October, 2020

• 28 October

  Total mulls investing in Iraqi natural-gas plants

  Bloomberg Total SE is considering natural-gas investments in Iraq, according to the Middle Eastern nation’s government. The two sides held talks about projects in western Iraq and near the southern energy hub of Basra, the Iraqi oil ministry said in a statement. They hope to reach an agreement soon, the statement said, citing Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar. Jabbar met ...

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• 28 October

  South Africa’s cities to switch to solar as ‘monopoly’ ends

  

  Bloomberg South Africa’s biggest cities are preparing to source their own power after the energy ministry this month approved letting them wean themselves off the state utility that’s subjected cities to outages for the past 13 years. Johannesburg and Cape Town, which have a combined population of about 10 million people, plan to diversify away from the electricity produced mainly ...

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• 28 October

  Germany is ready to offer America a new agreement

  

  It’s not every day that the defense minister of a major NATO ally proposes a new deal in transatlantic relations by repeatedly and emotionally avowing her “gratitude” towards the US But that’s what Germany’s Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer did last week. Even in the final throes of a presidential election, the cognoscenti in Washington on both sides of the aisle would be ...

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• 28 October

  Will it be a very Sony Christmas?

  

  Concerns that the forthcoming release of the PlayStation 5 could depress Sony Corp revenue in the September quarter weren’t realised, paving the way for what could be a blockbuster holiday season for the Japanese giant. What’s worth noting, however, is the supporting cast that helped set the company up for such a good fiscal 2020 that it boosted both its ...

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• 28 October

  Let’s not fool ourselves about Covid, schoolkids

  What to do about schools is perhaps the biggest dilemma facing policy makers right now. Closing them could lead to a “lost generation” of learners and make it harder for parents to get back to work. Keeping them open could further propagate the virus. Should governments choose the latter, they will need other ways to mitigate the impact on health. ...

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• 28 October

  Supreme Court needs reform at the earliest

  Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the Supreme Court was achieved over furious Democratic objections, in what might be the closing days of both Donald Trump’s presidency and Republican control of the Senate. Seen by critics as improper and even illegitimate, it could have a lasting impact. It cements a 6-3 conservative majority at the top of the judicial branch of ...

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• 28 October

  Rolls-Royce gets investor nod for $2.6b equity sale

  

  Bloomberg Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc shareholders backed a 2 billion-pound ($2.6 billion) equity raise, a key step towards shoring up the British engine maker’s finances to outlast the Covid-19 pandemic. Investors voted 99.5% in favour of the rights issue, according to a statement. Their support means Rolls-Royce can access a further 3 billion pounds of funds, through a bond sale and ...

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• 28 October

  EasyJet sells jets to add $400m to cash reserves

  

  Bloomberg EasyJet Plc sold more jets to aircraft lessors, raising almost $400 million to pad its finances against a surge in Covid-19 cases that’s pushed a travel recovery into next year. The UK discount airline said it sold nine Airbus SE A320 jets in two transactions, and will lease the planes back for almost 10 years, according to a statement. ...

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• 28 October

  SpiceJet starting its seaplane service to world’s tallest statue

  

  Bloomberg SpiceJet Ltd is starting a seaplane service connecting the city of Ahmedabad with Kevadia, site of the world’s tallest statue — a 182-metre tribute to the country’s first home minister, Vallabhbhai Patel. Flights will start this Saturday, the 145th anniversary of Patel’s birth, from Sabarmati riverfront to near the so-called Statue of Unity. Fares for the 30-minute trip on ...

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• 28 October

  Covid-19: E-commerce boom offers a lifeline for oil

  

  Bloomberg Look across the street from your home-office window: chances are you will see a delivery van. Trucks from Amazon.com Inc and other e-commerce companies have become ubiquitous during the pandemic. In much of the industrialised world, an ever-growing number of vans, trucks, trains and ships are hauling everything from desks to smart phones as consumers turn to online shopping ...

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