| North Korea fires 3 projectiles: South's military Posted: 08 Mar 2020 05:44 PM PDT  North Korea fired three unidentified projectiles into the sea on Monday, Seoul's military said, the second such weapons test by Pyongyang in a week. The three devices were fired in a northeasterly direction from the Sondok area in South Hamgyong province, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without further details. A spokesman at Japan's defence ministry said North Korea launched what appeared to be "ballistic missile(s)", adding there had been no indication of anything coming down in Tokyo's territory or exclusive economic zone.
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| Saudi seals off Shiite region, halts travel over coronavirus Posted: 08 Mar 2020 05:26 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia on Sunday cordoned off an oil-rich Shiite stronghold, suspended air and sea travel to nine countries and closed schools and universities, in a series of measures to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus. The lockdown on Qatif, an eastern area that is home to around 500,000 people, is the first action of its kind across the Gulf region, which has confirmed more than 230 coronavirus cases -- most of them people returning from religious pilgrimages to Shiite-majority Iran. Given the kingdom's 11 recorded cases of the new coronavirus are from Qatif, "it has been decided to temporarily suspend entry and exit" from the area, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
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| U.S. Targets Cruises; NYC Urges Walking, Cycling: Virus Update Posted: 08 Mar 2020 04:45 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- U.S. travelers with health problems should avoid cruise ships, the State Department warned, as the nation prepares for disruptions. Italy's coronavirus deaths rose 57%, eclipsing South Korea.New York City wants residents to walk or bicycle to work to avoid crowded rush-hour subways. The Grand Princess cruise ship with ill passengers and crew will dock on Monday in Oakland, California.As of Sunday, about half of the world's countries have cases of Covid-19. Futures on U.S. stock indexes tumbled as plummeting oil prices added to the dread surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.Key Developments:Cases surpass 108,000 worldwide; deaths exceed 3,700China fatalities rise to 3,097Apple employees can work from homeFrance bans large gatheringsSaudi Arabia closes schools indefinitelyFrance tops 1,000 confirmed casesVirus gets dangerous when it reaches the lungsOutbreak tied to London-Hanoi flight rattles VietnamClick VRUS on the terminal for news and data on the coronavirus and here for maps and charts. For analysis of the impact from Bloomberg Economics, click here.Senator Begins 14-Day Quarantine (7:45 a.m. HK)Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz said he will quarantine himself for 14 days after learning he briefly interacted with someone at the Conservative Political Action Conference who has tested positive for Covid-19.Cruz said he had a brief conversation and a handshake at the meeting held in Maryland in late February."I'm not experiencing any symptoms, and I feel fine and healthy," Cruz said in a statement. "Given that the interaction was 10 days ago, that the average incubation period is 5-6 days, that the interaction was for less than a minute, and that I have no current symptoms, the medical authorities have advised me that the odds of transmission from the other individual to me were extremely low."NYC Urges Disrupting Routines (7:15 a.m. HK)New Yorkers should avoid the subway at rush hour by cycling or walking to work, or stay home and telecommute, as Mayor Bill De Blasio outlined plans to fight the coronavirus. International travel has been canceled for city workers and school students."We are asking New Yorkers to adjust their routines to stem the spread of the virus where they can," de Blasio said in a statement. "If you feel sick, stay home."New York City has 13 confirmed cases, the most recent a patient in the Bronx. The state has 105 cases, mostly in the city and the suburbs.De Blasio said residents with chronic lung or heart disease, cancer, diabetes or a weakened immune system should avoid unnecessary gatherings. The mayor ordered city workers to cancel non-essential international travel.At a briefing, de Blasio prepared the city for a surge of cases as more people are tested: "I think we could well be at hundred cases or hundreds of cases over next two or three weeks," he said.Democrat Sanders Calls for Free Vaccine (7 a.m. HK)Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says any eventual vaccine for the new coronavirus should be available free of charge once developed and approved.Democrats have increasingly called for affordability guarantees for medicines developed in part through taxpayer-funded research.Gilead Sciences Inc. is testing the antiviral remdesivir in two phase III clinical trials -- the large studies needed to win Food and Drug Administration approval -- in China's Hubei province, as well as in a U.S. trial led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Gilead expects results in April.Saudi Arabia Blocks Some Travel (6:55 a.m. HK)Saudi Arabia temporarily banned travel to nine countries, state-run SPA reported, citing a statement issued by the Interior Ministry. The decision applies to citizens as well as residents; entry of citizens from the nine countries is also banned.The countries include the U.A.E, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq.Some Elderly Warned Against Cruises (6 a.m. HK)The U.S. State Department warned Americans with underlying health conditions against travel on cruise ships, citing the higher risk of contracting the coronavirus and complications when infections occur.The warning, on the department's travel advice website, said some ships with ill passengers have been denied by local officials the right to dock at ports, which prevents passengers from disembarking."Older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease," the agency said. "This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships."The Grand Princess liner, off the California coast with more than 20 ill passengers and crew, is scheduled to dock on Monday after being denied entry in San Francisco. In Asia, Malaysia banned cruise ships. Carnival Corp. had hundreds of infected passengers aboard its Diamond Princess ship, which docked off Yokohama last month.U.S. Advised on Daily Disruptions (5 p.m. NY)U.S. officials went on Sunday talk shows to brace Americans for more changes to their daily routines as a result of Covid-19, from reduced travel to cancellations of large events.Elderly people with health issues should immediately reconsider travel and large gatherings, said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases."You should start to distance yourself from the risk, crowds, getting on a plane, on a long plane trip, and, above all, don't get on a cruise ship," Fauci advised people with underlying health risks on "Fox News Sunday."Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the effort to contain the virus bought time but suggested the epidemic was entering a new phase more disruptive to daily life.Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS: "The next two weeks are really going to change the complexion in this country. We'll get through this, but it's going to be a hard period."France Bans Some Large Gatherings (4 p.m. NY)France has banned gatherings with more than 1,000 people, down from 5,000 previously, Health Minister Olivier Veran said in Paris. There will be some exceptions in cases that are in the interest of the nation, he said.Total coronavirus cases rose to 1,126, with 19 fatalities.Seattle Nursing Home Deaths Mount (3:55 p.m. NY)The number of reported virus cases in King County, home to Seattle and its suburbs, jumped to 83, public health officials said in a statement. Among 12 new cases reported, two additional people have died -- one a woman in her 80s and the other a man in his 90s.King County has been an epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S., with 17 deaths. All but one of those has been linked to an elder care facility in Kirkland, Washington. The total state death toll is 18.Washington state officials reported 21 new cases, raising the total to 123 from 102.Cruise Ship to Dock in Oakland Monday (3:15 p.m. NY)The Grand Princess cruise ship, with more than 20 passengers and crew confirmed with Covid-19, will dock in Oakland, California, on Monday, as authorities mobilize to get the acutely ill medical care at nearby hospitals.Others are to be sent to quarantine or flown out of the state. The Port of Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco, was selected because it is the easiest to seal off, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services said in a press release.Apple Workers Can Work at Home (3 p.m. NY)Apple employees at most offices have been offered the ability to work from home by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, who called the virus outbreak an "unprecedented event" and a "challenging moment."Cook told workers that if their jobs allow it, they can work remotely March 9-13, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg News. That extends the company's move on Friday to encourage employees in California and Seattle to work remotely.This policy covers areas with the greatest density of infections, Cook said: the Santa Clara Valley and Elk Grove areas in California, Seattle, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland and the U.K.Saudi Arabia Closes Schools: SPA (2:45 p.m. NY)The Saudi Higher Education Ministry temporarily shut all schools and colleges until further notice to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, the state-run SPA reported.The education ministry said it would begin remote visual schooling during the suspension, according to the report.Earlier Sunday, the kingdom suspended entry and exit from Al Qatif governorate in the oil-rich Eastern Province after 11 cases were reported. The province is home to a large number of Shiites, the sect of Islam followed by majority of Iranians.Most cases of the coronavirus in the Middle East are linked to Iran.Coronavirus Deaths Jump in Italy (1:25 p.m. NY)Italy reported 7,375 coronavirus cases and 366 deaths, a significant jump from the 233 fatalities recorded on Saturday. The country now outpaces South Korea in cases and fatalities.Portuguese President to Work From Home (1:30 p.m. NY)Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will work from his private residence for the next two weeks, according to a statement Sunday on the presidency's website. The decision was taken after a student, from a school that had a class visit the presidential palace, was admitted to a hospital.The class from Felgueiras, in northern Portugal, had attended an event Tuesday with 71-year-old Rebelo de Sousa in Lisbon. Neither the hospitalized student nor his class was on the visit.While the president has no symptoms, he decided to cancel all his public activities and considers he set an example of "prevention." Although he's not involved in daily government business and has a mostly ceremonial role, Portugal's president has the power to dissolve parliament and is directly elected.being.\--With assistance from Angelina Rascouet, Noah Buhayar, Hailey Waller, Zaid Sabah and Joao Lima.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Steve Geimann in Washington at sgeimann@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann, Ian FisherFor 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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| North Korea Launched Unidentified Projectile, South Korea Says Posted: 08 Mar 2020 04:24 PM PDT |
| Iowa governor announces first 3 COVID-19 cases in state Posted: 08 Mar 2020 04:19 PM PDT |
| S Korea’s military: North fires 3 unidentified projectiles Posted: 08 Mar 2020 04:00 PM PDT |
| Nashville church worships in the rubble after deadly tornado Posted: 08 Mar 2020 01:18 PM PDT  Bobbie Harris, 79, lost her rental home, her job and her church when a deadly tornado struck her community in North Nashville. "Through it all, God is good," Harris said. Harris joined other members of Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday to worship just outside the ruins of the church, which has been in the community for 135 years.
