Hulporganisaties maken zich zorgen over de oplopende armoede door de coronacrisis. Zij zien de vraag naar hulp, waaronder voedselpakketten, toenemen. Eerder meldde het Nibud al dat een vijfde van de Nederlanders door de coronacrisis een inkomstenterugval ervaart. Het gaat vooral om jongeren, zelfstandigen en flexwerkers.

Veel nieuwe gezichten

Michael is een van die nieuwe werklozen. Hij werkte als uitzendkracht net op Schiphol op de bagageafhandeling. "Mijn contract werd niet verlengd. Door de coronacrisis moesten alle uitzendkrachten eruit. Dus dan ben je werkloos."

Hij maakt gebruik van voedselpakketten die worden uitgedeeld door Trijntje Aarden en haar man. Al 16 jaar deelt het stel in Zoetermeer eten uit aan gezinnen die dat nodig hebben. Sinds 2019 zijn ze een stichting, Stichting Oosterfaantje.

Sinds de uitbraak van de coronacrisis ziet Trijntje veel nieuwe gezichten, vertelt ze:

"Een eerste inventarisatie leert dat de vraag naar non-food, zoals leermiddelen en kleding, licht toeneemt," zegt Teije Brandsma van het armoedefonds, waar 700 organisaties bij zijn aangesloten. "De vraag naar voedsel is sterker gegroeid, vooral door mensen die net buiten de criteria van de voedselbank vallen." Het fonds verwacht komende week met cijfers te komen over de gestegen hulpvraag.

Vooral in de eerste twee weken van de crisis zag directeur Veerle Rooze van Stichting Ido Schuldhulpverlening Lelystad veel meer toestroom. "In de supermarkt was het huismerk door hamsteren uitverkocht en het A-merk te duur, dus klopten mensen die het normaal net redden aan voor voedselhulp. Verder leverden we in die weken noodhulp aan nieuwe gezichten. Bijvoorbeeld mensen die een contractje als schoonmaker hadden dat opgezegd werd toen de lockdown begon."

Nadja Jungmann, lector schulden aan de Hogeschool Utrecht, krijgt van verschillende kanten signalen over toenemende armoede en oplopende schulden. "Hulpverleners die ik spreek maken zich zorgen, vooral over jongvolwassenen en zzp'ers. Bij wijkteams staan alle seinen op rood over toenemende armoede. Dat gaat om mensen die geen eten kunnen betalen, maar er zijn ook zorgen over eenzaamheid en stress."

Het steunpakket van de overheid helpt veel mensen, ziet Jungmann. "Maar het is een pakket op hoofdlijnen, en er zijn altijd mensen die tussen wal en schip vallen. Denk aan de ondernemer met hoge huurlasten die wel een tegemoetkoming krijgt voor zijn personeel, maar z'n eigen salaris inlevert om de vaste lasten te blijven betalen. Of iemand die werkte bij een bedrijf dat failliet is gegaan."

Joke de Kock, manager schuldhulpverlening bij de gemeente Tilburg, verwacht dat de grote stroom richting schuldhulp over een paar maanden begint. "Er zijn nu mensen die terugvallen in hun inkomen en daardoor te maken gaan krijgen met rekeningen die ze niet kunnen betalen, maar het duurt altijd even voordat mensen zich echt bij ons melden", zegt De Kock. "Dat gebeurt meestal pas als ze een paar maanden betalingsachterstand hebben, en ze eerst een maand of drie middelen van de ene naar de andere kant hebben geschoven."

Verkeerde prikkel

Ze hoopt dat mensen vroeg aan de bel trekken. Met woningcorporaties heeft gemeente Tilburg ook een afspraak: als ze de huur missen van iemand die normaal gesproken wel betaalt, gaan de gemeente en de woningcorporatie daar samen achteraan. "Zo proberen we direct contact met hen op te nemen en er snel bij te zijn. Een maand huur missen is namelijk een heel groot probleem."

"Het is aan de ene kant fijn dat deurwaarders nu coulant zijn en dat je uitstel van betaling van je hypotheek kan krijgen, maar dat geeft de verkeerde prikkel", zegt De Kock. "Het moet later toch allemaal terugbetaald worden."

In meerdere Duitse steden is opnieuw gedemonstreerd tegen de coronamaatregelen van de Duitse regering. In Berlijn, maar bijvoorbeeld ook in Stuttgart, kwamen bij de zevende 'Wake voor de grondwet' weer duizenden demonstranten bij elkaar.

In Stuttgart verzamelden duizenden mensen zich op de Cannstatter Wasen: een groot festivalterrein aan de rivier de Neckar. De initiatiefnemers hadden 50.000 mensen aangemeld voor de demonstratie, maar uiteindelijk waren er maximaal 10.000 toegestaan. Het ging er rustig aan toe in Stuttgart, maar in Berlijn zouden er demonstranten zijn gearresteerd.

