Much of UK re-enters covid lockdown
The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, ordered England into its third shutdown, which will last until mid-February. Separately, the Scottish government issued stay-at-home orders, and the Northern Irish and Welsh governments said schools would remain closed. Johnson said the UK faced “tough” weeks ahead as the number of coronavirus-related hospitalisations has continued to rise. Sources: BBC, DW, Financial Times, The Guardian and Reuters.
Germany likely to extend restrictions
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and the heads of Germany’s 16 federal states are expected to prolong current covid-fighting rules when they meet later today. Sources: DW, The Local Germany and Reuters.
Luxembourg could loosen restrictions
Schools, childcare centres and some shops could reopen next week, according to 100,7 public radio. Cafés and restaurants will remain closed, the broadcaster said, citing unnamed sources. But Mars Di Bartolomeo, who chairs the parliamentary health committee (LSAP), told Paperjam that “the numbers are too high to lower our guard”. Current covid restrictions are set to expire on 10 January and parliament will vote on fresh measures this week. Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s prime minister (DP), and Paulette Lenert, the health minister (LSAP), will hold a press conference following a cabinet meeting this afternoon, which Delano will cover here.
Latest Luxembourg covid-19 figures
There were 10.54 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants on Sunday (compared to 12.94 on Saturday and 38.17 the previous Sunday). The reproduction number was 0.93 on Sunday, below the target threshold of 1.00 (compared to 0.43 the previous Sunday). There were 124 patients in hospital (compared to 125 on Saturday and 157 the previous Sunday), including 34 in intensive care (compared to 30 and 35). Two people died due to the virus on Sunday, bringing the national total to 508. Sources: Delano and health ministry.
UK nationals refused entry to EU countries
British citizens have been barred from boarding flights from the UK to Spain, and Brits have been turned away by border guards in Germany and the Netherlands. Officials say third country travel rules apply now that the Brexit transition period has ended and the trips were ‘non-essential’ or passengers lacked the proper documents. Sources: AP, France 24, The Guardian and Sky News.
Assange extradition request refused
A British judge blocked the extradition of Julien Assange to the US, where he faces charges of espionage, because of the risk he might commit suicide there. Lawyers for the Wikileaks founder said the prosecution was political. Sources: AP, BBC, CNBC and Sky News.
Qatar embargo to be lifted
Saudi Arabia will reportedly reopen its border and transport links with Qatar, ending a 3 year blockade. Sources: BBC, CNN, DW and The Guardian.
NYSE ends plan to delist Chinese firms
The New York Stock Exchange said it would not delist 3 Chinese telecom firms “in light of further consultation with relevant regulatory authorities.” The NYSE originally said it would bar the companies to comply with an order issued by Donald Trump. Sources: CNBC, Financial Times, Reuters and South China Morning Post.
Google staff start union
More than 220 employees at Alphabet, the company that owns Google and Youtube, have formed a trade union. Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, NPR and Techcrunch.
Pinduoduo worker death to be investigated
The Chinese e-commerce firm Pinduoduo is facing scrutiny over the death of a 22 year old employee who, like many Chinese tech employees, was working brutal hours. Sources: Bloomberg, Caixin, Financial Times and South China Morning Post.
BdL consolidates asset management units
Banque de Luxembourg has merged its two investment fund subsidiaries into a single unit. The combined BLI-Banque de Luxembourg Investments has roughly €17.9bn in assets under management and 60 employees. Sources: Citywire and Paperjam.
Natixis to exit London-based money manager
The French bank Natixis will sell its majority stake in H2O Asset Management to the fund firm’s management team, ending a rocky relationship. Sources: Bloomberg, Citywire and Financial Times.
Auto merger gets OK from shareholders
Shareholders in Fiat Chrysler and PSA, which owns Peugeot and Citroen, approved a merger which will create the world’s fourth biggest carmaker. Sources: AFP, BBC, Bloomberg and Marketwatch.
How to sharpen and shorten your CV
A career coach explained why you should “never put these 3 ‘outdated’ sections at the top of your resume” on CNBC.com.
Hanging cable problem
Men’s Health has the mathematics stumper that Amazon supposedly asks some prospective software engineers and developers during their job interview.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald