| Trump curbs immigration as UN warns of food shortages Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:39 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump announced partial curbs on immigration Tuesday to "protect American workers" amid the economic carnage of the coronavirus pandemic. As Trump announced a 60-day pause in the issuing of "green cards" to people seeking permanent residency in the US, the United Nations warned that the virus could trigger famine in already vulnerable countries. Governments are also concerned about the mounting economic costs, and Trump announced that he would sign an executive order on Wednesday restricting immigration to the United States, where some 22 million people have lost their jobs.
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| North Korean media silent on Kim's whereabouts as speculation on health rages Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:09 PM PDT |
| Trump on N. Korean leader Kim Jong Un: 'I wish him well' Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:30 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump wished North Korea's Kim Jong Un "well" on Tuesday but stopped short of directly commenting on the reclusive leader's health amid reports he underwent surgery. "I can only say this: I wish him well," Trump told reporters at the White House, noting the "good relationship" he shares with the North Korean leader. "I just hope he's doing fine," Trump said, adding he "may" reach out to Kim to see how he is doing.
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| ‘An even deeper emergency’: U.N. chief says there’s a bigger threat than coronavirus Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:16 PM PDT |
| South Africa coronavirus lockdown: Is the alcohol ban working? Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:13 PM PDT  The BBC's Andrew Harding reports on the ban on the sale of alcohol during the nationwide lockdown.
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| Wanna be a dictator? Who might take over North Korea from Kim Jong Un Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:52 PM PDT  In these dark days for many mom-and-pop shops, it is with heavy hearts the world learns that the current proprietor of North Korea may be gravely ill after surgery. Perhaps half-brother Kim Jong Nam will take the reins. Kim Jong Un's security goons assassinated him using a nerve agent in 2017?
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| Trump Says He Will Suspend Legal Immigration to U.S. for 60 Days Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:50 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he would suspend legal immigration to the U.S. for at least two months to help Americans who have been put out of work because of the coronavirus crisis."It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced by new immigrant labor flown in from abroad," Trump said at a White House briefing on Tuesday evening. "We must first take care of the American worker."The pause will be in effect for 60 days and will apply only to individuals seeking permanent residency, Trump said.He added that "certain exemptions" would be allowed in an executive order, which he said would be signed, "most likely" by Wednesday. "There will be some people coming in."That apparently includes agricultural laborers. Trump said that "the farmers will not be affected by this at all."A draft of the executive order, obtained earlier by by Bloomberg News, said the suspension would last for 90 days.The draft order does include exceptions for people seeking jobs in "food production and directly helping to protect the supply chain," which could apply to farm workers. The ban would also not apply to health care or medical research professionals, according to the draft.Technology industry workers living in the U.S. on H-1B visas, however, would have to provide updated certifications to the government that they are not displacing American workers. Refugees and asylum seekers would not be affected by the order, nor would spouses and children of U.S. citizens or permanent residents.The draft order, which has not been finalized, frames the immigration curbs as crucial to the Trump administration's effort to revive the economy devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, by protecting what it calls "the marginal worker.""I have determined that we cannot jump start the domestic economy if Americans are forced to compete against an artificially enlarged labor pool caused by the introduction of foreign workers," Trump said in the draft. "I have determined that the entry of most aliens as permanent or temporary workers in the immediate term would have adverse impacts on the national interest."The White House declined to comment.In response to a question on Tuesday evening, Trump said he was considering a "secondary order" that would include more immigration restrictions. "I'll be signing the primary order and then we have a secondary order that, if I want to do that, we'll make that determination. We could that -- yeah we could do that at a little bit different time if we want." He did not elaborate.Impact Isn't ClearThe practical effect of the order remains unclear. Immigration agencies and embassies have largely stopped processing visas, meaning many of those seeking to immigrate to or visit the U.S. cannot do so.Refugee admissions have been suspended since March 19 after the United Nations and International Organizations for Migration temporarily halted refugee travel. The U.S. suspension has been extended to May 15.Trump announced the measure in a tweet late Monday. As of midday Tuesday, the White House had provided no detail, but the Justice Department is reviewing the executive order for form and legality, one department official said.The substance remains up for debate internally as does whether it applies to non-immigrant visas held by students, physicians, teachers, or researchers, among others, according to a person close to the administration, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.The draft order suggested that physicians and medical researchers would be exempt.Surprise TweetThe White House asked the Department of Homeland Security to begin working on a ban last week, but Trump's tweet Monday caught immigration officials off guard, according to a person close to the administration, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity.Early Republican reaction was mixed, and carve-outs were already emerging. Administration officials quietly told farm groups the measure won't impact seasonal foreign agriculture workers, who harvest U.S. crops, according to two industry representatives who spoke on condition of anonymity.Trump's sudden announcement comes as he looks to contain the health, economic and political fallout from the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 42,000 Americans in an election year, while shuttering the economy whose strength had been the base of his campaign only two months ago. Trump has cited the virus as evidence to stay the course on his agenda, by further restricting U.S. borders and pushing to manufacture more goods domestically.He tweeted that he made the decision "in light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens."Divided CourtA sharply divided Supreme Court said in 2018 that the president has sweeping authority to restrict entry into the country -- and might not even have to explain why. That 5-4 ruling upheld Trump's earlier controversial travel ban, which barred entry into the country from a group of mostly Muslim countries.Chief Justice John Roberts's majority opinion pointed to a federal immigration law that lets the president suspend entry of "all aliens or any class of aliens" if the chief executive finds that their arrival would be "detrimental to the interests of the United States."Read more: Trump Has Key Ally for His Immigration Halt: