Coronavirus Update

Global cases rose to nearly 2.41 million yesterday with more than 165,000 deaths. The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to more than 763,800 with 40,553 confirmed deaths.

• The UK has extended its wage-subsidy program for furloughed workers until the end of June.
• Roughly 80 million Americans have received their stimulus payments, with about 91 million more still to be paid - here’s a timeline showing when all stimulus payments should arrive.
• Residents in five states held protests against their respective governors’ stay-at-home orders on Sunday, adding to several other states who saw similar protests last week.
• Spain on Sunday reported its lowest death toll in almost a month, as Singapore reported its highest daily increase in cases thus far, with 942.
• South Korea on Sunday extended the country’s social distancing policy for another 16 days, but slightly relaxed the guidelines surrounding churches and organized sports.

China Arrests Hong Kong Democracy Leaders

Police on Saturday arrested 15 leading Hong Kong pro-democracy activists and charged them with organizing and participating in “unlawful assemblies” on two occasions last year. The arrests have been condemned by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as well as UK government officials.

More: The Hong Kong protests began last June in response to a proposed bill that would have allowed extradition of criminals to China (later withdrawn), though protesters’ demands later grew to encompass five main points.

Deadly Shooting In Nova Scotia

A lone gunman in Nova Scotia, Canada fatally shot at least 16 other people on Sunday, including a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Authorities say the gunman is also deceased, but his 16 victims represent the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.

The Coronavirus Effect

• Neiman Marcus is expected to file for bankruptcy this week (as reported by Reuters), becoming the U.S. first department chain to go under due to COVID-19.
• Amazon said it will keep its six warehouses in France closed until at least Wednesday after a French court ruled it must limit deliveries pending a safety investigation.
• Walmart on Friday announced plans to hire an additional 50,000 workers to help meet a recent surge in demand.
• United Airlines on Sunday said it will sell and lease back 22 planes to Bank of China Aviation.

Slick Talk

The founder and director of Hin Leong Trading - a top Singapore oil-trading company - reportedly ordered the firm not to disclose a sum of $800 million in losses over the past few years. Lim Oon Kuin (known as O.K. Lim) disclosed the hidden losses in a court filing on Friday as the company seeks a six-month moratorium on debts of $3.85 billion to 23 banks.

Google Debit

According to TechCrunch, Google is developing its own version of physical and virtual debit cards, which will be co-branded with financial institutions including CITI and Stanford Federal Credit Union. Google is reportedly hoping to compete with Apple Pay and the Apple Card, which launched in March 2019.

Dog Days

With current events forcing a majority of the population indoors, many have turned to animal companionship as a way of helping to cope with the extended quarantine.

At the Friends of Palm Beach animal shelter in Florida, there are generally upwards of 50 dogs waiting their turn to be adopted - until last week, when the shelter celebrated emptying their kennels for the first time ever.

Born This Way

It’s often said that some couples are simply destined to be together. That certainly is the case for one Michigan pair, whose connection can be traced all the way back to birth.

Doug and Lynda McCready, who have been married for 27 years, were both born at Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI on April 7, 1970 -  just hours apart. The two recently celebrated their shared 50th birthday at the cottage where they first fell in love.

The Social Network

Many people have found themselves looking for things to occupy their time while quarantined at home. Aaron Davidson of Bolton, England realized he could alleviate his boredom by crafting a plan to entertain his whole block.

Aaron placed bingo cards in each of his neighbors’ mailboxes, then fired up his PA system and began to call out numbers. Residents subsequently gathered in their driveways to safely socialize and compete over prizes of chocolate, booze, and toilet paper.