WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States faces a dark milestone this week despite a recent decline in COVID-19 cases as it prepares to mark a staggering half-million deaths, with President Joe Biden planning to memorialize the lives lost.Slideshow ( 2 images )While the number of COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth straight week and officials scrambled to inoculate the population, […]

FILE PHOTO: People walk past a branch of Jobcentre Plus, a government run employment support and benefits agency, as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Hackney, London, Britain, August 6, 2020. REUTERS/John Sibley/File PhotoLONDON (Reuters) – British businesses have the strongest hiring intentions in a year and fewer are planning to make redundancies as the economic outlook […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Global dividend payments could rebound by as much as 5% this year, a new report estimated on Monday, after the coronavirus caused the biggest slump in payouts since the financial crisis more than a decade ago.FILE PHOTO: Canary Wharf stands in London, Britain December 27, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File PhotoCompanies’ payouts to shareholders plunged more than 10% on […]

FILE PHOTO: Vials of the Sinopharm’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are pictured in Lima, Peru, February 9, 2021. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda/File PhotoBUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina’s drug regulator has authorized the emergency use of Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine ahead an expected delivery of 1 million doses of the Chinese-made jab. The country, which was rattled in recent days by a VIP vaccine […]

FILE PHOTO: German Health Minister Jens Spahn addresses the media during a news conference in Berlin, Germany February 19, 2021. Michael Sohn/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoFRANKFURT (Reuters) – Primary school teachers and nursery workers in Germany could get a COVID-19 vaccine sooner than originally planned, the country’s Health Minister Jens Spahn said. In its vaccination strategy, Germany has defined three groups […]

Slideshow ( 2 images )DUBLIN (Reuters) – Members of Northern Ireland’s two largest pro-British parties are set to take part in legal action challenging part of Britain’s divorce deal with the European Union, the parties said on Sunday. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) are to join other pro-British figures to challenge the Northern Ireland Protocol, […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – Tehran said on Sunday the United States must first lift sanctions on Iran if it wants to talk about salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal, reiterating its stance that it will not make the first move to restore the pact with major powers.FILE PHOTO: Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon […]

(Reuters) – British finance minister Rishi Sunak is set to increase a tax on business to pay for an extension to COVID-19 support schemes in the budget next month, The Sunday Times reported bit.ly/3ujaBcU.FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak leaves Downing Street, in London, Britain, November 25, 2020. REUTERS/Simon DawsonSunak, in his speech on March 3, will […]

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s government pledged a publicity campaign for its rollout of COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday – but not in Facebook advertisements, as a feud continues over the social media giant blocking news content from its platform in the country.Slideshow ( 2 images )Facebook Inc’s abrupt decision on Thursday to stop Australians from sharing news on its platform and […]