The Supreme CourtThat provision "exudes deference to the president in every clause," Roberts wrote for the five Republican-appointed justices in the majority. Roberts dismissed contentions that Trump hadn't justified his travel ban, saying those arguments depended on the "questionable" premise that the law requires the president to provide a detailed explanation.Cracking down on illegal immigration and a promise to erect a wall at the Mexican border formed the centerpiece of Trump's election campaign in 2016. His Gallup approval rating slipped six points last week as scrutiny of his handling of the outbreak has intensified, and the U.S. leads the world in total reported cases.National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, speaking to reporters Tuesday at the White House, called the suspension "a temporary issue" and said he didn't know how long it would last."We'll have to wait and see. Look, we don't know what the time horizon is going to be for the fight against this virus," O'Brien said. "No one likes it. The president didn't want to put travel restrictions in place, he didn't want to put immigration restrictions in place, but we have to because of this terrible virus that's been unleashed from foreign shores."'We Need People'Lawmakers had yet to receive any details from the administration as of midday Tuesday, one Republican official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said he doesn't know if Trump's pause on legal immigration makes sense. "We've been a welcoming nation and we need people," Grassley said on C-SPAN Tuesday. However, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas welcomed it. "I think this is a reasonable short-term measure, a reasonable emergency measure," Cruz told Fox News on Tuesday.t's the latest measure taken by Trump and his administration to restrict the U.S. border amid the pandemic. Trump has imposed broad travel restrictions on China, Europe, Canada and Mexico to curb the virus's spread, and the State Department last month temporarily suspended routine visa services at embassies and consulates.The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has also already suspended routine in-person services, but is still offering some emergency services.Trump's tweet raised the prospect of an order freezing all new applications from foreigners to live and work in the U.S., potentially shutting down the legal immigration system as the president and his advisers have already restricted international travel and long pushed to close borders to entry of undocumented migrants. Whether he'll consider certain exemptions is unclear -- the administration has worked recently to still allow farm workers in from Mexico, for instance.Agencies Prepare for ReturnAt the same time, the White House has ordered federal agencies to begin preparing to return workers to offices and begun to reopen parts of the country, despite a widespread shortage of testing and warnings of a second wave.The president has often said the pandemic has strengthened his desire to further restrict access to the U.S., and even to manufacture certain products on home soil.Congressman Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, wrote on Twitter that the suspension was "not only an attempt to divert attention away from Trump's failure to stop the spread of the coronavirus and save lives, but an authoritarian-like move to take advantage of a crisis and advance his anti-immigrant agenda."Since becoming president, Trump has sought to curb immigration and migration widely -- including the restrictions on travel from Muslim-majority nations, pushing to erect the wall, striking deals to almost immediately deport asylum seekers from certain countries and moving to slash the number of refugees that the U.S. accepts. He's also repeatedly criticized leaders of so-called sanctuary cities and mused about trying to end automatic citizenship for people born in the U.S.(Updates with more details on order, starting in fourth paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Nobody’s Expecting North Korea to Implode Without Kim Jong Un Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:40 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Reports of a health scare for Kim Jong Un are prompting North Korea watchers to envision the country without him: And the general consensus is that not much may change in how the regime deals with the outside world.While any sudden leadership change in a dictatorship as opaque as North Korea always has the potential for unintended consequences, the 36-year-old leader had consolidated power since taking over from his father in 2011. That has appeared to leave "no real advocates" for a Chinese-style opening of the North Korean economy or a change of approach with the U.S. on nuclear weapons, according to Robert Kelly, a professor at Pusan National University."I would be surprised if you didn't have another hardliner who more or less kept North Korea as it is, so I'm not sure that North Korea would suddenly implode," said Kelly, who writes extensively about the country from South Korea. "We need to kind of accept that North Korea is reasonably stable and will be with us for awhile."As usual with North Korea, it was near impossible to tell what was happening on Tuesday. U.S. officials said Kim was in critical condition after undergoing cardiovascular surgery last week, while South Korea's presidential office said that Kim was conducting "normal activities" in a rural part of the country and no unusual military movements were detected.President Donald Trump said later the U.S. doesn't know how Kim is doing."I wish him well, we've had a good relationship," Trump said at a White House briefing.If Kim were to be debilitated, the biggest immediate question mark surrounds succession. Given that North Korea has been ruled by one family since it was constituted after World War II, it's nearly a given that the next leader would come from within the dynasty.Kim has purged scores of senior officials since taking office, including his own uncle. In 2017, his half-brother Kim Jong Nam was killed with a chemical weapon at an airport in Malaysia, removing one of his last remaining rivals for power in the bloodline.While North Korea's patriarchal leadership structure is dominated by males, the most prolific family member is his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong. She served as his envoy to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, became the first member of the immediate ruling family to visit Seoul and was also by his side during Kim's summits in Vietnam and Singapore with Trump, who has touted his friendship with the North Korean leader even while pushing him to give up his nuclear weapons for sanctions relief.The two other prominent male members of the Kim family -- Kim Jong Chol, the current leader's older brother; and Kim Han Sol, the son of the murdered half-brother -- lack strong political support within the ruling party. There's also the possibility that Kim has a son through a previous relationship: South Korea's DongA Ilbo newspaper reported in 2017, citing a parliamentary committee, that the country's spy agency learned he had a son born in 2010."It is the outside world's wishful thinking that North Korea's ruling system will collapse if another Kim passes away," said Cheong Seong-chang, director at the Sejong Institute's Center for North Korean Studies. "With the broader leadership of the regime sharing the same interests with the Kim family, a prolonged leadership vacuum is highly unlikely."Survival has been a running theme in North Korea's dealings with the U.S. over the years, with the regime citing the American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a reason it needed to acquire nuclear weapons. Kim has doubled down on that effort since taking office, testing an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time in the face