July, 2021

• 6 July

  China’s Xi, Europe leaders plan talks as tensions flare

  

  Bloomberg China’s Xi Jinping is expected to speak this week with Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron, people with knowledge of the matter said, as they attempt to keep human rights disputes from scuttling efforts at cooperation. The agenda for the joint video call between the leaders isn’t yet known, according to the people, who asked not to be ...

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• 6 July

  Biden declares US ‘independence’ from Covid-19 pandemic

  

  Bloomberg A triumphant President Joe Biden all but announced an end to the pandemic in the US, celebrating what he called a “heroic” vaccination campaign on the country’s Independence Day holiday. Speaking at a party on the White House’s South Lawn with more than 1,000 people in attendance, Biden declared that the US had achieved “independence” from the coronavirus, though ...

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• 6 July

  Defiant Zuma says S Africa court convicted him without trial

  

  Bloomberg Former South African President Jacob Zuma, who is facing a 15-month jail sentence for contempt, accused the nation’s top court of unfairly convicting him, and said he feared that judicial system was being compromised. “I’m very concerned that South Africa is fast sliding back to apartheid-type rule. I am facing a long detention without trial,” Zuma told reporters at ...

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• 6 July

  Tusk blasts government for aiding Putin’s agenda

  

  Bloomberg Poland’s highest-ranking European official ever returned to domestic politics with guns blazing, branding the ruling party’s euroskeptic policies as a gift for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Donald Tusk, who served as president of the European Council until 2019, took the reins of the country’s biggest opposition party, Civic Platform, at the weekend after nearly seven years in Brussels. He’s ...

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• 6 July

  Sweden’s ousted PM says he has found a path to power

  

  Bloomberg The leader of Sweden’s Social Democrats, Stefan Lofven, will seek to form a new government via a parliamentary vote after enough parties promised not to block his comeback attempt. The 63-year old former union boss, who was forced to resign as prime minister after losing a confidence vote last month, said he has now secured sufficient agreement among lawmakers ...

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• 6 July

  Corporate France urges Macron to delay disputed pension reform

  

  Bloomberg France desperately needs pension reform, just not right away. That’s the message for President Emmanuel Macron from a chorus of top business leaders, days before he’s set to announce whether he’ll attempt change before the 2022 election. “There’s already a great deal of worry and uncertainty. It would be a gamble to add more,” Stephane Richard, chief executive officer ...

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• 6 July

  Germany’s Altmaier spurns French push for permanent EU debt

  

  Bloomberg German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier poured cold water on a French proposal to give the European Union a lasting tool to raise common debt. France intends to push for a permanent mechanism on joint EU debt issuance to drive investment in innovation that member countries can’t finance on their own, according to Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. The comments ...

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• 6 July

  Brookfield starts sale of $2.8bn UK ports group

  Bloomberg Brookfield Asset Management Inc. has kicked off the sale of PD Ports, a deal that could value one of the UK’s oldest port operators at more than $2.8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The Canadian investment firm is working with advisers and has reached out to potential bidders. Brookfield expects to close a sale of PD ...

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• 6 July

  Job worries, poor mental health afflict pandemic-hit UK youth

  

  Bloomberg Young people in the UK are emerging from the coronavirus crisis blighted by poor mental health and worried about their financial future, reports published on Monday warned. The separate analyses, by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation, underscore the huge challenges facing millions in their late teens and early 20s as the country returns to normality ...

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• 5 July

  US average mortgage rates decline

  Bloomberg Mortgage rates in the US fall, dipping back below 3%. The average for a 30-year loan was 2.98%, down from 3.02% last week, Freddie Mac said in a statement. Borrowing costs, which hit a record low of 2.65% in January, have seesawed within a few basis points of 3% since mid-April. Investors are anticipating Friday’s release of the June ...

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