Headlines

The Irish High Court has granted a temporary injunction restraining a landowner from interfering with efforts by the official in charge of his bankruptcy from selling the properties, the Irish Times reported. The injunction was obtained against John Gaynor from Ballinlug, Rathconrath, Mullingar, Co Westmeath following an application by the Official Assignee (OA) Mr Michael Ian Larkin, who is the official in charge of Mr Gaynor’s bankruptcy.
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The yield on U.K. 10-year notes rose past 1% for the first time since March 2020, while the pound plummeted, as U.K. assets confronted a mix of accelerating inflation expectations accompanied by curtailed growth from an expected tightening cycle, Bloomberg News reported. The rate on benchmark gilts rose as much as 11 basis points to 1.06% on Tuesday, the highest level since the market turmoil in March 2020. They haven’t closed above 1% since May 2019. The move comes after some U.S. Treasury yields hit similar pandemic-era milestones.
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More than a million British workers face an uncertain future this week as the UK becomes the world's first big economy to wind up its COVID-19 jobs support scheme, Reuters reported. The programme, which at its peak paid a third of employees to stay at home, cost more than 68 billion pounds ($93 billion) - the most expensive single piece of UK economic support during the pandemic. It also marked a sharp shift in policy in Britain where unemployment benefits are low by European standards. "I think it's been an absolute lifesaver ...
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Zambia may owe Chinese creditors almost double the amount the government has previously disclosed, complicating restructuring negotiations, a study found, Bloomberg News reported. The Johns Hopkins’ China Africa Research Initiative estimates the nation’s total liabilities to Chinese lenders at $6.6 billion and spread across at least 18 creditors, according to a report published on Tuesday. That compares with an official figure of $3.4 billion.
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German financial regulator BaFin ordered online bank N26 to pay 4.25 million euros ($4.98 million) for delayed reports of suspicious activity in 2019 and 2020 in the area of anti-money laundering, Reuters reported. N26 said that the fine was paid in full on July 14, adding all related proceedings have been closed. The bank said the case related to fewer than 50 activity reports, adding that BaFin would make the fine public shortly.

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German industrial inspector TÜV Süd was on Tuesday accused of evading its responsibilities over its alleged role in the 2019 deadly collapse of a dam in Brazil, as Brazilian claimants kicked off the first civil lawsuit in Germany over the disaster, Reuters reported. The municipality of Brumadinho and the family of an engineer killed in the accident allege the company negligently certified the Brumadinho dam in southeastern Brazil, although it did not meet international safety standards.
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Personal and corporate bankruptcies in South Korea increased by more than 10 percent last year, data showed Monday, reflecting the economic impact of COVID-19 on both businesses and households, the Korea Herald reported. According to the report released by the National Court Administration, the number of personal bankruptcies filed in 2020 rose by 10.4 percent from the previous year, from 45,654 cases to 50,379 cases. Last year’s tally was the biggest figure since 2015.

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Malaysia saw 1,246 companies forced to wind down while 10,317 individuals filed for bankruptcy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to July 2021, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob said, The Edge Markets reported. Of the forced winding-down incidents, some 497 cases or 39.89% were companies registered in the federal territories, followed by Selangor with 273 cases or 21.91%.

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A leading economist has warned of a “tsunami effect of corporate bankruptcies” when the Irish government rows back on COVID-19 support for businesses, the Independent.ie reported. Chief Economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs Dan O’Brien said pandemic supports have created a situation where bankruptcies have dropped while the economy suffered, but added that this is not sustainable.

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Boeing’s 737 MAX jetliner is set to fly again in India after two-and-a-half years, with SpiceJet NSE 1.51% planning to resume operations of the aircraft from October 5, The Economic Times reported. The no-frills airline’s pilots are currently being retrained on these planes, which were banned for flying by several countries, including India, in 2019 following two crashes blamed on computer glitches. Regulators have now started allowing resumption of operations with the narrow-body aircraft.

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