Punxsutawney Phil, the American groundhog famous for predicting the end of winter in the United States, did not see his shadow Sunday morning, indicating that spring will come early this year.”Hear ye, hear ye!” a member of Phil’s “inner circle” yelled to cheering crowds after presenting the furry rodent.”There is no shadow of me, spring will be early — it’s a certainty!” he screamed as the audience around Gobbler’s Knob clapped.Feb. 2 marks Groundhog Day, when traditionally a Pennsylvania groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil makes an appearance above ground, near the cozy tree stump he calls home. Legend has it that if he sees his shadow, North America is in for six more weeks of winter weather.The event traces roots back to legends in Germany, which indicate that if a rodent sees its shadow on February 2nd, winter continues.A crowd gathered around Phil’s tree stump on Sunday morning before sunrise to behold the traditional prediction, as a group of top-hat wearing handlers surrounded the groundhog and lifted him up for the crowd to see.2020 marks Phil’s 134th Groundhog Day ceremony, according to the Pennsylvania Tourism office.Punxsutawney Phil is the most famous of the furry prognosticators. Generations of groundhogs, which are members of the marmot family known as woodchucks, have been predicting the weather since 1887.Records going back to 1887 show Phil has predicted many more winters than an early spring. But his predictions are, understandably, dubious.
…
Month: February 2020
Democratic AGs Sue to Force US to Ratify Equal Rights Amendment
Three Democratic state attorneys general are suing a U.S. government official to force him to recognize Virginia’s vote this week to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and certify the measure as part of the Constitution.The lawsuit filed Thursday against the archivist of the United States comes after the National Archives and Records Administration said this week that David Ferriero would “take no action to certify the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.” Supporters say the measure, which Congress passed with bipartisan support in 1972 and sent to the states for approval, will guarantee women equal rights under the law.”After generations of effort, the women of this country are entitled to their rightful place in the Constitution. This Court should compel the Archivist to carry out his statutory duty of recognizing the complete and final adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment,” the lawsuit says.Many ERA opponents say the measure is unnecessary and could have consequences that end up harming women.Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is partnering with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Before Virginia’s vote this week that made it the critical 38th state to approve the ERA, Nevada in 2017 and Illinois in 2018 were the most recent to ratify the amendment.The three states’ ratifications came decades after a deadline set by Congress expired, which has left the ERA’s fate in question. Many legal observers have long expected the issue to be settled in court.The lawsuit argues that U.S. laws do not give the archivist the power to decide whether to certify an amendment. They contend the archivist’s duty to certify the amendment is “mandatory and purely ministerial.”In declining to certify the ERA, the archives said it was following advice from the U.S. Department of Justice, which issued an opinion this month saying it was too late for states to certify the ERA. The department said the amendment process must begin anew.The U.S. Constitution says amendments can be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate or by a constitutional convention called by state legislatures. So far, all 27 amendments have been put forward by Congress. Ratification is then required by the legislatures of three-quarters of the states, or 38.In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that the deadline passed by Congress is not binding.The time limitation was not included in the text of the article that was sent to the states for consideration, they argue. Additionally, the attorneys general say, the U.S. Constitution doesn’t explicitly give Congress the power to set a timeline for states to ratify an amendment.They note that the last amendment to be added in 1992 – the 27th Amendment limiting the ability of members of Congress to raise their own pay – took more than 200 years to be ratified by 38 states.They’re asking a court to direct the archivist to certify that the amendment has passed and is now the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”The law will never again treat any American like a second class citizen on account of their sex,” said Herring, who spoke at a press conference Thursday in Washington.The press office of the National Archives and Records Administration referred a request for comment to the Department of Justice, which declined comment.The proposed amendment states, in part, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”Supporters of the ERA say it would offer stronger protections in sex discrimination cases and give Congress firmer ground to pass anti-discrimination laws.Opponents warn it would erode commonsense protections for women, such as workplace accommodations during pregnancy. They also worry it could be used by abortion-rights supporters to quash abortion restrictions on the grounds they discriminate against women.Some opponents also say the fact that five states that initially approved the ERA later moved to rescind their ratifications means it can’t be adopted in the Constitution. The lawsuit argues that those states’ efforts are “constitutionally unauthorized and without legal effect.”Just as observers are split on what effect the amendment would have, legal scholars took different views Thursday of the newly filed lawsuit.Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, said the court would have to adopt “a parade of constitutional novelties” to declare ratification.Erwin Chemerinsky, a constitutional law scholar and dean of the Berkeley School of Law, said he thinks the plaintiffs have a “persuasive argument” that 38 states have ratified the text of the amendment. But he added he also sees a strong argument that the issues in the lawsuit are up to Congress, not the courts, to ultimately decide.Two other federal lawsuits have been filed over the ERA, one supporting its adoption and the other opposing it, and Chemerinsky said he expected one or more of those cases to reach the Supreme Court.A. E. Dick Howard, a constitutional law expert at the University of Virginia, said there’s a long way to go before questions about the ERA will be settled.”My goodness, can you imagine the number of parties and other states that would want to be heard in this?” he said. “The amicus brief that would be filed from left and right? This is a hot topic.”
…
Hunger in Central Sahel Rising at Alarming Rate as Conflict Intensifies
The World Food Program warns millions of people in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso do not have enough to eat and are in desperate and immediate need of food aid.A recent U.N. food assessment in the Central Sahel finds 3.3 million people are going hungry, a rise of nearly 1 million since last year. World Food Program spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs warns this alarming situation is expected to worsen without sustained humanitarian support.”The number of food-insecure people is expected to double as the June lean season gets underway, pushing 4.8 million people into hunger, up from 2.4 million in 2019,” she said. Hunger is wreaking havoc on the nutritional status of people in these countries. The U.N. Children’s fund reports more than 700,000 children under 5 suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition. The United Nations reports nearly a million people in the region have been displaced by conflict, which is devastating agriculture and rural economies. Many people are fleeing in search of food and grazing land for their cattle. Byrs tells VOA people are resorting to extreme measures to survive.”They skip meals. They sell their asset,” she said. “In some conflict-affected areas, some people have a lot of difficulty to find something to eat.” WFP is working to scale up its humanitarian operation to assist 2 million people across the three Sahelian countries. It is urgently appealing for $227 million to provide life-saving food aid over the next six months. Money also will be used for education, nutrition, and health, and to shore up livelihoods.
