American businesses operating in China have turned bearish about the Chinese economy after more companies reported drops in revenues and market demand as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, a U.S. business lobby’s survey showed on Wednesday. Some 76% of 119 company executives expressed a pessimistic outlook towards China’s future economic growth, according to an Residents walk past a retail and office district with a screen showing propaganda which reads “Go China! Go Wuhan” as businesses slowly restart in Beijing, March 8, 2020.As the virus continues to devastate Western countries, U.S. companies are now worried about its global impact, said the chamber’s chairman Greg Gilligan. The chamber called on both the Chinese and parent U.S. governments to offer relief measures including tax cuts and financing. Relief measures needed Gilligan said hundreds of the chamber’s members had already engaged, in an earlier online discussion, with Chinese officials, led by Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen, to explore potential solutions. “In the tax side, we highlighted that we needed frankly national treatment such that any relief measures will be available to all businesses not just businesses depending on their countries of origin etc… And so, we were given assurance around those things,” Gilligan told an online media briefing on Monday. He said medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are vulnerable to cash crunch, are in desperate need of such relief measures. But the chamber hopes that the measures can also be extended to large companies. “Large corporates are actually linchpins for SMEs because SMEs are often in the up or down steams of their ecosystem. So, support for large corporates is in fact support for SMEs as well,” Gilligan added. When it comes to investment, 40% of respondents said they would maintain previously planned investment levels while 10% planned to decrease investment, the survey showed. Emerging new opportunities On the bright side, however, around 40% of U.S. business respondents are optimistic about prospects for China’s further reforms and market opening, although 44% of them are pessimistic about upcoming negotiations of the U.S.-China phase-two trade deal. FILE – China’s President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump witness U.S. and Chinese business leaders signing trade deals at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Nov. 9, 2017.The chamber, moreover, hopes to help member companies — especially those in the technology and healthcare sectors — to identify new business opportunities amid the health crisis. “The 40% [of the technology & other R&D-intensive sectors] are actually projecting an increase in market growth… That, of course, is because the use of technology by business and society at large has experienced an uptick as a result of the epidemic,” the chamber’s president, Alan Beebe, told the same online media briefing. The chamber said that the world can look to China’s experience as it has been a global leader in the adoption of e-commerce. The chamber, which has long advocated more private-sector participation in China’s healthcare system, will look to promote public-private partnership, hoping that the crisis will serve as a catalyst for China to upgrade its healthcare system, Beebe said. Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Chamber, also urged China to advance its reform agenda after the chamber’s online meeting with Chinese officials last week. “We must do more than merely troubleshoot the issues… but also advance a proactive effort to help shape the form that a new round of economic liberalization may take,” he said in a press statement released on Monday. Disrupted supply of raw materials Following the relaxation of lockdown policies in major Chinese cities, the supply of workforce is no longer a headache for most China-based Taiwanese electronic makers, according to Yen Shu-chiu, deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association in Taipei. However, manufacturers remain haunted by the disrupted supply of raw materials, which has kept their overall output level at under 50%, she said. Another hurdle comes from transportation disruption as manufacturers there are having a hard time arranging transportation for delivery to their clients in the U.S or European countries, she added. “The outbreak in China has slightly eased, but the condition in European countries and the U.S. is worsening. There remain lots of restrictions on logistics and transportation, which poses difficulty for Taiwanese businesses there,’ Yen said.
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Month: March 2020
Britain’s Prince Charles Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Britain’s Prince Charles has tested positive for the coronavirus. A statement Wednesday said he “has been displaying mild symptoms” but is otherwise in good health. His wife, Camilla, tested negative for the virus. The couple is in self-isolation at a home in Scotland.
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Istanbul’s Battle Against the Coronavirus
Turkey’s main city – Istanbul – is at the center of the country’s efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus. Almost 40 people have died in Turkey and the virus has infected more than 1,500 people. Authorities are now ramping up restrictions, closing schools, shuttering entertainment venues and even halting prayers at mosques. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the city is learning to adapt to a new way of life.
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Local Distillery Switches from Whiskey Production to Sanitizers
As the world battles the coronavirus, shortages of disinfectants are becoming more of a problem. That’s prompting some companies like a small distiller in Falls Church, Virginia to find creative ways to help. VOA’s Ozlem Tinaz recently visited the facility and filed this report.
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At Least 60 Ethiopian Migrants Found Dead in Cargo Truck in Mozambique
At least 60 people, believed to be undocumented migrants from Ethiopia, were found dead in a cargo truck in Mozambique this week. Authorities heard banging noises from inside the truck’s container at a checkpoint in northwestern Tete province, where it was stopped after crossing the border from neighboring Malawi. They discovered 14 survivors along with the bodies of the migrants when they opened the doors of the container. The victims are believed to have died from a lack of oxygen. The survivors were taken to a local hospital for treatment. The truck driver and one other person were taken into custody. The southeastern African nation of Mozambique is a transit route for poor migrants trying to reach South Africa, one of the continent’s most industrialized countries.
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US Leaders Agree on Coronavirus Rescue Aid
U.S. leaders said early Wednesday they have reached an agreement on a $2 trillion economic rescue package to help workers and businesses cope with the coronavirus outbreak. The text of the bill is due to be released Wednesday morning with a vote in the Senate to follow. If the Senate gives its approval, the measure will go to the House of Representatives. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill is “far from perfect,” but that after improvements from days of negotiations it should be quickly approved. “We have a bipartisan agreement on the largest rescue package in American history,” Schumer said. “This is not a moment of celebration, but one of necessity.” “Help is on the way,” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. He described the measure as good news for doctors and nurses around the country who need more funding and protective equipment such as masks to care for coronavirus patients, as well as for families who are set to get checks as part of an effort to “inject trillions” of dollars into the U.S. economy. “In effect, this is a wartime level of investment into our nation,” McConnell said.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. walks to the Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 23, 2020, as the Senate is working to pass a coronavirus relief bill.President Donald Trump says he wants to restart the U.S. economy as quickly as possible as lockdown orders in many states have kept workers home and closed businesses like restaurants, bars and movie theaters. The aid package is aimed at boosting the U.S. economy by sending direct payments to more than 90% of Americans and a vast array of U.S. businesses to help them weather the immediate and burgeoning economic effects of the coronavirus. “This legislation is urgently needed to bolster the economy, provide cash injections and liquidity, and stabilize financial markets to get us through a difficult and challenging period in the economy facing us right now, but also to position us for what I think can be an economic rebound later this year,” said Trump’s top economic adviser Larry Kudlow. Most U.S. families of four would get $3,000 in assistance, with the aid package also creating the $500 billion lending program for businesses, cities and states, and $350 billion more to help small businesses meet payroll costs at a time when there is a declining demand for their products and services. During negotiations this week, Democrats focused their objections on the $500 billion lending program for businesses, which some critics called a “slush fund” because the Treasury Department would have wide discretion over who gets the money, with little accounting for how the money is spent. That led to inclusion of an oversight panel to review the government handouts to businesses, to try to make certain the money is spent appropriately. The United States has about 55,000 confirmed cases with more than 700 deaths from the coronavirus.
