2.39pm GMT 14:39 The S&P 500, the US’s benchmark stock market index widely used as a barometer of economic confidence, opened on Tuesday at a record high. It follows four buyant days in global markets as investors shrug off Omicron concerns amid studies of potentially lessened severity and new drugs to treat the virus. Reuters … Read more
First flights land as New South Wales allows fully vaccinated people to enter without quarantining, while more restrictions within the state lift. Follow all the day’s news Australians can travel overseas again: what you need to know Vaccine rollout tracker; cases and data tracker Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing Frydenberg: … Read more
11.03pm BST23:03 Lifting lockdown restrictions in two stages in New South Wales could overwhelm intensive care units for up to five weeks over the Christmas period, according to modelling from a new expert advisory group. Easing restrictions when 70% of NSW adults are fully vaccinated and further relaxing rules at 80% would lead to a … Read more
U.S. officials are aiming to open travel between New York City and London with shortened traveler quarantine periods as soon as the holidays, according to people familiar with the matter. The growing availability of Covid-19 tests in the U.S. has prompted officials at the Transportation Department, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to revive … Read more
DUBAI—Emirates Airline powered Dubai’s rise from desert backwater to teeming Mideast metropolis, making the city one of the world’s biggest intercontinental hubs and generating a yearslong economic boom. But now, the coronavirus pandemic and the economic devastation it has wrought have forced the first major downsizing for an airline that has weathered Middle East conflicts … Read more
When China curtailed political freedoms in Hong Kong this summer, two rival declarations circulated at the United Nations Human Rights Council. One, drafted by Cuba and commending Beijing’s move, won the backing of 53 nations. Another, issued by the U.K. and expressing concern, secured 27 supporters. China’s show of strength was just the latest diplomatic … Read more