finance
EntertainmentReutersBox Office: 'The Marksman' captures top spot with $2 million, bleak times for movie theaters
Pray for movie theaters. That performance allows the movie to retain its box office crown, but that kind of distinction isn't worth what it was in pre-pandemic times, particularly with movie theaters closed indefinitely in major markets like New York City and Los Angeles.
NewsReutersIsrael bans international flights to curb coronavirus spread
Israel will ban passenger flights in and out of the country from Monday evening for a week as it seeks to stop the spread of new coronavirus variants. "Other than rare exceptions, we are closing the sky hermetically to prevent the entry of the virus variants and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in public remarks at the start of a cabinet meeting. The ban will come into force from Monday at 2200 GMT and last until the end of January, a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
NewsReutersItaly to take legal action on COVID vaccine delays to get doses
Italy will take legal action and step up pressure in Brussels against Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca over delays in deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines with a view to securing agreed supplies, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Sunday. The aim was to get the companies to meet the vaccine volumes they had promised and not to seek compensation, Di Maio said on RAI state television. "This is a European contract that Pfizer and AstraZeneca are not respecting and so for this reason we will take legal action... We are working so our vaccine plan programme does not change," he said.
PoliticsReutersTrump administration had no coronavirus vaccine distribution plan - White House
There was no distribution plan for the coronavirus vaccine set up by the Trump administration as the virus raged in its last months in office, new President Joe Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, said on Sunday. "The process to distribute the vaccine, particularly outside of nursing homes and hospitals out into the community as a whole, did not really exist when we came into the White House," Klain said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Biden, a Democrat who took over from Republican President Donald Trump on Wednesday, has promised a fierce fight against the pandemic that killed 400,000 people in the United States under Trump’s watch.
NewsReutersCanada's Trans Mountain pipeline sees fortunes shine after KXL's demise
The expansion of Canada's government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline assumes greater importance for the oil sector after the cancellation of rival Keystone XL reduced future options to carry crude, potential buyers say. Trans Mountain Corp, a government corporation, is spending C$12.6 billion ($9.9 billion) to nearly triple capacity to 890,000 barrels per day (bpd), a 14% increase from current total Canadian capacity. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government bought the 68-year-old pipeline in 2018 when previous owner Kinder Morgan faced legal hurdles to expand the 1,150-kilometre (715-mile) line running from Alberta to the British Columbia coast.
BusinessReutersTurkey to get a further 6.5 million Sinovac vaccines on Monday
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 6.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine made by China's Sinovac will arrive in Turkey on Monday, part of a second planned shipment, allowing the nationwide rollout to continue. Three million doses of the CoronaVac have already arrived and 10 million more doses were expected in total in Turkey's second consignment from Sinovac Biotech. "It will reach us in accordance with the procurement plan and the vaccine programme will continue without interruption," Koca said on Twitter on Sunday.
NewsReutersKuwait limits overseas airport arrivals after COVID variant detected
Kuwait on Sunday reduced the number of daily overseas airline passenger arrivals by 80% to 1,000 to manage the spread of a new coronavirus variant, a source told Reuters. Kuwaiti newspapers earlier reported the decision, citing unnamed sources. Kuwait's civil aviation authority could not be immediately reached for comment.
NewsReutersGermany urges Taiwan to help ease auto chip shortage
Germany has asked Taiwan to persuade Taiwanese manufacturers to help ease a shortage of semiconductor chips in the auto sector which is hampering its fledgling economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Automakers around the world are shutting assembly lines due to problems in the delivery of semiconductors, which in some cases have been exacerbated by the former Trump administration's actions against key Chinese chip factories. The shortage has affected Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE, Ford Motor Co F.N, Subaru Corp 7270.T, Toyota Motor Corp 7203.T, Nissan Motor Co Ltd 7201.T, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and other car makers.
BusinessAFP NewsUS Fed holds first policy meeting of Biden administration
With a new year and a new administration in the White House, the US central bank nonetheless faces an unprecedented challenge in guiding the post-pandemic economic recovery.
BusinessAFP NewsLondon stock market facing blockbuster IPO year
London will enjoy a very strong year for stock market flotations, analysts say, arguing that both Brexit and coronavirus offer firms a unique opportunity to expand.
EntertainmentAFP NewsNetflix's 'Lupin' marks rise of international TV content
The success of the French crime series "Lupin" on Netflix, riding on the heels of hit Spanish show "Money Heist," may hint at a waning of US dominance on the small screen as ambitious European, Latin American and South Korean players kick down the doors on streaming platforms.
NewsReutersUK's Johnson says he looks forward to working with Biden on shared goals
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday he looked forward to working with U.S. President Joe Biden on their shared goals, including tackling climate change. Johnson used his first phone call with the U.S. president to welcome Biden's announcements that the United States would rejoin the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate and the World Health Organization, and they discussed the prospects of a free trade deal. "Great to speak to President Joe Biden this evening," Johnson said on Twitter.
NewsReutersItaly says delays in vaccine supplies unacceptable
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte lashed out at suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday, saying delays in deliveries amounted to a serious breach of contractual obligations. Italy will have to rethink its whole vaccination programme if supply problems persist, a senior health official warned on Saturday, after Rome was forced to cut its daily rollout of COVID-19 shots by more than two thirds. Pfizer Inc last week said it was temporarily slowing supplies to Europe to make manufacturing changes that would boost output.
