Australia’s High Court will deliver its ruling next week on Cardinal George Pell’s appeal of his conviction of child sexual abuse.The court announced Thursday that it will hand down its judgement Tuesday in the eastern city of Brisbane.The 78-year-old Pell was convicted by a court in Victoria state of molesting two choirboys at Melbourne’s St. Patrick Cathedral in 1996 while serving as the city’s archbishop. He was sentenced the next year to six years in prison, making the former Vatican treasurer the highest-ranking Catholic clergy member to be convicted in connection with the Church’s decades-long scandal.The High Court could decide whether to reject the cardinal’s appeal, vacate the original verdict, or send the case back down to a lower court. Pell’s lawyer told the High Court during a hearing on his appeal last month that it would have been impossible for him to molest the boys considering the busy activity in the cathedral after Mass.
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Month: April 2020
LA Mayor Urges Mask Use as US Coronavirus Toll Tops 5,000
As the United States passed 5,000 coronavirus deaths, the mayor of the Los Angeles urged people in the country’s second-largest city to wear masks in public.Mayor Eric Garcetti said people should not use scarce medical-grade masks that are needed by health professionals but said utilizing cloth masks would help reduce the spread of the virus.U.S. federal health officials have so far not recommended people wear masks.Garcetti also said wearing a mask is not an invitation for people to “suddenly all go out,” and that they should be staying home except for essential tasks such as shopping for food.Worldwide cases are on the verge of eclipsing 1 million, with 50,000 deaths. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was deeply concerned about the rapid escalation.Hindu priests wearing face masks perform rituals during the Ram Navami festival at a temple closed for devotees as part of lockdown to curb the spread of new coronavirus in Hyderabad, India, April 2, 2020.He also highlighted concerns about extra pressures felt by the poorest and most vulnerable people in areas put under lockdown orders and called for help to developing countries that may not have the resources to scale up social welfare programs.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Wednesday that anyone can be a coronavirus carrier even if they aren’t showing any symptoms.The CDC affirmed a study from Singapore that says 10 percent of new cases were spread by people who showed no signs of being sick. The agency says the study reinforces the need for social distancing.Italy has been the hardest-hit country in terms of deaths, with more than 13,000. Its leaders announced Wednesday an extension of lockdown orders in hopes of continuing trends of fewer new infections to control the outbreak there.In Mexico, the country’s foreign ministry urged Mexicans residing in other countries – particularly the United States – not to travel home to visit family right now due to the risk of importing cases.Israel’s health ministry announced Thursday that its leader, Yaakov Litzman, has tested positive for coronavirus and is in isolation.
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Philippine President Says Those Violating Anti-Virus Measures Could be Shot
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says anyone who violates the government’s lockdown measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak could be shot by police.Duterte issued the warning during a televised address Wednesday in response to demonstrations in a poor neighborhood in Manila by residents angry over insufficient food aid.He told police if they feel their lives are in danger when they confront protesters to “shoot them dead.” Duterte also warned of harsh punishments for anyone responsible for attacking doctors and other health care workers.Duterte has been condemned for his bombastic rhetoric coupled with his brutal crackdown on illicit drugs that has left thousands of suspected drug traffickers and users dead.The Philippines has 2,311 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections, with 96 deaths.
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Former US Federal Judge Duffy Dies From Coronavirus
Former U.S. federal judge Kevin Thomas Duffy, 87, has died from the coronavirus.Duffy presided over major cases involving organized crime and terrorism during his time on the bench.His cases included the trial of those responsible for the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center in New York City that killed six people and injured more than 1,000, as well as an aborted plot to blow up planes over the Pacific Ocean.He was nominated to the federal bench in 1972 by former U.S. President Richard Nixon and retired in 2016.
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Austria’s Ambassador in Washington Describes Life Amid Coronavirus
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit Europe and the United States, Austrian Ambassador Martin Weiss has tweeted a series of Martin Weiss, ambassador of Austria to the U.S. (in green jacket), seen here at the Austrian Airlines ticket counter March 23, 2020, as he helps ensure all goes smoothly as 300 Austrians head home.VOA: Three hundred Austrians left the United States for home last week. Was it because the outbreak seemed less severe there?Weiss: There were very different reasons for their return. Many were just tourists ready to cut their trips short. Others worked in hotels and restaurants and had simply lost their jobs. Also, many students were leaving because their schools have closed for the foreseeable future. Many of them felt that they were better off in Austria. There, they have family. There, they are familiar with the health care system, etc. Plus, many Austrians have the feeling that our government does a very good job in this crisis. The Austrian government has taken proactive steps early on, informs the public daily about the latest developments, keeps expectations at a realistic level, has adopted a huge rescue package for workers and the economy, etc. Austrians are concerned, but by and large, think our country does what it can in this difficult time.VOA: Tell us more about Austria’s stimulus package.Weiss: It amounts to roughly 10 percent of Austria’s gross domestic product. In that sense, we are in lockstep with the U.S. Both of our governments are pulling out all the stops in an effort to keep our economies, and, thereby, the livelihood of so many people who depend on it afloat.VOA: What is Austria using to test and treat patients who may be suffering from COVID-19?Weiss: Austrian company Procomcure (Biotech Gmbh) has recently developed a very promising testing kit that gives you precise results within hours. Little wonder that they are already exporting it to many countries all over the world. When it comes to testing, Austria is currently in the European median — neither extremely good nor very bad. But the government has realized that more tests are needed and is currently trying hard to get the numbers up. Without thorough testing, there is no way of getting out of this crisis for good.As to our health care system, Austria has traditionally a high number of hospital beds per capita — 750 beds per 100,000 inhabitants. We have often been criticized for that because it makes our system expensive. However, in this crisis, this seems to be a clear advantage.Austrians heading home get their papers checked on March 23, 2020 at Dulles Airport.VOA: You retweeted an image of Italian armed forces arriving in Bergamo to take away coffins from hospitals, underscoring the gravity of the situation in Italy. Is Austria doing anything to help Italy?Weiss: We have supported our southern neighbor right from the beginning, bilaterally as well as in the framework of the European Union. Just this past week, Austria transported urgently needed personal protection equipment, including 1.6 million face masks, to northern Italy. European and global solidarity is crucial these days.VOA: What do you think the future will be for multinational corporations and for globalization in the aftermath of the pandemic?Weiss: There are a lot of debates out there on how this crisis will change our lives, change corporations, change the way the world cooperates in the future, etc. Frankly, I am not so sure. As human beings, we are amazingly adept in forgetting bad things. Once something bad — or even something terrible — has passed, we are more than ready to “go back to normal.” In other words, old habits die hard. Some business models will certainly take a hit. I wonder, for example, about the future of the cruise ship industry. With so many stories about being stranded on ships, I suppose it will be a while before passengers will be ready for this kind of voyage again. But in general, I believe the world before and after corona will not be all that much different.The Austrian Embassy’s official Twitter account @AustriainUSA chose local blossoms spotted near the embassy to adorn its front page.VOA: What would you like to see the U.S. do more or less of to tackle this outbreak both domestically and abroad?Weiss: The devilish thing about this new virus is that it is highly infectious, and none of us is immune. It thus grows exponentially. … Exponential growth starts slow, little by little, and then it very rapidly explodes. I still have the feeling that many people in the U.S. and around the world fail to grasp this. The exponential curve knows no mercy. We all — the U.S., Europe and the rest of the world — have to work together and as hard as we can. It is this level of unequivocal seriousness that is needed now, and the U.S. should lead in this effort.VOA: Your tweet that has generated the most “likes” is a video clip involving a mock question about the quarantine. Given an option, a man chooses not to stay with his wife and kids. What does this say about the human condition?Weiss: This clip simply made me laugh hard. And just to be clear, it probably cuts both ways, and his wife would have quickly said “B,” too. But I have seen many somewhat humorous reactions to this crisis, and I think it is very important not to lose that, even in the toughest of times. Humor is the best medicine, they say. I´m not sure it’s a cure for COVIID-19, but it certainly helps.
