Today News: March 2020

As Furloughs Grow, Kennedy Center Defends Use of $25 Million in Aid

By BY JULIA JACOBS from NYT Arts https://nyti.ms/2R2QI7E

Coronavirus: A fifth of smaller UK firms 'will run out of cash'

Despite government help, almost 20% of UK firms are unlikely to get the money they need to survive.

from BBC News - Business https://bbc.in/3dIPzfp

U.S. says two locally employed staff at foreign missions died of the coronavirus

Two locally employed staff at U.S. foreign missions, one in Indonesia and one in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have died of the coronavirus, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday, its first pandemic-related losses among staff.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2UODBbm

U.S. death toll spirals amid rush to build field hospitals, find supplies

The U.S. government raced on Tuesday to build hundreds of makeshift hospitals near major cities as healthcare systems were pushed to capacity, and sometimes beyond, by the coronavirus pandemic.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/3bHzpkq

U.S. emergency medical stockpile nearly out of protective gear as demand rises - officials

An emergency stockpile of medical equipment maintained by the U.S. government has nearly run out of protective gear that could be useful to combat the coronavirus pandemic, according to two officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2w3WrTv

Texan spring break group tests positive for coronavirus after Mexico beach trip

Twenty-eight students who returned to Texas after spring break at Mexico's Cabo San Lucas beach resort have tested positive for coronavirus, although Mexican officials pushed back against the suggestion that they picked up the virus at the tourist spot.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2R0AbRO

Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Strikes in Idaho

A large earthquake struck north of Boise, Idaho, Tuesday evening, with people across a large area reporting shaking.

from CBNNews.com https://bit.ly/3dLNUWs

Las domadoras de leones de Egipto dominan el negocio

By BY DECLAN WALSH from NYT en Español https://nyti.ms/2WWCjxK

$30 Million in Illegal Drugs Seized From Cross-Border Tunnel in San Diego, U.S. Says

By BY NEIL VIGDOR from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2wIxTQw

U.S. rushes to build makeshift hospitals as death toll rises by 800

The U.S. government raced on Tuesday to build hundreds of makeshift hospitals near major cities to ease the strain on overwhelmed healthcare systems as President Donald Trump predicted a "very painful" two weeks ahead.

from Reuters: U.S. https://reut.rs/2R1wYBt

Stocks under pressure after biggest quarterly drop since 2008

Asian shares faced another leg lower on Wednesday as the coronavirus sharply slows global growth, leading a gauge of world stocks to post its biggest quarterly decline in more than a decade and oil prices to trade near lows last seen in 2002.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/3dHjpRj

U.S. pension funds may pour $400 billion into stocks, lifting virus-hit markets: JP Morgan

U.S. pension funds that delayed rebalancing their portfolios are likely to pump about $400 billion into stocks over the next two quarters, analysts at JP Morgan said, providing a potential boost to...

from Reuters: Wealth https://reut.rs/3aD0AwM

Mexico president ramps up rich vs poor rhetoric in coronavirus fight

As the outlook for Mexico's economy gets gloomier during the coronavirus crisis, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has driven home the message that his government is ready to help the poor to weather the storm - but that the rich can forget it.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/39CePQZ

Australian authorities take cluster approach to contain coronavirus

Australian authorities will open a pop-up coronavirus testing clinic next to Sydney's Bondi Beach on Wednesday as health workers try to contain clusters of infections across the country.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/3aA1HNR

Paris Club creditors agree to cancel $1.4 billion of Somali debt

The Paris Club of creditor nations agreed on Tuesday to restructure Somalia's debt, including immediately canceling $1.4 billion owed by the impoverished Horn of Africa country.