August, 2021

• 8 August

  China calls on US to stop meddling in HK affairs

  Bloomberg China called on the US to respect Chinese sovereignty and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, in a response to President Joe Biden’s move to offer some Hong Kong residents temporary safe haven. A memo signed by the US president August 5 showed gross interference in Hong Kong and China’s internal affairs, Hua Chunying, spokesperson for Chinese Foreign Ministry, ...

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• 8 August

  S Africa’s ANC raises alarm over deputy president’s health: FT

  Bloomberg Leaders of the ruling African National Congress are debating whether South African Deputy President David Mabuza is medically fit to remain in office, the Johannesburg-based Sunday Times reported. The party’s National Working Committee discussed Mabuza’s prolonged absence once he returned to South Africa following treatment in Russia for an unspecified ailment, the newspaper reported.

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• 8 August

  US navy ship arrives in Nigeria to back anti-piracy push

  

  Bloomberg USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, the first ship permanently assigned to Africa, arrived in Nigeria’s commercial capital city of Lagos as part the US government’s support to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. “Ship visits like this one clearly demonstrate the US’s continued dedication to our partners in the Gulf of Guinea as they strive for security of their ...

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• 8 August

  Infrastructure bill clears major Senate hurdle, passage in sight

  

  Bloomberg The $550 billion infrastructure bill cleared a procedural hurdle in the US Senate as members began working through proposed amendments in one last drive to finalise the White House-backed public works plan. The 67-27 vote to end debate on the bipartisan compromise measure puts the legislation on track to pass as soon as this weekend after weeks of negotiations ...

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• 8 August

  PG&E ordered to explain role in 2021 California wildfires

  

  Bloomberg PG&E Corp was ordered by a judge to identify each of the California wildfires its equipment started this year, and to explain in particular what role the utility played in igniting the Fly fire, which has merged with the much larger Dixie blaze. US District Judge William Alsup, who oversees PG&E’s criminal probation, issued the order and asked for ...

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• 8 August

  US city has just six ICU beds left with 2.4 million population

  

  Bloomberg With ICU beds down to a single digit, Austin sounded the alarm, using its emergency alert system to let residents in the Texas capital city know that the local state of the pandemic is “dire.” The Austin area — with a population of almost 2.4 million people — has just six intensive-care unit beds left, state health data show. ...

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• 8 August

  BT appoints ex-ITV chief Adam Crozier

  Bloomberg BT Group Plc has picked Adam Crozier, former chief executive of ITV Plc, as its new chairman, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Crozier, who’s currently chairman of Whitbread Plc, Kantar Group, and Asos Plc, is set to take up the role after the British telecommunications company announced in March that Jan du Plessis would retire, ...

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• 8 August

  Maersk’s green shipping plan runs up against ‘scarce oil’

  

  Bloomberg AP Moller Maersk A/S’s efforts to become carbon-neutral face an unusual hurdle: there isn’t enough used cooking oil to make the biofuel that powers the vessels. “The biofuel is sourced from used cooking oil, but the problem is that the world doesn’t eat enough french fries,” said Chief Executive Officer Soren Skou. “We can’t keep scaling it. If our ...

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• 8 August

  Stocks loved in pandemic get wrath of profit misses

  

  Bloomberg Internet stocks, food delivery companies and online retailers are paying a heavy price for any earnings disappointment. Companies from Asos Plc to Zalando SE and Logitech International SA have all suffered steep stock-market losses in Europe after their results in the past month. It’s a fact that makes companies with sky-high valuations look increasingly volatile, and shows that investors ...

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• 8 August

  European stocks post best week since March on profits

  

  Bloomberg European stocks closed steady at a record, posting their biggest weekly gain in five months, as traders assessed a better-than-expected increase in US payrolls and positive earnings against delta variant risks. The Stoxx 600 Europe Index ended flat in London at a historical high, bringing the week’s gain to 1.8%. Banks were the best performers, with ING Groep NV ...

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