Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 27 February 2020.
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
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Key Articles
Global
- Japan shares drop beyond 2% as South Korea central bank keeps rate unchanged (CNBC) Major Asia Pacific markets were mixed on Thursday as investors remained cautious over the fast-spreading new coronavirus that has infected more than 81,000 people and killed over 2,700. Japanese stocks led losses among major markets. Mainland Chinese stocks saw gains on the day. The U.S. dollar index traded lower at 98.908. Oil prices fell in the afternoon of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down 1.07% to $52.86 per barrel. U.S. crude futures also dropped 1.13% to $48.18 per barrel. Spot gold rose 0.6% to $1,648.63 per ounce by 0836 GMT. Bonds rallied sharply with the U.S. 10-year yoeld falling below 1.30% and the 30-year below 1.80% for the first time ever.
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U.S.
- Pentagon policy chief’s firing was part of White House purge (Politico) The White House demanded the ouster of Pentagon policy chief John Rood last week after the former industry executive opposed the administration on plans to pull U.S. troops from Syria and its policy toward Chinese tech giant Huawei.
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- Coronavirus case in US may be due to ‘community spread’ of infection (South China Morning Post) If this becomes a common occurence the disease containment game is completely changed. Quarantines for the ill are no longer effective.
- American patient with no apparent sign of exposure tests positive for the virus
- US health officials say community spread of Covid-19 would weaken travel restrictions and other containment measures
China
- Coronavirus did not originate in Wuhan seafood market, Chinese scientists say (South Chinba Morning Post)
- Analysis of genomic data from 93 samples of the novel coronavirus suggests it was imported from elsewhere
- The busy market then boosted its circulation and spread it to the whole city, research shows
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Additional important articles:
Global
- Governments ramp up preparations for coronavirus pandemic (Reuters)
- Track the Coronavirus Outbreak on Johns Hopkins Live Dashboard (MedPage Today)
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U.S.
- Trump shakes up Justice Department, intelligence community (The Hill)
- Obama demands South Carolina TV stations pull misleading ad attacking Biden (The Washington Post)
- San Francisco declares state of emergency over coronavirus (The Hill)
- Republicans look to squeeze Dems with vote on Bernie’s Cuba comments (Politico)
- Trump says coronavirus vaccine coming along ‘rapidly,’ appoints Pence to head task force (Fox News)
- Trump takes a victory lap early on in the coronavirus fight (CNN)
- Why Tuesday is shaping up to be a good day for Bernie Sanders (The Washington Post)
- Decriminalization of polygamy in Utah clears key hurdle in state legislature (Reuters)
- A woman raised $170,000 for Elizabeth Warren by dangling gossip. The idea caught on. (The Washington Post)
UK
- With the UK’s European door closed, it’s open season for xenophobia (Social Europe)
- UK receives highest number of non-EU immigrants in 15 years (Reuters)
Greece
Syria
Russia
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Libya
Pakistan
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India
- Indian scientists decry ‘infuriating’ scheme to study benefits of cow dung, urine, and milk (Science)
- Death toll passes 30 in Delhi violence as Modi issues plea for calm (The Washington Post)
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Japan
- Fourth Diamond Princess passenger dies (USA Today)
South Korea
- Coronavirus: in South Korea, mounting anger, rumours over Shincheonji church as cases rise (South China Morning Post)
- The spike in Covid-19 cases has heightened interest in the controversial church, which accounts for over half of the country’s infections
- Anger and mistrust reached a peak when an online post detailed its alleged plans to infiltrate traditional churches to spread the virus
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