January, 2021

• 26 January

  Johnson is outplayed again by a 23-year-old

  The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a series of clashes in the UK between Boris Johnson and a bighearted 23-year-old soccer star called Marcus Rashford who campaigns to end child poverty. There’s only ever one winner in a sporting contest — and it’s not the prime minister, even with an 80-strong Conservative majority in the House of Commons. Johnson has joked ...

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• 26 January

  Dr Martens shareholders seek $1.8b in London IPO

  

  Bloomberg Dr Martens owner Permira Holdings and other shareholders are looking to raise as much as 1.3 billion pounds ($1.8 billion) in an initial public offering of the shoemaker on the London Stock Exchange, betting on the enduring popularity of its cult leather boots. The company doesn’t plan to raise any money itself in the IPO. Private equity firm Permira ...

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• 26 January

  KLM to keep flying long haul with testing deal

  

  Bloomberg Air France-KLM’s Dutch unit will keep operating long-haul flights as it reached a deal to have staff undergo a rapid Covid-19 test upon return to the Netherlands, eliminating the risk of leaving crews behind. KLM urged the Dutch government to exempt its staff from a new requirement for mandatory pre-departure virus testing. It said it would otherwise halt all ...

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• 26 January

  India’s domestic aviation nearing pre-Covid levels

  Bloomberg India’s domestic civil aviation operations continue steadily and the sector is nearing pre-pandemic levels, according to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. As many as 257,613 passengers flew locally as on January 22, compared with 30,000 passengers that traveled by air when such flights were restarted on May 25, Puri said in a Twitter post. “We are now within ...

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• 26 January

  Japan’s Shiseido in talks to sell personal-care business to CVC

  

  Bloomberg Shiseido Co is in advanced talks to sell its shampoo and affordable skincare business to CVC Capital Partners for 150 billion to 200 billion yen ($1.45 billion-$1.9 billion), as the Japanese cosmetics maker shifts its focus to premium beauty products, people with knowledge of the matter said. The board of Shiseido is preparing to vote on the divestment soon, ...

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• 26 January

  Boohoo, Asos seek to rescue failed clothing brands online

  

  Bloomberg Online fashion retailers Boohoo Group Plc and Asos Plc are seeking to rescue ailing UK retail mainstay brands like Debenhams and Topshop. Boohoo said it’s buying the Debenhams brand for 55 million pounds ($75 million). Separately, Asos Plc said it’s in exclusive talks with administrators of Philip Green’s Arcadia Group Ltd to buy the UK retailer’s Topshop brand and ...

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• 26 January

  Thai tourist arrivals at decade low

  Bloomberg Foreign tourist arrivals into Thailand plunged to the lowest level in at least 12 years after the country closed its borders to contain the coronavirus outbreak, with a resurgence in infections now undermining efforts to reopen the industry. Tourist arrivals slumped to 6.7 million in 2020 from 39.9 million a year earlier, data from the Ministry of Tourism and ...

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• 26 January

  China tests Biden’s resolve on strategic flash point of Taiwan

  

  Bloomberg China’s decision to fly more than a dozen military aircraft, including strategic bombers, into the Taiwan Strait this weekend sends an early warning to President Joe Biden on one of the most volatile issues between Beijing and Washington. The sortie by eight Xian H-6K bombers and five other planes was the third-largest such incursion by People Liberation Army (PLA) ...

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• 26 January

  Indian, Chinese troops engage in fresh clashes along disputed border

  

  Bloomberg Indian and Chinese soldiers have clashed along their contested Himalayan border in the first outbreak of violence in seven months, even as senior military commanders from both sides met in an attempt resolve the ongoing standoff. Several soldiers from both sides were injured in the fresh outbreak of violence along the border that runs through the northeastern state of ...

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• 26 January

  Attack in Somalia’s Gedo region escalates tensions with Kenya

  Bloomberg An attack in Somalia’s Gedo region was by militia trained and armed by Kenya’s government, Somalia’s Information Ministry said amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between the neighbours. In recent months, the two nations have recalled envoys over varying disputes including Kenya’s decision to establish a consulate in the breakaway region known as Somaliland and the alleged auction by Somalia of ...

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