Headlines

The Southern District of New York has approved Colombian airliner Avianca's reorganization plan, Avianca said on Tuesday, which will allow the company to complete its chapter 11 bankruptcy process before the end of the year, Reuters reported. Avianca, along with rival Chile's LATAM Airlines, were the two largest carriers in the region before the coronavirus pandemic, but both were sent into bankruptcy restructuring when the virus upended air travel, amid especially strict restrictions in Latin America.

Azul’s chief executive doubled down on comments he made last week about a potential acquisition of LATAM Airlines Group, pending the outcome of the Chilean airline’s bankruptcy protection process, Flight Global reported. “The macroeconomic situation promotes consolidation in this space,” Azul’s John Rodgerson said during the Sao Paulo-based company’s third-quarter earnings call on 11 November.

The personal luxury market of high-end accessories, leather goods and apparel has snapped back to pre-pandemic levels as U.S. shoppers outspent those in China in pursuit of the latest fashion trends, according to a study released Thursday by the Bain consultancy, the Associated Press reported. Global consumer spending on personal luxury goods, including the latest sneaker trend or design collaboration, is forecast to spike by 29% this year, to 283 billion euros ($325 billion).

PricewaterhouseCoopers' Greek affiliate has agreed to pay $14.9 million to settle with Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. shareholders who accused the auditor of failing to catch a $300 million fraud, Reuters reported. If approved by a federal judge in Manhattan, the deal proposed on Tuesday would end a Utah pension fund's claims that the auditor recklessly disregarded red flags when it audited the fuel transport company's financial statements in 2016. PwC Greece did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement.

One of Malaysia's major mobile carriers has agreed to use the government's 5G network yet due to transparency and pricing issues, ahead of a rollout planned for next month, a state agency and industry executives said, Reuters reported. However, state-owned network wholesaler Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) told Reuters it still hoped to launch 5G services in three urban centres, as talks continue with mobile operators.

Credit Suisse’s legal charges started rising last year as it sought to clear civil cases in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported. Credit Suisse Group AG CS 0.40% is vowing to end reckless risk-taking at the bank. The cost of earlier misdeeds are likely to keep biting back for years, weighing on efforts to put the past behind it. The Swiss lender suffered twin disasters this year from the implosion of family office Archegos Capital Management and financing partner Greensill Capital’s bankruptcy.

When Khomeini made his triumphant return to Iran in 1979, the population of the country was 36 million, according to an op-ed in the Eurasia Review. In the 42 years that have followed, Iran’s population has grown to more than 85 million.