Officials say a recently dismissed security guard has released his hostages and walked out of a Philippine shopping mall, ending a daylong hostage crisis.The man, identified as Archie Paray, a former guard at the complex, left the V-Mall in suburban San Juan city in metropolitan Manila on Monday evening with his hostages, who were secured by police.The suspect was allowed to speak to reporters and authorities to outline his grievances.Police say the man shot a security officer in the morning before rushing to the second floor of the complex, where he held dozens of people, mostly employees, hostage in an office. The number of hostages wasn’t immediately clear.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story is below:
Philippine police surrounded a shopping mall in Manila on Monday after a recently dismissed security guard opened fire and took dozens of people hostage, starting a standoff that began before noon and was still ongoing in the evening, an official said.
Mayor Francis Zamora of San Juan in the Philippine capital said the gunman, who was armed with a pistol, shot one person at the V-Mall. The victim was in stable condition at a nearby hospital.
Zamora said the suspect was a disgruntled former security guard at the shopping complex.
“He felt bad because he was removed as a guard,” Zamora told reporters, adding that the man tried but failed to convince fellow guards to join him. Aside from a pistol, the hostage taker yelled that he had a grenade, but authorities could not immediately confirm that, Zamora said.
“We have evacuated all the people in the shopping center and we’re in a lockdown here in the entire mall,” he said.
An initial police report said the hostage taker, who was identified as Archie Paray, shot a mall official before rushing to the second floor of the complex, where he was holding dozens of mostly employees in an office. The report said “more or less 50 staffs” were being held hostage, but it did not provide other details.
Zamora said about 30 to 40 people were being held, adding that his estimate was based on the size of the administrative office were they were being held.
The suspect was complaining of unequal treatment,'' the police report said.shortcomings” and resigned or offered to quit.
He was apparently dismissed from work after abandoning his job in recent weeks without notifying management, Zamora said. He said the hostages were fine and added that authorities were trying to resolve the situation without further violence.
The suspect used his cellphone to deliver a message to the guards and the media, expressing his anger over a change in his work hours and accusing his superiors of corruption.
In a bid to appease the hostage taker, six officers in charge of overseeing the mall's security apologized to the suspect at an early evening news conference for their
“I’m asking for his forgiveness, and because of this, I’ll resign from my job so this crisis will come to an end,” said Oscar Hernandez, one of the security officers.
Earlier in the day, more than a dozen SWAT commandos were seen entering the mall, their assault rifles ready. Other policemen stood by outside, along with an ambulance.
The shopping complex, popular for its restaurants, shops, bars and a bazaar, lies near an upscale residential enclave, a golf club and the police and military headquarters in the bustling metropolis of more than 12 million people, where law and order have long been a concern.
Three years ago, a gunman stormed a mall-casino complex in Manila, shot TV monitors and set gambling tables on fire, killing 36 people who were mostly suffocated by the thick smoke. The gunman stole casino chips before he fled but was found dead in an apparent suicide in an adjacent hotel at the Resorts World Manila complex.
The attack, which caused guests and shoppers to flee to safety, was claimed by the Islamic State group, but Philippine authorities rejected the claim, saying the attacker was not a Muslim militant but a heavily indebted gambler.
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Category: East
East news. East is the direction toward which the Earth rotates about its axis, and therefore the general direction from which the Sun appears to rise. The practice of praying towards the East is older than Christianity, but has been adopted by this religion as the Orient was thought of as containing mankind’s original home
Virus Fuels Dread and Angst Even as China Sees Signs of Hope
The number of new virus cases in China dropped to its lowest level in six weeks Monday and hundreds of patients at the outbreak’s epicenter were being released, while a grimmer reality set in elsewhere, with swelling infection numbers and growing dread that no area could fend off the illness.Clusters of infections in South Korea, Italy and Iran continued to expand and COVID-19 was raising distress and reshaping routines around Europe and across the Atlantic in the United States. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development warned that the world economy risked contracting this quarter for the first time since the international financial crisis more than a decade ago.Major cities including Jakarta, New York and Berlin grappled with their first recorded cases. Schools emptied across Japan, mobile hospitals were planned in Iran, and the Mona Lisa, accustomed to droves of staring tourists, hung in a vacant room of the shuttered Louvre in Paris.“Just about everywhere, the cases are rising quite quickly in a number of countries,” said Ian Mackey, who studies viruses at the University of Queensland in Australia.Malaysia and Portugal were the newest places to detect the virus. More than 60 countries around the world — including nine of the 10 most populous— have found infections, with a global count of nearly 89,000 people affected by the illness. Even as alarms grew louder in much of the world, Monday brought positive signs from China, where the outbreak started.China’s economy delivered hopeful cues, with mainland Chinese stock benchmarks charging back 3% and data showing progress in restoring factory output after weeks of disruptions related to the outbreak.The country reported 202 new cases of the virus, its lowest daily count since Jan. 21, and the stricken heart of the health crisis, Wuhan, said 2,570 patients were released. At the largest of 16 temporary hospitals that were hastily built in Wuhan in response to the outbreak, worries over the availability of supplies and protective gear abated and pressure on medical staff eased.Dr. Zhang Junjian, who leads a temporary hospital at an exhibition center in Wuhan which has a staff of 1,260, said optimism was high that the facility would no longer be needed in the coming weeks.“If nothing special happens, I expect the operation of our makeshift hospital … could complete its historical mission by the end of March,” Zhang said.China’s sunnier news came two months into its outbreak. In the places the virus has spread more recently, the problems continued to magnify.South Korea, with the worst outbreak outside of China, said it recorded 599 new cases of the virus Monday, bringing the total to 4,335. The death toll there rose to 26.To cope, the country said hospitals would be reserved for patients with serious symptoms or preexisting conditions, with mild cases now routed to other designated facilities.“If we continue to hospitalize mild patients amid the continued surge in infections, we would be risking overworking medical professionals and putting them at greater risk of infections,” said the country’s vice health minister, Kim Gang-lip.South Korea said it would keep its schools closed longer than previously announced, with a planned reopening of March 9 delayed another two weeks to March 23. And the leader of a church that’s blamed for being the source of the country’s largest cluster of infections bowed in apology.“We also did our best but weren’t able to contain it fully,” said Lee Man-hee, the 88-year-old leader of the Shincheonji church, which some mainstream Christian groups reject as a cult.In the Middle East, a worsening situation in Iran was accompanied by concern for its top leaders after a member of the council that advises Iran’s supreme leader died of COVID-19.Iran has confirmed 1,501 cases of the virus and 66 deaths, but many believe the true number is larger. Its caseload surged more than 250% in just 24 hours.Major Shiite shrines remain open despite civilian authorities’ calls to close them. The holy cities of Mashad and Qom, where Shiites often touch and kiss shrines in a show of faith, have had high numbers of infections. The Revolutionary Guard said it would install some mobile hospitals in response and authorities have been cleaning the shrines and even spraying down city streets with disinfectant.“We will have two difficult weeks ahead,” said Ali Raibiei, a spokesman for the Iranian government.Meantime, Israel, an enemy of Iran, was deciding whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power. Among the voting sites were 15 stations especially for quarantined people who may have been exposed to the virus.In Europe, leaders braced for worsening caseloads after the count surged in France, Italy and to a lesser degree Spain over the weekend. Italy’s number of infection ballooned by 50% in 24 hours to 1,694. Health officials in northern Italy sought to bring doctors out of retirement and to accelerate nursing students’ graduations to help an overwhelmed public health system.The Louvre, the world’s most popular museum, remained closed as its 2,300 workers expressed fears the site’s international appeal could make it a prime target. At Fashion Week in Paris, attendees passed up kisses, instead greeting each other with elbow touches. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s outstretched hand was rebuffed by her interior minister at a meeting with migrant groups.In the United States, authorities have counted at least 80 cases of the virus, two fatal, and concern was driving some to wipe store shelves clean of bottled water, hand sanitizer and other necessities. Both deaths were men with existing health problems who were hospitalized in Washington state.Investors awaited Wall Street’s opening after rallies in Asian markets. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, though, lowered its forecasts for global growth this year and said the world economy could shrink this quarter for the first time in more than a decade.“Global economic prospects remain subdued and very uncertain,” the agency said.
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OECD Warns of Severe Economic Hit From Virus Outbreak
The coronavirus outbreak will have a major impact on economic growth worldwide this year, the OECD warned Monday as it lowered its global GDP forecast by half a percentage point to 2.4 percent, the lowest rate since the 2008-09 financial crisis.That forecast assumes the virus outbreak fades this year, but a more severe outbreak “would weaken prospects considerably,” the group of free-market economies said.Already the global economy risks an outright contraction in the first quarter, the OECD said, in its first comprehensive study of the impact on the world’s major economies.Stocks reflect declines on monitors as people work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Feb. 27, 2020.Stock markets plummeted worldwide last week as investors fled to bonds and other safe havens on fears that consumer and business spending will freeze up as the virus spreads, curtailing corporate profits.In China, where the virus COVID-19 emerged in December, annual GDP growth is expected to reach just 4.9 percent, a 0.8 point drop from the OECD’s original growth forecasts announced last November.On Saturday, the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) of activity at Chinese factories plunged to 35.7 points in February, well below the 50-point mark that separates growth and contraction.It was the worst level since China began recording the figure in 2005.”Output contractions in China are being felt around the world,” the 36-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said, as the outbreak continues to batter production, trade, tourism and business travel.Efforts to contain the virus in China have entailed quarantines and work and travel restrictions that caused delays in restarting factories after the Lunar New Year holiday, as well as sharp cutbacks in service sector activities.A virtual cessation of outbound tourism from China represented “a sizeable near-term adverse demand shock,” the OECD added.Nearly 90,000 people have been infected in over 60 countries, and more than 3,000 people have been killed as governments scramble to keep the outbreak from spiralling into a pandemic.Major caveatCompared to similar events in the past, such as the SARS outbreak of 2003, “the global economy has become substantially more interconnected, and China plays a far greater role in global output, trade, tourism and commodity markets.””This magnifies the economic spillovers to other countries from an adverse shock in China,” it said.Italy, Japan and Russia saw their 2020 forecasts trimmed by 0.4 points, while Canada, France, South Korea, Turkey and Argentina had declines of 0.3 points.Growth in the euro area was projected to remain “sub-par” at about one percent per year on average in 2020 and 2021, the OECD said.The OECD lowered its forecast for India for 2020 by 1.1 percentage points, for South Africa by 0.6 points, and for the G20, Australia and Mexico by 0.5 points each.But the forecasts are based on the assumption that the epidemic peaks in China in the first quarter of 2020, and that outbreaks in other countries prove mild.”A longer lasting and more intensive coronavirus outbreak, spreading widely throughout the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and North America, would weaken prospects considerably,” the OECD warned.”In this event, global growth could drop to 1.5 percent in 2020, half the rate projected prior to the virus outbreak,” it said.If the virus fades “as assumed,” global growth could recover to 3.3 percent in 2021, and Chinese growth to 6.4 percent, it said.Swift action neededThe OECD urged governments to “act swiftly and forcefully” to overcome the outbreak and take measures to protect the incomes of vulnerable social groups and businesses.Governments could help by providing unemployment insurance for workers placed on unpaid leave and by covering virus-related health costs for all.Measures that reduce or delay tax or debt payments or lower energy costs for firms in hard-hit regions and sectors should be considered, the OECD said, as well as temporary reductions in the level of reserves that banks are required to hold at the central bank.Other risks for the economy, it said, include the trade tensions between the United States and China, and uncertainty about the future trade relationship between the European Union and Britain in the wake of Brexit.
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Even Amid Virus Scare, N. Korea Continues Weapons Tests
North Korea launched two short-range projectiles Monday, South Korea’s military said — a move that comes as the North scrambles to prevent a potentially disastrous coronavirus outbreak within its borders.The two weapons were fired from the Wonsan area toward the sea off North Korea’s east coast, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The projectiles traveled approximately 240 kilometers at a maximum height of 35 kilometers, it added.North Korea has not commented on the launch. But officials in Seoul say the test was likely part of North Korean military drills that started last week. South Korea’s National Security Council expressed “strong concern” about the moves, which it said do not help military tensions.North Korea last year launched 13 rounds of short- or medium-range missiles or rockets, amid stalled nuclear talks with the United States. But this is North Korea’s first detected launch since the beginning of the year.In recent weeks, North Korea has focused on emergency coronavirus prevention efforts, which authorities have called a matter of “national survival.”Though North Korea continues to insist it has found no coronavirus cases, authorities have shut down foreign tourism, quarantined all arriving foreigners, and even prevented foreign diplomats from leaving their compounds. State media say nearly 7,000 people are being medically monitored.Some experts said the coronavirus concerns could help reduce military tensions, especially after the United States and South Korea last week indefinitely postponed joint military drills that North Korea sees as a provocation.In this Feb. 21, 2020, photo, a South Korean marine wearing a mask stands in front of the Navy Base after a soldier of the unit was confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus on Jeju Island, South Korea.But the latest launch suggests North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sees little benefit in restarting diplomacy and instead intends to raise the stakes ahead of important elections in both the United States and South Korea, says Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.“North Korea is making clear with these missile tests it will continue to improve military capabilities and make outsized demands, despite the political and public health preoccupations of Beijing, Seoul and Washington,” Easley said.Kim has kept a low-profile during the coronavirus scare. But on Friday he led a military exercise alongside other top military officials — all of whom, unlike Kim, wore face masks. It is not clear what weapons North Korea used in the drill, but state media said a “target islet” was reduced to “a sea of flames.”Bigger tests could be coming. In a New Year’s speech, Kim said he no longer felt bound by his self-imposed suspension on long-range missile and nuclear tests. He also warned the world would soon witness a “new strategic weapon.”The weapons tests appear designed in part to increase North Korean leverage in nuclear talks add to help build deterrence against U.S. military power.But the launches also could serve as an attempt to shore up domestic political strength, stressed Park Won-gon, professor of international politics at Handong Global University. “The purpose of the test has more to do with the outbreak of the coronavirus in North Korea and less to do with it being a provocation,” Park said. He says North Korea may be “showing off deterrence to its people” as a precursor to accepting international emergency aid. “With the spread of the virus, North Korea has to strengthen its solidarity and convince its people,” he said. “It is very typical North Korean behavior — to provoke and raise tensions just before accepting external aid.”There have been recent signs of domestic political friction in North Korea. On Saturday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim dismissed a pair of senior political leaders following what officials characterized as a corruption scandal.KCNA did not describe the scandal in detail, but spoke of “unpopular and anti-socialist acts.” The article seemed to link the alleged corruption to coronavirus prevention efforts, saying “no special cases must be allowed within the state anti-epidemic system.”Experts have warned that North Korea, parts of which are impoverished, does not have adequate medical supplies to deal with a serious disease outbreak.Several international aid groups are preparing to deliver emergency medical supplies to North Korea. Some have had to apply for special exemptions, since interaction with North Korea is tightly restricted due to international sanctions.
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Australia and Thailand report first deaths, US tightens travel from Iran
Italy Sunday reported a 50% jump in the number of new coronavirus cases in just one day with 11 villages and towns in the north sealed off.With nearly 1,700 confirmed cases and 34 deaths, Italy is the hardest-hit European country.Italian authorities say they expect the number of cases to rise, pointing out that the virus has a 14-day incubation period and because of the time it takes to enforce containment measures. Italy also has a large elderly population. Health experts say people 65 years and older are among the most susceptible to viruses.U.S. authorities have warned Americans against traveling to northern Italy and two major airlines, Delta and American Airlines, have suspended flights to Milan, the Italian financial capital.These moves along with canceled events are almost certain to have a devastating impact on the tourist industry and business in general.Also Sunday, Paris’ Louvre, the world’s most popular art museum, closed its doors to disappointed visitors after its unionized staff refused to work because of coronavirus fears.The French government has banned gatherings of 5,000 people or more, which is the number of daily visitors the Louvre reportedly attracts.Also Sunday, Australia and Thailand reported their first coronavirus deaths. They include a 78-year-old Australian man who was on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined off Japan.A 35-year-old Thai salesman who had contact with foreign customers has also died.FILE – U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem, Jan. 23, 2020.In the United States, Vice President Mike Pence, who is heading up the official coronavirus fight, told NBC’s Meet the PressSunday morning that there will be more U.S. cases, but said “it’s all hands on deck to do everything possible to prevent the spread of this disease.””We could have more sad news,” Pence said, “but the American people should know that the risk for the average American remains low.”As of late Sunday, there were 74 coronavirus cases in the U.S. and one death.Pence has strongly defended the administration’s efforts to contain the disease against criticism from the Democratic presidential candidates. Pence said President Donald Trump’s early closure of the borders to foreign nationals coming from China has prevented a much larger outbreak.Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden poses for photos at a primary night election rally in Columbia, S.C., Feb. 29, 2020.Former Vice President Joe Biden pointed out on ABC’s This Week that Trump cut funding for two key government health agencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.”You have this president not allowing the scientists to speak,” Biden said. “This is incompetence on the part of the president at the expense of the country.”Senator Bernie Sanders said Trump taking time to campaign in South Carolina, where there wasn’t a Republican on Saturday’s primary ballot, was “pathetic.”Trump said Saturday that while additional coronavirus cases in the United States were “likely, there is no reason to panic at all.”President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the press briefing room at the White House, Feb. 29, 2020, in Washington.The White House has tightened travel restrictions to Iran to include any foreign national who has visited the country in the last 14 days. Along with Italy, a highest level travel advisory has been put in place for South Korea, — the country hit hardest by coronavirus outside of China, where the outbreak began in December.South Korea is reporting more than 3,700 cases while Iran has the largest coronavirus death toll outside China: 54.
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Rohingya Activist Urges US to Ramp Up Pressure on Myanmar
The United States should increase pressure on Myanmar to end persecution of ethnic minorities and restore the citizenship rights of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims driven from that country by government-sanctioned violence, said a Rohingya political activist visiting Washington last week.Tun Khin, president of the London-based FILE -Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi leaves in a car after attending a hearing in a case filed by Gambia accusing Myanmar of genocide against the minority Muslim Rohingya population, at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands.A day earlier, the South Asian island nation of Maldives announced it would join the Gambia in its ICJ case. The suit, filed at The Hague in November, accuses Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in its treatment of Rohingyas. Both Maldives and Gambia are predominantly Muslim; Myanmar has a Buddhist majority.Celebrity attentionThe Maldives’ case will be represented by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. She previously had represented the Maldives’ former president, Mohamed Nasheed, getting a U.N. determination that he had been unfairly tried and imprisoned on politically motivated terrorism charges in 2015. The Maldivian Supreme Court FILE – Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi leaves the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the top United Nations court, after court hearings in a case filed by Gambia against Myanmar alleging genocide against the minority Muslim Rohingya population.Tun Khin urged the United States to describe Myanmar’s actions as “genocide” – a determination that the The dome of the U.S. Capitol Building is seen in Washington. (Photo: Diaa Bekheet)Encouraging Bangladesh to lift restrictions on education and internet access in Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar. In January, Bangladesh announced it would expand schooling for youngsters – perhaps as early as April. They currently receive basic lessons in English, Burmese, life skills, math and drawing and only through early primary years. In September, Bangladesh’s government shut down 3G and 4G mobile phone services and internet access in the camps, leaving only limited phone service. The telecommunications minister said the move would enhance “state security” and “public safety.” Human Rights Watch objected, saying the communications block puts refugees “at serious risk” regarding “security, health and other necessary services.” Tun Khin, who left Myanmar in the 1990s after he was blocked from university access, said he appreciated U.S. humanitarian aid for his people. The U.S. government is the top aid contributor to the crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh, providing more than $669 million since August 2017.
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New Coronavirus Deaths in US, Australia, Thailand and Japan
Deaths continue to mount from the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, with Australia, Thailand and Japan reporting new fatalities.In Australia, a 78-year-old man who had been quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship died in Perth, becoming that country’s first outbreak fatality, while in Thailand, a 35-year-old salesman described as having had contact with foreign tourists became that country’s first death from the disease. In Japan, a man in his 70s died on the northern island of Hokkaido.U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday the United States was prepared for any circumstance arising from the coronavirus outbreak as U.S. health officials reported the first death in the U.S. from the virus.
While he said additional coronavirus cases in the United States were “likely” he said, “there is no reason to panic at all.”President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the press briefing room at the White House, Feb. 29, 2020, in Washington.Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield said there was “no evidence of a link to travel” in the case of the Washington state patient who died.
The governor of Washington state, Jay Inslee, declared a state of emergency Saturday, directing state agencies to use “all resources necessary” to respond to the virus outbreak.
The White House Saturday also announced tightened travel restrictions to Iran to include any foreign national who has visited the country in the last 14 days. Additionally, it raised to the highest level a travel advisory to avoid Italy and South Korea, countries most affected by the virus other than China.The spread of the virus has contributed to growing concern over the possibility of a global recession.
China reported Saturday that manufacturing activity declined dramatically in February, as the virus slowed the world’s second largest economy.In related news, there are indications that the economic slowdown in China caused by the outbreak has cut into pollution levels over that country.U.S. space agency NASA and the European Space Agency say they have found significant drops in nitrogen dioxide over China, pointing to “evidence that the change is at least partly related to the economic slowdown following the outbreak of coronavirus.”“This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event,” said NASA air quality researcher Fei Liu.The two agencies said Stocks reflect declines on monitors as people work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Feb. 27, 2020.Global stock prices finished the week sharply lower Friday, ending one of the worst weeks for world markets since the 2008 financial crisis. In the Mideast, where markets opened Sunday after their Friday-Saturday weekend, stocks plunged, hit by fears the economic slowdown could hit demand for oil supplies.
Qatar reported its first case of the virus Saturday, three days after leader Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani ordered the evacuation of its citizens from Iran, the Middle East’s epicenter of the outbreak.French lab scientists in protective suits work on developing a quick test for detecting the coronavirus, at Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, Feb. 6, 2020.France announced 16 new coronavirus cases Saturday and a temporary ban on all public gatherings of more than 5,000 people, one day after Mexico, Nigeria, New Zealand, Lithuania, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Iceland reported their first cases.
In Italy, the civil protection agency said eight more patients had died, bringing the total deaths in the country to 29.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved Saturday to accelerate hospitals’ abilities to test for the deadly virus. The agency issued guidelines “enabling laboratories to use tests they develop faster in order to achieve more rapid testing capacity in the United States.”This undated photo provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows CDC’s laboratory test kit for the new coronavirus.The World Health Organization raised its global risk assessment of the coronavirus to its highest level on Friday.
“We have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of COVID-19 to very high at global level,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.
China, where the virus originated, reported 523 new cases and 35 deaths Sunday. China has a total of 79,824 cases.
South Korea, the hardest-hit country outside China, reported the biggest surge Saturday with 376 new cases, raising the total to 3,526.
Iran confirmed 593 cases and 43 deaths, the highest death toll outside China.
The WHO said Saturday that more than 85,000 people worldwide have been infected in nearly 60 countries and that virus-related deaths topped 2,900.
The worldwide outbreak has led government and companies around the globe to implement closures and restrictions.
Switzerland canceled next week’s Geneva international car show, an important event for the auto industry. Amazon.com, the world’s largest online retailer, told its employees to defer all nonessential travel.
Saudi Arabia has closed off Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina to foreign pilgrims.
In Japan, Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan announced closures. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ordered schools to close at least through March.
The United States and South Korea called off joint military drills.
In Germany, about 1,000 people are being quarantined in the country’s most populous state. The number of confirmed cases in Europe’s biggest economy exceeded 50.
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Malaysia Swears in New Prime Minister as Mahathir Loses Out
Malaysia’s Muhyiddin Yassin, a Malay nationalist politician backed by the corruption-tarnished former ruling party, was sworn in as prime minister Sunday after the king picked him to replace 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad.The swearing-in capped a week of turmoil that began with Mahathir’s resignation in an apparent bid to consolidate power, but ended with him sidelined and complaining of betrayal after decades dominating Malaysian politics.Mahathir promised to seek a vote in parliament to challenge Muhyiddin’s support, but conceded he might not win.Muhyiddin, 72, was sworn in at a palace ceremony in front of Malaysia’s king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, and promised to fulfill his duties as prime minister.FILE – People pass posters of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad and politician Anwar Ibrahim at a rally in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 16, 2018.The change in leadership comes less than two years after Mahathir joined old rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72, to defeat the ruling party of six decades, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), on an anti-corruption platform.“This is a very strange thing,” Mahathir said. “This is the losers that will form the government,” he added, referring to the outcome of the 2018 election.He said he had the support of 114 of parliament’s 222 members, but it was not guaranteed that they would all support him at a vote in a country of tangled political interests where horse-trading is commonplace.Mahathir questioned whether a government involving the former ruling party would be as ready to pursue graft cases against its politicians. Those include former prime minister Najib Razak, who is now on trial for corruption.A week of twists and turns in Malaysian politics began with Mahathir’s resignation, breaking his alliance with Anwar as he proposed a national unity government without party loyalties that would have given him greater authority.But Anwar then launched his own bid to become prime minister while Muhyiddin built his alliance.King’s choiceIt was down to the king to decide who would have the best chance to form a government. Although Mahathir and Anwar said they had reunited Saturday and now had majority support, the king announced Muhyiddin as the candidate.About 200 protesters gathered in Kuala Lumpur late Saturday to protest the king’s decision. Police said they were investigating a Twitter post that encouraged people to join the protest, which they said was illegal.Muhyiddin is from Mahathir’s Bersatu party, but had shown himself ready to work with UMNO, from which he had been sacked in 2016 after questioning former prime minister Najib’s handling of the 1MDB corruption scandal.Fortune’s riseUMNO’s fortunes have risen since its 2018 defeat, with the Pakatan coalition of Mahathir and Anwar losing five by-elections in the face of criticism from some Malay voters that it could do more to favor the biggest ethnic group in a nation of 32 million.UMNO, which Mahathir led from 1981 to 2003 during a previous stint as prime minister, supports Malay nationalism.“I think Muhyiddin would lead a more overtly pro-ethnic Malay government characterized by social division, economic nationalism, and possibly less fiscal restraint,” said Peter Mumford of the Eurasia consultancy.As well as personal relationships, politics in Malaysia is shaped by ethnic, religious and regional interests. Malaysia is more than half ethnic Malay, but has large ethnic Chinese, Indian and other minorities.
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Empty Streets, Economic Turmoil as Coronavirus Alters Daily Life
The coronavirus claimed its first victim in the U.S. Saturday as the number of cases shot up in Iran, Italy and South Korea and the spreading outbreak continued to shake the global economy.