of threats from Trump to unleash "fire and fury" in addition to imposing stifling economic sanctions.Trump MeetingsThe escalation from Kim won him a series of face-to-face meetings with Trump, a first for a North Korean leader. And while the sanctions remain in place, Kim has since continued to build up the country's weapons as he pushes for North Korea to become accepted by the world as a nuclear-weapons state -- a stance that is unlikely to change if his sister or someone similar takes charge."There is little reason to expect change to North Korea's nuclear posture if Kim Jong Un is incapacitated," said Miha Hribernik, head of Asia risk analysis at consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft. "The country's nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals are its only guarantee against foreign military intervention. Kim's potential successor is unlikely to give up this trump card lightly."Trump, who is facing an election later this year, of late has shown little interest in stepping up pressure on North Korea. Last month, he wrote to Kim offering assistance to fight the virus, a letter that prompted a public response from his sister.Resilient SystemAs a heavy smoker -- and with a pandemic ravaging the world -- it wouldn't be particularly surprising to many analysts if something were to suddenly happen to Kim. But it's also true that very few people know for sure about Kim's health.When his grandfather Kim Il Sung died in 1994, the state kept his death a secret for almost two days to make arrangements for succession. Similarly in 2011, the death of his father Kim Jong Il was announced two days later unbeknown to the outside world, Thae Yong Ho, a former No. 2 at North Korea's U.K. embassy who defected to South Korea in 2016, wrote in his book.The succession process after the deaths of those two leaders show that a sudden demise for Kim was unlikely to change North Korea's political system, according to Kwon Eun-min, a lawyer with Kim & Chang, one of South Korea's most prominent law firms."Everyone worried that absence of the two leaders who had a strong grip on power to result in a rapid change of the power there," said Kwon, who has led a study on unification and North Korean laws. "But North Korea's capabilities of internal checks proved to be stronger than the outside world had imagined."(Updates with Trump comments in fifth paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Your Evening Briefing Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:08 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Earlier this month, Republicans in control of the Wisconsin legislature and the state's supreme court insisted that voters go to the polls amid the Covid-19 pandemic rather than delay the Democratic primary. The Republican-appointed majority of the U.S. Supreme Court also chimed in, declining to allow extended absentee voting. But Wisconsin residents showed up anyway, choosing to exercise their franchise even at the risk of illness. Now six of them and one poll worker have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. At the time, Senator Bernie Sanders called it a potentially " deadly" election. Wisconsin health officials said they expect the number of voters infected with the coronavirus to rise.Bloomberg is mapping the pandemic globally and across America. For the latest news, sign up for our Covid-19 podcast and daily newsletter.Here are today's top storiesAlready far and away the worst-hit nation in terms of deaths and infections, confirmed American Covid-19 cases jumped 5.7% in just one day, the most in almost two weeks. In England and Wales, deaths from the disease are also skyrocketing.Congress struck a deal on a new $484 billion rescue bill that replenishes a small business aid program widely criticized for freezing out, well, small businesses. There will also be more funding for Covid-19 testing, which governors in decimated states like New York and New Jersey say is critical to any safe reopening. Some $75 billion was allocated for hospitals, though much of it is being directed to rural parts of the country. President Donald Trump said he would sign the bill.There's another bailout bill on the way after this one, which brings us to the U.S. deficit. It may quadruple this year to almost $4 trillion (not to be mixed up with the national debt, which is on its way to $25 trillion). Projections show that by 2023, U.S. debt held by the public will surpass records set in the aftermath of World War II. See the scary charts here.So that malaria drug Trump has repeatedly touted as a treatment for the coronavirus? The one made by a pharmaceutical company in which several Trump allies, and Trump himself, reportedly have a financial stake? A panel of medical experts convened by the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommended against its use by Covid-19 patients as part of a drug combination. Also, the Food and Drug Administration advised there's yet another reason to quit smoking: It makes you more vulnerable to Covid-19, both getting it and dying from it.The United Auto Workers, whose membership gave significant support to Trump in 2016, endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president. Meanwhile, as Trump tries to shift blame for his administration's slow response on to governors, a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll showed that only 44% said he was doing a good or excellent job responding to the outbreak, while 72% said their governor was doing well.Oil's collapse is deepening. Just a day after U.S. crude futures for May delivery plunged below zero for the first time ever, June futures plummeted 43%, closing below $12 a barrel. The massive supply glut brought on by the pandemic and a worldwide shortage of storage space have touched off a relentless rout. (Saudi Arabia is doing pretty bad, too.) Trump has promised to intervene to save U.S. oil producers, but stocks dropped the most in three weeks.Everyone expected shut-in viewers to embrace Netflix during the pandemic. But few could have predicted the stampede.What you'll need to know tomorrowWho would be next atop North Korea if Kim Jong Un died? Singapore is extending its shutdown as virus cases surge. Green: India's lockdown is hurting coal and helping renewables. Even rich mortgage borrowers are getting rejected by lenders. Businessweek: America needs real-time economic data now. Fortnite maker Epic Games is punching above its $15 billion value. This new gadget may make your streaming sound a lot better.What you'll want to read tonightSome 22 million Americans filed for unemployment in the past month as businesses shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But internship programs, a key source of future employees for big companies, have proven surprisingly immune to the economic devastation. They are deeply ingrained in the recruiting process for some industries, especially on Wall Street and in consulting, and the pandemic hasn't been able to change that.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Virus outbreak in Ohio prisons highlights risk at US lockups Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:07 PM PDT  A massive coronavirus outbreak that has sickened nearly 4,000 inmates in Ohio has highlighted the dangers lurking in the nation's correctional facilities during the pandemic and what system-wide testing reveals about the scope of infections behind prison walls. The state ordered testing in prisons earlier this month as infections began to streak through guards, and this week the spike sent Ohio's broader tally of virus cases to nearly 14,000, including more than 550 deaths and over 2,600 hospitalizations. Prisons have been a major focus of concern since the virus first hit the United States, which incarcerates more people than any other nation — about 1.3 million inmates in state prisons and another 180,000 in federal penitentiaries.
