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US records worst Covid-19 week since summer peak

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

Apollo investor halts new commitments over Black’s Epstein ties

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

US voters turn against Trump’s economic policies

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

Trump calls top virus task force member a ‘disaster’

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 second wave raises threat of double-dip recession

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

Fed officials call for tougher rules to prevent asset bubbles

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,

‘Please like me’: Trump loses ground with suburban women

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

Cases of Covid-19 continue to sharply rise in US Midwest

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

Covid-19 spread quickens in US election battleground states

Several of the most fiercely contested battleground states in the US presidential election showed sharp increases in coronavirus cases on Thursday, reinforcing the pandemic as the central issue of the campaign in its final weeks. Both Wisconsin and North Carolina — which Donald Trump won four years ago but where he

Macron announces curfew for Paris and 8 French cities

French president Emmanuel Macron has announced a 9pm-6am curfew for Paris and eight other big cities from Saturday in an attempt to curb the rise of coronavirus infections that threaten to overwhelm the country’s hospitals.  “Our intensive care wards are under unsustainable pressure,” Mr Macron said in an interview with French