| Trump starts new coronavirus feud with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Posted: 20 Apr 2020 06:06 PM PDT  President Trump has started feuds with several governors during the coronavirus response. Monday presented Trump with a new target: Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland.
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| Profile: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Posted: 21 Apr 2020 06:43 AM PDT  Kim Jong-un, the young leader driving North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
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| Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says its handheld device can detect coronavirus, scientists scoff Posted: 20 Apr 2020 11:09 AM PDT  Iranian scientists have rejected the claim and other government officials have distanced themselves.
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| Conte Softens Italy’s Red Lines Over European Virus Aid Plan Posted: 21 Apr 2020 12:06 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Just two days before a crucial European Union summit, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signaled a more conciliatory approach to the EU's efforts to craft a trillion-euro rescue package that would mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic.Speaking in Rome to senators in protective masks and gloves, Conte welcomed an initiative by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to boost the joint EU budget, saying it "could have all the characteristics" that Italy demands.Europe is struggling to piece together a rescue plan to avert what's projected to be its steepest recession in living memory. Conte, who has been under pressure from populists both within and outside his fragile coalition, said that any EU recovery fund must be much larger than what previously had been considered, available immediately and come with no strings attached."The European Union and the euro zone cannot allow themselves to repeat the mistakes made in the 2008 financial crisis," Conte said. "The common shock was not tackled in a coordinated or supportive way."Rescue ProposalThe plan being prepared would see the commission use its budget to borrow from financial markets and then channel cheap loans to the worst-hit nations, according to two diplomats briefed on the ongoing preparations.The commission plan largely shuns demands made by Italy and Spain to finance the recovery with joint debt issuance, a controversial proposal rejected by Germany and the Netherlands. The bulk of the leverage created in the so-called recovery instrument of the new EU budget would take place over the next two years and the loans would be repaid after 2027, according to one of the diplomats.Italy's own counterproposal also backtracks from earlier demands from Eurobonds. According to Ansa, it envisages a fund managed by the Commission that raises money in the market with the backing of the EU budget and of member states. The funds would then be used to lend to individual countries with long maturities.Conte also backtracked on an earlier rejection of a proposal to use the European Stability Mechanism, the euro area's bailout fund, to open credit lines for countries in need. "We are ready to work on this new credit line, so that no conditionalities are introduced," the prime minister said.Several EU countries had shown interest in the credit lines without conditions, Conte said. "Rejecting this new credit line means doing a disservice to these countries which flank us in the battle," Conte said. It is too early to tell whether the credit lines will be without conditions, he added."I will not be able to accept watered-down compromises, there will not be some winners or losers," Conte said. "Either we all win or we all lose."Wave of AngerConte's conciliatory new path comes amid a wave of anger in Italy directed at the EU, which many perceive as having done too little when the pandemic hit. In one survey, most Italians described China as a friend and almost half said Germany was the enemy.Earlier Tuesday, Ralph Brinkhaus, the head of Chancellor Angela Merkel's parliamentary caucus, pushed back against portrayals of Germany as failing to demonstrate adequate solidarity over the outbreak."I personally am a little bit sad that the large degree of solidarity that we are showing on European issues is constantly being questioned," Brinkhaus told reporters. "It seems, partly also here in Germany, that the only good European is the one who supports joint debt. That is not our position.""We are not only the biggest net contributor in the European Union but we are also assuming the main burden of the rescue packages for the euro, and we are carrying the main burden of immigration," Brinkhaus added.Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement, the biggest force in Conte's coalition, has long campaigned against ESM credit lines as requiring unacceptable loan conditions.Opposition leader Matteo Salvini of the anti-migrant League, who has criticized the EU for failing to step up for Italy, also has denounced the ESM.(Updates with details of Italian proposal in seventh paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| AOC deletes tweet saying she ‘loved’ to see US oil prices at record-low after being accused of cheering job losses Posted: 21 Apr 2020 06:29 AM PDT  Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has deleted a tweet that celebrated the crash of the oil market which said: "You absolutely love to see it."As the price of US oil dropped to minus $37 a barrel on Monday, the Democrat had said on Twitter that the crash was an opportunity to 'save the planet'.
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| The IMF says governments should consider new wealth taxes to raise cash from the rich as coronavirus slams the global economy Posted: 21 Apr 2020 01:03 PM PDT  In recent years, the IMF has shifted its focus from tax cuts and recommended policies aimed at reducing income inequality.