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CDC: Anyone Can Be a Symptom-Free COVID-19 Carrier
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that anyone can be a coronavirus carrier even if they aren’t showing any symptoms.The CDC on Wednesday affirmed a study from Singapore that says 10 percent of new cases were spread by people who showed no signs of being sick. It said that even those who had the virus and appear to be recovered can still be contagious.The agency says this study reinforces the need for social distancing.The head of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield, warned in a radio interview Wednesday that there could be another wave of coronavirus in the late fall and that his agency is already preparing.World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus forecast Wednesday that the number of confirmed cases will hit 1 million soon.U.S. President Donald Trump said at his daily White House briefing Wednesday that the United States’ national strategic stockpile of medical protection equipment is nearly depleted.Lizette Torres holds a sign while fellow nurse and union member Tishna Soto, speaks to reporters as the prepare a small protest outside their work at the Las Palmas Del Sol Medical Center on April 1, 2020, in El Paso, Texas.Also Wednesday, a Russian transport plane filled with protective gear and medical equipment landed in New York, not long after Trump and President Vladimir Putin chatted by telephone.The official number of confirmed cases in Russia is about 2,300. But some Russian doctors suspect the real number is much higher.With so much still unknown about the coronavirus and the general unease of not knowing what will happen next, the number of background checks for new gun owners reached an all-time high of 3.7 million in March, the FBI said Wednesday.While gun rights advocates say Americans have a right to increase their safety and security in stressful times, those who favor gun control say they worry about weapons in the house when people are under lockdown and tense.Florida has become the latest state to order a 30-day lockdown. The sight of college students crowding Florida beaches during spring break last month – many of whom said they don’t care about the virus — angered many across the country.Meanwhile, Italy has extended its nationwide lockdown for 30 more days and Japan has extended its entry ban to Africa and the Americas, bringing the number of countries whose citizens are denied entry to 73. All foreign visitors to Japan must enter a two-week quarantine.
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12,000 Apply to Be Next US Astronauts
NASA may have just found the next man to walk on the moon — or the first woman to land on Mars — or someone who can float above the Earth and make repairs to the International Space Station.Wednesday was the deadline for submitting an application to join the next class of astronauts.NASA says more than 12,000 people applied — the largest number in three years — proving that those who believe Americans have lost interest in space are wrong.“We’ve entered a bold new era of space exploration with the Artemis program, and we are thrilled to see so many incredible Americans apply to join us,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Wednesday. “The next class of Artemis Generation astronauts will help us explore more of the moon than ever before and lead us to the red planet.”The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard, launches from Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, Feb. 15, 2020.Artemis is the name NASA has given to its next big era in space exploration — and among the 12,000 would-be astronauts could be a name that becomes as legendary as John Glenn, the pioneering Gemini program, Neil Armstrong and Apollo.NASA received applications from every one of the 50 states and four U.S. territories. But the odds of being picked to fly into space are remote.Candidates must have a master’s degree in science, technology, math or engineering.NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board will assess each applicant’s qualifications and invite those who pass to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for interviews and medical tests before making a final selection.The board must pare down the 12,000 hopefuls to around 12.It’s an exclusive club. Only 350 men and women have been chosen for astronaut training since the 1960s. NASA currently has 48 astronauts in the pool.FILE — A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying the U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program-2 mission, lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., June 25, 2019.“We’re able to build such a strong astronaut corps at NASA because we have such a strong pool of applicants to choose from,” selection board manager Anne Roemer said. “It’s always amazing to see the diversity of education, experience and skills that are represented in our applicants. We are excited to start reviewing astronaut applications to identify the next class of astronaut candidates.”So how does one person who dreams of space stand out among 12,000 other dreamers?Astronaut Kayla Barron, who was part of the NASA class of 2017, said if you’re lucky enough to qualify as a finalist, there is no reason to feel intimidated or that you can’t be yourself.“When I go into that interview room and sit at the end of this long table with all of these astronauts and senior NASA officials … what are they looking for? What do they want from me? For some reason the last thing I thought before I walked [in] the door was, ‘Don’t make any jokes,’ ” she recalled with a laugh. “Because I was so worried I was going to say something sarcastic or whatever.”This NASA image obtained March 24, 2020, shows the city lights at the intersection of Europe and Asia as they sparkle as the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above.But when one of the panel members made a joke seemingly at Barron’s expense, she said, “I dished it right back at him. And there was this moment of silence and I was like, ‘Oh, no, that was the one I wasn’t supposed to do.’ But then [astronaut] Kjell Lindgren started laughing … everyone started laughing and it just relaxed me … just be yourself, be honest about who you are. I think that goes a long way.”When the astronauts are chosen, they will go through about two years of training in such skills as spacewalking and robotics. They must also show people skills, including leadership and teamwork — two qualities that are essential for living on the International Space Station, taking a trip to the moon or enduring a long journey to Mars.NASA expects to introduce the new astronaut candidates in the summer of 2021 with plans for a trip to the moon in 2024 and a mission to Mars in the next decade.
