BOGOTA (Reuters) – Gerson Monje holds up his cellphone to proudly show off his online sex shop. A red banner reading “sold out!” is plastered across half of the products. While most Colombian businesses suffer during a five-week lockdown meant to curb the spre... More »
TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) – French space scientists are using the COVID-19 lockdown as a dry run for what it will be like to be cooped up inside a space craft on a mission to Mars. The guinea pigs in the experiment are 60 students who are confined to their do... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sara Pauly is not one of those small business owners scrambling to fill out paperwork for part of the more than $350 billion in government aid available through the Paycheck Protection Program or the Economic Injury Disaster Loan. Instead,... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s finance minister has told colleagues the economy could shrink by up to 30% this quarter because of the coronavirus lockdown, a newspaper reported, as the soaring death toll gave little hope restrictions would soon be lifted. The nu... More »
MANILA (Reuters) – The Asian Development Bank [ADB.UL] announced on Monday it was tripling the size of its rescue package to $20 billion to help developing countries in Asia counter the severe macroeconomic and health effects of the coronavirus pandemic. It pr... More »
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippine health ministry on Monday reported 18 new coronavirus deaths and 284 additional infections. In a bulletin, the health ministry said total deaths have reached 315, while confirmed cases have increased to 4,932, adding 45 patien... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s job losses may reach 10 million if the coronavirus outbreak continues for a few months, a business advisory council said on Monday. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy is being hit hard by the virus outbreak and is heading in... More »
MADRID (Reuters) – Spaniards at the country’s main transport hubs were handed face masks on a rainy Monday morning as the government relaxed some of the tough lockdown measures designed to rein in the coronavirus health crisis which has claimed nearly 17,000 l... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan may see new hirings slow and job losses increase, particularly among service-sector firms struggling to cope with the intensifying pain of the coronavirus crisis, according to an analysis of survey data by a private think-tank. Dai-ichi... More »
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – India and Pakistan are planning to partially open up some parts of the economy, officials in the two countries said on Monday, as the costs of harsh lockdowns to limit the outbreak of the coronavirus mount across the region. Ind... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Major meat companies in the United States and Canada have closed plants temporarily due to cases of the new coronavirus and concerns about its spread. Here are some facilities that have shut or reduced production: * JBS USA [JBS.UL] shut a ... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Smithfield Foods, the world’s biggest pork processor, said on Sunday it will shut a U.S. plant indefinitely due to a rash of coronavirus cases among employees and warned the country was moving “perilously close to the edge” in supplies for ... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea reported on Monday that at least 116 people initially cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again, although officials suggested they would soon look at easing strict recommendations aimed at preventing new outbreaks. ... More »
SUIFENHE, China (Reuters) – China’s northeastern border with Russia has become a frontline in the fight against a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic as new daily cases rose to the highest in nearly six weeks – with more than 90% involving people coming fro... More »
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China has reduced the number of people crossing its borders by 90% as part of its efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, an immigration official said on Monday. Speaking at a briefing, Liu Haitao, an official with the Na... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – With blunt warnings, flip-charts and daily online briefings, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has been delivering a tough message to the Japanese capital’s residents and shops: stay home and shut down to avert an explosive outbreak of the coronavi... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Monday reported 2,558 new cases of the novel coronavirus, a record daily rise, bringing its overall nationwide tally to 18,328. Russia’s coronavirus crisis response centre said that 148 people diagnosed with the virus have died so ... More »
MUMBAI (Reuters) – The impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak on the Indian economy would depend on the depth, duration and diffusion of the crisis, the Reserve Bank of India said in the minutes of its emergency monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting in Mar... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Monday there was no discrimination against “African brothers” in the country and rejected U.S. accusations of mistreatment of Africans in Guangzhou as an attempt to harm Beijing’s relations with African nations. Foreign minist... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Senior politicians in Germany have begun debating a potential easing of restrictions imposed over the coronavirus epidemic ahead of a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday. On Monday, Merkel and premiers of Germany’s 16 state... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Narita Airport has prepared an impromptu hotel of cardboard beds and quilts in its baggage-claim area for passengers from overseas who might have to stay there while awaiting the results of tests for the novel coronavirus. Though flig... More »
HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) – A Vietnamese entrepreneur in Ho Chi Minh City has invented a 24/7 automatic dispensing machine providing free rice for people out of work following an ongoing nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Vietnam... More »
TAIPEI (Reuters) – The baseball and soccer seasons got underway behind closed doors in Taiwan at the weekend, providing rare live action for fans at home at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down most professional sport around the globe. Taiwan has be... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea plans to send 600,000 coronavirus testing kits to the United States on Tuesday in the first such shipment following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump, a Seoul official told Reuters on Monday. Trump made the request for te... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore is preparing to house hundreds of foreign workers in accommodation vessels typically used for offshore and marine industry staff as it races to find alternatives to dormitories where the novel coronavirus has been spreading rapi... More »
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan Cardinal Baltazar Porras led Easter Mass on Sunday from an empty church, offering a sermon that was broadcast over Instagram to hundreds of people quarantined in their homes because of the coronavirus pandemic. Standing before 51... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand reported 28 new coronavirus cases and 2 new deaths on Monday. Of the new cases, 18 are linked to previous cases, 7 without connection to old cases, and 3 are Thai nationals who had traveled to South Sulawesi province, Indonesia for... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – Kia Motors Corp (000270.KS) told its labour union in South Korea that it wants to suspend operations at three of its domestic factories as the coronavirus outbreak weighs on exports to Europe and the United States, a union official said on Mo... More »
(Reuters) – An agreement by oil-producing nations on Sunday to cut output by a record amount may sustain a recent bounce in stocks, although stay-at-home restrictions and closures tied to the coronavirus pandemic still weigh on the global economy. OPEC and all... More »
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Akos Vanek, a former triathlon World Cup winner, works as a paramedic these days in Budapest taking patients ill with COVID-19 to hospital as Hungary fights the coronavirus crisis. Vanek, who won the 2014 Triathlon World Cup, hung up his r... More »
LISBON (Reuters) – Players at Sporting will have their salaries cut by 40% for three months as the club attempts to mitigate financial losses from the suspension of games during the coronavirus outbreak, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported. Lusa also reported... More »
(Reuters) – The technology arm of Britain’s National Health Service has been working on a mobile phone app with Alphabet Inc’s Google and iPhone maker Apple that the government hopes will help in ending the coronavirus lockdown, the Sunday Times newspaper repo... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Cooped up in the White House, President Donald Trump sees the coronavirus briefings as his main outlet of the day, a reminder for Americans that he is in charge of managing the greatest crisis of a lifetime. Plus, the ratings are good. S... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The two top Republicans in the U.S. Congress vowed on Saturday to oppose Democrats’ demands to match a $250 billion proposal to aid small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic with the same amount for hospitals and state and local g... More »
(Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google said on Friday that they will work together to create contact tracing technology that aims to slow the spread of the coronavirus by allowing users to opt into logging other phones they have bee... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and congressional leaders will hold bipartisan negotiations on a new coronavirus-response bill with the goal of reaching a deal by early next week, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Fri... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will soon be announcing a second coronavirus task force, creating a council to focus on re-opening the country after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic passes. “We will be announcing tha... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican and Democratic U.S. senators will introduce legislation on Friday seeking to reaffirm the country’s commitment to global health amid the coronavirus crisis, including reestablishing a panel – similar to one disbanded by Presid... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congressional leaders and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will hold bipartisan negotiations on the contents of a new coronavirus response bill with the goal of reaching a deal by early next week, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Sch... More »
