August 6, 2020
Gold prices raced towards a record high on Thursday as dismal U.S. jobs data hammered the dollar and intensified worries about a recovery in the pandemic-ravaged global economy.
Spot gold was just a hair's breadth away from its all-time high touched in the previous session, up 0.6% at $2,051.44 per ounce by 0645 GMT. US gold futures rose 0.8% to $2,064.60.
'There are"...
August 6, 2020
London-listed shares dove on Thursday as the Bank of England forecast a slower-than-expected rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, while Glencore tumbled after scrapping its dividend to pay down debt.
The miner fell 4.6% as it also booked a $3.2 billion impairment charge, driving the FTSE 100 down 1.2%.
ITV, Britain's biggest free-to-air commercial broadcaster, was also among"...
August 6, 2020
SULAIMANI, Iraq — In Iraq's Kurdistan region and at the country's Muslim Shiite holy sites, trading US dollars for rials from Iran was once big business.
But the money exchange trade has been hard hit by lockdown restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19, and by deep economic woes in both countries.
Traders in Sulaimani, the second city of Iraqi Kurdistan and close to the border with Iran, have seen dramatic changes.
In March, before restrictions to stem the pandemic which"...
August 6, 2020
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A number of Duhok villages have been placed under quarantine as the number of infected continues to rise across the province.
Once one of the safest provinces during the pandemic, Duhok’s virus rates have increased dramatically since the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday in late July, and is said to be partly due to travel between different Kurdistan Region provinces.
Two"...
August 6, 2020
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — When schools used to close for the summer, gaming centers in Erbil would regularly be visited by crowds of children and teens – and sometimes adults - to pass the free time. However, the spread of coronavirus and the economic crisis in the Kurdistan Region has left many of them struggling to stay open.
“Seven to eight people come to play games every day. This number is very low, compared to before. We charge them 3-4,000 IQD ($2.50-$3.30) for an hour,” Saeed, who"...