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Singapore Plans Record Stimulus as Coronavirus Turns GDP Growth Negative
Singapore is planning a record $39-billion stimulus package aimed at supporting the economy amid the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It is bracing for a possible recession as the virus slows down economic activity. Singapore will also take the unusual step of dipping into its state reserves to pay for stimulus spending that will cover wage support to businesses, cash aid to independent workers and other residents, grocery vouchers, and tax delays. Tapping reserves is a rare move in the island nation, one of the few in the world where the constitution requires the state to balance its official budget.FILE – Medical staff are seen walking to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases building, at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, in Singapore, Jan. 31, 2020.Singapore is among the first countries predicted to have negative economic growth due to the pandemic. News reports say Singapore has reported 74 new infections, bringing the current number of cases to 1,000 people. The Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the outbreak, says three people to date have died in Singapore. Earlier this week, the government allowed a weaker currency in order to facilitate exports and said it would spend 11% of gross domestic product to limit the economic harm caused by COVID-19. Singapore is considered a bellwether for the world economy because of its key trade role. Its economy will contract by 1% to 4% this year, the Singaporean Ministry of Trade and Industry said last week Thursday. That was after already downgrading its economic forecast the previous month. It was based in part on figures showing the economy already contracted in the first quarter. “In such extraordinary times, it is collective acts of kindness and courage that make a people extraordinary,” Heng Swee Keat, Singapore’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, told parliament in a speech announcing the latest aid. “How Singapore manages this, and whether we emerge stronger from this, will define us as a people and nation.” He noted that Singapore has “an open economy that is highly integrated with the global economy” and “will be deeply impacted by these global shocks.” It has a small population of fewer than 6 million people, but a large number work in financial markets, oil trading, and shipping trade. People walk across the causeway linking Malaysia’s southern state of Johor (top) and Singapore, Apr. 1, 2020.Industries in Singapore are closely connected with business in other nations and highly vulnerable to global economic shocks. The global economy grew 2.9% in 2019, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which forecasts that growth this year will be even lower, at 2.4%, because of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. “Experience suggests that about one-third of the economic losses from the disease will be direct costs, from loss of life, workplace closures, and quarantines,” Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said. “The remaining two-thirds will be indirect, reflecting a retrenchment in consumer confidence and business behavior and a tightening in financial markets.” Those tightening markets will hit Singapore, which has been given AAA ratings by some credit rating agencies. The nation was “already experiencing a slow pace of growth due to structural weaknesses even before the crisis unfolded,” economist Trinh Nguyen wrote in an analysis for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a research institution. Economic problems “will be more severe” now, she said, given Singapore’s exposure to China, where COVID-19 first broke out, for industries such as tourism, manufacturing, and retail. Heng said his government will be spending money to support workers, at a cost of more than twice what it spent in support during the global financial crisis more than a decade ago. “Unlike the global financial crisis or the Asian financial crisis, where both the causes and solutions were economic and financial in nature,” he said, “this crisis is far more complex with additional medical, social, and psychological dimensions.”
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UN Warns Right-Wing Extremist Groups Getting Bolder, More Lethal
Nations around the world are growing increasingly worried about violence linked to extreme right-wing terror groups, with new research showing there has been a 320% jump in the number of related attacks over the past five years.Deadly attacks over the past year, like the shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, and in El Paso, Texas, in the U.S., as well as a couple in Germany, have gotten most of the international attention. But the research, highlighted Wednesday in a new report from the United Nations’ Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, also warns the trend is worsening, with attacks by individuals linked to right-wing extremist groups becoming ever-more deadly, while the groups themselves are getting increasingly sophisticated.“Although extreme right-wing terrorism is not a new phenomenon, there has been a recent increase in its frequency and lethality,” UN-CTED said in its Raymond Duda, FBI Special Agent in Seattle, speaks during a news conference on Feb. 26, 2020, about charges against a group of alleged members of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division for cyber-stalking and mailing threatening communications.And intelligence from U.N. member states indicates that level of violence is unlikely to taper off, with the West – Europe, North America and Australasia – continuing to see the brunt of such attacks. “Recent evidence suggests that there has been a greater exchange of views between like-minded individuals, both online and offline,” according to the report. “These connections allow extreme right-wing groups to improve their tactics, develop better counter-intelligence techniques, solidify their violent extremist views and broaden their global networks.” The U.N. report echoes warnings from the European Union and the United States, both of which have warned about the threat from right-wing extremism. In the EU, the number of arrests in connection to right-wing terrorism more than doubled, from 20 in 2017 to 44 in 2018, with counterterrorism officials cautioning the problem was likely to get worse. “While the vast majority of right-wing extremist groups across the EU have not resorted to violence, they nevertheless help entrench a climate of fear and animosity against minority groups,” the EU concluded in its 2019 Terrorism Situation and Trend report. “Such a climate, built on xenophobia, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and anti-immigration sentiments, may lower the threshold for some radicalized individuals to use violence.” In this Aug. 12, 2017, file photo, white nationalist demonstrators – including three members of the Rise Above Movement – clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia.The U.S. has likewise voiced growing concerns about the rise of right-wing extremism, putting it on par with the threat from the Islamic State terror group. “Racially, ethnically motivated violent extremists were the primary source of all ideologically-motivated lethal incidents and violence in 2018 and 2019 and have been considered the most lethal of all domestic violent extremists since 2001,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers in Washington this past February. There have also been persistent concerns that U.S.-based groups, like the Atomwaffen Division and the Rise Above Movement (R.A.M.), have been establishing connections with similar groups in Europe and Russia. There is also evidence that a growing number of members have been willing to take up arms, with hundreds flocking to Ukraine to get battlefield experience. The U.N. report finds those types of connections and relationships have only gotten stronger, with groups making efficient use of the Internet and social media to exchange ideas and raise money. Additionally, the UN report warns the spread of far-right rhetoric is allowing extremist groups to connect with other fringe elements of society and expand their ability to recruit. “These synergies allow more obscure misogynist groups-such as incels (involuntary celibates) – to act as a bridge to violent extreme-rightwing groups and individuals,” the report said. VOA’s Masood Farivar contributed to this report.
