TIGERY, France: French companies must confront new procedures that have caused delays and additional costs for doing business with post-Brexit Britain, sparking concerns about an uncertain future.

KUWAIT: Kuwait listed 580 new COVID-19 cases and no virus-related deaths yesterday. The figures took the caseload to 162,862, while deaths remained at 957, the health ministry said. 

LONDON: Britain’s unemployment rate hit 5.0 percent at the end of 2020, the highest level for more than four-and-a-half years, as coronavirus lockdowns destroyed jobs, official data showed yesterday. 

WASHINGTON: Amazon announced plans yesterday to expand its technology hub in the Boston area, creating some 3,000 jobs in the next few years. The Boston hub will add teams working on the Alexa digital assistant, robotics, Amazon Pharmacy and the giant’s web services unit.

WASHINGTON: The global economy is expected to see a strong rebound this year but the coronavirus crisis is causing severe damage, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said yesterday. “Now at $22 trillion, the projected cumulative output loss over 2020 to 2025, relative to the pre-pandemic projected levels remains substantial,” Gopinath told reporters. 

WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Monday voted by a wide margin to confirm Janet Yellen as the first woman to lead the Treasury Department, giving her a key role in Congress negotiations over a huge Covid-19 economic relief package. 

KUWAIT: Kuwait listed 505 new coronavirus infections and three virus-related deaths yesterday, to raise the total to 162,282 and 957 respectively, the health ministry said. 

LONDON: UK department store chain Debenhams is to shut all its outlets, administrators for the collapsed group said yesterday, with the loss of around 12,000 jobs. Debenhams, which has long struggled with fierce online competition, will see its brand live on however after British online fashion group Boohoo bought the group’s intellectual property assets.

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping warned global leaders at an all-virtual Davos forum yesterday against starting a “new Cold War”, and urged global unity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.