Tourists stay home: Oka and Ste. Placide, Que. ask for police checkpoints amid coronavirus pandemic

With almost 6,000 residents, Oka, Que., is a tight-knit municipality. With an average age of 55, it’s not a young community. So far, the bucolic town west of Montreal has shielded itself from the coronavirus crisis, with no reported cases.

Mayor Pascal Quevillon, though, worries that could change quickly.

US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-Oil jump lifts Wall St as jobless claims data surges

April 2 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rallied on Thursday as hopes for a truce in an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia and a cut in oil output drove gains, taking some sting out of a shocking jump in Americans filing jobless claims due to coronavirus-led lockdowns.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 466.58 points, or 2.23%, to end at 21,410.09 points, the S&P 500 gained 56.09 points, or 2.27%, to 2,526.59 and the Nasdaq Composite added 126.73 points, or 1.72%, to 7,487.31. (Reporting by Noel Randewich; Editing by Sandra Maler)

More than one in ten people are left-handed – which means John McEnroe’s really not that special – The Sun

IT’S enough to make John McEnroe rage…he’s really not that special.

The fiery tennis ace stood out as a mercurial left-hander — but a major study has confirmed that at least one in ten of us are lefties.

The findings come from a study of 2.3million people across Europe.

It showed that 9.34 per cent of us were left-handed all the time and up to 18.1 per cent used our left hands for some tasks.

That gave researchers the most accurate estimate yet — 10.6 per cent of us are truly left-handed like McEnroe, known for yelling “you cannot be serious”.

And researcher Dr Silvia Para­cchini, of the University of St Andrews, said: “The proportion of people using different hands for different tasks is almost as big as the proportion of left-handers.”

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13 new coronavirus cases reported in Saskatchewan, provincial total rises to 206

Health officials in Saskatchewan reported 13 new coronavirus cases in the province on Thursday, bringing the total to 206.

Half the cases — 103 — are in the Saskatoon area.

Trump Negative for Coronavirus in Test Administered on Thursday

President Donald Trump tested negative again for the coronavirus and has no symptoms, a White House doctor said.

“He is healthy and without symptoms,” according to a memo from Sean Conley, physician to the president and a Navy commander. The test was administered Thursday morning, according to the memo.

Trump was tested earlier in the outbreak and was negative then as well.

Brazil Economy Ministry sees 419 bln reais deficit this year, or 5.5% of GDP

BRASILIA, April 2 (Reuters) – Brazil’s government is expected to post a record primary budget deficit this year of 419 billion reais ($80 billion), equivalent to 5.5% of gross domestic product, a senior Economy Ministry official said on Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference, Waldery Rodrigues, special secretary to the ministry, said government measures to cushion the impact of the coronavirus crisis announced so far amount to 224.6 billion reais, or 2.97% of GDP. (Reporting by Marcela Ayres Writing by Jamie McGeever Editing by Chris Reese)

West Island COVID-19 cases remain relatively low, but area mayors stay vigilant

The West Island is home to some of the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in Montreal, but that doesn’t mean suburban mayors are letting down their guards.

Honduran congress approves $2.5 billion debt issuance to weather coronavirus

TEGUCIGALPA, April 2 (Reuters) – Honduras’ congress on Thursday authorized the government to issue debt worth up to $2.5 billion to help the Central American country weather impacts from coronavirus. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher)

Environment Canada issues overnight wind warning for Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast

Environment Canada has issued a wind warning for much of Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast.

The agency forecasts wind gusts between 70 km/h and 90 km/h with the highest speeds located along the coast.

Albertans who break coronavirus health orders could pay up to $500K fine

Police and peace officers across the province have been given the go-ahead from the Alberta government to enforce public health orders in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This means people and businesses who do not adhere to the Public Health Act orders in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus could face hefty fines.

Trump Organization Asks Deutsche Bank For Loan Payment Delay

The Trump Organization, the family business of U.S. President Donald Trump, is in informal discussions with Deutsche Bank AG about delaying some loan payments, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The global coronavirus pandemic has forced borrowers and lenders to discuss ways to honor debts while acknowledging the enormous pressure on company bottom lines. The talks were reported earlier by the New York Times.

A Deutsche Bank spokesperson declined to comment. A Trump Organization spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Trump Organization has also spoken with Palm Beach County about expectations of lease payments for a golf course the company runs, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.