…
More Homes Destroyed in Southeast Australia Wildfires
Dozens of homes were destroyed overnight in Australia’s southeast but the wildfire threat had diminished by Sunday across New South Wales state and around the national capital Canberra, officials said.Bega Valley Mayor Kristy McBain said damage in her region 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Canberra had yet to be assessed by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.“There have been additional homes lost in the Bega Valley,” McBain said.“We’re talking probably dozens more. We want to make sure we continue to support our community. This fire isn’t over yet,” she added.She said the overnight fire brought losses of homes in the valley to more than 400 in the current fire season.Rural Fire Service spokesman Greg Allan said damage assessment teams had yet to confirm media reports of homes lost near the village of Bumbalong, 92 kilometers (57 miles) south of Canberra.A dangerous fire threatened southern Canberra and the nearby village of Tharwa. The fire had burnt 55,000 hectares (136,000 acres) of forest and farmland by Sunday, with a perimeter 148 kilometers (92 miles) long, the Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency said.Residents close to the fire front were warned on Sunday to remain vigilant.“This morning the fire is still active. There are still days and possibly weeks of firefighting ahead of us,” Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr told reporters.He said a state of emergency for Canberra and its surrounds would remain in place until at least Monday. It is the first such emergency declaration in the Australian Capital Territory since 2003, when wildfires killed four people and destroyed almost 500 homes in a single day.There were no fires burning at emergency level — the most dangerous on a three-tier scale — across the Australian Capital Territory or surrounding New South Wales on Sunday.Fires across southern Australia have claimed at least 33 lives since September, destroyed more than 3,000 homes and razed more than 10.6 million hectares (26.2 million acres).
…
Philippines Enters Recovery Phase after Dodging Volcano Crisis
The dust has yet to settle from the Taal Volcano, which shot magma and ash miles above a Philippine island last month and displaced more than 200,000, but residents are starting to return as the crisis now enters a recovery phase.Aid money has poured in and Filipinos are leaving evacuation centers as authorities say the threat has decreased of another eruption from the volcano, which is in a lake on an island in a second lake, on yet a third island. The Philippines was worried about more aftershocks from the eruption, because it had already set off earthquakes, destroyed roads and bridges, and killed wildlife and vegetation from horses to pineapples.With the threat of a Pompeiian disaster decreased, locals now face the worry of whether in the long term they can live and have a livelihood near the volcano, which has erupted dozens of times in history. The local economy depends on tourism, agriculture and fishing. The latest eruption, which started Jan. 12, has already caused economic losses of $150 million, according to the Philippines National Economic Development Authority.“We cannot live on donations for a long time because we need to provide for our families, sustain the education of our students,” said Daniel Reyes, mayor of Batangas, the capital of the province where Taal is. He was appealing for aid from the Philippine House of Representatives, which is preparing to vote on an aid package.“We beg you to rebuild a fortified and a more resilient community,” he said.Meanwhile residents are depending on donations of things from food to diapers to power generators, and assistance from the Red Cross with such things as medical care, evacuations and animal rescues.Besides donations in kind, government aid includes $830,000 from the European Union, $200,000 from South Korea, and $150,000 from China.The EU wants to help “ensure affected people get protection and have enough means to survive through this difficult time and get back to their feet at the earliest possible,” Janez Lenarcic, the EU commissioner for crisis management, said.Beyond the cash aid, Filipinos will have to deal with broad issues such as government services, infrastructure, and public health. There were no apparent deaths caused directly by the eruption, although dozens have been reported dead in the aftermath, such as those who suffered heart attacks at evacuation centers.The Philippines Health Department is advising residents to wear surgical masks and be alert for effects from the volcanic ash and dust. Some have already been treated for such consequences as respiratory infections, skin lesions and flu.The department ordered hospital staff to stay on standby and freeze prices on basic medicines in the province, including antibiotics, cardiovascular and antibacterial drugs, and disinfectants.“We are continuously monitoring the developments of the eruption and will respond to the health needs of the people,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque said.
…
Super Bowl Matches San Francisco Against Kansas City
American football teams the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs will face off in Miami Sunday in the National Football League’s championship game – the Super Bowl.The Chiefs (12-4 in the regular season) are making their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1970 — 26 years before their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, was born. The 49ers (13-3 in the regular season) are looking to score a record-tying sixth Super Bowl win Sunday. San Francisco has not won the championship since 1995.The 49ers’ quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, is looking for his first Super Bowl win as a starter. He was part of two winning New England Patriots teams, playing as a backup to quarterback Tom Brady, before moving to San Francisco.More than 100 million Americans are expected to tune in for Sunday’s game, which ends the NFL’s 100th season.Entertainer Demi Lovato will sing the national anthem and singers Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headline the halftime show. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT (2330 UTC) at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
…
Coronavirus Death Toll Grows to About 300 in Hard-hit Chinese Province
Chinese officials in central Hubei province, where the coronavirus outbreak began, said Saturday that about 300 people had died and more than 12,000 had been infected by the virus, according to news reports.Australia, Japan and Singapore announced strict travel controls Saturday on foreigners who have been in China recently, over fears of the coronavirus. The U.S. announced similar restrictions and declared a public health emergency the day before. Taiwan also announced more limited travel restrictions.Also Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved a request from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for help in housing 1,000 people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus and need to be quarantined upon arrival in the U.S. from overseas, the department said in a statement Saturday.”HHS officials requested the Defense Department to provide several facilities capable of housing at least 250 people in individual rooms through Feb. 29, 2020,” the statement said. It said the people would need to be held for 14 days, which is the incubation period for the virus.The statement said the Department of Defense “will only provide housing support, while HHS will be responsible for all care, transportation and security of the evacuees.” Four military installations were identified for use — two in California, and one each in Colorado and Texas — if they are needed. Travelers wear face masks as they stand outside the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, Jan. 31, 2020.The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency on Thursday, fearing the virus could spread to poorer countries that would have great difficulty containing it. The WHO has said it does not recommend that countries initiate any travel or trade restrictions with China. The WHO estimates the virus has been detected in at least 23 other countries, with the majority of cases involving people who visited China. The continuing spread of the coronavirus led U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to also declare a public health emergency on Friday and deny entry into the country to any foreign national who has recently traveled to China, except for those travelers whose immediate family members are U.S. citizens. He also said that any U.S. citizen who had traveled to China’s Hubei province within the past two weeks would be subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days. Sixth U.S. caseThe announcement came as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed a sixth case of coronavirus in the United States. Health officials said the latest patient was a man in Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco, who became ill after traveling to China. Australia said Saturday it also was barring entry to foreigners who had recently traveled to China, and that it was requiring returning citizens to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Japan announced it was refusing entry to noncitizens who had visited Hubei province in the past 14 days, and to those who had passports issued there. Singapore also announced a ban on new visitors from China, the first Southeast Asian country to do so. The government, which earlier denied entry only to arrivals from Hubei province, will still allow entry to citizens and permanent residents.Taiwan said it would prohibit Chinese citizens from China’s southeastern coastal province of Guangdong from entering the country beginning Sunday, Taiwan state media reported Saturday. Travelers who visited the Guangdong area recently will be quarantined for 14 days. The U.S. State Department raised the coronavirus Saturday in criticizing China for banning Twitter messages that reference Taiwan. “Blocking Twitter users who make reference to Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, particularly given the global response to the coronavirus crisis, is outrageous, unacceptable and not befitting of a U.N. organization,” said an official statement released Saturday. Chinese return homeAlso Saturday, two groups of stranded Hubei residents returned to China on chartered planes sent to Thailand and Malaysia by the Chinese government. The 199 Chinese nationals had been left without a way home when their return flights were canceled amid the virus scare. The state-owned Xinhua news agency reported the retrieved passengers were screened for fever and anyone who displayed symptoms of the coronavirus would be “quarantined immediately.” Members of a Hong Kong union for medical workers voted Saturday to go on strike Monday after the government dismissed their demand to close all entry points from China. The Hospital Authority Employees Alliance said more than 9,000 of its members vowed to participate in a five-day strike. U.S. health officials Friday issued a two-week quarantine order for 195 Americans evacuated earlier this week from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. The CDC said this was the first federal quarantine ordered since the 1960s, when there were fears of a smallpox outbreak. Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden chided President Donald Trump on Friday for reducing U.S. oversight of global health issues before the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. Biden said now was not the time for Trump’s “hysterical xenophobia and fearmongering to lead the way instead of science.” Matt Wolking, a Trump campaign spokesman, said the president “is listening to medical and scientific experts and taking every responsible precaution to protect the American people.” More flight suspensionsAlso Friday, the three U.S. airlines that fly to China announced they would suspend flights to the Chinese mainland. American Airlines said it would stop flights to mainland China through March 27 but would continue flights to Hong Kong. The decision came after the American Airlines pilots’ union sued the company to immediately stop flights to and from China because of possible health threats posed by the coronavirus. Delta said it would wait until February 6 to stop flights and keep them suspended through April 30. Shortly after saying it would only reduce service to China, United Airlines also announced Friday that it would suspend flights from February 6 through March 28 but would maintain one flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong. For all three airlines, these suspensions followed travel advisories issued by the State Department and the CDC. The State Department issued a Level 4-Do Not Travel advisory on Thursday and recommended that all Americans leave mainland China, drawing criticism from China’s government, which said the move was “certainly not a gesture of goodwill.” Other international airlines have also suspended service to mainland China or announced plans to do so, including Air France, British Airways, Indonesia’s Lion Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas and Scandinavian Airlines. Global stocks fell sharply Friday over concerns the outbreak of coronavirus would negatively affect the world economy.
…
Experts: Russia Skirts Sanctions on N. Korean Workers to Defy US-led Pressure
Russia has been dodging U.N. sanctions and hiring North Korean workers to push back against the U.S.-led maximum-pressure policy, while supplementing the shrinking labor supply in its Far East, experts say. “Russia and, to a certain extent, China do not want to completely follow the U.S. sanctions lead,” said Ken Gause, director of the Adversary Analytics Program at research group CNA. “That allows North Korea to continue to bring in resources and funding into the regime, which maintains stability inside the regime but also makes it very difficult for the U.S. to pursue its maximum-pressure strategy,” Gause said. North Korean workers employed overseas see little of their wages, most of which provide Pyongyang with much-needed hard currency. Most North Korean workers whom Moscow employs work on construction projects or in the logging, agriculture and textile industries, and they are usually sent to Russia’s Far East in North Asia, said Troy Stangarone, senior director of the Korea Economic Institute. “Russia faces a shortage of workers in its Far East and a declining population,” Stangarone said, “so the workers provide Russia needed labor at cheap costs.” FILE – Security Council members vote for new sanctions against North Korea after its most recent nuclear test, at U.N. headquarters, New York, March 7, 2013.Russia has been evading U.N. sanctions that required member states to repatriate North Korean workers back by a December 22 deadline, according to a FILE – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reacts during a news conference in Moscow, Jan. 16, 2019.Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said last week that FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a press briefing following Russia-North Korea talks at the Far Eastern Federal University campus on the Russky Island in Vladivostok, Apr. 25, 2019.On a strategic level, Gause said Moscow’s opposition to U.S.-led policy is, in part, its attempt to defeat Washington’s effort to extend a liberal democratic order in the region as Moscow tries to exert its own influence there in the great-power competition with the U.S. “There’s some of this that is part of the great-power competition in which Russia is pushing back against a liberal democratic order which the United States is part of,” said Gause. “If the U.S. were to shift away from the maximum pressure to a policy more aligned with China and Russia, they could declare this as a victory in terms of their influence on the international stage.” Stangarone said a way for Moscow to exert its influence on Pyongyang is by permitting North Koreans to work in Russia. Foreign labor as a tool“On a political level, the use of foreign labor is one tool the Russian government uses to maintain close ties with Pyongyang,” he said. As a way to enforce sanctions, Stangarone said, “there needs to be a clarification that North Koreans are unable to work abroad regardless of what type of visa they may be on.” Ha said the U.S. should sanction North Korean and non-North Korean companies that help employing North Korean workers in Russia, just as the Treasury Department did early in January against two North Korean entities that facilitate employment in China.“Increasing designations of similar companies abroad, such as in Russia, will remind these violators, whether it be the company hiring North Korean workers or the host nation of that company, that they risk penalties,” Ha said. Connie Kim, Oh Taek-sung and Kim Seon-myung contributed to this report, which originated in VOA’s Korean service.
…
Woman Charged in Mar-a-Lago Chase Refuses to Appear in Court
A Connecticut opera singer charged with using an SUV to blast through barricades outside President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, drawing law enforcement gunfire, refused to appear in court Saturday, delaying her initial appearance. Palm Beach County Judge Ted Booras said Hannah Roemhild’s first hearing would be held Monday if she could be brought from the jail to the court without endangering herself or deputies, local media reported. Roemhild, 30, is charged with two state counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer after Friday’s wild chase through Palm Beach and past the president’s Mar-a-Lago club. She was being held at the Palm Beach County Jail without bond. Officials have said Roemhild was obviously impaired'' and they do not believe she targeted the president or Mar-a-Lago. He was not present. This driver's license photo shows Hannah Eileen Roemhild, the driver of the vehicle authorities say breached security at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., Jan. 31, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla.Friday's events began just before noon when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper working an off-duty security shift at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach approached Roemhild as she danced on the roof of her rented Jeep SUV in the high-end resort's parking lot. She jumped inside and refused to acknowledge his taps on the glass. She then put the car in reverse and drove away. The trooper smashed the window and tried to grab the steering wheel to prevent her from leaving, but she sped away, leading him on a chase south down swanky Ocean Drive toward Mar-a-Lago, 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) miles away, at speeds in excess of 70 mph (113 kph). Authorities there said she swerved around concrete barriers and through two checkpoints, endangering the lives of Secret Service agents and Palm Beach County deputies staffing them. They opened fire, breaking out her back window. At this point, the trooper ended his pursuit, fearing lives would be endangered if it continued. At some point, Roemheld picked up a female relative before automatic license plate readers soon tracked her to a motel near Palm Beach International Airport. A trooper tackled her as she tried to flee into her room, officials said. TV video shows a dazed Roemheld showing a blank expression as she was handcuffed and placed into a patrol car. Roemheld has appeared in several Connecticut operas and said on social media recently that she had an unspecified performance scheduled in Palm Beach this past week. Marilyn Malcarne, a Connecticut friend of the Roemhild family, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the woman's alleged behavior was completely out of character and shewouldn’t hurt a soul.” She's incredibly talented, Malcarne said. “She has really studied her opera singing and she has an amazing voice.”
