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The UK economy is heading for its worst crash in more than 300 years because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new forecast from the Bank of England. The central bank said Thursday that the British economy could shrink by 14% this year. That would be the biggest annual …

Japan on Thursday approved Gilead Sciences Inc’s remdesivir as a treatment for COVID-19, making it the country’s first officially authorized drug to tackle the coronavirus disease. Japan reached the decision just three days after the U.S. drugmaker filed for fast-track approval for the treatment. “There has so far been no …

Another 3.2 million people have filed for unemployment benefits in the US as the coronavirus pandemic triggered one of the most expansive job losses in history, with 33 million people seeking aid since the outbreak began. The country has slipped into one of its worst economic downturns since the Great …

Turkey’s lira briefly fell to a record low against the U.S. dollar on Thursday as investors fretted about depleted currency reserves and the need for foreign financing as the coronavirus pandemic drains the economy. Thursday’s fall to near 7.27 pushed it beyond the record low hit during a 2018 currency …

The European Union faces a deep and uneven recession, according to a new forecast from the EU’s Commission. The bloc’s executive arm predicts a recovery in 2021 but warns that the uncertainty is exceptionally high. The Commission predicts a decline in economic activity this year of 7.5% and slightly more …

Facebook has announced who will sit on an independent board, set up to have ultimate say over what controversial content should be taken down. Former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt will co-chair the panel with three others. The panel said they will judge some of the “hardest cases out there.” …

The Trump administration is drafting a legal blueprint for mining on the moon under a new U.S.-sponsored international agreement called the Artemis Accords, people familiar with the proposed pact told Reuters. The agreement would be the latest effort to cultivate allies around NASA’s plan to put humans and space stations …

A genetic study of samples from more than 7,500 people infected with COVID-19 suggests the new coronavirus spread quickly around the world after it emerged in China sometime between October and December last year, scientists said on Wednesday. Scientists at University College London’s Genetics Institute found almost 200 recurrent genetic …

Players from FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico, as well as most of the clubs in the Spanish football league, were tested for the new coronavirus this Wednesday. This is the first step of the protocol for the return of the teams to training. The tests are mandatory, by the …

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N) has launched a new luxury platform targeting younger consumers that also aims to help high-end brands shed excess inventory built up during the global coronavirus lockdown. Chinese shoppers account for more than a third of global luxury goods spending and China was …

NASA confirmed reports Tuesday that the superstar actor is planning to shoot a movie at the International Space Station. “NASA is excited to work with Tom Cruise on a film aboard the Space Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make NASA’s …

Western Union Co (WU. N), the world’s largest money transfer firm, expects the second quarter to be its weakest in 2020 in terms of revenue and profit margins and is confident of improvement as COVID-19-related lockdowns ease, its chief financial officer said on Tuesday. The firm generated revenue of $1.2 …

Saudi Arabia investment fund Sidra Capital offered 1.3 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) for the luxurious Ritz Hotel in London before it was eventually sold for nearly half of that sum to a private Qatari investor. The bid was revealed Wednesday during a court dispute between two sides of one of …

At least 90,000 health-care workers worldwide are believed to have been infected with COVID-19, and possibly twice that, amid reports of continuing shortages of protective equipment, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) said on Wednesday. The disease has killed more than 260 nurses, it said in a statement, urging authorities …

Italian researchers claim to have developed a vaccine that can neutralize the coronavirus in human cells. Tests carried out at Rome’s Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital, which specializes in infectious diseases, generated antibodies in mice that work in human cells. “This is the most advanced stage of testing of a candidate vaccine …

The following is a brief roundup of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. An antibody that “neutralizes” the novel coronavirus Researchers said they have produced a monoclonal antibody that can “neutralize” the new …

France accused Apple of undermining its effort to fight the coronavirus by refusing to help make its iPhones more compatible with a planned “StopCovid” contact-tracing app. Countries are rushing to develop smartphone apps, which are seen as a way to help keep the novel coronavirus epidemic in check while reopening …

Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said on Tuesday he was confident the new European Recovery Fund will make available at least 100 billion euros ($109 billion) for Italy to help its economy bounce back from the coronavirus crisis. European leaders are negotiating over the creation of a fund worth at least …

A lab at Florida Atlantic University is simulating a human cough to understand how far and fast cough droplets can spread.

Germany’s health minister has expressed his support for the Bundesliga’s plan to resume play behind closed doors later this month. “The (football league’s) basic plan makes sense and could serve as a model for other professional sports,” Jens Spahn told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Tuesday. “But we’ll have to see how …