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| Defiant Louisiana pastor arrested over coronavirus protest Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:02 AM PDT  Louisiana authorities arrested a pastor on an assault charge on Tuesday after he admitted that he drove his church bus toward a man who has been protesting his decision to hold mass gatherings in defiance of public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic. The police department in Central, a suburb of the capital of Baton Rouge, said on a posting on their Facebook page that Tony Spell, the pastor of Life Tabernacle Church, turned himself into the department and was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and improper backing. Officials said Spell also had outstanding traffic tickets.
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| Yahoo News/YouGov coronavirus poll: Most Americans reject anti-lockdown protests Posted: 20 Apr 2020 05:42 AM PDT  The total number of protesters may be small. But the public's dismissive attitude toward them reflects a deeper sentiment: Americans strongly disagree with those who claim the country is ready to reopen for business.
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| China Daily Bureau Chief: Trump a ‘Racist A**hole’ for Suggesting China Has More Coronavirus Deaths than U.S. Posted: 20 Apr 2020 02:47 PM PDT  The European bureau chief of China's state-run publication China Daily has called President Trump a "racist a**hole" for claiming China "must have the most" deaths from the global coronavirus pandemic."We don't have the most-in-the-world deaths — the most in the world has to be China," Trump said during Friday's White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing. "It's a massive country. It's gone through a tremendous problem with this, a tremendous problem. And they must have the most."China Daily's Chen Weihua, an outspoken critic of the Trump administration's coronavirus response, responded by tweeting that Trump's suggestion was "coldblooded." He added in a later tweet that "Trump is like a mad dog with rabies biting everyone, only to divert attention from his failures," before tweeting that it was "irresponsible" and "immoral" for Trump to suggest that the virus could have come from a Wuhan lab. He also floated a theory pushed as Chinese propaganda that a U.S. military athlete brought the disease to China.In 2018, U.S. officials flagged the Wuhan Institute of Virology as the potential starting point of a "future emerging coronavirus outbreak," citing the lack of safety protocols applied to the Institute's research on "SARS-like coronaviruses in bats."While there is no documented evidence that China has more coronavirus deaths than the U.S., reports have detailed how China covered up the initial coronavirus outbreak, with the Chinese Communist Party recently restricting research into the pandemic's origins and censoring reports of thousands of asymptomatic cases. Radio Free Asia reported in March that Wuhan residents were dismissing the government's reported death counts, anecdotally referencing steep increases in funerals and cremations to estimate at least 40,000 deaths during the city's lockdown.Chen Weihua has been outspoken on Twitter about what he claims is the "racist" U.S. response to the pandemic, echoing a tactic used by other Chinese media outlets to suggest any scrutiny of China's handling of the coronavirus is xenophobic.
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| Saudi executions a record last year Posted: 20 Apr 2020 05:03 PM PDT  "The death penalty is another violation which has gone in line with that trend of a real deterioration in civil and political rights," said a rights advocate.
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| Italy's daily coronavirus death toll climbs, new cases also up Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:10 AM PDT  Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 534 on Tuesday, up from 454 the day before and the largest daily tally since Friday, the Civil Protection Agency said. The number of new infections also increased to 2,729 from 2,256 on Monday.
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| 9 Homes For Sale With Beautiful Workout Facilities Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:36 PM PDT |
| China to ease entry ban on foreigners with South Korea 'fast track' Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:59 AM PDT  China has reached an agreement with South Korea to set up a "fast track" for businesspeople to travel between the countries as Beijing looks to ease an entry ban on foreigners imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. With the deadly disease spreading globally, China last month blocked almost all foreigners from entering as authorities fretted over cases being imported from abroad. Beijing is also in talks with other countries including Singapore to set up a similar channel to stabilise economic cooperation and ensure supply chains run smoothly, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a press briefing Tuesday.
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| The White House appears to have silenced the surgeon general for his remarks on racial disparities in the coronavirus outbreak, as data shows black communities are hardest hit Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:57 AM PDT  Health officials told Politico that Surgeon General Jerome Adams was one of the few to be talking about the impact on minority communities.
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| Canada shooting: Virtual vigil for victims due to Covid-19 Posted: 20 Apr 2020 10:26 PM PDT  A policewoman and two frontline coronavirus workers were among the 18 victims who died.
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| Missouri lawsuit alleges China caused coronavirus pandemic Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:27 AM PDT  The state of Missouri filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Chinese government over the coronavirus, alleging that nation's officials are to blame for the global pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in federal court by the state's top lawyer, alleges Chinese officials are "responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians." Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt in a written statement said the Chinese government lied about the dangers of the virus and didn't do enough to slow its spread.
