Poland started building a barbed-wire fence on its 210-kilometer (130-mile) border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region to prevent the Kremlin from sending asylum-seekers into the country, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said. With the airport in Kaliningrad open to flights from North Africa, Poland sees the risk of another migration crisis, similar to what happened with Belarus last year, he told reporters ...
Read More »Macron to make it easier to build nuclear reactors in France
President Emmanuel Macron wants to streamline rules to build new nuclear reactors faster as maintenance issues beset France’s aging atomic facilities and the energy crisis spurs the country to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. His government is seeking parliament’s approval for legislation that would reduce overall construction time by more than two years by speeding up the decision ...
Read More »Kuroda can’t get to yes. Should he even try?
Daniel Moss | Gearoid Reidy Haruhiko Kuroda is summoning his inner Wim Duisenberg. The first president of the European Central Bank, Duisenberg resisted calls to adjust interest rates two decades ago with the retort “I hear, but I do not listen.†At the time, Duisenberg was under pressure to follow the Federal Reserve and reduce the cost of money. Kuroda, ...
Read More »Democrats were smart to meddle in GOP primaries
Jonathan Bernstein It appears that a controversial Democratic campaign tactic might be working. One of the big political stories this spring and summer was Democratic meddling in Republican primaries — Democrats, that is, spending money to “attack†extremist Republican candidates for being too conservative. The thinking among campaign strategists was that elevating the extremists’ profile would help them defeat more ...
Read More »Barclays seeks to shut 97 firms that haven’t repaid Covid loans
Barclays Plc has asked UK courts to shutter nearly 100 businesses in recent months as it seeks to recover money loaned under a government Covid-19 program that’s been blighted by fraud. The bank has sought winding-up petitions, which liquidate companies to pay debts, against at least 97 businesses since September, according to official records. The requests relate to loans of ...
Read More »Credit Suisse’s rating cut to one level above junk status by S&P
Credit Suisse Group AG’s long-term rating was downgraded by S&P Global Ratings to just one level above junk status, underscoring the bank’s challenges after it laid out a radical restructuring plan last week. The Swiss bank’s long-term rating was cut to BBB- from BBB, with a stable outlook. That’s just one notch above the BB “speculative grade.†The US ratings ...
Read More »AmEx adds pay ranges to all US job listings
American Express Co. is joining the small but growing number of companies choosing to post salary ranges with job listings across the US, even where doing so isn’t required by law. The credit-card giant has pay included in postings for positions in New York City, ahead of a requirement that goes into effect for all companies with four or more ...
Read More »J&J to purchase heart medical tech firm Abiomed for $17.3b
Johnson & Johnson (J&J), one of the world’s biggest makers of medical devices, said it will purchase Abiomed Inc. for about $17.3 billion, building on its portfolio of technology to assist heart function. J&J will pay $380 a share in cash, according to a statement. That represents a premium of about 50% over Abiomed’s closing price, and is close to ...
Read More »Morrisons to shut 132 ‘loss-making’ McColl’s stores
Morrisons is shutting more than 100 loss-making McColl’s convenience stores, putting as many as 1,300 jobs at risk just a few months after buying the corner shop retailer out of insolvency. The British supermarket chain has identified 132 stores where “there is no realistic prospect of achieving a break-even position in the medium term†and will close those sites over ...
Read More »Airbnb shares fall on muted fourth-quarter bookings forecast
Airbnb Inc. shares fell after the company gave a disappointing outlook for bookings in the fourth quarter, suggesting that consumer preferences are shifting away from higher cost rentals that thrived during the pandemic and back to urban and the cross-border destinations. The San Francisco-based home-sharing platform said it expects the pace of nights and experiences booked will “moderate slightly†in ...
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