| Court: House entitled to Mueller probe grand jury testimony Posted: 10 Mar 2020 05:20 PM PDT  The Justice Department must give Congress secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, giving the House a significant win in a separation-of-powers clash with the Trump administration. The three-judge panel said in a 2-1 opinion that the House Judiciary Committee's need for the material in its investigations of President Donald Trump outweighed the Justice Department's interests in keeping the testimony secret.
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| 5 more Iowa residents test positive for novel coronavirus Posted: 10 Mar 2020 04:59 PM PDT |
| Lebanese man pleads guilty to violating U.S. export laws Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:48 PM PDT |
| Virus lockdown tests Italians' commitment to the common good Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:13 PM PDT  Italians are known as notorious tax cheats and rule breakers with a long history of distrusting government institutions that have often failed them. Now, the country is at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, and slowing infections has meant asking Italians to place their individual interests at the service of the common good. Faced with a nationwide health crisis, many Italians appeared to have fallen in line, finally sensitized — and scared to death — into respecting draconian measures aimed at limiting its spread.
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| Trump presents Medal of Freedom to retired four-star general Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:05 PM PDT  Retired four-star Gen. Jack Keane received the nation's highest civilian honor Tuesday at a White House ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump, who called the Army veteran a "visionary," a "brilliant strategist" and a "fearless patriot." "In 2006, Jack helped engineer the surge that stabilized the deteriorating situation in Iraq and allowed Iraqis to finally take charge of their own future," Trump said. Keane has not always agreed with Trump.
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| Hillary Clinton: Any Afghan peace talks must include women Posted: 10 Mar 2020 02:42 PM PDT  Hillary Clinton urged Afghanistan's supporters on Tuesday to ensure that women are included in negotiations to end the country's long war — and to never again allow the Taliban to impose "a reign of terror against women and girls." The former U.S. first lady, senator and secretary of state said Afghan women today are rightly afraid that the gains they have made since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 "will be washed away in a rush to achieve a peace that will not hold anyway." "This is not just morally wrong, this is dangerous, dangerous to every country represented here," she told a crowded U.N. meeting of the Group of Friends of Women in Afghanistan, co-sponsored by Afghanistan and the United Kingdom.
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| AP VoteCast: Biden edges out Sanders on electability Posted: 10 Mar 2020 02:18 PM PDT  Joe Biden came into Tuesday's primaries riding a wave of voter confidence about his chances of victory in November — and that helped him win Missouri and Mississippi. Democratic primary voters in those states were more likely to think the former vice president could defeat President Donald Trump in the general election, compared with Biden's top rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to AP VoteCast surveys. Voters in Michigan, where polls were still open, felt similarly optimistic about Biden's chances.
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| UN unanimously backs US-Taliban peace deal for Afghanistan Posted: 10 Mar 2020 01:46 PM PDT |
| Flu and coronavirus: Similar symptoms, different fears Posted: 10 Mar 2020 01:15 PM PDT  Is it the flu, a cold or the new coronavirus? "You have three different major viruses floating around at the same time," causing somewhat similar symptoms — but different levels of concern, said Dr. Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is a flu-like illness that has killed a small fraction of the number of people that the flu kills every year.
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| Putin lays out path to staying in power Posted: 10 Mar 2020 12:54 PM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out a path Tuesday to staying in power beyond 2024, as lawmakers approved sweeping reforms to the constitution. In a surprise address to the lower house State Duma, Putin said there could be a presidential "reset" allowing him to run after his current term expires. Putin appeared before the Duma after lawmakers proposed a series of amendments to a package of constitutional reforms he announced in January.
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| Can Tucker Carlson make Trump take coronavirus seriously? Posted: 10 Mar 2020 12:12 PM PDT  COVID-19 is officially "an epidemic," Fox News host Tucker Carlson began his Monday night monologue. "There's no denying that now."But for Carlson's single most notable audience member, President Trump, there's plenty of denying it. Though rumored to be privately panicky, Trump has maintained a studied nonchalance in public, accusing the media of untoward hysteria, sharing claims that Democrats' response is "another attempt to impeach the president," and insisting the whole thing will be less consequential than the seasonal flu.As Carlson continued his spiel Monday, he took an obligatory swipe at the left, but it quickly became obvious his real targets were further to the right. "People you trust, people you probably voted for, have spent weeks minimizing what is clearly a very serious problem. It's just partisan politics, they say. Calm down. In the end, this is just like the flu, and people die from that every year," Carlson said, all but quoting from Trump's Twitter feed."No doubt these people have good intentions as they say this," he went on. "But they're wrong. The Chinese coronavirus is a major event. It will affect your life. And by the way, it's definitely not just the flu." Carlson distinguished between calm and complacence, urging public honesty and action to slow the spread of the disease so our medical system is not overwhelmed with a critical mass of cases all developing at once.Whether Carlson will get through to Trump remains to be seen. The bulk of his own network's messaging is working against him — that clip Trump shared branding coronavirus reactions as an attack on his presidency ran on Fox Business, Fox News' sister channel, at the same time Monday night as Carlson's show. Likewise, Fox & Friends host Pete Hegseth declared on air Sunday that "more [he] learn[s] about coronavirus, the less concerned" he becomes, and Greg Gutfield of The Five has similarly suggested press coverage of the virus is driven more by hatred of Trump than real interest in public health.But Carlson has won Trump against long odds before. He reportedly talked the president down from war with Iran this past summer, countering the influence of more hawkish advisers like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then-National Security Adviser John Bolton. In January, Carlson again pushed back on more aggressive military strategy toward Iran following Trump's assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. While other Fox personalities lauded the strike, Carlson condemned it, arguing Trump had been "out-maneuvered" by advisers who want "war despite what the president wants." A few days after Carlson's show, which also warned that war with Iran would hurt the president's political fortunes, Trump de-escalated."We have come to the point at which pretty much the only thing standing between America and a new war is a prime-time conservative talk show host," commented The American Conservative's Rod Dreher after Carlson's first anti-war intervention. Now, perhaps, we have come to the point at which pretty much the only thing that may convince Trump to stop dismissing the gravity of mass coronavirus infection as a partisan "hoax" is that same Fox pundit.Yikes. Carlson's influence may work out for the best on these two issues, but surely it's obvious how imprudent it is to rely on his effectiveness and goodwill to determine major governance decisions.For one thing, Carlson is notoriously changeable: He was a big free-market guy until quite recently; now he praises Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for her "economic nationalism." Carlson has also proven himself dishonest, unethically partisan, and basically untroubled by his own history of indisputably racist and sexist remarks. In this very Monday monologue, he pointedly labeled the epidemic "Chinese coronavirus," a technically correct nativist dog whistle. In short, Carlson is not a reliably good influence on the president, whatever your idea of good political influence may be.More troubling than anything about Carlson's personally, of course, is having an immensely powerful president who sometimes decides to be chiefly influenced by a cable news talking head. This is closer to a mad king and his favored courtier than anything like representative government. I have few illusions about Congress' competence or interest in checking executive authority (or doing much of anything beyond partisan theatrics), but there is at least theoretically a process of congressional accountability with Cabinet-level advisers. There is no accountability — or predictability — in presidential affection for a talk show host.Carlson's influence over Trump's Iran policy was wise and welcome. If he can persuade the president to stop inaccurately downplaying the risk of COVID-19, good. But whatever its occasional benefits, governance by pundit is erratic at best and a worrisome extension of the presidency's imperial evolution. And it may be unavoidable for a while, as there's no way Trump will turn off his TV.More stories from theweek.com Trump's former pandemic adviser: 'We are 10 days from our hospitals getting creamed' Early exit polls suggest voters trust Biden to handle a major crisis better than Sanders Sanders, Biden both cancel election-night rallies over coronavirus, will evaluate future events
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| Governor: 22 Iowans were on quarantined cruise ship Posted: 10 Mar 2020 11:58 AM PDT  Twenty-two Iowans are among the thousands of passengers and crew who were quarantined on a cruise ship docked in Northern California, and most of them are preparing to return home, state officials said Tuesday. At least 21 of the roughly 3,500 passengers and crew on board the Grand Princess have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, officials said. The Princess Cruises ship docked in Oakland on Monday and began letting passengers disembark into quarantine.
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| Egyptian lawyer sentenced to 1 year in prison for fake news Posted: 10 Mar 2020 11:46 AM PDT |
| Angela Merkel estimates that 60% to 70% of the German population will contract the coronavirus Posted: 10 Mar 2020 11:45 AM PDT  After a parliamentary meeting, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she thought 60% to 70% of Germans would end up with the coronavirus.
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| Every Major Event Canceled or Postponed Worldwide Due to Coronavirus Posted: 10 Mar 2020 11:40 AM PDT  As the 2019 novel coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on world financial markets and fuel fears of widespread contagion, major events such as conferences, summits, concerts, and sporting events are being forced to cancel or postpone. Even the upcoming Democratic primary debate in Arizona has been affected, with the Democratic National Committee announcing Tuesday that there will be no live audience at the event next Sunday "out of an abundance of caution." The virus has reached more than 100 countries, killed at least 4,000 people, and sickened more than 110,000 people around the globe. Many significant sports events, however, must go on even without an audience in order to keep their season schedules on track. Noteworthy tech conferences have been moved online due to fears that the virus will multiply in large gatherings. Here is a running list of the major disruptions to events around the world.* * *Major Global Sporting Events* * * * Indian Wells Masters (also known as the BNP Paribas Open) tennis tournament in Palm Springs, California—canceled * Asian Football Confederation and FIFA Asian World Cup qualifying matches in Qatar—postponed * Round 5 of the Guinness Six Nations Rugby in France—postponed * Hong Kong and Singapore rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020—postponed * Tokyo Marathon—canceled * Chinese Grand Prix—postponed * The Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour Series in China—canceled * World Athletics Indoor Championships—postponed until 2021 * Grand Prix in Bahrain—closed to spectators * All sporting events in Italy, including the Serie A football—cancelled or closed to spectators * All sporting events in Iran—cancelled * All sporting events in Greece—closed to spectators* * *Major Festivals and Events* * * * Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) presidential campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio on March 10—canceled * South by Southwest (SXSW) music, tech, and film festival in Texas—canceled * Pearl Jam North American tour—postponed * Coachella—postponed * Tucson Festival of Books—canceled * Ultra Music Festival in Miami—postponed * Annual TED 2020 conference in Vancouver—canceled * Seattle's Emerald City Comic Con—canceled * Prague Film Festival—canceled * London Book Fair—canceled * Tomorrowland Electronic Music Festival in Belgium—canceled * Livre Paris Book Fair—canceled * National Book Critics Circle Award Ceremony in New York—postponed until fall 2020 * St. Patrick's Day parades in Ireland—canceled * Tokyo Cherry Blossom Festival—canceled * Azalea Festival in Okinawa, Japan—canceled * Venice Carnival—canceled * The Dalai Lama has canceled all public events * Purim parades in Israel—canceled * Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia—closed * New York International Auto Show—postponed until late August* * *Movies and Productions* * * * Peter Rabbit 2 release—postponed to August * James Bond film No Time to Die—release postponed until November * New York premiere of Superman: Red Son—canceled * Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella musical—postponed until October* * *Major U.S. Corporate Events and Conferences* * * * The World Bank and International Monetary Fund's Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C.