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| Barr Threatens Legal Action Against Governors Over Lockdowns Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:41 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The Justice Department will consider taking legal action against governors who continue to impose stringent rules for dealing with the coronavirus that infringe on constitutional rights even after the crisis subsides in their states, Attorney General William Barr said.Blunt means to deal with the pandemic, such as stay-at-home orders and directives shutting down businesses, are justified up to a point, Barr said in an interview Tuesday on "The Hugh Hewitt Show." Eventually, though, states should move to more targeted measures, Barr said. He cited the approach laid out by President Donald Trump."We have to give businesses more freedom to operate in a way that's reasonably safe," Barr said. "To the extent that governors don't and impinge on either civil rights or on the national commerce -- our common market that we have here -- then we'll have to address that."Barr's comments come as the Trump administration and states are struggling -- and at times fighting with each other -- over the best strategy to deal with the crisis. Trump has stoked tensions with some Democratic governors who are dealing with protests against stringent social-distancing rules, even as his administration backs guidelines that call for states to open up gradually.One way the Justice Department might act against state or local officials is by joining lawsuits brought by citizens or businesses over restrictions, Barr said. He acknowledged that state governments are at "a sensitive stage," as they try to balance health and safety against pressure to reopen. But he said that "as lawsuits develop, as specific cases emerge in the states, we'll take a look at them.""We're looking carefully at a number of these rules that are being put into place," Barr said. "And if we think one goes too far, we initially try to jawbone the governors into rolling them back or adjusting them. And if they're not and people bring lawsuits, we file statement of interest and side with the plaintiffs."In a sign of the president's contradictory messages on the issue, Trump tweeted last Friday that his supporters should "liberate" Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia -- three states with Democratic governors and strict stay-at-home orders. The move came just a day after Trump outlined the return-to-work guidelines that are contingent on states meeting specific benchmarks on testing and a decline in Covid-19 cases.'Off the Rails'Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, responded angrily to Trump's tweets, accusing him of "fomenting rebellion" and "spewing dangerous, anti-democratic rhetoric.""The White House released a sensible plan," Inslee said in a statement, and "less than 24 hours later the president is off the rails."Trump will meet with one Democratic governor, New York's Andrew Cuomo, at the White House on Tuesday. Cuomo said he'll use his 4 p.m. session in the Oval Office to lobby for more supplies needed to process coronavirus tests. Trump last week said states have the primary responsibility to expand virus testing.The latest developments signal that as Trump's public support over his handling of the virus crisis weakens, he and his top aides are increasingly looking at ways to move on.Pressuring BarrConservative groups and activists have been ramping up pressure for the Trump administration -- and Barr in particular -- to act against governors taking a hard line.Alleging "rampant abuses of constitutional rights and civil liberties," a group led by former Attorney General Ed Meese wrote Barr this week urging him "to undertake immediate review of all the orders that have been issued by the states and local governments across the nation."In Tuesday's radio interview, Barr said "these are very, very burdensome impingements on liberty. And we adopted them, we have to remember, for the limited purpose of slowing down the spread, that is bending the curve. We didn't adopt them as the comprehensive way of dealing with this disease.""You can't just keep on feeding the patient chemotherapy and say well, we're killing the cancer, because we were getting to the point where we're killing the patient," Barr said. "And now is the time that we have to start looking ahead and adjusting to more targeted therapies."(Updates with Barr's comments on supporting lawsuits in fifth paragraph, Cuomo meeting in 10th.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Anthro Is Taking 25 Percent Off Mother's Day Gifts—Here's What to Buy Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:45 AM PDT |
| Dermatologists Highlight Skin Rash as Potential COVID-19 Symptom Posted: 20 Apr 2020 02:21 PM PDT  The American Academy of Dermatology started a registry to collect potential evidence of skin rashes from COVID-19 after evidence suggests the coronavirus may cause skin symptoms.
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| Turkey's Erdogan accuses Syrian government of violating Idlib ceasefire Posted: 20 Apr 2020 10:10 AM PDT  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the Syrian government was violating a ceasefire in the northwestern Idlib region, warning that Damascus would suffer "heavy losses" if it persisted. Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria's war, agreed on March 5 to halt hostilities in northwestern Syria after an escalation of clashes there displaced nearly a million people and brought the two sides close to confrontation. Speaking in Istanbul after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said the Syrian government was using the coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity to ramp up violence in Idlib, and added that Turkey would not allow any "dark groups" in the region to violate the ceasefire either.