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Putin Urges Action on ‘Challenging’ Energy Market
Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Wednesday for global oil producers and consumers to address “challenging” oil markets, while U.S. President Donald Trump complained that oil cheaper “than water” was hurting the industry.Oil prices fell nearly 70% from January highs as coronavirus lockdowns hammered demand and as Saudi Arabia and Russia have flooded the market in a race for market share after a deal they engineered on supply curbs broke down.Oil and natural gas sales are a key revenue source for Russian coffers, while low prices are also hurting shale oil producers in the United States. Speaking at a government meeting, set up via a video link as a precaution against the coronavirus, Putin said that both oil producers and consumers should find a solution that would improve the “challenging” situation of global oil markets.He also said if investments into the oil sector fell, oil prices would be sure to spike, something he said “no one needs.””That’s why we, together with the main producers and consumers, should work out such decisions, which would mitigate the situation on the market on the whole,” Putin said, according to the readout of the meeting.FILE – U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette gestures during an interview at the LNG terminal of the deepwater port of Sines after visiting the port, in Sines, southern Portugal, Feb. 12, 2020.Flurry of diplomacyOn Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette spoke with his Russian counterpart, Alexander Novak, about the price slump, and they agreed to hold future discussions involving other major world oil producers and consumers.The call occurred a day after Trump and Putin agreed in a phone conversation to have their top energy officials discuss global oil market turmoil.Putin said that the United States was also worried about the state of the oil market as shale oil producers need a price around $40 per barrel to turn a profit.”That’s why this is also a hard challenge for the American economy,” he said.Trump plans to meet with oil executives on Friday to discuss potential aid to the industry, including possible tariffs on oil imports from Saudi Arabia, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified sources.The meeting is to take place at the White House and will include Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Occidental Petroleum Corp., the newspaper said in a report on Wednesday.Crude oil benchmarks ended a volatile quarter with their biggest losses in history. On Wednesday, oil slid toward $25 a barrel, after touching its lowest level in 18 years.”There is so much oil and in some cases it’s probably less valuable than water. At some points of the world the water is much more valuable. So we’ve never seen anything like it,” Trump said.Pact’s collapseThe discussions between Washington and Moscow mark a new twist in oil diplomacy since the collapse this month of a deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers, including Russia, on cutting production.The failure to agree on an extension to a pact that had propped up the market since 2016 led to the scrapping of all restrictions and a dash for market share.FILE – Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak is pictured at EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Oct. 29, 2014.Brouillette and Novak “had a productive discussion on the current volatility in global oil markets,” Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said.”Secretary Brouillette and Minister Novak discussed energy market developments and agreed to continue dialogue among major energy producers and consumers, including through the G-20, to address this unprecedented period of disruption in the world economy,” she said.The Russian Energy Ministry said on Wednesday the ministers noted that the fall in the demand and oversupply created risks for stable supplies to the markets.The United States has grown in recent years into the world’s largest oil and gas producer, thanks to a technology-driven shale drilling boom. But the current price of oil is below the production cost of many American drillers, threatening the highly leveraged U.S. shale industry.’Crazy’ productionTrump on Monday said Saudi Arabia and Russia “both went crazy” with their production after the supply deal failed. “I never thought I’d be saying that maybe we have to have an oil [price] increase, because we do,” he said.The Trump administration is trying to persuade Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, to cut crude output. It will soon send a special energy envoy, Victoria Coates, to the kingdom.The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia and Saudi Arabia were not holding talks regarding the oil market at the moment and that Putin had no immediate plans to have a phone call with Saudi leadership.But the Kremlin added that such talks could be set up quickly if necessary.
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Former Somali PM Dies of Coronavirus in London
Former Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein has died of coronavirus at a London hospital, the family told VOA’s Somali service.Relatives of the former prime minister, popularly known as Nur Adde, confirmed his passing. A family member said Nur Adde died at around 5:00 a.m. Wednesday. He was 82.Nur Adde was prime minister between November 2007 and February 2009. During his term, he was credited with leading peace talks between the Ethiopia-backed government and Eritrea-based rebels. The talks, held in Djibouti, led to the formation of a unity government in which the leader of the rebels, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, was elected as Somalia’s president on January 30, 2009.Nur Adde competed against Ahmed in the election but lost. Prior to entering politics, he served as secretary general of the Somali Red Crescent for 17 years. Nur Adde also served in the Somali police department, where he rose to the rank of colonel during the government of Mohamed Siyad Barre.In a statement, the family said Nur Adde will be buried in London.In Mogadishu, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo announced three days of national mourning, during which flags will be flown at half-staff.Members of the Somali communities in Britain and in Sweden have been severely affected by the coronavirus. Community leaders have blamed lack of awareness, crowded housing and a close-knit community for spreading the ailment. Fourteen Somalis in Britain and six in Sweden have died of the infection. They include a 13-year-old boy in Britain.
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NATO Chief: Pandemic Won’t Hamper Alliance’s Capabilities
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic had not diminished the alliance’s ability to carry out its missions and keep allies secure.At a news briefing carried via video-conference from Brussels, Stoltenberg said NATO was doing its part to airlift necessary emergency medical equipment, and he noted that a military cargo aircraft left Turkey earlier Wednesday with protective gear and other medical equipment for Spain and Italy. Stoltenberg also said NATO’s “core task” is to provide security for nearly 1 billion people, so the immediate primary objective is to “make sure a health crisis does not become a security crisis.”Stoltenberg said recent Russian war games in western Russia near NATO ally borders were a stark reminder that the alliance cannot lose its focus on defending Europe.NATO foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Thursday, also via video-conference.
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Rights Group in US Asks Justices to Release Inmates Over COVID-19
Disability Rights Montana is asking the state Supreme Court to order the release of some prison and jail inmates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.The ACLU of Montana filed the emergency petition Tuesday on behalf of the rights group and asked for a hearing or for the court to appoint a special master to oversee a reduction of the number of people in custody during the ongoing pandemic. “With a virus this contagious and this lethal, the state has an obligation to act immediately,” Bernadette Franks-Ongoy, executive director of Disability Rights Montana, said in a statement. “Without swift action, the ripple effect of an outbreak in correctional facilities will endanger everyone, hitting people with disabilities especially hard. Reducing the number of people in prisons and jails is consistent with the recommendations of public health experts and will save lives.”The petition argues that subjecting non-dangerous prisoners with disabilities to an outbreak of COVID-19 amounts to deliberate indifference to prisoners’ health and safety.Inmates in overcrowded facilities are unable to exercise social distancing, which is one of the key ways to prevent the spread of the virus, the petition states.On March 23, Chief Justice Mike McGrath asked city and county courts to consider releasing as many people from jail as possible to avoid the spread of the virus. The petition argues that only some counties are doing so. “This is a dire emergency,” said Justin Stalpes, attorney at Beck, Amsden and Stalpes. “The response cannot be patchwork — the only thing that will stop, or at least slow, the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak in correctional facilities and communities is a swift and uniform state-wide response.”For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. Montana’s health department reported 208 cases of COVID-19, 17 hospitalizations and five deaths as of Wednesday morning.
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Malawi Grapples With Recurring Problem: Mob Attacks on Accused Vampires
Malawian officials are taking steps to stop a new wave of mob attacks on people accused of being vampires. Officials say five people were killed in attacks in three separate areas last month. Similar attacks killed nine people in 2017. The government is reminding the public that vampires do not exist, and police are arresting those accused of spreading false information.
Local media reported Tuesday that police in the northern district of Nkhata-Bay used tear gas to disperse a mob which attacked workers from the National Statistical Office as they were conducting a survey in the area.
Police say the mob accused the researchers of being vampires, as their work involved the collection of blood samples of participants.
Rumors of vampires sucking people’s blood started in early February and have spread to six districts in central and northern Malawi.
Some residents believe the vampires use modern technology and magic to immobilize victims late at night with a chemical, and then drain their blood before disappearing.
