International News

Bloomberg The UK has paid out more than 1 billion pounds ($1.25 billion) to small businesses across the country to help them weather the coronavirus pandemic. Almost 100,000 firms have so far drawn on the cash from the government’s grants programs for small businesses, retailers and the hospitality sector, the Local Government Association said in an emailed statement on Monday. ...

Bloomberg Mexico’s employment market had its worst March in a quarter of a century as the global coronavirus pandemic took its toll on Latin America’s second largest economy. The country lost more than 130,500 jobs in the month from February after the employment market shrank 0.6%, according to a statement from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). The net job ...

Bloomberg Argentina will make an offer to its creditors “in the coming days” that will reflect the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic, President Alberto Fernandez said in a newspaper interview. While debt talks are “going well,” calculations of debt sustainability will be affected by the impact of the virus, Fernandez was quoted as saying by Perfil. “The coronavirus affects ...

Bloomberg The G-20 is close to a deal to allow lower income countries to freeze their government debt repayments, the Financial Times reported. The deal would put a moratorium on payments for at least six to nine months, with the possibility of going through to 2021. The move would be part of a plan to help the nations grapple with ...

Bloomberg As the coronavirus pandemic leads to anxiety over the strength of the world’s food supply chains, everyone from governments to banks are turning to the skies for help. Orbital Insight, a California-based Big Data company that uses satellites, drones, balloons and cell phone geolocation data to track what’s happening on Earth, has seen inquiries about monitoring food supplies double ...

Bloomberg The novel coronavirus outbreak has derailed Myanmar’s move to open its stock market to foreign investors. Only two of the country’s five listed securities have attracted international traders since rules were relaxed on March 20, leaving their foreign-shareholding ratios at minimal levels. Officials had hoped to attract funds from both expatriates and non-resident foreigners. “After two trading days when ...

Bloomberg Australians have done a good job in adjusting to government restrictions and social-distancing measures but it isn’t the right time to begin easing some of those rules, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said. “It’s really important that we look at what’s happened around the world, where people have released restrictions and had to reimpose them,” Murphy told reporters. Australia ...

Bloomberg The Philippines should gradually reopen the economy and allow businesses to operate at 50% capacity to save jobs, according to Teresita Sy-Coson who helps run an empire ranging from banking to retail under SM Investments Corp. More than 1 million workers were affected by temporary closures, prompting 98% of almost 42,000 establishments to seek assistance for their employees, the ...

Bloomberg Tokyo reported an additional 166 coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the total in the city to 2,068. Governor Yuriko Koike released the daily increase in an online briefing. New infections eased from a single-day record gain of 197 marked the previous day. Japan’s Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura urged residents to further limit contact with other people and warned it ...

Bloomberg Singapore will start imposing fines on first-timers who flout social-distancing rules, while those who aren’t wearing masks may be barred from entering some premises which provide essential services, as the spread of coronavirus in the city-state showed few signs of abating. The government has closed beaches, and some areas of parks and nature reserves, saying “tougher measures” are necessary ...