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| Landlords on the pandemic: 'Everyone has an impression of us as rich and greedy' Posted: 20 Apr 2020 09:41 AM PDT  Many renters can't afford to pay – and some are threatening rent strikes. But some landlords say they're being unfairly punished * Coronavirus – live US updates * Live global updates * See all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus pandemic has brought mass unemployment . To prevent a spate of homelessness, governors across the US have promised moratoriums on evictions, and mortgage forgiveness for those who can't keep up with their payments. But many renters say the protections do not go far enough, and some are threatening rent strikes.Ricardo Reis, who owns 16 properties in Michigan, says there is a stigma against landlords, which means people are less empathetic about their needs during such times."Everyone has an impression of us as being rich and greedy. A lot of tenants will be thinking, how can they ask [us to pay] during this time? But in reality, there are costs involved," says Reis.Those costs include property taxes, insurance, maintenance and mortgage payments. Although homeowners will be provided with mortgage relief during the pandemic, many renters are wondering why they should still pay rent. But plenty aren't aware that commercial property owners – landlords, in other words – are not entitled to this benefit. Furthermore, forbearance programs only defer mortgage payments, rather than completely forgiving the cost."They are seeing this as an opportunity, as opposed to asking for help and relief … to inflict damage on the landlord as some sort of a class warfare," says Jay Martin, the executive director of the community housing improvement project (Chip) in New York.Many landlords say this class-warfare view – the moneyed landlord versus the renter – is misguided. Reis, who also manages properties on behalf of a property management company, says that renters are used to a faceless landlord and don't realize that on the other side is a family looking to pay the mortgage."Tenants have a misconception that landlords make a lot of money, because they think what they pay goes straight into the landlord's pocket," says Reis. In his state,he says most make less than what is presumed."In Michigan, landlords make around $200 to $300 per month for each property, after expenses are accounted for."He adds that the risk landlords take on is high: they take the loan , risk foreclosure if they can't pay the mortgage, and could potentially lose everything. "It's an extremely risky position. And as they say, with risk comes a little bit of reward … and in this case that's dependent on their tenant making their payment on time."Reis believes most tenants won't pay rent if they don't have to, and so criticizes the government for leaving landlords with that risk by offering eviction moratoriums."The state is trying to put it on landlords to house individuals for free," he says. Reis says the government "should instead bolster social housing if they believe that people should live rent-free".He says understands people might look at his 16 homes as a lot. But he says: "For a true real estate investor, it's not a lot. My wife is a school teacher."Greg Margulies, a landlord in LA, is not worried about rent strikes. He says most people understand the consequences of not paying rent.> What could be more greedy than withholding rent that you have the ability to pay?> > Jay Martin"They'll only band together for a very short time – until the first eviction paper comes [through]. Then I think it will hit home," said Margulies. He owns four properties in LA and still has a mortgage on each of them, and he says his property taxes on each building costs him between $500-$1,000 per property.While eviction moratoriums prevent them from being evicted now, in the long term, landlords still have the upper hand: "I can't imagine most landlords are going to look favorably on renters who band together like that. I expect they will get their leases non-renewed, even if they don't get evicted."Margulies empathizes with the fact that there are currently millions out of work. He stresses that most landlords want to work with tenants, to keep them in their properties, not to work against them – he has allowed one tenant who could only pay partial rent, and another who has had to defer payment.But that sympathy can only go so far, he says. "At the same time, [they] still get to stay in the unit: you have a safe place to sleep, you're away from the virus."It's unfortunate you're not working, but that should have nothing to do with paying for what you used. You still have to pay for gas, you still have to pay for groceries."Asked what message he would give to renters thinking of striking, Margulies advises them to keep in contact with their landlord. "We are not blind to what's going on in the world – we see that the world has been turned upside down. We are willing to work with tenants, but if you ignore the landlord, thinking it's going to go away, it's not."But Reis warns that reforms such as moratoriums or rent caps, which are intended to help the tenant, will always ending up costing them as landlords cut corners to seek to make costs back."Moratoriums sound great right now, but come fall [we will have to start changing] how we screen tenants," he says. "It's opened up our eyes, we realize there is just not enough security if the government can freeze rents or put a moratorium in place and just leave us stranded."Martin says it is the behavior of renters rather than landlords that should concern people at the moment."What could be more greedy than withholding rent that you have the ability to pay? [You will] damage the entire housing market, push it towards collapse. To me, it's incredibly short-sighted."
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| Delaware medical supplier says FEMA seized 400,000 N95 masks, now he's out millions of dollars Posted: 21 Apr 2020 12:05 PM PDT  A Delaware importer says the Federal Emergency Management Agency seized a shipment of N95 masks two weeks ago – charges FEMA denies.
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| South Carolina has already begun to reopen beaches, department stores, and flower shops Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:23 AM PDT  Gov. Henry McMaster is slowly reopening parts of South Carolina's economy, similar to Georgia and Florida, including nonessential stores.
