BUSINESS
Great Depression-sized slowdown seen, but some light appears
The wave of layoffs and furloughs have been massive. Companies continue to shed jobs, though most vow to bring people back into the workplace as soon as it is safe.
WORLD
How to end coronavirus lockdowns? Technology, tests, coordination
As governments grapple with when and how to reopen their countries for business, the International Monetary Fund projected that the world economy will suffer its worst year since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
WORLD
Could old vaccines for other germs protect against COVID-19?
The World Health Organization issued a stern warning Monday not to use the TB vaccine against COVD-19, unless and until studies prove it works.
WORLD
China's mask diplomacy a hit in virus-plagued Eastern Europe
The aid shipments also drew praise in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovakia, although some Chinese shipments of coronavirus testing kits and face masks turned out to be faulty or defective.
SPORTS-TRENDS
Athletes completing bans get unexpected chance at Olympics
The 2020 Olympics were officially postponed last month for one year, with the opening ceremony now set for July 23, 2021.
BUSINESS
Health or wealth? Nations pressured to loosen coronavirus rules
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government must balance its response to the virus crisis that “threatens to destroy lives and at the same time destroy the economic and social fabric of our country.”
WORLD
Navy reports first coronavirus death from Roosevelt crew
Over the weekend, four additional Roosevelt crew members were admitted to the hospital for monitoring of coronavirus symptoms, the Navy said. All are in stable condition and none are in intensive care or on ventilators.
BUSINESS
Disney World furloughing 43,000 more workers due to coronavirus
Disney World’s theme parks, entertainment district and hotels closed in mid-March, and Disney has been paying its workers while they stay at home.
BUSINESS
Chinese mask maker rushing to fill orders, has $50 mn in orders
Wuhan Zonsen, which makes masks and disinfection wipes, says $US50 million ($A79 million) in orders from European countries and the United States will keep them at full production capacity until June.
BUSINESS
Signs missed and steps slowed in Trump’s pandemic response
Interviewed at Davos, a gathering of global elites in the Swiss Alps, the president on Jan. 22 played down the threat posed by the respiratory virus from China, which had just reached American shores in the form of a solitary patient in Washington state.
BUSINESS
Russia slaps US for ignoring Gagarin on Spaceflight Day
The United Nations General Assembly in 2011 proclaimed the annual observance held on the anniversary of the solo one-orbit mission that made Gagarin the first man in space on April 12, 1961.
WORLD
A city under siege: 24 hours in the fight to save New York
Calls have flooded in from seniors, who are at higher risk from the virus and are hunkering down. Others used to count on care from their adult children, now forced to keep a safe distance.
BUSINESS
In a test of faith, Christians mark Good Friday in isolation
A small group of clerics are to hold a closed-door service in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. They will then walk the Via Dolorosa, the ancient route where he is believed to have carried the cross before his execution at the hands of the Romans.
BUSINESS
US job losses surge as world leaders urge Easter distancing
In other developments, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved out of intensive care at the London hospital where he is being treated for the virus. The 55-year-old had taken a turn for the worse early in the week as his country descended into its biggest crisis since World War II.
WORLD
Apollo 13's most famous quotes originated in Hollywood
Even more artistic license was taken with NASA flight director Gene Kranz’ mobilizing speech to his team in Houston.
WORLD
Coronavirus | Lockdown in India means women in Uganda can't access birth control, face growing abuse
Lockdowns imposed to curb the coronavirus’ spread have put millions of women in Africa, Asia and elsewhere out of reach of birth control and other sexual and reproductive health needs. Confined to their homes with their husbands and others, they face unwanted pregnancies and little idea of when they can reach the outside world again.
WORLD
103-year-old Italian says 'courage, faith' helped beat coronavirus
What helped her get through the illness? “Courage and strength, faith," Zanusso said. It worked for her, so she advises others who fall ill to also “give yourself courage, have faith.”
BUSINESS
In pics: As Wuhan reopens, people begin to venture outside
Chinese authorities ended the lockdown of Wuhan on Wednesday, allowing people to move about and leave the city for the first time in 76 days.
BUSINESS
Countries start thinking about easing up on restrictions
“To end the confinement, we’re not going to go from black to white; we’re going to go from black to gray,” top French epidemiologist Jean-François Delfraissy said in a radio interview.
BUSINESS
Kobe Bryant’s latest book to debut atop best-seller list
The latest release from Bryant’s Granity Studios, “The Wizenard Series: Season One” will debut at No. 1 on The New York Times’ middle-grade hardcover list that will be published April 19. Earlier this week, it had already hit No. 1 on Amazon’s bestseller list for children’s basketball books.
BUSINESS
Virus outbreak delivers tech darlings a harsh reality check
Since the beginning of March, for instance, Uber shares have lost a quarter of their value. Rival Lyft is down 28 percent. Over the same period, the S&P 500 has fallen just 10 percent, even with wild swings along the way.
BUSINESS
In pics: Wuhan was a city in slumber before the lockdown ended
During the 76-day lockdown, Wuhan’s residents seemed to live in a crepuscular world of neither night nor day, with time passing slowly, each day blurring into the next.
BUSINESS
Customers get some breathing room; layoffs keep coming
With thousands having lost jobs, JPMorgan Chase has done away with minimum payment requirements on credit cards and it's waiving late fees.
WORLD
When leaders are stricken in office, how do nations act?
Britain has no recent experience to call upon. Seven prime ministers have died in office, the last in the 19th century. Two of Johnson's Conservative predecessors in the premiership, his professed hero Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden, stepped down from the post in the 1950s while ailing.