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| Singapore Proves There's No Textbook Virus Response Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:00 PM PDT |
| Singapore Proves There's No Textbook Virus Response Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:00 PM PDT |
| Cameroon admits army's role in civilian killings Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:44 PM PDT  The government initially denied that troops had any role in the deaths of 13 people, including 10 children.
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| Georgia businesses hesitant to embrace Kemp's call to reopen Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:42 PM PDT  Gov. Brian Kemp's call to reopen shuttered businesses in Georgia left many business owners wary and confused Tuesday as they considered how to protect themselves and their customers in a state where coronavirus deaths exceed 800 and confirmed infections have surpassed 20,000. Kemp's plan to kick-start the economy is one of the most aggressive announced since President Donald Trump laid out benchmarks for states to start lifting restrictions.
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| Analysis: Pandemic fallout tracks nation's political divide Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:05 PM PDT  America's entrenched political divide is now playing out over matters of life and death. Republican governors, urged on by President Donald Trump, are taking the first steps toward reopening parts of their states' economies in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and without adhering to the president's own guidelines. Democratic governors are largely keeping strict stay-at-home orders and nonessential business closures in place, resisting small pockets of Trump-aligned protesters and public pressure from the president.
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| Driver killed in attack on UN vehicle in Myanmar's Rakhine Posted: 21 Apr 2020 01:34 PM PDT  A Myanmar government health worker was injured and his driver killed when their United Nations-marked vehicle was ambushed as they carried COVID-19 test samples in conflict-ridden Rakhine state, the UN said Tuesday. The country's northwest has been embroiled in an increasingly brutal civil war between Myanmar's military and Arakan Army rebels demanding more autonomy for the state's ethnic Rakhine population. The pair had been in a United Nations vehicle carrying COVID-19 surveillance samples, the organisation said, adding it was "deeply saddened" to confirm the death of driver Pyae Sone Win Maung, who worked for the World Health Organization (WHO).
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| Cameroon admits army role in February killing of 13 civilians Posted: 21 Apr 2020 01:29 PM PDT  Yaoundé (AFP) - Cameroon's presidency admitted on Tuesday that three soldiers acting with militants killed 13 civilians including 10 children in an anglophone region in the west of the country in February. The central African country's government had previously denied any role in the massacre in the region, where English-speaking separatists have been fighting the armed forces for the past two years. According to the United Nations, the massacre on the night of February 13 left 23 civilians dead including 15 children in the village of Ntumbo.
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| Conte Softens Italy’s Red Lines Over European Virus Aid Plan Posted: 21 Apr 2020 12:06 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Just two days before a crucial European Union summit, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signaled a more conciliatory approach to the EU's efforts to craft a trillion-euro rescue package that would mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic.Speaking in Rome to senators in protective masks and gloves, Conte welcomed an initiative by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to boost the joint EU budget, saying it "could have all the characteristics" that Italy demands.Europe is struggling to piece together a rescue plan to avert what's projected to be its steepest recession in living memory. Conte, who has been under pressure from populists both within and outside his fragile coalition, said that any EU recovery fund must be much larger than what previously had been considered, available immediately and come with no strings attached."The European Union and the euro zone cannot allow themselves to repeat the mistakes made in the 2008 financial crisis," Conte said. "The common shock was not tackled in a coordinated or supportive way."Rescue ProposalThe plan being prepared would see the commission use its budget to borrow from financial markets and then channel cheap loans to the worst-hit nations, according to two diplomats briefed on the ongoing preparations.The commission plan largely shuns demands made by Italy and Spain to finance the recovery with joint debt issuance, a controversial proposal rejected by Germany and the Netherlands. The bulk of the leverage created in the so-called recovery instrument of the new EU budget would take place over the next two years and the loans would be repaid after 2027, according to one of the diplomats.Italy's own counterproposal also backtracks from earlier demands from Eurobonds. According to Ansa, it envisages a fund managed by the Commission that raises money in the market with the backing of the EU budget and of member states. The funds would then be used to lend to individual countries with long maturities.Conte also backtracked on an earlier rejection of a proposal to use the European Stability Mechanism, the euro area's bailout fund, to open credit lines for countries in need. "We are ready to work on this new credit line, so that no conditionalities are introduced," the prime minister said.Several EU countries had shown interest in the credit lines without conditions, Conte said. "Rejecting this new credit line means doing a disservice to these countries which flank us in the battle," Conte said. It is too early to tell whether the credit lines will be without conditions, he added."I will not be able to accept watered-down compromises, there will not be some winners or losers," Conte said. "Either we all win or we all lose."Wave of AngerConte's conciliatory new path comes amid a wave of anger in Italy directed at the EU, which many perceive as having done too little when the pandemic hit. In one survey, most Italians described China as a friend and almost half said Germany was the enemy.Earlier Tuesday, Ralph Brinkhaus, the head of Chancellor Angela Merkel's parliamentary caucus, pushed back against portrayals of Germany as failing to demonstrate adequate solidarity over the outbreak."I personally am a little bit sad that the large degree of solidarity that we are showing on European issues is constantly being questioned," Brinkhaus told reporters. "It seems, partly also here in Germany, that the only good European is the one who supports joint debt. That is not our position.""We are not only the biggest net contributor in the European Union but we are also assuming the main burden of the rescue packages for the euro, and we are carrying the main burden of immigration," Brinkhaus added.Italy's anti-establishment Five Star Movement, the biggest force in Conte's coalition, has long campaigned against ESM credit lines as requiring unacceptable loan conditions.Opposition leader Matteo Salvini of the anti-migrant League, who has criticized the EU for failing to step up for Italy, also has denounced the ESM.(Updates with details of Italian proposal in seventh paragraph.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US squadron commander at the air base bombarded by Iranian missiles thought everyone there was going to die Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:59 AM PDT |
| Big unknowns about virus complicate getting back to normal Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:47 AM PDT  Reopening the U.S. economy is complicated by some troubling scientific questions about the new coronavirus that go beyond the logistics of whether enough tests are available. "The really unknown in this, to be completely transparent," is asymptomatic spread, said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator.
