Dublin Live (18.04.2020) This is the first time newborns can have their births recorded online. The move was brought in due to the difficulties parents would face going to their nearest registration offices during the coronavirus crisis. It will come as a relief to families who were worried their newborns would not be properly recognised by the State during the Covid-19 emergency.

It also means child benefit can be paid on time with no delays.

middleeasteye.net (14.04.2020) Coronavirus treatment and medicine for patients in public hospitals in Turkey has been made free of charge following a presidential decree on Tuesday. The decree says that all patients, even if they failed to pay state insurance, will be granted protective gear and testing, as well as free medicine in state hospitals and medical centres. The Social Security Directorate (SGK) earlier announced free coverage for treatment of the disease for citizens with social security.

Nikkei Asian Review (16.04.2020) Japan plans to send a cash handout of 100,000 yen ($930) to every resident, regardless of income, to lessen the economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic after an earlier income support scheme met with resistance.

voxeu.org (01.04.2020) Short-time work is a subsidy for temporary reductions in the number of hours worked in firms affected by temporary shocks. Evidence suggests that it can have large positive effects on employment and can be more effective than unemployment insurance or universal transfers. This column discusses how the COVID-19 crisis – with its mandated reduction in hours of work and massive liquidity crunch for firms – is a textbook case for the use of short-time work.

voxeu.org (07.04.2020) Due to the global spread of COVID-19, Austria, like many other countries, is facing a massive increase in unemployment. To mitigate the skyrocketing number of unemployed persons, social partners have developed a new model of subsidised short-time work that could become an international role model. The Austrian model allows a temporary reduction in working hours up to 90% while maintaining the employment relationship and granting almost full public wage compensation.

rappler.com (15.04.2020) Just like many COVID-19 patients fighting for their lives, what the Philippine economy needs right now is a sturdy ventilator for life support. But at the rate government is distributing aid, our economy’s ventilator seems dismally broken. On March 25, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. This chiefly authorized him to marshal resources to fight COVID-19. That law also mandated government to hand out disaster relief.

World Economic Forum (06.04.2020) The COVID-19 pandemic has helped widen global usage for chatbot technology. After the pandemic, the use of chatbots for healthcare applications will continue to grow. Public and private stakeholders must come together to maximize these benefits while minimizing risks.

theglobeandmail.com (15.04.2020) The federal government expanding the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to include people making up to $1,000 a month, seasonal workers and people whose EI [employment insurance] has run out. 

touteleurope.eu (10.04.2020) Le 9 avril 2020, les ministres des Finances de l’Union européenne ont approuvé la proposition de la Commission européenne de financer une partie du chômage partiel dans les Etats membres, à hauteur de 100 milliards d’euros. En quoi consiste cette mesure ? Pourquoi l’idée d’un mécanisme de réassurance chômage au niveau européen refait-elle surface dans le cadre de la crise sanitaire ?

azernews.az (08.04.2020) A program of compensating for the damage caused to the entrepreneurs and their employees as a result of coronavirus has been launched in Azerbaijan. The program will cover 300,000 employees, 42,000 employers, and about 300,000 private or micro-entrepreneurs. The Azerbaijani government allocated 215 million manat ($126 million) to preserve the salaries of the hired workers. The average monthly salary as of January - 712 manat ($418) - will be taken as the main criterion for partial payment of the workers' salaries. A program on providing micr