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| Trump’s Most Vital Mideast Allies Are Trending Fast Toward Tyranny Posted: 08 Mar 2020 10:39 AM PDT  PARIS—Donald Trump's most vital Mideast allies are trending fast toward tyranny, but does an American president who's always shown a rather conspicuous penchant for dictator envy really care?If not, he should. We all should. Because two of the most stable governmental systems in the highly unstable Middle East, Saudi Arabia's monarchy and Israel's democracy, are threatened by leaders who, it appears, will do just about anything to hold on to power. Trump Bet the Whole Middle East on Khashoggi's Alleged Murderer. Now He's Doubling Down.In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, only 34 years old and already the de facto ruler of the country where his enfeebled octogenarian father is king, reportedly has arrested an uncle and at least three cousins, one of them a former crown prince. This amid completely unconfirmed but politically volatile rumors they were plotting a coup against MBS, as he's known, or that his father, King Salman, has died and he is moving quickly to consolidate his absolute power. Given MBS's record in connection with the literal butchering of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, nobody puts anything past him.In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming his election was stolen by conspiratorial opponents in league with Arab "terrorists," and wants "the people" to set things straight, essentially calling them to the streets to keep him in power. Since November, at least, some of Netanyahu's opponents have suggested he might opt for civil war before he'd give up his grip; others have said that is inconceivable, but in Netanyahu's case his conspicuous lack of scruples makes all sorts of accusations seem plausible. He has been blocked from forming a government after last week's elections not only because his coalition fell three Knesset seats short of a majority, but because he has been indicted on multiple charges of corruption and his trial is set to begin on March 17.On Monday Netanyahu Was Toasting Victory. Now He's Toast."We have lost all shame and decency," retired Israeli Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein told the Center for Jewish and Democratic Law at Bar Ilan University on Wednesday in a warning about the threat to democracy unprecedented in Israeli history. "Conspiracies are floated from every platform. Plot lines such as 'the police and public prosecutors are joining forces to oust the prime minister'—it is completely false. These are things that never happened."Rubinstein decried what he called "a sort of brainwashing indicating that everything is terrible and rotten" when that is not the case at all. By Saturday, after convening an "emergency meeting" Netanyahu vowed "the public will yet settle the score with those trying to oust me." The response to histrionics by Netanyahu and his partisans by the former armed forces chief of staff, Benny Gantz, who most likely will form the next government, was measured but firm. "Netanyahu and his people are intentionally fueling violent and extreme discourse," Gantz said in a Facebook post on Friday. "Netanyahu is ignoring the election results and is prepared to burn everything on his way to avoiding trial."While Americans may find it easy (maybe all too easy) to understand the kind of threat to democracy taking shape in Israel, the situation in Saudi Arabia is sui generis, but no less important.The Kingdom, as it is called, was founded in the 1920s and '30s by a desert warrior named Abdelaziz ibn Saud. After oil was discovered in the country that he named for his family, the promise of enormous riches loomed on the horizon, and in the waning days of World War II, on a ship called the Quincy on the Great Bitter Lake that is part of the Suez Canal, Abdelaziz and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt reached an agreement to assure the Saudi monarchy's security while benefiting from its oil. Abdelaziz had more than 50 sons with multiple wives and concubines, and all of them were potential successors. After his death in 1953, the crown passed from one brother to another decade after decade in an increasingly sclerotic gerontocracy.There were power plays, to be sure. King Faisal ousted his dissolute predecessor, suppressed the most crazed of the religious fanatics who had supported