US marks 500,000 covid-19 deaths
More than half a million people in the US have died during the coronavirus pandemic. Joe Biden, the US president, led a moment of silence and candle-lighting ceremony to honour them at the White House on Monday evening. Biden said it a “truly grim, heartbreaking milestone” and called on Americans to continue observing public health measures and “get vaccinated when it’s your turn.” Sources: BBC, The Guardian, NPR, Marketwatch and Washington Post.
More than 100m infections worldwide
Globally there have been 111m covid-19 cases, including 2.4m deaths. Sources: Financial Times, Johns Hopkins University and NPR.
Johnson plans to end England lockdown by mid-June
The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, outlined a four-stage plan to ease covid-19 restrictions in England. All limits would be lifted by 21 June, if criteria such as new case numbers hold. Sources: BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times and The Guardian.
Latest Luxembourg covid-19 update
There were 5.43 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants on 21 February (compared to 6.23 on 14 February). The reproduction rate was 1.05, above the target threshold of 1.00 (compared to 1.00). There were 79 covid-19 patients in hospital (compared to 73), including 16 in intensive care (compared to 13). Three people died due to the virus, bringing the national total to 628. A cumulative total of 30,985 vaccination doses have been administered, including 7,726 people who have received two doses. Sources: Delano and health ministry.
Rotarex adds medical line
Crown Prince Guillaume and Franz Fayot, the economy minister (LSAP), inaugurated a new production line at the Rotarex site in Lintgen, which will manufacture medical equipment used to deliver oxygen to patients in respiratory distress. Sources: Economy ministry and Franz Fayot on Twitter.
Luxembourg unemployment stable
The number of jobseekers in the grand duchy was 6.4%, the same rate recorded in January. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.
Lucid Motors goes public
The electric vehicle maker Lucid Motors went public (through a merger with a so-called blank cheque company), giving the Tesla rival roughly $4.4bn in cash and valuing Lucid at $24bn. Sources: Bloomberg, Financial Times, Reuters and Seeking Alpha.
Wework settlement could clear path to IPO
Adam Neumann, co-founder of the office sharing startup Wework, is reportedly close to reaching a $500m settlement with Softbank, one of the firm’s main investors who pushed Neumann out as CEO. Sources: CNBC, Marketwatch, Reuters and Wall Street Journal.
Jay-Z sells champagne stake to LVMH
The French luxury goods group LVMH purchased half of musician Jay-Z’s champagne brand, Armand de Brignac, for an undisclosed sum. Sources: CNBC, CNN, Decanter and Financial Times.
Hundreds of EU finance outfits seeking UK license
About 1,000 EU financial firms are planning to open a UK office for the first time, including 100 banks and 400 insurers, according to the advisory firm Bovill. A further 500 EU companies requested authorisation to continue operating in the UK post-Brexit. Sources: BBC, Bloomberg, CityAM and Yahoo Finance UK.
EU to introduce new Russia sanctions
EU foreign ministers agreed to impose fresh sanctions on Russian officials over the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Sources: AFP, Financial Times, The Guardian and Politico.
Italian ambassador killed in Congo
Luca Attanasio, Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, was killed after being injured in an attack on a UN food aid convoy. Sources: AFP, BBC, NPR and The Guardian.
Trump loses tax subpoena appeal
The US Supreme Court ruled against Donald Trump, who wanted to block New York City prosecutors from obtaining his tax records as part of a fraud investigation. Trump called the inquiry a “fishing expedition”. Sources: CNBC, The Guardian, NPR and Reuters.
Nasa releases Mars footage
The US space agency Nasa published video of its Perseverance rover landing on Mars and audio recorded on the planet (with the sound of wind audible). Sources: AFP, BBC, CNN and The Guardian.
Agenda
Wednesday 24 February, 11am: British Chamber of Commerce and Deloitte webinar on UK VAT and customs changes. Wednesday 24 February, 4:30pm: LPEA live interview with Jérôme Wittamer of Expon Capital. Wednesday 24 February, 7pm: The Network and Men for Inclusion panel on “business leaders who have tried to shift cultures in their organisations”. Thursday 25 February, 11:30am: House of Startups webinar on filing a personal tax return in Luxembourg. Thursday 25 February, 6:30pm: Paperjam Club’s “Women who lead” online conference.
‘One more time’ group no more
The helmet-wearing French electronic music duo Daft Punk have split up after 28 years, without providing an explanation. Sources: BBC, The Guardian, Pitchfork and Variety.
Travel: Will they serve fava beans and chianti?
The house (near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) that served as the home of serial killer Buffalo Bill in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs is being converted into a bed & breakfast where guests are called “victims”. Sources: CBS Pittsburgh and TMZ.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald