North Korea lashed out at South Korea over recent military drills, while leader Kim Jong Un sent a personal message to China’s Xi Jinping to congratulate him on that country’s success in controlling the coronavirus, state media KCNA reported on Friday.A North Korean military representative said on Friday that recent South Korean military drills were a grave provocation that demanded a reaction, according to KCNA.”Such reckless move of the military warmongers of the south side is the height of the military confrontation which would leave tongue-tied even their master,” said KCNA.”Everything is now going back to the starting point before the north-south summit meeting in 2018.”In a separate dispatch, KCNA said leader Kim sent a verbal message to the Chinese president over China’s success in dealing with the coronavirus, the state media said.”Saying that he was pleased over the successes made in China as over his own, Kim Jong Un wished Xi Jinping good health, expressing conviction that the Chinese party and people would cement the successes made so far and steadily expand them and thus win a final victory under the wise guidance of Xi Jinping,” said the state report.The KCNA said the relations between Pyongyang and Beijing were “firmly consolidated.”
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Month: May 2020
America’s Business of Prisons Thrives Even Amid Pandemic
As factories and other businesses remain shuttered across America, prisoners in at least 40 states continue going to work. Sometimes they earn pennies an hour, or nothing at all, making masks and hand sanitizer to help guard others from the coronavirus. Those same inmates have been cut off from family visits for weeks, but they get charged up to $25 for a 15-minute phone call — plus a surcharge every time they add credit.They also pay marked-up prices at the commissary for soap so they can wash their hands more frequently. That service can carry a 100% processing fee.As the COVID-19 virus cripples the economy, leaving millions unemployed and many companies on life support, big business that has become synonymous with the world’s largest prison system is still making money.”It’s hard. Especially at a time like this, when you’re out of work, you’re waiting for unemployment … and you don’t have money to send,” said Keturah Bryan, who transfers hundreds of dollars each month to her 64-year-old father at a federal prison in Oklahoma.Meanwhile, she said, prisons continue their nickel-and-diming.”You have to pay for phone calls, emails, food,” she said. “Everything.”Coronavirus fearsThe coronavirus outbreak has put an unlikely spotlight on America’s jails and prisons, which house more than 2.2 million people and have been described by health experts as petri dishes for the virus’s spread.Masks and hand sanitizer often still don’t reach inmates. Testing is often not done, even among those with symptoms, despite fears that the virus may spread to surrounding communities. And in some parts of the country, those experiencing symptoms languish in sweltering buildings with poor ventilation.The concerns extend to prison medical providers, often accused by health experts of providing substandard care even in the best of times.Sheron Edwards shares a dorm with 50 other men at Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility in Mississippi. Given his past experiences with the prison’s medical provider, Centurion of Mississippi, he worries about what will happen if coronavirus hits.”I’m afraid they’ll just let us die in here,” he said.When he was at the notorious Parchman prison several years ago, Edwards said, Centurion would allow him only one session of physical therapy after a 6-inch rod and screws were placed in his broken ankle.”Even though that wasn’t life-threatening, it was serious,” he said. “With COVID-19, I could actually lose my life.”More than 20,000 inmates have been infected and 295 have died nationwide, at Rikers Island in New York City and at state and federal lockups in cities and towns coast to coast, according to an unofficial tally kept by the COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project run by UCLA Law.On Wednesday, officials in San Diego announced the first death of a detainee in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.Business opportunityWhen incarceration rates soared to record highs in the 1980s and ’90s, some corporations saw a business opportunity. Promised lower costs and, in many cases, profit sharing agreements, prison and jail administrators started privatizing everything from food and commissary to entire operations of facilities.By the 2000s, the private sector was embedded in nearly every aspect of the correctional system.Today, some of corporate America’s biggest names, and many smaller companies, vie for a share of the $80 billion spent on mass incarceration each year in the U.S., roughly half of which stays in the public sector to pay for staff salaries and some health care costs, according to the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative.Proponents of for-profit prisons say it’s cheaper for private companies to run them than the government, arguing it’s easier to cancel contracts and there is more incentive to provide better service. That, they say, leads to better living conditions and more effective reintroduction of the incarcerated back into society, with the ultimate goal of reducing recidivism.The advocacy group Worth Rises disagrees.The group released a report Thursday detailing some 4,100 corporations that profit from the country’s prisons and jails. For the first time, it identified corporations that support prison labor directly or through their supply chains. The group also recommended divesting from more than 180 publicly traded corporations and investment firms.”The industry behind mass incarceration is bigger than many appreciate. So is the harm they cause and the power they wield,” said Bianca Tylek, the group’s founder and director.”They exploit and abuse people with devastating consequences,” Tylek said. “Of course, they aren’t unilaterally responsible for mass incarceration, but they’re part of the ecosystem propping it up.”The report includes vendors that stock commissaries with Cup Noodles and Tide laundry detergent, along with contracted health care providers that have been sued for providing limited or inadequate coverage to those behind bars.There are companies like Smith & Wesson, which makes protective gear for correctional officers, and Attenti, which supplies electronic ankle bracelets. Other household names, such as Stanley Black & Decker, have entire units dedicated to manufacturing accessories for prison doors.Employing inmatesPrisoners also work, making everything from license plates to body armor vests and mattresses. In California, some even serve as firefighters. But in some places, incarcerated people are employed by major corporations such as Minnesota-based 3M.Billed as a cheap alternative to foreign outsourcing, inmates also previously provided goods to Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret and Whole Foods, sparking an uproar that caused many big-name companies to bow out.Some prisoners leave their lockups to do jobs in the community, such as at fast food restaurants. State-owned businesses have also cropped up around the massive prison labor industries, including some with almost comical names, such as Big House products in Pennsylvania and Rough Rider Industries in North Dakota.While some jobs might pay minimum wage as required by federal law for products that enter interstate commerce, the take-home pay of workers in correctional industries can be as low as just 20% of their stated wage after garnishment for room and board, restitution, and other costs.Meanwhile, private companies market catalogs full of products to lockups. One website advertises an array of pricey bondage items: Leather bed restraints for $267, ankle hobbles for $144 and a metal waist chain with handcuffs going for $76.95.An Alabama company markets video visitation systems under a call box with the face of an elderly woman in glasses shown on the monitor inside. Beside it reads the slogan: “Keep Granny’s shank pies away from your facility.”Bobby Rose, one of the report’s researchers, served 24 years in New York state prisons, where he spent a lot of time thinking about the role money plays in America’s legal system.But he was shocked to learn just how many big-name companies were involved and how much was being made off not only those behind bars, but also their families — a particularly poignant concept during the pandemic.He still thinks about friends left in prison — two of whom have succumbed to COVID-19.”I feel,” he said, “that some of these companies that really profit could have provided … sanitizer or even gave free soap.”