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East Asian Countries Fight A Second Coronavirus Wave as Imported Cases Escalate
Returnees from Western countries are bringing a new wave of coronavirus cases to parts of Asia such as Hong Kong and Taiwan just as health authorities there were getting their outbreaks under control. The trend of what health officials describe as “imported cases” threatens disease control work and economic recoveries in spots where health authorities had tentatively gotten upper hands on local outbreaks. “Once they’re overseas, situations easily develop,” Taiwan health and welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung told a news conference Monday. “However, (returnees) have the right to live here, so if they have any symptoms, we do our best to intercept them at the airports.” Flights into East Asia People deplaning from heavily infected places such as Western Europe and the United States brought new cases to a single-day record of 27 on Friday, Chen said last week. Most of the 16 new cases reported Sunday and all but one of the 26 reported Monday are from offshore, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control said. Taiwan’s cumulative caseload has grown nearly fivefold since early March to 195, which include 28 full recoveries and two deaths. A one-day record of 48 cases in Hong Kong on Friday prompted warnings there about an influx of arrivals from overseas. Hong Kong’s cumulative caseload stood at 274 on Saturday. In Singapore, which had contained one of the world’s earliest outbreaks outside the epicenter in China, returnees had pushed the total caseload from 106 at the start of March to 455 on Sunday. Twenty-four of 32 new cases reported Thursday and 18 of 23 new cases reported Sunday were imported, Singapore’s Ministry of Health said as cited in the domestic media. China said all 39 cases logged there on Sunday had come from abroad. People flying in with coronavirus infections are usually returning from cancelled classes, work commitments or tours in Western countries, Chen said. They will keep coming in for another two weeks, he said, until everyone gets back from their cancelled classes. The daily number of people entering Taiwan is declining and totaled about 4,600 Sunday. Bans on foreign visitors In East Asia, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam have all banned foreign tourists. Taiwan took the extra step Sunday of barring transit passengers. Quarantine rules have toughened on arrivals with any kind of passport. People arriving in Hong Kong from anywhere in the world are subject to compulsory quarantine. Taiwan asks deplaning passengers to report travel histories and any obvious symptoms. Homebound passengers now make up most of the flying population worldwide as few people are starting trips, said Brendan Sobie, founder of the Singapore-based consultancy Sobie Aviation. “What will happen in Singapore and Taiwan and Hong Kong will depend on the cases that came from abroad,” said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist at IHS Markit. “If it can be kept under control for the next couple of weeks, then hopefully things should get better.” Economic rebounds at stake In the coronavirus outbreak epicenter China, citizens have slowly returned this month to work and started going out again to eat and shop after mass closures in February. And in Taiwan, children are are still in school, workplaces remain open and restaurants fill on weekends.But bans on foreign inbound travel will depress potential consumer demand, especially in the already moribund Asian tourism sector, analysts warn. Vietnam’s normally vibrant tourism sector has flatlined already, to name just one example. The country reported a handful of imported coronavirus cases this month after a lull in increases, taking its cumulative load to 94.“If people can’t travel from one country to another, then demand will not pick up no matter how much money you throw at the problem, so it’s really different to just a normal downturn,” said Adam McCarty, chief economist with Mekong Economics in Hanoi.
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Pope Francis to Lead Christians in Worldwide COVID Prayer Service
The Vatican is inviting Christians around the world to join Pope Francis in prayer against the coronavirus pandemic as some workers in Vatican City complain they are being discouraged from working from home. A church tweet says Francis will conduct his prayer service Wednesday at 1100 UTC. Vatican officials have confirmed at least four coronavirus cases so far. Although the church has said it is encouraging people TO work from what it calls “remote locations,” the Associated Press reports that workers in three different Vatican offices complain they have been told to show up in person from two to five days a week. The offices include one that is said to handle sensitive church matters from which officials fear documents could disappear if the office is short-staffed. Another office, the so-called Propaganda Office, oversees the church’s work in developing countries. “The whole of Italy closes down but not so the Vatican, at least not Propaganda Fide,” one commuter’s wife posted on Facebook. “It is dangerous, moving between cities, trains, metro and buses. I cannot believe that this is actually happening!” While church officials have yet to respond to such grievances, they again said that while Vatican offices will stay open, department heads should make sure “essential services” are carried out with minimal staff while “incentivizing as much as possible remote working.” Pope Francis says he feels like he’s living in a “cage,” avoiding contact with the faithful and conducting video services instead of greeting pilgrims at St. Peter’s Square. Some Catholic churches around the world still remain open despite the risks posed by congregations gathering in close contact during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Istanbul Battles Coronavirus Behind Closed Doors
Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, is at the center of the country’s efforts to control the spread of COVID-19. Authorities are ramping up restrictions, as the number of infections increase. On Tuesday, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced the pandemic’s latest figures — seven new deaths, bringing the death toll to 44, with a total of 1,872 infections. With a population of more than 16 million people, Istanbul accounts for a fifth of Turkey’s population. It is seen as an indicator for the entire country’s ability to win or lose in its battle against COVID-19. Every night across Istanbul, like in other Turkish towns and cities, people cheer and whistle from their balconies or windows in support of the country’s medical workers. The city is learning to live behind closed doors, including its children, who woke up Monday morning with their schools shuttered in the latest effort by Ankara to contain the coronavirus. Schools closed for two weeks, but many believe that remains an optimistic target, given that the epidemic remains in its infancy. COVID-19 came late to Turkey. The first official infection was reported two weeks ago. Among the first steps taken by Ankara to contain the virus was to close cinemas, theaters and restaurants until further notice. With its culture of street restaurants, Istanbul is a city that loves to live outside. Now, the streets are silent and empty, devoid of bustling tables of customers enjoying the city’s famed culinary pleasures. Istanbul’s Kadikoy district a hub for the city’s famed restaurants is now empty and silent as all the country’s restaurants are closed as part of the battle to contain the epidemic. (VOA/Dorian Jones)Even prayers at mosques are suspended, possibly a first in the city’s long history. Despite the severe measures, there is a growing awareness among Istanbul’s residents about the dangers of the virus. “Definitely there is a big danger, both for our country and the world,” said Muhammet, a student. “Immediately, precautions should be taken. We have no doubt scientists and health workers are doing their best.” But others are more critical of the government’s response. “They hid the virus. My nephew works at a hospital. There are six or seven virus victims at a time, when they kept saying that there is no virus. Who are they kidding?” said a retired woman who declined to give her name. “How come there isn’t? Why did they deny this? Why didn’t they take precautions, like stopping the planes coming to Istanbul?” Ankara denies such criticism, insisting it is reacting with speed and transparency. Private hospitals on the front line Istanbul’s numerous and well-equipped private hospitals are being put on the front line to fight the virus. “The government has declared all private hospitals “pandemic hospitals,” which gives it the authority to force them to accept corona patients and to set aside the facilities to treat them,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. “Medical residents have been drafted into active duty,” he added. “The administration is trying to soothe public concerns about a health crisis by assurances that staff, facilities, medicine and test kits are adequate for even dire scenarios.” Yesilada pointed out, however, that anecdotal evidence suggests there is growing criticism about exhaustion, poor safety standards, a lack of masks, gloves, and other vital equipment for hospital staff. On Sunday, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced that authorities had raided depots belonging to medical suppliers suspected of hoarding vital equipment, including face masks. The Turkish Medical Association warned Sunday that inadequate regulations meant that all health care professionals are in danger of being infected. It also added that Turkey must immediately install new intensive care units. The Health Ministry rejected such criticisms as unfounded. The Interior Ministry introduced a nationwide measure controlling the number of people using food shops to ensure against overcrowding. Earlier, people over 65 were banned from leaving home. Istanbul municipal authorities have even started removing benches to discourage people from sitting and chatting. Police cars are touring Istanbul’s popular seafront areas telling people to go home. For now, Ankara has refrained from introducing compulsory lockdown measures for most of the population. But in Istanbul, much of the population is already heeding government calls to stay home and only work if essential. The use of the city’s public transportation has collapsed in two weeks. According to figures released by Istanbul’s Municipal Authority on Sunday, 800,000 people used the transport network, down from 4.8 million users two weeks prior — a 68% drop. Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), is calling on the city to stay strong. “Together, we will get through. Our country, our city, can be an example for the world on how to keep the coronavirus cases and fatalities low,” he said Imamoglu at a recent press conference. “My fellow citizens of Istanbul, we do have difficult days ahead of us, but everything will be beautiful. Don’t lose hope.” In its 3,000-year history Istanbul has faced plagues and invasions. It is now bracing itself for this latest challenge.
