Bloomberg Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work and moved to stamp his authority on a government under pressure over its handling of the UK coronavirus outbreak, warning that to lift a nationwide lockdown now would risk both a health crisis and an “economic disaster.” Speaking exactly one month after he went into isolation with a case of Covid-19 that ...

Bloomberg Emergency measures invoked used to enforce lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic can’t be used to abuse detainees, the United Nations’ top human rights official warned. Locking up curfew breakers who were simply looking for food in already overcrowded prisons is just one example, Michelle Bachelet, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Monday. Reports of police enforcing lockdowns ...

There’s a booming market in conspiracy theories about the origins of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. But the Chinese government has no one to blame but itself for this explosive debate. They have put the truth on lockdown. China has an obligation here: For its own sake and the world’s, it should promptly begin a serious, credible investigation into ...

Almost 6% of mortgage loans are in forbearance, meaning about 3 million homeowners have delayed payments, according to data released this week by the mortgage bankers’ trade group. That’s a 60% jump from the prior week, and industry observers estimate that the number of loans in forbearance could eventually climb to as high as 15%. So who’s postponing their mortgage ...

If America is going to restart its economy, at whatever pace, it needs to think about a major roadblock: liability from Covid-19. If a university or workplace reopens, and some employees or students get sick, should they have the right to sue? In the absence of clarity on this question, many risk-averse institutions will simply wait, as their lawyers will ...

The anti-politics Five Star Movement may be part of Italy’s ruling coalition. But recent nominations to the boards of Italy’s state-backed companies look as pro-politics as ever. Oil major Eni SpA, utility Enel SpA and defense group Leonardo SpA are among those that get a boardroom review every three years. The quixotic hope is that appointments are made via a ...

The April 7 election in Wisconsin was a moral, legal, administrative and public-health fiasco. It is also a model that Republicans intend to duplicate in November. After Republican legislators and Republican judges forced Wisconsin to proceed with in-person voting over the objections of the Democratic governor, many voters had to choose between protecting their right to vote and protecting their ...

Call it teething problems, disorganisation or plain Luddism: the first few weeks of working from home were, for many, far from smooth. Set aside for a second the impact of hunkering down with children, paramours and housemates. The coronavirus lockdowns revealed a deep division even between white-collar workers: those employed by companies that have invested in what it takes for ...

“Papa, papa, Look! The playground is open again,” exclaimed a young girl as she gazed longingly at a group of her peers vying to be the next on the swings. The sight of Berlin children playing happily together once again was both life-affirming and terrifying. Kids aren’t the best at social distancing and we still aren’t sure how big a ...

Bloomberg Stocks jumped in Europe and Asia and US equity futures advanced as major economies edged toward reopening, the Bank of Japan boosted stimulus measures and corporate results rolled in. The dollar weakened and oil slumped. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index opened solidly higher amid a number of positive catalysts and after the gauge missed out on a late Wall ...