CATEGORIES

Travel Crushed By Virus; Mortgage Availability Worsens

The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unrecedented speed. Following are developments related to national and global response, the workplace and the spread of the virus.

SPACE AGENCY: HUMAN URINE COULD HELP MAKE CONCRETE ON MOON

The European Space Agency said that human urine could one day become a useful ingredient in making concrete to build on the moon.

TWITTER TO LABEL DISPUTED COVID-19 TWEETS

Twitter announced it will start alerting users when a tweet makes disputed or misleading claims about the coronavirus.

STUDY: WECHAT CONTENT OUTSIDE CHINA USED FOR CENSORSHIP

Documents and images shared by users outside China on WeChat, the country’s most popular social media platform, are being monitored and cataloged for use in political censorship in China, a new report says.

GOOGLE AFFILIATE SCRAPS PLAN FOR TORONTO SMART CITY PROJECT

Google abandoned its smart-city development in Toronto after more than two years of controversy over privacy concerns and amid economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

DUBAI AIRPORT CEO: GLOBAL TRAVEL STILL UP IN AIR OVER VIRUS

The CEO of the world’s busiest airport for international travel wants to get the globe flying again, but even he acknowledges everything remains up in the air during the coronavirus pandemic.

HOSPITALS TURN TO ONLINE MATCHMAKERS TO SWAP SUPPLIES

Facing shortages of protective equipment, two New England hospital systems tried the latest twist in internet matchmaking: online swap meets.

BOEING GOES ANOTHER MONTH WITHOUT A SINGLE AIRLINER ORDER

Boeing failed to sell a single commercial airplane but saw orders for 108 planes canceled in April as a sharp drop in air travel erased any demand among airlines for new jetliners.

Zoom Buys Security Firm Keybase

Zoom Video Communications is buying security firm Keybase in an effort to shore up security for its video meetings.

‘U Ok?' Virus-Era Friendships Can Be Both Crucial & Fraught

A single mother hunkering down at home with a teenage daughter, Sharon Litwin sees her friends, like most people these days, only virtually. Even so, they’ve been a crucial lifeline.

FILM FESTIVALS TEAM UP TO OFFER FREE GLOBAL FEST ON YOUTUBE

Film festivals worldwide are teaming up to launch “We Are One: A Global Film Festival,” which will play out over 10 days and be available for free on YouTube.

HOTELS, AIRBNB BEEF UP CLEANING STANDARDS TO CALM TRAVELERS

Hotels and home-sharing companies are beefing up their cleaning efforts in order to soothe jittery travelers.

FACEBOOK REVENUE GROWTH SLOWS, BUT ‘SIGNS OF STABILITY' RISE

Facebook reported its slowest quarterly growth as a public company, pressured by the coronavirus pandemic and a resulting global slowdown in digital advertising.

EUROPEAN DOCTORS WARN RARE KIDS' SYNDROME MAY HAVE VIRUS TIE

Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus.

CALIFORNIA SCALES UP 1ST-IN-US ELECTRIC TRUCK SALE PROPOSAL

California regulators strengthened a proposed first-in-the-nation rule that would force automakers to sell more electric delivery vans and work trucks in a state with the country’s worst air quality.

MAKING PUBLIC TRANSIT SAFE A NEXT HURDLE IN EASING LOCKDOWNS

In cities around the world, public transportation systems are key to getting workers back on the job and restarting devastated economies. Yet methods of getting around, ranging from trains and buses to ferries and bicycles, will have to be re-imagined for the coronavirus era.

COMCAST PROFIT SLIDES AS PANDEMIC HITS MOVIES, THEME PARKS

Comcast’s net income slid in the first three months of the year as the coronavirus pandemic forced it to shut down its theme parks and its movies were kept out of shuttered theaters.

AMERICAN AIRLINES POSTS $2.2 BILLION LOSS DURING PANDEMIC

American Airlines reported a staggering loss of $2.24 billion for the first quarter, when the coronavirus pandemic triggered a sharp drop in air travel.

30 MILLION HAVE SOUGHT US UNEMPLOYMENT AID SINCE VIRUS HIT

More than 3.8 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the U.S. economy slid further into a crisis that is becoming the most devastating since the 1930s.

VIRGIN GALACTIC COMPLETES FIRST GLIDE FLIGHT IN NEW MEXICO

Virgin Galactic’s spaceship VSS Unity landed in the New Mexico desert last Friday, marking its first glide flight from Spaceport America as the company moves toward commercial operations.

NINTENDO MARKS PROFIT JUMP AS PEOPLE STAY HOME AMID PANDEMIC

Japanese video-game maker Nintendo Co. scored a 33% jump in annual profit, as people stuck at home turn to playing games.

CHINA EXPORTS REBOUND IN APRIL BUT MORE WEAKNESS AHEAD

China’s exports rebounded in April to rise 3.5% over a year earlier, but forecasters warned that strength is unlikely to last as the coronavirus pandemic depresses global consumer demand.

GLOBAL LUXURY GOODS SALES TO SLIDE UP TO 35% - STUDY

The global luxury goods sector is heading for a stunning collapse of up to 35% this year due to coronavirus lockdowns, according to a new study by the Bain consultancy published Thursday.

STAR WARS: TAIKA WAITITI TO DIRECT NEW FILM

Taika Waititi, the New Zealand filmmaker of “Jojo Rabbit” and “Thor: Ragnarok,” will direct a new “Star Wars” film.

TESLA HITS TARGET TO QUALIFY CEO ELON MUSK FOR BIG PAYDAY

Tesla CEO Elon Musk appears to have hit all the milestones he needed to receive a stock award now worth about $730 million, a payday that will further pad the eccentric billionaire’s vast fortune.

EU FORECASTS ‘RECESSION OF HISTORIC PROPORTIONS' THIS YEAR

The European Union predicted “a recession of historic proportions this year” due to the impact of the coronavirus as it released its first official estimates of the damage the pandemic is inflicting on the bloc’s economy.

Conspiracy Theorists Burn 5G Towers Claiming Link To Virus

The CCTV footage from a Dutch business park shows a man in a black cap pouring the contents of a white container at the base of a cellular radio tower. Flames burst out as the man jogs back to his Toyota to flee into the evening.

26 Million Have Sought US Jobless Aid Since Virus Hit

More than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as job cuts escalated across an economy that remains all but shut down, the government said Thursday.

Belgian Port to Test Virus Bracelets Amid Tech Tracing Fears

As the spread of the coronavirus eases and people gradually return to work pondering the impact it might have on their jobs, Europe’s second-biggest port is getting ready to test a device aimed at helping thousands of people employed there to respect social distancing.

‘Beastie Boys Story' Isn't A Sure Shot, But It'll Do

Little was predictable about the Beastie Boys in their three-plus decades of making music. They were spontaneous, always evolving, off-the-cuff pranksters who turned pro without ever losing the punchline.