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Kenyan Authorities Close 2 Neighborhoods Deemed Coronavirus Hot Spots
Kenya has closed two neighborhoods — one in the capital, Nairobi, and the other in the coastal city of Mombasa — after a surge in confirmed cases of coronavirus. Kenyan authorities have confirmed 607 infections and 29 deaths, with dozens of the infections found in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area and Mombasa’s Old Town. Many of the neighborhood residents fled as lockdowns were announced.From Burhan Iman’s hotel window, he saw a journalist setting up his equipment for interviews on Thursday morning. Shortly afterward, he says a crowd gathered. Everyone wanted to be interviewed. They wanted to ask why the government has stopped movement in and out Eastleigh, a neighborhood in the east of Nairobi’s central district. Some of those engaging the journalist, just like Iman, were stranded overnight in Eastleigh after the government announced that it was sealing off the neighborhood for 15 days after dozens of coronavirus cases were recorded in the area. “We did not get prior notice, we were ambushed. I wish they could have given notice, tell them prior that they were going to put a lockdown in place so that people who are not from Eastleigh could get time to get out of Eastleigh,” he said. Iman, who works in Eastleigh but lives in Nairobi’s South C estate, was shopping for his wedding with his fiancé, when the area was cordoned off. A police water cannon truck blocks a street to prevent residents from leaving the Eastleigh area of Nairobi, May 7, 2020.He says many people have been trying to flee Eastleigh, either on foot or by car. But Kenyan Ministry of Health official Dr. Rashid Arman warned that those leaving the area are making the coronavrius problem worse. “We have observed that arising from the directives, some people have decided to sneak out of these areas and to relocate to the neighboring estates,” he said. “Let me caution that this move is counterproductive and dangerous. This is because if you happen to be infected unknowingly then you have just transferred the problem to another area.” FILE – Ferry commuters walk through an automated disinfecting machine installed this week that sprays disinfectant onto all passengers boarding or disembarking ferries that cross the harbor of Mombasa, on the south coast of Kenya, April 8, 2020.In Old Town Mombasa, 59-year-old Mahmud Garwan woke up Thursday morning to get some breakfast at a local supermarket. It was closed. He was told most employees were not able to report to work as most live outside the area. Garwan, who runs an insurance firm in Mombasa’s city center, says that he could also not go to work because of travel restrictions. “If we had been given about three days’ notice, then at least we could have stocked up but then on the other hand its ok, since we are allowed to move around the area. It’s a containment measure, but it came as a surprise,” he said. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health announced that it had identified certain areas, including Old Town and Eastleigh, as potential hot spots for the coronavirus. Last week, the ministry began mass testing in high-risk areas, and the tests have increased the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kenya. In an effort to encourage more volunteer testing, the government on Wednesday announced that it would pay quarantine costs for those in government isolation facilities.
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Trump’s Military Valet Ill with Coronavirus
The White House is moving to test officials and other staff daily, instead of once a week, after a valet — part of an elite military team serving meals to President Donald Trump — became ill and tested positive for the coronavirus. “I’ve had very little contact, personal contact, with this gentleman,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, explaining he had been tested the previous day and again Thursday following regular COVID-19 tests. Trump, describing the news as “a little bit strange,” said the valets and other staff in the White House have been wearing masks. “A lot of people in the White House wear masks,” the president said. In reply to a reporter’s question, Trump said the first lady, Melania, and their son, Barron, were in “great shape.” “We’re all warriors together. I am, you are, we all are,” the president said. Vice President Mike Pence listens as President Donald Trump holds a meeting about the coronavirus response in the Oval Office of the White House, May 7, 2020, in Washington.Vice President Mike Pence also told reporters Thursday that he and the president would now be tested daily. “We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for coronavirus,” said White House principal deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley in a statement to VOA, adding that Trump and Pence “have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health.” The personal aide has not been named but is known to be a member of the U.S. Navy assigned to the team of valets at the White House. He reportedly began feeling ill Wednesday morning. The president, according to media reports, erupted in anger upon learning of the valet’s coronavirus infection and told staff he did not feel enough was being done to protect him from COVID-19. Trump, who in recent days has said as many as 100,000 Americans could die of the novel coronavirus, for which there is no vaccine, has been pushing for the country to begin resuming normal economic activity amid the pandemic. The White House has reportedly FILE – White House chief of staff Mark Meadows speaks with White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany in the Oval Office of the White House, April 29, 2020, in Washington.In a senior staff meeting at the White House last week, the chief of staff, Mark Meadows, expressed concern that the guidelines were too uniform and regressive for places with minimal numbers of cases, according to The New York Times. “We have to get our country going,” Trump told reporters Thursday. More than 1.25 million COVID-19 infections have been confirmed in the United States since the virus was first reported here January 21. Since then more than 75,000 people in the country have died of the coronavirus. New York City has been the hardest-hit municipality by the outbreak, but a number of COVID-19 hot spots have erupted even in rural parts of the United States, including meatpacking plants, prisons and assisted living facilities.
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Macron to Putin: Virus Crisis Shows Need for Peace-Building
France’s leader on Thursday called for closer cooperation with Russia as the world struggles against the coronavirus, recalling the joint Allied effort to defeat Nazi Germany that ended 75 years ago.In a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Emmanuel Macron expressed “the recognition of the French people” as both countries prepare to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe this week. The Soviet Union played a key role in defeating Nazi Germany, whose forces occupied France.Despite tensions with Russia over its actions in Ukraine, Macron argued that “this common memory should bring us together.” He added that the virus pandemic “makes the construction of peace and stability on the continent and in the rest of the world more necessary than ever,” according to a French presidential statement.While France is starting to reopen as the virus recedes, infections are still rising in Russia.Macron has increasingly reached out to Russia, even as his relationship with United States President Donald Trump has been strained by trade and other disputes.Trump also spoke with Putin Thursday, saying the U.S. is ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia, according to the White House.
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Outbreak Eviction Protection Extended in New York
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has extended protections for New Yorkers unable to pay their rent, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio set an ambitious goal to test 140,000 people for coronavirus antibodies by early next month. The state’s daily death toll was 231.More on the latest pandemic-related developments in New York:Eviction moratoriumNew York’s moratorium on outbreak-related housing evictions was extended Thursday by Cuomo for two more months.The governor in March had issued a moratorium on residential and commercial evictions that lasted through June, but he said he wanted to reduce the anxiety of families struggling through the economic shutdown. It is now extended until Aug. 20.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo holds his daily briefing at New York Medical College during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Valhalla, New York, May 7, 2020.”I hope it gives families a deep breath,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing.The executive order will also ban late fees for missed payments and allow renters to apply their security deposit to a payment, though they’d have to pay it back over time.New York tallied 231 virus-related deaths Wednesday. Though hospitalizations continued to decrease slowly to under 8,700, the daily death toll has hovered around 230 for four days.Antibody testingNew York City will test 140,000 people for coronavirus antibodies between next week and early June, de Blasio announced Thursday.The antibody tests, which indicate whether a person has been infected with the virus at some point, will be offered for free by appointment at five locations, the mayor said. The results will be available in one to two days and will also be used for research, he said.FILE – Mayor Bill de Blasio wears a mask while honoring health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic, in New York, April 24, 2020.Researchers say it is unclear whether coronavirus antibodies provide immunity from further exposure to the germ. The human body produces antibodies days or weeks after fighting an infection. Most tests use a finger prick of blood on a strip.”We are not promising people a rose garden here,” de Blasio said. “We’re not saying the antibody test is the last word. It’s not. But it tells you something.”The city will use tests made by BioReference Laboratories for the free program.The state has already performed antibody tests on about 27,000 workers at health care centers in the New York City area.At a separate briefing Thursday, Cuomo announced that those workers tested positive for antibodies at a lower rate than the general population, a finding he said shows the effectiveness of protective masks and gloves for front-line workers.”That is amazingly good news,” he said. “We were afraid of what was going to happen.”The survey found 12% of health care workers in New York City tested positive for antibodies, compared with 20% for the city’s general population. Positive rates for health care workers in Westchester County, just north of the city, were about half of those for the general population, though worker rates were roughly the same on Long Island.