The virus altered daily life around the world as governments moved to combat the contagion. Islam’s holiest sites were closed to foreign pilgrims, while professional baseball teams played in deserted stadiums in Japan and officials in France advised residents to forgo customary greeting kisses.
The list of countries touched by the virus climbed to nearly 60, with new cases reported Saturday in Lebanon, Mexico, France and Ecuador. More than 85,000 people worldwide have contracted the virus, with deaths topping 2,900.
A man in his 50s with underlying health conditions became the first coronavirus death on U.S. soil. President Donald Trump initially said the victim was a woman, but the person’s gender was later confirmed by state and federal health officials. Officials say they aren’t sure how the man acquired the virus, as he had not traveled to any effected areas.
“Additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover,” Trump said Saturday at a briefing, where officials announced heightened warnings about travel to certain regions of Italy and South Korea as well as a ban on travel to Iran.
Many cases of the virus have been relatively mild, and some of those infected are believed to show no symptoms at all. But that can allow for easier spread, and concern is mounting that prolonged quarantines, supply chain disruptions and a sharp reduction in tourism and business travel could weaken the global economy or even cause a recession.
South Korea, the second hardest hit country after China, reported 813 new cases Saturday – the highest daily jump since confirming its first patient in late January and raising its total to 3,150.
Italian authorities say the country now has more than 1,100 coronavirus cases, with 29 deaths so far.
Iran is preparing for the possibility of tens of thousands'' of people getting tested for the virus as the number of confirmed cases spiked again Saturday, an official said. So far, the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes have killed 43 people out of 593 confirmed cases in Iran.We cannot do it without understanding and cooperation from every one of you, including medical institutions, families, companies and local governments.”
As governments scrambled to control the spread and businesses wrestled with interruptions, researchers working to better understand the disease reported that the death rate may be lower than initially feared as more mild cases are counted.A teen wears a medical mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus, during an outing in Mexico City, Feb. 29, 2020.Effort to understand virus
A study by Chinese researchers published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine analyzing 1,099 patients at more than 500 hospitals throughout China calculated a death rate of 1.4%, substantially lower than earlier studies that focused on patients in Wuhan, where it started and has been most severe.
Assuming there are many more cases with no or very mild symptoms, "the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%,'' U.S. health officials wrote in an editorial in the journal.
That would make the new virus more like a severe seasonal flu than a disease similar to its genetic cousins SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or MERS, Middle East respiratory syndrome.
Evidence of the virus' economic toll continued to mount Saturday, with a new report showing a sharp decline in Chinese manufacturing in February after efforts to contain the virus shut down much of the world's second-largest economy.
The survey, coming as global stock markets fall sharply on fears that the virus will spread abroad, adds to mounting evidence of the vast cost of the disease that emerged in central China in December and its economic impact worldwide.
The monthly purchasing managers' index issued by the Chinese statistics agency and an industry group fell to 35.7 from January's 50 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate activity contracting.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a 270 billion yen ($2.5 billion) emergency economic package to help fight the virus. Abe said at a news conference that Japan is at critical juncture to determine whether the country can keep the outbreak under control ahead of the Tokyo summer Olympics.
Abe, whose announcement this past week of a plan to close all schools for more than a month through the end of the Japanese academic year sparked public criticism, said the emergency package includes financial support for parents and their employers affected by the closures.
"Frankly speaking, this battle cannot be won solely by the efforts of the government,'' Abe said Saturday.
Even in isolated, sanctions-hit North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un called for stronger anti-virus efforts to guard against COVID-19, saying there will be “serious consequences” if the illness spreads to the country.
China has seen a slowdown in new infections and on Saturday morning reported 427 new cases over the past 24 hours along with 47 additional deaths. The city at the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan, accounted for the bulk of both. The ruling party is striving to restore public and business confidence and avert a deeper economic downturn and politically risky job losses after weeks of disruptions due to the viral outbreak.Pedestrians wearing face masks cross a square in western Tehran, Iran, Feb. 29, 2020.Deserted streets
In other areas caught up in the outbreak, eerie scenes met those who ventured outside.
Streets were deserted in the city of Sapporo on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido, where a state of emergency was issued until mid-March. Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan announced they would close, and big events were canceled, including a concert series by the K-pop group BTS.
In France, the archbishop of Paris advised parish priests not to administer communion by placing the sacramental bread in worshippers’ mouths. Instead, priests were told to place the bread in their hands. The French government cancelled large indoor events.
Saudi Arabia closed off Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina to foreign pilgrims, disrupting travel for thousands of Muslims already headed to the kingdom and potentially affecting plans later this year for millions more ahead of the fasting month of Ramadan and the annual hajj pilgrimage.
Tourist arrivals in Thailand are down 50% compared with a year ago, and in Italy _ which has the most reported cases of any country outside of Asia – hotel bookings are falling and Premier Giuseppe Conte raised the specter of recession.
The head of the World Health Organization on Friday announced that the risk of the virus spreading worldwide was “very high,” while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the window of opportunity for containing the virus was narrowing.
Economists have forecast global growth will slip to 2.4% this year, the slowest since the Great Recession in 2009, and down from earlier expectations closer to 3%. For the United States, estimates are falling to as low as 1.7% growth this year, down from 2.3% in 2019.
Despite anxieties about a wider outbreak in the U.S., Trump has defended measures taken and lashed out at Democrats who have questioned his handling of the threat.At a political rally Friday night in North Charleston, South Carolina, Trump asserted that Democratic complaints about his handling of the virus threat are “their new hoax,” echoing similar past complaints by the president about the Russia investigation and his impeachment.
Trump accused Democrats of “politicizing” the coronavirus threat and boasted about preventive steps he’s ordered in an attempt to keep the virus from spreading across the United States.
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South Korea Tests for Coronavirus at Drive-through Clinics
South Korea has experienced a massive spike in confirmed coronavirus infections over the past week. One reason the numbers have jumped so quickly: South Korea is making it very easy for people to get coronavirus tests. As of Friday, the country had tested about 80,000 people. Many are getting tested at specially created drive-through clinics. VOA’s Bill Gallo and Korean service video journalist Hyungjin Kim have the details.
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Indonesia Repatriating Citizens Who Worked on Coronavirus-Stricken Cruise Ships
The Indonesian government announced that it plans to repatriate 68 of its citizens who are crew members aboard the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, at the center of Japan’s coronavirus outbreak.The crew members will return home by air Sunday and be quarantined on Sebaru Kecil, an uninhabited island in Thousand Islands, near Jakarta, where 188 crew members from the World Dream have been since Friday. The Indonesian National Military will oversee travel from Japan.”It is a place we consider safe as the island is not inhabited and the facilities are good and ready to use,” Muhadjir Effendy, Indonesia’s Coordinating Human Development and Culture minister, said earlier in the week.The crews will be in separate buildings and quarantine zones on the island, Indonesian Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said. The government evacuated the Indonesian World Dream crew members before those on the Diamond Princess because the World Dream was closer to the quarantine site not far from Bintan Island.Wayan Sudiartha, a 24-year-old Diamond Princess crew member, has been stuck aboard the ship since Feb. 5. Yan Artha, as he likes to be called, said that the 200 Indonesian crew members have been worried because nine Indonesian crew members have tested positive for COVID-19. They are being treated at a hospital in Japan.”We are definitely worried, because we were on the same part of the ship,” Yan Artha, who continues to work up to 10 hours a day, said.In this photo released by the Indonesian military, personnel in protective suits help unload belongings of Indonesian crew members from the World Dream cruise ship as they are transferred to a hospital ship near Durian Bay, Indonesia, Feb. 26, 2020.The Diamond Princess was carrying 3,700 passengers and crew from 56 countries and regions when it arrived in Yokohama in early February. More than 700 passengers and crew members of the ship have been infected. Six Diamond Princess passengers have died since people on board learned of the outbreak Feb. 3. The ship entered quarantine Feb. 4.Cruise ships are prone to the spread of infectious diseases because shipboard life places the passengers in close contact. For the crew, living and working conditions are even closer.Dewa Susila, Bali branch chairperson of the Indonesian Seafarers Association, an internationally affiliated union, said there were 15 to 24 crew members from Bali working on the Diamond Princess, and many of their families in Bali did not know the health status of their relatives.Susila told VOA Indonesian that it was unclear what kind of legal protections may assist the crew members. Many of them opt for a working life at sea because it pays better than tourism and hospitality jobs on land.Indonesia has managed the evacuation process deliberately in part because the government has yet to report a confirmed coronavirus case.Terawan, a military doctor, said Indonesia based its evacuation decisions on medical, rather than emotional, considerations. Indonesia will implement the World Health Organization procedures for evacuation rather than put the nation at risk, Terawan said, adding, “We are careful.”