the monarchy beforehand, and was murdered by a relative of one of those killed.But by and large the system worked as senior princes reached consensus on who should be the next in line and the succession was orderly.Eventually, a powerful clique of princes emerged who were full brothers: sons of Abdelaziz and of the same mother, Hassa bint Ahmed al Sudairi. There were seven of them and they were known to Saudi watchers, inevitably, as "the Sudairi seven."The arrests and intrigues we are seeing now are within that powerful subset of the House of Saud. King Fahd bin Abdelaziz was a Sudairi. When he died in 2005, he was succeeded by Abdullah bin Abdelaziz, who was not a Sudair, and was his mother's only child. There was an understanding that the Sudairis would return to power when Abdullah died. But that took longer than expected. And while Abdullah lingered on the throne, the senior Sudairi successors—Defense Minister Sultan and Interior Minister Nayef—died of natural causes. That left Salman bin Abdelaziz as the crown prince and, when Abdullah finally shuffled off the mortal coil in 2015, the king. What nobody had reckoned on were the ambitions and charisma of one of Salman's younger sons by one of his later wives. Mohammed bin Salman was only 29 when his father became king, but very soon was in charge of just about everything, including the military and the economy.In the five years since, he has defanged the long-feared religious police, opened up Saudi Arabia to mass entertainment, and given women, at last, permission to drive. But he has imprisoned, intimidated and extorted anyone rich enough to challenge him. MBS also went to war in Yemen to prove he was tough on Iran, wading into a quagmire from which Saudi Arabia has yet to extricate itself. But, most importantly for Americans, he carried out the financial seduction of Trump son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, then Trump himself. All that Saudi money was irresistible to such artists of the deal, and Riyadh was the first foreign capital President Trump visited. You may remember Trump dancing with a sword and putting his hands on a weird glowing orb.The Khashoggi murder in October 2018 crystallized the fears of many of MBS's fellow princes that he was as dangerous as he was charismatic, but by then only the bravest of his critics would speak out, and they knew what the price could be: imprisonment, torture, or worse.So who could challenge him? Who would? The question here is not who did, but who might conceivably have done so.High on the list was MBS's uncle, Ahmed bin Abdelaziz, at 77 the youngest of the Sudairi sons and thus in the traditional system dating back to 1953, the king-in-waiting—even though he seemed to have been passed over.More problematic still for MBS was a member of the second generation, the son of Nayef, another Sudairi, Mohammed bin Nayef known as MBN. As the head of Saudi Arabia's counterterror ops and then as interior minister, MBN was well known and well respected by the U.S. government, including and especially the CIA. Indeed, MBN actually held the position of crown prince and heir apparent in the early days of King Salman's rule until MBS, using some of the same team of thugs that went on to murder Khashoggi, forced him to resign.Both of the senior princes MBS would see as a threat, his uncle Ahmed bin Abdelaziz and his cousin MBN, had kept low profiles of late, and MBN was said to be under house arrest since his ouster as crown prince. Now, according to the Wall Street Journal's reporting on the arrests, they could face prolonged prison terms or, indeed, execution.Bibi and MBS. Such are the pillars on which Donald Trump has built policy in the Middle East.Noga Tarnopolsky contributed reporting from Jerusalem.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| Despite virus risk, 2020 hopefuls keep up campaigns for now Posted: 08 Mar 2020 10:36 AM PDT  As the coronavirus hits more states, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Sunday his campaign is gauging when it may become necessary to cancel the large campaign rallies that public health experts say could be breeding grounds to spread the potentially deadly illness. "Obviously what is most important to us is to protect the health of the American people," Sanders said as he appeared in a series of TV interviews. "And what I will tell you, we are talking to public health officials all over this country."