—canceled, virtual conference only * Google I/O developer event in California—canceled * Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's global health conference in Orlando, Florida—canceled * Adobe Summit in-person conference in Las Vegas—canceled, moved to online event * Aruba Networks Atmosphere 2020 conference in Las Vegas—canceled * HIMSS health and tech conference in Orlando, Florida—canceled * The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona—canceled * Workday internal sales conference in San Francisco—canceled, online only * ASEAN Summit in Las Vegas—postponed * Shopify annual developer conference 'Unite' in Toronto, Canada—canceled * Cisco Live in Melbourne, Australia—canceled * DEF CON China in Beijing—postponed * Dell World in Las Vegas—canceled, online only * EmTech Asia in Singapore—postponed * Facebook F8 Developers Conference in San Jose—canceled * F5 Agility 2020 in Orlando, Florida—canceled, online only * Facebook Global Marketing Summit in San Francisco—canceled * Game Developers Conference in San Francisco—postponed to summer 2020 * Google Cloud Next in San Francisco—canceled, online only * Google I/O in Mountain View, California—canceled * Google News Initiative Summit in Sunnyvale, California—canceled * Semicon conventions in Korea and China—canceled * Microsoft WSLConf in Redmond, Washington—canceled, online only * Microsoft MVP Global Summit in Redmond, Washington—canceled, online only * Paris Blockchain Week Summit—canceled * SAS Global Forum in Washington, D.C.—canceledRead more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Cyprus unveils new measures to curtail migrant influx Posted: 10 Mar 2020 11:38 AM PDT  Cyprus is more than doubling the number of officials vetting asylum applications, shortening application deadlines and fast-tracking deportations as part of a new string of measures aimed at tackling a spike in migrant arrivals, the country's interior minister said Tuesday. Unveiling the government's "action plan" to curtail the migrant influx, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said asylum-seekers from countries deemed "safe" will see their applications processed within 10 days and will have only three days to appeal an immediate deportation order. The government of ethnically divided Cyprus says it has the most asylum-seekers relative to its population among all other European Union member states — about 3.8% of its population.
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| Meet the Insane People Still Planning Cruise Ship Vacations Posted: 10 Mar 2020 11:22 AM PDT  The cruise ship industry is reeling. The outbreak of the new coronavirus has made the basic fundamentals of the business medically inadvisable to the point that the State Department has issued a warning to U.S. travelers—chief among them the elderly—to stop taking cruise ships until the threat has passed. And yet, even as thousands of people have found themselves stuck on ocean liners, in close confines with others suffering from a deadly virus, not everyone is ready to bag their cruise ship getaway. Indeed, while some shudder at the prospect of enduring severe flu-like symptoms and a 14-day quarantine, others see the vacation deal of a lifetime materializing before their eyes. Kenny Human, a 33-year-old lawyer from Kentucky, is one of those deal seekers. Five days ago, in the height of the coronavirus scare, he decided to purchase a Carnival Cruise trip leaving New Orleans in May for a venture through the western Caribbean. He doesn't believe the coronavirus is a hoax. He doesn't think fears of it are overhyped. And his girlfriend tried to convince him it was a bad idea. But, in the end, the price—about $400 per ticket when counting taxes and cancellation insurance—was just too damn good. "I just have this natural inclination to buy low on things," Human told The Daily Beast. "My girlfriend does think I'm crazy, but she is reluctantly on board, no pun intended." "I have to admit," he added with a touch of sobriety, "your interest in wanting to speak with me does give me some doubts." Coronavirus Cruise Finally Ends—With Relief & RecriminationHuman is far from the only soon-to-be cruise ship voyager who has reassured himself that the disease won't affect those who are young, healthy, and willing to take steps to avoid infection. It's a touch of youthful hubris with a dash of a gambler's high, all dropped into the milieu of a global medical crisis. Take Ben Stults, a sophomore at Florida State University who is set to go on a cruise to Mexico this week with four of his college friends. His ticket was $500 and rather than eat the fee, he's hoping to—in his words—"hit the sweet spot." The sweet spot, in this case, is traveling to a region not yet hit hard by the coronavirus and getting the hell out before it becomes a problem. Just in case he misses that window, however, Stults brought a P100 respirator face mask, along with a deck of cards and Cards Against Humanity, in order to pass the time if he's quarantined. He would have stocked up on hand sanitizer, he said, but the local Target was sold out.Asked if he thought it was a good plan, he said, "Honestly, no."It's not just the young, however, who are staring down the possibility of getting stranded on a coronavirus-infected cruise ship and asking themselves, "Why not?"Both Brett Cimiotti, 58, of Connecticut, and his husband have degrees in microbiology and decided to book a cruise three weeks ago—a five-stop trip through Scandinavia that he fully admits he may end up having to cancel. "I've never been on one, never wanted to go on one, finally, I book one, and BOOM! Corona!" Retired French professor David Lee, 78, is planning to fly to Peru in early April before boarding a boat down the Amazon River. His daughter, Katia, said of her parents, "They're smart, but in this case seem to be really cavalier." Her dad said it would be cavalier not to go. "We are a little nervous," he conceded. "We are not planning on changing our plans unless there are cases down there." Paige Bade-Ankudovych, of Amityville, New York, is a 45-year-old teacher who rationalizes her decision to still consider cruising by noting that her profession already gives her a fair amount of exposure to viruses. She hasn't yet pulled the trigger on the voyage she was planning to take with her husband and two kids to Bermuda. But she hasn't ruled it out either. The gears in her head are practically audible as she debates the dos and don'ts."Do I want to be stuck with my two kids and my husband as we are up each others throats because of the quarantine?" she asks. "Would it be better to be in the middle of the Atlantic with free room service? At least I wouldn't have to cook."The aoronavirus has forced the cruise-ship curious to tackle these types of introspective questions. Already, several vessels have been held at sea after passengers on board became sick with—or died from—the disease or because there were passengers from countries with high infection rates. The Diamond Princess was held off the coast of Japan for 28 days last month as the coronavirus stalked its corridors, eventually