Explainer: How the World Health Organization might face future pandemics

Negotiations on new rules for dealing with pandemics will begin at the World Health Organization on Thursday, with a target date of May 2024 for a treaty to be adopted by the U.N. health agency’s 194 member countries.
HSBC boosts profitability goal on higher rates, profit doubling

HSBC (HSBA.L) brought forward its key profitability target by a year and more than doubled its annual profit as expected bad loans from the COVID-19 pandemic failed to materialise, and it pointed to rising interest rates lifting its income.
California has unveiled a “Smart plan” to combat coronavirus as a manageable threat!

California health authorities have revealed, the next phase of California’s Covid-19 response.
Singapore to hike taxes on rich as it winds down COVID-19 spending

Singapore will begin implementing a long-flagged increase to its goods and services tax next year, its finance minister said in his budget speech on Friday, while also announcing a slew of tax hikes aimed at higher income groups.
NatWest earnings soar but rising prices bite

British bank NatWest (NWG.L) swung to a hefty profit on the back of the country’s economic recovery but said rising prices will make it harder to cut overheads, prompting it to lower its cost-cutting target.
Age before apps revolt galvanises Europe’s elderly savers

Aggravated by fiddly financial apps, retired urologist Carlos San Juan got more than he bargained for when he began a campaign for a more user-friendly service from Spain’s banks.
EXCLUSIVE EU, Gates Foundation to support African medicines agency -source
BRUSSELS, Feb 11 (Reuters) – The European Union and the Gates Foundation are set to announce a package of financial support for the nascent efforts to set up an African medicines regulator in a bid to boost the continent’s drugs and vaccine production, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. The treaty establishing the […]
Analysis: World’s damaged supply chains brace for painful recovery

Signs are growing that a global supply chain crisis which has confounded central bank inflation forecasts, stunted economic recoveries and compressed corporate margins could finally start to unwind towards the end of this year.
EU exec cuts 2022 euro zone growth forecast, sharply raises inflation view

Euro zone economic growth will be slower than earlier expected this year because of a new wave of COVID-19 infections, high energy prices and continued supply-side disruptions, while inflation will be much higher, the European Commission said.
Bunge quarterly profit rises 17% on agribusiness boost

Global farm commodities trader Bunge Ltd (BG.N) reported a 17.1% rise in fourth-quarter adjusted profit on Wednesday as large oilseed crops in North America and Europe and strong demand for processed meal and oil bolstered its core agribusiness.