Bloomberg Royal Dutch Shell has acquired full control of one of its gas station joint ventures in China as the oil major doubles down on the fuel retailing market in the world’s second-largest economy. Shell has agreed to buy the stake it didn’t already own in Chongqing Doyen Shell Petroleum & Chemical Co and completed the deal on October 19, ...
Read More »Last check on presidential power: We the people
After four years of President Donald Trump’s assault on the Constitution, it comes down to this. The courts have done what they could to limit the damage; the House impeached him; and the Senate let him get away with it. Now all that remains is the final check provided by the Constitution: a vote of the people. James Madison would ...
Read More »Will Christmas come early for Amazon
For many retailers, the final three months of the year are traditionally known as the Golden Quarter, when non-food shops make the bulk of their profits. The period this year will be far from sparkling — unless you are Amazon.com Inc. The online retailer is poised to be one of few winners from the UK government’s decision to impose a ...
Read More »Covid-19 lockdowns make us less creative
As Europe struggles with the second wave of the virus and faces a new round of lockdowns, governments and businesses must ask themselves whether people will cope with more restrictions as well as they have striven to do so far. For many white-collar workers, the pandemic has already made remote work the new normal. But for all of its advantages, ...
Read More »Early vaccine hopes have a math problem
Covid-19 vaccines may not arrive quite as soon as people hoped. An October surprise didn’t happen, there will be no vaccine by Election Day, and even Thanksgiving might be pushing it. Front-runner Pfizer Inc’s oft-repeated suggestion that it might have vaccine data by Halloween was wrong, and Anthony Fauci now suggests an immunisation might not be available on even a ...
Read More »Ryanair braces for deepening losses from new lockdowns
Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc said losses are set to worsen this winter as a new wave of coronavirus lockdowns frustrates attempts to bring back flights at Europe’s biggest discount carrier. The shortfall in the fiscal second half, which began on October 1, is set to exceed the 197 million-euro ($229 million) loss of the first six months, Ryanair said in ...
Read More »Unions seek changes to 737 Max training
Bloomberg Pilot unions and families of those killed in a crash of Boeing Co’s 737 Max are asking for revisions to proposed new training for the grounded jetliner. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed new training module and emergency checklists for the Max are “clunky at best†and should be streamlined, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said in comments filed ...
Read More »World’s best-performing airline stock is bankrupt Indian carrier
Bloomberg All airlines are feeling the coronavirus pinch but one that hasn’t flown since April 2019 after collapsing under a pile of debt is the world’s best performing — at least from a share price point of view. Stock in Mumbai-listed Jet Airways India Ltd has surged almost 150% this year versus a 42% plunge in the 27-member Bloomberg World ...
Read More »Spanish ‘ghost airport’ reinvents itself as park for idle jets
Bloomberg Spain’s Ciudad Real airport had become almost obsolete before the Covid-19 outbreak, operating mainly as a drop-off point for hunting enthusiasts keen to visit the region’s renowned country estates. The arrival of the coronavirus ended even that trickle of demand, tearing up the growth plans of the owner, CR International Airport SL. But rather than face the prospect of ...
Read More »Comair secures new debt as lenders back rescue
Bloomberg Comair Ltd, the South African partner of British Airways, said it secured financing from banks, paving the way for the resumption of flights in December. The lenders, which weren’t identified, will provide the airline with new debt facilities and defer interest payments on existing debt, according to a company statement. Comair has also reached an agreement with labor unions, ...
Read More »