The US became the first country in the world to record 200,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to figures on Tuesday from one widely-followed data provider. There have been 200,005 deaths attributed to the virus in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Covid-19 pandemic will destroy at least 100m jobs worldwide this year and push between 90m and 120m people in the developing world into absolute poverty, the UN Conference on Trade and Development warned on Tuesday, adding the developing world faced “another lost decade”.
Sales of previously owned homes in the US remained at their highest level since 2006 in August, as record low mortgage rates and buyers seeking more space stoked the market. Existing home sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6m units last month, a gain of 2.4 per cent over July.
European Council president Charles Michel has cancelled an EU leaders summit planned for Thursday and gone into quarantine after one of his security guards tested positive for Covid-19. The former Belgian prime minister tested negative for the virus on Monday, his spokesman said.
A masked staffer pours a beer at a Wetherspoon pub in Stratford, east London
UK pub owner JD Wetherspoon has written to employees at its six UK airport pubs to warn them that hundreds of jobs are at risk, following a collapse in traveller numbers. The pub chain is seeking to reduce 400 to 450 jobs, or more than 40 per cent of jobs at its airport pubs from Heathrow to Glasgow.
US fashion brand Ralph Lauren will cut 15 per cent of its staff as the retailer tries to boost online sales after the coronavirus pandemic hit bricks-and-mortar retail. The company plans to shed 3,700 jobs by March 31 as it restructures its marketing and merchandising department and invests in new technology.
British home improvement retailer Kingfisher said it intends to repay £23m it received in furlough payments from the government after profits recovered strongly. The company will not be taking a £1,000 per employee job retention bonus and has repaid money lent from the Bank of England’s financing scheme.
Hong Kong Disneyland will reopen from Friday at reduced capacity two months after it was closed as part of efforts to control a coronavirus outbreak in the city. Visitors must book tickets in advance online, undergo temperature checks and wear face masks while in the park, the company said.