This has prompted some residents like Agnes Zimba to sleep in groups outside their houses for safety.
“We fear we can have our blood sucked if we sleep alone in our houses. We are even failing to go to our gardens for fear of being attacked by vampires there,” Zimba said.
Local authorities believe the rumors originated from neighboring Zambia.
In some areas, the rumor has led to a rise in vigilante groups mounting ad hoc roadblocks and searching vehicles.
On Monday of last week, three medical workers were attacked in the central district of Mchinji for carrying medical equipment that could be used to take blood samples.
Last Saturday, two people including an aide to a traditional leader were killed in the Kasungu district for allegedly hiding accused vampires.
Mobs killed three others last month in attacks in the central Dowa district and Mzimba district in the north. Malawi police spokesperson James Kadadzera told VOA that rumors of vampires are a hoax. He also said police are cracking down on those involved in the vigilante attacks.
“As I am talking to you, 37 people have been arrested and they will answer for murder, others for assaults and others of malicious damage,” Kadadzera said.
Rumors about vampires also erupted in 2017 in southern Malawi, triggering mob attacks that caused the deaths of nine people.
Malawian President Peter Mutharika helped to stop those attacks after visiting the affected areas and ordering police to arrest anyone spreading rumors.
Mark Botomani, a government spokesperson, told VOA the government has no plans to send out the president this time around.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to take the head of state to visit the areas for people to know that this is not right. So, we don’t have such programs at the moment. As you know, the head of state is also restricting himself from moving around because of the situation we have now, the coronavirus,” he said.
Botomani said the government will instead try to persuade people not to believe false information.
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Estimates Show Wuhan Death Toll Far Higher Than Official Figure
As authorities lifted a two-month coronavirus lockdown in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, residents said they were growing increasingly skeptical that the figure of some 2,500 deaths in the city to date was accurate.Since the start of the week, seven large funeral homes in Wuhan have been handing out the cremated remains of around 500 people to their families every day, suggesting that far more people died than ever made the official statistics.”It can’t be right … because the incinerators have been working round the clock, so how can so few people have died?” an Wuhan resident surnamed Zhang told RFA on Friday.”They started distributing ashes and starting interment ceremonies on Monday,” he said.Seven funeral homes currently serve Wuhan — a huge conurbation of three cities: Hankou, Wuchang and Hanyang.Social media users have been doing some basic math to figure out their daily capacity, while the news website Caixin.com reported that 5,000 urns had been delivered by a supplier to the Hankou Funeral Home in one day alone — double the official number of deaths.Some social media posts have estimated that all seven funeral homes in Wuhan are handing out 3,500 urns every day in total.Funeral homes have informed families that they will try to complete cremations before the traditional grave-tending festival of Qing Ming on April 5, which would indicate a 12-day process beginning on March 23.Such an estimate would mean that 42,000 urns would be given out during that time.Various calculationsAnother popular estimate is based on the cremation capacity of the funeral homes, which run a total of 84 furnaces with a capacity over 24 hours of 1,560 urns city-wide, assuming that one cremation takes one hour.This calculation results in an estimated 46,800 deaths.A resident of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, said most people there now believe that more than 40,000 people died in the city before and during the lockdown.”Maybe the authorities are gradually releasing the real figures, intentionally or unintentionally, so that people will gradually come to accept the reality,” the resident, who gave only his surname Mao, said.A source close to the provincial civil affairs bureau said many people had died at home, without being diagnosed with, or treated for, COVID-19.The source said any talk of the true number of deaths in Wuhan was very sensitive, but that the authorities do likely know the real figure.”Every funeral home reports data on cremations directly to the authorities twice daily,” the source said. “This means that each funeral home only knows how many cremations it has conducted, but not the situation at the other funeral homes.”The source said Wuhan saw 28,000 cremations in the space of a single month, suggesting that the online estimates over a two-and-a-half month period weren’t excessive.Wuhan resident Sun Linan said relatives of those who died are now forming long lines outside funeral homes to collect their loved ones’ ashes.”It has already begun,” Sun said on Thursday. “There were people lining up in Biandanshan Cemetery yesterday, and a lot of people forming lines today at Hankou Funeral Home.”Hush moneyWuhan resident Chen Yaohui told RFA that city officials have been handing out 3,000 yuan in “funeral allowances” to the families of the dead in exchange for their silence.”There have been a lot of funerals in the past few days, and the authorities are handing out 3,000 yuan in hush money to families who get their loved ones’ remains laid to rest ahead of Qing Ming,” he said, in a reference to the traditional grave tending festival on April 5.”It’s to stop them keening [a traditional expression of grief]; nobody’s allowed to keen after Qing Ming has passed,” Chen said.The son of deceased COVID-19 patient Hu Aizhen said he had been told to collect his mother’s ashes by the local neighborhood committee.”The local committee told me they are now handling funerals, but I don’t want to do it right now,” the man, surnamed Ding, told RFA.”There are too many people doing it right now.”Chen said nobody in the city believes the official death toll.”The official number of deaths was 2,500 people … but before the epidemic began, the city’s crematoriums typically cremated around 220 people a day,” he said.”But during the epidemic, they transferred cremation workers from around China to Wuhan keep cremate bodies around the clock,” he said.A resident surnamed Gao said the city’s seven crematoriums should have a capacity of around 2,000 bodies a day if they worked around the clock.”Anyone looking at that figure will realize, anyone with any ability to think,” Gao said. “What are they talking about [2,535] people?””Seven crematoriums could get through more than that [in a single day].”Reported by Qiao Long for RFA’s Mandarin Service, and by Lau Siu-fung for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
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China Releases Data on Asymptomatic Coronavirus Cases
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced Wednesday it has more than 1,300 asymptomatic coronavirus cases, the first time it has acknowledged cases of people testing positive for the virus but not showing symptoms.At a news briefing in Beijing, commission spokesman Mi Feng said the 1,367 asymptomatic cases were under quarantine and medical observation.The commission had said Tuesday it would begin releasing figures on asymptomatic cases in response to “public concern” about the figures.The French news agency AFP reports there had been mass calls online for the NHC to release the information after it was reported an infected woman in Henan province had been exposed to three asymptomatic cases.While the proportion of people who have contracted the virus but remain asymptomatic is currently unknown, scientists say these “carriers” can still pass COVID-19 onto others who do end up getting sick.For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But the virus can also lead to more serious symptoms and even death.
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Peace Corps Volunteers Face Uncertain Future after Coronavirus Evacuation
The U.S. Peace Corps’ unprecedented response to the coronavirus pandemic, evacuating all 7,300 volunteers who were working in 61 countries, has left many of them uncertain about their own future. VOA’s Brian Padden spoke to some recently recalled volunteers who generally say they support the agency’s decision to evacuate them due to health and safety concerns, but are upset they had to cut short their two-year commitment to live and work in developing nations.