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Not China’s Cup of Tea: New Online Pan-Asia Alliance Emerges From Thai-Chinese Meme War
A Twitter war with Chinese nationalists has forged a new online alliance among social media users in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand, highlighting public solidarity among some pro-democracy movements in Asia.The new “Milk Tea Alliance” got its name from the similarities among Taiwanese bubble tea, Hong Kong milk tea and Thai iced tea.It all began on Twitter when popular Thailand actor Vachirawat “Bright” Cheeva-aree shared a set of pictures, with some referring to Hong Kong as a country — considered blasphemous by China’s communist government. The tweet triggered a strong response from Chinese nationalists.Twitter is banned in China and users in the country must turn to virtual private networks (VPNs ) to access the platform. Some nationalists are part of a cyber entity referred to as “Wumao Dang” because they are paid to make comments. Wumao means 50 cents, because one comment is worth RMB 50 cents (or about a tenth of a U.S. dollar).To quell the online uproar, Bright, whose TV drama has been popular in China, quickly issued an apology, saying that he did not read the content clearly when he shared the post. “Next time there will be no mistake like this again,” he wrote.i’m feel so sorry about my thoughtless retweet too , i only saw the pictures and did not read the caption clearly. Next time there will be no mistake like this again.🙏🏼💙— bbright (@bbrightvc) April 10, 2020But the Chinese nationalists did not accept it. They discovered a post by Bright’s girlfriend Nnevvy, which talked about the possibility of the COVID-19 virus originating from a Wuhan lab.A meme war dubbed #Nnevvy began. Chinese nationalist “netizens” criticized the online Thais, claiming that their alleged “ignorance” of Chinese history led them to their views on Hong Kong and Taiwan independence. The Chinese also mocked Thailand as impoverished.Online commenters from Thailand quickly fought back. They cited the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre to challenge Beijing’s authoritarianism. One post said “my country is poor but your country is pooh.” It was referring to Winnie the Pooh, a character reference that has become a lighthearted way for people across the world to mock China’s President Xi Jinping. The image remains banned in China.my country is poor but your country is pooh https://t.co/Q8KXdmAFk4pic.twitter.com/JTEnV3ZBQO— ทิฟไม่กินสับปะรด (@tiffanywilsonxo) April 11, 2020Netizens in Hong Kong and Taiwan soon joined the meme war, and the Milk Tea Alliance was born.A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Thailand issued a statement, calling Beijing’s “One China Principle” toward Hong Kong and Taiwan “irrefutable” and saying “the recent online noises only reflect bias and ignorance.”Nathan Law, a former Hong Kong Legislative Council member, tweeted: “So funny watching the pro-CCP online army trying to attack Bright.” He added that the nationalists were attacking the wrong target, since “Bright’s fans are young and progressive.”So funny watching the pro-CCP online army trying to attack Bright. They think every Thai person must be like them, who love Emperor Xi. What they don’t understand is that Bright’s fans are young and progressive, and the pro-CCP army always make the wrong attacks.#nnevvypic.twitter.com/WSJv2c5uXB— Nathan Law 羅冠聰 😷 (@nathanlawkc) April 12, 2020Jason Y. Ng, a lawyer and a freelance writer based in Hong Kong, is a member of the Milk Tea Alliance. His Twitter posts are often the targets of Chinese nationalists because of his pro-democracy stance.”Thai netizens adopt a unique self-mocking style to counter attacks on my Twitter posts. Now these Chinese nationalists have given up commenting on my posts.” He told VOA, “The Alliance acts like some kind of pesticide or disinfectant—it’s fascinating!”The Alliance also criticizes the Chinese government’s aggressive action in the South China Sea.Thitinan Pongsudhirak, an international relations professor with Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, told VOA that the pan-Asia network reflects the difference between official opinion and public opinion in these countries when it comes to China.“There is divergent posture between Southeast Asian governments and their people,” he said. “Their governments actually are pro-China, such as the Philippines and Thailand.”A Thai government spokeswoman said the government respected Thais’ freedom of expression and the issue did not affect the nation’s ties with China.Danny Marks, an assistant professor with the City University of Hong Kong, told VOA that the online discussion has evolved into a wider political protest, because the people from these countries are increasingly dissatisfied with China’s unilateral actions in the area.“It also shows the limited ability of Chinese to wage internet warfare,” he said. “They had previously been pampered by the one-sided Chinese internet.”Andrew Selepak, a media expert with University of Florida, said that by binding together, these voices could become a significant counter to China’s strong cyber army.“It’s interesting to see that countries that don’t have the same political clout around the world and economic clout around the world individually, you are trying to act as a collective, as a counterbalance, to the influence of China on social media,” he told VOA.“China has been stepping up its influence in Asia. The threat is now on our doorstep. Therefore, I hope all Asian societies can build pan-Asian solidarity to fend off all forms of authoritarianism from China,” wrote Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong.[The statement by Chinese Embassy Bangkok is sheer arrogance and ignorance.] 1/ It is indisputable that the #nnevvy saga was provoked by the Chinese nationalist trolls, by firstly doxing, insulting and demeaning the Thai celebrities and people in Thailand. pic.twitter.com/EvzjQz6sqZ— Joshua Wong 黃之鋒 😷 (@joshuawongcf) April 15, 2020
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Nigeria Eases Lockdown Measures Despite Increases in Coronavirus Cases
Computer specialist Michael Kundun left for work early Monday, as Nigeria’s coronavirus lockdown eased at 6 a.m.Kundun had not been to his shop in Abuja’s Nyanya Market since late March, when authorities announced the lockdown. When he opened, he had to clean and dust to get ready for business.”It is going to be gradual,” he said. “It’s not going to be as it was from the beginning, but by the grace of God it will pick up. Business will pick up with time.”Nigeria relaxed its 35-day lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states following President Muhammadu Buhari’s order, given last week during his national address.Harm to economyBuhari concedes the lockdown has hurt the Nigerian economy, especially in non-essential sectors that depend on daily income for survival.Much like Kundun’s business.”The lockdown affected my business drastically,” he said. “In fact, I found it difficult to work. I found it difficult to meet my customers.”FILE – Thousands swarm Utako market, which opened for just four hours to allow citizens to buy supplies before Ramadan, in Abuja, Nigeria, April 22, 2020. (Timothy Obiezu/VOA)But the decision to relax the lockdown came as Nigeria’s number of coronavirus cases has been increasing.Daily figures publicly reported by Nigeria’s Center for Disease Control doubled in the last week, reaching more than 2,500 on Monday. By Thursday, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., the total had climbed past 3,100.This is why critics like Abuja resident Abubakar Ahutu have challenged the president’s position.”I’m not happy about the planned relaxation of the lockdown,” Ahutu said. “If the federal government or the president in particular is having good advisers, I think it is very bad for them at this point in time to start thinking about reopening the lockdown.”Before easing lockdowns for certain areas, authorities issued new regulations, including an overnight curfew, the mandatory use of face masks in public and strict social distancing restrictions.But thousands across Abuja city on Monday flooded marketplaces and banks, thereby violating the physical distancing orders.Look at GhanaEconomic analyst Audu Siyaka had this warning:“Ghana tried to ease their lockdowns, and what happened was not palatable.” They had to reverse their initial decision. I’m not saying that may happen to Nigeria, but it’s a likelihood, because of our population.”Only 17,000 people have so far been tested for the coronavirus in Nigeria — an exceptionally small number when compared with figures in other African nations. But Buhari has promised aggressive testing and contact tracing in the coming weeks.Critics will hold him by his words.
