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Bloomberg Angela Merkel signalled she may be open to joint European Union (EU) debt issuance to help offset the impact of the coronavirus, an apparent softening of entrenched German opposition that could transform the finances of the 27-nation bloc. The unexpected opening from the leader of Europe’s dominant economy came after the chancellor and her EU counterparts agreed by video ...

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 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 China took the unprecedented step of expelling more than a dozen US journalists from three American newspapers, escalating a wider battle with the Trump administration as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to drag the global economy into a recession. China’s foreign ministry said US reporters at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post must hand in their ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM ZonesCorp, the largest operator of purpose-built economic zones in the UAE, has successfully attracted over AED350 million in investments since the beginning of 2020. Spreading over an area of more than 260,000 square meters, these investments serve a variety of sectors including oilfield services, plastic and automotive. Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed, Acting Director General of ...

Dubai / WAM du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), announced that it is extended its support of the nation’s distance learning initiative by doubling the internet speed at no additional cost for schools and universities across the country, to ensure seamless and uninterrupted connectivity during this time. Schools and universities will also benefit from double internet speed for fixed ...

ABU DHABI / WAM Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group, announced its freighter schedule for the IATA summer season, boosting capacity to its top freighter gateways. The network will also be expanded to capacity-constrained markets that are wrestling with decreased passenger operations or temporary travel bans in light of the public health emergency caused ...

DUBAI / WAM Emirates Post has started implementing ‘contactless deliveries’ as part of stringent measures to protect the wellbeing of its customers and staff amid coronavirus, Covid-19, concerns. To limit contact, delivery drivers will now place all items outside the intended recipient’s door, the official postal operator said, adding that from a safe distance, couriers will ask recipients to confirm ...

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 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 ...