Author: LoveWorld UK

In Nigeria’s Benue state, the food basket of the country, Mercy Yialase sits in front of her idle rice mill. Demand is high across the nation, but she already has mounds of paddy rice that are going nowhere amid the COVID-19 lockdown. “I can’t mill because the marketers are not coming,” Yialase said, referring to wholesale buyers, as she sat at a market stall in the city of Makurdi with dozens of other millers. Although food truck drivers are meant to be exempt from lockdown restrictions, many are afraid for their own safety, or fear they will be fined or…

The first person in Sadad Dakhare’s two-bedroom apartment in Oslo, Norway, to show symptoms was his 4-year-old niece. Next, his mother, his sister and he himself fell ill. Then, about a week after his niece became sick, Dakhare heard his 76-year-old father coughing heavily. He found his father lying in bed, gasping for air. “Just call an ambulance,” the father told Dakhare. At an Oslo hospital, Dakhare’s father tested positive for COVID-19 and was treated for a few days before he was discharged to finish his recovery at home. The Dakhare family’s story is a familiar one among Somalis in…

More states in the U.S. South and Midwest signaled readiness on Wednesday to reopen their economies in hopes the worst of the coronavirus pandemic had passed, but California’s governor held firm to sweeping stay-at-home orders and business closures. The patchwork of still-evolving orders across the 50 states meant some Americans were still confined indefinitely to their homes, unable to work, while others began to venture out for the first time in weeks. “I wish I could prescribe a specific date to say that we can turn on that light switch and go back to normalcy,” California Governor Gavin Newsom, a…

All member nations of the World Health Organization (WHO) should support a proposed independent review into the coronavirus pandemic, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, further threatening strained ties with China. Australia has become one of most forceful critics of Beijing for its handling of the spread of the coronavirus, with Morrison urging several world leaders to support an international inquiry into its origins and spread, as well as the WHO’s response. The COVID-19 outbreak originated in China and has since spread to infect some 2.3 million people globally and killed nearly 160,000, according to Reuters calculations. Beijing…

video conferencing app’s user base grew by another 50% to 300 million in the last three weeks, as the company fought to quell a backlash around security and safety that has seen a number of governments and firms ban its applications. Chief Executive Eric Yuan gave the numbers late on Wednesday in an update on the platform’s 90-day security plan, while also outlining the rollout next week of a new version of the app with more encryption features. Zoom shares closed up nearly 5% in New York, and at $150.25 are now back close to peaks close to $160 hit…

The British parliament’s health committee will examine how the health service is balancing the demands of the COVID-19 battle with other essential health services such as cancer diagnosis and treatment. “The capacity of the NHS is being severely tested in meeting the urgent health care needs of patients with coronavirus and dealing with those with other life-threatening conditions,” Health and Social Care Committee Chairman Jeremy Hunt said. “Unless we get this balance right, the lives of people at risk of delays for medical treatment could be lost needlessly,” he said. “Our inquiry will examine the scale of the challenge and consider…

Taylor Wimpey (TW.L) has continued to sell houses despite wide-ranging UK restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and the shutting of its business locations, the UK’s third-largest homebuilder said on Thursday, reporting a solid year-on-year rise in orders. Shares up 5.8% to 143 pence at 0724 GMT. Britain’s housing market, widely seen as an important indicator of consumer confidence and spending, has been brought to a virtual halt by the coronavirus lockdowns, with the government advising against new sales, and pricing websites saying it is almost impossible to measure current rates. Many companies have also shut down construction…

BERLIN (Reuters) – German consumers are counting their pennies rather than returning to shop in large numbers as stores gradually reopen after being locked down during the coronavirus crisis, the national retailers association said on Wednesday. Stores of up to 800 square metres (8,600 square feet) were allowed to open again from Monday, along with car and bicycle dealers and bookstores, provided they adhere to strict social distancing and hygiene rules. But the HDE association said the mood among shoppers remained very subdued due to concerns about jobs and finances. “Consumers are in a crisis mode, consumer sentiment is in…

North Korean state media on Wednesday made no mention of leader Kim Jong Un’s health or whereabouts, a day after intense international speculation over his health was sparked by media reports he was gravely ill after a cardiovascular procedure. North Korean media presented a business as usual image, carrying routine reporting of Kim’s achievements, publishing his older or undated quotes on issues like the economy. South Korean and Chinese officials and sources familiar with U.S. intelligence have cast doubt on the South Korean and U.S. media reports, while the White House said it was closely monitoring the matter. U.S. President…

Loan payment freezes negotiated by companies with their banks during the pandemic should not damage their credit rating, credit reference agencies in Britain said on Wednesday. Experian, Creditsafe, Dun and Bradstreet, and Equifax set out guidance on Wednesday to protect business credit scores during the coronavirus lockdown. The government and regulators want banks to offer loan repayment freezes to companies struggling to stay afloat as millions of people are furloughed or forced to claim welfare benefits and a deep recession looms. “Once agreed, lenders should not report a build-up of arrears to the four designated credit reference agencies… ensuring business…