20/05/20 COVID-19 Global News Update

New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern has suggested employers to consider a four-day working week and other flexible working options as a way to boost tourism and help employees address persistent work/life balance issues.

Australia was only just emerging from devastating bushfires when the coronavirus struck

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain said on Tuesday it would approve new liquidity lifelines to help companies and households weather the coronavirus crisis after releasing another tranche of the 100 billion euros (89 billion pounds) of state-backed credit announced in March.

The aerospace company blames the "unprecedented" slowdown in the aviation industry for the cuts.

Outsourcing firm Serco has apologised after accidentally sharing the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers. The company is training staff to trace cases of Covid-19 for the UK government.

A third of all available oil and gas in the North Sea could be left untouched if the price of Brent Crude remains at $25 a barrel, according to a new study.

Almost 50 per cent of UK firms are only ready to partially reopen their businesses as the government lifts the coronavirus lockdown, a survey has shown, with one in 10 saying they cannot restart at all due to Covid guidelines.

The leader of the Trades Union Congress has declared “the state is back” as the UK’s biggest unions urged the government to form a national recovery council in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bed and breakfast owners in Wales are facing uncertain futures as many are unable get grants equal to those paid elsewhere in the UK.

Ministers are facing further pressure from council leaders and teaching unions to reconsider plans to reopen English primary schools to some pupils from 1 June.

Covid-19 testing strategy was to 'build capacity'

Train vandals are risking public health by undermining efforts to help passengers observe social distancing, a company warns.

A fifth of coronavirus infections among hospital patients and almost nine in 10 infections among healthcare workers may have been caught in hospital, researchers have revealed.

The government’s top scientists are looking at ways of lifting the lockdown at a faster rate in remote parts of the UK that have very few or no coronavirus cases.

Three cruise ships are to be moored in Glasgow amid a dispute between the harbour operator and a neighbouring council.

Depression and thoughts of self-harm have affected more than a fifth of current and former footballers surveyed by the players' union during the coronavirus pandemic.

The global growth of renewable energy will slow for the first time in 20 years due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which will “hurt but not halt” the rise of clean energy.

Up to 60m people will be pushed into "extreme poverty" by the coronavirus warns the president of the World Bank.

A Joint statement following a COVID-19 virtual meeting chaired by Secretary of State and Tanaiste.