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Bloomberg India is planning to provide nearly $6.6 billion in loans to state power utilities as a slump in electricity demand squeezes liquidity while dues to generators pile up, according to people with knowledge of the development. The loans, via state-run Power Finance Corp. Ltd. and its unit REC Ltd., will help the utilities, known as discoms, clear debts to …

Bloomberg The number of people going hungry around the world could double in just a few months as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on food supplies and hurts incomes. That’s according to a group of major food companies, industry bodies and academics, which warned that those suffering from chronic hunger may surge from about 800 million amid mounting food-supply risks. …

Bloomberg Air France-KLM expects more than 90% of its capacity to remain suspended through the end of May as the coronavirus pandemic paralyses the travel industry worldwide. For the next two months, the airline aims to continue serving only some key city pairs with a “skeleton operation,” according to a statement. Beyond that time frame, the company said, projections are …

Bloomberg A 75% wage subsidy touted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has caught the interest of the country’s biggest airline, a request that could cost the government as much as C$30.5 million (about $22 million) a week. Air Canada said it will apply for the money to help keep or recall its 36,000 employees based in the country, 16,500 …

Bloomberg Costco Wholesale Corp’s sales soared in March, but not as much as expected: Curbs the retailer placed on its operations to cope with coronavirus-related demand slowed the pace in the back half of the month. The shares fell in extended trading. The retailer’s comparable US sales excluding fuel — a key metric watched by analysts — rose 12.1%, it …

Bloomberg South Africa’s property owners will provide relief to retail tenants hardest hit by a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. The initiative, which focusses on small-, medium- and micro-sized enterprises, will be rolled out by landlords nationally, the Property Industry Group said in a statement published on the website of the South African Real Estate Investment Trusts …

Bloomberg European stocks pared their gains alongside US equity futures on Thursday as investors mulled estimates of how soon economies can reboot when the coronavirus outbreak eases. Oil rose after Russia signalled it’s ready to make production cuts. Declines in telecoms and media shares helped trim an earlier advance by the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. American index contracts fluctuated a …

Bloomberg Pakistani stocks rose after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it plans to disburse about $1.4 billion in emergency financing next week to help the nation shield its economy hit by the coronavirus outbreak. “The IMF and the Pakistani authorities are working hard for a prompt approval and disbursement” in a single installment, Teresa Daban Sanchez, IMF’s chief in …

Bloomberg Investors who want to trade big swings in risk sentiment may want to venture outside the typical US stocks play and consider currencies, according to analysts at Standard Chartered Plc. An analysis of how the S&P 500 Index and currencies traded relative to their volatility indicated that some foreign exchanges were more efficient in capturing the shifts through the …

ABU DHABI / WAM The Italian envoy to Abu Dhabi has said that Italy’s government and people were “moved” by the sympathy and compassion shown by the UAE during coronavirus pandemic. In a statement to Emirates News Agency (WAM) Ambassador Nicola Lener said that Italy was “deeply impressed” by the UAE initiative that saw the shipment of 10 tonnes of …