The Tokyo Olympics are to be postponed until 2021 after talks between Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach. Abe said they had established that cancelling the Games was out of the question, and that Bach had agreed “100%” that a postponement was the most appropriate response to the global disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We agreed that a postponement would be the best way to ensure that the athletes are in peak condition when they compete and to guarantee the safety of…
Read MoreMonth: March 2020
‘NEETs’: youth group at high risk of poverty and exclusion
Education and skills gaps are not only a challenge for businesses seeking to recruit, they also make poverty and social exclusion more likely among young people who are excluded from labour and education at the same time. According to Eurostat, 16.5% of Europeans between 20 and 34 years are NEETs, an acronym referring to people who are Neither in Employment, Education or Training. The lower the education level, the higher the risk for young people to become NEETs and fall into poverty and social exclusion as a result. Moreover, the…
Read MoreAs COVID-19 cases rise, US senators sell off stocks and lower risks
After receiving classified briefings about the coronavirus, some US Senators sold off stocks and then downplayed the virus’ risk to the public. Financial reporting currently shows that five senators have sold major holdings in recent months. Public outrage is high and calls for resignations are mounting. With confirmed COVID-19 cases rapidly rising, the US has ramped up its response to the pandemic in recent days after an initial muddled response from the government, which downplayed the risks of the virus. However, recently released financial reporting shows that certain US Senators…
Read MoreItalian Conte calls for ‘full firepower “of the EU against the virus
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called Friday (20 March) for the European Union to tap the “full firepower” of its rescue fund to combat the coronavirus outbreak. In an interview with the Financial Times, Conte urged the EU to adapt its European Stability Mechanism (ESM) — the war chest for eurozone countries with serious debt problems — to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the bloc. “The ESM was crafted with a different type of crisis in mind, so it must be adapted to the new circumstances so that we can…
Read MoreClosing borders from viruses complicates the work of cross-border workers
Return home or stay to earn a living far from your loved ones? That’s the dilemma being thrown up for workers who rely on shuttling across frontiers in Central Europe now that the coronavirus pandemic has seen several countries shut their borders. In Austria, care for the elderly relies on a workforce of around 65,000, 80% of them women from Romania or Slovakia who typically shuttle between Austria and their home countries for weeks at a time. But with several countries now closing their borders, this way of working has…
Read MoreWimbledon and the Open may suffer the effects of a ruined summer
Concern that the jewels of the British sporting summer will be threatened by the Covid-19 virus is increasing, with heightened uncertainty over Wimbledon and the Open at Royal St George’s. Wimbledon is still planning to stage the championships from 29 June to 12 July unless the government’s emergency planning means otherwise. However, it is understood the All England Club, which has been contingency planning since January, has a growing realisation the unprecedented situation with the virus could scupper its summer centrepiece. While a decision is not expected until next month, training for…
Read MoreEnel says digital drive provides protection against coronavirus threats
Italy’s biggest utility, Enel, does not expect the coronavirus epidemic to have any major impact on its results and says its drive to digitalise operations has given it an advantage. Enel has been ramping up spending on digital networks to offer clients services like remote home appliance controls and car charging points since 2015. Last year it became the first big European utility to move all its data to the cloud. “Being an early mover is key. Digitalisation offers us a hedge against sudden crises like coronavirus for business continuity,”…
Read MoreAgainst the backdrop of the COVID-19 recession, U.S. aircraft rates are taking effect.
The Trump administration enacted its planned duty rate increase for aircraft imported from the EU on Wednesday (18 March), amid the continuing spread of COVID-19 and fears of a subsequent recession. These measures will increase the rate from 10 to 15%, particularly impacting Airbus. With Europe’s airlines already reeling from cancelled flights and the US COVID-19 travel ban, the White House dealt another blow to the European air travel industry as duty increases on EU aircraft came into effect at midnight. This came despite recent pleas from US airlines to…
Read MoreSpain presents an “unprecedented” € 200 billion coronavirus protection package
Spain announced a €200 billion package on Tuesday (17 March) to help companies and protect workers and other vulnerable groups affected by the spiralling coronavirus crisis. Police carried out checks at borders with France and Portugal, turning back foreigners attempting to enter Spain as part of strict measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus in Europe’s second-worst-hit country. More than 20 inmates clambered onto the roof of a migrant detention centre in Madrid in protest against the poor conditions inside, which they said were facilitating the spread of coronavirus….
Read MoreEU leaders agree to close external borders, fight coronavirus response
EU leaders confirmed the proposed closure of the EU’s external and Schengen borders for at least 30 days on Tuesday (17 March) as the bloc continued struggling to come up with a unified response to the coronavirus outbreak. They also decided to establish fast-track lanes at their countries’ frontiers to keep medicines and goods moving. Medical professionals and scientists would be exempt from the travel restrictions. “To limit the spread of the virus globally, we agreed to reinforce our external borders by applying a coordinated temporary restriction of nonessential travel…
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