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Experts: Trump’s Letter to Kim Shows N Korea Dialogue Still Matters
President Donald Trump’s attempt to reengage North Korea through “anti-epidemic” help offered through a letter sent to the country’s leader Kim Jong Un is an effort to show the U.S. remains open to dialogue even amid the coronavirus pandemic, experts said. “The main point here is that the U.S. continues to send signals that reinforce a posture of openness to dialogue with North Korea,” said Scott Snyder, director of the program on U.S.-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). “We continue to say that the door is open in various ways, and the coronavirus response is one specific area where both countries could begin engagement with each other if they decide to do so,” Snyder continued.Trump sent a personal letter to the regime’s leader, according to a FILE – Kim Yo Jong, March 2, 2019.She welcomed the letter as “a good judgment and proper action for the U.S. president to make efforts to keep the good relations” with the country’s leader at a time when “big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations.” She said Trump offered help in “anti-epidemic work,” conveying that he values his relations with Kim. But she said it is not good to make a “hasty conclusion” that a close relation between Trump and Kim could lead to a change in relations between the two countries. Denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been stalled since October when the working-level talks held in Stockholm fell through as neither side relented on its position. Washington has been seeking Pyongyang to fully denuclearize, but Pyongyang has been demanding the U.S. relax sanctions as a precondition for denuclearization. Trump confirmed that he sent a letter to Kim to help the regime fight the coronavirus that began in Wuhan, China, and spread into a global pandemic. “North Korea, Iran, and others, we are open for helping other countries,” said Trump on Sunday.Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said, “I think it’s important to keep lines of authoritative communication open, regardless of what the policy is.” North Korea has not reported any confirmed cases of the virus. But it has been taking extreme measures to prevent the virus from making inroads. Pyongyang quarantined thousands of people before releasing almost 2,600 on Friday, according to the FILE – Workers of the Ryongaksan Soap Factory make disinfectant in Pyongyang, North Korea, March 19, 2020.On Monday, the Gary Samore, the White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction in the Obama administration, said North Korea announced it received Trump’s letter a day after it tested missiles because it views the letter and the tests as unrelated. “Kim Jong Un doesn’t see any inconsistency between a friendly letter from Trump, which of course, Kim Jong Un’s sister praised, and conducting short-range missile tests,” Samore said. “They are completely unrelated because, from Kim Jong Un’s standpoint, he feels free to conduct short-range missile tests at any time without breaking any agreement that he has with Trump. So I think the message from Kim is that he’s going to proceed independently with short-range missile tests regardless of the state of relations with the United States,” Samore continued. Trump has said any short-range missile tests North Korea conducts are not in violation of an agreement the two leaders made at the Singapore Summit in June 2018.Kim Jong Un and North Korea tested 3 short range missiles over the last number of days. These missiles tests are not a violation of our signed Singapore agreement, nor was there discussion of short range missiles when we shook hands. There may be a United Nations violation, but..— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2019Fitzpatrick said North Korea’s response to the letter shows that its position is still locked on demanding the U.S. concession of sanctions relief. “The response from Kim Jong Un’s sister was, in so many words, a rejection … [suggesting] that ‘Your words have to be backed by real change in U.S. policy,'” Fitzpatrick said. “North Korea wants sanctions relief, not a vague offer of assistance.” Christy Lee contributed to this report from VOA Korean.