…
McDonald’s Marks 30 Years in Russia
American fast-food icon McDonald’s Friday marked 30 years since it first opened its doors in Moscow, an occasion with deep resonance here since the transition from the communist Soviet Union.Yet, marring the celebration were city authorities’ concerns over an outbreak of the coronavirus in neighboring China.
The restaurant had marketed a day of Soviet-era pricing, with hamburgers costing their original 1990 3 ruble price tag, but canceled the event amid government fears a Soviet-era line would pose a health hazard. Coupons were issued instead for the thousands who arrived anyway. Pushkin Square McDonald’s, Jan. 31, 2020, the 30th anniversary of the fast-food restaurant in Russia. (C. Maynes/VOA)Burgers of ChangeThe McDonald’s ‘Golden Arches’ first lit up on Moscow’s Pushkin Square to great fanfare on January 31, 1990.An estimated 38,000 Soviets lined up for hours for what they might have heard of but never tasted, a McDonald’s hamburger. “All I remember is we waited a long time,” Elena Nikolaevna, 78, a former factory worker who came to attend the 30th anniversary celebrations, said. “I felt like I was eating America itself,” Andrey, 53, said, recalling his first bite, a month after the initial opening. “The lines were huge,” he said. The Moscow launch set company records at the time, with the most customers ever served in one day. The event was intrinsically linked to Russians’ desire for Western-style market reforms under former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of perestroika, or restructuring. First introduced in 1986, perestroika brought new openness to Soviet society, but provided few quick paths toward repairing the USSR’s deeply flawed command economy.The scene on Pushkin Square seemed to lay bare those contradictions; while shortages of basic necessities were common in Soviet stores, McDonald’s — almost magically — never ran out of food.The secret was that the company had negotiated to set up a private manufacturing plant within the Soviet Union — unheard of at the time — while importing 80% of whatever else was needed. It was effective but far from perfect: the company operated at a loss. There were problems from the Soviet customer’s point of view too, as an average meal cost more than a half day’s wages.Calling McCanadaThere was also an open secret about this symbol of America being introduced into the Soviet Union — it was actually Canadian.The CEO of McDonald’s Canada, American-Canadian citizen George Cohen, first latched onto the idea of opening a McDonald’s in the Soviet Union after bringing Soviet representatives to a McDonald’s during the 1976 Montreal Olympics.The Soviets liked the food and, even more, they admired the service. Moscow was gearing up to host its own 1980 Summer Games and looking for ways to feed foreign tourists something quick, familiar, and tasty while maintaining their pride. “Being a Canadian company was giving a neutral touch to the whole setup,” Marc Carena, the current CEO of McDonald’s Russia, told VOA. Cold War politics, including the U.S. decision to boycott the 1980 games over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, ultimately scuttled the deal.Yet, a few years and hundreds of hours of negotiations later, Gorbachev endorsed the Golden Arches as part of his push for change. “McDonald’s was more than the opening of a simple restaurant,” Carena said, “It came to symbolize the entire opening of the USSR to the West.”Service with a SmileWatching archival videos, available on YouTube, is like entering a time warp regarding relations between Moscow and Washington then. “They say the West is bad, but I like this food,” says a young customer interviewed at the 1990 opening. “We were interested in another life and what it looked like,” Georgi, a retired army veteran, told VOA.“McDonald’s just made the world just feel wider. That’s not the case now,” he said. In theory, he was referring to the current poor state of U.S.-Russian relations, although in reality, he had just finished a Big Mac.McDonald’s’ most lasting Russian legacy may lie in the Western-style services the company pioneered here.After placing a single advertisement in the leading Moskovsky Komsomolets daily, the company fielded 30,000 applications. Just over 600 finalists were chosen. “I remember waiting for the bus and looking at the McDonald’s sign and crying,” said Svetlana Polyakova, who was hired to flip hamburgers.“I thought I’d made it,” added Polyakova, now the company’s Russia public relations director. Those chosen were young and energetic, and had little or no experience. That was the point. McDonald’s employees, by design, had none of the bad habits associated with the grim unfriendly service of Soviet cafes, Anna Patrunina, one of the original cashiers but now vice president of operations, said. “Anna Patrunina, one of the original 1990 hires and now VP of Operations of McDonald’s Russia, Jan. 31, 2020. (C. Maynes/VOA)We were asked, can you smile for eight hours straight? We all said yes, of course,” she told VOA, “but it turns out it’s harder than you think.”Smiling was a warmth easily extended in Soviet home but was not part of public life. It was foreign. It was weird. It was American.New Times, New RulesToday, good service in Russia is common, and so, too, is McDonald’s.The company now has more than 700 stores across the country and 98% of the company’s supplies are now sourced locally.”We’re a Russian company and we always were a Russian company,” according to Carena, a Swiss national and the only foreigner on staff. Not everyone is happy, though. “I don’t like their fast food. I never have,” said Elchin, 58, a businessman who moved to Moscow from Baku, Azerbaijan, 30 years ago, adding he preferred home-cooked meals. “Ukrainian borscht, Russian dumplings, Armenian barbecue … now that’s food to savor,” he said. “Nothing against the U.S. but I love the classics,” he said.
…
Charity Boat With 363 Rescued Migrants Aboard Needs a Port
A Spanish charity boat with 363 rescued migrants aboard is appealing to be allowed to dock at a port so it can let passengers disembark after several days in the Mediterranean Sea. Gerard Canals, head of the Open Arms mission, on Saturday also expressed concern that food could run out. He said there was about 30 kilos (66 pounds) of rice aboard, enough to last about two more days. In a separate tweet, Open Arms said the migrants were crowded together on the bridge of the rescue boat. The migrants were taken aboard Open Arms in five separate rescues from distressed boats launched by Libya-based human traffickers over the past few days. After no permission came from Malta for a safe port, Canals said, the rescue group is hoping Italy will allow it to dock. In the past few months Italy has allowed such charity ships to disembark rescued migrants at its ports on condition that other European Union nations agree to take some of the asylum-seekers. Several EU nations have done so, making good on pledges to share the migrant burden at a conference in Malta a few months ago. During Italy’s previous government, which included the anti-migrant League, then-Interior Minister Matteo Salvini triggered repeated standoffs at sea when he refused port permission to private rescue ships. In some cases, the rescuers were left in limbo for days or forced to sail as far as Spain to disembark migrants.
