Brent for April settlement climbed 1.2 percent to above $66 per barrel on the ICE Futures Europe exchange after dropping more than two percent over the previous two sessions. West Texas Intermediate for April delivery gained 1.18 percent to above $62 per barrel. “The positive momentum continues in the oil …
Read More »‘Where were you a month ago?’ With Trump gone, Amazon greets Biden with offer to help speed distribution of Covid-19 vaccines
“Amazon stands ready to assist you in reaching your goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of your administration..,” Dave Clark, CEO of Amazon’s consumer unit, said Wednesday in a letter to Biden. Trump and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos have feuded since at least 2015, and …
Read More »Alibaba’s Jack Ma issues video message, ending nearly 3-month ‘disappearance’ after a run-in with Chinese regulators
The high-profile entrepreneur delivered a virtual address during the Jack Ma Rural Teachers Award ceremony on Wednesday morning. China’s entrepreneurs must help to promote “rural revitalization and common prosperity,” Ma told the group of educators, adding: “We’ll meet again when the [Covid-19] epidemic is over.” The state-run Global Times published …
Read More »Samsung chief receives reduced 30-month jail term over corruption scandal
The verdict was announced by the Seoul High Court on Monday, after the corruption case against Lee was sent by the country’s Supreme Court for re-trial. The Samsung boss was found guilty of concealment of criminal proceeds, bribery, and embezzlement worth around $7.8 million, and was given a 30-month jail …
Read More »Oil rises to multi-month highs as OPEC+ likely to follow current production policy
Brent crude futures for the March delivery were at $52.94 per barrel, up 2.2 percent at 07:45 GMT, while the February West Texas Intermediate contract advanced 1.1 percent to $49.43 per barrel. Crude markets are braced for the next moves by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and …
Read More »Russian health watchdog chief calls for two month Covid-19 vaccine booze ban, but top doctor says champagne is fine
On Tuesday, the head of Russia’s health protection agency, Anna Popova, said that “at least two weeks before immunization, it is absolutely necessary to stop drinking [alcohol].” After the first injection, people should abstain for six whole weeks, she added. This is apparently to ensure the proper functioning of the …
Read More »Construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to restart next month
“We are planning to resume pipe-laying work using an anchor-positioned vessel in Germany’s exclusive economic zone this year,” the operator of the project confirmed to Russian media. The company did not reveal the name of the ship it will use, but promised to announce it later. Two Russian-flagged ships – …
Read More »Gov. Newsom imposes month-long curfew for most part of California amid criticism of flouting Covid-19 rules himself
“Non-essential work and gatherings must stop from 10pm-5am in counties in the purple tier. This will take effect at 10pm on Saturday and remain for 1 month,” Newsom tweeted on Thursday. “Together – we can flatten the curve again,” he added. Forty-one California counties, home to about 94 percent of …
Read More »Black History Month reflects Britain’s confusion about itself… it should be called White Supremacy Month instead
With Black History Month now under way in the UK – an institution imported wholesale from the USA – this country’s sad, low-stakes racial politics are more sharply in focus than usual. So far the national soul-searching about its colonial history and the lasting impact of African slavery has included …
Read More »Boeing’s troubled 737 MAX could return to service next month – Ryanair
The announcement comes as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a draft report on Tuesday on revised training procedures for the 737 MAX. “The first of those (orders) we would hope to arrive in very early 2021,” chief executive of Ryanair’s main airlines business Eddie Wilson told Ireland’s Newstalk radio …
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