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Bloomberg The global economy is taking a battering not seen in decades, the outcome of severe restrictions on businesses and households by governments desperately trying to contain a pandemic that’s killed almost 17,400 people worldwide. The first major numbers outlining the damage tell a story of companies seeing demand plunge at a record pace, activity shrinking and confidence dropping. Government …

Bloomberg The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of UAE has lifted restrictions on some programs that allow voice calls over the Internet, including Microsoft Skype for Business and Google Hangout, to help people work from home and avoid spreading the coronavirus. The applications allowed on all networks in the country are: Microsoft Times, Zoom, and Blackboard. The applications, which will be compatible with …

Bloomberg The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be delayed by a year in the first postponement since the modern games began in the 19th century, becoming the biggest global event to be disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach agreed to the unprecedented move in a telephone call on …

Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modi has imposed a three-week long nationwide lockdown and allocated an extra $1.97 billion for health care to contain the spread of coronavirus infections which are now spiking in the South Asian nation. “If we listen to health experts we know that 21 days are crucial to break the cycle of transmission,” Modi said in his …

Bloomberg Oil dropped towards the lowest level since 2003 as demand plunged as governments froze economic activity to combat the coronavirus, and prospects for a Opec-Texas production deal faded. Futures in London fell 5.6% to near $25 a barrel as some traders estimate crude demand will collapse by as much as 20 million barrels a day this year. Texas Railroad …

Bloomberg Africa needs an immediate emergency economic stimulus of $100 billion to combat the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and almost half of that could come from waiving interest payments for countries on the continent, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The waiver of interest payments, estimated at $44 billion for 2020, and the possible extension …

Bloomberg The UK economy will contract at least 10% in the first half of the year as the fallout from the coronavirus hammers output, according to Bloomberg Economics’ estimates. In a report released on Monday, senior UK economist Dan Hanson said support provided by the Bank of England and the Treasury should prompt a turnaround in the second half of …

Bloomberg China’s economy will swiftly return to its potential growth rate and there’ll be significant improvement in the coming three months, a senior central bank official said on Sunday. “Economic indicators will likely show significant improvement in the second quarter and the Chinese economy will return to potential output level rather swiftly,” People’s Bank of China Deputy Governor Chen Yulu …

Bloomberg Oil demand is plummeting — some traders say by 10 to 20 million barrels a day, or a fifth of global consumption — as millions find themselves in lock-down or self-isolating, causing travel to grind to a halt. “Demand has been decimated in short term,” said Andy Hall, one of the most successful oil traders of his generation until …

Bloomberg Australia plans an additional A$66 billion ($38.2 billion) in stimulus for the coronavirus-stricken economy, including cash payments of as much as A$100,000 to small businesses, in a second package aimed at averting recession and savings jobs. The plan, to be announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday, will provide A$25.2 billion in support to businesses and not-for-profit charities. …