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Oklahoma Woman in Custody after Shooting McDonald’s Employees
Police in Oklahoma City say three McDonald’s employees suffered gunshot wounds when a woman opened fire because she was angry that the restaurant’s sit-down dining area was closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Police say the woman entered the fast-food restaurant late Wednesday and was told the dining area was closed due to COVID-19 related restrictions. She was asked to leave but when she refused, there was a physical altercation between the woman and an employee. They say the woman was eventually forced out of the restaurant, but soon returned with a handgun which she fired three times. Oklahoma City Police Capt. Larry Withrow told the Associated Press one employee was shot in in the arm and two suffered shrapnel wounds, while a fourth employee suffered a non-gunshot head injury. All are expected to recover. Withrow said 32-year-old Gloricia Woody was arrested a short time later for assault and battery with a deadly weapon.In a statement, McDonald’s said the safety and security of employees and customers is its top priority. They called the shooting a “heinous crime” on employees, who were trying to support public health efforts.Tensions over restrictions intended to curb the pandemic have escalated into violence elsewhere in the U.S.This week, a woman, her adult son and husband were charged in last week’s fatal shooting of a security guard who refused to let her daughter enter a Family Dollar store in Flint, Michigan, because she wasn’t wearing a face mask to protect against transmission of the coronavirus.
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Belarus Strips 2 Russian Reporters of Accreditation Amid COVID Pandemic
Belarusian authorities have stripped two Russian journalists of accreditation after their reports about the growing coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The Foreign Ministry in Minsk did not give a reason for the move against journalist Aleksei Kruchinin and cameraman Sergei Panasyuk, who work for Russia’s Channel One television company.
But a Belarusian state television channel aired a report in response to Channel One’s coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Belarus, accusing Russian journalists of spreading false information.
Channel One called Minsk’s move “absolutely groundless” and company representatives told RFE/RL on May 7 that reactions to the move “will be made on diplomatic levels as well.”
According to Channel One’s representatives, Kruchinin left Minsk for Moscow right after the ministry’s announcement, while his family remains in the Belarusian capital.
As of May 6, Belarus had reported 19,255 confirmed coronavirus cases and 112 deaths.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has repeatedly derided concerns over COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
He has claimed disregard for the environment was in part to blame for the spread of the virus, and activities like planting trees could help defend against it.
In stark contrast to other European countries that have adopted strict lockdown measures to contain the pandemic, Belarus has kept its borders open and allowed soccer matches in the national league to be played in front of spectators.
On May 9, Minsk will host a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, an event that was cancelled in Russia and other former Soviet republics, except Turkmenistan, over fears of large crowds gathering amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Some information contained in this report came from AP.
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Philippine TV News Giant Petitions Supreme Court to Resume Operations
A leading television and radio network in the Philippines has asked the country’s Supreme Court to allow it to resume broadcasting after the government ordered it to cease operations, sparking accusations the move was an assault on independent media.
ABS-CBN Corp. told the court that Tuesday’s shutdown order has stifled press freedom at a time when information is especially needed during the coronavirus crisis.
“The public needs the services of ABS-CBN, now more than ever, as the country grapples with the effects of COVID-19,” the broadcaster said in its petition to the court.
The National Telecommunications Commission said Tuesday it ordered ABS-CBN Corp., which frequently criticized President Rodrigo Duterte, to stop operating on the grounds that its 25-year license expired May 4.
Some legislators and media watchdogs have also denounced the order.
Opposition senator and former justice secretary Franklin Drilon maintained the order violated the constitution was a “grave abuse of discretion.”
Media watchdogs have accused the Duterte administration of silencing independent media organizations that have produced unfavorable reports of Dutere’s actions and polices, including his deadly anti-drugs campaign that has resulted in the deaths of primarily poor suspects.
Duterte threatened to prevent ABS-CBN’s franchise application and accused the network of favoring a political rival in the 2016 election.
Areas of the Philippines have been on strict lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Last month, President Duterte warned citizens during a televised address that police would “shoot them dead” if they defied the lockdown orders.
The network’s renewal application is pending in Congress but the massive coronavirus lockdown has contributed in a delay in hearings. The commission’s order was a reversal of its assurance to lawmakers that it would grant the network a temporary license to remain on the air pending the approval process.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte is neutral on the closure, but Solicitor-General Jose Calida warned the commissioners they could face criminal charges if they allowed the network to remain operational without a license.
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development Executive Director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu said on Tuesday the order is “another attack against press freedom in the Philippines, at a time when access to information is most vital.”
She also decried Solicitor-General Jose Calida’s request in February that the Supreme Court invalidate the television network’s franchises and a subsidiary in another attempt to halt the company’s operations for supposedly violating the country’s prohibition on foreign ownership of Philippine media outlets and abusing its franchises.
“It is particularly concerning that the pressure to close down the network comes from the country’s Solicitor General, who threatened to prosecute the NTC should ABS-CBN be granted a provisional license,” Shamini said. “The Department of Justice and several legislators had earlier recommended the granting of a provisional license, pending Congress’ decision on franchise renewal.”
ABS-CBN, founded in 1953, was last shut down during the reign of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The network resumed broadcast operations after the Marcos government was overthrown in 1986.
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Bundesliga Soccer to Resume on May 16 in Empty Stadiums
The Bundesliga soccer season will resume on May 16 in empty stadiums, picking up right where it left off two months ago amid the coronavirus pandemic.Thursday’s announcement comes one day after clubs were told the season could restart following a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state governors.”Everyone has to be clear. We’re playing on probation,” German soccer league managing director Christian Seifert said. “I expect everyone to live up to this responsibility. Our concept is designed to catch infections early.”Seifert said the return of soccer was because of the success the country’s leaders and health officials have had in response to the outbreak.Germany has had a high number of COVID-19 infections — nearly 170,000 by Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University — with about 7,000 deaths, a lower number compared to elsewhere.The country’s relative success in combating the virus has been attributed to early testing, a robust health service and strict lockdown measures that are now being loosened.”That we’re allowed to play again boils down to German politics for managing this crisis, and the health system in Germany,” Seifert said. “If I were to name the number of tests that I was asked about in teleconferences with other professional leagues, with American professional leagues, with clubs from the NFL, the NHL, Major League Baseball and others, and I tell them how many tests are possible in Germany, they generally check, or there’s silence, because it’s just unimaginable in the situation over there.”Only about a third of Germany’s massive testing capacity of almost 1 million a week is being currently used, said Lars Schaade, the deputy head of the Robert Koch Institute.Seifert said the season will restart with the 26th round of games, including the Ruhr derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke on the opening Saturday. That match will test local authorities who hope to keep groups of fans from gathering around the stadium or at bars to watch on television.Pay-TV broadcaster Sky said it will show all games on the first two weekends for free in Germany.Seifert, who was speaking in Frankfurt after a video conference with members from each club, warned that everyone involved will need to maintain strict hygiene measures to ensure another suspension will not be necessary.The Bundesliga was suspended on March 13 with nine rounds remaining. Seifert said the last round is now planned for the weekend of June 27-28. He said the second division will also begin on May 16.”The decision means economic survival for some clubs,” Seifert said.Seifert said there have been 10 positive cases of COVID-19 in the first two waves of tests among the 36 professional clubs, with another two positive cases found in a third wave.It was initially planned that teams would spend two weeks in quarantine before games could resume, but a compromise on shorter training camps in isolation for each team was reached because players have been undergoing regular tests.Seifert said a decision on whether to temporarily allow five substitutions per match depends on FIFA rules. FIFA made the proposal to help players cope with game congestion but it is still subject to approval from the International Football Association Board, soccer’s law-making body.