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Fake News or the Truth? Russia Cracks Down on Virus Postings
Two weeks ago, an opposition-leaning radio station in Russia interviewed political analyst Valery Solovei, who alleged the government was lying when it said no one had died in the country from the coronavirus. Solovei told radio station Echo Moskvy at least 1,600 people might have died since mid-January. Russia’s media and internet watchdog, Roscomnadzor, quickly pressured the station to delete the interview from its website. The demand was part of a widespread government campaign against what authorities called “fake news” about the pandemic. On Tuesday, Russian lawmakers began putting some teeth behind the campaign, approving fines of up to $25,000 and prison terms of up to five years for anyone who spreads what is deemed to be false information. Media outlets will be fined up to $127,000 if they disseminate disinformation about the outbreak. Lawmakers rushed the bill through all three readings in just one day after President Vladimir Putin spoke about the need to counter “provocations, stupid gossip and malicious lies” about the outbreak. Russian law enforcement officers wearing protective masks stand guard in a street, after the city authorities announced a partial lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in central Moscow, March 30, 2020.The crusade began about a month ago, when Russia’s caseload was still in the single digits. The Kremlin’s stance of “everything is under control” prompted speculation that authorities might be hiding or underreporting the scale of the outbreak in line with Soviet-era traditions of covering up embarrassing truths. A broad set of measures was outlined and a special “fake news” division in the government’s coronavirus task force was created. A group within Russia’s Investigative Committee was put together to chase down alleged disinformation. Social media users who doubted the official numbers and news outlets questioning the government response became targets for law enforcement seeking to weed out anything that didn’t correspond with the official data. “In crises, those in power try very hard to control the information and push their own agenda. And, of course, it makes sense to suppress alternative points of view,” Solovei told The Associated Press. The AP found at least nine cases against ordinary Russians accused of spreading “untrue information” on social media and via messenger apps, with at least three of them receiving significant fines. Police statements offered few details but clearly indicated those involved were merely sharing opinions or rumors, rather than deliberately spreading misinformation. A 32-year-old woman was fined $380 — a significant sum in a country with an average monthly salary of about $550 — for posting on social media something she heard on a bus about the virus in her region. A 26-year-old man was fined a similar amount for a comment he made under a news report claiming a woman died of the virus in a hospital. Another woman faces a fine of about $380-$1,200 for posting about virus cases in her region where no infections were officially reported. Asked whether the punishments fit these crimes, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they were “absolutely justified.” “It stirs up unwarranted tensions, and in this situation it needs to be punished in accordance with the law,” he said. The crackdown on free speech fits a recent pattern. In the past five years, hundreds of people have been prosecuted on charges of extremism for posting, liking or sharing information on social media on sensitive topics like corruption, the conflict with Ukraine, the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the role of the Russian Orthodox Church. Dozens received prison sentences. FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a session of the State Duma, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament, prior to its members voting on constitutional amendments, in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2020.In 2018, Putin acknowledged that prosecuting social media users sometimes turns into “idiocy and absurdity,” and he eased the regulations. Such online hunts have since fizzled out, said Damir Gainutdinov, an internet freedom lawyer with Agora, Russia’s prominent legal aid group. But the void is quickly filling again with a crackdown on those who insult officials or spread so-called “fake news” online – misdemeanors that parliament put on the books last year. “I think in the nearest future, we will see a rapid growth [of cases] related to fakes as the authorities are trying to suppress any nonofficial information about the coronavirus,” Gainutdinov told AP. On Monday, Hungary’s parliament also passed a law setting prison terms of up to five years for those convicted of spreading false information about the pandemic. Rights groups said the law allows the government to crack down on press freedom. The effort to curb alleged disinformation at home came as Russia is once again being accused of spreading it abroad. The European Union recently identified nearly 80 instances of virus-related disinformation in the past two months. This also follows accusations by U.S. intelligence services that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election by spreading false information online — a charge that the Kremlin has steadfastly denied. Waging disinformation campaigns in the West stems from the same desire to control the narrative, said Mark Galeotti, a Russia expert at the Royal United Services Institute. To the Kremlin, “there is no such thing as an objective narrative. So given that it is going to be someone’s narrative that triumphs, of course, you want it to be your narrative rather than someone else’s,” Galeotti told the AP. Kremlin critics argue that its effort to stifle alternative voices during the pandemic is unlikely to succeed. Dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva, who works with opposition figure Alexei Navalny and leads the Alliance of Doctors union, made headlines in recent weeks exposing Russia’s underfunded, teetering health care system. She told the AP she was contacted by police about spreading false information in her YouTube blog.”They will have to prove that I lied, so let them prove it,” Vasilyeva said. “They want to scare me in order to stop the others … the truth won’t change because of it.” Even as Russia moved to control the narrative during the outbreak, some embarrassing news has still slipped out. FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin, right shakes hands with the hospital’s chief Denis Protsenko during his visit to the hospital for coronavirus patients, March 24, 2020.On Tuesday, Dr. Denis Protsenko, head of Moscow’s top hospital for coronavirus patients, was reported to have the virus. That came only a week after Putin visited the hospital and was photographed shaking hands with Protsenko. Peskov sought to assure the country that Putin was fine. “He’s being tested regularly. It’s all right,” Peskov was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.
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Churchgoers Flock to Hear Louisiana Pastor Despite Virus Ban
Buses and cars filled a Louisiana church parking lot for another service Tuesday evening as worshippers flocked to hear a Louisiana pastor who is facing misdemeanor charges for holding services despite a ban on gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.A few protesters turned out, too, including a man shouting through a bullhorn against those gathering at the Life Tabernacle Church in the city of Central, where pastor Tony Spell has been holding services. Another demonstrator held up a sign reading: “God don’t like stupid.” Afterward, people began leaving the church, some chatting outside the front doors, and many appearing to not be adhering to social distancing recommendations to remain at least six feet (2 meters) apart. Hugs and handshakes were shared freely as people said their goodbyes and departed.