IT-ondernemer Michael Ballweg is de initiatiefnemer van de demonstratie in Stuttgart. Hij heeft de beweging Querdenken opgericht, omdat hij vindt dat de grondrechten te makkelijk en op te grote schaal zijn ingeperkt. De demonstranten wantrouwen de koers van hun regering. Ze vinden dat de maatregelen tegen het virus veel te ver gaan.

Afgelopen woensdag werden er flinke versoepelingen aangekondigd. Merkel liet toen weten dat Duitsland voor een groot deel van het slot zal gaan. Zodra binnen een regio het aantal nieuwe besmettingen per week de grens van 50 per 100.000 inwoners overschrijdt, worden de versoepelingen echter per direct weer teruggedraaid.

Tuesday, Mar. 23 at 9pm on PBS (Check local listings). Producer Ofra Bikel chronicles the recession's impact on one unlikely neighborhood -- New York's Upper East Side...

J.C. Penney Co. and Sephora USA Inc. agreed to resolve a legal dispute over the continued operation of in-store beauty boutiques. But they did not disclose the financial terms of the settlement.

American ridesharing company Lyft, Inc. is set to roll-out a new health safety program that will ensure that riders and drivers are protected amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The new health and safety standards for ridesharing will require personal health certification for drivers and riders, face masks for drivers and riders as well as new health safety education.

Sobeauty Inc. is recalling about 600 "Mag Cube" magnetic ball sets citing risk of ingestion by children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement. The recall was initiated after reports of many injuries to children with similar magnetic balls, which are warned to cause serious and permanent intestinal injuries or death.

Transported to snow fields above the glaciers on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand

Shares of Secoo Holding Ltd. (SECO) are rising over 36% in pre-market today, following the company's Q4 results.

Shares of recreational vehicles maker Thor Industries, Inc. (THO) are climbing more than 12% on Friday, currently at $77.47. It has traded in the range of $32.30- $89.45 in the past one year.

Shares of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALXN) are down more than 5 percent or $5.37 in Tuesday's morning trade at $98.47. The stock has traded in a range of $72.67 to $136.51 in the past 52 weeks.

Sea Limited (SE) shares are rising on Wednesday morning trade, despite no news to influence the stock movement.

Shares of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI) are gaining almost 6 percent or $3.95 in Wednesday's morning trade at $72.48, after the video game producer reported an increase in profit for the first quarter and raised its full-year outlook. The stock has traded in a range of $41.84 to $74.79 in the past 52 weeks.

Shares of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NXST) are rising more than 8% Wednesday following significant increase in its first-quarter earnings and sales.

Fan engagement platform Socios.com plans to launch blockchain-powered COVID-19 immunity passes for global football fans to enable them to attend live games at stadiums in the aftermath of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Socios Pass, an ID and immunity verification tool, will allow fans holding "Proof of Immunity" to return to the stadium and watch live games more safely and securely.

The Labor Department is expected to report a very bad jobless report. The Justice Department drops a case against an ex-Trump adviser. And, an update on the death of an unarmed black man in Georgia.

Josep Navas Masip purchased a second home in Philadelphia and was renovating it for use as an Airbnb when the coronavirus crisis hit. Now his plans are canceled and he's unsure what to do for income.

Visitors' health status will be checked on a smartphone app before they enter the park. Once inside, they will be required to wear face masks at all times unless they are eating.

Before the coronavirus crisis, there were briefly more women on American payrolls than men. That's no longer true. Women accounted for 55% of the increase in job losses last month.

After moving sharply lower early in the session, stocks have seen some further downside over the course of the trading day on Friday. With the drop, the major averages continue to give back ground after ending Wednesday's trading at their best closing levels in well over a month.

Stocks moved sharply lower over the course of the trading day on Friday, extending the pullback seen in the previous session. With the steep drop on the day, the major averages continued to give back ground after ending Wednesday's trading at their best closing levels in well over a month.

Stocks are likely to move higher at the start of trading on Friday, extending the strong upward move seen in the previous session. The major index futures are currently pointing to a higher open for the markets, with the Dow futures up by 277 points.

Following the notable advance seen in the previous session, stocks are seeing further upside in morning trading on Friday. With the continued upward move, the tech-heavy Nasdaq has reached its best intraday level in over two months.

Stocks have shown a strong move to the upside over the course of the trading day on Friday, extending the advance seen in the previous session. With the continued upward move, the tech-heavy Nasdaq has reached its best intraday level in over two months.

After moving significantly higher early in the session, stocks saw some further upside over the course of the trading day on Friday. The major averages added to the gains posted in the previous session, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq reaching its best closing level in well over two months.

After coming under pressure early in the session, stocks have regained some ground over the course of morning trading on Monday. The major averages have bounced well off their lows of the session, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing into positive territory.

After coming under pressure early in the session, stocks showed a significant turnaround over the course of the trading day on Monday. The major averages all bounced well off their early lows and into positive territory.

Stocks moved mostly higher during trading on Tuesday, extending the rebound seen over the course of the previous session. With the upward move, the major averages further offset the pullback seen late last week.

