over 737 Max jet crashes

  

  Bloomberg Boeing Co’s directors must face an investors’ lawsuit accusing them of failing to properly monitor safety issues and the development of 737 Max jetliners whose two fatal crashes have cost the company more than $20 billion. Delaware Chancery Judge Morgan Zurn threw out some claims against Boeing’s board, but said Boeing shareholders produced enough evidence to justify pursuing claims ...

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• 9 September

  BA invites passengers to pay for sustainable fuel

  

  Bloomberg British Airways (BA) introduced a mechanism allowing customers to buy so-called sustainable aviation fuel to reduce their carbon footprints. The carrier said it will also source enough SAF from BP Plc to power all flights between London and Scotland’s two busiest airports during the COP26 climate summit to be held in Glasgow. Payments for SAF will be offered to ...

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• 9 September

  London City flights return in sign of pickup in banking trips

  

  Bloomberg London City Airport, a favourite of regional business travellers, is seeing a tentative reawakening as British Airways and Deutsche Lufthansa AG restore flights to key financial centers. Services to Zurich, Frankfurt and Rotterdam are resuming this month, the airport’s chief operating officer, Alison FitzGerald, said in an interview. “We’re seeing some early signs of good load factors, some early ...

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• 9 September

  UK retail sales lose steam as firms, shoppers fret over prices

  

  Bloomberg UK retail sales growth lost momentum in August, with both shops and consumers pointing to concerns over higher prices. The value of goods sold in shops and online grew 3% in August from a year earlier, the British Retail Consortium and KPMG said, less than the 3.9% recorded the same month in 2020. Despite higher demand for clothing, especially ...

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• 9 September

  Airbus, Alstom to partner against growing cyber risks

  Bloomberg Airbus SE and Alstom SA are deepening a partnership on cybersecurity to counter threats they say are growing against rail transport systems. The French plane and train manufacturers signed a cooperation agreement to provide security systems to rail operators, according to a statement on Wednesday. The move comes as cross-country networks and urban metros and trams become increasingly reliant ...

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• 9 September

  Federer-backed On to raise $622m in IPO

  Bloomberg Swiss running shoemaker On Holding AG, whose proprietary cushioning technology has attracted Roger Federer as an investor, plans to raise as much as $622 million in an initial public offering in New York. The IPO will consist of 31.1 million shares sold at $18 to $20 each, the Zurich-based company said in a filing. The sale would value the ...

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• 8 September

  Trump sidelines rivals, keeps cash by playing coy on Republican 2024 race

  

  Bloomberg Former President Donald Trump frequently teases another presidential bid, without actually announcing, a strategy that leaves him with access to a $102 million war chest, an unrivaled haul that could scare off donors to other candidates and freeze the Republican 2024 race. By not formally declaring, Trump is free to use money from his political action committees to act ...

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