sickening more than 600 and killing several. More recently, the Grand Princess liner heading through the Pacific saw 21 individuals on board test positive for coronavirus, after which the remaining 3,400 or so were told to stay in their rooms, instantaneously transforming the ship into a relatively plush floating prison. Passengers were left to plow through intense bouts of claustrophobia via a mix of menial tasks, momentary distractions, television binge watching and—on occasion—a healthy dose of booze. But that was merely the first phase of their ordeal. Medical experts have been conducting health assessments and, once disembarked from the ocean liner, passengers will still have a two-week isolation period in a military facility. Coronavirus Cruise Ship Fiasco Points to Possible 'Super-Spreader'The cruise industry has been hit hard as a result, with executives meeting with top Trump administration officials to talk about what steps could be taken to steady their bottom lines. They've also sought to allay concerns by stressing the steps they're taking to avoid becoming veritable petri dishes. Matt Zettel, who booked a Disney Cruise this month, passed along the note he got from the organizers that said, among other things, that they were "closely monitoring global developments;" prohibiting people from boarding if they'd been to China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, or Japan in the past 14 days; and screening guests and crew for "gastrointestinal or flu-like symptoms." But medical experts warn that if the coronavirus manages to find its way on board, the ship is not exactly the place you want to be. "They're not designed as quarantine facilities, to put it mildly," Don Milton, an epidemiologist with the University of Maryland, told The Associated Press. So why risk it? For some, it's simply a matter of dollars and cents. Christine Luland, 49, of Toms River, New Jersey, is currently on a 14-night cruise through the Panama Canal. She boarded last week after it became apparent that there was no way to get back the $5,500 she'd invested; her only solace was that she was able to upgrade to the last available veranda so that she could get fresh air if a quarantine was imposed. "Of course the afternoon we boarded they suddenly announced that through the end of May you could cancel and rebook in the next 12 months with no penalty," she said. "If they'd announced it a week earlier, I probably would have taken them up on it."From Lobsters and Steak to Coronavirus: One Couple's Surreal Cruise NightmarePatrice O'Rourke, 58, of Middlesex County, New Jersey, paid full amount for a cruise she was set to take this May down to the Caribbean. What she did not get was travel insurance. So instead of losing the $5,000, she's planning on going. "We are not handling it well," she concedes of the anxiety. "I'm just popping Xanax every hour. I haven't begun snorting them yet. Once I start snorting it, then you know I'm nervous."But for others, the cruise ship vacation they had planned is simply too big a deal to give up because of some pandemic threat. Briana McDougall, 33, of Seattle, has a cruise ship bachelorette party planned for April that has 30-plus people ready to go. "I wasn't going to bring my work laptop, but if I go, I probably will now," she said. James and Kim Simon allowed their daughter to embark on a Royal Caribbean cruise this week because she'd planned the trip with 12 college friends for spring break. "When she booked the trip, when we planned it, this wasn't a factor," said Kim. "So I was with her last weekend as the statistics were getting a little bit higher. And I asked her if she was at all worried. She thought if she just kept enough alcohol in her system it would ward off any germs. So I got her some Lysol wipes and the all you can drink package."And then there is Shannon Mulholland, whose story has no bits of gallows humor to make it easier to digest. She had planned a trip with her daughter for years as a college graduation present. And as a single mother who has dealt with medical issues for years, she doesn't have the means to change it (indeed, she banked her vacation last year just to be able to take the time away). So instead of walking away, she bought super deluxe N99 masks and was prepared to head off on March 31. A practicing Catholic, she was especially excited about the stops scheduled for Rome. But as she spoke to The Daily Beast, news broke that Italy was closing its borders to deal with the outbreak in its country."It was her graduation present from college and it is on my bucket list to go to the Vatican," Mulholland said. "I want to cry with frustration."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Enhanced Model For Monitoring Zones Of Increased Risk Of COVID-19 Spread Posted: 10 Mar 2020 10:54 AM PDT  Scientists affiliated with the Global Virus Network (GVN), the worldwide coalition of preeminent virologists engaged in the preparedness, defense and first research response to emerging, existing and unidentified viruses that pose a clear and present threat to public health, have determined that temperature and latitude may have a direct link to the spread and seasonality of COVID-19. The analysis was conducted by Drs. Mohammad M. Sajadi, MD, and Anthony Amoroso, MD, in conjunction with the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland and Global Virus Network. Their paper (https://bit.ly/3cMhQ43), "Temperature and Latitude Analysis to Predict Potential Spread and Seasonality for COVID-19" has been made publicly available at the Elsevier's SSRN site (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3550308). Researchers from University of Maryland College Park, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Shiraz, Iran, and Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran also participated in this study.
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| Europe is new coronavirus ground zero, CDC chief warns Posted: 10 Mar 2020 10:49 AM PDT  The number of confirmed cases in Italy now surpasses that in South Korea and Iran, where the virus raged for weeks after originating in China.
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| Most of U.S. starts answering census questions in next days Posted: 10 Mar 2020 10:33 AM PDT  The 2020 census kicked off in rural villages of Alaska in January. WHEN WILL I HEAR FROM THE CENSUS BUREAU? The Census Bureau will begin sending out notices this week to 95% of the nation's households, informing people that they can start participating in the 2020 census.
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| Florida family stuck on Nile cruise by the coronavirus Posted: 10 Mar 2020 10:31 AM PDT  When Javier Parodi returned from a tour of Egypt's famed ancient tombs in the southern city of Luxor last week, he was unnerved to see that the cruise ship that brought him there wasn't where he left it. The hulking MS Asara, carrying some 150 American, French and Indian passengers, was the lone ship docked on the opposite bank of the Nile, isolated from the line of tourist-packed vessels over concern that its passengers had been exposed to the new coronavirus. Parodi, 35, then found himself confined for days on board the Asara, where 12 Egyptian crew members had just contracted the virus.