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| Iran's Guard says it has higher range anti-warship missiles Posted: 20 Apr 2020 12:07 PM PDT |
| White House Tells Federal Workers to Prepare to Return to Office Posted: 20 Apr 2020 11:42 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The White House ordered federal agencies on Monday to begin preparing to return workers to offices, telling them to align their coronavirus reopening plans with those of the states and municipalities where they're located."In partnership with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and the private sector, the federal government is actively planning to ramp back up government operations to the maximum extent possible, as local conditions warrant," Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought wrote in a memo distributed to the heads of federal departments and agencies."Agencies are encouraged to allow federal employees and contractors to return to the office in low-risk areas," Vought wrote in the memo.But the memo said to allow employees to work from home until state and local authorities begin reopening their economies under the three-phase plan the White House outlined last week.Managers should make decisions based on state and regional assessments of the risk of further coronavirus outbreaks, but also school and daycare closures as well as the availability of mass transit and parking, Vought's memo said.Under the reopening guidelines the White House issued, states can begin the first phase of returning to normal economic and social life after they record a decline in coronavirus cases for two weeks and determine that their hospitals are prepared for a potential rebound.Federal agencies could then lift mandatory work-from-home requirements, but workers who are able to perform their duties remotely or are at higher risk of serious complications from the virus should remain home.If the state or local area continues to see a decline in cases, federal agencies could lift telework requirements for everyone but the most vulnerable workers before eventually returning office operations to normal.(Updates with more from memo starting in third paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Should you wipe down your food or packages? What the FDA is saying now Posted: 20 Apr 2020 07:15 AM PDT  NBC consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen shares the latest guidelines for handling grocery items, cardboard boxes and more.
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| Why Trump's plan to raise gasoline prices will not help the coronavirus-damaged economy Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:57 AM PDT  Raising gasoline prices will hurt not only the U.S. states but also the economies of our allies.
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| Mortgage payments paused or reduced for 3 million U.S. households, survey suggests Posted: 20 Apr 2020 01:12 PM PDT  Some 3 million U.S. households have won at least a measure of relief on mortgage payments as efforts to squelch the coronavirus pandemic throw millions out of work and stretch household balance sheets, a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association showed on Monday. About 5.95% of mortgage loans were in forbearance during the survey week of April 6-12, up from 3.74% a week earlier and from just 0.25% the week of March 2, the industry lobbying group said on Monday. Congress did not include any such relief in its recent $2.3 trillion stimulus package, though some top Democrats have called for it and Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan has said he is open-minded about potentially coming to the sector's aid.
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| 'Inherently high-risk setting': Are cruise ships unsafe – and will they change? Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:34 AM PDT  What can the cruise industry do to reassure passengers after multiple outbreaks of coronavirus on cruise ships?
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| An artist visualized what your smartphone can 'see' using Bluetooth — and it shows one of the biggest challenges faced by coronavirus tracking technology Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:37 AM PDT  Apple and Google are working on COVID-19 tracking tech that will use Bluetooth to warn people when they've been exposed to someone with the virus.
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| Alexis Martin: Governor commutes sentence of sex trafficking survivor supported by Kim Kardashian West Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:52 AM PDT  The governor of Ohio has commuted the sentence of a woman previously imprisoned in relation to the fatal shooting of the man who allegedly forced her into sex work.Governor Mike DeWine announced on Friday that he had granted seven commutation requests and denied 84.
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| Three Florida newborns abandoned at same apartment complex are siblings, DNA shows Posted: 21 Apr 2020 12:04 PM PDT  The babies, born and abandoned in 2016, 2017 and 2019, have the same mother and father, Orlando police said.
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| German Virus Cases Rise the Least Since March Posted: 19 Apr 2020 10:30 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The number of coronavirus cases in Germany rose by the least this month as the nation moves ahead with a cautious loosening of restrictions on public life.There were 2,018 new infections in the 24 hours through Monday morning, taking the total to 145,742, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The number of fatalities rose by 104, the lowest since April 1, to 4,642. Some 88,000 people have recovered, more than in any other country, including China where the outbreak originated.Germany will this week begin relaxing some curbs on daily life, while leaving most of the measures designed to limit the spread of the disease in place into next month. Smaller shops can resume regular business, and schools will gradually reopen with some students taking exams allowed to return.The country has the fourth-highest number of cases in Europe behind Spain, Italy and France. More than 60,000 people have died from the virus in those three nations combined.Chancellor Angela Merkel has identified the reproduction factor -- known by epidemiologists as R-naught -- as a means of gauging how successfully countries have kept the virus in check and how much stress it could place on health services.Germany's R0 was 0.8 as of Saturday, according to the latest situation report from the country's public health authority. That means that each person with the virus infects an average of 0.8 other people. The measure rose to 1.3 earlier this month. An update was not possible Sunday due to "technical changes," the authority said.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iran opens up as economic woes trump virus infection fears Posted: 20 Apr 2020 01:03 AM PDT  Iran on Monday began opening intercity highways and major shopping centers to stimulate its sanctions-choked economy, gambling that it has brought under control its coronavirus outbreak — one of the worst in the world — even as some fear it could lead to a second wave of infections. Stores from high-end malls to the meandering alleyways of Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar opened doors, though the government limited their working hours until 6 p.m. Restaurants, gyms and other locations remain closed. There are still lingering questions over Iran's outbreak and the safety of those returning to work.