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Reporter’s Notebook: Virus Leaves New York City Streets Eerily Empty
As I was gathering material for a live television report, I saw a group of tourists who were celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. They couldn’t dine at a restaurant so they were sitting outside, eating take-out food. The street near Times Square, usually bustling with people, is empty. An unusual sight for a New Yorker like myself. A bit haunting, even. This is the new normal in the time of coronavirus. I see a woman dressed as Minnie Mouse and a man dressed as the Nintendo character Luigi chase a few potential customers walking the streets to see if they can snap a selfie and maybe score a tip. Then the iconic “Naked Cowboy” strolls by – wearing a mask! The buff, long haired man is a fixture in one of New York city’s most popular tourist spots. Wow! Even he has changed his habits, heeding the warnings from city officials who say the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing fast. Even New York’s iconic ‘Naked Cowboy’ is wearing a face mask in the times of coronavirus! (Photo: Celia Mendoza / VOA)In the city that never sleeps – my city – movie theaters, gyms and nightclubs have closed their doors. I see a few retail stores are still open – they haven’t decided to close up shop yet. People who used to dine out are resorting to ordering take-out or having their food delivered – in accordance with the directive to avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people. As I walk past McDonald’s, the attendants look tired, the customers carrying bags of food seem stressed out.Out in the streets, journalists, photographers and videographers are documenting the scene. We’re all using the unusually empty outdoor tables to upload images to our laptops to be distributed to people around the world who have never seen anything like this.As I stand in the very same location where I have covered massive protests and the famous ball drop on New Year’s eve, I can’t believe how different this feels. Instead of regular people, it’s we journalists who are out and about in the heart of the Big Apple. There are police cars parked on the side of the road, but the anti-terrorism unit isn’t patrolling on foot as they usually do at 45th and Broadway which, on a normal day, would be packed with thousands of people.The worst is yet to come, they say.I see food delivery bicycles speeding down the street. They outnumber the iconic New York yellow cabs, who have few customers these days as many New Yorkers are teleworking. Times Square is eerily empty as most New Yorkers are teleworking these days. (Photo: Celia Mendoza /VOA)Our momentary peace is shaken by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s coronavirus live updates about the number of infections. Today we learn that four basketball players from the Brooklyn Nets, among them Kevin Durant, has tested positive. It’s as if we are watching a horror movie, only this is real life.The governor says the outbreak is expected to reach its peak in roughly 45 days. That worries me.My childhood friend, who works at an Upper East Side hospital, tells me he’s been seeing patients with flu symptoms since March 9. He texts me that the hospital is overwhelmed. “Everyone is demanding to be tested, the hospital is full of people,” he says. He works in the Emergency Room. City officials are pleading with people to visit the ER only if they are severely ill.Our personal fear of this deadly disease makes New Yorkers panic. We head to the stores to buy hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes and toilet paper. That’s what everyone is looking for. But some of us decide to skip the long lines at the supermarket – and opt for online shopping instead.I’ve stocked up on my favorite potato and pita chips, which I ordered online from Amazon, just in case I need to shelter in place. (Photo: Celia Mendoza / VOA)Just before President Donald Trump declared a national emergency I boarded a plane for Miami, where I spent the weekend. Too busy to shop at my local store, I filled my Amazon shopping cart online with Clorox wipes, a month’s worth of my favorite potato chips and toilet paper. I ordered canned food too, just in case I need to shelter in place at some point. My order was delayed twice because items were out of stock. When I returned home, my doorman – wearing gloves and a mask – handed me a cart full of Amazon boxes. It was another reminder of the strange times we are living in.At this point, so little is known about this deadly virus that I’m beginning to wonder if I myself am a silent carrier. Who knows? Over the past 90 days, I’ve traveled for work to Zurich and Davos in Switzerland, to Madrid, Spain, to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, and Miami, Florida. Some of these places have confirmed cases of coronavirus.I don’t have symptoms, I have not been exposed to anyone who has it – or have I? My anxiety about catching the virus makes me clean every surface I encounter on my trips. I wipe down my plane seat, I wash my hands every chance I get, I avoid physical contact with loved ones and cancel dates with friends who have asthma or are considered to be vulnerable to coronavirus.People stand outside McDonald’s to eat their food, since the restaurant does not allow people to eat in these days, as a precaution against the coronavirus. (Photo: Celia Mendoza / VOA)Today, I question myself after interviewing Olga Viles, an 80-year-old Ecuadorian grandmother, who lives with her son in Manhattan. She left home to go to the bank. I film her on the street.Afterwards, I replay our interaction in my head – I kept my distance and used a handheld microphone. I did not let her grab it as she reached out – instinctively – to hold it. As she walks away, she smiles and says this terrible situation saddens her. She agrees that sheltering-in-place is a good idea.I keep asking myself whether I stood far enough away from her. I’m a globe-trotting journalist, half her age, standing close to her in the times of coronavirus. It is as dangerous as sleep walking across a busy intersection. Should I be scared? Just days ago, we learned that coronavirus has reached all 50 US states.
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Olympics-Reaction to Postponement of The Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Athletes, national associations and sporting federations from around the world reacted with a mixture of sadness, relief and goodwill to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.After weeks of speculation and mounting criticism at the delay in announcing a postponement, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC president Thomas Bach agreed the event would be rescheduled for the summer of 2021 at the latest.
It is the first break in the four-year cycle for the summer Olympics since the 1940 and 1944 Games were cancelled because of World War Two. Here are some reactions to the decision:
IOC President Thomas Bach:
“This Olympic flame will be the light at the end of the tunnel.”
International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons:
“Postponing the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak is absolutely the right thing to do. The health and well-being of human life must always be our number one priority and staging a sport event of any kind during this pandemic is simply not possible.
“Sport is not the most important thing right now, preserving human life is.”
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland in a message to athletes:
“Despite the feeling of eventuality that so many of us have felt in the lead up to this moment — my heart breaks for you, your fellow athletes around the world, our friends at Tokyo 2020, the people of Japan, and all who are impacted by this global pandemic and the decision to postpone the Tokyo Games 2020.
“This summer was supposed to be a culmination of your hard work and life’s dream, but taking a step back from competition to care for our communities and each other is the right thing to do. Your moment will wait until we can gather again safely.”
Andy Andson, CEO British Olympic Association (BOA):
“It is with profound sadness that we accept the postponement, but in all consciousness it is the only decision we can support, in light of the devastating impact (of) COVID-19.
“It is time for them to stop thinking about Tokyo 2020 for now and be home and safe with their families.”
World Athletics:
“It is what athletes want and we believe this decision will give all athletes, technical officials and volunteers some respite and certainty in these unprecedented and uncertain times.
“In light of this announcement, we will also expedite our current review of the Olympic qualification system, in cooperation with the IOC, and release any changes to the process as soon as possible so athletes know where they stand.”
Athletes body the World Players’ Association:
“World Players trusts that the postponement heralds a change in the culture of IOC decision-making from one of hierarchy to one of inclusion.
“Postponement — clearly the correct decision — followed strong calls by athletes and the Sport & Rights Alliance as well as historic decisions by key National Olympic Committees and sports bodies in athletics, swimming and gymnastics not to send teams.”
World swimming body FINA, whose 2021 aquatics world championships are scheduled for July 16-Aug 1:
“We will now work closely with the host organising committee of the 2021 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, with the Japan Swimming Federation and with the Japanese public authorities, in order to determine flexibility around the dates of the competition, if necessary and in agreement with the IOC.”
Alejandro Blanco, Spanish Olympic Committee president:
“The IOC has given us some good news by announcing that the Olympic Games will be postponed. It will allow all athletes to be able to compete in equal conditions and will safeguard their health, just as we have been demanding since this crisis began.”
Alfons Hormann, President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB):
“It confirms to the world population that everything in sports is also being done to bring the global pandemic under control as best as possible and as soon as possible.”
Statement from World Rugby:
“We look forward to working closely together in a spirit of partnership with the IOC, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and all other stakeholders towards the rescheduling of the Games and our belief from the outstanding Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, is that the hosts will come out of this adversity stronger and more committed than ever before to deliver an exceptional Games.”
International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty:
“We are faced with an unprecedented situation that calls for responsible leadership and making informed decisions. Whilst this is a bitter disappointment for all those who have been preparing and training hard, we all understand that the protection of human life, health and safety, comes first.”
International Canoe Federation president Jose Perurena:
“We congratulate the IOC, the Japanese Government and Tokyo 2020 organisers for making this brave but essential decision.”