…
Iowa Democrats Prep for Caucuses
Madison County, Iowa, gained nationwide attention because of its many bridges that inspired a novel and movie but in real life its politics now dominating that region as voters there prepare for the first in the nation presidential caucus which begins the process for Democrats to pick a nominee to go up against President Donald Trump in the November general election. Kevin Enochs narrates this report from VOA’s Suli Yi
…
Trump Signs Executive Order in Effort to Combat Human Trafficking
The Trump administration is bringing renewed attention to the issue of human trafficking in the United States. The White House marked the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act by announcing new measures to strengthen prosecution for traffickers and support services for victims. VOA’s Ardita Dunellari reports from the White House that activists and survivors of human trafficking welcome increased efforts to fight the problem, though many of them see mixed messages in the president’s pledge to fight human trafficking and his crackdown on illegal migrants.
…
Australia, Japan and Singapore Join US in Banning Arrivals from China
Australia, Japan and Singapore announced strict travel controls Saturday on foreigners, who have been in China recently, over fears of the coronavirus, after the U.S. announced similar restrictions and declared a public health emergency the day before.The action was taken as China’s government announced another jump in deaths from the outbreak.Chinese officials in central Hubei province, where the outbreak began, said Saturday at least 259 people have died and nearly 12,000 have been infected by the virus.Travelers wear face masks as they stand outside the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, Jan. 31, 2020.The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency on Thursday, fearing the virus could spread to poorer countries that would have great difficulty containing it. The WHO has said it does not recommend that countries initiate any travel or trade restrictions with China. The WHO estimates the virus has been detected in at least 23 other countries, the majority involving those who visited China.The continuing spread of the coronavirus led U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to also declare a public health emergency on Friday and deny entry into the country to any foreign national who has recently traveled to China, except for those travelers whose immediate family members are U.S. citizens.He also said that any U.S. citizen who has traveled to China’s Hubei province within the past two weeks will be subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days, the incubation period for the virus.The announcement came as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed a sixth case of coronavirus in the United States. Health officials say the latest patient is a man in Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco, who became ill after traveling to China.Australia said Saturday it was also barring foreigners who recently traveled to China from entering the country, and requiring returning citizens to quarantine themselves for 14 days.Japan announced it is refusing entry to noncitizens who recently visited the Hubei province in the past 14 days, or to those who had passports issued there.Singapore also announced a ban on new visitors from China, the first Southeast Asian country to do so. The government, which earlier denied entry only to arrivals from Hubei province, will still allow entry to citizens and permanent residents.On Saturday two groups of stranded Hubei residents returned to China on chartered planes sent to Thailand and Malaysia by the Chinese government. The 199 Chinese nationals had been left without a way home when their return flights were canceled amid the virus scare. The state-owned Xinhua news agency reported that the retrieved passengers were screened for fever and anyone who displayed symptoms of the coronavirus would be “quarantined immediately.”U.S. health officials Friday issued a two-week quarantine order for 195 Americans evacuated earlier this week from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. The CDC said this was the first federal quarantine ordered since the 1960s, when there were fears of a smallpox outbreak.Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden chided President Donald Trump Friday for reducing U.S. oversight of global health issues before the onset of the coronavirus crisis. Biden said now is not the time for Trump’s “hysterical xenophobia and fearmongering to lead the way instead of science.”Matt Wolking, a Trump campaign spokesman, said the president “is listening to medical and scientific experts and taking every responsible precaution to protect the American people.”Also Friday, the three U.S. airlines that fly to China announced they would suspend flights to the Chinese mainland. American Airlines said it would stop flights to mainland China through March 27, but would continue flights to Hong Kong. The decision came after the American Airlines pilots union sued the company to immediately stop flights to and from China due to possible health threats posed by the coronavirus. Delta said it would wait until Feb. 6 to stop flights and keep them suspended through April 30. Shortly after saying it would only reduce service to China, United Airlines also announced Friday it would suspend flights from Feb. 6 through March 28, but would maintain one flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong.For all three airlines, these suspensions follow travel advisories issued by the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The State Department issued a Level 4-Do Not Travel advisory on Thursday and recommended that all Americans leave mainland China, drawing criticism from China’s government, which said the move was “certainly not a gesture of goodwill.”Other international airlines have also suspended service to mainland China or announced plans to do so, including Air France, British Airways, Indonesia’s Lion Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Scandinavian Airlines.Global stocks fell sharply Friday over concerns the outbreak of coronavirus would negatively impact the world economy.
…
Pompeo Says US Can Supply Belarus With 100% of Oil, Gas
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that the United States is willing and able to provide Belarus with 100% of its oil and gas, taking a slap at Russia which recently cut off supplies.Pompeo is the first secretary of state to visit Belarus in 26 years and arrived in Minsk amid new tensions between Minsk and Moscow over energy. In a meeting with authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, Pompeo said he hoped to help provide an opportunity for Belarus to achieve the “sovereignty” and “independence” it seeks.“The United States wants to help Belarus build its own sovereign country,” Pompeo said at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei. “Our energy producers stand ready to deliver 100% of the oil you need at competitive prices. We’re the biggest energy producer in the world and all you have to do is call us.”Belarus fears Russia is trying to absorb it and last month began purchasing gas from Norway after Russian supplies were cut off. Last week, Lukashenko accused Russia, the country’s main provider of cheap oil and gas, of stopping supplies “to dissolve Belarus.”Pompeo said the U.S. wants to help fill the vacuum and will continue to boost staffing at its embassy in Minsk, which was severely reduced 12 years ago when the U.S. imposed significant sanctions on the country over human rights abuses. The two countries agreed in September to exchange ambassadors for the first time since 2008. Pompeo said a new U.S. ambassador would be named soon.Noting the recent history of poor relations, Lukashenko lamented the “absolutely groundless misunderstandings of the past authorities” and welcomed Pompeo’s visit.Belarus had been a candidate to be included in the Trump administration’s expanded travel ban that was announced on Friday but avoided it by taking measures to improve security cooperation and potential traveler threat information with the United States.In addition to trying to boost American influence in Belarus, Pompeo urged economic and political reforms as well as improved human rights conditions — a message similar to those he will be bringing to his next stops in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan later this weekend. At each stop, Pompeo will warn of attempts by Russia and China to aggressively assert themselves in Europe and Central Asia.Russia stopped supplying oil to Belarus after Dec. 31. The two nations had failed to renegotiate an agreed oil price for this year during drawn-out negotiations on deepening the integration of their economies.Moscow argues that Belarus should accept greater economic integration if it wants to continue receiving energy resources at Russia’s domestic prices.This has prompted fears in Belarus that the Kremlin is plotting to form a single state with Belarus to keep Russian President Vladimir Putin in power well past the end of his term in 2024.Lukashenko has repeatedly rejected the idea, saying that Belarus would never become part of Russia.The Russian suspension did not affect oil crossing Belarus to Europe or the supply of natural gas, but had consequences for Belarus, which relies on Russia for more than 80% of its energy needs.Lukashenko has since vowed to find alternative oil suppliers and said Friday that Belarus is currently negotiating additional supplies with the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.In the news conference, Pompeo also said Belarus has made “real progress” in reforms, including on human rights, but that more needs to be done to bring about a lifting of U.S. sanctions. “Further progress in those areas and others is the only path towards lifting U.S. sanctions,” he said.Makei acknowledged that Belarus recognized the necessity of making changes. “Belarus is probably not a most ideal country in this regard, and we do understand that we must implement some reforms in many areas, including the area of human rights — and we are doing this,” he said.Since Lukashenko came to power in 1994, Belarus has suppressed opposition and its human rights record has been widely criticized. Then-U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2005 called Belarus “Europe’s last dictatorship.”