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Chinese Concern About Iran’s Virus Crisis Becomes Top Weibo Topic
Concern about Iran’s worsening coronavirus outbreak has become so great in China, a key ally, that users of dominant Chinese microblog Sina Weibo have made it a top discussion item for days.VOA reviews of Weibo’s “Hot Search” feature Friday and Saturday found that at least one Iran coronavirus-related story appeared in the microblog’s top 10 list of trending topics on both days, alongside other popular topics related to Chinese entertainment and domestic news. Iran coronavirus cases-death toll mapIran’s health ministry said confirmed coronavirus cases in the country rose to 388 Friday from 245 a day before, while the death toll rose by eight to 34. The latest figures maintained Iran’s status as the country with the second-highest number of fatalities from the virus, after China, where it first emerged in December.Weibo screen grab, Feb. 29, 2020Early Saturday, China time, news of Beijing sending medical experts to Iran, its longtime economic partner and major energy supplier, was ranked seventh in Weibo’s Hot Search trends. Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua tweeted a photo Saturday morning, Iran time, showing the group of six Chinese experts, five in Red Cross uniforms, as they arrived at Tehran’s airport with a donated shipment of medical supplies.50000✌✌ اولین محموله چین وارد ایران شد و کمکهای بیشتر ارسال خواهند شد. قوی باش ایران. Weibo screen grab Feb. 27, 2020A Weibo user responded to a Thursday post by Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po newspaper about the Chinese medical deliveries by saying: “(Our) #Iran #brothers have to hold on. Last time, Iran helped China and emptied its house for us. This time, it is our turn to support you!”The man, surnamed Liang, is a verified Weibo user with 97,000 followers and serves as a general manager of Zhongying Building Materials Trading in Guangdong province. His praise of Iran for “emptying its house” was a reference to Weibo screen grab, Feb. 28, 2020A screen grab of Weibo’s top trending topics early Friday China time showed the top item was news of Iran’s Vice President for Women’s and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar contracting the coronavirus. The eighth-highest topic was Iran’s former ambassador to the Vatican, Hadi Khosrowshahi, dying from the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus.A Thursday Weibo post by China’s state-run Global Times newspaper about Ebtekar’s viral infection drew more than 6,000 reposts, 10,000 comments and 200,000 likes. Fewer than 60 of the comments were visible to the public, with the newspaper blocking the rest. Of those visible comments, most expressed shock that an Iranian official as senior as a vice president was infected with the virus, as well as hope that Iran could overcome the crisis soon.Some Chinese Weibo users criticized U.S. sanctions that have hurt the Iranian economy as part of a U.S. policy of imposing “maximum pressure” on Tehran to end perceived malign behaviors. They said those sanctions have made it harder for Iran to cope with the coronavirus.Other Weibo users were critical of Iran, echoing assessments by U.S. and U.N. officials that Iranian authorities have been underreporting the extent of coronavirus cases in the country.Some users also said weaknesses in the Iranian health care system and shortages of medical supplies appear to have contributed to Iran’s relatively high ratio of virus deaths to confirmed cases.U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has said it is ready to provide more aid to Iran through a Swiss humanitarian trade arrangement that is meant to ensure the aid goes to the people who need it. Washington has long accused Tehran of causing medical shortages by corruptly diverting aid to Iranian elites. This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service, in collaboration with VOA’s Mandarin Service and Extremism Watch Desk.
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Chinese Concern About Iran’s Virus Crisis Becomes Top Weibo Topic
Concern about Iran’s worsening coronavirus outbreak has become so great in China, a key ally, that users of dominant Chinese microblog Sina Weibo have made it a top discussion item for days.VOA reviews of Weibo’s “Hot Search” feature Friday and Saturday found that at least one Iran coronavirus-related story appeared in the microblog’s top 10 list of trending topics on both days, alongside other popular topics related to Chinese entertainment and domestic news. Iran coronavirus cases-death toll mapIran’s health ministry said confirmed coronavirus cases in the country rose to 388 Friday from 245 a day before, while the death toll rose by eight to 34. The latest figures maintained Iran’s status as the country with the second-highest number of fatalities from the virus, after China, where it first emerged in December.Weibo screen grab, Feb. 29, 2020Early Saturday, China time, news of Beijing sending medical experts to Iran, its longtime economic partner and major energy supplier, was ranked seventh in Weibo’s Hot Search trends. Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua tweeted a photo Saturday morning, Iran time, showing the group of six Chinese experts, five in Red Cross uniforms, as they arrived at Tehran’s airport with a donated shipment of medical supplies.50000✌✌ اولین محموله چین وارد ایران شد و کمکهای بیشتر ارسال خواهند شد. قوی باش ایران. Weibo screen grab Feb. 27, 2020A Weibo user responded to a Thursday post by Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po newspaper about the Chinese medical deliveries by saying: “(Our) #Iran #brothers have to hold on. Last time, Iran helped China and emptied its house for us. This time, it is our turn to support you!”The man, surnamed Liang, is a verified Weibo user with 97,000 followers and serves as a general manager of Zhongying Building Materials Trading in Guangdong province. His praise of Iran for “emptying its house” was a reference to Weibo screen grab, Feb. 28, 2020A screen grab of Weibo’s top trending topics early Friday China time showed the top item was news of Iran’s Vice President for Women’s and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar contracting the coronavirus. The eighth-highest topic was Iran’s former ambassador to the Vatican, Hadi Khosrowshahi, dying from the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus.A Thursday Weibo post by China’s state-run Global Times newspaper about Ebtekar’s viral infection drew more than 6,000 reposts, 10,000 comments and 200,000 likes. Fewer than 60 of the comments were visible to the public, with the newspaper blocking the rest. Of those visible comments, most expressed shock that an Iranian official as senior as a vice president was infected with the virus, as well as hope that Iran could overcome the crisis soon.Some Chinese Weibo users criticized U.S. sanctions that have hurt the Iranian economy as part of a U.S. policy of imposing “maximum pressure” on Tehran to end perceived malign behaviors. They said those sanctions have made it harder for Iran to cope with the coronavirus.Other Weibo users were critical of Iran, echoing assessments by U.S. and U.N. officials that Iranian authorities have been underreporting the extent of coronavirus cases in the country.Some users also said weaknesses in the Iranian health care system and shortages of medical supplies appear to have contributed to Iran’s relatively high ratio of virus deaths to confirmed cases.U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has said it is ready to provide more aid to Iran through a Swiss humanitarian trade arrangement that is meant to ensure the aid goes to the people who need it. Washington has long accused Tehran of causing medical shortages by corruptly diverting aid to Iranian elites. This article originated in VOA’s Persian Service, in collaboration with VOA’s Mandarin Service and Extremism Watch Desk.
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Malaysian Turmoil Takes Twist: Mahathir, Anwar Allies Again
Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad will stand for the premiership on behalf of the former ruling coalition, the interim prime minister said Saturday, less than a week after he quit and plunged the country into turmoil.“I am now confident that I have the numbers needed to garner majority support,” Mahathir said in a statement.That meant that Mahathir, who is the world’s oldest government leader at 94, would reunite with on-off ally and long-term rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72, resuming a pact that swept the coalition to a surprise election victory in 2018.Pact appears to be back“Pakatan Harapan states its full support towards Dr. Mahathir as candidate for prime minister,” said a statement from the coalition formed by the two men whose struggle has shaped Malaysian politics for two decades.Mahathir has thus secured the likely support he needs to return as prime minister full-time, less than a week after he resigned and was appointed as interim leader.The political futures of both Mahathir and Anwar had appeared in doubt Friday, with Anwar competing as a candidate in his own right and Mahathir finding little support for a unity government that would have strengthened his power.A new alliance had formed behind former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin, 72, who had the backing of the old ruling party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).Promise not mentionedIt was that party, tarnished by corruption, that Mahathir and Anwar united to drive from power in 2018 under then prime minister Najib Razak, who now faces graft charges.Tension had persisted between Mahathir and Anwar over the prime minister’s promise to one day hand power to the younger man. No date for that was ever set, however.Neither Mahathir nor Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) made any mention of that promise in Saturday’s statements.
