May, 2020

• 26 May

  Chinese retail tycoon’s Wumei mulls HK IPO

  

  Bloomberg Wumei Holdings Inc, the Chinese retail group that owns one of the country’s biggest supermarket chains, is considering an initial public offering in Hong Kong, people with knowledge about the matter said. The Beijing-based company has held preliminary talks with potential advisers about a listing, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is ...

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• 26 May

  Air Canada’s bid for Transat faces extended probe from EU

  

  Bloomberg Air Canada’s bid for tour operator Transat AT Inc faces an extended probe from European Union regulators who said the deal may hamper competition by combining the two biggest airlines linking Europe and Canada. The European Commission set a September 30 deadline to rule on the deal, citing concerns that the “transaction could significantly reduce competition on 33” routes, ...

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• 26 May

  EU sets its price for backing $9.8bn Lufthansa rescue

  

  Bloomberg The German government’s 9 billion-euro ($9.8 billion) bailout of Deutsche Lufthansa AG may cost the stricken carrier some valuable assets: Key flight slots at airports in Frankfurt and Munich. The European Commission wants Lufthansa to surrender the slots out of concern the aid will give the carrier unfair advantage over competitors, people familiar with the matter said. After weeks ...

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• 26 May

  EasyJet CFO says he’ll leave next year

  Bloomberg EasyJet Plc Chief Financial Officer Andrew Findlay has informed the carrier that he plans to leave next year, days after facing down a demand for his removal from the board in a dramatic shareholder vote. Findlay will stay on until May 2021 when his contract expires, EasyJet said in a statement on Tuesday. The low-cost carrier said it would ...

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• 26 May

  Hong Kong braces for protests over laws backed by China

  

  Bloomberg Hong Kong is bracing for what could be its biggest day of protests in months, with pro-democracy groups calling for a general strike against China’s latest moves to increase control of the city. Protests are planned for Wednesday near the Legislative Council building in central Hong Kong, where lawmakers plan to hold a hearing on a bill that would ...

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• 26 May

  Burundi’s ruling party candidate wins vote rejected by opposition

  

  Bloomberg Burundian ruling party candidate Evariste Ndayishimiye won the nation’s presidential election, which was marred by violence and health concerns because of the coronavirus outbreak. The outcome was immediately rejected by the opposition. Ndayishimiye won with 68.7% of the ballots cast on May 20, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission. His main rival, Agathon Rwasa, got 24.2%, the commission ...

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• 26 May

  Suriname ‘coup’ leader seeks re-election

  

  Bloomberg A former coup leader with convictions for smuggling and murder was seeking re-election as president of Suriname. President Desi Bouterse, 74, an ally of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, is bidding for a third five-year term as leader of the tiny South American nation, which is in deep economic crisis despite recent oil discoveries and investment from Exxon Mobil Corp. The ...

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• 26 May

  Thai cabinet extends emergency once again

  

  Bloomberg Thailand’s military-backed government extended the country’s state of emergency for a second time, to the end of June, despite opposition calls to scrap it after novel coronavirus cases dwindled. The step is needed to lower the risk of another wave of illness as a lockdown is eased, spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat said after the cabinet backed the move. The emergency ...

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• 26 May

  Divisive aide who pushed British PM into spiraling scandal

  

  Bloomberg In standing by Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson has tied his immediate future even closer to a maverick and one of the most divisive figures in British politics. The prime minister’s key aide is mired in a spiraling scandal where he’s accused of breaking the country’s lockdown rules, the same ones he helped craft. Everywhere in the country and on ...

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• 26 May

  ECB’s Villeroy says more stimulus is likely on way

  

  Bloomberg One of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) key policy makers signalled that the institution is very likely to boost its emergency bond-buying program to fight the coronavirus. With inflation low, there is room to innovate and act “rapidly and powerfully,” Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau told a conference in Paris. He also signalled that he’d like ...

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