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| China turns on the charm and angers Trump as it eyes a global opportunity in coronavirus crisis Posted: 20 Apr 2020 05:17 AM PDT  A new "red scare" is developing in the U.S. While Beijing is busy with a global propaganda crusade following the spread of the coronavirus from China to around the world, foreign policy hawks in Washington are seething. Donald Trump lashes out at Beijing's response to the crisis at daily press conferences amid growing reports of anti-Chinese sentiment among Americans. As a scholar of international affairs and former policy advisor to the German Embassy in Beijing, it is clear to me that China is turning the crisis into an opportunity. It is touting its role in the world and praising its governmental system and enormous countrywide surveillance network for successfully battling the coronavirus. Yet, this is the nature of international relationships. The U.S. or any other great power would be tempted to do the same. China is exploiting the situation while the U.S. and the Western world are occupied with their own problems and have little time for anything else. Trading insultsDuring most of Trump's years in office, relations between China and the U.S. have been tense. Much of this has centered on the huge American trade deficit with China which Trump strongly criticized even before he became president.In the 2016 election campaign, Trump accused Beijing of "raping" the U.S. and talked about "the greatest theft [of American jobs] in the history of the world." While referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a good friend, Trump has accused China of intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices and lack of market access for U.S. companies. In late 2018, the U.S. president unleashed a painful trade war with sharply escalating tariffs, but it did little to resolve Trump's grievances. Neither the U.S. nor China could win this harmful conflict and a provisional trade deal was signed on Jan. 15, 2020. The truce lasted exactly two weeks. On Jan. 31, Trump announced a travel ban on visitors from China. Conspiracy theoriesIn his many remarks on the crisis since, Trump has not hesitated to resort to language criticized as xenophobic and anti-Chinese, such as referring to the coronavirus as the "Wuhan virus" or "Chinese virus." Meanwhile, the administration has done little to discourage a conspiracy theory that has the virus originating from a Chinese research laboratory near Wuhan and not from a live animal market in the city – which most scientists believe. On April 15, Trump said the U.S. was investigating the lab claim and ratcheted up the rhetoric further a few days later by suggesting that China would face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the pandemic. Meanwhile Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said China needs to "come clean" over the emergence of the virus and how it spread. Certainly there are many questions that need to be answered over the true extent of the disease in China – on April 17 Beijing revised the number of fatalities in Wuhan up by 50% – but the rhetoric from the White House may be contributing to anti-Chinese sentiment directed not at the government in Beijing, but at people in China and of Chinese descent. On the ground in U.S. cities and towns, Asian Americans are reporting being subjected to verbal and even physical abuse. Tit-for-tat measuresThe Chinese government isn't blameless when it comes to conspiracy theories. With the likely nod of Beijing's all-powerful seven-member Standing Committee of the Politbureau, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian speculated wildly on Twitter that it might well have been the U.S. army which brought the virus to Wuhan.There have also been plenty of reports that foreigners, in particular Africans who live in China, have faced severe discrimination and abuse since the coronavirus crisis broke. They are unfairly accused of having imported the virus to China.Meanwhile, both Washington and Beijing have put in place tit-for-tat restrictions on each others' media outlets, severely limiting the number of journalists who are allowed to work in their respective countries.It accompanied growing reports in the western media about China's slow initial response to the virus and the silencing of the late Dr. Li Wenliang and other doctors who had attempted to alert Chinese authorities about the looming pandemic as early as December 2019. Saving faceDespite a sluggish start which contributed to the initial spread of the virus, China has since trumpeted the success of its policy of locking down entire cities and provinces. The country has now been able to open up for business again.Beijing is also praising itself as a benign global hero by donating and selling huge amounts of much-needed face masks, ventilators and other protective gear to countries round the world, including the U.S. In so doing, China is subtly using the opportunity to expand its global influence, not least its soft power appeal. Beijing has embarked on a global "charm offensive."While this may be regrettable from a Western perspective, would any other big country behave differently? If the roles were reversed, I believe the U.S. would also be tempted to exploit its position for political advantage. It seems this is the instinctive reaction of any great power. But there is no reason for panic about this. Without doubt, relations between China and many of the countries it is helping have become closer. But they still need to be cemented in the long run – this may or may not happen. Ruling the world?China, like many great powers, has a track record of not following through with its promises of financial help. Just ask the countries who have signed up to Beijing's huge and creative Belt and Road initiative that seeks to pump Chinese money into infrastructure projects around the world, or the 17+1 China-Central Eastern Europe initiative linking China with governments in central and eastern Europe, including many EU countries. There is much disappointment about broken or semi-fulfilled financial promises and agreements.And some of the face masks and other gear donated to European countries have proven faulty or of inferior quality.For the time being, the world should be pleased that China is able and willing to help out with much needed equipment as well as doctors and nurses to help fight the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. and elsewhere. It does not mean that once the crisis is over, China will be able to run the world. In fact, the U.S. should build on Beijing and Washington's haphazard and sporadic cooperation during the current crisis to improve relations with China in a more lasting way. [You're smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation's authors and editors. You can get our highlights each weekend.]
