The U.S. economy could shrink by 30 percent or more this quarter as stay-at-home orders aimed at slowing the coronavirus outbreak choke off business, and it could be a couple of years before the economy regains its footing, former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday. “Overall, it could be a very bad year for the economy,” Bernanke said …

An anonymous donor from Madison County, IA sent $150 gift cards to every household in the 1,400 person town of Earlham, in order to help the local economy amid the coronavirus outbreak. On March 26, Mayor Jeff Lillie received a phone call from a man calling on behalf of an anonymous donor looking to help boost the town’s economy. The …

Allstate Insurance is stepping up and putting money back into its customers’ pockets during this COVID-19 pandemic. It is using its slogan, “You’re in Good Hands,” literally. The insurance company announced its Shelter-in-Place Payback where it will return more than $600 million in auto insurance premiums to customers for April and May. The idea is that more people are “at …

Japan poised to declare state of emergency over COVID-19. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency on Tuesday for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus after an alarming growth in cases in urban areas. The declaration, effective through May 6, will enable prefectural governors to take stronger preventive steps, ranging …

Wedding cells: South Africa bridal couple arrested for breaching lockdown. Police in South Africa have arrested a bride and groom, a priest, and 40 guests who defied the rules of the country’s strict coronavirus lockdown to hold a wedding in KwaZulu Natal province. South African broadcaster eNCA aired a video footage showing the bride-to-be in the back of a police …

Dozens of health workers were tortured and arrested in Quetta, Pakistan while they were protesting for the provision of personal protective equipment outside the office of the Chief Minister of Balochistan Province in Pakistan. The Young Doctors’ Association of Balochistan, along with the Nurses’ Association and the Hospital Workers’ Association, had been demanding the provision of protective equipment for many …

The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States topped 10,000 as of 1:20 p.m. local time Monday (1720 GMT), according to the data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. A total of 10,335 people have died of the disease among 347,003 confirmed cases in the country, the CSSE …

SPAIN is holding drive-through funerals for coronavirus victims as the number of deaths rises above 13,000. La Almudena cemetery in Madrid, the largest in the country, saw funerals held every 15 minutes for those that have died from COVID-19. Hearses were seen driving up to the doors of the chapel before a quick blessing followed by burial or cremation. Although …