InterContinental Hotels Group, owner of the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands, warned that the difficulties of the “most challenging year” in its history stretched to 2021 as new strains of coronavirus force countries to close borders and limit travel. Keith Barr, chief executive, said the recovery was “entirely related to vaccines”.
A senior Mexican lawmaker launched the idea of making the mega-rich pay a one-time contribution from Covid-19 as “an act of social justice and solidarity” that could raise nearly $ 5 billion. Only those with fortunes of more than $ 1m he would have to pay, Alfonso Ramírez Cuéllar, deputy of the governing party Morena and his former chief, said in a statement.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s prime minister, established a framework on Tuesday to ease restrictions on the coronavirus that was markedly more cautious than the UK government’s route map to England. The plan makes it clear that there is unlikely to be any relaxation of restrictions in the retail sector before the second week of April.
Rafael Ojeda, Minister of the Navy of Mexico, hired Covid-19 for the second time, four months after his first infection. He announced the news on Twitter, saying he would withdraw and continue working. Reinfection has been shown to be relatively rare worldwide. Mexico confirmed 2.04 million cases of coronavirus and 180,536 related deaths.
Sports Direct shoppers walk through Buchanan Street in Glasgow © Getty Images
The Frasers Group warned investors during a potential injury burden more than £ 100 million as blocking restrictions on main streets drag on. The group behind Sports Direct and Evans Cycles, as well as department stores of the same name, said it would have a “material” non-monetary accounting impact on the value of properties and other assets.
Home Depot sold an additional $ 22 billion worth of goods last year, while Americans who lived at home en masse bought garden furniture, lawn mowers and living room decorations. The Atlanta-based company, which has more than 2,200 stores in North America, produced $ 132.1 billion in revenue in 2020, the most in its history.
Macau gaming stocks gained a day after the former Portuguese colony lifted all quarantine restrictions for Chinese visitors from the mainland. Galaxy Entertainment’s shares closed up 8.9%, while SJM Holdings rose 7.9%. Sands China gained 7.5 percent, Melco International rose 6.3 percent, while MGM China and Wynn Macau rose 5 percent.
The economic airline easyJet reported a increase in reserves as the United Kingdom revealed a “roadmap” outside the blockade that included restarting international travel later this year. UK flight bookings have more than quadrupled week after week, the operator said, while its vacation package unit experienced a jump of more than seven times in bookings.