Новости за 08.01.2021

The recovery in global air passenger demand during last year came to a halt in November, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) reported on Thursday. The recovery had already been slowing since the end of the northern hemisphere summer travel period. Total passenger demand in November 2020 was 70.3% down on that in November 2019. This was almost exactly the same year-on-year decline recorded in October, which came to 70.6%.  In terms of international passenger demand, the year-on-year... Читать дальше...

South African electricity company Eskom said on Friday it was suspending rolling power cuts implemented this week as demand had dropped ahead of the weekend. Eskom, which supplies about 95 percent of the country’s electricity mainly through coal, however urged consumers to continue using the resource sparingly as the system remained vulnerable and unstable.

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine appeared to work against a key mutation in the highly transmissible new variants of the coronavirus discovered in the United Kingdom and South Africa, according to a laboratory study conducted by the US drugmaker. The study, yet to be peer-reviewed by Pfizer researchers and scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch, indicated the vaccine was effective in neutralising virus with the so-called N501Y mutation of the spike protein.

The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) declined to 50.3 index points in December, from 52.6 points in November. The reading just above 50 index points suggests that growth is levelling off in the manufacturing sector after solid month-on-month gains were recorded in the wake of April’s lockdown-induced plunge in activity.

After more than 300 days and 2 000 hours of testimony, one of the clearest takeaways from the ongoing state capture inquiry is a repeated failure to report corruption. But according to lawyer Nick Alp of Webber Wentzel, South Africa's laws are clear and strict. Not reporting knowledge of, or even a reasonable suspicion of corruption is itself a crime for which "heavy sanctions and penalties are provided".

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) reported on Thursday that air cargo volumes increased in November last year in comparison to October. However, they were still down on the figures for November 2019. The continued parking of many passenger aircraft meant that global air cargo capacity remained constrained because of lack of airliner belly-hold volume. “Air cargo demand [in November] is still down 6.6% compared to the previous year, however we are seeing continuing month-on-month... Читать дальше...

An “extraordinary year” that has brought “unprecedented challenges” to South Africa’s economy has seen new-vehicle sales decline by 29.1%, says the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa). This follows a 2.8% drop in sales in 2019.

Another year of record-high heat punctuated a decade-long increase in global temperatures that has placed the Earth’s economies dangerously close to climate tipping points. Those are the conclusions published Friday by European Union scientists. Despite pandemic-induced lockdowns of the global economy in 2020, greenhouse gas emissions continued to accumulate in the atmosphere, propelling the world closer to crossing the 1.5 °C warming threshold that climate models predict will lead to more frequent superstorms and higher sea levels.

Industry organisation Agri SA has expressed concern about the status of the Land Bank’s financial sustainability, following a damning report published by the Auditor-General (AG) of South Africa Tsakani Maluleke. “Whoever was responsible for the financial loss of R2.8-billion must be held accountable. This and other challenges had compelled the AG to express serious doubt as to the bank’s ability to continue operating as a going concern,” the organisation states.

The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) is urging all businesses to prioritise the health and safety of their employees and to take all necessary steps to ensure they are not exposed to the Covid-19 virus. “It is crucial that industries, businesses and entities, both private and in the public sector, take all the necessary care to ensure the safety of workers, their families and the clients/suppliers.

South Africa's two biggest pharmacy chains Clicks Group and Dis-Chem Pharmacies said they plan to offer Covid-19 shots at their stores and provide storage and distribution facilities in the vaccine rollout programme once the government provides more details. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Sunday called on the private sector, including pharmacies, to help with the rollout but the government is yet to outline how exactly they will help.

The United Kingdom will extend a ban on travellers entering England to southern African countries in a measure to prevent the spread of a new Covid-19 variant identified in South Africa. The restriction will take effect on Saturday and remain in place for two weeks, the government said in a statement.

Italy's biggest utility Enel has signed a deal with the Qatar Investment Authority to develop renewable energy projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, the two groups said. Under the deal, the Qatar sovereign wealth fund will, as a first step, buy half of Enel's stake in 800 MW of its existing renewable capacity in South Africa and Zambia.

Two Chinese companies have won the contract to build a 3.0617-trillion shillings ($1.32-billion) modern rail line in Tanzania, the East African nation's foreign minister said, extending more than a decade of Chinese involvement in the country. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway Construction Limited will build the 341 km link to connect the Lake Victoria port city of Mwanza in the north to the town of Isaka, on the way to the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam.

Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) says the earlier-than-planned restart of its second blast furnace at the Vanderbijlpark Works will position the company to “quickly resolve” the current shortage of steel, which has been negatively affecting downstream fabricators and manufacturers for several months. The JSE-listed company restarted Blast Furnace C on December 20 to help address the supply backlog, having originally planned to restart the facility in January this year.

About three telecommunications towers belonging to Vodacom and MTN were burnt this week following a resurgence in conspiracy theories which link the emergence of Covid-19 to 5G technology, South Africa's communication minister said on Thursday. The towers were burnt and destroyed between Tuesday and Wednesday this week in KwaZulu-Natal province, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said in a statement and also urged police to arrest those responsible "for this anarchy".

Boeing reached a $2.5-billion agreement to settle a criminal charge that it defrauded the US government by concealing information about the 737 Max, the ill-fated jet model involved in two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. The planemaker entered into a deferred prosecution agreement Thursday in the Northern District of Texas. In turn, the Justice Department will dismiss the charge against Boeing after three years if the company cooperates with the government, including by making current and former... Читать дальше...

Five years ago on New Year’s Eve, the Theo T left the Texas Gulf Coast with the first US shale crude shipment overseas. The oil, gathered from nearby ConocoPhillips wells and sold to trading giant Vitol Group, set sail for Italy just two weeks after lawmakers lifted a long-standing ban on exports.It was the start of a trade that would reshape global oil markets, shift geopolitical power and upend entire economies. The shale boom itself has turned the US into the world's largest oil producer and ...