January, 2021

• 7 January

  Next puts brave face on UK lockdown

  Bloomberg Next Plc is learning to live with lockdowns. Chief Executive Officer Simon Wolfson said the worsening pandemic and the UK’s new Covid-related restrictions won’t ruin the whole year as the clothing chain is better prepared now than during previous closures. “This is traditionally the quietest time of year, so I don’t expect the impact to be as big as ...

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• 6 January

  US cites Russia as likely hacking culprit, bucking president Trump

  

  Bloomberg US intelligence agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said a major hack of the federal government and some corporations was likely undertaken by Russia — contradicting President Donald Trump’s efforts to suggest China might be responsible — and “will require a sustained and dedicated effort to remediate.” The FBI is still focused on identifying victims, collecting and ...

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• 6 January

  WikiLeaks founder Assange denied bail

  

  Bloomberg Julian Assange was denied bail by a UK judge on Wednesday, two days after the court blocked the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to the US on mental-health grounds. The ruling means the 49-year-old will remain in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison, where he’s been for nearly two years. He will be held while the US government tries to appeal the extradition ...

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• 6 January

  US citizen among dozens rounded by HK police

  

  Bloomberg President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for US secretary of state denounced Hong Kong’s arrest of dozens of opposition figures under a controversial national security law, an unprecedented crackdown that included an American lawyer. Police said they had swept up 53 people in the operation and that around 1,000 officers had been dispatched to carry out the detentions. Those arrested included ...

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• 6 January

  Malaysia leader’s call for snap election stirs new infighting

  

  Bloomberg Tensions are rising in the largest party in Malaysia’s ruling coalition over whether a general election should be held amid the nation’s worsening coronavirus epidemic. Ties between Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Bersatu party and United Malays National Organisation, his key ally, have steadily deteriorated since UMNO threatened to pull out of the coalition in October, even though Muhyuddin survived ...

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• 6 January

  Lockdowns give Europe $615b cash pile to help aid recovery

  

  Bloomberg Europe’s latest lockdowns are presenting citizens with even more hurdles to spending money, swelling already-hefty savings that stand ready to fuel the recovery once vaccines tame the pandemic. Households in the euro zone accumulated a mountain of cash when businesses shut in the spring. Now in a lengthening second wave of closures, they are sitting on about $615 billion ...

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• 6 January

  Germany tightens coronavirus curbs as cases surge

  

  Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel extended Germany’s lockdown and tightened restrictions as pressure mounts on her government to contain the coronavirus spread and speed up vaccinations. With hundreds dying each day, political tensions have been high and threaten to escalate further amid a rising tide of criticism over the government’s strategy to distribute a Covid-19 shot. At an ill-tempered meeting, Merkel ...

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• 6 January

  US manufacturing expands at fastest pace since 2018

  

  Bloomberg A measure of US manufacturing expanded in December at the fastest pace in more than two years, bolstered by a pickup in new orders and the strongest growth in production since 2011. A gauge of factory activity unexpectedly increased to 60.7 from 57.5 a month earlier, according to Institute for Supply Management data. Readings above 50 indicate expansion and ...

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• 6 January

  Restaurants in France face reopening delay

  Bloomberg French restaurant owners are readying for more disappointment, as rising virus numbers threaten to delay the reopening of the country’s food and beverage industry. The government will push back the planned January 20 reopening of restaurants and cafes, broadcasters France Info and RTL reported after Alain Griset, minister for small and medium-sized businesses, said that it’s unlikely Covid surge ...

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• 6 January

  UK businesses enter new lockdown with dwindling cashflows

  

  Bloomberg UK businesses were suffering even before the latest lockdown, leaving many in a precarious position as they enter new restrictions with what many say is insufficient government support, a survey showed. The findings from the British Chambers of Commerce in November add to pressure on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to extend aid to companies beyond the $12,000 ...

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