Bloomberg About a week into the month-long lockdown of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, businessmen are calling for a 281 billion peso ($5.52 billion) fiscal stimulus to soften the economic blow of the spreading coronavirus outbreak that has displaced millions of workers. More than 700 factories and 400 economic zones have been shut, while doctors are warning of a ...

Bloomberg India will set up a nearly 100-billion-rupee ($1.3 billion) fund to encourage companies to manufacture pharmaceutical ingredients domestically after supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic exposed the country’s dependence on China and raised the specter of drug shortages. The programme includes spending on infrastructure for drug manufacturing centers, and financial incentives of up to 20% of incremental ...

Bloomberg China’s mass deployment of medical aid to fight the coronavirus reached Africa as Ethiopia received its first shipment of supplies, including protective gear and test kits, for distribution across the continent from billionaire Jack Ma. The Horn of Africa nation received 5.4 million face masks, more than 1 million testing kits, 40,000 items of protective clothing and 60,000 sets ...