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In Corsica, COVID-19 Fuels Nationalist Demands for Greater Autonomy
The daily flights and ferries carrying tourists and French retirees seem a distant memory, even as a chunk of the diaspora has returned to ancestral villages.
Just 200 kilometers across the Mediterranean, the island of Corsica has never seemed so cut off from mainland France. The coronavirus has restored a sense of identity and separation that independence fighters have long sought.
The pandemic, however, is also fueling more tangible demands. The nationalists running the island’s government want to manage the health crisis “the Corsican way,” which includes piloting a controversial treatment program and deciding on school openings.
“Our strategy needs to be adapted to the reality on the ground,” said Gilles Simeoni, president of the island’s executive council. A goat ranch in the Agriate region of northern Corsica. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)Such sentiments are echoed elsewhere in Europe by territories long pushing for greater economic and political power from capitals, said University of Bordeaux political scientist and Corsica expert Thierry Dominici.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is giving them new cause.
“In Corsica, we have the impression the elected leadership wants to move forward” in managing the island’s response to COVID-19, Dominici added. “But the administrative situation imposed by the state has tied their hands.”
Rocky ties
With soaring mountains, spectacular beaches and winding country roads—where drivers still slow for crossing sheep—Corsica has long had a rocky relationship with Paris. A long-running and violent independence movement, the FLNC, formally laid down its arms in 2014.Graffiti supporting Corsica’s FLNC liberation movement covers a road sign in the island’s Balagne region. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)Polls have shown little local appetite for full independence from France, on which the island depends heavily for tourism and subsidies. But a Corsican sense of identity, seen in a resurgence of the local language and traditions, remains powerful.
In 2015, a politically complex stew of nationalists surged to power, which they still hold. When the coronavirus lockdown began in mid-March, a number of Corsicans living in mainland France headed home to spend time with families.
Regional council head Simeoni has called for an “independent scientific” council in Corsica to manage the coronavirus response, and for making the island a “pilot territory” in using malaria drug chloroquine to treat the infection. Ostriconi beach in Corsica, usually packed in the summer. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)Corsican mayors are also joining others in France in opposing government plans to begin reopening schools next week.
Paris has promised regional and local governments greater leeway in managing the crisis. Still, it has nixed Corsica’s chloroquine pitch, allowing the island a more modest option of joining a clinical trial in Bordeaux.
“It’s very insufficient,” said Corsican Assembly leader Jean-Guy Talamoni of Paris’ response. He says “Corsica must have its own method” of dealing with the pandemic.
Critics suggest such declarations are opportunistic—deepening the divisions between the more moderate Simeoni and Talamoni, who has long championed Corsica’s full independence from France.Goats and sheep still cause traffic jams on winding Corsican roads like this one. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)
“Talamoni is using the situation for political ends, which is totally stupid,” said political analyst Jean Petaux of Sciences Po Bordeaux University.
“On the one hand, he wants the island to be independent and fly with its own wings,” Petaux said. “On the other, there’s an unending demand for state support,” including compensation for tourism and other economic losses wrought by the virus.
Pushback elsewhere in Europe
Corsica is hardly alone in pushing for greater local control of the health crisis.
In Spain, Catalonia’s separatist leader, Quim Torra, has bucked Madrid’s plans to extend a state of emergency underpinning its lockdown, and joined the Basque region in opposing “co-goverance” with the state in unwinding confinement.The coast near the western Corsican village of Girolata. (Lisa Bryant/VOA) In Italy, regions run by opposition rightist parties argue Rome’s plans to end confinement are not bold enough. Southern Calabria announced restaurants and bars with outdoor seating could reopen immediately — countering the government’s timeline of June 1.
Scottish nationalists are similarly protesting health orders coming from England.
“The suggestion that Scotland and England must march forth entirely in unison is absurd,” Scottish National Party lawmaker Kenny MacAskill wrote in The Scotsman newspaper, adding many measures to end confinement would likely be replicated in both areas, nonetheless.
In more decentralized Germany, the federal government and local states have agreed on ways to ease the lockdown, although some want restrictions lifted faster. Northwestern Corsica’s Balagne region is a draw for tourists and retirees. (Lisa Bryant/VOA)For his part, Corsica expert Dominici believes COVID-19, following other crises like the environment, will make greater local decision-making inevitable.
“Even if the state doesn’t want to, it will have to give regions more rights to manage the deconfinement,” he added of the pandemic.
Nor should Corsica’s nationalists be underestimated, he said. They are no longer political newbies.
“This is their second term in office,” Dominici said. “That’s not nothing. They’re a political force to be reckoned with.”
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Jay Chou Brings Magic With His Netflix Show ‘J-Style Trip’
Mandopop superstar Jay Chou is bringing a little magic into viewers’ lives with his Netflix show “J-Style Trip.”
Part travelogue, part magic performance, the show has Chou diving into adventures around the world with his A-lister friends.
“Magic is actually like music. It is a universal language,” Chou told The Associated Press in Taiwan recently.
Chou and his friends take their magic tricks everywhere – from Pompidou in Paris to a local food court in Singapore – taking homebound viewers on virtual trips amid pandemic shutdowns.
“I wanted to show the warmness and friendliness of people around the world, and how people connect with each other in different ways,” Chou said.
Each episode features a special guest like Taiwanese singer Jam Hsiao, Singaporean singer Wayne Lim Junjie, better known as JJ Lin, and classical pianist Lang Lang.
Chou’s especially excited about Lang Lang’s upcoming appearance. “Lang Lang, in fact, is a very humorous and really fun person,” Chou said of the classical superstar who has a whopping 15 million followers on his social media.
He couldn’t resist giving a sneak peek, revealing that Lang Lang will show up in hip-hop attire and fake mustache to surprise people.
Meanwhile, the singer-songwriter has another surprise in stored for his fans.
“I haven’t released any albums for a very long time. That’s because I have been spending more time with my family,” said Chou, who got married in 2015 and has two children.
Chou recently updated his Instagram with a picture of a piano painting by German artist Albert Oehlen.
“I’ve started producing,” the caption said, with a piano emoji. Chou confirmed that he’s working on new songs. “I know my fans are excited. Seems like everyone’s been waiting for a long time,” Chou said.