Hours earlier on Tuesday, Spell was issued a summons for holding services previously at the church in violation of the governor’s order banning gatherings. “Come out, Tony. Come tell us why you’re endangering people’s lives,” the man with the bullhorn shouted Tuesday evening, directing his words at the pastor. Flanked by some of his congregation, including children and older people, Spell emerged from the church later Tuesday night and said he is going to keep his church doors open. He said he doesn’t consider keeping his doors open any different than keeping the doors of Walmart open. Spell also compared going to church to going to the hospital, but for spiritual healing. “We are needy people. Our souls are lost,” he said. “We need help, and the church is the salvation center of the soul, the sanctuary where we come together and meet.”Around Louisiana, more than 5,200 people have confirmed virus infections, and 239 state residents have died, according to the Louisiana health department.The order from Gov. John Bel Edwards prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people, said East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore. Each violation carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine, Moore said.”The whole situation just puts everyone at risk,” Moore said. “We ask everyone to abide by the governor’s order.”The governor has urged church leaders instead to continue their services online or in smaller groups to lessen the risks. Spell had previously confirmed he was facing misdemeanor charges. He said when reached by phone earlier that he was read his rights and fingerprinted — but the summons wasn’t deterring him. He said he would continue to defy the ban.”We’re still here and still assembling and having church,” Spell said. Asked why he was defying the governor’s orders, he said, “Because the Lord told us to.” Asked whether he was concerned about the pandemic, Spell said: “I’m no more concerned than I would be going to Walmart or Home Depot.”Moore said earlier that additional charges could be issued if Spell continued to disobey Edwards’ ban on gatherings. He said the pastor wasn’t booked into jail earlier because parish officials are trying to lessen the jail population amid the risks of the highly contagious virus.Earlier, Central Assistant Police Chief Darren Sibley had said officers had no plans to try to stop Tuesday night’s prayer service. But he said they would “document everything and forward everything to the district attorney.””He is doing this for publicity,” Sibley said of Spell. “He is putting the citizens of the community at risk. And he is putting the people in his congregation at risk.”Edwards has issued a “stay at home” order that he said he will extend through the end of April to combat the spread of the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus, which is threatening to overwhelm hospitals with patients.For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia and be fatal. Edwards said Tuesday that law enforcement authorities had been “extremely patient” with Spell and had “done everything that they could” to get him to comply with the governor’s order before issuing the summons.”I’m going to appeal to them one more time: Please stop what you’re doing,” Edwards said. “The overwhelming majority of our faith leaders have found other ways to engage with their parishioners.”
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Spain Confirms 100,000 Coronavirus Cases; US Braces for Huge Death Toll
Spain announced Wednesday it surpassed 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, while a senior Saudi official urged people planning to make the hajj pilgrimage to hold off on deciding for now.Spain is one of the global hot spots for the virus, trailing only the United States and Italy in terms of number of cases. Wednesday’s announcement also included a death toll that now stands at more than 9,000.Muslim pilgrims are due to descend on Saudi Arabia from all over the world in late July to perform the once-in-a-lifetime religious duty. But with the virus pandemic, and Saudi Arabia already banning entry to Mecca and Medina, Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Banten told state television people should wait for more clarity on the situation.In the United States, officials say Americans should be prepared for a potential 100,000 to 240,000 deaths from the coronavirus, while stressing the need to keep social distancing measures in place to give the best chance of lessening the toll. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, March 31, 2020, in Washington.Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he hopes the number will not go that high, but that realistically people should be ready. “People are suffering. People are dying,” he said. “It’s inconvenient from a societal standpoint, from an economic standpoint to go through this. But this is going to be the answer to our problems. So, let’s all pull together and make sure, as we look forward to the next 30 days, we do it with all the intensity and force that we can.” Countries all over the world have locked down cities, regions and even their entire nations to try to stop the virus from spreading. One of the latest to put in place a two-week ban on all but essential activities is Vietnam, which started Wednesday. Last week, New Zealand shut down restaurants, bars, offices and schools. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Wednesday it is too early to tell what extent those measures have helped so far and advocated more testing to actively track down infections and stop new transmissions. Her government reported 61 new cases to push New Zealand’s total to 708. “If the virus is in the community in this way… then the worst thing we can do is to relax and be complacent, and allow the silent spread,” Ardern said. In South Korea, where mass testing has helped level off local transmission rates, officials reported 101 new cases Wednesday. The country also started enforcing new 14-day quarantines for anyone entering the country. The risks of imported cases undermining successes in controlling community spread of COVID-19 have prompted similar measures in China, which for several months was by far the world leader in coronavirus cases but now has become a sign of hope with gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions. In Germany, health officials said there were about 5,500 new cases there, putting the country on track to soon become the next to surpass China. A research assistant holds coronavirus test samples in her hands at the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) in Hanover, Germany, April 1, 2020.Meanwhile, in keeping with a plea from U.N. chief Antonio Guterres for parties in the world’s conflicts to take this opportunity to halt their fighting, the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday urged Afghanistan’s warring sides to implement a cease-fire. The Council “called on the political leadership of Afghanistan to put aside their differences and put the interest of the country first.”
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In South Korea, Baseball Brings Hopes for Normalcy
It’s a sunny weekday afternoon in early spring, and the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization are playing one of the very few professional sporting events on earth – with no fans around to watch.With virtually all global sports curtailed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Giants are staying sharp by playing practice games against themselves in front of 27,000 empty green and yellow seats at their ballpark in Busan, South Korea. Inside the cavernous stadium, every sound of the game is amplified – every shattered bat, every groan after a batter swings and misses, the constant chatter between players and coaches in the dugout. It’s heaven for baseball purists and other socially distanced, sports-starved fans in Korea and around the world, who have tuned in by the tens of thousands to watch live streams of the games on the Giants’ YouTube page. “I think (the world) desperately needs baseball,” says Kerry Maher, a Giants superfan-turned-employee who was taking in the action from a seat behind home plate.
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download this video to view it offline. Embed” />CopyEven though the games don’t count, about 10 times as many fans have been watching some of the Giants’ intra-squad games on YouTube, compared to the team’s average regular season home games last year.
“People want sports right now, people are thirsty for it,” says Kim Sung Min, who works in the Giants front office. “I like to think that we’re just helping them out, just giving them a bit of a fix.” South Korea is one of the few places in the world where this could happen now. The country saw a quick spike in coronavirus infections late last month but was able to quickly reduce its spread with a campaign of vigorous testing, isolation, and social distancing. Several Korean baseball teams, as well as some professional football (soccer) clubs here, have since begun broadcasting their exhibition games online. Professional baseball leagues in Taiwan and Japan have also announced they will hold games – without fans – in mid to late April.
“We’ve been able to run daily practices for them, and for the sake of security, scrimmages have been the only sensible way to go,” says Kim. “Because scrimmages by nature, you’re just playing with each other inside the team without any outside contact.”
To a large extent, baseball already incorporates social distancing rules. Most fielders stand a dozen meters or more from each other. And there is no sustained physical contact.
Many of the Giants players wear disposable face masks – an unusual sight for a baseball field even in East Asia, where mask-wearing is relatively common.“Washing my hands as often as I can and wearing my mask and staying clean — that’s the most important thing for me now,” says Adrian Sampson, an American player who arrived in South Korea last month. “We just are trying to keep everyone safe and set a good example for everybody.” The game feels different in many other obvious ways. There are no raucous in-game songs or chants that are a hallmark of Korean baseball games, no walk-up music for each batter, and no loud advertisements between innings. No gimmicks. Just baseball. At a time when sports fans need it most.
