The European Union condemned Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement that he was suspending air travel to America from 26 European countries for 30 days. The EU said the decision had been made without consultation【商讨；磋商】. Passengers scrambled【争先恐后地抢;互相争夺】 to get flights back to America. More European countries imposed severe restrictions on their citizens to stop the spread of covid-19; Ireland and France closed schools and colleges. Globally, authorities have now confirmed 124,000 cases of covid-19 and 4,600 deaths.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 10%, its worst drop since the 1987 crash, after Mr Trump’s travel ban sent shares tumbling. Trading in New York was suspended for the second time this week after the S&P 500 index fell by 7% soon after opening. The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped by 11.5%, a record one-day fall, and the FTSE 100 index fell by 11%. Shares in airlines and travel operators performed particularly badly.
Citing “highly unusual disruptions in Treasury financing markets associated with the coronavirus outbreak” the Federal Reserve said it would inject 135bn) of asset purchases. But the ECB disappointed financial markets by keeping its deposit rate, which is already negative, unchanged.
Three soldiers, two American and one British, were killed and several more wounded by a rocket attack on a military base in Iraq. They were part of an American-led coalition combating Islamic State. Tensions in the region were heightened by America’s assassination of Qassem Suleimani, a senior Iranian commander, in January. Iranian-backed groups have been blamed for previous such attacks in Iraq.
Intu warned that it could go bust【破产】 unless it manages to raise more funds quickly. The owner of some of Britain’s biggest shopping centres, including Manchester’s Trafford Centre and Essex’s Lakeside, reported a loss of more than £2bn ($2.6bn) in 2019. Business has been hit by the rise of online retailing and a broader slowdown in consumer demand.
RWE, Germany’s biggest electricity producer, reported that its adjusted net income for 2019 had doubled to €1.2bn ($1.35bn). The company attributed the surge to the performance of its supply and trading unit. RWE has committed itself to spending €5bn on expanding its renewables business as it seeks to quit coal-fired generation.
The dispute over Guyana’s election took another turn after the Supreme Court ordered a partial recount. The opposition People’s Progressive Party, claims that results were doctored to favor the coalition headed by David Granger, the president. Both sides declared victory after the poll on March 2nd. With the country anticipating a life-changing oil bonanza, much is at stake【在危险中；利害[生死]攸关】.
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