December, 2020

• 9 December

  Women take the lead in vaccine development

  It is easy enough to imagine a less sadistic system. But reimagining enforcement altogether — its ends and means — is a more complicated undertaking. The early history of vaccines is a male-dominated field. The science, which is currently showing spectacular results, is now led by women. Therein lies a lesson about the allocation of talent. Consider the history of ...

  Read More »
• 9 December

  $113 billion Tata empire faces tough decisions over airlines

  

  Bloomberg Ratan Tata is no stranger to flying. As a 17-year-old, the patriarch of India’s biggest conglomerate once landed a plane that had lost its sole engine mid-flight. He’s also piloted the supersonic F-16 fighter jet. That love of aviation hasn’t always translated into business success, however. Tata Group’s two airlines — AirAsia India and Vistara — were struggling before ...

  Read More »
• 9 December

  Jet Air planning to resume services by summer 2021

  

  Bloomberg Bankrupt carrier Jet Airways India Ltd, once the nation’s biggest airline by market value, is planning to restart operations as a full-service carrier by the summer of 2021, its new owners announced. A consortium led by Dubai-based entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan and Kalrock Capital has set a revival plan for Jet Airways, which includes a dedicated freighter service and ...

  Read More »
• 9 December

  Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group in talks to buy Debenhams

  

  Bloomberg Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group Plc is in last-ditch talks to buy the ailing Debenhams department store in a move which could save thousands of jobs. The owner of the Sports Direct brand confirmed it was in negotiations in an emailed statement and said “we hope to be able to save as many jobs as possible” at Debenhams, one of ...

  Read More »
• 9 December

  Airbus bets on hydrogen to deliver zero-emission jets

  

  Bloomberg There are plenty of obstacles standing in the way of developing the first zero-emission, hydrogen-powered plane. It’s tricky to safely store and use the highly combustible fuel. There aren’t any airports equipped to refuel jets with it. And the cost of hydrogen itself is prohibitive, at least if you want to avoid producing greenhouse gases. Yet in September, Airbus ...

  Read More »
• 9 December

  Brazil’s Gol to resume 737 Max operations on Dec 9

  Bloomberg Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA said it will be the first airline to resume regular flights with Boeing Co’s 737 Max since safety officials lifted a lengthy grounding of the embattled jet last month. Passenger service on the Max will begin on December 9 on domestic routes from Sao Paulo, the airline said in a statement. Gol has ...

  Read More »
• 9 December

  Heathrow to pay dividend from 2022

  Bloomberg London Heathrow airport says it could resume paying a small dividend to shareholders from 2022, the Sunday Times reported. Heathrow said it would not pay dividends this year or next in return for leniency from its shareholders in a submission to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The airport will resume payouts of about 400 million pounds ($538 million) a ...

  Read More »
• 8 December

  Biden reaches deadline that makes victory ‘irreversible’

  

  Bloomberg Joe Biden will be one formal step closer to the presidency after Tuesday’s deadline for states to certify their slates of electors to the Electoral College — locking in the names of the people who will formally vote to make Biden the president. Once that happens, there’s little turning back. Congress must by law accept those electors if there’s ...

  Read More »
• 8 December

  India strike intensifies protests against new agricultural laws

  

  Bloomberg Tens of thousands of farmers across India took to the streets on Tuesday during a nationwide strike demanding the scrapping of new agricultural laws, intensifying an almost fortnight long standoff with the government of PM Narendra Modi. The daylong shutdown, called by several farm groups, impacted traffic and movement in some parts of the country. Wholesale agricultural markets in ...

  Read More »
• 8 December

  Thai pro-democracy demonstrators plan protest against royal defamation law

  

  Bloomberg Thailand’s pro-democracy groups will hold a gathering this week to press for the abolition of a law that penalises insulting and criticising the nation’s top royals, after authorities invoked the act against protest leaders who are demanding monarchy reform. The protesters, who have been rallying regularly in capital Bangkok and other cities since mid-July, will hold “an important event” ...

  Read More »