World Triathlon President and IOC member, Marisol Casado:
“We understand that there are lots of questions unanswered at the moment, and we are working in all scenarios to give answers to all of them, and communicate all the different scenarios and solutions to all parties as soon as we can.”
British Swimming CEO Jack Buckner:
“Were (our athletes) attempting to train for the biggest sporting event of the quadrennial they would be putting the health of themselves and those around them at risk, which I’m sure everyone would agree would be both dangerous and extremely selfish.”
Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin to TASS news agency:
“We respect this joint decision by the IOC and the leadership of Japan. In these difficult times, the health of the athletes, organizers, representatives of all countries and IOC members is at the forefront. We will set up our cooperation on the training process with national federations.”
America-born Swedish pole vault world record holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis:
“It’s a bummer, it’s a bummer that I won’t be able to compete in the Olympics this year, but you have to understand the situation, understand that some things are a little bigger than sport, and I guess we’ll have it next year.”
Italy’s Olympic track cycling champion Elia Viviani:
“Postponing the Olympics to 2021 is the best decision for me. Today we are all struggling with a much bigger problem and although August still seems far away, the security for such a big event was very difficult. See you in 2021!”
Canada’s Olympic wrestling champion Erica Wiebe:
“Utter relief. Excitement. Uncertainty. We’re in unprecedented times. We’ll be more ready than ever in 2021 and wearing the maple leaf with more pride than I thought possible.”
Britain’s world champion heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson:
“Waited eight years for this, what’s another one in the grand scheme of things? As an athlete, it’s heartbreaking news about the Olympics being postponed until 2021, but it’s for all the right reasons and the safety of everyone! Stay indoors!”
Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge:
“All in all a very wise decision to postpone the Olympics until 2021. I look forward to come back to Japan to defend my Olympic title next year and look forward to witness a wonderful event. I wish everybody good health in these challenging times.”
Britain’s 100m Olympic breaststroke champion Adam Peaty:
“As an athlete, I am obviously extremely disappointed but this is more important and bigger than me or any of the athletes that would have been taking part. This is a matter of life or death and we all need to do the right thing.” (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Hugh Lawson)
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Reporter’s Notebook: New Yorkers Adapt to New Normal
VOA Spanish reporter Celia Mendoza shares how she is adapting to life as a journalist in one of America’s most populous cities, while trying to also stay coronavirus free.
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City of Chicago to Reserve Hotel Rooms for Coronavirus Patients
In a move designed to help both the city’s struggling hospitality industry and over-worked hospitals, the mayor of Chicago this week announced a plan to reserve thousands of hotel rooms for people with mild cases of the coronavirus.Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the plan Monday saying the city has partnered with five hotels and expected 1,000 rooms available by Tuesday.Chicago officials said the plan is a proactive measure designed to keep hospital beds available for people with severe symptoms.Chicago public health officials said hotel workers won’t interact with people quarantined or isolated in their rooms, but will prepare food and be trained to perform other tasks. They said public health employees will supervise each site. Lightfoot said city officials were still determining how much it would cost but that they anticipate $1 million would be needed for a 30-day supply of rooms.In most cases, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But in others, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems, it can more severe symptoms and can lead to death.
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Botswana, with No COVID-19 Cases, Closes Borders After Death in Zimbabwe
Botswana, one of the few countries in Africa without a confirmed case of coronavirus, has moved to secure its borders after neighboring Zimbabwe recorded its first coronavirus-related death on Monday. Soldiers will be watching border crossings, but authorities say Zimbabweans who use unauthorized entry points present a real challenge.Botswana’s government announced Tuesday it was closing all border crossing points with immediate effect.Botswana’s Vice President Slumber Tsogwane addressed the nation on state television. “The movement of people visiting neighboring countries including Lesotho and Swaziland is restricted. His excellency the President recently undertook an emergency official trip to Namibia to seize the presence of other regional heads of state to discuss critical COVID-19 measures taken in respect of countries sharing borders with Botswana,” said Tsogwane.The closures will remain in place until further notice. Citizens will be allowed to return home, but must submit to a 14-day quarantine.Health workers screen visitors to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at State House in Harare, Zimbabwe, March 19, 2020.The move came a day after Zimbabwe registered the region’s first coronavirus-related death. Soldiers are being deployed to watch border crossings. However, authorities say it will be difficult to prevent all illegal entries. Many Zimbabweans coming into Botswana use unauthorized entry points. Botswana Defense Force official Khumo Morwagabuse said Monday that the situation could undermine efforts to keep out the coronavirus.In 2018, Botswana deported nearly 29,000 illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe.Gaborone resident Khumo Tlhakane said Botswana should now move to curb illegal immigration.”Now our greatest threat is the border jumpers. They do not go through the same screening process like everyone who comes into Botswana. Now the government should step up and increase their measures, the soldiers should do more patrols,” said Tlhakane.Botswana also has to keep an eagle eye on South Africa, which had recorded more than 500 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday. However, the number of border jumpers from South Africa and Botswana’s other neighbors is usually small.