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| UN food agency chief: World on brink of `a hunger pandemic' Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:43 AM PDT |
| Senate Panel Backs Spy Agencies on Russia’s Preference for Trump Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:40 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that the nation's spy agencies correctly assessed that Russia interfered with the 2016 election in order to hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump and weren't subject to political pressure.The panel Tuesday released the fourth volume of its review of Russian election meddling in the U.S., a review of the intelligence community's assessments, and delivered a warning about continued attempts to interfere with U.S. politics by Russia.Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, and Vice Chairman Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said the assessment was backed up by the intelligence that the committee reviewed."The Committee found no reason to dispute the Intelligence Community's conclusions," Burr said.Warner said the intelligence assessment "correctly found the Russians interfered in our 2016 election to hurt Secretary Clinton and help the candidacy of Donald Trump. Our review of the highly classified ICA and underlying intelligence found that this and other conclusions were well-supported."Both senators warned about a threat to the 2020 elections."With the 2020 presidential election approaching, it's more important than ever that we remain vigilant against the threat of interference from hostile foreign actors," Burr said."There is certainly no reason to doubt that the Russians' success in 2016 is leading them to try again in 2020, and we must not be caught unprepared," Warner said.Most of the 158-page report is blacked out to protect classified information.Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and committee member, criticized Trump directly in an addendum to the report, including his attitude regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin."Russian interference in the 2016 election is a fact and Donald Trump's deference to Putin only serves to further Russian disinformation and undermine efforts to defend the United States against ongoing attacks," Wyden said.Wyden also said the report undermines Trump's assertions about Ukraine's involvement in election interference, because the intelligence clearly showed Russia was responsible for the intrusion into the networks of the Democratic National Committee.Wyden said their review is "fundamentally incompatible with Trump's conspiracy theories about Ukrainian involvement, for which there is no supporting evidence of any kind."The committee's final report is still being written. It has previously released reports on a Russian social media campaign, efforts by Russia to target state election-related computer systems in 2016 and the actions taken by President Barack Obama's administration to counter Russian efforts.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Israel's Netanyahu notches key wins in a deal with his rival Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:30 AM PDT  Israel's embattled prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has notched two critical victories in this week's power-sharing agreement with his chief rival: He can stay in office throughout his upcoming corruption trial, and he can press forward with a potentially explosive plan to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu and former military chief Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White Party, announced their "national emergency government" late Monday, ending 16 months of political paralysis and narrowly averting an unprecedented fourth national election in just over a year. The emergency government's stated mission is to steer the country through the coronavirus crisis, which has killed over 180 Israelis and put a quarter of the country out of work.
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| GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee agrees Russia tried to interfere in 2016 election on Trump's behalf Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:10 AM PDT  The Senate Intelligence Committee has finally concluded what the rest of the intelligence community did years ago.On Tuesday, the GOP-led committee released its report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. It confirms Kremlin-led interference in the election was aimed at helping President Trump, in contrast with what Trump has repeatedly brushed off as a "hoax."The report released Tuesday is heavily redacted, but it's clear that it confirms the U.S. intelligence community's assessment made back in January 2017. It echoes conclusions made in the 2017 report, noting there was "specific intelligence reporting to support the assessment that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian government demonstrated a preference for candidate Trump." The committee also concluded there was evidence showing Putin had "approved and directed aspects" of that interference."The committee found no reason to dispute the intelligence community's conclusions," Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr (R-N.C.) confirmed in a statement. Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) added that there was "no reason to doubt that the Russians' success in 2016 is leading them to try again in 2020" — something former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and many other intelligence professionals have warned of for years.More stories from theweek.com Excess mortality data suggests as many as 25,000 uncounted coronavirus deaths The Navajo Nation outbreak reveals an ugly truth behind America's coronavirus experience Netflix doubles expectations by adding almost 16 million subscribers amid pandemic
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| Senior UK official: PM Johnson to stick to Dec. 31 Brexit transition deadline Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:25 AM PDT |
| Senate panel backs assessment that Russia interfered in 2016 Posted: 21 Apr 2020 09:11 AM PDT  A bipartisan Senate report released Tuesday affirms the U.S. intelligence community's conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in a far-ranging influence campaign approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin and aimed at helping Donald Trump win the White House. The report rejects Trump's claims that the intelligence community was biased against him when it concluded that Russia had interfered on his behalf in the election.
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| Fighting in several parts of Yemen kills hundreds in April Posted: 21 Apr 2020 08:56 AM PDT |
| US OKs 1st coronavirus test that allows self-swab at home Posted: 21 Apr 2020 08:37 AM PDT  The test from LabCorp will initially only be available to health care workers and first responders under a doctor's orders. The sample will still have to be shipped for processing back to LabCorp, which operates diagnostic labs throughout the U.S. Allowing people to self-swab at home would help reduce infection risks for front-line health care workers and help conserve protective gear.
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| Canadian police say 22 victims after rampage in Nova Scotia Posted: 21 Apr 2020 08:06 AM PDT  Canadian police said Tuesday they believe there are at least 22 victims after a gunman wearing a police uniform shot people in their homes and set fires in a rampage across rural communities in Nova Scotia over the weekend. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they have recovered remains from some of the destroyed homes. Earlier, authorities had said at least 18 people were killed in the 12-hour attack.
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| Hospitals, volunteers combine to ease isolation of sick kids Posted: 21 Apr 2020 08:02 AM PDT  Which letter of the alphabet has the most water? Sarah Schneider's grandmother, Estelle Slon, is full of riddles, and she shares them in emails to sick children forced into isolation as they undergo treatment for cancer, blood disorders and other dire illnesses. Fifteen-year-old Sarah in Maplewood, New Jersey, thought up the idea in a Zoom session with her school's social justice club after they were sent home for remote learning in the coronavirus crisis.