“Many people think my past songs are great and can’t be surpassed,” Chou said. He thinks his songs, albeit similar in some ways, cannot be compared because people project their own “memories” to each track.
With more than 10 albums, Chou, who describes himself as “workaholic,” is still leveling up.
“I always feel like only I can outperform myself!”
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Wildfires in Northwest Florida Force Evacuations, Close Highways
Officials in Florida say wildfires raging in the northwest Panhandle area have forced nearly 500 people to evacuate their homes and closed portions of Interstate 10 there.The Florida Forest service said in a statement that a blaze that broke out Monday afternoon in Santa Rosa County has been named the Five Mile Swamp fire as high winds and low humidity caused it to expand 10 times in size, covering more than 800 hectares.The Tampa Bay Times newspaper reports the fire started as a prescribed burn to clear dead trees but quickly grew out of control. Multiple local fire departments have responded, and the Forest Service has deployed 18 tractor plows and multiple aircraft to fight the blaze. Photos and video taken in the area show billowing smoke and efforts to extinguish the blaze.The Forest Service says firefighters are also battling a 233-hectare fire in Walton County to the east. As of late Wednesday, that fire was 25 percent under control.The service reports multiple structures have been lost in that fire and another 500 residents evacuated.🚨WILDFIRE UPDATE🚨@FLForestService crews are in day 3 of suppression efforts on the #5MileSwampFire. Additional firefighting personnel & resources are en route to assist.
I-10 is closed from Exit 22 Avalon Blvd to Exit 31 at Hwy 87.
Follow @FFS_Blackwater for updates. pic.twitter.com/9XWX9iueHr
— FL Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services (@FDACS) May 6, 2020
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US Unemployment Jumps to 33.5M, as World’s Largest Economy Stumbles
The pace of claims for unemployment compensation slowed marginally in the U.S. last week, but another 3.2 million still filed for the benefits as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the world’s largest economy. In all, 33.5 million U.S. workers have now filed for jobless compensation since the pandemic shut huge sectors of American commerce starting in mid-March, according to the Labor Department, including factories, shops, restaurants, white-collar offices and sports leagues.The total amounts to about one of every five U.S. workers.The workers filing for the benefits normally are paid slightly less than half their normal salaries. But these payments are currently being augmented during the pandemic with $600-a-week supplements from the federal government for the next four months.The peak of the unemployment benefit claims may have come in late March with 6.9 million workers filing for the jobless compensation.The weekly pace of claims has diminished each week since then, but the millions of claims have still been unparalleled over decades of U.S. economic history, reaching back to the Great Depression in the 1930s. The number of claims has far exceeded those made during the Great Recession in 2008.FILE – People who lost their jobs wait in line to file for unemployment following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at an Arkansas Workforce Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, April 6, 2020.Historic proportions
The government on Friday is reporting the April unemployment rate, with the White House predicting it could reach 20%, a number never seen in the 72 years the records have been compiled. One report on Wednesday said that U.S. employers slashed 20.2 million jobs in late March and early April. Still, U.S. commerce is slowly edging back to life even as the U.S. coronavirus death toll has topped 73,000, the biggest national total across the world, and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases totals more than 1.2 million. Governors in at least 43 of the 50 U.S. states have moved toward reopening of parts of their economies, in some cases telling restaurant owners they can reopen if they maintain safe two-meter distancing between customers or let shop keepers reopen if they limit the number of customers at any one time.Some factories could reopen later in May, although it is not clear how workers will be able to maintain safe distancing to limit their chances of catching the virus.National outlook grim
The government reported last week that the national economy declined 4.8% in the first quarter this year, with the prospect of a much bigger decline in the April-to-June quarter, more than at any point since World War II.Credit Suisse is predicting a 33.5% decline, with investment banker Goldman Sachs slightly higher at 34% with a 15% unemployment rate.However, Goldman is predicting a robust 19% gain in the third quarter from July through September as the U.S. moves toward a possible recovery from the pandemic.Some companies laid off workers quickly in mid-March as the spread of the coronavirus became apparent. But other companies vowed to keep paying their workers, at least for a while, even as many of them had little work to do as their potential customers stayed home to protect themselves and their families. Some companies eventually laid off those workers as well, as the depth of the country’s economic turmoil took hold.
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Greece, Cyprus, Israel move to set up ‘corona corridor’ for travel
Quarantines and travel don’t mix, but Greece is contemplating opening its borders to travelers from at least two other countries whose COVID-19 outbreaks are under control to revive tourism, which has been devastated by the pandemic.The move, according to Tourism Minister Harris Theoharis, would include setting up a “corona corridor” among Greece, Cyprus and Israel, attracting tourists less willing to travel far in the coming months, allowing them access to the islands of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas by early July.”Several details still have to be worked out,” Theoharis told VOA. “But when we knocked on Israel’s door, it opened wide open. The interest is there; so too with Cyprus.””It is an ambitious scheme that could square the circle,” he said.After Cyprus, Greece is the European Union’s most vulnerable country in terms of tourism. The profitable industry accounts for about one-fifth of its economy and 1 in 4 jobs. Also, in recent years, the country has become a favorite travel destination for young Israelis, attracting nearly a million visitors from the Middle Eastern country.Details of the corona corridor plan have yet to be finalized. However, its creation, Theoharis said, would allow travelers to forgo quarantines or two-week isolation periods.”You don’t want to go on holiday knowing that you will spend it in lockdown,” Theoharis said.Empty chairs with various slogans from the union of bars and restaurants owners are placed at Athens’ main Syntagma square May 6, 2020.Times nevertheless remain difficult for the tourism industry.Since much of the world went into lockdown and nations closed their borders to slow the spread of COVID-19, international travel has plunged, bringing an industry employing 75 million to a standstill.While travelers cannot globe-trot as they did three months ago, studies show that many still dream of escaping their homes — albeit for nearer destinations.The European Union’s executive body, the European Commission, is to release the first EU-wide guidelines for coronavirus-era tourism on Wednesday. Until then, though, several states, including Greece, have wasted no time in taking matters into their own hands.Detailed negotiations with Israel and Cyprus in coming weeks will focus on attempts to thrash out a deal to revive tourism while preventing a catastrophic second wave of the disease.”That means agreeing on every possible guideline and health protocol — from the medical clearances travelers will need to have before setting foot in either of the three countries, to whether hotels will offer breakfast and dinner buffets,” Theoharis said. “Tracking and tracing systems will also have to be in place if there is an outbreak of infections at a resort.””It is a difficult exercise,” he said.Yet with the EU reluctant to issue a blanket release on travel, options like the corona corridor are gaining appeal.The Czech Republic is said to be considering a similar plan with neighboring Slovakia and Croatia. Malta, the Mediterranean island nation that relies heavily on tourism, has also called for the creation of “safe corridors” among territories and regions proven successful in their management of the COVID-19 pandemic.Early and rigorous controls instituted by the Greek government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have helped keep most of the country’s idyllic hot spots free of the pandemic.A man wearing a mask to protect against the coronavirus walks in Syntagma square in central Athens, on May 5, 2020.Even so, several Greek hoteliers remain wary of the corona corridor proposal.On Crete, a hugely popular spot for U.S. and British vacationers, hotel owners are considering keeping resorts closed until authorities provide ironclad assurances to ensure their operation.”We are not prepared to risk any human life for the sake of business and profit,” said Manolis Tsalakakis, president of the hotel owners’ association in Rethimon, a city on Crete’s northern coast, “but we need to be legally covered in the case that we do have an infection during holiday stays.””These are all parameters that have be in put in place before we even consider opening up for business again.”Meanwhile, Italy, among the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, has raised serious concerns about the plan, saying it creates unfair competition, further penalizing the country as it struggles to recover from the death, fear and hardship brought on by the virus.On Thursday, though, Theoharis said Greece would eventually reach out to Italy if its corona corridor plan proves effective.”Israel and Cyprus are just the start,” he told VOA. “Bulgaria, Austria may join in at the next step, eventually bringing in Italy and the United States, where huge pools of expats are eager to come back and visit.”Each step must be planned, though, he said.”We have to first stand up, before we start walking and running again,” he said.
