United Kingdom

LONDON (Reuters) - The British police have done a good job in the coronavirus crisis though there may be some individual instances of some officers going a little too far in enforcing a lockdown, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Tuesday.

“The police are doing a difficult job and they are doing it well,” Shapps told Sky.

LONDON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 19,522 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Britain as of Sunday morning, marking an increase of 2,433 in the past 24 hours, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

As of Saturday afternoon, some 1,228 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, said the department.

Meanwhile, a letter from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will land on the doorsteps of 30 million households across Britain from next week.

LONDON (Reuters) - Sovereign wealth funds from oil-producing countries mainly in the Middle East and Africa are on course to dump up to $225 billion in equities, a senior banker estimates, as plummeting oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic hit state finances.

The rapid spread of the virus has ravaged the global economy, sending markets into a tailspin and costing both oil and non-oil based sovereign wealth funds around $1 trillion in equity losses, according to JPMorgan strategist Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou.

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson is warning Britons in a letter to 30 million households that things will get worse before they get better, as he himself self-isolates in Downing Street to recover from the coronavirus.

Britain has reported 17,089 confirmed cases of the disease and 1,019 deaths and the peak of the epidemic in the country is expected to come in a few weeks.

LONDON (AP) — Another member of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Cabinet has developed symptoms of COVID-19, as the number of people with the coronovrius to die in the U.K. passed the 1,000 mark Saturday.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said he had symptoms of the disease and was self-isolating a day after the prime minister and Britain’s health secretary revealed they tested positive for the virus and were experiencing mild symptoms.

London; 27 March 2020 (UMM): UK PM Boris Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19. He is self-isolating in Downing Street.

In a video on his Twitter account, Mr Johnson wrote: "I'm working from home and self-isolating and that's entirely the right thing to do.

"But, be in no doubt that I can continue thanks to the wizardry of modern technology to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus.

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government is not crashing the economy with its multi-billion pound schemes to help businesses and workers as both companies and citizens needed support to survive the coronavirus crisis, its business minister said on Friday.

“I don’t think we are crashing the economy,” British Business Minister Alok Sharma told Sky News. “I hope the downturn, if I can put it like that, and the impact on the economy will be short term.”

LONDON (Reuters) - Banks should halt 2020 dividend payments to preserve capital and keep lending to businesses and households until the impact of the coronavirus epidemic is clearer, the European Banking Federation (EBF) said.

The EBF said the European banking sector remained “fully committed” to helping businesses and households cope with the fallout from the health crisis and it would prioritize solvency in order to be able to fund the economy.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices were mixed on Friday as the market weighed the potential benefits of stimulus efforts by policymakers around the world against demand destruction caused by fallout from the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

Brent crude was on track for its fifth consecutive weekly drop. By 0922 GMT, it was down 40 cents, or 1.5%, at $25.94 a barrel.

U.S. crude was up 11 cents, or 0.5%, at $22.71.

LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar fell further on Thursday ahead of key U.S. data that is expected to show a surge in unemployment benefit claims as companies lay off workers due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

Investors welcomed the passage of a $2 trillion U.S. stimulus package to offset the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are already indications that some American states will need more money for medical supplies.