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| Gunman shoots nine people dead in Lebanese mountain village Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:43 AM PDT |
| UAE urges against food export restrictions at G20 agricultural meeting Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:36 AM PDT |
| State Department says China is promoting Russian disinformation claiming U.S. was the source of coronavirus Posted: 21 Apr 2020 07:10 AM PDT  The State Department believes anti-United States propaganda coming from Russia, Iran, and China has converged at an accelerated rate during the coronavirus pandemic, Politico reports.A report produced by the department's Global Engagement Center found that while the three countries have pushed similar messages about the U.S. in the past, the campaigns were fairly narrow, focusing mostly on supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and criticizing the U.S. for bailing on international agreements. In the months since the pandemic surged, the State Department says there's been a lot more cohesion. Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran are propping up conspiracy theories accusing U.S. troops of spreading the virus, claiming China's response to the initial outbreak was strong (especially compared to U.S. negligence), and suggesting all three governments are managing the crisis well while the U.S. economy flounders.Washington doesn't believe it's a coincidence since the Chinese Communist Party, normally stringent in their internet censorship, is allowing Russian disinformation to spread throughout the country. Lea Gabrielle, the head of the GEC, said Beijing "went from letting Russian disinformation claiming the U.S. was the source of the virus proliferate in Chinese social media, to raising questions on state media about the origin's source, to promoting disinformation that the U.S. was the source of the virus." Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com Excess mortality data suggests as many as 25,000 uncounted coronavirus deaths The Navajo Nation outbreak reveals an ugly truth behind America's coronavirus experience Netflix doubles expectations by adding almost 16 million subscribers amid pandemic
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| Syrian war monitor says Israeli strike near Palmyra kills 9 Posted: 21 Apr 2020 06:39 AM PDT  An Israeli airstrike in central Syria killed nine fighters, including six who were not Syrians and some who were loyal to the militant Hezbollah group, an opposition war monitor said Tuesday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights gave no nationalities for the foreigners who were killed on a military post in the desert near the historic central town of Palmyra. It said the dead included some fighters loyal to Lebanon's Hezbollah group.
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| What you need to know today about the virus outbreak Posted: 21 Apr 2020 06:08 AM PDT  Iconic events like the U.S. national spelling bee in June, Spain's Running of the Bulls in July and Germany's Oktoberfest are being scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic, even amid growing impatience over shutdowns that have thrown millions of people out of work. Meanwhile, a nearly $500 billion coronavirus aid package flew through the Senate on Tuesday after Congress and the White House reached a deal to replenish a small business payroll fund and provide new money for hospitals and testing. Economic damage from the pandemic has mounted as stocks dropped around the world and oil prices suffered a historic collapse.
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| Trump bars new immigration green cards, not temporary visas Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:49 AM PDT  President Donald Trump announced what he described as a "temporary suspension of immigration into the United States" on Tuesday, an executive order barring those seeking permanent residency green cards but not temporary workers. Trump said he would be placing a 60-day pause on the issuance of green cards in an effort to limit competition for jobs in a U.S. economy wrecked by the coronavirus. An administration official familiar with the plans said the order would apply to foreigners seeking employment-based green cards and relatives of green card holders who are not citizens.
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| Major Exporters Pledge to Avoid Disrupting Global Food Supplies Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:44 AM PDT |
| Mystery Surrounds Kim Jong Un’s Health After Surgery Reports Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:17 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Mystery surrounded Kim Jong Un's health after U.S. and South Korean officials gave differing accounts of the North Korean leader's condition following his unusual absence from recent holiday celebrations.Kim was in critical condition after undergoing cardiovascular surgery last week and the Trump administration wasn't sure of his current health, said U.S. officials, who asked not to be identified. One of the officials said the White House was told that Kim took a turn for the worse after the procedure, while CNN earlier cited a U.S. official with direct knowledge saying the 36-year-old leader may be in "grave danger."Meanwhile, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's office said that Kim was conducting "normal activities" in a rural part of the country assisted by close aides and no special movements were detected. Moon spokesman Kang Min-seok said earlier there was nothing to confirm on the speculation over Kim's health.North Korea's state-run news broadcast at 6:30 p.m. local time made no mention of Kim, and the official Korean Central News Agency didn't provide an update on his condition. Kim Min-ki, head of the intelligence committee in South Korea's parliament, told Yonhap News Agency he believes there's no unusual signs regarding Kim's health after he was briefed by the country's spy agency.The news around Kim's health spurred the benchmark Kospi gauge to extend losses to as much as 3% while the won slid as much as 1.7% against the dollar. The Kospi closed 1% lower.The health of Kim, overweight and a heavy smoker, is one of North Korea's most closely guarded secrets, typically only known by a handful of people in the inner circle of leadership. While North Korea had scaled down major events as it battles the coronavirus pandemic, speculation about Kim had been growing since his unprecedented absence from April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung, one of the biggest days on the country's calendar.Even the most well-informed North Korea experts find it hard to tell what's happening in the secretive state. The Daily NK, a Seoul-based website that gathers information from informants inside the