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US ‘Concerned’ by Arrest of Hong Kong Publisher
The U.S. State Department has expressed concern after Chinese-ruled Hong Kong arrested publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, an outspoken critic of Beijing, and two pro-democracy activists.The arrests come after a period of relative calm following months of anti-government protests over perceptions that China is tightening its grip on the city, something Beijing denies and blames the West for fomenting unrest.Lai and veteran democracy activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Yeung Sum, were arrested Friday in the Asian financial hub on charges of illegal assembly, drawing condemnation from international rights groups, media said.FILE – State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus appears on stage with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he speaks at a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Nov. 18, 2019.“We are concerned by the arrest of prominent Hong Kong businessman and publisher Jimmy Lai and two other longtime advocates for civil liberties and democracy,” Morgan Ortagus, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said Friday.“We expect Hong Kong authorities not to use law enforcement selectively for political purposes, and to handle cases fairly and transparently,” she added in a statement.The spokeswoman also called for the rule of law and Hong Kong people’s rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression to be preserved.More than 7,000 arrestsThe police said three local men, aged 63 to 72, were arrested for suspected participation in a nonapproved gathering but did not confirm their names.Authorities in the former British colony have arrested more than 7,000 people for involvement in Hong Kong’s protests, many on charges of rioting that can carry jail terms of up to 10 years. It is unclear how many are still in custody.The arrest of the three men was outrageous, said Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, adding that there was no doubt its government was acting at Beijing’s instructions.“This decision will send yet another signal to the world that the Chinese Communist Party is intent on throttling decency and freedom in Hong Kong,” Patten said.Pro-democracy iconLai, a self-made millionaire who has made financial contributions to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and been a target of criticism by mainland Chinese media, was arrested in 2014 for refusing to leave a key pro-democracy protest site.After the arrest he resigned as editor in chief of Apple Daily. He has also come under scrutiny from Hong Kong’s anti-graft agency, which raided his home in 2014.In an editorial Friday, China’s state-owned Global Times tabloid called Lai “a force of evil,” rather than the “hero” of democracy painted by the West. “… He is a traitor, a criminal and a force of evil who has sowed violence and chaos in arguably one of the freest and most prosperous cities in the world,” it added.
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US, ASEAN Postpone March Summit Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
The United States said Friday that Washington was postponing a special summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as countries around the globe continued to fight the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). “As the international community works together to defeat the novel coronavirus, the United States, in consultation with ASEAN partners, has made the difficult decision to postpone the ASEAN leaders meeting previously scheduled for mid-March,” a senior administration official said. The U.S. and 10 nations from the Southeast Asian bloc have been eyeing a special summit to boost ties at a time when analysts say China continues to expand its influence in Southeast Asia while driving a wedge between Washington and some of its traditional allies in the region.“The United States values our relationships with the nations of this critical region and looks forward to future meetings,” the official said. The summit was scheduled for March 14 in Las Vegas. Bilateral meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump and ASEAN leaders were also being planned. The U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) has been arranging a major technology summit to be held on the sidelines of the planned March special summit.“The American business community recognizes the importance of this summit for the leaders of ASEAN and for the U.S. government as it pertains to the Indo-Pacific strategy,” US-ABC Vice President Elizabeth Dugan said after the postponement, adding that the organization looked “forward to working closely with U.S. and ASEAN leadership to ensure the success of this important engagement at a later date.” VOA’s Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report from the White House.
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KCNA: Kim Guides Military Drills, Warns ‘Serious Consequences’ if Virus Breaks Out
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw military drills on Friday, state media KCNA said on Saturday, a rare public outing amid efforts to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in the isolated country.North Korea has not confirmed any cases of the virus, but state media said a month-long quarantine period had been imposed for people showing symptoms and “high-intensity” measures were taken including reinforcing checks in border regions and at airports and sea ports.On Feb. 16, Kim made his first public appearance in 22 days to visit a mausoleum marking the anniversary of the birth of his father and late leader Kim Jong Il.The military drill was to “judge the mobility and the fire power strike ability” on the frontline and eastern units and ended to a “great satisfaction” of Kim, KCNA said.”Soldiers, who have firmly armed themselves with a-match-for-a-hundred idea of the Party and trained under the simulated conditions of actual battles, reduced a target islet to a sea of flames,” KCNA said.In a separate dispatch, KCNA said Kim has also convened a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s powerful politburo where a stricter enforcement of “top-class anti-epidemic steps” was discussed to prevent the spread of the virus.”In case the infectious disease spreading beyond control finds its way into our country, it will entail serious consequences,” Kim was quoted as telling the meeting. “No special cases must be allowed within the state anti-epidemic system.”He instructed the officials to “seal off all the channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way, and strengthen check-up, test and quarantine,” KCNA added.
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Publisher, 2 Politicians Charged Over Hong Kong Protests
Outspoken Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai and two prominent opposition politicians were charged Friday with illegal assembly over a pro-democracy march last year as the territory’s Beijing-backed government appeared to move to settle scores over the protests. The months of demonstrations calling for reforms in semiautonomous Hong Kong crippled its economy and put its leaders and police force under unprecedented pressure. Lai was picked up from his home by police officers early Friday, while Yeung Sum, a former pro-democracy legislator, and Lee Cheuk-yan, a former legislator and vice chairman of the Labour Party, were also arrested. Well, the Hong Kong situation is getting tense here, but we have to go on, we have to go on,'' Lai told reporters after speaking with officers. The three left the police station after being charged and are to appear in court on May 5. They could face up to five years in prison along with fines. Senior police officer Wong Tung-kwong said all three were charged with illegal assembly in connection with the August 31 march, which was timed to mark the fifth anniversary of a decision by China against fully democratic elections in Hong Kong. Batons, pepper sprayOrganizers called off the march after police banned it, but hundreds of thousands of people defied the order and filled the streets in several areas of the Asian financial hub. Protesters threw gasoline bombs at government headquarters and set fires in the streets, while police stormed a subway car and hit passengers with batons and pepper spray in some of the most violent scenes up to that point in the protest movement. Hong Kong broadcaster TVB showed police on the platform of the Prince Edward subway station swinging batons at passengers who backed into one end of a train car behind umbrellas. The video also showed pepper spray being shot through an open door at a group seated on the floor while one man held up his hands. Police arrested thousands during the protest movement that began in June but fizzled out toward the end of the year amid harsher tactics by authorities. Prison sentences have been threatened against many on charges including rioting and possessing offensive weapons. The demonstrations initially protested proposed legislation that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial, but later included demands for democratic elections and an investigation into police use of force. Many fear Beijing is steadily eroding the legal guarantees and freedoms Hong Kong was promised after it was handed over from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Lai is an entrepreneur and longtime activist who sold his clothing chain under political pressure and has since focused on media in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'Shameless' actsFriday's arrests were ashameless attempt to harass and silence those in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement,the director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, Man-Kei Tam, said in a statement.It continues the pattern of the authorities using politically motivated charges to suppress opposition voices. The arrests came days after China sentenced a Swedish seller of books that looked skeptically on the ruling Communist Party to 10 years forillegally providing intelligence overseas,“ in a display of Beijing’s hard line toward its critics. Gui Minhai first disappeared in 2015, when he was believed to have been abducted by Chinese agents from his seaside home in Thailand. He and four others who worked for the same Hong Kong publishing company all went missing about the same time, only to turn up months later in police custody in mainland China. In announcing the sentence Tuesday, the Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court said Gui, a naturalized Swedish citizen, had admitted to his crime, agreed with the sentence and would not appeal.
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Coronavirus, Furlough Threat Provoke Anxiety at US Bases in South Korea
The U.S. military in South Korea, whose motto is “Ready to Fight Tonight,” has been forced into battles on two nontraditional fronts: a highly contagious virus that is spreading rapidly throughout the country, and the looming threat that thousands of South Korean workers on U.S. bases could soon be furloughed because of a cost-sharing dispute with Seoul.U.S. Forces Korea this week placed its bases on high alert after a service member and two other people who had visited the base contracted the coronavirus. In response, the U.S. and South Korea quickly postponed planned joint military exercises, imposed temperature checks and other measures for those entering base, and restricted off-base travel for troops.Separately, the U.S. military said Friday it had notified 9,000 of its Korean employees they could be furloughed in 30 days, if the U.S. and South Korea fail to reach a deal on how to split the cost of the U.S. military presence.FILE – U.S. Army soldiers fire cannons during an opening ceremony for the new headquarters of the U.S. Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, June 29, 2018.U.S. military officials say they are confident they can contain the virus and are searching for alternative funding sources to delay the furlough but some experts warn the twin threats could affect morale on U.S. bases and hurt the U.S.-South Korea relationship.“U.S. forces in Korea, and the alliance, are under significant pressure. At a certain point, morale and battlefield effectiveness will start to be impacted,” Van Jackson, a former Pentagon official focused on Asia, said.Some Korean workers on U.S. bases agree.“It’s just demoralizing,” said one local employee at Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. base in South Korea. The employee, who did not provide a name because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said he was “confused, frustrated and disappointed” about the possibility of being furloughed.“I love working for USFK, but maybe I need to look for another job,” he said.FILE – U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks, center left, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, first row second right, poses at the Eighth Army Operational Command Center at Camp Humphreys.Virus worriesThe most urgent concern for many is the coronavirus outbreak, which has exploded across South Korea over the past 10 days. South Korea now has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any other country except China, where the virus originated.In some ways, communities such as military bases could be particularly susceptible, because the virus could spread more easily among people living in close quarters, said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.“When you have a lot of people living in close proximity, there’s just more likelihood that they can come in contact with the virus through being near somebody who’s coughing or sneezing or touching contaminated surfaces,” Nuzzo said.Since many U.S. military personnel frequently travel, there is an added danger that the virus could spread to U.S. bases around the world. South Korean soldiers wearing masks to prevent contacting the coronavirus stand guard at a checkpoint of a military base in Daegu, South Korea, Feb. 26, 2020.Preventative stepsAs a precaution, the U.S. military in South Korea has severely restricted off-base travel for service members. The military has also prepared hundreds of rooms inside isolated barracks for personnel who may need to quarantine themselves. Each soldier would have his or her own fully equipped room, which would include amenities such as private bathrooms, refrigerators, and WiFi.U.S. Army Colonel Lee Peters, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea, told VOA it is difficult to estimate the number of U.S. troops who have been isolated because there are multiple levels of quarantine. He said officials are for now emphasizing personal hygiene and other basic preventative measures.“It doesn’t look like it’s impacting the young, the vibrant, the healthy. And that’s what we are in the military,” Peters said. “We are strong. We are resilient. We are prepared to fight any enemy.”Peters said the U.S. military in Korea currently does not have the capability to test for the coronavirus. Instead, tests of U.S. personnel are going through the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though officials should soon receive their own testing kits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Peters said. A helicopter prepares to take off at a U.S. army base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Feb. 27, 2020.Cost-sharing crisisU.S. military officials in Korea are also dealing with the effects of a contentious cost-sharing dispute between Washington and Seoul. U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded that South Korea increase its contribution by five times.Since the latest cost-sharing deal expired at the end of the year, U.S. officials say “residual funds” have been used for the salaries of Korean civilian employees, who work in areas such logistics, administration, and food service. That money will soon run out and furloughs will begin April 1 without an agreement. U.S. military officials say they are still trying to determine who would be subject to the furlough.Toughened stanceEven after six rounds of talks, the U.S. and South Korea are showing few signs of making major concessions. Instead, both sides are taking their own steps to relieve pressure in the event no deal is reached. The Pentagon this week insisted it will continue to fund what it deems critical USFK cost-sharing contracts and key positions that “that provide health, safety and readiness services.”South Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Friday declared Trump’s latest offer unacceptable but it proposed to first resolve the issue of Korean employees’ wages while broader negotiations continue.Neither country appears to have much political space to maneuver, in part because South Korean legislative elections are just weeks away and Trump is embarking on his own reelection campaign.“I do think it will hurt the alliance because it undermines trust and reliability,” warned James Schoff, who focuses on U.S. policy in Asia as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.“These new U.S. demands are a product of one thing — Trump — and they have not been well explained or signaled over time. … We don’t know yet how long this will go on and how nasty it might get,” he said.