…
A Historic Moment in American Politics Brings all Kind of Visitors to the US Capitol
The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in the U.S. Senate is entering its third week and since the beginning of the trial, inside and outside the US Capitol, there have been constant demonstrations from both sides of the political spectrum. Along with these demonstrations the number of vistors to the Capitol has increased as people flock there to witness history. VOA’s Saqib Ul Islam takes us there
…
China Urges No Weddings, Short Funerals to Contain Coronavirus
China has asked couples to delay their nuptials from a popular wedding date and families to scale down funeral services to help slow the spread of the country’s viral outbreak.The appeal came as the death toll from the new coronavirus soared to 259 and the total number of cases neared 12,000 nationwide.”Where marriage registrations have been announced or promised for February 2 this year, you are advised to cancel it and explain the situation to others,” a civil affairs ministry statement said.February 2 this year is being considered a lucky date for wedding ceremonies because the sequence of numbers “02022020” reads the same backwards as forwards.Beijing, Shanghai and other cities had earlier decided to offer wedding registry services on the date, despite it falling on a Sunday when offices are usually closed.The ministry said it would temporarily halt marriage counselling services and asked the public not to hold wedding banquets.It also said funerals should be held in a “simple and expeditious manner to avoid gatherings of people” and the bodies of any victims of the coronavirus should be cremated as soon as possible.Staff handling funerals should wear protective gear and carry out temperature checks to avoid risking infection, the statement added.China has introduced drastic travel restrictions and pushed back the end of the Lunar New Year break — when hundreds of millions of people travel across the country to visit family — in a bid to contain the virus.Schools and universities nationwide have been told not to resume classes, officials have urged factories to delay their return to work and the public has been asked to avoid large crowds.More than 50 million people in Hubei province, where the virus was first detected, are effectively locked down after authorities severed transport links.Officials in Hubei announced Saturday that they would suspend all marriage registrations from Monday until further notice.Several countries including the US and Australia have barred entry to foreigners who have travelled to China in the past two weeks.
…
New Tech Could Make Coronavirus Vaccine in Record Time
A vaccine against the new Wuhan coronavirus may start testing in as little as three months, according to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci.That’s fast.It took 20 months before a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, was ready for clinical trials.That doesn’t mean you can line up for a shot in three months. The vaccine will need to be tested for safety and efficacy. That will take months more.But the time it takes to go from outbreak to vaccine candidate is shorter than ever, thanks in part to a new kind of vaccine.A lab assistant works on samples with Christian Drosten, director of the institute for virology of Berlin’s Charite hospital on his researches on the coronavirus in Berlin, Jan. 21, 2020.Eighteenth century techEver since Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine in the 18th century, against smallpox, vaccines have worked essentially the same way. Patients get an inoculation containing a weakened or killed germ or some of its key proteins. The body’s immune system reacts to it, and the next time the germ shows up, the body can recognize and neutralize it.FILE – A staff member works at an egg testing workshop of Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a Chinese vaccine-making company, during the production of a vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus in Beijing, Nov. 19, 2009.Companies grow the germs or germ parts in chicken eggs or vats of live cells. Manufacturing enough vaccine-ready germs or proteins for millions of shots takes a year or more in big manufacturing facilities.In recent years, though, scientists have started exploring a different approach. Rather than injecting part of the germ itself, experimental vaccines deliver the genetic blueprints for germ parts and let the patient’s own body manufacture them.The active ingredient in these vaccines is DNA or RNA, the genetic instructions for building proteins.“You don’t even need an infectious virus,” said molecular microbiology professor Andrew Pekosz at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All scientists need is the virus’s genetic code. “And that became available very early in this outbreak,” he said.Vaccine design in three hoursChinese scientists first announced cases of unusual pneumonia Dec. 31, 2019. By Jan. 11, they had isolated the new coronavirus and published its complete genome.With the virus’s blueprints in hand, Inovio Pharmaceuticals designed a vaccine in three hours. Manufacturing started the next day.“It’s pretty remarkable, right?” said Kate Broderick, Inovio’s chief of research and development.Inovio’s vaccine is based on DNA. Two other companies, Moderna and CureVac, are using what’s called messenger RNA. If DNA is the master blueprint for a protein, mRNA is the working copy taken to the construction site. It’s what the body’s machinery uses to turn blueprints into finished products.FILE – Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen in a mosquito cage at a laboratory in Cucuta, Colombia, Feb. 11, 2016. An experimental vaccine for the Zika virus is to begin human testing after getting light from U.S. health officials.Both methods are easily adapted when a new disease appears. Inovio has a vaccine in clinical trials against Middle East respiratory syndrome, caused by another coronavirus. The company also is working on vaccines for Zika, Ebola, Lassa, HIV and others.DNA and RNA medicines also have the potential to treat cancer. Inovio, Moderna and CureVac are among the companies with genetic therapies in the works for cervical, lung, skin, prostate and other cancers.The technology has been around for about 20 years, Broderick said, but has made big advances in recent years. There are no human DNA or RNA medicines on the market yet, but there are several for animals, including treatments for West Nile virus in horses, a viral disease in salmon, melanoma in dogs and a gene therapy that produces growth hormone in pigs.Clinical trials and tribulationsWhile a DNA or RNA vaccine is quick to make, “what takes time — and it should take time — is the process of testing it,” Broderick said.After manufacturing, animal safety tests will take a few months. Then the first phase of clinical trials can begin. Phase 1 tests for safety in healthy volunteers will take three months, according to NIAID’s Fauci.After that, “some vaccines can get emergency approval for use in these epidemics,” Pekosz at Johns Hopkins said, “particularly if they’re the only means by which people can be afforded some level of protection.”Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar gets a flu shot to during a news conference in Washington, Sept. 26, 2019.Once a vaccine is proved to be safe, researchers then must prove it works. That takes several months more.By then, the outbreak could be over. That’s what happened with SARS. By the time researchers got an experimental vaccine through phase 1 safety trials, old-fashioned quarantine had stopped the virus from spreading.“This is always the problem that we have with these outbreaks,” Pekosz said. Once the outbreak is over, “interest in generating the vaccine wanes, and the perceived need for the vaccine then wanes,” he added, “and these vaccines end up in this never-never land of being partially studied, but never pushed all the way through to completion.”And then another outbreak hits.“We could have done a much better job of preparing for this epidemic if we just followed through on some of the SARS vaccine work all the way to its completion,” he said.That’s a job government agencies should be doing, he said, “so that we do have data on how good a vaccine is before we actually need it.”