isolated nation, separately reported that Kim underwent a "cardiovascular surgical procedure" and was now mostly recovered. Reuters cited an official with the Chinese Communist Party's International Liaison Department saying that Kim wasn't believed to be critically ill."I saw some reports, but I don't know what these sources are," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing Tuesday afternoon.U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien told reporters on Tuesday morning that the Trump administration is "watching the reports closely." "It's just hard to know, we're keeping a close eye on it," he said.Any leadership crisis in North Korea could potentially have serious ramifications for regional stability, as well as for talks with the U.S. over the country's nuclear arsenal. Kim, who took power in 2011 following his father's 17-year reign, developed the capability to deliver a nuclear warhead to any part of the U.S. before engaging in direct talks with President Donald Trump over his arsenal and sanctions imposed on the state."When Kim Jong Un came to power, his path to leadership had been carefully cultivated by his father's guidance and maneuvering," said Mintaro Oba, a former U.S. diplomat who was specialized in Korean Peninsula issues. "Now, there is no clear transition plan and no clear future leader."White HorseKim has been shown in state media in recent months appearing at military drills and riding a white horse on the country's revered Mt. Paektu, where state propaganda says his grandfather used as a guerrilla base to fight Japanese colonial occupiers. North Korea's state media reported on April 11 that Kim attended a Politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party. The next day it said he inspected a military unit, but didn't reveal the date of that visit.The South Korean Unification Ministry said Friday it was "inappropriate" to speculate about the reasons for Kim's absence. Kim has made 17 public appearances this year that were mentioned in state media -- at a pace of a little more than one a week -- the ministry said. That's slightly down from 84 public appearances last year.South Korean intelligence said Kim Jong Un married Ri Sol Ju, a former singer, in 2009. They are thought to have three children, but there is no official mention of their offspring. Dennis Rodman, the offbeat basketball great who visited Kim in North Korea, said in 2013 he held the leader's baby girl in his arms, a daughter named Ju Ae.While there's been little time for him to groom a successor, Kim raised the status of his younger sister Kim Yo Jong as a key player in the secretive state. She was thrust into the global spotlight when she served as envoy to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and became the first member of the immediate ruling family to visit Seoul.(Updates with U.S. comment in ninth paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Scotland Sees Economy Shrinking 12% as Lockdown Set to Remain Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:09 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Scotland's economy could shrink by 12% this year as a result of restrictions put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, while the government said the financial hit was no reason to ease the lockdown prematurely and risk greater harm.The overall picture for the year is based on output declining by a third during the peak months of keeping people at home, the Scottish government's chief economist, Gary Gillespie, said in a report published on Tuesday. The numbers are broadly in line with the U.K. as a whole."The Covid-19 pandemic is a health crisis that has now become an economic crisis," he said. "Our analysis suggests that there could be a 33% fall in gross domestic product during the current period of social distancing."Along with the rest of the U.K., Scotland introduced a series of measures in late March aimed at slowing the spread of the pandemic, including the closure of restaurants and cafes and other places where people meet, and ordered people to stay home. The nation of 5.5 million people has already seen almost 1,000 deaths from an outbreak, which First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described as "the biggest challenge of our lifetimes."Sturgeon said she's "cautiously optimistic" the pandemic is being brought under control with hospital admissions broadly stabilizing in recent days and the number of patients in intensive care reducing."The economic harm being caused by this virus is not in itself a reason to come out of this lockdown early," she said at a briefing on Tuesday. "If we were to move out of lockdown early, and then have to re-impose the same level of restrictions, that could cause much longer-lasting economic damage."The government in Edinburgh, which is responsible for health care, education and many areas of the economy, said gross domestic product likely fell 10% in March and then 25% in April. It forecast "no further change until GDP begins to increase in July." Total support for Scottish businesses from the administration currently stands at 2.3 billion pounds ($2.9 billion)."As business and society reopens we will see a reversal of the output contraction for many parts of the domestic economy," Gillespie wrote. "However, not all sectors will come back immediately as external demand, consumer tastes, and business models will have changed significantly."Scotland's government this week urged the U.K. to trigger a two-year extension to negotiations on a new trade agreement after leaving the European Union to help mitigate the potential shock to businesses and households.Talks on the next stage of the Brexit process restarted this week with the British side adamant there would be no delay to ending the current transition period at the end of the year. The U.K. left the EU on Jan. 31, something the pro-independence Scottish administration has opposed from the beginning.(Updates with latest coronavirus deaths, comment from Sturgeon.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Officials: 7 virus cases may be related to in-person voting Posted: 21 Apr 2020 05:02 AM PDT  Health officials in Wisconsin said they have identified at least seven people who may have contracted the coronavirus from participating in the April 7 election, the first such cases following in-person voting that was held despite widespread concern about the public health risks. The infections involve six voters and one poll worker in Milwaukee, where difficulty finding poll workers forced the city to pare nearly 200 voting locations back to just five, and where voters — some in masks, some with no protection — were forced to wait in long lines for hours. The possible connection was made because local health officials are now asking newly infected people whether they participated in the election.
