Bloomberg The nuclear industry should tap into rising investor interest in hydrogen-fuel to revive the flagging prospects of reactor operators in an increasingly crowded marketplace for clean power. That was the message delivered by executives and scientists who convened at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Higher demand for hydrogen from industry and heavy transport could make production of the ...
Read More »Suncor staff-cut plan adds to Canada’s oil-sands woes
Bloomberg Suncor Energy, Canada’s biggest oil-sands producer, will trim 10% to 15% of its workforce in the next 18 months, joining a long list of energy companies in Alberta that have announced layoffs following a collapse in fuel demand due to the virus. Suncor had already been preparing for a smaller workforce but the planned cuts, which could affect as ...
Read More »Johnson’s Covid-19 case has echoes for Trump
When Boris Johnson announced on March 27 that he’d tested positive for Covid-19, Brits were in shock, much as Americans were when they heard President Donald Trump was infected. The UK prime minister was the first leader of a major country to be hospitalised with the virus, an event that was characterised as “routine†at first before the illness took ...
Read More »Does India head down right path?
In recent weeks, India’s government has shown unusual amounts of energy in pushing through long-awaited economic reforms. The last session of Parliament — cut short when several MPs tested positive for Covid-19 — was exceptionally productive. Two labour-law amendments were passed, as was a package of measures addressing the agricultural sector. However you look at it, these moves take India ...
Read More »Bed Bath & Beyond is on verge of a comeback
In many cases, the pandemic has served to entrench the previously existing winners and losers in the retail sector. Chains such as Macy’s Inc and Kohl’s Corp, already deeply challenged before the public health crisis, look no closer to a turnaround. Walmart Inc and Target Corp, meanwhile, have solidified their dominance with turbocharged sales. Against that backdrop, the latest quarterly ...
Read More »US ‘immigration’ ban is blocked. What’s next?
A federal judge in California has struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order barring many types of visa entrants into the US. As a reminder, Trump issued this order in June because of the supposed threat foreign workers pose to native-born employment during the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision flatly contradicts a different ruling last month by a different federal district ...
Read More »Walmart’s UK retreat leaves Asda with its ‘old problems’
Bloomberg Walmart Inc’s 1999 acquisition of Asda looked set to disrupt the UK supermarket business, with the US retailer using its deep pockets to shake up entrenched players like Tesco Plc and J Sainsbury Plc. The purchase never quite lived up to the hype. Asda struggled to defend its market share against bigger rivals and the German discounters Aldi and ...
Read More »Airbus COO expects at least 15,000 job cuts
Bloomberg Airbus SE is under pressure to carry out its job-cutting plan as the prospects for the aviation industry deteriorate, Chief Operating Officer Michael Schoellhorn said in an interview with Handelsblatt. The planemaker’s plan to eliminate 15,000 positions is “the minimum of what we have to do,†Schoellhorn said, adding that the company currently has no plans to expand the ...
Read More »Ethiopian Air limits South African offer to pilots, jets
Bloomberg Ethiopian Airlines Group is willing to provide planes, pilots and maintenance services to beleaguered rival South African Airways as part of a joint venture with that country’s government. Africa’s biggest airline is offering operational assistance, Ethiopian CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said in an interview in Addis Ababa. The carrier isn’t interested in helping with debt repayments or the cost of ...
Read More »Full refund for air tickets booked amid lockdown in India
Bloomberg India’s Supreme Court ordered local airlines to refund tickets booked for travel during a nationwide lockdown earlier this year, dealing a blow to an industry already strapped for cash. The court’s verdict also mandated airlines to issue credit vouchers even for tickets booked for travel outside the lockdown period, if the flights were later canceled due to virus-related restrictions. ...
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