Bar-owners and restaurateurs in Marseille took to the streets in protest against a two-week hospitality ban which came into effect on Saturday. The southern city’s first deputy mayor, Benoît Payan, called the curbs “an affront” but French health minister Olivier Véran said the “health situation in Marseille has badly deteriorated”.
Spain’s response to the worst resurgence of coronavirus in Europe has plunged into chaos as Madrid regional authorities defied a national government call to put the whole capital city under new restrictions. The dispute highlights the governance crisis that has accompanied the pandemic in Spain.
Debt collectors for US property loans have been on a hiring spree to deal with a deluge of defaults — an alarming omen for owners of commercial mortgage-backed securities. The onset of coronavirus and worldwide lockdowns have plunged a vast number of commercial properties into jeopardy, putting these companies in demand.
Chinese government debt is set to be added to the FTSE Russell World Government Bond index, paving the way for $140bn to flow into the country’s capital markets. Low yields, as central banks have unleashed monetary stimulus to combat the coronavirus pandemic, have enticed investors into the Chinese market.
Two of the Britain’s biggest supermarkets have reintroduced purchasing limits on staple goods. Tesco put a three-item buying limit on flour, pasta, toilet roll, baby wipes and anti-bacterial wipes from Friday morning. Its move follows a similar decision by smaller rival Wm Morrison, which introduced limits on several products, including toilet roll and bleach.
Apple will temporarily drop its contentious App Store fees for businesses forced by the pandemic to pivot to online-only events, in an unexpected concession after increasingly vocal complaints. The exemption, which lasts until the end of the year, will affect sales made through the iPhone apps of companies including Facebook, Airbnb and ClassPass.
Andrew Neil is leaving the BBC to lead a rival news channel backed by US group Discovery. GB News, a right-leaning station with Mr Neil as its chair and top presenter, plans to launch early in 2021 with a mission to upend the norms of British current-affairs broadcasting. GB News is still to raise the $55-65m it is seeking to fund the station.
German industrial group Bosch has developed a Covid-19 test which it claims can deliver a result in just under 40 minutes, and be processed using a portable device. Funded in part by the German government, the test could be taken at airports and sporting events, Bosch said on Friday, allowing people to wait for the results.