The US justice department is investigating alleged insider trading by lawmakers who sold stocks just before the coronavirus pandemic sparked a major market downturn, according to US media. Republican Senator Richard Burr is said to be among those to have been contacted by the FBI.

Mr Burr, 64, has denied wrongdoing. It is illegal for Congress members to trade based on non-public information gathered during their official duties. He has said he relied solely on publicly available news reports. Earlier this month various senators came under fire over alleged “insider trading”. Mr Burr, of North Carolina, reportedly dumped up to $1.7m (£1.45m) of stocks last month, which has led to calls for his resignation. Trump extends US virus guidelines to end of April. What this crisis reveals about US – and its president. His lawyer, Alice Fisher, said the senator welcomed the investigation, saying it will “establish that his actions were appropriate”.(BBC)…[+]