Stocks showed a lack of direction over the course of the trading session on Wednesday before eventually ending the day mixed. The major averages finished the session on opposite sides of the unchanged line.

Artist Emily Quinn is intersex. She's one of over 150 million people in the world who don't fit neatly into the categories of male or female. She explains how biological sex exists on a spectrum.

Over a century ago, one part of our DNA got labelled the "sex chromosomes." Science and radio journalist Molly Webster explains the consequences of that oversimplification.

The human body is not a patchwork of separate systems. It's intricately connected, says neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi. She explains the relationship between our brains, hormones and reproductive organs.

We're used to thinking of DNA as a rigid blueprint. Karissa Sanbonmatsu researches how our environment affects the way DNA expresses itself—especially when it comes to sex and gender.

The video has been viewed millions of times on YouTube via links that are replaced as quickly as the video-sharing service can remove them for violating its policy against "COVID-19 misinformation."

A team of scientists at Oregon State University are trying to measure the true prevalence of the coronavirus in Corvallis, Ore., by taking a random sample of the population.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from hospital on Sunday, when the country's coronavirus death toll passed a grim landmark of 10,000. Boris Johnson was tested positive for coronavirus with mild symptoms on March 27. He was admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London after 10 days with "persistent symptoms" of coronavirus. He was moved to intensive care unit later as his symptoms

House speaker Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president. "Today, I am proud to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States because he will be an extraordinary President. He knows how to get the job done," Pelosi said in a video statement on Sunday. She described the former vice president as "a leader with the humility to seek expertise and science, and the confidence to act upon it."

At a White House news conference on Wednesday, President Donald Trump described the coronavirus pandemic as the "worst attack" ever on the United States. "This is worse than Pearl Harbor, this is worse than the World Trade Center. There's never been an attack like this," he told reporters. Trump repeated pointing finger at China over the killer disease's global spread. "And it should have never

President Donald Trump said he will announce Thursday new guidelines on easing coronavirus restrictions in the country. The move, aimed to help reopen the ailing U.S. economy, is on the basis of his consultations with governors and business leaders. According to him, the United States has passed the peak of new coronavirus cases and predicted some states would reopen this month. "The data sugg

Within a week of pulling out of the race for Democratic party ticket for presidential election, Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed his former rival Joe Biden's campaign to take on Donald Trump in November's election. In a joint split screen appearance with Biden, Sanders said, "Today I am asking all Americans - I'm asking every Democrat, I'm asking every independent, I'm asking a lot of Republicans

The Trump administration is preparing to wind down within weeks the White House taskforce that was formed to deal with the coronavirus pandemic in the country. This was announced by Vice President Mike Pence at a news conference Tuesday. He told reporters, "A reflection of the tremendous progress we've made as a country", the Trump administration was "starting to look at the Memorial Day [late Ma

Former President Barack Obama has endorsed Joe Biden as the Democrat candidate for president. In a 12 minute long video message Tuesday, Obama said his former vice-president could unify and heal the United States as it passes through some of its darkest moments. "I'm so proud to endorse Joe Biden to be president of the United States," Obama said. "Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of

The U.S. dollar firmed up against its peers amid an escalation in tensions between the U.S. and China after US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Chinese government for the spread of the coronavirus and threatened to retaliate against China.

The U.S. dollar exhibited weakness against its peers on Thursday, reacting to data on private sector employment for the month of April, and unemployment claims in the week ended May 1.

Final Purchasing Managers' survey data from the UK is due on Tuesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 1.45 am ET, Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs releases final consumer confidence survey data. According to initial estimate, the confidence index fell to -40 in April from -9.4 in January.

Indonesia's economic growth eased more than expected in the first quarter as the coronavirus, or Covid-19, outbreak weighed heavily on consumption, investment and tourism, official data showed Tuesday. Gross domestic product climbed 2.97 percent on a yearly basis in the first quarter, much slower than the 4.97 percent expansion seen in the fourth quarter.

A report released by the Institute for Supply Management on Tuesday showed U.S. service sector activity contracted for the first time since December of 2009 in the month of April. The ISM said its non-manufacturing index tumbled to 41.8 in April from 52.5 in March, with a reading below 50 indicating a contraction in service sector activity.

Germany's top court on Tuesday ruled against the European Central Bank's bond purchases and gave the bank three months to explain how the scheme can be justified.

Gold prices drifted lower on Tuesday, after moving higher in the previous two sessions, as riskier assets such as equities climbed up amid reports several countries across the world have eased lockdown restrictions.

The jobless rate in New Zealand came in at a seasonally adjusted 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2020, Statistics New Zealand said on Wednesday.

The euro area private sector experienced a record downturn in April due to the severe disruption caused by the coronavirus, or covid-19, pandemic, final survey results from IHS Markit showed Wednesday. The composite output index slid to a new series low of 13.6 from March's 29.7. The flash score was 13.5. Both manufacturing and services reported record fall in output in April.