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| Virus Risks Political and Social Unrest With Hunger Rising Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:43 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The threat of social and political unrest around the world is rising as the coronavirus crisis fuels discontent amid food shortages, job losses and lockdowns.That may particularly impact nations that are already battling food crises, according to a report from 16 organizations including United Nations agencies and the European Union. The number of people facing acute food insecurity will almost double this year to 265 million unless swift action is taken, the UN's World Food Programme warned separately.Increased unemployment is curbing incomes available for food, while supply-chain disruptions are starting to impact food security in many parts of the world, boosting prices of key staples such as wheat and rice. Several governments have restricted some food exports to safeguard domestic supplies recently, and the UN has urged countries to avoid "beggar-thy-neighbor policies" seen during a global food price crisis a decade ago."Covid-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread," Arif Husain, senior economist at the WFP, said in a statement. "It is a hammer blow for millions more who can only eat if they earn a wage. It only takes one more shock – like Covid-19 – to push them over the edge."Last year, 135 million people in 55 countries and territories faced acute food insecurity and were in need of food aid, with conflict and climate change being the major drivers, according to the report. Africa had the largest number of people affected.The pandemic threatens to drive up acute food insecurity in countries that depend on food imports or derive much of their incomes from oil, tourism and remittances, the organizations said. The outbreak may also affect humanitarian aid as resources are diverted to other virus-related efforts, they said.The report recommended expanding monitoring systems to ensure early action in future to help the most vulnerable to access food. The organizations also called for more support for food processing, transport and local food markets, as well as allowing open trade corridors.Governments need to help farmers access inputs such as seeds and fertilizers to aid next year's food production, Husain said in an online briefing on Tuesday. The WFP is seeking funding of a least $10 billion this year, he said.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 10 things you need to know today: April 21, 2020 Posted: 21 Apr 2020 04:03 AM PDT |
| Spain arrests ex-rapper as Islamic State fighter in Syria Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:31 AM PDT |
| Zaghari-Ratcliffe's furlough from Iranian prison extended Posted: 21 Apr 2020 03:23 AM PDT |
| Just How Sick is North Korea’s Leader? Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:58 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Reports of his imminent demise may prove to be exaggerated, but North Korea's young leader has clearly had a major health scare.Whatever is going on inside the reclusive nation could have massive implications for the region and the U.S. because Kim Jong Un is the dynastic dictator of a very fragile nation that has nuclear arms.No one knows how badly the coronavirus may have ravaged North Korea's already cratered economy. And now U.S. officials say they've been told that Kim — in his mid 30s, a smoker and overweight — underwent cardiovascular surgery last week, with one saying he took a turn for the worse afterward. Some reports say he's still critically ill, though South Korea's presidential office said Kim is conducting "normal activities" in a rural part of the country.Kim has consolidated power since he took over in late 2011 when his father died. He's shown a merciless streak, having his uncle and senior military officers killed. His half-brother was assassinated in 2017 at an airport in Malaysia with a nerve agent.While he may have taken out potential rivals, if he were to die it's hard to know who would replace him. His sister has taken on a more prominent role, though no woman has ever ruled North Korea.Would a new leader keep lines of communication open to ally China, to the U.S.? Would they restart long-range missile tests to stamp their authority? Nuclear tests?Kim is, for better or worse, something of a known quantity. His demise would push the country into unchartered waters.Global HeadlinesTopsy-turvy | The oil market faced its worst crisis in a generation yesterday, with prices falling below zero and traders willing to pay $40 a barrel to get someone to take it off their hands. As Javier Blas and Will Kennedy explain, the most important global commodity is quickly losing all value as chronic oversupply overwhelms the world's crude tanks, pipelines and supertankers.The plunge was related to the expiry of a West Texas Intermediate futures contract, with Brent still positive. But it also reflects a crisis in the market despite the OPEC+ deal to cut 10% of global output, and will hit economies already grappling with the coronavirus. Closing borders | President Donald Trump said he'll sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the U.S. to contain the coronavirus. He didn't specify a time frame or who would be affected but tweeted that he made the decision "in light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens."Congressional leaders are on the brink of a deal for fresh relief for small businesses. The House will vote this week on letting members cast future votes by proxy for colleagues who don't travel to Washington due to virus-related concerns.Lost love | When Covid-19 struck, Italians expected Europe to come to their aid. Instead, Germany and France hoarded protective gear and Christine Lagarde at the European Central Bank brushed off their financial distress. As a result, John Follain and Alessandra Migliaccio report, senior figures in Rome talk of unprecedented public anger toward the European Union as thousands die each week and the economy implodes.Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Italy will present a plan this week to gradually ease its lockdown from May 4.Ruinous times | Small business owners the world over are being slammed by the maelstrom wrought by the coronavirus, but in Africa they're particularly vulnerable because the poorest continent is worst equipped to get aid to those who need it most. The fallout could place a third of the 300 million informal jobs in Africa at risk, while between 9 million and 18 million formal jobs could be lost, according to McKinsey & Co.Food fight | The virus has done more than disrupt supply chains, it's restarted a discussion about food self-sufficiency tinged with nationalism. Caroline Alexander and Agnieszka de Sousa report that at least 10 countries have introduced curbs on overseas sales of grains or rice since mid-March, and while many of those actions might not stick, that such threats were made at all serves as a wake-up call to governments.What to WatchThe U.K. Parliament reopens today with the first order of business a plan for a virtual House of Commons that complies with social distancing rules. Democratic contender Joe Biden raised $46.7 million in March, his best monthly haul of the presidential campaign, even though the pandemic shut down large swathes of the U.S. and prevented in-person fundraising. Not long ago, Singapore was a global standard bearer for taming the virus outbreak — now it's home to Southeast Asia's largest number of infections and is racing to regain control, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today extending the partial lockdown until June 1.Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally ... A conservative religious group's gatherings have spawned virus hotspots in Malaysia, India and now Pakistan. The Muslim missionary sect, Tabligh-e-Jamaat, hosted events in Kuala Lumpur, Lahore and New Delhi attended by tens of thousands of followers. Since then, Faseeh Mangi reports, more than 8,500 have tested positive. They're not alone. Religious groups have been linked to clusters around the world, from a church in South Korea to ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and Israel. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Lebanese protests, politics resume with a new, virus twist Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:43 AM PDT  Lebanese lawmakers convened Tuesday inside a cavernous Beirut theater so that parliament members could observe social distancing measures imposed over the coronavirus pandemic. As lawmakers wearing face masks arrived at the theater, known as the UNESCO palace, white uniformed paramedics sprayed them with disinfectant before they entered the gate one at a time. The staggered, three-day session is the first by parliament since Lebanon imposed a lockdown more than a month ago to limit the spread of the virus and after meetings that were scheduled last month were postponed.
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| If Not Kim Jong Un, Who? Possible Heirs to North Korea’s Throne Posted: 21 Apr 2020 02:39 AM PDT |
| UK Parliament to hold virtual debates amid virus lockdown Posted: 21 Apr 2020 01:19 AM PDT  Britain's Parliament went back to work Tuesday, and the political authorities had a message for lawmakers: Stay away. U.K. legislators and most parliamentary staff were sent home in late March as part of a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. With more than 17,000 virus-deaths in Britain and criticism growing of the government's response to the pandemic, legislators are returning — at least virtually — to grapple with the crisis.
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