CHIPPING CAMDEN, England (Reuters) – Costume makers in Britain who normally dress actors in shows from Downton Abbey to Game of Thrones and Batman have joined forces to make scrubs for medics fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Working from kitchens, sheds and ... More »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – As coronavirus cases surge in Indonesia, doctors are working double-time treating patients both at hospitals and online through healthtech startups – an approach that is quickly becoming part of the national healthcare system. Doctor Mohamm... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A partisan skirmish in the U.S. Senate cut short a Republican effort to speed $250 billion in new assistance to small businesses on Friday, forcing Republicans and Democrats to negotiate over how best to help independent firms reeling fr... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Many Americans have found themselves quickly adjusting to new routines, offices and “co-workers” as mass lockdowns keep millions of employees confined to their homes and apartments. As part of our #AskReuters Twitter chat series, Reuters i... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union countries on Thursday evening agreed the emergency credit lines from the euro zone’s bailout fund “will be available until COVID-19 crisis is over”, a draft of their deal read. Afterwards, euro countries should remain commit... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Sketch show “Saturday Night Live” is returning to U.S. television with a new, remotely produced show this weekend, broadcaster NBC said on Thursday. The network said the satirical show, which shut down production in mid-March because of... More »
(Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) on Thursday said it plans to ship millions of face masks to its active drivers and food delivery people around the world to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The ride-hailing company’s vice president o... More »
NEW YORK(Reuters) – The crisis posed by COVID-19 is worrisome enough for full-time employees. Imagine life as a freelancer. Your income can vary wildly from month to month and is likely being cut back as companies shave costs. Your check may come in the mail, ... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian ballet dancers on partial lockdown have begun giving performances at home to keep fans engaged online after theatres across the country closed their doors due to the coronavirus. Seven dancers from the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Pet... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Elmo and Cookie Monster are reaching out to young children confused at being stuck at home during the coronavirus epidemic with a special “Sesame Street” episode airing next week. “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and actors Anne Ha... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Ellen DeGeneres, one of America’s most popular TV personalities, faced a barrage of criticism on Wednesday after comparing her self-isolation in a multimillion-dollar mansion to being in prison. DeGeneres, whose daily television talk sh... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investors are betting on stocks to remain volatile well into the year, suggesting that many expect the long-term economic and public health impact of the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus to continue roiling markets despite a recent... More »
(Reuters) – Broadway theaters, among New York’s most-visited tourist attractions, will remain closed through June 7 due to the global coronavirus outbreak, an industry group said on Wednesday. The theaters closed on March 12 for what was supposed to be one mon... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – While making blinis one morning in self-isolation, Natalia Goroshko noticed one in her pan had taken the floppy form of one of Salvador Dali’s melting clocks. The 31-year-old Belarusian living in Texas placed three blinis in her kitchen to m... More »
HELSINKI (Reuters) – A quick-thinking Helsinki bakery has saved itself from financial ruin due to the new coronavirus pandemic by creating a cake that looks like a toilet roll. The dismayed staff at the Ronttosrouva bakery found all their orders cancelled last... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Central Bank told euro zone finance ministers that the bloc may need fiscal measures worth up to 1.5 trillion euros ($1.6 trillion) this year to tackle the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, officials told Reuter... More »
FRANKFURT/RIGA (Reuters) – It would be irresponsible of euro zone countries to leave the European Central Bank alone in the fight against an economic slump caused by the coronavirus outbreak, ECB policymaker Martins Kazaks said on Wednesday. Finance ministers ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the examination office at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday published details about the expected scope and content for compliance with a new rule requiring broker-dealers and investment advisers to ... More »
(Reuters) – Geico Corp, part of billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, said on Tuesday it will offer about $2.5 billion of credits to its 19 million auto and motorcycle policyholders, reflecting the decline in driving stemming from the coronaviru... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Some top-performing U.S. fund managers see opportunities in one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, cautiously increasing stakes in niches of the real estate market like cell phone towers and warehouses, which they see ... More »
SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Bosnia’s most popular band, Dubioza Kolektiv, invites its audience to “stay connected and disinfected” during a weekly “Quarantine Show” online to cheer up fans locked in their homes due to the coronavirus. Bosnia, like most states in Euro... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – When Rachel Baron wanted to give back to her community affected by COVID-19, her first thought was to help local emergency room doctors. So the 46-year-old advertising copywriter worked with some friends to set up food deliveries from loca... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone finance ministers hope to agree on Tuesday on half a trillion euros worth of economic aid to finance recovery from the coronavirus, a discussion that has sown divisions as the bloc struggles with the outbreak. If they do agree, t... More »
GLAND, Switzerland (Reuters) – Street artist David Perez has found his own way to pay tribute in Switzerland to the people he regards as the unsung heroes of the coronavirus crisis. Perez, 35, has adorned a pedestrian underpass in the town of Gland with a port... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – ResearchGate, a social network site for scientists and researchers, has launched a new forum to facilitate collaboration between COVID-19 experts on research into beating the flu-like disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The site here de... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Dollar borrowing costs in the foreign exchange swap markets retreated further on Monday, with swap rates against the euro and pound falling to their lowest levels in more than a decade. These moves indicate recent emergency actions by global... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission said on Monday it had approved a 50 billion pound ($61.5 billion) British “umbrella” scheme to support companies affected by coronavirus outbreak. The approval is in line with modified EU rules allowing a temporary ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The Global Federation of Insurance Associations on Monday warned the world’s governments of the danger of forcing insurers to pay out for losses suffered due to the coronavirus even when pandemic losses were not included in existing policies... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese social media celebrity Pikotaro returned as a leading twitter trend in Japan with a coronavirus hand washing song that repurposes his signature Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen (PPAP) to Pray-for-People-and-Peace. The video was among the top ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan will declare a state of emergency as early as Tuesday in a bid to stop the coronavirus, media reported, with the government preparing a stimulus package to soften the blow on an economy already struggling to avoid a recession. More than... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is poised to declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus, giving governors stronger legal authority to urge people to stay home and businesses to close, media reported on Monday. In contrast to stringe... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The Japanese government’s advisory panel on the new coronavirus outbreak will meet on Monday at 0500 GMT in preparation for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency, the Nikkei business daily reported. Source: https://www.reu... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – As Germany rolls out a 750 billion-euro economic stimulus package, officials and experts are discussing whether German lenders, including Deutsche Bank AG and Commerzbank AG, will be able to weather the economic fallout of coronavirus wit... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – As Japan faces a fresh wave of coronavirus infections and the government prepares for a state of emergency, medical staff say a shortage of beds and a rise in cases linked to hospitals are pushing Tokyo’s medical system to the brink of collap... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A group representing Britain’s car industry cut its sales forecast for this year by 23% to 1.73 million vehicles because of the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The figure represented a 25% fall from the number of new car registrations in 2... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Mainland China reported 39 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday, up from 30 a day earlier, and the number of asymptomatic cases also surged, as Beijing continued to struggle to extinguish the outbreak despite drastic containment efforts. The ... More »
PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech Republic reported its slowest daily percentage rise in confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, as the country entered fourth week of restrictions on business and movement. The country had 4,591 cases as of Sunday midnight, up 2.6% f... More »
MUMBAI (Reuters) – Tunisian trailblazer Ons Jabeur is holed up in New York due to the coronavirus pandemic and says she is contemplating taking up dancing to remain fit as the tennis world finds innovative ways to deal with the lockdown. The 25-year-old became... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s coronavirus case tally has risen to 6,343 in the past 24 hours, a record daily increase of 954, the country’s crisis response centre said on Monday. Cases have been recorded widely, but Moscow remains the epicentre of the outbreak w... More »
(Reuters) – Paulo Dybala left Gareth Bale out of his Real Madrid starting line-up but had no trouble beating the Welshman’s Manchester City side in a FIFA 20 video game as part of a Combat Corona fundraiser for UNICEF at the weekend. Juventus striker Dybala on... More »
MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Carnival Corp’s (CCL.N) troubled Ruby Princess cruise liner, the biggest single source of coronavirus infections in Australia, docked south of Sydney on Monday to get help for sick crew members requiring urgent medical treatment. T... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland faces a shortage of the raw material needed to make disinfectant to tackle the coronavirus pandemic after the country abandoned its emergency reserve of 10,000 tonnes of ethanol two years ago, newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reported on... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – It took Silvia Bertuletti 11 days of frantic phone calls to persuade a doctor to visit her 78-year-old father Alessandro, who was gripped by fever and struggling for breath. When an on-call physician did go to her house near Bergamo, at the e... More »
(Reuters) – A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the first known case of a human infecting an animal and making it sick, the zoo’s chief veterinarian said on Sunday. Nadia... More »
(Reuters) – Nine Wisconsin mayors, including those representing the state’s five largest cities, on Sunday urged the state’s top public health official to postpone Tuesday’s primary election due to the coronavirus pandemic. The mayors of Milwaukee, Madison, Gr... More »
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand reported 51 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Monday, according to a spokesman for the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration. Thirteen of the new cases were medical personnel who attended to infecte... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea reported fewer than 50 new coronavirus cases for the first time since its peak at the end of February as daily infections in Asia’s largest outbreak outside China continued to trend downward. The Korea Centers for Disease Control ... More »
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico on Sunday had registered 2,143 cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, an increase of 253 cases from a day earlier, the health ministry said. The number of deaths linked to the virus rose by 15 to 94. Source: https://www.r... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Engineers at Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) showed a prototype for a ventilator on Sunday evening in a video published on the company’s YouTube channel, as hospitals around the country overwhelmed by coronavirus patients face device shortages. The des... More »
(Reuters) – U.S. singer Pink said on Friday she had tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, two weeks ago and has since recovered. “Two weeks ago my three-year old son, Jameson, and I were showing symptoms of COVID-... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wall Street analysts and investors see a risk that stocks could retest recent lows in the coming days or weeks as they worry about the spread of the virus and its impact on the economy, although some spot glimmers of light at the end of th... More »
(Reuters) – British aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce (RR.L) will abandon its targets on profits, cash and deliveries, and suspend its dividend, as airlines around the world ground planes due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Financial Times reported late on Sunday... More »
(Reuters) – Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of easyJet Plc (EZJ.L), has warned that he will not inject any fresh equity into the airline until it terminates a contract with Airbus SE (AIR.PA) for 4.5 billion pounds ($5.50 billion), according to a letter here... More »
(Reuters) – The PGA Championship, one of golf’s four majors, has been rescheduled for Aug. 6-9 after being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Sunday. The event will remain at the city’s Harding Park course, the p... More »
(Reuters) – Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Sunday it would extend the suspension of production operations at its Washington state facilities until further notice amid the coronavirus outbreak. The largest U.S. planemaker said on March 23 it would halt production at ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A top official at the U.S. Federal Reserve said on Sunday the $2.3 trillion economic relief bill approved by Congress was appropriately sized and that a further relief effort may not be needed if support efforts are well executed. “I fel... More »
(Reuters) – The IBF’s mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev said he will donate half of his purse from the world heavyweight title fight against Briton Anthony Joshua to help medical workers fight the “devilish” coronavirus. The 38-year-old Bulgarian is expected t... More »
(Reuters) – Former New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey has died at the age of 73 after contracting COVID-19, the NFL team said on Sunday. Dempsey, who was born without toes on his right foot, joined the Saints out of college in 1969 and in November 1970 set ... More »
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – Wisconsin is set to hold in-person voting next week after the state’s legislature on Saturday declined to take up an effort delaying the presidential primary due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state’s Republican-controlled legislature q... More »
(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc has been in contact with the CEOs of two coronavirus test makers as it considers how to screen its staff and reduce the risk of infection at its warehouses, according to internal meeting notes seen by Reuters. The chief executives of... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick for the new watchdog overseeing $2.3 trillion in coronavirus-related fiscal spending is not independent enough to do the job, congressional Democrats said on Saturday. The White House said late on Frida... More »