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| U.N. trade body predicts big coronavirus hit to foreign direct investment Posted: 08 Mar 2020 10:00 AM PDT |
| Women fill streets of world's cities with call for justice Posted: 08 Mar 2020 09:52 AM PDT  Women filled the streets of the world's largest cities Sunday to protest gender violence, inequality and exploitation on International Women's Day, with the mothers of murdered girls leading a march in Mexico City and participants in Paris inveighing against the "virus of the patriarchy." While many protests were peaceful celebrations others were marred by tension, with security forces arresting demonstrators at a rally in Kyrgyzstan and police reportedly using tear gas to break up a demonstration by thousands of women in Turkey. Protesters called for higher pay and job security, and demanded that President Rodrigo Duterte respect women's rights.
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| China May Be Beating the Coronavirus, at a Painful Cost Posted: 08 Mar 2020 09:18 AM PDT  BEIJING -- As the new coronavirus races around the world, tanking markets, cutting off global travel and suspending school for hundreds of millions of children, governments are desperate for ways to contain it.China, the place where it first appeared, says it has the answers.To the surprise of some, the country that concealed and mismanaged the initial outbreak appears to be bringing it under control, at least by its own official figures. The number of new cases reported has fallen dramatically in recent days even as infections are surging in other countries. The World Health Organization has praised Beijing's response.Officials reported only 99 new cases on Saturday, down from around 2,000 a day just weeks ago, and for the second day in a row, none were detected in Hubei province outside of its capital, Wuhan, the center of the outbreak.China says the trend proves that its containment measures -- which include a lockdown on nearly 60 million people in Hubei and strict quarantine and travel restrictions for hundreds of millions of citizens and foreigners -- are working. And it has begun trying to promote its efforts as successful in propaganda at home and abroad.The rest of the world, much of it fearfully confronting its first cases, has taken note. But there is also concern that China's numbers may be flawed and incomplete. The real test will be whether the virus flares again when children return to classrooms and workers to factories, and commuters start taking buses and subways.China's blunt force strategy poses deeper questions for other countries. Its campaign has come at great cost to people's livelihoods and personal liberties. Even countries that could copy China still have to ask whether the cure is worse than the disease."I think they did an amazing job of knocking the virus down," said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. "But I don't know if it's sustainable. What have the Chinese really accomplished? Have they really contained the virus? Or have they just suppressed it?"Elsewhere, Italy, South Korea and Iran are struggling to control the spread of the virus. In the United States, where there are now more than 400 confirmed cases, the government has been criticized for fumbling its rollout of test kits and allowing the virus to spread in vulnerable communities like a nursing home in Seattle. The outbreak now threatens global growth and is intensifying a backlash against immigration and globalization.Countries studying China's approach would need to consider how it has upended nearly every corner of Chinese society.The economy has ground to a near standstill, and many small businesses say they may soon run out of cash. Patients with critical illnesses are struggling to find timely care, and some have died. Hundreds of millions of people have been placed in some form of isolation. As of Friday, about 827,000 people remained under quarantine in Beijing, according to the state-run China Daily newspaper."I have been worried about all the focus on just controlling the virus," said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. She recommended a more measured response, such as that taken by the governments in Hong Kong and Singapore. Officials there enacted targeted quarantines but did not shut down workplaces altogether, allowing their respective economies to continue operating while so far successfully containing the virus."We have to take a broad view of the impact on society," Nuzzo said, "and do a better accounting for the social tolls of these measures that is not just focused on the numbers."For China, the numbers are key.The number of cases reported on Saturday was a substantial decline from 2 1/2 weeks ago, when China was recording around 2,000 new infections and as many as 100 deaths a day. Twenty-eight new deaths were reported on Saturday, all in Hubei.By comparison, Italy reported 49 deaths from the virus on Friday.Outside of Wuhan, the spread has effectively stopped, according to the official figures. All but one of the 99 new cases reported on Saturday were in Wuhan or were people who had traveled to China from abroad.The World Health Organization says China's containment measures may have saved hundreds of thousands of people from infection. Its efforts show that uncontrolled spread of the virus "is not a one-way street," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the group's director general, said on Thursday."This epidemic can be pushed back," Tedros said, "but only with a collective, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government."WHO experts sent to China have also highlighted clinics that could diagnose hundreds of cases a day with CT scans and laboratory tests, and the mass isolation centers in stadiums in Wuhan that separated people who had mild infections from their families."There's no question that China's bold approach to the rapid spread of this new respiratory pathogen has changed the course of what was a rapidly escalating and continues to be a deadly epidemic," Dr. Bruce Aylward, the leader of the WHO team that visited China, told reporters in Beijing late last month.The numbers