COVID-19 Updates
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Hong Kong ‘shop king’ Tang Shing-bor reaches settlement on unpaid rent of US$1.5 million for hotel property
Billionaire Tang Shing-bor, Hong Kong’s “shop king”, has swiftly settled a court case brought against him over unpaid rent of nearly HK$12 million (US$1.5 million) for a hotel property in…
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Labor’s Andrew Leigh accuses companies of misusing jobkeeper to pay executive bonuses
The shadow assistant treasurer, Andrew Leigh, has claimed in parliament that some Australian companies are misusing the jobkeeper scheme by channelling millions of dollars into executive bonuses. In a speech…
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India mourns former president Pranab Mukherjee amid Covid crisis
Former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee, a senior leader of the Congress party who served in multiple cabinets during five decades in politics, has died. He was 84. Mukherjee had emergency…
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Gap between rich and poor pupils in England ‘grows by 46% in a year’
Urgent support must be targeted at disadvantaged pupils and schools in areas of high deprivation, researchers have said, as figures reveal the gap in England between some pupils and their…
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Concern over ‘opaque’ Covid-related contracts awarded around world
The UK has spent more than £2.5bn on services and equipment related to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to fresh analysis that raises concerns about “opaque” contracts around the world wasting…
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More UK homebuyers turn to ‘bank of mum and dad’ as Covid crisis bites
Nearly one in four home purchases this year will be backed by the “bank of mum and dad” – up from fewer than one in five in 2019 – as…
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Zoom shares hit record high amid blowout earnings for second quarter
Zoom shares hit a record high on Monday as the company announced blowout earnings for the second quarter of 2020. The video conferencing platform has seen explosive growth in 2020,…
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WHO urges governments to engage in ‘honest dialogue’ with coronavirus protesters
The World Health Organisation urged governments on Monday to engage with people demonstrating against Covid-19 restrictions and listen to their concerns, but stressed protesters needed to understand the virus was…