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| Court: House entitled to Mueller probe grand jury testimony Posted: 10 Mar 2020 09:31 AM PDT  The Justice Department must give Congress secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, giving the House a significant win in a separation-of-powers clash with the Trump administration. The three-judge panel said in a 2-1 opinion that the House Judiciary Committee's need for the material in its investigations of President Donald Trump outweighed the Justice Department's interests in keeping the testimony secret.
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| Tibetan President-in-exile urges UN official to visit Tibet Posted: 10 Mar 2020 09:28 AM PDT |
| French farmers dig in for Brexit game of chicken Posted: 10 Mar 2020 09:23 AM PDT |
| Merkel Says Germany Favors Liquidity Over Classic Stimulus Posted: 10 Mar 2020 08:49 AM PDT |
| Where coronavirus cases are surging: more than 2,700 new cases in Europe, Italy hit hardest Posted: 10 Mar 2020 08:47 AM PDT  The bulk of new cases were diagnosed and reported on Monday in Italy (1,492), Iran (743), France (410), Germany (317), and South Korea (248).
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| The Latest: Biden wins Democratic primary in Michigan Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:59 AM PDT  Joe Biden has won Michigan's Democratic presidential primary. Michigan was the largest of the six states voting Tuesday, with 125 pledged delegates at stake. Biden emphasized the Obama administration's bailout of the auto industry, which saved thousands of jobs.
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| Census Bureau site goes live as counting begins in earnest Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:58 AM PDT  The 2020 census is off and running for much of America now. The U.S. Census Bureau made a soft launch of the 2020 census website on Monday, making its form available online. On Thursday, the Census Bureau will begin mailing out notices far and wide.
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| Women In Mexico Are Fighting Against Femicide With Massive Organized Protests Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:57 AM PDT  On Sunday, countries around the world celebrated International Women's Day not only to reflect on the progress toward gender equality, but also all the work that still needs to be done. In Mexico, women decided to take the latter one step further. After 80,000 women flooded the streets of Mexico City on Sunday to protest violence against women, they proved, in solidarity, that women cannot be silenced against surmounting sexual-based violence in their country.Following the mass protests in the streets, thousands of women all over the country stayed home on Monday as part of a 24-hour strike against staggering levels of gender-based crimes in Mexico. Referring to it as "A Day Without Women," many women skipped work, school, and social gatherings to illustrate what it would be like without them. Several big companies including Sears, L'Oreal, and Walmart as well as the Mexican government gave women employees a paid day off to participate in the strike. "In Mexico, it's like we're in a state of war; we're in a humanitarian crisis because of the quantity of women that have disappeared or been killed," María de la Luz Estrada, coordinator of the National Citizen's Observatory of Femicide, told the Associated Press.Femicide, the killing of women because of their gender, is rampant and on the rise in Mexico. According to government data reported by AP, 3,825 women suffered violent deaths last year, marking a 7% increase from the year before. That equates to roughly 10 women a day in Mexico, which doesn't begin to account for the thousands more who have gone missing in recent years. These figures make Mexico one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women. In the last five years, reported femicides have increased by 137%, according to NPR. That is four times the general homicide rate. Often these crimes go without convictions. And, only about 10% of femicides in Mexico are solved.The recent, violent death of Ingrid Escamilla in February intensified the growing sense of outrage when her body was found stabbed, partially skinned, and with organs missing. To add to the injustice, gruesome photos of Escamilla's body were leaked to tabloids and later published. Her husband later confessed to the crime. The most recent gender-based violence statistics for Mexico reported by Amnesty International estimates that 66% of women and girls aged 15 or older have experienced gender-based violence at least once in their lives and that 43% have experienced gender-based violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Worldwide, 35% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence, according to UN Women.In November 2019, 19 of Mexico's 32 states as well as the nation's capital, Mexico City, issued a gender violence alert that triggered emergency measures to address the problem as well as to raise awareness. Declaring a "zero tolerance" stance on femicide, Mexico's Security Minister, Alfonso Durazo signed a memorandum that month with United Nations Women promising to "strengthen actions against gender-based violence."President of Mexico López Obrador gave conflicting messages in response to the protest on Monday. When asked about the government's plan for addressing violence against women, he said that his administration is working on the issue every day. "I maintain that the main thing is to guarantee the wellbeing of the people," said Obrador. While he acknowledged that things like tougher criminal penalties and harsher prosecutions can help, he also said that some of the anger directed at him and his administration regarding gender-based violence "is conservatism disguised as feminism." Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Students Protest Against The Kent State Gun GirlYoung Women Are Leading The Global Climate StrikeWhy Survivors Need Paid Family Leave Now
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| Germany Eyes 1 Billion Euros For Virus Research, Equipment Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:47 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Germany is to earmark an additional 1 billion euros ($1.14 billion) from its budget to finance research and equipment related to fighting the coronavirus, a senior lawmaker from Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition said."We will help as parliament wherever we can help," said Ralph Brinkhaus, leader of Merkel's Christian Democratic-led caucus in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. "The health authorities will get whatever they need to fight the corona crisis."German authorities on Tuesday detailed efforts to help contain the spread of the virus, including restrictions on public events, as well as measures to help cushion the economic fallout. Read More:Germany Won't Blink on Fiscal Easing Until Crisis Hits Home (3)To contact the reporter on this story: Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Raymond ColittFor 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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| UN rights chief airs concerns about NKorea detention centers Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:35 AM PDT |
| Trump Spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Before Oil Production Hike Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:30 AM PDT |