Este artículo se vuelve a publicar de The Conversation, un medio digital sin fines de lucro dedicado a la diseminación de la experticia académica. Lee mas:
Klaus W. Larres does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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| The Lyrid Meteor Shower Will Peak Tonight Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:41 AM PDT  Here's how to watch this springtime meteor shower.
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| Mexico enters most serious 'Phase 3' spread of coronavirus epidemic Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:52 AM PDT  Mexico has entered what the government calls "Phase 3" of the spread of the new coronavirus, the most serious stage, as transmission of the virus is intensifying, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell said on Tuesday. Mexico has registered 712 coronavirus deaths and 8,772 infections, with 511 new cases reported on Monday. Lopez-Gatell on Thursday said the government's "Sentinel Surveillance" mathematical model estimated there were 55,951 cases across the country.
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| California governor says 'politics and frustration' aren't enough to have him modify stay-at-home order Posted: 20 Apr 2020 09:50 PM PDT  California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) isn't bowing to pressure to ease a statewide stay-at-home order he put in place to slow the spread of coronavirus.Newsom said Monday he won't modify the order until there is adequate COVID-19 testing and the threat to public health abates, the Los Angeles Times reports. A handful of protests have popped up across the state, with demonstrators saying they want businesses to reopen despite the virus still spreading, and officials from San Luis Obispo County have asked to "begin a science-based, thoughtfully phased reopening of our economy.""If we're ultimately going to come back economically, the worst mistake we can make is making a precipitous decision based on politics and frustration that puts people's lives at risk and ultimately sets back the cause of economic growth and economic recovery," Newsom said. Singapore relaxed its restrictions and is now facing a second wave of infections, Newsom cautioned, and that could happen in California. "The virus knows no jurisdiction, knows no boundaries," he said.Last week, Newsom said six things must happen before he will even consider easing his stay-at-home mandate, including the development of therapeutics and an increase in the number of hospital beds. "None of these local health directives can go further, or rather, go farther backward than the state guidance," Newsom said Monday. His administration will work with local officials, he added, to ensure that their decisions are all "health-based. ... Health first, science, and data. Everything else follows from that."More stories from theweek.com Excess mortality data suggests as many as 25,000 uncounted coronavirus deaths The Navajo Nation outbreak reveals an ugly truth behind America's coronavirus experience Netflix doubles expectations by adding almost 16 million subscribers amid pandemic
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| The WHO said only 2 to 3% of people tested have COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting that 'immunity passports' may not be an effective policy Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:52 AM PDT  Countries are exploring immunity passports, which would show who has recovered and may be immune, as a way of easing lockdown restrictions.
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| As Latinos lose jobs, remittances to their relatives in Latin America dry up Posted: 20 Apr 2020 07:38 AM PDT  "I couldn't even pay rent this month," a Miami resident from Guatemala said, "and we need to keep a little bit of reserves so we can eat."
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| Vietnam protests China's expansion in disputed waters Posted: 20 Apr 2020 10:43 AM PDT  Vietnam protested on Sunday at China saying it had established two administrative units on islands in the South China Sea, in Beijing's latest move to demonstrate its assertiveness in the disputed waters.
