Your Wednesday Briefing

Good afternoon. Here’s today’s briefing for April 14, 2020.

1. In the world of stocks, yesterday’s gains were reversed as many stocks now suffer from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. One expert warns “the economy is literally in free fall with consumers unable to get out to the shops and malls in March, and about the only retailers smiling are grocery stores with consumers stockpiling food for the coming economic apocalypse.”
2. In coronavirus-related news, the world’s confirmed coronavirus cases have passed two million, although experts say the actual number of infections is likely to be much higher as the virus is sometimes asymptomatic.
3. The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has criticized US President Donald Trump for suspending funding to the WHO, saying “When we are divided, the virus exploits the cracks between us.” Meanwhile, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, who is a major donor to the WHO, has said that it was “as dangerous as it sounds.”

This day is over. This briefing will no longer be updated.