COVID-19 Updates
-
Coronavirus: more than 6 million masks procured by Hong Kong government found to be fake
More than 6 million surgical masks procured by the Hong Kong government for HK$15 million, with some already delivered to departments, have been found to be fake.The batches bought by…
-
Suspected Covid-19 outbreaks in English workplaces double in a week
Suspected outbreaks of Covid-19 in workplaces in England almost doubled in the past week, prompting concern as more people return to their jobs. Public Health England (PHE) said 43 acute…
-
High court hears legal challenge to England’s lockdown restrictions
The government’s lockdown that has closed schools, premises and companies while limiting free movement is the “most sweeping and far-reaching” restriction on fundamental rights since the second world war, the…
-
Markets rally as US unemployment rate falls to 11.1% – as it happened
Finally, the London stock market has posted its highest closing level in a week, lifted by the US jobs report. The FTSE 100 closed 82 points higher at 6240, a…
-
‘We don’t live in a communist country!’: battle over masks rages in Texas
The driver license mega center in Fort Worth closed abruptly, just minutes before 1pm on Tuesday. Staff removed the two tables outside the entrance that recorded all visitors’ contact information,…
-
Nuffield Southampton Theatres to permanently close as UK arts crisis deepens
Nuffield Southampton Theatres (NST), a major cultural institution in the region and beyond, is to permanently close. Eighty-six staff roles have been made redundant by the closure, one of the…
-
Boris Johnson’s Covid-19 dice are loaded against our struggling towns | Gaby Hinsliff
Never bet more than you can afford to lose. The old gambler’s adage springs uncomfortably to mind as the government once again prepares to roll the pandemic dice, pushing ahead…
-
Sir Gus O’Donnell calls for wealth tax as part of UK’s Covid-19 response
The UK government’s response to the coronavirus and the dramatic rise in public borrowing during the crisis should include a wealth tax on the richest in society, a former head…
-
Indian policemen arrested over ‘George Floyds of India’ custody deaths
India has arrested five policemen over the deaths of a father and son in custody, a senior investigating official said on Thursday, following outrage that drew comparisons to the death…
-
Has the Philippines contained Covid-19? Cebu City suggests otherwise
The Philippines this week claimed success in containing the Covid-19 pandemic – but a spike in cases has seen Cebu City emerge as a potential new epicentre for the country’s…