Bloomberg In late March, Arnold Mergell delivered an urgent message to Germany’s political elite. Standing in front of a row of blue metal barrels, he complained that the funds needed by small and mid-sized companies like his to survive the coronavirus crisis weren’t getting through fast enough. “The bazooka’s been loaded, but the trigger is stuck,” said Mergell, who runs ...

Bloomberg American deaths from the coronavirus passed Italy’s, affirming the US’s spot as the epicenter of the global pandemic. Deaths from the virus reached more than 19,880 in the US, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Italy had almost 19,500 fatalities. The US figure will rise throughout the day as more states report data. The heavy toll in ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from hospital after a week, including three days in intensive care as he battled coronavirus. “On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work,” Johnson’s office said on Sunday. The premier will continue his recovery at his country retreat, Chequers. Johnson was taken to the ...

Bloomberg Spain reported 619 deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday as the total number of people who have died in the country approaches 17,000. Fewer new cases of the disease were reported than the day before. There were 4,167 new infections in the 24 hours through Sunday, pushing the total above 166,000, according to Health Ministry data. The death toll ...

Bloomberg Japan’s Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura urged residents to further limit contact with other people and warned it could take up to three months to contain the spread of coronavirus unless social distancing was followed more strictly, according to Nikkei. Japanese residents need to reduce contact with other people by 80% to contain the spread of the virus, Nikkei cited ...

Bloomberg Boris Johnson’s government suffered another public relations blow and came under pressure to recall parliament after the country’s death count from the new coronavirus approached 10,000. In her first public appearance for several weeks, Home Secretary Priti Patel led the daily government briefing and was asked to apologise for previous comments by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who had said ...

We finally have a plausible answer to a question that has haunted American government for more than half a century: Why should we bother balancing the budget? The answer, as practiced by political leaders of both parties, has been: We shouldn’t. It’s too hard. Spending has to be cut; or taxes have to be raised. These steps are unpopular. Meanwhile, ...

As the rise in Covid-19 infections stresses hospital resources, a legal and ethical fight is brewing over the distribution of ventilators. Activists are warning that rationing plans currently on the books, by favouring patients likely to live longest, discriminate against the elderly and the disabled. And whatever the outcome of any lawsuits, the debate tests our lofty national commitment to ...

This is a big deal. Apple and Google are combining their engineering prowess and dominant market positions to fight the coronavirus war in a smart and effective way. If successful, it may be the first step in turning the tide against the pandemic and moving society back to a more normal life. The two tech giants announced a joint effort ...

The most misleading cliche about the coronavirus is that it treats us all the same. It doesn’t, neither medically nor economically, socially or psychologically. In particular, Covid-19 exacerbates preexisting conditions of inequality wherever it arrives. Before long, this will cause social turmoil, up to and including uprisings and revolutions. Social unrest had already been increasing around the world before Sars-CoV-2 ...