February, 2021

• 4 February

  Abu Dhabi set to reopen schools on February 14

  

  ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee, has approved the resumption of in-classroom education for all grades in Abu Dhabi schools from February 14, while keeping e-learning as an option until the end of the school year. In a statement the committee said it “has approved a preventive protocol specific to the schooling community, encompassing ...

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• 4 February

  Nigerian oil producer plans to triple output from Shell block

  

  Bloomberg Nigerian independent producer Heirs Oil & Gas Ltd plans to restore an oil block acquired from Royal Dutch Shell Plc to its former output levels to make it one of the country’s biggest local operators. Heirs finalised its purchase of an operating stake in a permit known as Oil Mining Lease 17 in a deal worth more than $1 ...

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• 4 February

  Trump’s impeachment has a bizarre argument

  

  The impeachment defense brief of former president Donald Trump mostly consists of three elements, each of which I’ve addressed (and rejected) in previous columns: the purported unconstitutionality of trying the president once he is out of office; his supposed First Amendment rights; and his denial that he incited the attack on the Capitol. But there is something new in the ...

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• 4 February

  Hong Kong exodus has a colonial past

  

  Hong Kong is no stranger to goodbyes. In the lead-up to the 1997 handover to China, thousands left, often for Canada and Australia. Now, hundreds of thousands more may be contemplating a new British immigration program aimed at providing solace to a former colony increasingly in Beijing’s grip. It’s a long-delayed wave of departures from a defunct empire, with all ...

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• 4 February

  For HNA, bankruptcy is the best bad option

  Debt-ridden HNA Group Co, which splashed out over $40 billion on stakes in high-profile companies across the world, has been unwinding and selling down its assets fairly quickly. It didn’t even have to accept bargain-basement prices. The firm has been under the government’s watch for over a year. Why, then, is it going into bankruptcy? In a statement, the airlines-to-insurance ...

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• 4 February

  Is Europe panicking about Covid vaccines?

  The European Commission’s fiasco over the vaccine rollout is above all else a terrible concern because of the potential cost in human lives. It also risks damaging Brussels’ reputation for technocratic competence with regard to its own citizens, giving fresh impetus to euroskeptic forces. It may diminish the European Union’s brand in the world, especially in those countries that might ...

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• 4 February

  Wizz Air hits wall in bid for London Gatwick growth

  

  Bloomberg Wizz Air Holdings Plc has a chance to become a force across Europe, using its low-cost structure and financial clout to capture a bigger share of the market when the coronavirus finally lets up. The Hungarian discount carrier has snapped up airport capacity in Italy, Germany, Norway and the UK during the pandemic, but the westward push has been ...

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• 4 February

  Reliance’s deal with Future Group halted

  

  Bloomberg Future Retail Ltd’s dollar bonds plunged on an Indian court temporarily restraining parent Future Group from selling its retail assets to Reliance Industries Ltd, after Future’s partner Amazon.com Inc had sought the suspension. The Delhi High Court ordered the Future Group and Indian authorities to ensure the status of the indebted Indian retailer’s assets are maintained as is, putting ...

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• 4 February

  JetBlue’s London flights to get luxury touches in Mint cabins

  

  Bloomberg JetBlue Airways Corp has remodeled its premium Mint cabin for the company’s trans-Atlantic debut later this year, changing the seats into “suites” with sliding doors and adding two larger “studios.” The carrier will offer 24 premium berths on flights connecting New York and Boston with London, which are set to begin in the third quarter with single-aisle Airbus SE ...

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• 4 February

  Ulta Beauty to boost anti-bias training

  Bloomberg Ulta Beauty Inc, US’s biggest cosmetics retailer, plans to increase spending on inclusion and antidiscrimination training programs and will boost the number of products for sale by Black-owned businesses as the industry tries to address racial inequality. Included in the commitment is $2 million for staff training this year to “ensure equality in guest experiences.” In 2019, several Ulta ...

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