“It’s all we got. There’s no baseball, no soccer, no basketball, no car racing,” says Maher, a retired American university professor with a long white beard and an ever-present Giants baseball cap.
Maher has become something in between a team mascot and a local celebrity, after attending virtually every Giants game for several years. Recently, the team hired him to help foreign players adjust to life in Korea.Maher says he now hopes the healing power of baseball can soon help things return to some semblance of normalcy.
It’s not far-fetched. Baseball has been a Godsend after past tragedies, such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Even in normal times, the arrival of baseball in the spring is a sign of happier days to come, wiping away the coldness of winter. “We need some distraction,” says Maher. “And something spring-like.”
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UN General Assembly to Decide on Rival COVID-19 Resolutions
How should the U.N. General Assembly and its 193 member states respond to the coronavirus pandemic? Members have been sent two rival resolutions for consideration — and under new voting rules instituted because the global body isn’t holding meetings, if a single country objects a resolution is defeated.One resolution, which has more than 135 co-sponsors, calls for “intensified international cooperation to contain, mitigate and defeat the pandemic, including by exchanging information, scientific knowledge and best practices and by applying the relevant guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization.”The other, sponsored by Russia with support from Central African Republic, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, also recognizes the leading role of WHO in combating the pandemic, but it calls for abandoning trade wars and implementing protectionist measures, and not applying unilateral sanctions without U.N. Security Council approval.General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande sent both resolutions to all member states late Monday afternoon under a so-called “silence procedure,” saying they had 72 hours until 6 p.m. EDT on Thursday to send an objection, or break silence. Normally, General Assembly resolutions are adopted by majority votes or by consensus. But in this case, because ambassadors are working from their missions or from home as a result of COVID-19, the new rule calls for silence procedures for all votes.Under the procedure, if a country supports a resolution, it does nothing. If it opposes a resolution, it sends an email breaking silence, which scuttles a resolution’s approval even if it has overwhelming support.In this case, both resolutions could be adopted or defeated, or one could be adopted and the other defeated.The resolution calling for international cooperation is sponsored by Ghana, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland and has over 130 co-sponsors.It would also reaffirm the General Assembly’s “commitment to international cooperation and multilateralism and its strong support for the central role of the United Nations system in the global response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.” It would also emphasize the need to respect human rights and oppose “any form of discrimination, racism and xenophobia in the response to the pandemic.”The draft also recognizes “the unprecedented effects of the pandemic, including the severe disruption to societies and economies, as well as to global travel and commerce, and the devastating impact on the livelihood of people,” and that “the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit.”Norway’s U.N. Ambassador Mona Juul told AP: “In this moment of great uncertainty and global anxiety caused by COVID-19, it is important for the voice of the United Nations General Assembly – as the universal body of nations – to be heard loud and clear.””Our wish is that the assembly urgently send a strong message of unity, solidarity and international cooperation,” she said. “People around the world expect no less from the United Nations.”The Russian draft resolution is drafted as a “declaration of solidarity of the United Nations in the face of the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).”It pledges “to take a comprehensive, science-based approach in elaborating, implementing and improving measures to slow down the transmission of, reverse and eventually defeat COVID-19,” following WHO rules and recommendations and supports those people and countries most affected.”We are resolved to prevent financial speculations which hinder access for all to essential health-care services and quality, safe, effective and affordable essential medicines, vaccines, personal protection and food items,” the draft says.”We are resolved to cooperate in addressing the disruptions to international trade and the market uncertainty due to the pandemic, mitigating the damage caused to the global economy by the spread of COVID-19, and promoting economic growth throughout the world, especially in developing countries,” the draft says.Fedor Strzhizhovskiy, spokesman for Russia’s U.N. Mission, said: “We consider the Russian draft declaration … to be more result-oriented than the alternative draft declaration that we believe is too general.””We were also ready to work on merging the two drafts,” he said. “However, authors of the other initiative declined such a scenario.”
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In South Korea, Baseball Brings Hopes for Normalcy Amid Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down virtually all professional sports, leaving a major hole in the lives of fans around the world. One big exception is baseball in South Korea. Some Korean teams have been broadcasting practice games on YouTube. The games are attracting a big audience and bringing a bit of optimism amid the pandemic. VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Busan, South Korea.
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US Military Furloughs Thousands of South Korean Workers
Thousands of South Korean workers on U.S. bases were placed on unpaid leave Wednesday, after the United States and South Korea failed to reach a deal on how to split the cost of the U.S. military presence here. Through seven rounds of talks, South Korea has refused the Trump administration’s demand to massively increase its contribution toward the approximately 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. The latest cost-sharing deal expired at the end of the year, but the U.S. had been covering the salaries of Korean employees with funds that ran out this week. Starting Wednesday, about 4,000 Korean civilian employees, who work in areas such as logistics and administration, will be indefinitely furloughed. The U.S. will temporarily cover the salaries of about 4,500 others whose duties are considered essential, U.S. officials said. The cost-sharing dispute has caused unusual friction in the 70-year-old alliance that both sides regularly refer to as “ironclad.” The friction is especially ill-timed, coming as the U.S. military fights off the coronavirus and as North Korea test-fires a record number of short-range missiles. During a last-minute push to reach a deal, the head South Korean negotiator, Jeong Eun-bo, said the two sides had reached the “final stages for sealing a deal,” but called the furloughs “regrettable.”FILE – Amphibious assault vehicles of the South Korean Marine Corps travel during a military exercise as a part of the annual joint military training called Foal Eagle between South Korea and the U.S. in Pohang, South Korea, April 5, 2018.“This is an unfortunate day for us. It’s unthinkable. It’s heartbreaking. The partial furlough of [Korean National] employees is not what we envisioned or hoped what would happen,” said General Robert Abrams, the top U.S. commander in Korea. “The furlough is in no way a reflection of their performance, dedication or conduct, but rather due to a lack of a burden sharing agreement making programmed funds unavailable,” Abrams said. U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded South Korea pay up to $5 billion to support the U.S. military presence — or about five times the amount Seoul paid in 2019. Local media reports suggest the U.S. had recently lowered its demand to $4 billion. Trump accuses South Korea of taking advantage of U.S. protection. He has at times hinted he would support pulling troops from South Korea. At other times, he denies a withdrawal has been discussed. South Korean officials have rejected Trump’s cost-sharing demands as absurd, noting that any deal will have to be reasonable, since it will have to be ratified by South Korea’s parliament. The issue could become even more politically sensitive ahead of South Korea’s legislative election this month. South Korean officials have warned that the furloughs could impact military readiness. Camp Humphreys, the main U.S. base in South Korea, is already in partial lockdown after more than a dozen service members, contractors, and other individuals related to the U.S. military in South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus.
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