International News

Bloomberg Car sales in Europe are off to their worst start to a year since 2013 and are poised to deteriorate further after automakers across the region shuttered plants to counter the coronavirus pandemic. Passenger registrations declined 7.2% in February after a similar drop in January, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Even those figures may be the best ...

Bloomberg BMW AG abandoned hopes for another record year in sales due to the coronavirus outbreak, predicting deliveries in 2020 will be “significantly below” last year’s levels and profitability at its weakest for years. The maker of the 7 Series luxury sedan announced shorter shifts and flexible working for employees. It didn’t provide details on any plant closures that have ...

Bloomberg Hospital workers in Washington state have been making protective medical gear out of office supplies and other run-of-the-mill materials as they deal with a severe shortage of equipment needed to care for patients who may have Covid-19. Among the supplies coming in handy: clear vinyl sheets. “We are very close to being out of face shields,” said Becca Bartles, ...

Bloomberg Facebook Inc. is paying all of its 45,000 employees an extra $1,000 to help manage expenses during the Covid-19 outbreak. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced the decision in a memo to workers, earlier reported by The Information. The bonus applies to the social network’s full-time employees, who as of now can’t come into the office for health and ...

Bloomberg Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Gojek has raised $1.2 billion for expansion, defying tech-sector turbulence and the coronavirus pandemic to secure funds to take on Grab Holdings Inc. The new financing was finalized just over the past week, when the Covid-19 outbreak quickened its spread and triggered market routs across the globe. That took the total raised in its current ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong lost its title as the world’s freest economy to Singapore for the first time since 1995 in a global survey, as social unrest and uncertainties rattled its reputation as a global financial hub. Hong Kong’s overall economic freedom score fell primarily due to a decline in its marks for investment freedom, according to the 2020 Index of ...

Bloomberg India could become the next global hotspot for virus cases, with experts warning containment measures that proved successful elsewhere in Asia may not work in the world’s second-most populous country. The South Asian nation, which has so far reported 125 infections and three deaths, is trying to contain the virus by closing its borders, testing incoming travellers and contact ...

Bloomberg As the world struggles with the rapid spread of Covid-19, Hong Kong appears to be having success controlling it — in part because the memory of a similar virus in 2003 prompted a public outcry early on. Hong Kong’s government quickly implemented restrictive “social distancing” measures now being hotly debated around the world, in part because of pressure from ...

Bloomberg Malaysia’s lockdown is the latest threat to a Singapore economy already reeling from the coronavirus outbreak. The city state relies heavily on its neighbour’s workers and food, and Malaysia’s move to ban all visitors and prevent residents from traveling overseas for about two weeks will choke off a key labour channel. Maybank Kim Eng Research Pte estimates that about ...

Bloomberg Italy’s government approved a 25 billion-euro ($28 billion) package to support its strained health system while helping businesses and families counter the economic impact of Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak. The decree, approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, laid out new measures ranging from suspending tax payments to helping cover layoffs to mortgage relief, as ...