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| 20 Easy Drinks With Few Ingredients Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:59 AM PDT |
| China Spots An Opportunity On Hong Kong Posted: 20 Apr 2020 03:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The coronavirus pandemic has halted protests in Hong Kong over the extent to which China looms over the Asian financial hub's affairs. Even so, it may have just driven that discontent briefly underground.Hong Kong sits uneasily within Chinese rule. It was rocked by enormous, violent protests last year. Now it seems China has decided the moment is right to try and stamp dissent out for good.Over the weekend the Beijing-backed Hong Kong government arrested 15 people, including prominent pro-democracy activists and a lawmaker. It came after Xia Baolong — a close aide to President Xi Jinping — was installed to oversee Hong Kong affairs.China had expressed exasperation of late over opposition lawmakers in Hong Kong's parliament, accusing them of potentially violating their oaths by filibustering and stalling government policy. Legislative elections are scheduled for September.So this latest move is not a massive surprise. China is banking on the virus keeping protesters at bay. Still, it's a risky gambit given the discontent not just with Beijing but with perceived failures by the local government, including on issues like housing and the cost of living. The protests last year drew crowds estimated in the millions.There's also the question of America. President Donald Trump is increasingly pivoting toward China blame for the coronavirus spread. There's an incentive there for him as he assesses his own re-election prospects in November.Already the U.S. has criticized the weekend arrests in Hong Kong. It wouldn't take much for Trump to decide to weigh in there also.Global HeadlinesCulture wars | Trump is dealing with his biggest crisis as U.S. president by stoking the nation's partisan divide over the pandemic. With his poll numbers down, he's egging on protesters against stay-at-home restrictions in states governed by Democrats. The battle over when to ease the lockdown has intensified as cases increase across the U.S., even as slowdowns in deaths and hospitalizations in the epicenter prompted Governor Andrew Cuomo to say New York appeared to be "on the other side" of the outbreak.Cautious optimism | Germany is among the first nations in Europe to ease virus restrictions, allowing smaller stores to reopen this week. With reported cases today rising by the least this month, Europe's biggest economy will be watched closely by countries from Italy to the U.S. Amid declining infections, South Korea will relax some restraints and may resume normal life from May 6, while New Zealand, which was quick to impose a widespread lockdown, will partially ease containment measures in a week.Angry defense | Boris Johnson's government issued two separate, lengthy rebuttals to criticism of its handling of the pandemic after newspaper reports suggested the U.K. prime minister failed to take the virus seriously early on and criticized its procurement of ventilators. Britain has faced a shortage of tests, protective equipment for health workers, and a soaring death toll. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair told Bloomberg TV today the U.K. was "somewhat behind the curve" in suppressing the virus.Divided approaches | President Jair Bolsonaro is still pushing to reopen Brazil's economy, speaking yesterday at a protest against measures imposed by state governors to slow the coronavirus spread. The far-right president has repeatedly defied medical guidance on social distancing by mingling with supporters, and last week fired his health minister amid differences over how to handle the pandemic.Gang truce | South Africa's notorious gangs have responded to the virus outbreak by agreeing to a cease-fire that's slashed the drug trade and seen an unprecedented drop in murders in a country with one of the world's highest homicide rates. As Loni Prinsloo and Pauline Bax report, a network of gang leaders known as the Council is providing funds to their members until June so they can feed their families during the shutdown.What to Watch This WeekItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte called again for joint euro-area bonds to aid economies hit by the virus, previewing a testy summit Thursday of European Union leaders. Republicans and Democrats are optimistic about reaching a deal to bulk up a loan program for small firms, with news also that burger chain Shake Shack will return a $10 million loan. The U.K. and the EU start talks today over their future relationship after a six-week interruption by the coronavirus. Oil has fallen to the lowest in more than two decades on concern the world is running out of places to store crude after output cuts proved insufficient to cope with plunging demand. Argentina's debt renegotiation process enters the bargaining phase between the government and bondholders after the country presented its offer on Friday.Thanks to all who responded to our pop quiz Friday and congratulations to Christopher Genco, who was the first to name South Korean President Moon Jae-in as the leader who secured a strong win in parliamentary elections. Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally ... As the Amazon becomes a virus hotspot in Brazil, indigenous leaders are, with the help of federal police, blocking the entrances to their territory. Local residents in the area are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus as requirements for maintaining sanitary conditions — including running water — are often lacking. For some, the closest medical help is an overburdened and ill-equipped hospital days away by boat. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The 3 remaining cruise ships still sailing around the world will dock today Posted: 20 Apr 2020 08:23 AM PDT  The MSC Magnifica, the Costa Deliziosa, and Pacific Princess are expected to dock on Monday at ports around the world.
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