Business

HARARE, June 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe abruptly suspended all mobile money transactions, the most widely used platform to make and receive payments in the crisis-ridden country, claiming the move would tackle crime and economic sabotage.

The government also suspended all trade on the country’s stock exchange, which it accused of being complicit in illicit financial activities.

BRUSSELS, June 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The EU’s top competition authority approved the massive bailout of Lufthansa by the German government, saving the airline from bankruptcy, but under conditions.

The European Commission said an injection of 6.0 billion euros by Berlin to keep the company afloat was allowed, but that Lufthansa would have to give up prized slots at the Frankfurt and Munich airports to ensure fair competition.

WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS, June 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States is considering levying taxes on an additional $3.1 billion in European imports amid a dispute over subsidies to plane maker Airbus.

A document released Tuesday from the US Trade Representative (USTR) listed products from France, Germany, Spain or Britain, ranging from olives to decaffeinated coffee, as possibly subject to the new tariffs.

LONDON, June 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Britain will ditch a 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from countries it deems to be lower risk for COVID-19 , the government said.

Official travel advice against all but essential travel outside Britain will also be eased for some countries and regions.

Taken together, these changes will make it easier for Britons to travel abroad for summer holidays.

Dehradun, Jun 25 (PTI) Under flak over the launch of a drug it claims be a cure for COVID-19, yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved on Thursday insisted that it broke no law.

"There is no room for confusion," the herbal products company said in a tweet.

The licence for the drug was obtained on the basis of the traditional knowledge and experience related to the medicinal virtues of Ashwagandha, Giloy and Tulsi," Patanjali spokesperson S K Tijarawala said.

KHARTOUM, June 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An international conference pledged to provide around 1.8 billion U.S. dollars to Sudan to help the northeast African country battle an economic crisis, a senior Sudanese official said.

Countries and international organizations participating in the Sudan Partnership Conference will provide a total of 1.8 billion dollars to finance the country’s transitional period, Sudan’s Information Minister Faisal Mohamed Saleh told reporters after the meeting.

PUTRAJAYA, June 26 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia’s position regarding the South China Sea has been clear and consistent, with views it should remain a sea of peace and trade, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. 

“Malaysia holds the view that the South China Sea should remain a sea of peace and trade.

“Thus, matters relating to the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully based on universally recognised principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982,” he said. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials estimate that 20 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus since it first arrived in the United States, meaning that the vast majority of the population remains susceptible.

Thursday’s estimate is roughly 10 times as many infections as the 2.3 million cases that have been confirmed. Officials have long known that millions of people were infected without knowing it and that many cases are being missed because of gaps in testing.

Houston (US), Jun 25 (AP/PTI) Hospital administrators and health experts warned desperately Wednesday that parts of the U.S. are on the verge of becoming overwhelmed by a resurgence of the coronavirus, lamenting that politicians and a tired-of-being-cooped-up public are letting a disaster unfold.

The U.S. recorded a one-day total of 34,700 new COVID-19 cases, the highest in two months, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Chandigarh, Jun 25 (PTI) Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday flayed the Centre over the rising fuel prices, saying it is bound to have a cascading effect and burden common people.

He said the diesel and petrol prices have been going up daily for over two weeks now and the situation has come to a point where diesel and petrol prices are almost at par now.

He said the burden of the fuel price hike has fallen on common people and farmers, whose lives have already been adversely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.