UAE launches mission to Mars
DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates (UAE)launched its first mission to Mars on Monday as it strives to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil.
N.Korea’s Kim fires officials for extortion linked to hospital project
SEOUL — North Korea's leader has sacked officials building a hospital after they pressed the public for contributions, media reported on Monday, the second rebuke linked to the high-profile project in a country where such problems are rarely publicised.
UK retailers seek more staff protection after abuse revealed
ASOS Plc, Marks & Spencer Group Plc, and Walmart Inc.’s Asda are among retailers calling for greater protection of garment factory workers in Britain in the wake of labor abuse reports at a site supplying Boohoo Group Plc.
German finance watchdog defends agency amid Wirecard scandal
The head of Germany’s financial watchdog defended the agency amid growing criticism over Wirecard AG’s collapse.
Pact to aid poor cocoa farmers in peril as COVID-19 hits demand
LONDON/ABIDJAN — The steepest dive in cocoa demand in a decade has thrown into jeopardy a plan by top producers Ivory Coast and Ghana to guarantee some two million farmers a living wage, sources within the countries’ regulators said.
Big majority of Japanese reject gov’t tourism campaign amid new coronavirus fears — media...
TOKYO — Most people in Japan are against government plans to kickstart domestic tourism with a subsidized campaign, according to newspaper surveys published on Monday, as fears grow over the number of new coronavirus cases, particularly in Tokyo.
US approves pooled testing for COVID-19
THE US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized so-called “pool testing” for COVID-19, a move aimed at broadening checks for the coronavirus and using fewer testing resources.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro says coronavirus restrictions ‘suffocating’ the economy
SAO PAULO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that lockdown measures used to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus “kill” and have “suffocated” the country’s economy.
Record daily increase in global virus cases for 2nd day in a row
THE World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, with the total rising by 259,848 in 24 hours.
Asia’s world-beating stock rally has bulls betting on more gains
In a global market where hardly anything made sense this year, one trend seems to be supported by economic reality: Asian stocks’ outperformance versus the rest of the world driven by the region’s better containment of the coronavirus.
Disabled workers, already in a tough spot, now have it worse
The global pandemic is worsening a labor market that already presents obstacles for workers with disabilities.
G20 finance officials eye solution to digital tax row this year
WASHINGTON/BERLIN — Finance officials from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies on Saturday vowed to resolve major differences over taxing big tech companies and reach a broad, consensus-based solution on international taxation this year.