suggest that aggressive quarantine measures, when fully enforced, could choke the spread of the virus, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University."This is the largest public health experiment in the history of humankind," Schaffner said. "They can't turn it off, but they did turn it down. And it did provide the rest of the world with some extra time."Still, the total number of infections in China, at more than 80,000, is staggering. And there are reasons to doubt the official figures.In the early days of the outbreak, a shortage of test kits and hospital beds meant that many were not able to get tested. Many mild infections are likely going undetected. The government has changed how it counts cases several times in recent weeks, prompting large fluctuations in the reported figures, though experts say such adjustments are not unusual.Medical experts say that there have been few signs that the government has aggressively tested for the coronavirus outside of medical facilities in Hubei. Until they broaden the scope of testing, experts say, it will be impossible to determine the true extent of the epidemic because those who have mild infections might not see a doctor."At the moment we are focused on the tip of the iceberg," said David Hui, director of the Stanley Ho Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.The ruling Communist Party hails the slowdown of the outbreak as a sign of the superiority of its authoritarian, top-down political system that gives officials nearly unchecked power. But its heavy-handed measures are testing the patience of its citizens, many of whom think such a clampdown could have been avoided if officials had not first hid the scale of the outbreak and silenced whistleblowers.The impact of the restrictions has been felt most acutely in Hubei, where 56 million people have been effectively penned in since January. For more than five weeks, the typically bustling hub of universities, commerce and transportation has been transformed into a collection of ghost towns as the virus has ravaged communities, ensnared entire families and infected thousands of medical workers.China's experience combating the virus has also highlighted the risk of family transmission if hospitals run out of beds and testing kits, as they did in Wuhan, where for weeks, many who were sick were sent home and infected their relatives.Roadblocks have sealed off cities, public transportation has been shut down and private cars have been mostly banned from the roads. In Wuhan, restrictions on individual movement have been stepped up in recent weeks, with residents now mostly barred from leaving their homes.Among residents in Hubei, there are signs that anger and frustration are mounting. Chinese social media sites are flooded with posts from residents saying they have lost their jobs because of the extended lockdown, making it difficult to make payments on mortgages and loans. Others have described food shortages in their communities.On Thursday, in a rare public rebuke of the government, disgruntled people in a residential community in Wuhan heckled high-level officials as they walked through the neighborhood on an inspection."Fake! Everything is fake!" shouted one resident at the delegation, which included Sun Chunlan, a vice premier leading the central government's response to the outbreak.The state-run People's Daily newspaper later said that the accusations were aimed at local neighborhood officials who had "faked" delivery of vegetables and meat to residents. Sun ordered an immediate investigation into the issue.Wang Zhonglin, the party secretary of Wuhan, announced plans on Friday to teach the city's residents to be grateful to the party, a move that was quickly met with derision and anger on Chinese social media.Relationships are also fraying as families are forced to live for extended periods in confined spaces. Guo Jing, a feminist activist in Wuhan, said she and other volunteers had fielded a number of requests for help from residents reporting physical abuse by their family members at home."Under these circumstances, it's really difficult for them to find help during the epidemic," said Guo. "It's so difficult to leave the house."Fang Fang, a writer who has been keeping a widely read -- and often-censored -- online journal of life in Wuhan, said that the lockdown was exacting a psychological toll on residents."Ordinary people have no source of income and lack a sense of certainty even about when they'll be able to go out," she wrote in a recent entry. "When you can't feel the ground or you lose control over a situation, it's easy to lose the most basic sense of security."Outside of Hubei, China wants to fire up its economy, but local officials are also under immense pressure to take no risks in order to reduce the number of infections. Even as provinces have lowered their alert levels for the virus, many companies are choosing to err on the side of caution. Some have even faked electricity consumption rates in order to hit stringent back-to-work targets, according to a recent report by Caixin, an influential Chinese magazine.Some experts are increasingly wondering if China's lockdown will become pointless the more widespread the virus becomes. Given the global spread of the virus and the difficulty of spotting mild cases, they say, it is unlikely that it will ever be completely eliminated -- even in China."I do think the declining case numbers likely mean that all these incredible measures that have been taken are probably having an effect," said Marc Lipsitch, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "But I don't think zero is zero."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Trump impeachment: Key witness says Putin has US 'exactly where he wants us' Posted: 08 Mar 2020 08:17 AM PDT  One of the former officials who testified in the impeachment hearings against Donald Trump has warned that Vladimir Putin has the US "exactly where he wants us".Speaking to CBS's 60 Minutes in her first major interview since her testimony last year, Fiona Hill said that while the Russians did not invent the divisions in US politics and society they knew how to exploit them.
