Tag Archives: Spanish

Brazil

UPDATE 1-Telefonica is in exclusive talks with investors for the Brazilian fiber unit | Instant News


(Write with COO comments)

MADRID, February 25 (Reuters) – Telefonica is in exclusive talks with financial investors about setting up a joint fiber optic venture in Brazil, Chief Operating Officer Angel Vila said Thursday.

The Spanish telecommunications group plans to expand high-speed fiber-optic coverage to more cities in Brazil, following a similar project launched in Germany in partnership with insurance company Allianz.

“Brazil is the size of a continent. Our capital expenditure (capex) will not reach everything, “Vila told Reuters.

After speaking with many potential partners, the company has held exclusive talks with “international operators with a financial and infrastructure profile”, said Vila, declining to name investors.

Talks have progressed, he added, but “in this situation you can never say 100% that you will sign.”

Previously Vila told analysts that the second phase of development could be done through agreements with fiber owners such as the American Tower.

Telefonica is already using the infrastructure of larger US companies in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Vila said they “may be interested in consolidating” the agreement.

Vila said she could not confirm a Bloomberg News report that exclusive talks were held with Canadian pension fund Caisse de depot el placement du Quebec (CDPQ), due to a confidentiality agreement.

“CDPQ is a top class long-term global investor, that would be very attractive,” he added.

American Tower did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CDPQ could not be reached immediately.

Telefonica plans to hold half of the business through Telefonica and its local branch Telefonica Brasil.

Vila told analysts by conference call that it could expand the unit later through acquisitions.

Telefonica cut its dividend after reporting a 10% drop in previous 2020 earnings on Thursday, although it expects business to stabilize this year. (Reporting by Isla Binnie, Eid by Inti Landauro, Kirsten Donovan)

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Germany

German Bund yields hit new 8-month highs as reflex trading hit | Instant News


* Eurozone suburban government bond yields tmsnrt.rs/2ii2Bqr

LONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters) – Germany’s benchmark 10-year bond yields climbed to a fresh eight-month high on Monday, as bets on stronger economic growth and inflation in the coming months continue to put pressure on borrowing costs in the region. euro. .

So-called reflex trading was once again led by long-dated US Treasury yields, which on Monday climbed to their highest in about a year.

That set the tone for trading in the European bond market, with the yield on German 10-year Bund rising to -0.28%, a fresh eight-month high. That was up nearly 12 basis points last week, the biggest weekly jump since June.

The sell-off has sharpened Germany’s yield curve, with the gap between 2- and 10-year bond yields widest in nearly a year, at around 39 bps.

“In our view, this is not a buy-on-dip environment in interest rates, and sharp cuts have yet to be carried out,” said analysts at Mizuho in a note.

Perhaps a more worrying sign for policymakers, real or inflation-adjusted bond yields have also risen sharply in the past week. Germany’s 10-year inflation-related yield on Monday rose to -1.28%, the highest since last October.

Analysts at UniCredit say the rise in real yields has gone too far.

“Even general optimism about the global growth prospects will not be enough to justify the current 10-year Bund real rate of return,” they said in a note.

Focus now turns to central bank officials and their thinking about soaring borrowing costs, which could threaten an economy that is slipping into recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde is expected to speak on Monday evening, while US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers semiannual testimony before Congress on Tuesday.

Most 10-year bond yields in the euro area rose by 2-3 basis points on the day. The yield on Italian 10-year bonds rose 2.5 bps to 0.64%, 22 bps above the record low reached earlier this month.

Europe will decide whether to extend its suspension of rules limiting its budget deficits and debt, known as the Stability and Growth Pact, in the coming weeks, meanwhile Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Monday.

Reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe Editing by Gareth Jones

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Switzerland

Croatia has shown interest in F-35 jets, Lockheed executives said | Instant News


WASHINGTON, February 19 (Reuters) – Lockheed Martin Co., the United States’ biggest arms maker, has raised interest from Croatia regarding the purchase of stealth F-35 jets, a Lockheed executive said on Friday.

Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of Lockheed’s Aeronautics unit, told reporters “they have shown interest” in buying the jets, which make up a large share of Lockheed’s revenue.

Croatia is evaluating US, French and Swedish bids for fighter jets as it looks set to modernize its air force, which now flies Russian-made MiG-21 jets dating from the past in former Yugoslavia.

Croatia wanted to buy 12 second-hand F-16 fighter jets from Israel, but failed after Israel said it here in 2019 could not get approval from the United States for the sale.

Other international customers for the fifth-generation F-35 include Canada, Finland and Switzerland, who are running competitions for future jet purchases. Additional customer prospects for the Lockheed F-35 include Greece, Spain, Eastern Europe and Middle Eastern countries, Ulmer said in a media conference call.

Lockheed has also seen international interest for as many as 300 fourth-generation F-16 fighters on top of its current production stockpile of 128 jets, Ulmer said. (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington, DC; Editing by Dan Grebler)

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Australia

FACTBOX-EU is unlikely to face a Facebook news ban after Australia | Instant News


BRUSSELS, February 19 (Reuters) – Facebook has blocked people in Australia from accessing and sharing news content in a dispute with the government requiring it to share news revenue.

Jurisdictions around the world have enacted rules requiring Google, Facebook and others to share revenue with publishers, including a 2019 directive from Brussels which EU countries will enact into law in June.

So, is the EU likely to face a Facebook news ban similar to the one imposed in Australia? Not. Here are a few reasons:

EU COPYRIGHT RULES

Approved in 2019 to help Europe’s creative industry earn a fair share of revenue, EU copyright rules require Google and other online platforms to sign licensing agreements with musicians, artists, writers, news publishers and journalists to use their work.

The rules do not force online platforms to pay for links posted by publishers to their news sites, Facebook’s main complaint with the Australian government.

In France, which is one of the first EU countries to implement the new rules, news publishers have reached an agreement with Google which, according to the European Commission, the EU executive, is a clear sign that copyright rules are effective in leveling the playing field. .

The so-called Media Bargaining Code is based on Australia’s competition law, which underlines a tougher approach than the EU.

FACEBOOK NEWS

Facebook sought to relieve pressure from news publishers last month by launching Facebook News in the UK and listing new partners Channel 4 News, Daily Mail Group, DC Thomson, Financial Times, Sky News and Telegraph Media Group above other news outlets.

Now they are looking for French and German media companies before launching services in the two countries.

EUROPEAN MEDIA GROUP

European media groups, part of the driving force behind EU copyright rules, do not have the same influence and geographic scope as News Corp, which struck a global deal with Google on Wednesday.

Large companies such as Germany’s Bertelsmann and French group Vivendi dominate their national markets due to language and cultural differences across the block. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, editing by Timothy Heritage)

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Germany

The German hotel chain said it would oblige tourists to be vaccinated | Instant News


BERLIN, February 19 (Reuters) – Future German hotel chain Allsun will ask guests to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Alltours owners said on Friday, trying to revive the business of tourists worried about the risk of catching the virus.

The new policy for 35 Allsun hotels – located on the Spanish island of Mallorca, in the Canary Islands and in Greece – is likely to take effect from October 31, depending on the progress of Germany’s vaccination campaign, Alltours said in a statement on Friday.

That makes it one of the few holiday companies to say it will introduce such a requirement, as governments and tour operators grapple with how and when travel can return to normal, as the number of coronavirus cases falls and vaccination rates rise.

“We want to offer all our guests the best possible security so they can enjoy their vacation,” said Alltours owner Willi Verhuven.

Until enough people are vaccinated by the end of the year, the Allsun hotel will require a negative PCR or an antigen test that is no longer than 48 hours.

UK-based holiday and insurance expert Saga last month said its customers are required to get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus before boarding its cruise ships.

Germany-based TUI said in December that it had no plans to turn down customers who did not yet have a COVID-19 vaccine. (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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