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European Governments Shrug Off Brussels on Coronavirus
Rising coronavirus infections aren’t only testing Europe’s national governments to their limits but also straining European Union solidarity with the governments of member states shrugging off pleas for greater coordination. Instead, national governments have been paying little heed to Brussels and are pursuing their own ways of containing the virus and coping with the economic fallout, say diplomats and analysts. One after another, the governments of the 27 member states have ignored Brussels’ appeals to keep their borders open to each other, ending the bloc’s hallowed principle of freedom of movement, and they have been ignoring the bloc’s rules on state support for their domestic industries. While EU leaders have talked about the need for “more Europe,” national leaders have elected to follow the path of “less Europe,” say observers. “Logically, the coronavirus now ravaging parts of Italy and Spain and sweeping across the continent should be the ideal opportunity for the EU to move away from complacency and national individualism to solidarity and European integration. Instead, the pandemic, so far, has proven the opposite,” according to Judy Dempsey, an analyst at the Carnegie Europe research organization. Each member state’s government has adopted its own way of containing the virus, she says. “But this is not a European response. The pandemic has not generated a sense of solidarity among the member states or forced a reappraisal of the EU’s role in setting the agenda, even on something as fundamental as safeguarding the health system,” she adds. Rome’s Spanish Steps are seen empty as Italy tightens measures to try and contain the spread of coronavirus in Italy, March 24, 2020.Italian politicians have complained about the lack of solidarity. Mauirzo Massari, Italy’s representative to the EU, appealed for help. “Rome should not be left to handle this crisis alone.” “In addition to national measures, this is a crisis that requires a global and — first and foremost — a European response,” he wrote this month in an open letter in Politico Europe. But the early appeals for protective gear from neighbors for Italy’s overwhelmed health workers fell on deaf ears, a breach, Italians say, of the principle of European Union solidarity. According to treaty law, member states are meant to act jointly to assist another to cope with “a natural or man-made disaster.” Instead, France and Germany imposed bans on the export of medical equipment they anticipated needing, although Berlin lifted the prohibition earlier this week. Massari says Rome “asked for supplies of medical equipment, and the European Commission forwarded the appeal to the member states, but it didn’t work.” Today, this means Italy; tomorrow, the need could be elsewhere. Italy, like some central European states, has turned for support to China, which has dispatched medical equipment and doctors. Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio gives a press conference at the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Feb. 27, 2020.Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has heaped praised on China, pointedly noting, “We are not alone, there are people in the world who want to help Italy.” Other Europeans have found China more responsive than near neighbors. Aleksandar Vucic, president of Serbia, which has applied for EU membership, has highlighted Chinese assistance over the “fairy tale” of European solidarity. Nor have member states adopted a common approach to detecting and reporting coronavirus cases, with common guidelines for the entire bloc, critics complain. An almost empty road leads towards the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, March 24, 2020.With COVID-19 case numbers and deaths soaring — only Germany has shown early signs of managing to “flatten the curve” of confirmed infections — COVID-19 would seem to have torpedoed the logic of “more Europe,” according to The Economist magazine. “The EU evolved to deal with a post-modern world, where borders are blurred and markets ruled. Pandemics are a pre-modern problem, best solved by the tool that brought order to a brutish world: the modern state.” EU loyalists say the criticism leveled at Brussels is unfair. Health care systems are meant to be overseen by national governments and not the EU and Brussels has scant authority or power to act. Governments will always prioritize the health and well-being of their citizens. Critics say the breakdown of neighborliness has highlighted inherent flaws in the bloc and will leave a lasting imprint. Some Italian populist politicians say they doubt the Schengen open-border system will ever be fully restored — at least they hope it won’t. But while the virus has served mainly as a centrifugal force, the devastating economic fallout from the pandemic may well force EU member states closer together, say some analysts. The most Euro-skeptical states tend to be the weakest economically and as they struggle to right their economies, they will need their debts underwritten by the bloc as a whole — most especially by Germany. On March 18, the European Central Bank launched a $809 billion bond-buying program with strong French backing, although some richer member states were less enthusiastic.
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Europeans Sing Praises of Health Workers from their Windows
At a time of isolation, people in many European cities hit hard by the new coronavirus are taking at least a minute each night to come together in gratitude.They stand at open windows or on balconies in Rome, Madrid, Paris, Athens and Amsterdam, singing, cheering and applauding even though they know their intended audience is too busy to listen.The adulation is for the doctors, nurses and other health care workers putting themselves at risk on the front lines of the pandemic that is forcing most residents to stay home. A 52-year-old nurse on Thursday became the first medical professional in Spain to die of COVID-19.People applaud from their houses in support of the medical staff in Rivas Vaciamadrid, March 14, 2020.In Italy, where the number of virus-related deaths surpassed those in China, 2,900 health care providers have been infected, or 10% of the country’s total. Italian broadcasters regularly feature exhausted doctors and nurses begging people to stay home and expressing a sense of abandonment over inadequate protective gear.The Dutch health minister collapsed from exhaustion in the midst of a parliamentary session on Wednesday.A man applauds from his window in support of the medical staff in Madrid, Spain, March 15, 2020.”We’re clapping tonight out of respect and to say thank you to all the health care workers in the Netherlands who are protecting us against this horrible coronavirus,” King Willem-Alexander said while observing the ritual Tuesday night with his family at Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague.The word spread mostly through the WhatsApp messaging service. In France, where the head of the national doctors’ federation picked up the virus from a diabetic patient, the call went out seemingly spontaneously by text messages hours after a nationwide lockdown went into effect Tuesday. Windows opened promptly at 8 p.m. then and again on Wednesday.Health workers react as people applaud them from their houses, Barcelona, Spain, March 16, 2020.”In this period of crisis, we are going to see the most beautiful things humanity has to offer, but also perhaps the darkest,” French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.In Brussels and other cities, the intended audience for the nightly chorus of thanks was expanded to everyone working to keep essential services running in Belgium, such as firefighters, supermarket workers and trash collectors.In Spain, people are singing Mónica Naranjo’s popular cover of the disco-era tune “I Will Survive” with the lyrics tweaked to say, “I will survive/I’ll look for a home/Among the rubble of my loneliness/Strange paradise/Where you are missed.”Parisians applaud the caregivers and police for their work, Paris, France, March 18, 2020.Workers at one hospital responded with a video recorded in the facility’s corridors. Standing in a small group and wearing masks, they held up one sign after another with messages that included, “We are all in this together.” Then, they gave a minute of applause for their home-bound admirers.
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South African Mining Sector Braces for Coronavirus Lockdown
South African mining companies are bracing for a heavy hit from the country’s looming nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, warning of an expected leap in costs in addition to their lost output.
A leading producer of metals and minerals such as platinum, palladium, coal, gold and iron ore, South Africa’s labor-intensive mining industry is a potential hotbed of infection among the thousands of miners who often work in confined spaces, with some living nearby in cramped accommodation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday imposed a 21-day lockdown from midnight on Thursday after a surge in coronavirus cases.
Furnaces and underground mines will have to be put on care and maintenance, which means operations would stop but are kept in a condition to reopen in future.
“The lockdown could result in some major capital expenditure to reopen certain deep-level shafts,” said SP Angel mining analyst Johan Meyer.
South Africa’s Minerals Council said it was exploring what would be required to prevent permanent damage of the sector.
“There are marginal and loss-making mines that would likely be unable to reopen should they be required to close fully, without remedial measures,” it said.
AngloGold Ashanti, owner of Mponeng – the world’s deepest mine – said it was developing plans to restore production safely. The gold miner has already suspended production at its Cerro Vanguardia mine in Argentina.
Pan African Resources said it has sufficient liquidity but would look to reschedule its short-term senior debt obligations in the event the lockdown extends into a prolonged period.
Production Hit
Gold Fields said that it expected a loss of around 16,000 ounces during the 21-day lockdown based on the current run-rate at its South Deep mine in South Africa.
The bullion miner said its Cerro Corona operations in Peru have been under a 15-day curfew since March 16, while its Chile operations were placed on a three-month curfew from March 19, while project activities at Salares Norte were continuing with construction only set to begin later this year.
“We have sufficient liquidity to withstand an interruption to our operations for a considerable period of time, but will work towards minimizing the impact of Covid-19 on our operations,” Gold Fields said in a statement,
It added that the company has $600 million in cash and in excess of $1.5 billion of unutilized debt facilities.
Harmony Gold said the shutdown would “negatively impact” its annual production guidance of 1.4 million ounces and its full-year earnings.
“This is an unprecedented time in the history of the mining industry and our country,” said Chief Executive Peter Steenkamp.
South32 also said it would withdraw its full-year guidance for South African operations, which include thermal coal, aluminum, manganese and a smelter.
