Author: LoveWorld UK

All member nations of the World Health Organization (WHO) should support a proposed independent review into the coronavirus pandemic, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, further threatening strained ties with China. Australia has become one of most forceful critics of Beijing for its handling of the spread of the coronavirus, with Morrison urging several world leaders to support an international inquiry into its origins and spread, as well as the WHO’s response. The COVID-19 outbreak originated in China and has since spread to infect some 2.3 million people globally and killed nearly 160,000, according to Reuters calculations. Beijing…

video conferencing app’s user base grew by another 50% to 300 million in the last three weeks, as the company fought to quell a backlash around security and safety that has seen a number of governments and firms ban its applications. Chief Executive Eric Yuan gave the numbers late on Wednesday in an update on the platform’s 90-day security plan, while also outlining the rollout next week of a new version of the app with more encryption features. Zoom shares closed up nearly 5% in New York, and at $150.25 are now back close to peaks close to $160 hit…

The British parliament’s health committee will examine how the health service is balancing the demands of the COVID-19 battle with other essential health services such as cancer diagnosis and treatment. “The capacity of the NHS is being severely tested in meeting the urgent health care needs of patients with coronavirus and dealing with those with other life-threatening conditions,” Health and Social Care Committee Chairman Jeremy Hunt said. “Unless we get this balance right, the lives of people at risk of delays for medical treatment could be lost needlessly,” he said. “Our inquiry will examine the scale of the challenge and consider…

Taylor Wimpey (TW.L) has continued to sell houses despite wide-ranging UK restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and the shutting of its business locations, the UK’s third-largest homebuilder said on Thursday, reporting a solid year-on-year rise in orders. Shares up 5.8% to 143 pence at 0724 GMT. Britain’s housing market, widely seen as an important indicator of consumer confidence and spending, has been brought to a virtual halt by the coronavirus lockdowns, with the government advising against new sales, and pricing websites saying it is almost impossible to measure current rates. Many companies have also shut down construction…

BERLIN (Reuters) – German consumers are counting their pennies rather than returning to shop in large numbers as stores gradually reopen after being locked down during the coronavirus crisis, the national retailers association said on Wednesday. Stores of up to 800 square metres (8,600 square feet) were allowed to open again from Monday, along with car and bicycle dealers and bookstores, provided they adhere to strict social distancing and hygiene rules. But the HDE association said the mood among shoppers remained very subdued due to concerns about jobs and finances. “Consumers are in a crisis mode, consumer sentiment is in…

North Korean state media on Wednesday made no mention of leader Kim Jong Un’s health or whereabouts, a day after intense international speculation over his health was sparked by media reports he was gravely ill after a cardiovascular procedure. North Korean media presented a business as usual image, carrying routine reporting of Kim’s achievements, publishing his older or undated quotes on issues like the economy. South Korean and Chinese officials and sources familiar with U.S. intelligence have cast doubt on the South Korean and U.S. media reports, while the White House said it was closely monitoring the matter. U.S. President…

Loan payment freezes negotiated by companies with their banks during the pandemic should not damage their credit rating, credit reference agencies in Britain said on Wednesday. Experian, Creditsafe, Dun and Bradstreet, and Equifax set out guidance on Wednesday to protect business credit scores during the coronavirus lockdown. The government and regulators want banks to offer loan repayment freezes to companies struggling to stay afloat as millions of people are furloughed or forced to claim welfare benefits and a deep recession looms. “Once agreed, lenders should not report a build-up of arrears to the four designated credit reference agencies… ensuring business…

British lawmakers will upend 700 years of history on Wednesday when they question ministers by video link – an unprecedented and largely untested ‘hybrid parliament’ arrangement forced by the coronavirus outbreak. As Britain endures its fifth week of a national lockdown, with businesses shuttered and citizens ordered to stay at home, parliament returned from an extended Easter break on Tuesday and will question stand-in leader Dominic Raab at 1100 GMT. A maximum of 50 lawmakers will be physically allowed in the debating chamber, with another 120 permitted to join in via Zoom video conference beamed onto television screens dotted around…

ran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said on Wednesday it had successfully launched the country’s first military satellite into orbit, at a time of heightened tensions with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear and missile programmes. U.S. officials have said they fear long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads. Tehran denies U.S. assertions that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons. “Iran’s first military satellite, Noor, was launched this morning from the central desert of Iran. The launch was…

Britain’s House of Commons, where lawmakers notoriously jeer at rivals seated two sword-lengths away, is about to find out whether it can make ministers sweat over Zoom. When parliament returns this week for its first new session in the age of the coronavirus, just 50 of the 650 members will be allowed into the chamber, kept apart by lines taped on the carpet to enforce social distancing rules. Another 120 will be selected to appear by Zoom on screens dotted around the green benches. The rest will have to watch silently from home. In a system that has prized in-person…