Global coronavirus death toll tops 500,000 June 29, 2020 The death toll from coronavirus surpassed half a million people on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, a grim milestone for the global pandemic that seems to be resurgent in some countries even as other regions are still grappling with the first wave. The respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus has been particularly dangerous [...]
US second wave: America sets one-day record for coronavirus cases, Texas pauses reopening June 26, 2020 The US set a new record for a one-day increase in cases yesterday as fears of a second wave caused states to step back from reopening. The governor of Texas temporarily halted the state’s reopening yesterday as coronavirus infections and hospitalisations surged in the latest sign yet of a US second wave. Texas, which has [...]
Asian stocks pass four-month high despite rising coronavirus cases June 24, 2020 Asian stocks cleared a four-month high overnight as investors remained stubbornly upbeat on the outlook for a re-opening of the global economy even as cases of the coronavirus looked to be accelerating to new peaks. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan added 0.5 per cent to reach its highest since pandemic lockdowns first [...]
Trump adviser walks back comments saying US-China trade deal is ‘over’ June 23, 2020 White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Monday the US trade deal with China “continues in place”, walking back on his earlier remarks that the pact was ‘over’, stoking volatility in markets already frazzled by the coronavirus pandemic. Navarro said his comments were taken “wildly out of context”, while US President Donald Trump confirmed [...]
Wirecard: Missing $2.1 bn likely does not exist June 22, 2020 Wirecard AG said on Monday that there was a likelihood that the missing amount of €1.9bn euros ($2.13bn or £1.72bn) from its accounts simply did not exist. The scandal-hit German payments firm said it was also withdrawing its full-year 2019 and first quarter 2020 financial results. “The Management Board of Wirecard assesses on the basis [...]
UK coronavirus death toll rises by 173 to 42,461 June 19, 2020 The death toll from confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK rose by 173 to 42,461, health officials said on Friday. reproduction number for England fell to 0.7-0.9, bringing it into line with the rest of the UK, the government said on Friday, as it also published details of how quickly the disease was shrinking [...]
Trump asked for China’s help to win 2020 election, says ex-adviser Bolton June 18, 2020 In a withering behind-the-scenes portrayal, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton accused him of sweeping misdeeds that included explicitly seeking Chinese President Xi Jinping’s help to win re-election in 2020. Bolton, a longtime foreign policy hawk who Trump fired in September over policy differences, also said that the US president had expressed [...]
‘Best news so far’: Matt Hancock hails steroid drug that can combat coronavirus June 17, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock today hailed the use of a steroid drug called dexamethasone for treating coronavirus patients as the best news so far of the outbreak. Trial results announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, which is used to reduce inflammation in other diseases such as arthritis, reduced death rates by around a third among the [...]
Asian stocks, oil prices fall as second wave fears grow June 15, 2020 Asian stocks stumbled on Monday and oil prices slipped as fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections in Beijing sent investors scurrying for safe-havens. Meanwhile, underwhelming data from China further weighed on investor sentiment. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.3 per cent with Australian shares off 0.1% and South [...]
‘Shameful’: Boris Johnson condemns threats to Churchill statue June 12, 2020 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday it was “absurd and shameful” that a statue of Winston Churchill was at risk of attack by protesters. In his strongest statement yet on a growing trend to challenge the legacies of past leaders, the PM pushed back against a wave of protests against statues of historic [...]