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Which Coronavirus Reports Are Fake? Ask These Fact Checkers
It’s easy to jump online and find reports saying onions in the home can ward off the coronavirus that has hobbled much of Asia this month or see videos saying hordes of bats living in China spread the disease. Some say Taiwan’s outbreak of COVID-19 has spiraled out of control, though the government reports just 32 isolated cases.A young nonprofit organization in Taipei has looked into 50 virus-related news items to determine which are fakes. Its staff of five, equipped with internet apps and their own media backgrounds, specializes in knowing truth from untruth in Chinese-language media, including social.More than 90% of the virus stories they investigated are false, said Summer Chen, chief editor of the organization called Taiwan FactCheck Center.They found rumors. There were squibs with commercial motives. There were Chinese-planted reports that make Taiwan look bad, Chen said. The two sides are political rivals.”Of course, some are out to make political attacks like the government, and over the past few days we’ve been hit by internet trolls,” Chen, a former newspaper journalist, said in an interview Friday.Fake news in the makingShortly before Taiwanese picked a president Jan. 11, someone used social media to say the coronavirus was already spreading and advised wearing face masks to polling stations, then washing their hands later in case of germs, Chen said. Someone came out this month on social media to advise rubbing sesame oil under the nose to stop the coronavirus spread, she added.Two media-linked associations started the Taiwan FactCheck Center, and at first it was just investigating two reports per week, either from conventional media or from online. It’s recognized by the International Fact-Checking Network and belongs to a Facebook fact-checking platform.Now they get five reports a day, a surge that started during Taiwan’s sometimes vicious presidential election campaign.After the election, “we hadn’t even taken a breath and we started working on Wuhan pneumonia,” Chen said, using a local slang term for the novel coronavirus.People wear face masks to protect against the coronavirus, in Taipei, Taiwan, Feb. 26, 2020.Before the vote, Taiwan’s government and political figures had talked up Taiwan FactCheck Center as a way for people to vet news they wonder about. The center accepts reports from anyone outside government or politics.”Anybody can send any kind of information,” Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told foreign media reporters at a January 9 news briefing. “We send it to the FactCheck center and can get clarification whether this news is true or false.”Taiwan FactCheck Center staffers don’t go after the source of fake news but look as far upstream as they can to match content with its origins. The bat video turned out to be from the United States, not China, for example, Chen said.They can use Google Maps to know whether people really are where they say they are. A mobile reverse imaging app determines where photos might have originated. Results of the checks go on the center’s webpage and its Facebook page. About 10,00 people read each posted verdict.Pent-up demand for fact-checkingSome 226 organizations in 73 countries specialize in fact-checking, Duke University’s Duke Reporters’ Lab found last year. But relatively few monitor Chinese-language media in East Asia, Chen said. Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Taiwan as well as China.Taiwan FactCheck Center has a valuable but tough job, media analysts say.”In general, it plays a positive role in improving the quality of local news reporting,” said Ku Lin-lin, associate journalism professor at National Taiwan University.News outlets will welcome fact-check results to know what’s right and wrong, said George Hou, mass communications lecturer at Taiwan-based I-Shou University. But checking accuracy is tough due to the glut of information coming through people’s phones and computers via the internet, Hou said.”We have social media, we have phones and we have tablets, that’s a good thing but we’re also in an age of extremely chaotic information flow,” he said.
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Coronavirus Outbreak, Furlough Threats Provoke Anxiety at US Bases in South Korea
The U.S. military in South Korea, whose motto is “Ready to Fight Tonight,” has been forced into battles on two nontraditional fronts: a highly contagious virus that is spreading rapidly throughout the country, and the looming threat that thousands of South Korean workers on U.S. bases could soon be furloughed because of a cost-sharing dispute with Seoul.U.S. Forces Korea this week placed its bases on high alert after a service member and two other people who had visited the base contracted the coronavirus. In response, the U.S. and South Korea quickly postponed planned joint military exercises, imposed temperature checks and other measures for those entering base, and restricted off-base travel for troops.Separately, the U.S. military said Friday it had notified 9,000 of its Korean employees they could be furloughed in 30 days, if the U.S. and South Korea fail to reach a deal on how to split the cost of the U.S. military presence.FILE – U.S. Army soldiers fire cannons during an opening ceremony for the new headquarters of the U.S. Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, June 29, 2018.U.S. military officials say they are confident they can contain the virus and are searching for alternative funding sources to delay the furlough but some experts warn the twin threats could affect morale on U.S. bases and hurt the U.S.-South Korea relationship.“U.S. forces in Korea, and the alliance, are under significant pressure. At a certain point, morale and battlefield effectiveness will start to be impacted,” Van Jackson, a former Pentagon official focused on Asia, said.Some Korean workers on U.S. bases agree.“It’s just demoralizing,” said one local employee at Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. base in South Korea. The employee, who did not provide a name because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said he was “confused, frustrated and disappointed” about the possibility of being furloughed.“I love working for USFK, but maybe I need to look for another job,” he said.FILE – U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks, center left, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, first row second right, poses at the Eighth Army Operational Command Center at Camp Humphreys.Virus worriesThe most urgent concern for many is the coronavirus outbreak, which has exploded across South Korea over the past 10 days. South Korea now has more confirmed coronavirus cases than any other country except China, where the virus originated.In some ways, communities such as military bases could be particularly susceptible, because the virus could spread more easily among people living in close quarters, said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.“When you have a lot of people living in close proximity, there’s just more likelihood that they can come in contact with the virus through being near somebody who’s coughing or sneezing or touching contaminated surfaces,” Nuzzo said.Since many U.S. military personnel frequently travel, there is an added danger that the virus could spread to U.S. bases around the world. South Korean soldiers wearing masks to prevent contacting the coronavirus stand guard at a checkpoint of a military base in Daegu, South Korea, Feb. 26, 2020.Preventative stepsAs a precaution, the U.S. military in South Korea has severely restricted off-base travel for service members. The military has also prepared hundreds of rooms inside isolated barracks for personnel who may need to quarantine themselves. Each soldier would have his or her own fully equipped room, which would include amenities such as private bathrooms, refrigerators, and WiFi.U.S. Army Colonel Lee Peters, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea, told VOA it is difficult to estimate the number of U.S. troops who have been isolated because there are multiple levels of quarantine. He said officials are for now emphasizing personal hygiene and other basic preventative measures.“It doesn’t look like it’s impacting the young, the vibrant, the healthy. And that’s what we are in the military,” Peters said. “We are strong. We are resilient. We are prepared to fight any enemy.”Peters said the U.S. military in Korea currently does not have the capability to test for the coronavirus. Instead, tests of U.S. personnel are going through the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though officials should soon receive their own testing kits from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Peters said. A helicopter prepares to take off at a U.S. army base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Feb. 27, 2020.Cost-sharing crisisU.S. military officials in Korea are also dealing with the effects of a contentious cost-sharing dispute between Washington and Seoul. U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded that South Korea increase its contribution by five times.Since the latest cost-sharing deal expired at the end of the year, U.S. officials say “residual funds” have been used for the salaries of Korean civilian employees, who work in areas such logistics, administration, and food service. That money will soon run out and furloughs will begin April 1 without an agreement. U.S. military officials say they are still trying to determine who would be subject to the furlough.Toughened stanceEven after six rounds of talks, the U.S. and South Korea are showing few signs of making major concessions. Instead, both sides are taking their own steps to relieve pressure in the event no deal is reached. The Pentagon this week insisted it will continue to fund what it deems critical USFK cost-sharing contracts and key positions that “that provide health, safety and readiness services.”South Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Friday declared Trump’s latest offer unacceptable but it proposed to first resolve the issue of Korean employees’ wages while broader negotiations continue.Neither country appears to have much political space to maneuver, in part because South Korean legislative elections are just weeks away and Trump is embarking on his own reelection campaign.“I do think it will hurt the alliance because it undermines trust and reliability,” warned James Schoff, who focuses on U.S. policy in Asia as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.“These new U.S. demands are a product of one thing — Trump — and they have not been well explained or signaled over time. … We don’t know yet how long this will go on and how nasty it might get,” he said.