HealthReutersFrench health body recommends delaying second COVID shot to six weeks after first
France's top health advisory body on Saturday recommended doubling the time between people being given the first and second COVID-19 vaccinations to six weeks from three in order to increase the number getting inoculated. The gap between the first and second injection in France is currently three weeks for people in retirement homes, who take priority, and four weeks for others such as health workers. The Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) said spacing out the two required vaccinations of the Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna vaccines would allow the treatment of at least 700,000 more people in the first month.
NewsReutersHong Kong locks down thousands for compulsory COVID-19 testing
Hong Kong's government locked down an area of Kowloon peninsula on Saturday after an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, saying 10,000 residents must stay home until they have been tested and the results largely determined. The government said there are 70 buildings in the restricted area, which is close to the International Commerce Centre (ICC), and it aims to finish the process within about 48 hours, so that people can start to return to work on Monday. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said 50 makeshift testing points had been set up and 3,000 civil servants were assisting.
BusinessReutersExclusive: AstraZeneca to supply 31 million COVID-19 shots to EU in first quarter, a 60% cut - EU source
AstraZeneca Plc has informed European Union officials on Friday it would cut deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine to the bloc by 60% to 31 million doses in the first quarter of the year due to production problems, a senior official told Reuters. The decrease deals another blow to Europe's COVID-19 vaccination drive after Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE slowed supplies of their vaccine to the bloc this week, saying the move was needed because of work to ramp up production. AstraZeneca was expected to deliver about 80 million doses to the 27 EU countries by the end of March, the official who was involved in the talks said.
NewsAFP NewsIran calls on Biden to 'unconditionally' lift US sanctions
Iran on Friday called on the new US administration to "unconditionally" lift sanctions imposed by Donald Trump on the Islamic republic to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal, warning against any concessions.
BusinessReutersAstraZeneca informs EU officials about vaccine delivery shortfall - Bild
AstraZeneca has informed the European Commission that it will initially not be able to deliver the agreed volumes of its COVID-19 vaccine when it obtains regulatory approval for the bloc, which is expected by end-January, German newspaper Bild reported on Friday, citing company sources. An AstraZeneca spokesman did not have an immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. Austrian news site OE24 also reported of the looming delivery delays, saying that Astra had told the EU's vaccination coordinators on Thursday that planned deliveries would be considerably below target during the first quarter.
BusinessReutersAmazon seeks to halt union election at Alabama warehouse
The company also requested a review of an earlier labor board decision to hold the election by mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a filing dated Jan. 21. Amazon's first U.S. union election since 2014 was scheduled https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-labor/amazon-union-election-to-start-in-february-u-s-labor-board-idUSKBN29K2BV to begin with the mailing of ballots in early February and a vote count starting March 30. The company alleged multiple gaps in labor board precedent, errors made by the acting regional director, and missed opportunities for mail-ballot improvements to back its motion.
NewsReutersTop Iran leader posts Trump-like image with drone, vows revenge
The website of Iran's Supreme Leader on Friday carried the image of a golfer resembling former President Donald Trump apparently being targeted by a drone alongside a threat of revenge over last year's killing of a top Iranian general in a U.S. drone attack. The image first appeared on a Persian-language Twitter feed that carried a link to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's website. Twitter took down that feed on Friday, saying it was fake.
PoliticsAFP NewsTrump impeachment trial to begin week of February 8: Schumer
Donald Trump's US Senate trial will begin in the second week of February, days after a fresh impeachment case against the former president is transmitted by the House, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday.
BusinessReutersUK body sets billion-pound budget for COVID financial firm collapses
Britain's scheme for compensating consumers hit by financial company failures has set itself a billion-pound ($1.37 billion) budget for the coming year to cope with a likely surge in collapses due to COVID-19. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme's (FSCS) budget of 1.04 billion pounds for the 2021/22 financial year that starts in April is its highest in six years. The FSCS also said it would add 78 million pounds to the current year's budget - a lower than expected increase - due to more firms failing, pushing the total for 2020/21 to 700 million pounds.
NewsReutersWalmart expands vaccinations in boost to U.S. COVID-19 program
Walmart Inc said it is preparing to offer COVID-19 vaccinations in seven more states, as well as in Chicago and Puerto Rico, this week and next, expanding beyond the two states where its pharmacists are offering inoculations. The move from the world's largest retailer comes as U.S. President Joe Biden races to accelerate a frustratingly slow vaccination campaign that has stranded about half of the nearly 40 million shots distributed in freezers rather than in arms. This week and next, Walmart will start providing inoculations in Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas as well as in Chicago and Puerto Rico, a company spokeswoman told Reuters late on Thursday.
NewsReutersChina says 10 workers trapped in gold mine are searching for others
The 10 known survivors trapped since a deadly Jan. 10 gold mine explosion in northern China have been using laser pointers and loudspeakers to try to find their missing colleagues, state media reported on Friday. The rescue operation, which has been able to get food and medicines to the miners, was expected to take at least another two weeks, authorities have said. White bottles of food and water sent down to the trapped workers had a note stuck on them saying, "We are all waiting for you, keep going!", photos shared by propaganda department officials with Reuters on Friday showed.
NewsReutersDistraught families of Sriwijaya Air victims visit Java Sea crash site
Relatives of those killed in the Sriwijaya Air plane crash on Jan. 9 wept and threw red and white petals into the ocean on Friday after an Indonesian navy vessel took them to the site in the Java Sea where their loved ones perished. "I recalled my brother's face as I threw the flowers," said Heri Purnomo, of his late brother Nurkholid Fatil Amin, a father of two. During the search and rescue operation in one of Indonesia's worst aviation disasters, divers retrieved wreckage from the plane and remains of the victims, which have been taken to a police hospital for DNA identification.
