BEIJING (AFP) – As millions of Chinese students sat a gruelling university entrance exam this month, stories of how an identity theft scandal robbed hundreds of previous candidates of their dreams set social media alight. Officials in the eastern province of Shandong said a two-year investigation had found more than 280 people involved in stealing […]
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada’s long-term financial and economic profile is expected to remain consistent with its current AAA rating, Standard & Poor’s said on Friday, just two days after Ottawa forecast its largest budget deficit since World War Two. Canada’s budget deficit is forecast to hit C$343.2 billion amid record emergency aid spending in response […]
HONG KONG (REUTERS) – Hong Kong police searched the office of an independent political pollster on Friday (July 10), 10 days after Beijing imposed sweeping national security legislation that has sent a chill across the former British colony. Robert Chung told Reuters that authorities arrived at his office late in the evening and he “negotiated” […]
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Council President Charles Michel on Friday sought to bridge gaps between EU countries over their long-term budget and economic stimulus plans before national leaders meet next week to haggle over how to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. With EU economies in free fall in the wake of the pandemic, Michel will […]
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian inflation as measured by the IPCA consumer price index rose 0.26% in June over May, picking up after the deflation reported in the previous month, according to government statistics agency IBGE on Friday. In the 12 months to June, Brazil recorded 2.13% inflation, roughly in line with a Reuters poll […]
(Reuters) – The key to ensuring a faster U.S. economic recovery is wearing masks and slowing the spread of the coronavirus, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan said on Friday. “How the virus proceeds and what the incidence is is going to be directly related to how fast we grow,” Kaplan told Fox Business […]
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand plans to set up an centre to help revitalise an economy hit by the coronavirus outbreak and is considering more relief measures for small businesses, government officials said on Friday. A rehabilitation centre will work similar to the government’s health-focused COVID-19 administration, but its task will be addressing economic issues, said […]
MEERUT/MUMBAI (Reuters) – India re-opened for business in June after months of lockdown but for thousands of small entrepreneurs in the town of Meerut, near Delhi, the blow has been devastating. Businesses from textiles to sports goods and furniture are shuttered or working at a bare minimum, and cows roam streets that would be normally […]
BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) – China said samples of imported shrimp tested positive for the coronavirus, raising questions again over whether the pathogen can spread through food or frozen products. The virus tested positive on both the inside and outside of the shrimp packaging, said China’s General Administration of Customs. The samples were from three Ecuadorian plants, […]
LABUHAN LOMBOK, INDONESIA (AFP) – An Indonesian politician is under fire for ordering female civil servants to wear face veils once a week in what he defended as a bid to guard against the coronavirus. But critics said the loose covering known as the niqab did not offer sufficient protection and it was another attempt […]