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Pandemic disproportionately affecting women and girls, UN says The coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting women and girls globally, the United Nations said in a policy brief released Thursday. While the pandemic reaches everyone, "it affects different groups of people differently, deepening existing inequalities. Early data indicates that the mortality rates from COVID-19 may be higher for men. But the pandemic is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a video released along with the brief. The economic toll will hurt women globally as they tend to earn less, hold less secure jobs and are more likely to be employed in the informal sector. Issues surrounding women’s healthcare, unpaid domestic labor and gender-based violence are also currently exacerbated, it said. As well as working to contain the outbreak, Guterres urged governments to also focus on the gender divide: “That starts with women as leaders, with equal representation and decision-making power. Measures to protect and stimulate the economy — from cash transfers to credits and loans — must be targeted at women,” he said. Share this -







LIVE - April 10: @AymanOghanna with your coronavirus Global Update, including the IMF’s economic warning, Yemen’s first recorded case, France’s bullet train ICU, a push-up tutorial from Uganda’s president, and more. pic.twitter.com/ILuFUgfngO — NBC News (@NBCNews) April 10, 2020 Share this -







Prisoners in Ecuador set to manufacture coffins amid virus shortage Hundreds of prisoners in Ecuador will begin making wooden coffins to help cover a shortage emerging due to the coronavirus outbreak. The health crisis has prompted a shortage of coffins in Guayaquil, one of the worst hit regions, prompting some families to bury their relatives in cardboard boxes donated to cemeteries by private companies. "The Environment Ministry is donating seized wood, which would have gone toward other purposes for a noble cause: give a wooden coffin to families who have lost a loved one," Environment Minister Juan DeHowitt said in a statement. Prisoners in Ambato city plan to start delivering the coffins next week. Share this -







Walmart sold enough toilet paper in 5 days for every American to have one roll, CEO says Walmart CEO Doug McMillon encourages shoppers to ‘buy week to week’ April 10, 2020 09:11 Walmart sold enough toilet paper in five days for every American to have their own roll, a statistic cited by the retail giant's CEO in saying that shoppers should buy only what they need for a week instead of stocking up. As to what else people are buying, CEO Doug McMillon said on TODAY on Friday that initially food was flying off the shelves during the pandemic. Then entertainment and educational products such as puzzles and games became popular. Now, grooming products like hair color and beard trimmers are in high demand. Walmart's business has increased during the crisis, leading to the hiring of more than 100,000 new workers since March 19. All employees have masks and gloves and starting Friday, their temperatures were being taken before they began their shifts. Share this -







Obama to U.S. mayors: 'Speak the truth. Speak it clearly.' Former President Barack Obama addressed a group of mayors on how to best deal with the outbreak in an online meeting on Thursday, saying the “biggest mistake any us can make in these situations is to misinform.” "Speak the truth. Speak it clearly. Speak it with compassion. Speak it with empathy for what folks are going through," Obama said to mayors of more than 300 cities across America, according to a press release on the virtual meeting organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Obama also urged the politicians to surround themselves with a strong team of reliable experts and to not be afraid to ask questions. This was the fourth virtual meeting Bloomberg's group has held with mayors. Two of the previous meetings have featured speeches by former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Mayors have been working hard to help us get through this pandemic, and they’ll have just as big a task to help people through hard times ahead. I spent some time with many of them today to thank them for their efforts, and asked them to keep up the good work. https://t.co/YzqPMPo8m2 — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 9, 2020 Share this -







Nigeria reports 14 new cases of coronavirus Nigeria has reported 14 new cases of coronavirus, the majority in the economic center of Lagos, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The West African nation now has 288 confirmed cases and 7 deaths as of Thursday evening, it said. Fourteen new cases of #COVID19 have been reported in Nigeria: 13 in Lagos and 1 in Delta State



As at 09:30 pm 9th April there are 288 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria. Fifty-one have been discharged with seven deaths pic.twitter.com/DuP2SGUiTy — NCDC (@NCDCgov) April 9, 2020 Share this -







Tokyo Olympics may not happen even in 2021 TOKYO — As the coronavirus spreads in Japan, the chief executive of the Tokyo Games said Friday he can’t guarantee the postponed Olympics will be staged next year — even with a 16-month delay. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued an emergency declaration this week to battle the virus, putting the country under restrictions after it seemed it had avoided the spread. “I don’t think anyone would be able to say if it is going to be possible to get it under control by next July or not,” Tokyo organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said, speaking through an interpreter at a news conference conducted remotely. ”We’re certainly are not in a position to give you a clear answer.” The Olympics were postponed last month with a new opening set for July 23, 2021, followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 24. Share this -







U.S. virus economy could burst big-city rent bubble The gridlocked U.S. coronavirus economy could upend housing from coast to coast, bursting national apartment rents that have risen by 150 percent over the last decade, experts say. Yet the situation will likely do little to alleviate the housing crisis, as the more than 16 million Americans who filed for unemployment insurance in the last three weeks will still need roofs over their heads, say economists and affordable housing advocates. More than half of the 600 concerned landlords on a conference call Wednesday with the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles said they have tenants who haven't fully paid their April rent, according to Executive Director Daniel Yukelson. Read the full story here. A sign advertising a house for rent in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2015. Richard Vogel / AP file Share this -







From Rome to Jerusalem, Christians mark Good Friday in isolation Christians around the world are commemorating Easter without the solemn church services or emotional processions of past years, marking Good Friday in a world locked down by the coronavirus pandemic. A small group of clerics held 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. In Rome, the torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum is usually a highlight of Holy Week, drawing large crowds of pilgrims and tourists. It’s been cancelled this year, along with all other public gatherings in Italy — which is battling one of the worst outbreaks. Pope Francis will lead a Good Friday ceremony to an empty St. Peter’s Square on Friday evening. Share this -





