Bloomberg Irish unemployment may surge to the highest level since the 1980s, as the coronavirus takes an unprecedented toll on the economy. The jobless rate could rise 18% in the second quarter, the government-backed ESRI think-tank said, should current restrictions remain in place for 12 weeks as planned. About 350,000 people would lose their jobs, the think tank said, with ...

Bloomberg The French government said it will cut or withhold financial support from companies paying dividends and urged boards to preserve liquidity to support staff and operations amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus. All companies that have delayed tax payments will have to reimburse the state and pay penalties if they proceed with dividends, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire ...

Bloomberg Italy’s coronavirus death toll topped 10,000 and Spain posted record fatalities, signalling that lockdowns in Europe won’t be lifted anytime soon while its leaders split along economic fault lines. Deaths in Italy slowed to 889 from a record 969 on March 27 and the 5,974 new infections were similar to the previous day’s level. Spain suffered another 832 deaths. ...