…
Curbs on Travelers from China to Limit Spread of Coronavirus Could Backfire: WHO
The World Health Organization warns travel bans to limit the spread of the new coronavirus from China could backfire and lead to a worsening of the epidemic worldwide. Latest reports put the number of confirmed cases at nearly 12,000, including 259 deaths, with most of the cases and all of the deaths occurring in China. A WHO emergency committee declared the coronavirus a global public health threat on Thursday, triggering a series of recommendations aimed at limiting the spread of the deadly disease. WHO does not recommend any restrictions on travel and trade despite the rapid acceleration of the disease inside China and its steady, but relentless growth worldwide. More than 100 cases are reported in 22 other countries. In response, some airlines have stopped flying to mainland China. The United States, which has declared the coronavirus a public health emergency, says it will deny entry to foreigners who recently visited China. Australia says it will take similar action.WHO spokesman, Christian Lindmeier, says closing borders will not keep out the virus.“As we know from other scenarios, be it Ebola or other cases, whenever people want to travel, they will. And, if the official paths are not open, they will find unofficial paths,” said Lindmeier. “But the only way to control, to check fever, for example, to identify travel history, to try to monitor who is coming across your border and to see whether they have any signs of infection is through official border crossing points.” Lindmeier says states have the sovereign right to take whatever measures they believe are best to protect their citizens.“Yet, the recommendations stay. And, if travel restrictions are imposed, then we would hope these are as short-lived as possible to try to continue normal flow of life as good as possible,” said Lindmeier. “But of course, increase surveillance and monitoring in order to avoid the spread of the disease.” China is taking draconian measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Wuhan city, the epicenter of the disease and 15 other cities have been quarantined, placing an estimated 50 million people under lockdown.Despite these efforts, the virus continues to spread at a rapid pace.
…
Author Mary Higgins Clark, ‘Queen of Suspense,’ dead at 92
Mary Higgins Clark, the tireless and long-reigning “Queen of Suspense” whose tales of women beating the odds made her one of the world’s most popular writers, died Friday at age 92.Her publisher, Simon & Schuster, announced that she died of natural causes in Naples, Florida.“Nobody ever bonded more completely with her readers than Mary did,” her longtime editor Michael Korda said in statement. “She understood them as if they were members of her own family. She was always absolutely sure of what they wanted to read — and, perhaps more important, what they didn’t want to read — and yet she managed to surprise them with every book.”Widowed in her late 30s with five children, she became a perennial bestseller over the second half of her life, writing or co-writing “A Stranger Is Watching,” “Daddy’s Little Girl” and more than 50 other favorites. Sales topped 100 million copies and honors came from all over, including a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from France or a Grand Master statuette back home from the Mystery Writers of America. Many of her books, like “A Stranger is Watching” and “Lucky Day,” were adapted for movies and television. She also collaborated on several novels with her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark.Resilient womenMary Higgins Clark specialized in women triumphing over danger, such as the besieged young prosecutor in “Just Take My Heart” or the mother of two and art gallery worker whose second husband is a madman in “A Cry in the Night.” Clark’s goal as an author was simple, if rarely easy: Keep the readers reading.“You want to turn the page,” she told The Associated Press in 2013. “There are wonderful sagas you can thoroughly enjoy a section and put it down. But if you’re reading my book, I want you stuck with reading the next paragraph. The greatest compliment I can receive is, ‘I read your darned book ‘til 4 in the morning, and now I’m tired.’ I say, ‘Then you get your money’s worth.’”Her own life taught her lessons of resilience, strengthened by her Catholic faith, that she shared with her fictional heroines. She was born Mary Higgins in 1927 in New York City, the second of three children. She would later take the last name Clark after marriage. Her father ran a popular pub that did well enough for the family to afford a maid and for her mother to prepare meals for strangers in need. But business slowed during the Great Depression, and her father, forced to work ever longer hours as he laid off employees, died in his sleep in 1939. One of her brothers died of meningitis a few years later. Surviving family members took on odd jobs and had to rent out rooms in the house.A writer is bornClark had always loved to write. At age 6, she completed her first poem, which her mother proudly requested she recite in front of the family. A story she wrote in grade school impressed her teacher enough that Clark read it to the rest of the class. By high school, she was trying to sell stories to True Confessions magazine.After working as a hotel switchboard operator — Tennessee Williams was among the guests she eavesdropped on — and a flight attendant for Pan American, she married Capital Airways regional manager Warren Clark in 1949. Throughout the 1950s and into the ’60s, she raised their children, studied writing at New York University and began getting stories published.Some stories drew upon her experiences at Pan American. Another story, which appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, “Beauty Contest at Buckingham Palace,” imagined a pageant featuring Queen Elizabeth II, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Grace of Monaco. But by the mid-60s, the magazine market for fiction was rapidly shrinking and her husband’s health was failing; Warren Clark died of a heart attack in 1964.Clark quickly found work as a script writer for “Portrait of a President,” a radio series on American presidents. Her research inspired her first book, a historical novel about George and Martha Washington. She was so determined that she began getting up at 5 a.m., working until nearly 7 a.m. before feeding her children and leaving for work.“Aspire to the Heavens” was published in 1969. It was “a triumph,” she recalled in her memoir “Kitchen Privileges,” but also a folly. The book’s publisher was sold near the release date and it received little attention. She regretted the title and learned that some stores placed the book in religious sections. Her compensation was $1,500, minus commission. Decades later, the novel would be reissued, far more successfully, as “Mount Vernon: A Love Story.”Into suspenseFor her next book, she wanted to make some money. Following a guideline she would often suggest to other writers, she looked at her bookshelves, which featured novels by Agatha Christie, Rex Stout and other mystery writers, and decided she should write the kind of book she liked to read. A recent tabloid trial about a young woman accused of murdering her children gave her an idea.“It seemed inconceivable to most of us that any woman could do that to her children,” Mary Clark wrote in her memoir. “And then I thought: Suppose an innocent young mother is convicted of the deliberate murder of her two children; suppose she gets out of prison on a technicality; and then suppose seven years to the day, on her 32nd birthday, the children of her second marriage disappear.”In September 1974, she sent her agent a manuscript for “Die a Little Death,” acquired months later by Simon & Schuster for $3,000. Renamed “Where are the Children?” and released in 1975, it became her first bestseller and began her long, but not entirely surprising, run of success. She would allege that a psychic had told her she would become rich and famous.Clark, who wrote well into her 90s, more than compensated for her early struggles. She acquired several homes and for a time owned part of the New Jersey Nets. She was among a circle of authors, including Lee Child and Nelson DeMille, who regularly met for dinner in Manhattan. She also had friends in Washington and was a White House guest during the presidential administrations of George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Barbara Bush became a close friend.Married since 1996 to former Merrill Lynch Futures CEO John J. Conheeney, Clark remembered well the day she said goodbye to hard times. It was in April 1977, and her agent had told her that Simon & Schuster was offering $500,000 for the hardcover to her third novel, “A Stranger is Watching,” and that the publisher Dell was paying $1 million for the paperback. She had been running her own script production company during the day and studying for a philosophy degree at Fordham University at night, returning home to New Jersey in an old car with more than 100,000 miles on it.“As I drove onto the Henry Hudson Parkway, the tailpipe and muffler came loose and began dragging on the ground. For the next 21 miles, I kur-plunked, kur-plunked, all the way home,” she wrote in her memoir. “People in other cars kept honking and beeping, obviously sure that I was either too stupid or too deaf to hear the racket.“The next day I bought a Cadillac!”