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| Behind the scenes, scientists prep for COVID-19 vaccine test Posted: 08 Mar 2020 06:59 AM PDT  A team of scientists jostled for a view of the lab dish, staring impatiently for the first clue that an experimental vaccine against the new coronavirus just might work. After weeks of round-the-clock research at the National Institutes of Health, it was time for a key test. "Especially at moments like this, everyone crowds around," said Kizzmekia Corbett, an NIH research fellow leading the vaccine development.
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| 60 years later, 'An Appeal for Human Rights' still resonates Posted: 08 Mar 2020 06:58 AM PDT  Sixty years have passed since Roslyn Pope came home from Europe to a segregated South and channeled her frustrations into writing "An Appeal for Human Rights." The document published on March 9, 1960, announced the formation of the Atlanta Student Movement, whose campaign of civil disobedience broke a suffocating stalemate over civil rights in Atlanta and hastened the end of racist Jim Crow laws and policies across the region. After all this time, Pope is deeply concerned that their hard-won achievements are slipping away.
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| Nursing homes face unique challenge with coronavirus Posted: 08 Mar 2020 06:53 AM PDT  From Miami to Seattle, nursing homes and other facilities for the elderly are stockpiling masks and thermometers, preparing for staff shortages and screening visitors to protect a particularly vulnerable population from the coronavirus. Of the 21 deaths across the U.S. as of Sunday, at least 16 had been linked to a Seattle-area nursing home, along with many other infections among residents, staff and family members. The Seattle Times reported that a second nursing home and a retirement community in the area had each reported one case of the virus.
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| Lufthansa Seeks Government Support Amid Coronavirus Hit Posted: 08 Mar 2020 06:15 AM PDT |
| Harris endorses Biden; Jesse Jackson backs Sanders Posted: 08 Mar 2020 05:54 AM PDT  The decision by the California senator who was one of three black candidates seeking to challenge President Donald Trump further solidifies the Democratic establishment's move to close circles around Biden after his Super Tuesday success. Sanders, a Vermont senator, countered with his own major endorsement on Sunday, announcing that civil rights icon Jesse Jackson was formally backing him. Jackson appeared with Sanders during a campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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| `We can do it,' say young believers fueling Sanders campaign Posted: 08 Mar 2020 05:09 AM PDT  They've watched their parents and friends struggle to pay medical bills. The young Bernie Sanders supporters who gathered for a Super Tuesday watch party in Michigan came with reasons both personal and ideological for wanting him to be president. "Young people are aspirational," said Jaclyn Schess, 24, a health economics researcher at the University of Michigan.
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| Targets of crackdown in China fear government's reach in US Posted: 08 Mar 2020 04:41 AM PDT  Since 2017, more than 1 million people have been confined to internment camps and many more are monitored in their own homes. The messaging platform is censored for ordinary people in China, but often is used by authorities. "I feel like I'm being watched even in the United States," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he fears reprisals from the Chinese government.
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| Merkel’s Bloc Support Drops on Power Struggle as Greens Close In Posted: 08 Mar 2020 04:27 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Support for Chancellor Angela Merkel's bloc has dropped to its weakest level since October 2018, as her party is embroiled in a leadership contest and as Europe's largest economy struggles with low growth and the fallout from the coronavirus.Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, would together garner 24%, down one percentage point from a week earlier, according to a weekly survey conducted by Kantar for Bild's Sunday edition.The drop means the opposition Greens are just two percentage points behind, on 22%. The Social Democrats and the anti-capitalist Left party are on 17% and 9%, respectively.The leaders of the governing coalition, which is made up of the CDU/CSU and the SPD, will meet later Sunday in Berlin to discuss possible measures to deal with the economic consequences of the coronavirus. The country's influential industry federation BDI on Thursday warned of a recession and urged the government to consider stimulus measures.The government is considering looser rules for companies to apply for short-time work support and expanding programs for loans and guarantees to ease a cash crunch from disruptions to supply and demand. The government may also accelerate plans to phase out the so-called solidarity tax, which helped finance Germany's reunification costs over three decades.Following a political crisis that forced CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to step aside last month, party delegates will elect a new chair at a convention on April 25. Merkel critic Friedrich Merz and loyalist Armin Laschet are the leading contenders.The poll by Kantar surveyed 1,423 people between Feb. 27 and March 3. No margin of error was given.To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Reiter in Berlin at creiter2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Nick Rigillo, Christopher SellFor 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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| Pilgrims turn to prayer, kinship during coronavirus scare Posted: 08 Mar 2020 04:25 AM PDT  A group of Christian pilgrims from Alabama is turning to prayer and positive thinking as they cope with an open-ended coronavirus quarantine, confined to their West Bank hotel rooms while they wait for clearance to return to the United States. Chris Bell, the lead pastor at the 3Circle Church in Fairhope, Ala., said his 13-member group arrived last week for what was supposed to be a dream-of-a-lifetime trip to the Holy Land.