Impala Platinum said it planning an orderly transition to care-and-maintenance status at its mining, smelting and refining operations while also working on an analysis of the impact.
“These are unprecedented and extraordinary times and we all need to make sacrifices for the greater good,” said Impala CEO Nico Muller.
Sibanye Stillwater, the world’s largest primary producer of platinum, and Anglo American Platinum said they would comply with government measures but could not comment further at this stage.
While miners try to quantify the financial impact from the crisis, South Africa’s mining minister was to meet mining and energy executives on Tuesday to consider how to execute the lockdown.
Palladium prices surged as much as 12.7% on Tuesday for the biggest daily gain since 2000, spurred partly by concerns over supply. Spot gold and platinum also rose sharply.
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COVID-19 Kills Cameroon Saxophone Legend
Cameroon is mourning the loss of legendary saxophonist and singer Manu Dibango, who died of COVID-19 in France. Family members and lovers of his music have been visiting the iconic musician’s relatives in his country of origin to express their condolences.Family members and fans of music icon Manu Dibango have been weeping at his Douala residence in Cameroon since news of the 86-year-old’s death broke Tuesday morning. Thirty-year-old Olive Njock, speaking through a messaging app from Douala, says Africa has lost a talent and peace maker. She says she feels devastated that a man who is known to have used music to make Cameroon and Africa smile and forget about challenges like famine, wars and diseases has unexpectedly succumbed to COVID-19. She says souvenirs bearing Manu Dibango’s constant smile will always remain in the minds of Africans. Cameroon state radio announced that Dibango died from COVID-19 complications in Paris, where he had lived for close to 40 years. FILE – In this file photo taken on June 30, 2018, Manu Dibango, saxophonist and Franco-Cameroonian singer of world jazz, performs during his concert at the Ivory Hotel Abidjan.Dibango rose to international fame when he released this tune, Soul Makossa, a blend of Cameroonian and Congolese rhythms. It was used as the theme of the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, and became one of the few African songs to reach the top 40 charts in the United States. In 2009, Dibango filed a lawsuit asserting that Michael Jackson stole a hook from the song for Jackson’s hit “Wanna Be Starting Something.” Jackson settled the case out of court. Over a career that lasted more than six decades, Dibango released 70 albums and worked with artists such as South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mombazo and American jazz composer Herbie Hancock. Cameroonian singer and composer Adeline Mbehnkum says Dibango’s works will always be remembered. She says the saxophonist was a blessing to Cameroon. “We are going to miss his simplicity, his positive attitude towards constructing and his love for country,” she said. “Despite his long stay in France, Manu Dibango has remained very attached to this country. We will miss him a lot, but I know that his works will live and will continue to guide the younger generation that is coming up.” A message on Dibango’s official Facebook page adds that his funeral service will be held in strict privacy, and a tribute to his memory will be organized when possible. His fans say they regret that they will not be able to bury their icon back at home.
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Indonesia Coronavirus Measures Looser Than Neighbors Despite More Fatalities
Indonesia has the highest number of fatalities caused by the coronavirus in Southeast Asia, but it has not followed its neighbors that have issued travel bans, tested widely for the virus, and urged citizens to stay home from work and school nationwide.Analysts are predicting a threat to the political prospects of President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, if the world’s third largest democracy does not take more aggressive measures.Indonesia had 59 fatalities and 579 cases of COVID-19 infections as of Monday, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Health. The government has tested only about 2,000 out of its 260 million people, however, compared to hundreds of thousands of tests being done in smaller nations, while also resisting calls to mandate restrictions on movement and commerce that could further hurt the economy. That will change as Indonesia is importing hundreds of thousands of test kits. After initially saying the archipelago nation had no coronavirus cases, the government has admitted it withheld some details about the cases that eventually emerged.“But there is still a lack of cross-government coordination, and no clear and transparent plan for how to combat Covid-19,” said Ben Bland, director of the Southeast Asia program at the Lowy Institute, in an analysis. He added, “One of the reasons that local governments started to implement their own measures was because they were losing faith in Jokowi’s ability to manage the outbreak.”Among the local measures taken, the capital city of Jakarta closed schools, movie theaters and other entertainment sites, and it urged residents to work from home. That is difficult, though, when according to the World Bank, more than half of the citizens work in blue-collar agricultural or industrial businesses that can’t be done remotely. Nationally the central government has formed a health task force and issued a regulation granting limited emergency powers, including the ability to appropriate resources to fight the virus. It has ordered and distributed more medical supplies, as well as converted an old athletic village in central Jakarta, Southeast Asia’s biggest city, into an emergency hospital.Staff inspect medical equipments at an emergency hospital set up amid the new coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, March 23, 2020.Health care workers still worry about supplies dwindling as some of their colleagues have contracted the virus. “We understand that Indonesia’s health system has limited capacity to test for COVID-19 and to manage treatment of persons with COVID-19,” the U.S. embassy in Jakarta said in an advisory to citizens. The limited capacity has increased concern that people in general, and especially of lower incomes, will struggle to get access to medical treatment. “No one should be left behind during this crisis,” said Eva Kusuma Sundari, a former member of the House of Representatives. “As is so often the case in times of crisis, it is those who are the most vulnerable who will suffer the most.”The coronavirus crisis “could prove to be one of the biggest tests to Jokowi’s time in office,” according to Vriens & Partners, a government affairs advisory firm. It wrote in an analysis that Indonesia must reassure the public it is offering firm solutions — from tracing contacts of people who are infected, to securing enough ventilators, masks, and other supplies.“If the president doesn’t firmly take the lead, we can expect that others will try, including presidential hopeful, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan,” Vriens & Partners said. “The economic and health crisis carries significant political risks, and Indonesians will look to strong leadership.”
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Gun Sales Rise in Parts of Delaware Amid Uncertainty
Gun shops in parts of Delaware have been swamped for days in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus. The Delaware State News reported Monday that gun sellers say that growing uncertainty as much of American life shuts down is behind many of the purchases. Brian Brown of Smyrna Sporting Goods said that all that customers want “is ammo and guns, ammo and guns, ammo and guns.” He said he’s never seen a sales surge like this. Brown said that there’s very little left in the store that’s for sale. People are coming in and buying shotguns when they have no need for a shotgun.He added: “Right now, they just want something that goes ‘Boom.'”Rick Wetherbee of Bridgeville said he wasn’t afraid of the current conditions, he believed many others are.”A lot of this is because of everything people are hearing, the great uncertainty of it all,” he said. “There’s a fear of anything, there’s a fear of everything.”
