March, 2021

• 28 March

  Air France nears agreement for state rescue programe

  

  Bloomberg The French government is close to finalising a recapitalisation plan for Air France after addressing some antitrust concerns raised by the European Commission, according to people familiar with the matter. The multi-billion-euro package could be announced in coming days following final approval from Brussels and the board of parent Air France-KLM, said the people, who asked not to be ...

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• 28 March

  India targets to sell flag carrier Air India by June

  

  Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is close to inviting financial bids for flag carrier Air India Ltd., moving toward the sale of an airline that’s surviving on taxpayer money, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said. The financial offers are expected to come in within 64 days from the date of request, he said, addressing the Times Network India Economic ...

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• 28 March

  Boeing delivers its first 787 in months as inspections continue

  

  Bloomberg Boeing Co. delivered its first 787 Dreamliner since October, handing over a jet to United Airlines Inc. while the planemaker continues to inspect others for small structural defects. United received a new 787-9 and will take another, a spokeswoman for the airline said. The first plane will be ferried from Charleston, South Carolina, to the carrier’s San Francisco hub ...

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• 28 March

  ThredUp jumps after $168 million IPO

  

  Bloomberg ThredUp Inc., the online marketplace for secondhand clothing, climbed 43% in its trading debut after a $168 million initial public offering (IPO). ThredUp, whose shares sold for $14 in the IPO, opened at $18.25 and closed at $20, giving the company a market value of $1.8 billion. While US -based ThredUp is a favourite of sustainability-minded younger shoppers, its focus ...

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• 28 March

  Grocers face $11bn in equal pay claims after Asda ruling

  

  Bloomberg The UK’s biggest retailers face a potential 8 billion-pound ($11 billion) legal fight after Asda Group Ltd. lost a top court ruling in an ongoing equal pay dispute. The UK Supreme Court ruled that the salaries earned by women who work in grocery stores could be compared to men who predominantly work in warehouses. The case will return to ...

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• 28 March

  Deaths in Myanmar pile up with army, protesters not backing down

  

  Bloomberg Dozens of Myanmar protesters died in demonstrations on a holiday once known as Resistance Day, as both the junta and those against its February coup showed no signs of backing down from weeks of conflict. At least 77 people in 36 townships were killed on Saturday during crackdowns by the military, according to rights group Assistance Association for Political ...

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• 28 March

  Biden invites Putin, Xi to virtual climate summit in April

  

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden included Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping among 40 world leaders he invited to a White House climate summit next month, showing he plans to include friends and foes in his administration’s first major international gathering. The virtual summit will bring together 17 countries responsible for 80% of global emissions and gross domestic product, the ...

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• 28 March

  US lawmakers ask Biden to make travel easier from Taiwan

  

  Bloomberg A group of nine lawmakers asked the Biden administration to establish a facility to expedite travel to the US from Taiwan’s main international airport, a show of support for the island amid fear it could be targeted by an increasingly aggressive China. The group of seven Republicans and two Democrats said in a letter that a pre-clearance facility at ...

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• 27 March

  US civil rights groups sue Georgia poll officials over new voting rules

  

  Bloomberg Georgia’s elections chief was sued by a group of non-profit civic organisations that claim a new voting law signed by the state’s Republican governor will make it harder for minorities to cast ballots. The lawsuit, against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, is one of the first challenges to a wave of voting restrictions taking shape in state legislatures ...

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• 27 March

  Kenya’s move to close refugee camps politically motivated, says Somalia

  

  Bloomberg Somalia said Kenya is politicising refugee camps, which have sheltered hundreds of thousands of Somali nationals for three decades, by moving to have them closed. Kenya upped pressure on the United Nations this week to come up with a plan to shut down the country’s Kakuma and Dadaab camps, saying their continued existence posed a security threat to East ...

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