| Protecting mangroves can prevent billions of dollars in global flooding damage every year Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:21 AM PDT  Hurricanes and tropical storms are estimated to cost the U.S. economy more than US$50 billion yearly in damage from winds and flooding. And as these storms travel across the Atlantic, they also ravage many Caribbean nations. We study coastal ecosystems and how to value the natural coastal defenses provided by mangroves, marshes and coral reefs. In a new study, we map flood risks along more than 435,000 miles (700,000 kilometers) of subtropical shoreline in 59 countries around the world. Along these coasts, we calculate that flood risks exceed $730 billion annually in direct impacts to property. Many government agencies and insurers estimate that indirect impacts to livelihoods and other economic activity are two to three times these direct flood costs. We also estimate that across these 59 countries, mangroves – salt-tolerant trees that grow along tropical coastlines worldwide – reduce risk to more than 15 million people and prevent more than $65 billion in property damages every year. Mangroves do this by blocking storm surge – the rise in sea level during storms – and dampening waves, which protect people and structures near the shore. Battered coastlinesTropical storms are a well-recognized hazard along many coasts. In 2019, which was an above-normal year for tropical storm activity, 90 named storms formed around the world, including 62 days with major tropical cyclones.As one example, Hurricane Dorian devastated the northern Bahamas with sustained winds of some 185 miles per hour. Throughout its life, Dorian's path impacted more than 17 nations and 15 U.S. states and territories, from Grenada to Newfoundland. And Dorian was not even the strongest cyclone of the year. That title went to Super Typhoon Halong in the Western Pacific, which steered clear of land. Many scientists predict that climate change will make these storms more intense, with a likely increase in the proportion of storms that reach Categories 4 and 5.It would be logical to assume that countries map the flood risks from these storms, since they have to protect residents who live near coasts, along with public infrastructure such as ports, airports, wastewater treatment centers and power plants. These facilities often are built in low-lying areas around urban and suburban centers.However, governments and businesses only develop flood risk analyses for the shorelines of highly developed nations, where people have the resources to pay for or insure against these risks. This excludes most tropical countries, where many of the world's most vulnerable people live. Defending shorelinesOur study was designed to quantify these flood risks worldwide and identify solutions for reducing them. We used tools that are standard in the insurance and engineering industries, along with a five-step approach for calculating expected damage, to develop high-resolution estimates of flood risk globally. Then we coupled spatially explicit hydrodynamic flood models with economics to estimate impacts to people and property.We focused on mangroves because they are large trees that grow quickly in salt water at the edge of the coastal zone, where they form a front line of defense. Mangroves are also excellent at trapping sediments and building land. On average, land around mangroves grows vertically by 1 to 10 millimeters per year.We generated maps summarizing the benefits that mangroves provide in 20-kilometer coastal units around the world. They show that there are 100 coastal areas where mangroves avert $100 million or more in property damages every year. These are clearly priority zones where mangrove conservation and restoration will yield highly cost-effective benefits to people, property and national budgets.According to our estimates, the U.S., China and Taiwan receive the greatest economic benefits – protection of property – from mangroves. Vietnam, India and Bangladesh receive the greatest social benefits – protection of people. Mangroves as green infrastructureMangrove destruction has been widespread, largely because of coastal development and aquaculture. From 1980 through the early 2000s, the world lost up to 20% of existing mangrove habitat. The rate of loss has slowed but still continues, driven by urban expansion, pollution and agriculture. Given our findings about how valuable mangroves are for coastal protection, we believe they should be viewed as national infrastructure and made eligible for funding from hazard mitigation and disaster recovery budgets, just like other coastal defense structures. Paying for mangrove restoration can work through the same approaches that are currently used to fund engineered protective structures such as seawalls. Several new studies done collaboratively with Risk Management Solutions, a leading insurance risk modeling firm, show that coastal marshes and mangroves provide significant storm reduction benefits. These findings could underpin the development of innovative insurance options for natural systems. Examples are already being developed for coral reefs in Mexico and across the Caribbean. Conserving mangroves where they occur together with coral reefs can multiply the flood protection benefits from habitats. Working with the World Bank, countries like the Philippines and Jamaica are assessing how the benefits of mangroves can be incorporated into national finances, disaster management and proposals for the U.N. Green Climate Fund, which was created in 2010 to help developing countries mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. Our work was supported by the World Bank and Germany's International Climate Initiative to help inform solutions for nations that are most at risk.In many places, preserving and restoring mangrove forests can be an extremely economically effective strategy for protecting coasts from tropical storm damage. As national governments and insurers grapple with disaster management costs that are growing nearly exponentially worldwide, we believe our research can create new opportunities to pay for mangrove conservation and restoration using climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and insurance funds. [Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.]This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Mapping the world's 'blue carbon' hot spots in coastal mangrove forests * Hydropower dams can harm coastal areas far downstreamMichael Beck receives funding from The World Bank, the German International Climate Initiative, The Nature Conservancy, and AXA. Pelayo Menéndez Fernández has received funds from the FPI grant from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Government of Spain.
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| Germany's Merkel meets Libyan military commander Hifter Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:16 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Libyan military commander Khalifa Hifter in Berlin on Tuesday in a bid to advance efforts to secure a lasting cease-fire in Libya. An administration backed by Hifter's forces controls most of Libya's east and south, while a U.N.-backed but weak government in Tripoli holds a shrinking area in the west, including the capital. A patchwork of armed groups and foreign countries support one or the other.
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| Some schools shut for 2 weeks in NYC suburb hit by virus Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:10 AM PDT  State officials are shuttering several schools and houses of worship for two weeks in a New York City suburb and sending in the National Guard to help with what appears to be the nation's biggest cluster of coronavirus cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. State officials used a potentially unnerving term — "containment area" — to describe the part of New Rochelle, north of New York City, where the closures will be enforced. "The numbers are going up unabated, and we do need a special public health strategy for New Rochelle," Cuomo said.