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US Newspapers Call on China to Reverse Expulsion of Journalists
Publishers of three U.S. newspapers urged China on Tuesday to reverse the expulsion of an about a dozen of their journalists, calling the move “uniquely damaging and reckless” at a time when the world is sharing the burden of fighting the coronavirus.China announced on March 18 it was revoking the press accreditations of all American journalists in the China bureaus of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, which were due to expire at the end of 2020.”We strongly urge the Chinese government to reverse its decision to force the Americans working for our news organizations to leave,” the publishers said.”Perhaps more than any major news event in modern history, this moment underscores the urgent importance of both probing, accurate, on-the-ground reporting from the centers of the pandemic and of sharing the information.”Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang listens to a question from a reporter during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing, March 18, 2020.China’s foreign ministry had not seen the letter, spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily media briefing on Tuesday, but he defended the expulsions, calling them “necessary countermeasures” that were entirely a response to “unjustifiable oppression” of Chinese media in the U.S.The expulsions were the latest escalation in a dispute over media freedom and access, which has seen Washington order four Chinese state media outlets to reduce their total staff in the United States to 100 from 160.The U.S. journalists from the three newspapers have until Friday to hand in their press credentials and halt reporting, but will be able to stay a short period longer. One of them said they had been told they could apply for a temporary visa to stay in the country for 7-10 days.China and the U.S. are locked in an increasingly bitter rivalry that has extended to the coronavirus outbreak.Last month, Washington demanded journalists from Chinese state media be registered as staff of diplomatic missions. China then expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters – two Americans and an Australian – after the paper published an opinion column calling China the “real sick man of Asia.”Washington cited a “deepening crackdown” on independent reporting in China as the reason for its decision to reduce the number of Chinese state media journalists in the United States.China’s Foreign Ministry has said its measures are “necessary” and “reciprocal” against “escalating discrimination and oppression against Chinese media” by Washington.A recent report by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China found that 82% of foreign journalists surveyed said they had experienced interference, harassment or violence while reporting during 2019.
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MH17 Trial Resumes Briefly Amid Coronavirus Restrictions
The trial in absentia of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with multiple counts of murder over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 resumed briefly at The Hague on Tuesday amid coronavirus restrictions.The Dutch judges in the trial read out several preliminary decisions before ruling to adjourn the case until June 8 in order to give the defense lawyers of one of the accused more time to prepare their case.The courtroom was almost empty during the 45-minute session, which was livestreamed on the Internet due to restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.Flight MH17 was shot down July 17, 2014, by a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists.FILE – People walk amongst the debris at the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 near the village of Grabove, Ukraine, July 17, 2014.The civilian passenger plane was on a flight from Amsterdam to Malaysia when it was shot down.All 298 passengers and crew were killed.The victims included 193 Dutch citizens as well as 43 Malaysians and 38 Australians.The four accused — Russian citizens Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky, and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko — remain at large despite the issuance of international warrants for their arrests.Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, accused of downing of flight MH17, seen on screen as international investigators present their findings, in Nieuwegein, Netherlands, June 19, 2019.Only Pulatov has appointed defense lawyers to represent him at the trial in the Netherlands.When the trial opened on March 9, it was attended by lawyers, judges, family members of victims, and journalists.But the number of prosecutors, lawyers, and other staff on March 23 was reduced over the coronavirus pandemic. Family and media were not allowed to attend the trial in person, and judges sat separated from one another by empty seats.Prosecutors say the four men helped to arrange the supply of the Russian missile system used to shoot down MH17.Girkin, a former colonel in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), was the top military commander of a separatist group in eastern Ukraine while Ukrainian Kharchenko was in charge of a combat unit in the region, according to the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT).Dubinsky and Pulatov were connected with Russia’s Military Intelligence Service (GRU), the investigators concluded.Despite evidence that Russia’s military was directly involved in shooting down of Flight MH17, the Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement.The Kremlin also denies providing any military or financial support to Ukraine’s pro-Russia separatists, despite evidence assembled by the JIT and the Bellingcat open-source investigative group.
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US Could Become ‘Coronavirus Epicenter’ WHO Says
The United States could become the global epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, as Britain went into lockdown and Olympic organizers considered postponing the 2020 Tokyo Games. But the Chinese province of Hubei, where the virus was first identified in December, said it would lift travel restrictions on people leaving the region as the epidemic there eases. Police officers check a pedestrian in Boulogne Billancourt, March 18, 2020.On the economic side, business activity collapsed from Australia and Japan to Western Europe at a record pace in March, with data for the United States later on Tuesday expected to be just as dire. “The coronavirus outbreak represents a major external shock to the macro outlook, akin to a large-scale natural disaster,” analysts at BlackRock Investment Institute said. WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said in Geneva there had been a “very large acceleration” in coronavirus infections in the United States which had the potential of becoming the new epicenter. Over the past 24 hours, 85 percent of new cases were from Europe and the United States, she told reporters. Of those, 40 percent were from the United States. Asked whether the United States could become the new epicenter, Harris said: “We are now seeing a very large acceleration in cases in the U.S. So it does have that potential. We cannot say that is the case yet but it does have that potential.” London lockdown Some U.S. state and local officials have decried a lack of coordinated federal action, saying having localities act on their own has put them in competition for supplies. President Donald Trump gestures as he asks a question to Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, during a briefing about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, March 23, 2020, in Washington.U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged the difficulty in a tweet. “The World market for face masks and ventilators is Crazy. We are helping the states to get equipment, but it is not easy,” he wrote. Confirmed coronavirus cases exceeded 377,000 across 194 countries and territories as of early Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, with over 16,500 deaths linked to the virus. Of the top 10 countries by case numbers, Italy had reported the highest fatality rate, at around 10%, which is reflective of its older population. The fatality rate globally is around 4.3%. Britain, believed by experts to be about two weeks behind Italy in the outbreak cycle, woke up on Tuesday to curbs on movement without precedent in peacetime after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the country to stay at home. An almost empty Westminster Bridge normally a very busy river crossing as the sun rises in London, March 24, 2020.The streets of the capital were eerily quiet as all but essential shops closed and people only went to work if it was essential. Johnson had resisted pressure to impose a full lockdown even as other European countries had done so, but was forced to change tack as projections showed the health system could become overwhelmed. Olympics under threat A decision on whether to postpone this year’s Tokyo Olympics for the first time will come in days, sources said on Tuesday. The July 24-Aug. 9 Olympics have been the last major sporting event left untouched as the epidemic put most of the world in virtual lockdown. FILE – A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past the Olympic rings in front of the Japan Olympics Museum in Tokyo, March 13, 2020.The International Olympic Committee and Japan repeated their insistence that the event would go ahead as scheduled — and then their weekend announcement of a lengthy, one-month consultation over possible postponement — perplexed many. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and IOC President Thomas Bach were to talk by phone on Tuesday. China’s Hubei province, the original epicenter of the outbreak, will lift travel curbs on people leaving the area, but other regions will tighten controls as new cases double due to imported infections. The provincial capital Wuhan, which has been in total lockdown since Jan. 23, will see its travel restrictions lifted on April 8. However, the risk from overseas infections appears to be on the rise, prompting tougher screening and quarantine measures in major cities such as the capital Beijing.
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