August, 2021

• 2 August

  Qantas Air sells old seats to travellers awash with miles

  

  Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd will auction off items including a pair of old A380 business-class seats in a points-for-prizes sale to use up air miles amassed by frustrated travelers during the pandemic. Daily auctions kicking off next week include 2-1/2 hours in a Boeing Co 787 simulator for at least 50,000 loyalty points, Qantas said. Bids for a private charter ...

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• 2 August

  Online retailers tumble after Amazon sales damp outlook

  

  Bloomberg Shares of e-commerce companies fell sharply, with several seeing their steepest declines in months, after Amazon.com Inc’s weaker-than-anticipated sales damped the outlook for other retailers. Amazon shares fell as much as 8.1%, their biggest one-day intraday drop since May 2020. That came after its revenue lagged forecasts for the first time since 2018, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, ...

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• 2 August

  Boeing jumps on first profit since 2019 as Covid woes ease

  

  Bloomberg Boeing Co earned a profit for the first time in nearly two years, surprising Wall Street and hinting at a budding turnaround after one of the worst financial crises in the planemaker’s century-long history. The shares jumped. Adjusted earnings of 40 cents a share weren’t the only sign of progress in the company’s second-quarter financial results. In addition, the ...

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• 2 August

  British aviation regulator to oversee space for ‘launches’

  Bloomberg Britain’s aviation regulator will now oversee space, gearing up for what’s expected to be a surge in missions as the cost of commercial launches tumbles. The Civil Aviation Authority will take on the role immediately and accept applications from any company that wants to operate under a UK space license, it said. Potential customers include satellite firms and spaceflight ...

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• 2 August

  Dole drops 9.4% after trading debut

  Bloomberg Dole Plc, the world’s largest produce company, fell 9.4% in its trading debut after delaying and downsizing its US initial public offering to raise $400 million. Share’s of Dublin-based Dole, which sold at the bottom of a lowered range for $16 in the IPO, opened trading at $15 and closed at $14.50 in New York trading, giving the company ...

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• 2 August

  Malaysia defers parliament sitting amid calls for PM to quit

  

  Bloomberg The final session for Malaysia’s special parliament sitting on Monday has been postponed indefinitely because of an outbreak of Covid cases, likely easing pressure on embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin amid mounting calls for him to resign. The deferment follows an assessment by the health ministry, which found the parliament building to be at risk of a spread in ...

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• 2 August

  Myanmar general to assume premiership, plans elections by 2023

  Bloomberg Myanmar’s military regime said it’s forming a caretaker government and will install army chief Min Aung Hlaing as premier, further entrenching the junta six months it seized power in a coup. The state of emergency — set for a year when the regime took over in February — could be extended through August 2023, the senior general said in ...

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• 2 August

  NZ leader Ardern’s Labour support slips amid virus

  Bloomberg Support for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party has slipped by almost 10 percentage points amid increasing scrutiny of the government’s response to the coronavirus, according to a poll by Newshub-Reid Research. Labour’s support fell to 43% compared with a May survey, while New Zealand National Party’s backing rose to almost 29% and ACT Party’s increased to ...

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• 2 August

  Pelosi bid to stop evictions crumbles in setback for Biden

  

  Bloomberg House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bid for a last-minute extension of an eviction moratorium for renters collapsed, leaving millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes after the ban lifts on Saturday. Pelosi’s efforts, coming on the heels of a public plea made Thursday morning by President Joe Biden, marks a rare political defeat for the speaker, who has ...

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• 2 August

  Sunak demands easing of UK travel rules

  

  Bloomberg Chancellor Rishi Sunak has urged an easing of the UK’s travel restrictions, which he said are damaging the country’s tourism industry and overall economy. Sunak wrote of his concerns to Prime Minister Boris Johnson before ministers are due to discuss August travel guidelines this week, the Sunday Times reported. In the letter, Sunak said UK border policy was out ...

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