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Global Markets Mixed on Thursday
Global markets were mixed Thursday, with Asian indexes struggling despite good economic news from China.Japan’s Nikkei index closed 0.2 percent higher, while the TSEC 50 in Taipei finished 0.6 percent higher. The indexes in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney were all in negative territory, with investors apparently unmoved by Beijing’s announcement that exports rose 3.5 percent from a year earlier, a further sign the world’s economy is slowly recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.Meanwhile, European markets were trending upward, with the FTSE in London up 0.4 percent by mid-morning, the CAC-40 in Paris trading 0.5 percent higher and the DAX in Frankfurt up 0.7 percent.Oil markets were also making gains Thursday, with West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, selling at $24.08 per barrel, up 0.3 percent, while the international benchmark Brent crude trading flat at $29.73 per barrel.In index futures trading, the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq were all trading well above 1 percent.
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COVID Struggle Exposes Spain’s Deep Divisions
As its coronavirus death rate ebbs, Spain is at last easing one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. But analysts fear its political polarization will hamper its ability climb back from what is expected to be the deepest economic recession since the 1936-39 civil war.Unlike some other European countries, where parties have made visible efforts to put aside their differences to fight the virus, in Spain the epidemic has only emphasized ideological divisions.Conservative opposition parties have unsparingly criticized the handling of the crisis by Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister, who heads a minority government. Most recently, they are demanding a swifter reopening of the economy than Sanchez is willing to sanction.The prime minister has hit back, telling the Spanish parliament: “Lifting the state of emergency would be a total, unpardonable mistake.” He added that billions of dollars in state aid to help companies and individuals were available only because of the lockdown order.When Sánchez this week called for another extension of the lockdown until May 24, the parliamentary vote should have been a formality. Instead it blew up into a political row, underlining problems which will dog the government when the immediate health crisis recedes.Pablo Casado, leader of the main opposition conservative People’s Party, initially threatened to vote against extending the lockdown. He said measures designed to contain the spread of the crisis were no longer necessary at a time when people were being allowed outside after more than two months of confinement.“We cannot support extending the state of emergency,” Casado told Spanish radio Onda Zero this week. “When the prime minister says that … we are in a phase of de-escalation, it does not seem compatible with continuing to demand extraordinary measures against the rights and freedoms of Spaniards.”After initially supporting the government, Casado has accused the government of recklessly allowing large marches to mark International Women’s Day on March 8 against the advice of health bodies, for acting too slowly and for inconsistencies in releasing data.People wearing face masks to combat the spread of coronavirus walk in a public park in Madrid, Spain, May 6, 2020.Casado, who later backed down and supported extending the state of emergency, was far from alone in opposing the government.Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, which is the third-largest force in parliament with 52 seats, claimed Sánchez and his left-wing allies Unidas Podemos are replacing a democratic normality with “totalitarianism,” which he said leads to “death, more ruin, more unemployment and less freedom.”The Catalan Republican Left, a regional separatist party on whom the left-wing government depends for support, also promised to oppose the extension, arguing against Sánchez’s centralization of health care, which is usually handled by regional authorities.Other Catalan separatist politicians have even suggested there would have been fewer deaths if the crisis had been managed by an independent Catalonia.Sánchez only scraped together enough votes to pass the lockdown extension by doing a last-minute deal with the centrist Ciudadanos party and promising more autonomy to moderate nationalists in the Basque country.For Sánchez, the battle was won but the war is far from over. Analysts believe the minority government, which depends on several small parties for its survival, may struggle to enact bold measures designed to steer Spain back from an economic recession.The outlook is relentlessly grim. The country suffered one of the world’s worst outbreaks of the disease, forcing the government in Madrid to put the economy effectively into hibernation.The Bank of Spain forecasts GDP could contract by up to 12 percent this year and unemployment could rise from 14 percent to above 20 percent. Spain’s jobless figure rose by 282,000 in April, according to government data, largely because of the collapse of the tourism industry which accounts for 15 perccent of GDP.The car industry, a key indicator of economic health in Spain, sold the same number of cars in the entire month of April as it would sell in one day in normal times.A man holds a face mask as he rests in a public park in Madrid, Spain, May 6, 2020.A parliamentary commission will oversee the country’s economic regeneration, but just setting up the commission took weeks of wrangling between Sánchez and Casado.William Chislett, an analyst at the Real Elcano Institute, a think tank in Madrid, believes the fragmented political landscape will make it hard to find agreement on a common policy.“There are 16 parties in parliament involved in the regeneration commission. It is difficult to see what they will come up with. Perhaps more taxes, as they will need more money, but that will be opposed by the People’s Party,” he said.“What you have to remember is, Spain was in a weak position before this, with high public debt and unemployment. Now it faces an even worse situation, with lots of political division.”With the threat of a second outbreak ever present, political unity will be key to managing the health service and preventing another grim tally of deaths.Rafael Bengoa, a former director of the World Health Organization and adviser to the U.S. government on public health, said that during the so-called Spanish flu pandemic in 1918, the degree of political solidarity in different U.S. cities had a direct relationship to how well they prevented a second wave of the illness.St. Louis, Missouri, was able to withstand the virulent flu outbreak, which killed an estimated 40 million people worldwide, while Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, both in Pennsylvania, suffered from second waves of the illness.A 2007 study published in the of the American Medical Association said multi-agency cooperation in St. Louis meant its death rate was lower, whereas in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh this cooperation did not exist and the number of fatalities was higher. “History has shown that political unity is one more instrument against a virus, along with a vaccine,” said Bengoa. “This unity has begun to break down in Spain and this will not help if there is another outbreak.”Successive polls have found Spaniards would like their politicians to put their differences aside to address the national crisis.Pablo Simón, a political analyst at the University Carlos III in Madrid, said Spain’s problem is that its political parties do not prioritize the long-term good of the nation.“Polarization generates instability. As there are so many political parties, they are only looking for short- or medium-term gain,” he said.