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| At least 26 Iraqis among killed in Syria road accident Posted: 08 Mar 2020 04:13 AM PDT |
| Israel election challenger gets extra security after threats Posted: 08 Mar 2020 03:56 AM PDT  Israel's parliament on Sunday beefed up the security detail protecting Benny Gantz, the main electoral challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after deeming various death threats against Gantz to be credible. The threats came in the wake of last week's volatile and inconclusive election, in which Netanyahu was unable to capture the parliamentary majority needed to form a government. Gantz revealed that a man tried to assault him Saturday evening as he arrived at a speaking engagement, and that Netanyahu supporters have been threatening him online.
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| 10 dead, 23 missing as hotel in China virus fight collapses Posted: 08 Mar 2020 01:13 AM PST  At least 10 people were killed in the collapse of Chinese hotel that was being used to isolate people who had arrived from other parts of China hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, authorities said Sunday. The sudden collapse of the building in the southeastern city of Quanzhou on Saturday evening trapped 71 people, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said. The cause of the collapse was under investigation, and the owner of the building was put under police control, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
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| UK's Sunak pledges more help for health service to fight coronavirus Posted: 08 Mar 2020 12:47 AM PST |
| California prepares to dock cruise ship with 21 virus cases Posted: 08 Mar 2020 12:30 AM PST  As the U.S. death toll from the new coronavirus reached at least 21, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the mayor of Oakland sought Sunday to reassure the public that none of the passengers from a ship carrying people with the virus will be released into the public before undergoing a 14-day quarantine. The Grand Princess carrying more than 3,500 people from 54 countries is expected to dock Monday in Oakland, in the east San Francisco Bay, and was idling off the coast Sunday as officials prepared a port site. "This is a time that we must be guided by facts and not fears, and our public deserves to know what's going on," Mayor Libby Schaaf said.
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| UK to deliver post-Brexit budget under virus cloud Posted: 07 Mar 2020 11:03 PM PST  Britain unveils its first post-Brexit budget on Wednesday and analysts expect Prime Minister Boris Johnson to press ahead with major spending on infrastructure, despite the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Finance minister Rishi Sunak, who will present the budget after his predecessor Sajid Javid resigned unexpectedly last month, is also scheduled to outline emergency funding measures in the battle against COVID-19. Before the novel coronavirus hit the headlines, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak had said the budget "will deliver" on recent government promises of "unleashing the country's potential".
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| Europe’s Longest-Serving Leader Now Wants His Own Church Posted: 07 Mar 2020 09:00 PM PST |
| Official: White House didn't want to tell seniors not to fly Posted: 07 Mar 2020 07:25 PM PST  The White House overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines because of the new coronavirus, a federal official told The Associated Press. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention submitted the plan as a way of trying to control the virus, but White House officials ordered the air travel recommendation be removed, said the official who had direct knowledge of the plan. Trump administration officials have since suggested certain people should consider not traveling, but have stopped short of the stronger guidance sought by the CDC.
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| Venezuela on agenda for Trump's meeting with Brazil's leader Posted: 07 Mar 2020 12:08 PM PST  President Donald Trump would not commit Saturday to continue holding off on hitting Brazil with tariffs on imports of its aluminum and steel, saying "I don't make any promises." Trump commented in the presence of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who Trump was hosting for dinner at his resort home in southern Florida. In a tweet in December, Trump accused Bolsonaro's government of hurting American farmers by manipulating its currency.
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