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| China's Xi Visits Wuhan, Says Coronavirus Outbreak 'Basically Curbed' Posted: 10 Mar 2020 07:02 AM PDT  Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the city of Wuhan Tuesday for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak in his first trip to the city where the virus originated since the outbreak began, according to the BBC. According to the BBC report, this is Xi's first trip to the city since the outbreak began.He arrived in Wuhan to inspect epidemic prevention and control work in the province. Xi's visit comes as China reported its lowest number of new infections so far, 19, on Tuesday.China has had 80,754 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 3,136 of which were fatal, the BBC said. During the visit, Xi said the spread of the disease has been "basically curbed" and "initial success has been made in stabilizing the situation and turning the tide in Hubei and Wuhan."Related Links:Plunge In Oil Prices, Coronavirus Sell-Off Signal Recession, Analyst SaysSouthwest Air Sees Lower Demand Amid Coronavirus, Cuts Sales GuidanceSee more from Benzinga * Lloyd Blankfein Predicts 'Quick Recovery' For Markets * Elon Musk Says Market Was Too High, Due For A Correction * Plunge In Oil Prices, Coronavirus Sell-Off Signal Recession, Analyst Says(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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| Israeli court rejects Netanyahu request to delay trial Posted: 10 Mar 2020 06:07 AM PDT  An Israeli court on Tuesday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to delay the start of his corruption trial, clearing the way for proceedings to begin as planned next week. Netanyahu's lawyers had appealed for a delay, saying they needed more time to review evidence. In overruling the request the presiding judge wrote that the first session on March 17 was a procedural reading of the charges only and the defendant's response was not needed, therefore there was no justification for a delay.
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| Germany' Merkel meets Libyan General Haftar for talks Posted: 10 Mar 2020 06:04 AM PDT |
| EU Healthcare Predictions and Outlook, 2020 Posted: 10 Mar 2020 06:00 AM PDT  Amid rising global trade tensions and sluggish global economic outlook for 2020, the global healthcare market is expected to cross the 2-trillion-dollar mark in 2020. In Europe, BREXIT is likely to have a strong impact on the United Kingdom, Europe's biggest digital health market. 2020 will be a global reality check for long-pending national healthcare policies and regulatory reforms that must re-invigorate future strategies. Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) will emerge as a big theme across progressive health systems as they seek to proactively engage patients and improve health outcomes that would help healthcare organizations meet quality standards.
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| U.K. Ministers Urged to be Courteous Amid Patel Bullying Claims Posted: 10 Mar 2020 05:44 AM PDT |
| China on the Defensive to Safeguard the Economy and Xi Jinping Posted: 10 Mar 2020 05:35 AM PDT |
| What's Happening: Italians awake to new reality, skies empty Posted: 10 Mar 2020 04:56 AM PDT  Italians awoke to the new reality of a national lockdown on Tuesday and Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first trip to the city where the global epidemic first emerged. It was one of several signs of the diminishing threat the virus presents in China as the illness spreads west.
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| Xi Visits Wuhan in Sign China Sees Virus Under Control Posted: 10 Mar 2020 04:55 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan for the first time since the disease emerged, a trip intended to project confidence that his government has managed to stem its spread domestically.Xi arrived Tuesday morning in the capital of Hubei province, the official Xinhua News Agency said. He visited Huoshenshan Hospital, one of the two dedicated facilities built specially to treat virus patients. Photos published by state media showed Xi wearing a mask while speaking to patients via video conference and addressing medical staff outside the hospital.Wuhan, where the disease first emerged in December, has been quarantined since Jan. 23, in what some people see as a heavy-handed approach following earlier failures to act quickly enough to stem the spread. Xi's visit comes after a steady drop in infections, with just 19 new cases Tuesday, and a slight easing of restrictions within Hubei to allow some people to travel within the province.A personal visit to Wuhan by the nation's top leader has been anticipated as a potential sign that the Communist Party believed it had the situation under control. Xi's government has seen a rare outpouring of public anger over both its initial response to the crisis and the muzzling of whistle-blowing medical professionals, shaking confidence in the ruling party.Premier Li Keqiang had been dispatched to Wuhan by Xi in late January to boost confidence among local residents."Xi's visit suggests that the authorities view the situation in Wuhan has having been put under control, and a turning point has been secured," said Gu Su, a professor of philosophy and law at Nanjing University. "His visit could help to allay the public anger to some extent, but his visit came more than 50 days after the outbreak, in stark contrast to former top leaders who'd usually visit within a week of a crisis taking place."Slowly DroppingDuring his visit to Wuhan, Xi said that while the outbreak will hurt Hubei's economy in the short term, it won't affect the long-term fundamentals of the Chinese economy, Xinhua reported. He also asked the central government to increase support to the province and help it to get back to normal quickly.There were signs Tuesday that Chinese officials are relaxing some of the strict measures in Hubei, with the government saying it will issue "green codes" to residents free from coronavirus, allowing people from lower-risk areas to travel within the province.The municipal government of Qianjiang, a city in the Hubei, said in a statement it will resume all public transportation and business production in the "near future."Going forward, the rescheduling of the country's biggest annual legislative meeting, which saw a rare postponement amid the outbreak, could signal a return to normal. Putting it back on the calendar "means the end of the outbreak for Chinese leaders," Gu said.Xi previously took responsibility for Wuhan's lockdown. He told China's most powerful leaders in a speech last month that he had "continuously given verbal and written instructions" since early January and personally ordered the quarantine of about 60 million people in Hubei province, according to a transcript published by top Communist Party publication the Qiushi Journal.China announced Tuesday that there had been just 17 new infections in Wuhan -- with none in the rest of Hubei -- and 17 more deaths in the entire province. Hubei's health commission has confirmed a total of more than 67,700 cases and over 3,000 deaths since the disease emerged in December.The virus has killed more than 3,900 people and infected more than 113,000 worldwide, with almost 81,000 of them in China. Despite slowing down in the mainland, it's beginning to spread more rapidly across the globe, including the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.In CommandIn an effort to mitigate domestic discontent, China's state media apparatus has in recent weeks doubled down on efforts to praise Xi's leadership of the crisis. Through glowing commentaries and by seizing on early containment missteps by the U.S. and other Western countries to which the virus has now spread, it has sought to validate its own hard-line approach.Xi "is in command of the overall situation," state broadcaster China Central Television said over the weekend. "He has shown great foresight and insight, and is ready to make a firm decision," it said, praising his "outstanding leadership," "extraordinary wisdom" and "heroic courage."Still, many in China remain skeptical after weeks of criticism that the government didn't act early enough. Social media users refuse to back down in demanding answers on the fate of Li Wenliang, the 34-year-old Wuhan ophthalmologist who was reprimanded by authorities for attempting to raise the alarm about the disease before succumbing to it.To assuage those concerns, Xi has shaken up the personnel in charge of Hubei. Last month, he replaced provincial party chief Jiang Chaoliang with Ying Yong, the mayor of Shanghai. Wuhan's party chief was also removed.