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Australian Cardinal George Pell Knew of Clergy Sex Abuse Allegations for Decades, Report Says
An Australian government inquiry into child sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests has concluded that Cardinal George Pell had been aware of the allegations for decades.The royal commission released its findings about Pell’s knowledge Thursday, nearly a month after Australia’s High Court overturned his 2018 conviction of child sexual abuse. The full inquiry had been released a year earlier, but its findings about the former Vatican treasurer and close adviser to Pope Francis had been withheld to prevent jurors in his trials from being improperly influenced.The report said Pell knew about allegations involving ex-priest Gerald Risdale as far back as the 1970s when he was a priest in his hometown of Ballarat. Pell told investigators that he was not aware of the allegations until 1993, but the commission said he discussed moving Risdale from a local parish to Sydney in 1982 when he was serving as an adviser to then-Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns.The inquiry also says Pell was aware of numerous disturbing allegations involving Melbourne parish priest Peter Searson when Pell was Melbourne auxiliary bishop in the late 1980s. Searson had numerous complaints lodged against him, including child sexual abuse and incidents of strange and violent behavior.Risdale is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for abusing over 60 children over decades. Searson was convicted of physically assaulting an altar boy in 1997 but died in 2009 without being charged with child sexual abuse.The 78-year-old Pell was convicted by a court in Victoria state of molesting two teenage 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 him the highest-ranking Catholic clergy member to be convicted in connection with the church’s decades-long scandal.
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Botswana to Begin Lifting Lockdown to Reopen Economy, Schools
Botswana will begin a gradual lifting of a five-week lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus on Friday.Vice President Slumber Tsogwane said that based on the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak and the current trajectory of the disease, the administration decided to open the economy albeit incrementally, while observing the disease patterns.Tsogwane made the announcement Wednesday during a meeting of lawmakers reviewing proposals from President Mokgweetsi Masisi on reopening schools and the economy.Masisi favors a gradual process that meets guidelines from health officials on staying vigilant in slowing the spread of the coronavirus.Masisi and lawmakers wore face masks during the discussions.Botswana has confirmed 28 cases of coronavirus and one death.
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California Ramps Up COVID-19 Testing as State Opens a Crack
California, the most populous U.S. state, will begin its first phase of reopening this week. Stay-at-home measures have kept COVID-19 cases relatively low in the state but testing for the disease has lagged. New initiatives by the governor and health care providers aim to rapidly change that. Matt Dibble reports.
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Trump Vetoes Resolution Seeking to Limit Actions Against Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution calling for him to halt the use of U.S. forces against Iran unless authorized by Congress.In a message explaining his veto, Trump called the resolution “very insulting” and said it would have “greatly harmed the President’s ability to protect the United States, its allies, and its partners.”Lawmakers backed the resolution during a time of escalated tensions between the United States and Iran, expressing their desire to ensure the power to declare war remains solely in the hands of Congress.Trump ordered a January U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Days later, Iran retaliated with a ballistic missile attack against U.S. forces in Iraq that left more than 100 U.S. service members with diagnosed traumatic brain injuries.The U.S. Central Command said earlier this week it has awarded 29 soldiers the Purple Heart medal that is given to those killed or wounded in action.
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Russia to Ease Shutdown Amid Steady Growth of COVID-19 Cases
Russia has announced plans for a gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions after the so-called non-working period ends Monday.Officials announced the decision after discussions with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, despite a stream of more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases a day in recent days. Russia now reports the world’s seventh-highest number of infections, about 166,000 on Wednesday with 1,537 reported virus-related deaths, a comparatively low rate in contrast with other countries. Many analysts have expressed doubt that the figures are realistic.“The Russian media presents this as a result of the Russian medicine, which, they claim, inherited the ‘best’ traditions of the Soviet medicine,” said Russia analyst Peter Eltsov, author of the book ‘The Long Telegram 2.0: A Neo-Kennanite Approach to Russia.’ He told VOA in an email that the official news media “also constantly thanks Putin for his allegedly remarkable and humane leadership, claiming that the U.S. has failed to counter the virus properly.”Peter Eltsov, Russia analyst and authorBut, Eltsov said, “the Russian people are very skeptical about the threat of coronavirus and the legality of the quarantine measures introduced by the Russian government, particularly in Moscow, where people are not allowed to leave their houses, except for the most essential needs.”Russia’s densely populated capital has been the city hit hardest by the coronavirus.Putin has not imposed a state of emergency. Instead, he instructed local leaders to enact the unpopular lockdown measures.“Housing conditions for the majority of the Russian people are tough,” Eltsov said. “Families of three to five often reside in two- to three-room apartments.” He said the timing of reopening may be premature.Putin left it for local leaders to decide on the pace of reopening. He said in some regions the measures should remain in place or be tightened if necessary.”We should not run ahead of ourselves,” Putin said, speaking from his Novo-Ogaryovo retreat west of Moscow. “The hardest-hit regions should keep strict measures in place while others should plan to gradually ease restrictions.”Moscow’s officials said that industrial and construction companies would be allowed to reopen Tuesday. But they said the service sector, businesses, schools and households will remain under strict lockdown and self-isolation.Governors of other regions said they would be relaxing shutdown orders to allow families to take recreational walks and small shops to reopen before extending the permission to other sectors.A man is illuminated in an apartment in a building on the outskirts of Moscow on May 4, 2020,during a strict lockdown in Russia to stop the spread of COVID-19 infection.Some analysts say Putin is avoiding making orders to either open or close the country that may backfire. His popularity appears to be declining along with Russia’s economy, which has suffered from an unprecedented loss of oil and gas revenues.The president’s approval rating fell to a historic low of 59 percent in April, down from 63 percent in March. The poll by Russia’s Levada Center was conducted by telephone instead of face-to-face, which could account for some of the loss. Putin’s approval rating was 69 percent in February. The coronavirus pandemic forced him to postpone a referendum scheduled for April that could have extended his power for life. He plans to hold it at a later date, but his prospects for success might be dimmed as he struggles to shore up the economy and contain the coronavirus outbreak.Russia’s coronavirus crisis deepened following reports of three doctors falling out of windows in separate cases. Two have died, and one is hospitalized in critical condition. All three had been critical of their working conditions and lack of protective measures.Alexander Shulepov, an ambulance doctor in Voronezh, a city about 515 kilometers south of Moscow, was in serious condition after falling from a hospital window on Saturday. He worked in the local Novousmanskaya hospital and was being treated there for coronavirus when he reportedly fell out of the window. But some of his colleagues claimed in social media posts that he was forced to continue working even after testing positive for coronavirus.Local officials deny that Shulepov was forced to work and say that negligence caused him to fall when he sat on a windowsill to smoke.Another doctor, Elena Nepomnyashchaya, fell from a high-floor window of a hospital in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on Friday and died after spending a week in intensive care. That doctor reportedly opposed turning a ward in her hospital into a coronavirus facility because of a lack of protective equipment. The regional health department denied the allegations in a statement, saying the hospital is in reserve for coronavirus patients and its staff had been trained and equipped.Natalya Lebedeva, head of the emergency medical service at Star City near Moscow, died on April 24 after a fall from a window at the facility.A history of deadly accidents befalling journalists and others critical of the government has sparked social media speculation that the doctors’ accidents were a result of foul play.Anastasia Vasilyeva, the head of Russia’s Alliance of Doctors, told CNN she did not think anyone was deliberately targeting doctors. The incidents, she said, likely reflect the stress doctors are under in an underfunded system during a pandemic.There is no official data on how many Russian medical workers have died while treating COVID-19 patients, but a group of Russian doctors compiled an online Memory List of health professionals who died during the outbreak.The list had 113 names on Wednesday.
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