December, 2020

• 22 December

  Ryanair cancels some UK services

  Bloomberg Ireland’s Ryanair Holdings Plc has cancelled some UK domestic services after it said the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) imposed rules that made the operation of those flights impossible. The CAA said the rules weren’t new. The CAA said that it was incorrect for Ryanair to state that the authority has changed its policy at short notice, saying that ...

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• 22 December

  EU rebuffs Johnson’s latest Brexit concession on fish

  

  Bloomberg The European Union (EU) rebuffed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s latest concessions on fishing rights, dealing a setback to efforts to secure a post-Brexit trade deal. Johnson spoke with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen twice by phone to try and break the deadlocked negotiations. The UK made an offer that would see value of the fish EU boats catch ...

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• 22 December

  UN urges Ethiopia to grant aid agencies access to Tigray

  

  Bloomberg The United Nations (UN) asked Ethiopia to grant humanitarian agencies access to the embattled Tigray region and allow independent investigations into alleged war crimes. The continuing lack of access, coupled with an ongoing communications blackout in many areas, increases concerns about the circumstances for civilians, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement on ...

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• 22 December

  US adds 100 Chinese, Russian firms to military list

  

  Bloomberg The US Commerce Department added more than 100 Chinese and Russian companies to a new list of firms it says have links to their nations’ militaries, a move that will sharply curtail certain types of exports. The list of 58 Chinese and 45 Russia companies means anyone seeking to sell items that could eventually be used for military purposes ...

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• 22 December

  Afghan president orders probe into scribe’s killing

  

  Bloomberg Afghan President Ashraf Ghani ordered authorities to investigate the shooting death of a prominent Afghan journalist — the fifth reporter to be killed in less than two months as the government and the Taliban push ahead with peace talks to end the country’s 19 year conflict. Ghani described the murder as an “attack on freedom of speech and a ...

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• 22 December

  Japan ex-PM questioned over political funding

  

  Bloomberg Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was questioned by prosecutors looking into allegations political funds were improperly used to subsidise parties for voters, Kyodo News reported, in a case casting a shadow over the current premier. Abe submitted to voluntary questioning by prosecutors, Kyodo cited sources close to the matter as saying. The Kyodo report added prosecutors are seeking ...

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• 22 December

  UK deficit hits $323b with economy facing recession

  

  Bloomberg UK government borrowing climbed to a record 240.9 billion pounds ($323 billion) in the first eight months of the fiscal year, reflecting the damage inflicted on an economy now at risk of falling back into the recession. In November alone, spending exceeded tax revenue by 31.6 billion pounds ($42.45 billion) amid the escalating cost of supporting firms and households ...

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• 22 December

  Toyota to stop work in UK, France over mutant virus discord

  

  Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp. will halt production in the UK and France due to transport delays caused by a mutant strain of coronavirus spreading in the UK and that’s led several countries to close their borders with the nation. The border closures have “disrupted the transportation of parts,” Toyota spokeswoman Shino Yamada said in an emailed statement. Countries globally have ...

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• 22 December

  Swedish confidence drops as economy grapples with virus

  Bloomberg Swedish overall confidence levels ended a seven-month climb in December, as the Nordic region’s largest economy tightened curbs to battle a severe surge in Covid-19 infections. The overall economic tendency survey fell to 95.6, from a revised 97.2 in November, with the drop “largely a result of firms being less positive about the current situation,” the National Institute of ...

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• 22 December

  Facebook’s small advertisers say they’re hurt by AI lockouts

  

  Bloomberg Small advertisers that rely on Facebook to spread marketing messages are up in arms over the social network’s automated ad systems, complaining that inflexible account blocking tools and a lack of customer assistance are hurting business. One digital marketer, Chris Raines, was setting up an advertising campaign on Facebook when his account abruptly stopped working. Raines uses his account ...

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