…
RFE/RL Correspondent’s Car Set on Fire in Lviv
The car of an RFE/RL Ukrainian service correspondent in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv was set on fire overnight on January 29-30 — an arson attack that Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko said could have been ordered by someone. Halyna Tereshchuk, who has been working for RFE/RL since 2000, said she suspected the attack was linked to her professional activities. “We think the crime was ordered, that somebody hired someone to conduct it,” Herashchenko told RFE/RL, adding that the police were doing “everything to find both the perpetrators and those who ordered the attack.” The National Police in Lviv said earlier in the day that a probe had been launched into the “deliberate destruction of the journalist’s property.” According to witnesses, a masked individual approached the Mitsubishi Colt around midnight, placed something on the windshield of the vehicle, set fire to it and then fled. Second fireThe Ukrainian unit of rights group Freedom House condemned the torching of not only Tereschchuk’s vehicle but also, on the same day, the car of Andriy Lukin, an activist in Zaporizhzhya. “We are outraged by the fires … and call on law enforcement agencies to investigate these incidents effectively,” Freedom House Ukraine said on Facebook. The group stated that “arson or other methods of destruction of vehicles and property are becoming increasingly used as a means to pressure active people in Ukraine.” It noted that there were 11 cases last year of property belonging to activists being destroyed and “in almost all cases, the perpetrators were not found and punished.”
…
Australian State to Examine Role of Climate Change in Bushfire Disaster
The impact of climate change on Australia’s unprecedented bushfire crisis will be examined by an independent inquiry set up by the New South Wales state government. The six-month inquiry will look at the causes of the bushfires, as well as how the state of New South Wales prepared and reacted to them.It will examine the role climate change played in the disaster, as well as the effects of a long drought and lack of hazard reduction, which is the process of setting controlled fires to burn off vegetation during the cooler months to deny wildfires fuel when the weather heats up.While global warming is not the direct cause of Australia’s bushfire crisis, scientists have warned that a hotter, drier climate would contribute to the blazes becoming more intense and frequent.NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian attends a news conference at Rural Fire Service (RFS) Headquarters in Sydney, Jan. 4, 2020.Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian says the independent inquiry will start within days.“We want the process to be robust and comprehensive,” she said, “but we also want it to be meaningful so that government can adopt any recommendations ahead of the next bushfire season.”Bushfires in New South Wales have killed 25 people since September and damaged thousands of homes.The investigation will be led by Dave Owens, a former senior police commander, and professor Mary O’Kane, a scientist and engineer.However, with fires still raging, there is criticism that the probe is starting while the crisis continues.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, condemned for his handling of the bushfires and underplaying the role of climate change, has yet to announce the terms of any federal investigation.Fires Saturday continue to threaten the capital, Canberra. Authorities have declared a state of emergency for the first time since 2003.
…
Coronavirus Concerns Spur Nigerian Authorities to Close Chinese Market in Abuja
Nigerian officials raided and shut down a popular Chinese supermarket in Abuja this week over concerns about the spreading coronavirus. The supermarket is a major gathering spot for Chinese citizens and expatriates living in the Nigerian capital. The aisles and checkout area of the Panda supermarket are usually packed with shoppers. But all were empty Friday, two days after officials of Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) closed the market. The head of the commission, Babtunde Irukera, said the market was closed because of concern about imported products that could carry the coronavirus. “The operatives of the place admitted that those things were imported from China,” Irukera said. “Our suspicion is not whether those products that we saw there are host carriers of the virus, but it was more of the fact that … is there a potential for a risk?” Numbers climbMore than 200 people have died since the virus was confirmed in Wuhan, China, and nearly 10,000 others are infected and fighting symptoms that include fever and respiratory difficulties. The WHO has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency. So far, there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus on the African continent, although one suspected case has been reported in Botswana. The head of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekwazu, said the government was not taking any chances. “The first thing we’re doing is learning everyday about critical aspects of the virus — how it is transmitted, how many people die from it, how many severe cases it causes,” Ihekwazu said. “There’s new information coming up every day. We’re working closely with [the World Health Organization] to identify specific measures for controlling the outbreak but also to advise government on what to do in terms of trade and travel and all of that.” Officials of the supermarket declined to comment on the shutdown. Other businessesMeanwhile, Irukera of the FCCPC said the regulatory agency planned to visit other Chinese-run businesses in Nigeria that might pose a risk of the virus. “We’ve identified some locations in Lagos that we’d also be reaching to try and stop the supply of these products,” Irukera said. “There’s a larger plan. I know that customs is on more sensitive alert — the ports authority, the ministry of health.” Nigerian health authorities have begun screening Chinese nationals entering Nigeria, and they also have urged citizens traveling to China to suspend their trips indefinitely.
…
DC Carnival Queen Braves Social Stereotypes
Kelly Carnes is anything but ordinary. A public relations executive and entrepreneur, she has made parties and carnivals her everyday reality and lives the life that feels natural to her. But there’s one element in her life that puzzles many, but not her. Masha Morton met with the DC carnival queen.
…