(Updates with comments from Xi on economy in seventh paragraph.)\--With assistance from James Mayger, Natalie Lung, Gao Yuan and Allen Wan.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Sharon ChenFor 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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| Putin to Make Surprise Duma Visit Amid Calls for Him to Stay On Posted: 10 Mar 2020 04:44 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Vladimir Putin is expected to make a surprise address to Russia's lower house of parliament Tuesday after ruling-party lawmakers said they wanted to abolish the constitutional term limit that prevents him continuing to rule as president beyond 2024. Putin will appear before the State Duma after 3 p.m., Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said, the Interfax news service reported. The president's previously unscheduled appearance in the chamber raised speculation that he may be on the verge of abandoning his long-standing opposition to eliminate the restrictions that require him to step down at the end of his current term."Putin needs to be there -- in case something goes wrong" amid global political and economic turbulence, Valentina Tereshkova, a respected lawmaker who was also the first woman in space, told the State Duma in a speech shown on state TV during debates on a constitutional overhaul put forward by the Kremlin. "If the situation requires it and, most importantly, if the people want it, to put in law the possibility for the current president to be re-elected to this position is already in accordance with the updated constitution."The proposal came after an earlier call from another United Russia lawmaker to hold pre-term parliamentary elections once the constitutional changes are passed. The Kremlin's amendments did not include removing term limits or calling early elections, both of which would require changes to the basic law.Putin has previously rejected calls to change the presidential term limit, including as recently as last week, and has not indicated any support for early parliamentary elections. While the fact that both proposals came from prominent members of the ruling party suggests they may have Kremlin support, it may also be that the president is using them as trial balloons that are designed to be rejected when he speaks to lawmakers.The new constitution "gives us more powers so it would be fair to hold new elections," Alexander Karelin of United Russia said as the Duma began debates on the amendments ahead of one of two final votes in the lower chamber. The removal of term limits and early-vote proposal would require constitutional amendments.The Kremlin has set a national ballot to approve the constitutional changes for April 22. Putin has said the plan is aimed at modernizing the basic law and that he plans to observe current term limits, which prevent him from running again. But the overhauls, abruptly announced in January, are widely seen as an effort to create options for Putin to retain control even after he steps down as president. The Kremlin has also added amendments on issues like family and religion aimed at mobilizing public support for a plan that's so far produced limited enthusiasm.The global economic turmoil set off by the spread of coronavirus has added to the Kremlin's challenges, threatening efforts to boost stagnant living standards with a major spending program. A collapse in oil prices after Putin on Friday refused to join deeper crude output cuts with OPEC, sparking a move by Saudi Arabia to ramp up oil supplies, has sharply worsened the outlook for Russia's economy.Support for United Russia is close to a record low after five years of economic stagnation. Maintaining the ruling party's commanding majority is likely to get more difficult if the slowdown persists.\--With assistance from Henry Meyer.To contact the reporters on this story: Andrey Biryukov in Moscow at abiryukov5@bloomberg.net;Ilya Arkhipov in Moscow at iarkhipov@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Gregory L. White at gwhite64@bloomberg.net, Tony HalpinFor 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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| Putin to address parliament after lawmaker proposes he run for president again - TASS Posted: 10 Mar 2020 04:29 AM PDT |
| Holi festival subdued in India over coronavirus concerns Posted: 10 Mar 2020 04:27 AM PDT  Hindus threw colored powder and sprayed water in massive celebrations of the festival of Holi in India on Tuesday, but the enthusiasm was subdued compared to previous years because of fears of the new virus. Brightly colored powder filled the air in most parts of North India. Holi, which marks the advent of spring, is widely celebrated in India, Nepal and other South Asian countries.
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| Iran to call dead medical staff 'martrys' as virus kills 291 Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:59 AM PDT  Iran will recognize doctors and nurses who die combating the new coronavirus as "martyrs" like slain soldiers, the country's supreme leader announced Tuesday as the outbreak killed 54 more people and pushed the nation's death toll to 291. The decision by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei comes amid a propaganda campaign already trying to link the fight against the virus to Iran's long, bloody 1980s war with Iraq. The rising casualty figures each day in Iran suggest the fight against the new coronavirus is far from over, even as more people die from drinking methanol in the false belief it kills the virus.
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| Russia's ruling party backs idea to allow Putin to run again for president - RIA Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:58 AM PDT |
| Iran coronavirus deaths reach 291, cases at more than 8,000 - health ministry Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:55 AM PDT |
| Exclusive: U.S. sanctions have idled a quarter of Iranian oil rigs Posted: 10 Mar 2020 03:50 AM PDT  At least a quarter of Iran's oil rigs are out of action as U.S. sanctions strangle the Islamic Republic's vital oil industry, according to a Reuters review of financial documents and industry sources, dealing a potentially long-term blow to its oil industry. The lack of rig activity could damage the OPEC member's capacity to produce oil from older fields, which require continuous pumping to maintain pressure and output. Reduced activity has forced mass layoffs in Iran's oil sector.
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