The Italian government is expected to introduce the harshest public health restrictions since the end of its first national lockdown in May as new coronavirus cases hit a fresh daily record on Saturday. A draft government decree leaked to multiple Italian media outlets on Saturday suggested that Giuseppe Conte, prime minister,

US states were grappling with surges in coronavirus cases that threatened to overwhelm hospitals as Donald Trump and Joe Biden staged competing campaign rallies on Saturday with just 10 days to go until the presidential election. Mr Trump was due to visit three battleground states — North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin

The US has tallied the most new coronavirus cases in a week since a major summer outbreak, threatening to overwhelm hospitals in parts of the country just as voters head to the polls for one of the most hotly contested presidential elections in modern history. The worst-hit region in the latest

One of the biggest US public pension funds has frozen new investments with Apollo Global Management, as growing concerns about founder Leon Black’s relationship with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein take a toll on the $414bn private equity group. The Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System said it had a discussion

Donald Trump’s handling of the US economy is no longer benefiting his candidacy just weeks before election day, with a Financial Times poll finding more Americans believe the president’s policies are hurting rather than helping the recovery. The final monthly survey of likely voters before November 3 for the FT and

Donald Trump lashed out at Anthony Fauci, the US’s leading infectious disease expert, calling him a “disaster” as the president attempted to defend his handling of the pandemic with just two weeks until the election. In a call with campaign aides on Monday, Mr Trump played down the severity of

Europe’s economy is sliding towards a double-dip recession, with economists warning that rising coronavirus infections and fresh government restrictions on people’s movement are likely to cut short the region’s recent recovery. Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands have all announced measures in the past week to contain the

Senior Federal Reserve officials are calling for tougher financial regulation to prevent the US central bank’s low interest-rate policies from giving rise to excessive risk-taking and asset bubbles in the markets. The push reflects concerns that the Fed’s ultra-loose monetary policy for struggling families and businesses risks becoming a double-edge sword,

In 2016, Michelle Fitting, a 50-year-old registered Republican in the Philadelphia suburbs, decided not to vote for either candidate because she strongly disliked Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. “My reasoning at the time was how bad could it be,” she said, referring to the possibility of a Trump presidency. “Now, I

The US’s third big coronavirus outbreak showed no sign of abating on Friday, with hard-hit states like Wisconsin, Minnesota and Indiana reporting record one-day increases in infections. Although the new spate of cases has been concentrated in the Midwest and other northern states that are beginning to move into cold and