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Chinese Navy Fires Laser at US Aircraft
The United States Navy says that a Chinese Navy destroyer targeted a U.S. patrol aircraft with a laser last week while it was flying over the Philippine Sea, about 600 kilometers west of Guam.The U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement that a Chinese ship trained the laser on the American P-8A Poseidon aircraft in an “unsafe” and “unprofessional manner,” while the P-8 was operation “in international airspace in accordance with international rules and regulations.”The U.S. Navy said the Chinese action was in violation of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), a multilateral agreement reached in 2014, and also inconsistent with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and China defense departments on safety of air and maritime encounters, the statement said.The laser was captured by a sensor onboard the P-8A and was not visible to the naked eye.“Weapons-grade lasers could potentially cause serious harm to aircrew and mariners, as well as ship and aircraft systems,” the Navy said.The P-8A Poseidon is deployed to Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan and conducts routine operations, maritime patrol, and reconnaissance in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
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UN Expert: North Korea Must Allow ‘Unimpeded Access’ to Help Combat Virus
The United Nations human rights expert on North Korea is calling for Pyongyang to allow nationwide “unimpeded access” so aid organizations can help battle the coronavirus.FILE – Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea Tomas Quintana listens to a reporter’s question during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 14, 2017.“My call is [for] the international community to be prepared to respond [to help North Korea] and the [North Korean] government to allow for an unimpeded access for medical and humanitarian experts and actors,” Tomás Ojea Quintana, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, told VOA Korean Service.Although there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus inside North Korea, the virus has been spreading fast in its neighboring countries of China and South Korea.“North Korea has a history of restricting access to international community agencies [to] all [parts of] the territory of North Korea. And that has continued to be an issue of concern of international agencies, including United Nations agencies working in North Korea,” Quintana said.This undated picture released from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, Feb. 15, 2020, shows people in protective suits spraying disinfectant at an undisclosed location in North Korea amid concerns about the coronavirus.International aid neededThe regime needs to let international aid groups work in rural areas to help diagnose cases of COVID-19 and contain its potential spread, he added.“The government needs to further lift this kind of restrictions for accessing the countryside,” Quintana said. “And in this case, with the outbreak of the coronavirus, how serious it is, that may be something that the government should reconsider.”Quintana said he believes North Korea needs help to contain the virus.“North Korea alone will not be able, [in] my view, to contain the virus spreading in North Korea without the support and the cooperation and the engagement and the dialogue with the international community,” he said.Quintana released a statement on the People wait in line to buy face masks at a store in the Dongseongro shopping district in Daegu, South Korea. South Korea has reported the most cases of the coronavirus cases outside of China.Neighbors confirmed casesThe virus outbreak that began in the Chinese city of Wuhan has infected more than 78,000 and killed more than 2,700 in China. China has the largest number of infections and deaths, and South Korea, with more than 2,000 confirmed cases and 13 deaths as of Friday, has the second-largest number of cases.North Korea shares a border with China and is taking stringent measures to keep the virus at bay.North Korean Vice Health Minister FILE – Trucks wait for border inspection at the Chinese end of the Friendship Bridge that connects Sinuiju, North Korea, with Dandong, Liaoning province, China, over the Yalu River, May 24, 2018.North Korea said Thursday that schools across the country will remain closed to prevent the highly contagious virus from gaining a toehold in a country.Additionally, the regime Wednesday ordered strict measures to inspect and quarantine goods coming through its borders and ports.The U.N. human rights expert said North Korea is particularly susceptible to the virus.“We shouldn’t forget the borderline with China is quite expansive,” Quintana said. “A large population in North Korea are under the situation where health facilities are not quite adequate, and water and sanitation facilities are not really adequate. These factors all make these people more vulnerable. That’s the reality.”He added: “What is very important with regard to the virus is to have access to safe water to clean hands.”No time for sanctionsInternational sanctions imposed on the regime to restrict goods from freely entering the country are another factor increasing North Korea’s vulnerability to the virus, Quintana said.Sanctions that the U.N. Security Council imposed on North Korea since 2016 restrict and ban certain goods from entering and exiting the country to bar the country’s imports and exports from helping the regime’s nuclear weapons program.Quintana said some humanitarian organizations that work in the country reported to him that they are facing difficulties bringing water filters and other hygienic items needed to prevent the virus contraction.The U.N. human rights expert said it is important to “make a call to the sanctions committee of the Security Council to reassess the sanctions regimen to … make comprehensive assessment on how sanctions are impacting the daily life of these people.”“Further isolation of the country is not an answer,” he said. “The situation should serve as an opportunity for more close cooperation between the government of North Korea and the outside world.”Christy Lee contributed to this report from VOA’s Korean Service.
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Australian Bank to Compensate Cambodian Farmers for Lost Land
In a landmark decision for the rights of smallholders, a leading Australian bank has agreed to pay more than 1,000 Cambodian families displaced by a sugar company it granted a loan to in 2011, even though the loan violated the bank’s stated human rights standards. ANZ Australia will pay the families with interest earned by the $40 million loan to Phnom Penh Sugar (PPS), a company owned by a conglomerate headed by Cambodian lawmaker and tycoon Ly Yong Phat, who is affiliated with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). At the time ANZ granted the loan through its Cambodian joint venture, ANZ Royal Bank, PPS had FILE – A land eviction protester shouts during a rally near the prime minister’s residence in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 22, 2019.FILE – Workers collect chopped sugar cane on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 3, 2016.In a statement by the three parties that was attached to the ANCP resolution, ANZ “acknowledges that its due diligence on the project funded by its loan was inadequate and recognizes the hardships faced by the affected communities.” “We congratulate Shayne Elliott and ANZ for doing the right thing by returning the revenue earned from the loan to affected families in Kampong Speu,” said Eang Vuthy, EC’s executive director. “This is an important recognition of the ongoing hardships that the communities have suffered all these years, and it will make a big difference for them. But this does not in any way replace Phnom Penh Sugar’s responsibility to fully compensate the communities for their damages.” ANCP praised the agreement in an accompanying statement: “Where a company has gained revenue in a manner inconsistent with the OECD guidelines, and that has resulted in parties being impacted, the payment of the revenues to those parties may be one way a company can comply with the requirements of the OECD guidelines.” ‘Appalling record’Pred pointed out, “This is only the second time out of more than 300 cases concluded in the 20-year history of the National Contact Point system when a complaint process has resulted in a concrete financial remedy for complainants. That’s an appalling record.” He continued, “We hope this outcome will help inspire a brighter future for corporate accountability, where the victims of corporate misconduct can expect legitimate complaints to result in effective remedies.” As part of the resolution, ANZ also agreed to review and strengthen its human rights policies, including its customer social and environmental screening processes and grievance mechanism. “We look forward to working with ANZ to establish an accessible and effective grievance mechanism for affected communities, and we urge other banks to follow suit,” Pred said. Last year, Friends of the Earth Australia issued a report finding Australia’s largest banks, including ANZ, the Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac, had funded directly or indirectly companies accused of improperly acquiring land from local people, child labor violations and land clearing, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.Phong Sokit of Kampong Speu province told VOA Khmer that the sugar company had seized about 25 hectares of land he had owned since 1996 in the Oral district. He said he had not heard about the compensation plan. Today, each hectare is worth about $10,000, he said. “I don’t know how they will solve how much to pay people,” Phong Sokit said. “Some have five hectares, some have 10 hectares that were bulldozed and grabbed. Some people have two or three hectares. … If the plan is to pay each an equal amount, I cannot accept it. Those who have more hectares of land can’t accept it.” Phong Sokit added, “It’s not clear yet what’s going to happen because the representatives who went to the meetings have not come back to tell the communities.”
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